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Post by efg72 on Dec 26, 2019 8:05:10 GMT -5
By Craig Holt / Correspondent Posted Dec 23, 2019 at 8:35 PM Good talent is enhanced by strong leadership, and the Worcester Academy boys’ basketball team is fortunate to have ample supplies of both.
The Hilltoppers’ talent was on full display during the recent Blackburn Invitational Tournament final, an event Worcester Academy won when it knocked off South Kent, 99-96. Sophomore guard Dasonte Bowen paced all scorers with 37 points, most coming on quick drives and perimeter pops. Bowen, a dazzling slasher and deadly shooter, was named the tourney’s most outstanding player.
Senior captains Quest Harris, a guard, and 6-6 Judson Martindale, a forward, added 20 and 18 points, respectively.
The Hilltoppers have continued their winning ways since then and improved to 7-2 last Saturday with a 91-87 overtime win over Bradford Academy. Junior guard Jhamyl Fricas, who helped clinch the win over South Kent when he sank two free throws with .79 seconds to play, led the shooters with 21 points.
Martindale totaled 17 points, while Bowen and 6-10 senior center Michael Rabinovich, the third captain, scored 16 apiece. Daniel Becil, a sophomore guard, netted 12 points, including a big hoop in the waning moments of regulation.
Worcester Academy coach Jamie Sullivan likes what he has seen early and is quick to praise the efforts of Harris, Rabinovich and Martindale.
“We have great senior leadership and we have outstanding senior captains in Quest Harris, Judson Martindale and Michael Rabinovich,” Sullivan said. “These guys keep us steady. It’s always great when the older guys work well with, and guide, the younger players.”
The Hilltoppers have the total package, and this includes slashing athletes, long-range shooters, and old-fashioned height. In regards to the latter, three players, sophomore Abdullah Mahamed, Rabinovich, and London’s Josh Ogundele, a senior, are listed at 6-10 on the roster.
“We have talented players, kids like Harris, Rabinovich and Martindale, who have developed at a good clip,” Sullivan said. “Now we have a new crop that includes Daniel Becil, Dasonte Bowen and Kayvaun Mulready, a Worcester kid who lives in this neighborhood and gets minutes even though he’s a freshman.”
Sullivan and his staff have worked hard to put together an exciting product.
“We have fun with this group, they’re great to coach, and we’re like a family,” Sullivan said. “We’ve built this like a high school program. And we don’t have the postgraduates anymore. Our kids come from places like Lowell and Lawrence, and they could easily be the star of their high school teams. But they’re here, and they’re making sacrifices with things like playing time and shots.
“And it takes time, because when you have talented players like this, it’s a process to get them to understand how important it is to be part of a program and team,” Sullivan said.
—Contact Craig Holt at sports@telegram.com.
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Post by trimster on Jan 8, 2020 11:52:01 GMT -5
That's sophomore guard DaSonte Bowen who is "shoot first" to say the least. He has offers from Iowa, Georgetown, UMass, and Rutgers according to 247Sports. He seems to prefer taking the off-balance 25 foot fadeaway jumper over feeding the ball inside to 6-10 teammates in the paint or to a dead-eye 6-7 wing..... WA also has 5-10 Quest Harris so maybe I better check more carefully before declaring that it's Bowen EDIT: Bowen is listed as a point guard on 247sports but it looks like Harris plays that position now The New England Recruiting Report has listed its first class of 2022 player rankings and Mr. Bowen of WA is the top rated prospect in New England. Another local kid, Power, of St. John’s of Shrewsbury, is #7. He is a 6’7” forward. So WA has a starting lineup of 4 of the top 42 players in NE’s class of 2020 and the top player in the class of 2022 according to NERR. They have a big matchup this weekend at home vs New Hampton Prep.
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Post by hchoops on Jan 8, 2020 12:04:38 GMT -5
Before that game they have a game today at 3 at the Winchendon school
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Post by spenser on Jan 8, 2020 12:13:45 GMT -5
Before that game they have a home game today at 3 vs the Winchendon school I’m planning on going on Saturday.
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Post by HC92 on Jan 8, 2020 21:20:28 GMT -5
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Post by hchoops on Jan 8, 2020 21:29:34 GMT -5
WA lost in OT to Winchendon. At least in the first half, WA played little D esp when Rabinovich was out. He had 8 points, inc 1 theee Judson had 10 with 2 blocks, one Impressive from behind on a breakaway attempt, the other a lefty one that kept the ball in play. Their center, Ogundele, started, then left and did not return in the first half
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Post by hchoops on Jan 11, 2020 19:44:27 GMT -5
Mike R. with the screen At least one poster said he was going to the game today
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Post by hchoops on Jan 11, 2020 20:01:14 GMT -5
In that game Judson had 11 with two 3s Mike had 8 inc one 3. The 3 guards led in scoring. The 7’ Josh O, going to Iowa, had 2 FTs.
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Post by WorcesterGray on Jan 11, 2020 21:32:38 GMT -5
That's Martindale setting the screen. Will pass along some observations from the game tomorrow, fwiw.
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Post by DiMarz on Jan 11, 2020 21:49:18 GMT -5
I noticed on their schedule, Jan 19, listed as Hoophall in Springfield.. They are NOT listed on the Hoophall site schedule...
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Post by trimster on Jan 12, 2020 8:59:15 GMT -5
I noticed on their schedule, Jan 19, listed as Hoophall in Springfield.. They are NOT listed on the Hoophall site schedule... NERR has the entire Hoophall schedule. WA is playing at 3:45 next Sunday vs. Perkiomen.
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Post by WorcesterGray on Jan 12, 2020 10:21:47 GMT -5
Had the opportunity to watch Judson Martindale and Mike Rabinovich yesterday vs. AAA New Hampton. WA's old-style gym was packed to the gills, and the crowd got treated to a pretty entertaining game. Unfortunately, I left with about four minutes to go (just after Rabinovich fouled out), so missed the exciting finish. Still, came away with some definite first impressions of both future Crusaders, playing against very good competition (NH lost by just five to perennial AAA powerhouse NMH on Friday.) MARTINDALE. Athletic and fluid, JM runs the court well. Combining good length and quickness, he showed the ability to score both inside and out. He has a slightly unorthodox release on his jumper, the left hand flying away and back as he shoots, but body squared, and accurate (2-4 from deep, misses weren't off by much). What stood out to me was his ability to drive the ball to the basket from 15+'. He did so four times - once from the top of the key, twice from the left wing, once from the left baseline. He showed an explosive first step, excellent dribble control with his left (weak) hand, and beat his defender each time (scored twice, fouled twice). Very good vertical extension at the rim to finish with his right (strong) hand, especially pretty on the baseline drive. Didn't see any mid-range or pull-up. His passing skills were unremarkable yesterday His inside-out, complementary scoring skills will translate well to the next level, I think. His first field goal in each half was off the drive, and he was so consistently good at that that he couldn't be defended closely, even near the arc - which opened up the three (the first of which he positioned himself for with a quick jab and step back). No question in my mind that he will be able to create shots for himself here. Defensively, he was assigned to guard New Hampton's touted soph, Alex Karaban, for the most part, with mixed success. He picked up a couple fouls early, forcing him to the bench with 12m to go in the half, but was reinserted with about 4m left and WA down twelve. He hit his first three-pointer (with the jab and step back), missed a three from Curry-land, and helped bring WA back to within three at the half. Showed some leaping ability with a block as well as his finishes. And he was in for the comeback at the end, setting the critical screen. Team functioned better with him on the floor, even without him shooting a lot. RABINOVICH. MR has a more solid frame than our current bigs - especially upper body, looks like he will be able to fill in with some additional weight and muscle. He moves pretty well up and down, but seemed to tire mid-way through each half. He did foul out (on a foolish reach-in away from the basket), but also got called for one on what appeared to be a clean block - wouldn't label him as foul-prone based on this performance. He started the game with the taller Ogundele, and jumped center. Offensively, he worked outside in, setting ball-screens for guards near the elbows, then rolling inside to post (or, sometimes, back out to the arc). Not overly quick, but showed very good footwork to establish position low on a couple of occasions (scored once from the low post). Looked very comfortable playing inside offensively - good rebounder, with good hands, and smarts. He scored on a put-back, even though boxed out by a wide body (Canberk Kavsuk, #36 in NERR's 2020 New England Rankings), by reaching his hands over the opponent's head to secure the ball and touch quickly up and in, without making body contact. He has a text-book stance and stroke on his jumper, and hit a three (1-2 from the line, iirc). Looked fundamentally sound. Defensively, he had two other blocks, and spent most of the afternoon guarding Kavsuk, who wasn't an especially effective scorer, but was a load physically, and MR again looked at home underneath - definitely expect him to provide some rim protection when he gets here. Showed good help instincts and toughness throughout, went hard to the floor for a loose ball in the second half to save a possession. Based on what I saw, he's a legitimate big who will give us some physical presence low at both ends - and who can also pop out for a three if we need him to do that. Not sure how much he'll score here, but (as NAD expressed elsewhere in the discussion), the points he produces are of secondary importance to other aspects of interior play that we desperately need - he should definitely help.
I plan to get another look when WA plays Tilton in a tournament at Cushing Academy in a couple weeks.
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Post by rgs318 on Jan 12, 2020 10:25:42 GMT -5
Nice analysis, WG...thank you! I look forward too seeing both of these men in Purple!
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Post by trimster on Jan 12, 2020 10:35:00 GMT -5
Nice analysis, WG...thank you! I look forward too seeing both of these men in Purple! The thing I like about them is they often play against excellent competition. It’s one thing to dominate against teams without much height and or loads of talent and another to be a solid player in the NEPSAC Worcester Academy plays in.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jan 12, 2020 10:48:49 GMT -5
Fantastic analysis Mr Gray--looking forward to additional reports
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Post by hchoops on Jan 12, 2020 12:06:03 GMT -5
Thanks, WG Confirms what I have seen on the occasional streaming on the WA twitter account.
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Post by hchoops on Jan 12, 2020 12:23:32 GMT -5
Game highlights Both HC recruits look to have strong form on their releases. WG described Mike’s 2 hand put back excellently- a terrific play, as were his blocks.
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Post by hchoops on Jan 12, 2020 16:18:00 GMT -5
I noticed on their schedule, Jan 19, listed as Hoophall in Springfield.. They are NOT listed on the Hoophall site schedule... NERR has the entire Hoophall schedule. WA is playing at 3:45 next Sunday vs. Perkiomen. WA is in the Hoophall Prep Showcase the Hs tourney is the Hoophall Classic, 2 miles away from the Prep event
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 12, 2020 16:28:35 GMT -5
You know its bad when more HC alum are following Worcester Academy on a regular basis than the Holy Cross Men's team.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jan 12, 2020 20:44:13 GMT -5
Actually it can be viewed positively. It shows that they are looking forward to the future of HC basketball. They have not given up on the program.
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Post by rgs318 on Jan 12, 2020 21:15:32 GMT -5
Actually it can be viewed positively. It shows that they are looking forward to the future of HC basketball. They have not given up on the program. I like the way you think!
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jan 13, 2020 0:25:50 GMT -5
Additional perspective on how quickly a team can turnaround from a losing season to a winning season, last season Stanford finished the season 15-16. This season, they are already 14-2.
New coach, new players, new offensive and defensive strategies, we will see improvements over the next two years.
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Post by WorcesterGray on Jan 13, 2020 8:31:17 GMT -5
Pat Skerry was 1-31 his first year at Towson - the next season, 18-12, and a 2nd place finish in the CAA.
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Post by hchoops on Jan 15, 2020 20:10:20 GMT -5
WA beats AAA Proctor 78-60. Judson led with 19, one 3 and 6 of the team’s 9 FTs. Mike had 12., inc 2 threes
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Post by WorcesterGray on Jan 15, 2020 21:45:00 GMT -5
Proctor is a AA program.
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