Mansfield Thanksgiving Hoop Tip-Off Tournament

8^th Grade Standouts
By Joe Dicruttalo (@JDicruttalo)

Khristian Conner, Mansfield – One of the most impressive natural athletes in the field. While Khristian has shown a noticeable improvement in his ability to shoot the ball, there is no denying his best attribute is getting to the rim and finishing. Although he still has a long way to go in becoming a complete player, he will be able to have success this year on his athleticism alone.  In the early minutes of Mansfield’s third game of the weekend, he threw down a monster one-handed dunk in front of a strong crowd of younger Mansfield players watching their 8^th grade team. Mansfield finished 2-1 on the weekend and looks to make a lot of noise in the upcoming metro season!

Spencer Aronson, Holliston - This weekend’s most complete scorer proved game in and game out his ability to get “buckets in bunches.” In the two games this weekend that Holliston played at Mass Premier Courts, Spencer was able to score an impressive 25 points versus North Attleboro and an astonishing 39 points versus King Philip. Spencer looks to beat his defender off the dribble and looks to attack the basket with great poise. He finishes around the rim with either hand, showed a reliable pull up mid-range game and was even able to connect from deep. I would not be surprised if they upset a handful of teams before the year is over.

Jay Dieterle, Franklin – Franklin finished last year’s power rankings as the 2019s strongest Winter Town Team. Behind the hard work and toughness of Jay Dieterle I would predict they are one of the favorites to win this year’s state tournament. Jay is a small forward with an incredibly high motor for making plays on both sides of the court. He will rebound with almost anyone in the 2019 Class and finished with 10 or more rebounds on multiple occasions throughout the weekend. He attacks the basket well for his size and finishes around the rim with either hand. He shows the ability to shoot the midrange, but generally likes to get all the way to the rim to finish. I was most impressed by his overall competitiveness and the way in which he plays incredibly hard on defense. He closes out well and is willing to guard the opposing team’s best player. He matched up with Khristian Conner of Mansfield and proved himself as one of the grades strongest defenders making him work for every point, and holding him to his lowest weekend total of 12 points.

Devin Foster, Canton – Canton finished the weekend making a lot of noise and point guard Devin Foster had a lot to do with that. Devin ran the point for Canton this past weekend and although it doesn’t appear to be his natural position, he was up for the challenge and excelled in the role. Making other players around him look better seemed to be his main focus as he continuously made plays for others all weekend. Having great size for his position, he was able to tower over most defenders tasked with the chore of guarding him. At times, teams would try and put a larger forward on him, but his ball handling and ability to get to the basket made this a continuous problem. Over shadowed by his ability to help others score, I was also impressed with his ability to finish at and around the rim.

Paul Roche, North Attleboro – Strong overall guard who has the ability to knock down the outside shot as well as get all the way to the rim. Having played up a grade for AAU all fall, it looks as if Paul is poised to have a strong 8^th grade season for North Attleboro. He looks to set teammates up his first, but will score if his team needs him to do so. Likes to drive right but can attack and finish with his left hand very well. Has the ability to shoot the ball from three but will need to continue developing to improve his overall efficiency. Was really impressed with his matchup versus Holliston’s Spencer Aronson as he helped North edge out a win with strong play after strong play down the stretch. Also showed great mental toughness knocking down free throws late with the game on the line.

Jake Erlich and Tim Kemp, Easton - This interesting one-two punch will keep Easton in every game this year. Having led their team to the Metro-West title game last year, the boys look eager to help their team return back to the finals again this year. Their team has had some ups and downs in their preseason action, but with these two playing together I can only see this team improving as the year goes on. Whatever Tim Kemp lacks due to his small size, he makes up for in overall effort, IQ and leadership. This lefty guard can knock down the mid-range and is one of the best in the grade at reading the pick and roll. Finishes well in transition and looks to attack off the bounce to create for his teammates. Jake Erlich is a strong, athletic wing who is one of the best defenders throughout the grade. Jake guards any position he is tasked to, from point guard to center. Offensively he has noticeably improved his ability to shoot the ball, and has become a very consistent mid-range shooter. One of his major strengths is his ability to get to the rim and either finish or draw a foul. Should be an interesting year for Easton as they have a lot of teams gunning for them after them after last year’s success.

Kyle Layman, King Philip- Long athletic wing who is slowly coming into his own as an all-around player. Starting to put his size to use and attack the passing lanes to get tips and steals. Finishes well around the rim, and uses the hop step very effectively. King Philip had a strong showing this weekend and although lots of players helped their team achieve victories, one couldn’t help but notice the 6’2 wing with long arms pull down rebounds, block shots, and grab steals game after game. He will need to continue to develop his all-around offensive game, but still is a very interesting prospect to keep an eye on. 

7^th Grade Stand Outs

By Joe Dicruttalo (@JDicruttalo)

Bryant Ciccio, Attleboro – Strong IQ point guard who truly has the ability to make all the players around him look better. One of the top floor generals in the grade, showing time and time again his understanding of how to beat different zones with his precision passing. Has a strong right to left cross-over and loves to demonstrate his ability to stop and pop, constantly knocking down the midrange jumper. Makes strong passes to teammates with a strong overall understanding of where his teammates are at all times. No surprise that Attleboro has been ranked 2^nd in the Preseason Standings and could contend for 1^st behind this heady point guard.

Jason Comeau, Mansfield – There may not be a better fundamental post player throughout MetroWest than Jason. Mansfield’s strong body post has a wonderful understanding of how to use his body to create space. Finished several “and-1”  plays throughout the weekend and was a vocal leader for his team, game in and game out. We were most impressed with his strong performance versus Attleboro finishing with over twenty five points and fifteen rebounds while being covered by one of the biggest 

players in the 2020 class, Qualeem Charles.

Brandon Borde, Foxboro – Lefty guard who has been tasked to play forward and sometimes even center for his town travel team. He has a natural knack for scoring around the basket, and a nose for rebounding as well. He is a really strong overall athlete who should look to have Foxboro in contention for a very strong run in Division-2 action this season.

Qualeem Charles, Attleboro – This Attleboro native is one of the biggest and most interesting prospects throughout the grade. Charles is a monster on the boards on both ends of the floor and physically towers over most opponents. Will need to continue to develop his finishing touch around the basket and his ability to knock down foul shots, as game after game he demonstrated an impressive ability to draw contact and get opponents in foul trouble.

Andrew Glaser, Sharon – We were really impressed to see the growth in Andrew’s game as he has become much more aware of how to be a complete offensive player. Andrew has been one of the most frequent high scorers in the grade but is starting to become much more efficient in doing so. He has been shooting less and scoring more, as well as looking to set up teammates and help them score as well. He is a very competitive player, who uses his IQ and his overall will to win to put Sharon in very good spots to win game in and game out.