by Brian Crownover
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On Sunday afternoon CAA traveled to Hofstra University to catch two future Pride recruits in action in the Tom Crotty Classic.  Following that game, we headed to Queens for a battle of two future CAA forwards.  Here is a look at those four as well as several other players from throughout the day.

Scores:

Bishop Ford 60 Massapequa 54
Bishop Loughlin 65 Christ the King 62
Canarsie 67 All Hallows 49

Bishop Ford

Chaz Williams (2009, 5-8 PG) Committed to Hofstra
Chaz was fantastic in this victory for the Falcons.  He’s a lightning quick ball handler who is nearly impossible to stay in front of.  He was on the attack early and often.  Not only does he get up the court in a hurry, but Chaz can also stop on a dime and change directions.  He has a variety of moves.  He used a crossover to free himself for a pull up jumper.  The most impressive play was a jaw dropping move where he used a crossover and then a spin move and hit a fall away jumper with the foul.  He converted to make it a three point play (one of several on the day).  Chaz works well in traffic and finished around the rim all day with a soft touch.  Only on one occasion did his size actually hurt him as he was blocked.  He will likely have to adjust some at the college level to score around the goal because he is undersized, but luckily his speed is a huge asset. 

What we really love about Chaz’s game is that he plays at a very fast pace yet still seems to be under control.  Not only is he quick, but he can drive and score in either direction.  While he is very good at attacking off the dribble, he has a well rounded all around game.  He showed a fantastic pull up game which is tough to guard because you are so worried about his ball handling.  He can stop on a dime and his jumper is very smooth.  Chaz also had a strong game distributing the rock.  He possesses good vision.  On one play, he grabbed his own missed shot and threw a quick touch pass to a teammate.  He does a good job of mixing up driving and shooting from the perimeter and it always keeps the defense guessing.  Not surprisingly, he is quick defensively too and picked up several steals.  Chaz is actually pretty athletic, although he can’t use that ability as well as a taller player would.  He was very productive at the foul line, going 10-13 from there after putting pressure on the defense with his driving ability.  Tom Pecora and the Hofstra Pride did an excellent job of locking up an early commitment from this local product.  He should cause fits for opposing defenses in the CAA for years to come.  His monster game ended with 32 of his team’s 60 total points in the victory.

Bishop Loughlin

Kevin Phillip (2008, 6-7 PF) Committed to Drexel
This future Drexel Dragon was solid in the Lions sweep of Christ the King.  Kevin struggled early on as he missed a follow up and airballed a deep jumper.  He got it going later though.  He is an athletic forward who can play inside and outside.  When he finally got going, Kevin hit a short jumper and finished well in transition.  He had a nice one handed tip in and several other offensive rebound follow ups.  Kevin also converted an old fashioned three point play on the inside.  He was strong on the boards at both ends of the court.  He blocked a couple of shots.  He played solid defense on future George Mason player Ryan Pearson, but did struggled from time to time with Ryan’s quickness when attacking the hoop.  Kevin isn’t a go to guy in this balanced offense, but he’s a productive player nonetheless.  The talented forward had 14 points in the victory.

James Johnson (2008, 5-11 PG) Committed to Quinnipiac
James is a well built guard who can get into the lane off the dribble.  He hit from three point range and knocked down a pull up jumper too.  He really struggled with his jumper overall though.  He missed quite a few shots early on and actually improved as the game went on.  James didn’t attack enough when his shot wasn’t falling though.  He took quick shots too often.  He didn’t show much of a passing game.  James did hit two free throws late to seal the win and finished with a total of 9 points.

Trevon Hamlett (2009, 6-5 SF)
Trevon is a big, physical forward.  He runs the floor well.  He was also very productive on the offensive glass which was one of the keys to the Lions win.  He’s definitely a player to keep an eye on.

Christ the King

Ryan Pearson (2008, 6-7 SF/PF) Committed to George Mason
Ryan really struggled in this contest.  The usually productive forward just couldn’t get it going.  He had a couple of nice drives, but really struggled to finish.  He even airballed a few shots.  Bishop Loughlin’s big frontline made it difficult for him around the rim.  He goes at people when attacking and sometimes that hurts him when playing against a team like the Lions.  Ryan did knock down a pair of three pointers.  He also passed the ball well and crashed the boards.  He made some plays in transition too.  It was far from his best game though and he finished with 14 points.  The Royals are much better when he has a big game.

Roland Brown (2010, 6-8 C)
This massive post player was very productive early on.  Roland combines his size with some very nice skills.  He has excellent hands and a soft sweet touch inside.  He also moves well for his size.  Roland took full advantage when his guards were able to break the Lions press early on.  He wound up with a number of baskets from close range.  He can put the ball on the floor and loves to free himself up with spin moves.  Roland scored on several reverse lay-ups.  He can play with his back to the basket.  Not surprisingly, he was a monster on the boards.  He did airball a jumper.  Roland is a fantastic prospect who could wind up being a big time player.

Sean Johnson (2009, 6-1 SG)
Sean did a good job of attacking the rim, but much like a lot of the Royals’ team, he struggled to finish.  He has several impressive drive and dish plays.  His jumper really wasn’t falling though and late in the game he forced a shot or two.  Sean scored with a tough finish after contact on one occasion. 

Canarsie

Yves Jules (2008, 6-2 SG) Committed to Hofstra
Yves didn’t start or play early on, in the Canarsie win but he put together a good game when he did get into the action.  He opened with an offensive rebound follow-up and then rolled in a runner down the lane.  The lanky guard scored in several other ways including a dunk in transition and a three point shot.  He’s a fluid ball handler who can get into the lane.  He’s not super quick off the dribble, but fast enough.  Yves plays under control and used a nice stop and go move on one occasion.  He ran the floor well and dished out two assists on the break too.  Canarsie struggled early with him out of the game, but they pulled away once he started getting going.  Yves is a talented guard who can score in a variety of ways.

Elon Howard (2008, 6-7 PF)
Elon has very impressive natural ability.  He is a well built post player who is quite athletic.  He plays with his back to the basket.  He struggled finishing, but looked pretty smooth with his moves in the post despite that.  Elon stepped out to the perimeter and knocked down a 15 foot jumper.  His shot was very fluid.  He rebounded the ball very well and blocked several shots.  Elon is definitely a player with some upside.

Massapequa

Sean Hehir (2008, 6-7 SF/PF)
Sean is a skilled forward who put together a good game.  He showed the ability to go inside and outside.  He scored in the post and was fouled, but missed the free throw.  He also stepped out to the perimeter several times and buried shots from three point range.  His form is not the best, but he’s still effective.  Sean is a hard-nosed player who really hustles.  He was able to get into the lane off the dribble too.  He’s not super quick, but still a solid ball handler who can drive.  Sean drew quite a few fouls while on the attack.  He had a block and pulled down some rebounds too.  Sean is much more of a production player than a prospect.  He played very well on this day.

All Hallows

Juan Diaz (2009, 6-0 SG)
Juan is a solid guard.  He’s a solid shooter who buried several three pointers.  He is built pretty well and got into the lane on several plays.