The annual Providence Jamfest AAU tournament was held this past Saturday and Sunday at Rhode Island College with some of the best regional AAU teams participating. Friarbasketball.com was able to take in some of the action on both days. The New England Playaz, behind a couple of PC recruits, were able to capture the 17U title with a hard fought 61-56 victory over the Move Your Feet AAU team in the title game. Listed below are a few potential players of interest for Providence that stood out during the tournament.

Karem Kanter– 6’7 PF New England Playaz 2013 (Wilbraham and Monson). Karem is still undecided whether he will stay in the Class of 2013 or if he will move back to 2014. His decision depends on whether he finds a high major college that he can fit in with and be comfortable at next year. Kanter had a great weekend demonstrating some nice low post moves, a mid range jump shot, a knack for the ball when rebounding, and some solid interior passing. He will not wow you with above the rim athletic ability, but he is a decent athlete. He could fit in well as a rotation player with the Friars.

The PC staff watched him closely during the Philly Jamfest a couple of weeks ago and a visit to the PC campus is being worked in the next week or so.

Jarred Reuter — 6’9 PF/C New England Playaz 2015 (Brewster Academy). Reuter is an absolute beast physically. Friar fans would absolutely love his hard nose style of play. He has good low post moves, loves contact, and is a physical rebounder. He is your typical bruising big man that thrives in the rough and tumble Big East. PC has offered Reuter and he was at a couple of PC games this season.

Chris Boucher — 6’10 F QC United 2013 (Almy Academy) Chris was quite simply the best player in the tournament. He has all the tools, posessing great athleticism, jumping ability, speed and a soft shooting touch. He completely took over a few games by himself this weekend.

Word is he may be going to a top junior college in New Mexico next year. Boucher could also opt to play another year at a prep school next season. During the National Prep School Invitational at RIC in February Coach Blaney took a long look at Boucher. Hopefully he can get his academics and eligibility straightened out, as this kid is the real deal. Hopefully the Friars will keep him on their radar no matter where he winds up next season.

Marcel Pettway — 6’6 PF New England Playaz 2015 (Wilbraham & Monson) Marcel recently moved over to the Playaz from BABC. I’ve always loved Marcel’s game. He is an undersized power forward at 6’6, but he is a rock solid 240-250 pounds, and is a bull under the basket. Right now his game revolves around being close to the basket, but if he can add in some more perimeter skills he could wind up being a high major player. Pettway is a Providence native.

Chima Azuonwu — 6’11 C Team Frenji 2014 (Archbishop Stepinac) Easily the most physically imposing player in the tournament, Chima is 6’11 and weighs around 270-280 pounds. The Cameroon native is very raw and just learning the game, but is definitely worth keeping an eye on. If he can develop he would be a very imposing player for whatever team gets him at the next level. His best bet may be to reclassify to 2015 at some point and spend a year in prep school. He is someone to keep an eye on in the future.

* Picture courtesy of 247sports.com

A busy AAU weekend is once again highlighted by the next stop on the EYBL circuit in Dallas. There are also local events going on at both Rhode Island College (Providence Jamfest) and Roger Williams University (RI Hawks May Madness).

The highlight of the weekend will be on Friday night in Dallas when Expressions Elite takes on Team Scan. There will be at least nine Friar recruits taking part in that one game including Abdul Malik Abu,  Jared Terell, Jared Wilson-Frame, Terry Larrier, and Cheick Diallo.

Box scores from Dallas will be available here: http://www.nikeeyb.com/Events/eybl-session-3-dallas-tx2k1/

Here are the highlight videos of the first two EYBL sessions in Los Angeles and Hampton, VA:

The annual Providence Jamfest takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Rhode Island College’s Murray Center and Recreation Center. While it lacks the big name AAU teams of previous years, there is still plenty of good AAU basketball action to watch over the weekend. Here is the bracket for the 17U division:

https://hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/17u-Prov-Bracket.xlsx5.pdf

At Roger Williams University the Rhode Island Hawks will be holding their annual May Madness Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Mass Rivals will be sending several of their teams to the event. More information is available below:

http://www.rihawks.com/2013/05/ri-hawks-may-madness-may-1112/

Friarbasketball.com will provide updates on Friar recruits in AAU action this weekend and we also hope to have a live report from one of the local RI tournaments as well.

A look at both Brandon Austin and Rodney Bullock from the Capitol Classic from last week.

Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal reported via Twitter today that Providence hosted 6’9 Mikael Herbert, a “big time shooter” according to McNamara’s Tweet. Herbert, a Finland native, averaged just over seven points per game playing for his Finnish team this past season.

Information is limited on the 2013 European product, but what is becoming clear is that the PC staff is looking to add shooting since Ricardo Ledo entered the NBA Draft last month. Providence suffered from a lack of consistent outside shooting beyond 1st Team All Big East guard Bryce Cotton last season, and after Ledo left school this spring Providence made a late push for Michigan shooter Martez Walker (who committed to Texas this week) and then welcomed Herbert to campus.

Prior to Ledo leaving head coach Ed Cooley warned that a lot can happen throughout the summer in regards to roster movement and it appears as though the 2013-14 is not quite set at this stage.

Here’s a look at Herbert, who is expected to commit to a college soon.

Providence College recently offered Jared Wilson-Frame, a 6’5 SG from Windsor, CT. One of the best players in Connecticut the past two years, many Friar fans will remember him from the New London-Windsor games during Kris Dunn’s senior year. He is currently playing for the undefeated Expressions Elite AAU team in the EYBL NIKE League and is taking his game to a new level this spring. Jared graciously agreed to answer a few questions on his game and recruitment.

Q. CL: How is the AAU season going for you so far? Your Expressions Elite team is taking no prisoners in the EYBL.

A. JWF: This AAU season has gotten off to a great start as many know, and as far as being undefeated, it’s not something I would say is a surprise to us. We all play hard and are unselfish and fight for one another. Every game is another battle to win the war in the end which is Peach Jam.

Q. CL: I’ve seen you listed several times as being either in the class of 2014 or the class of 2015. With you going to prep school next year what class will you be in?

A. JWF: My plans are to go prep next year, and I will be in the class if 2015.

Q. CL: Have you made any decisions on where you will be playing next year?

A. JWF: Not in particular at this time.

Q. CL: What are your impressions of Coach Cooley and the rest of the Providence staff?

A. JWF: I’ve really only had face to face contact with Coach Cooley and Coach LaFleur and they’re both very well respected men and give off a good vibe. They’re really easy to talk to and cool. I can relate to a lot of their players with ease. I like them.

Q. CL: I saw that Kris Dunn recently tweeted his congratulations on the PC offer. Would playing on the same team in college as Kris be something that would interest you?

A. JWF: Well, as some know, Kris and I played for the same AAU program before be went off to PC (CBC), so playing with him In college would great. Playing with someone who you always looked up to as a mentor and leader is a great opportunity. He’s always been there for me if I need a guy to talk to. Again, it would be a great opportunity.

Q. CL: Any other players on PC that you are familiar with?

A. JWF: (Bryce) Cotton and (Vincent) Council, along with Kris, are two of my favorite competitors on the collegiate level, and I’ve seen Ricky (Ledo) play on several occasions. I saw him for the first time when I was 13 years old when he played with Khem Birch on Expressions. His game is smooth and he’s fearless. I like him a lot.

Q. CL: Besides Providence what other teams are you hearing from the most?

A. JWF: Other schools I’m hearing from include Uconn, St. Johns, St. Joes, Marquette, and Virginia Tech.

Q. CL: What player do most people think that you resemble on the court?

A. JWF: In the Connecticut public school league I play in I get compared to a Lebron-like player for how I stuff the stat sheet. I averaged 7 assists and 8 rebounds along with 20 points this past season.

Q. CL: What do you consider your strengths on the basketball court right now and what do you feel that you still need to work on?

A. JWF: My strengths right now are shooting, defense, attacking the basket and finishing in traffic. Using my size and strength over other guards is a big part of my game. My ball handling in pressure situations has been on a serious upswing thanks to hard work in the gym. Things I’m still working on are ball handling under pressure, not taking plays off, and not settling for my jump shot so much.

Q. CL: You recently visited the PC campus. Is playing for a high major school on a smaller campus something that might be appealing to you?

A. JWF: The size of a campus is not a major factor in looking at going to a certain school. If the campus looks nice to me, and the environment is a home-like family feel, I’ll be great. I come from a small town in a small neighborhood and I like it, so the big glam campus is nice, but I’m not specifically looking for that. As long as I’m playing high major basketball I’m good.

* * *

I would like to thank Jared for taking the time to answer a few questions for Friarbasketball.com. Perhaps in a couple of years we will see him in a Friar uniform. He seems like the type of person and player that Friar fans would like to see representing their program and their school.

Here is a mixtape of Jared courtesy of NBBSquad:

And an interview courtesy of Cox Sports:

According to ESPN, Providence became the first school to offer 2015 Connecticut wing Jared Wilson-Frame. ESPN termed Wilson-Frame “ecstatic” to get his first high-major offer, noting that he visited Providence last month. He’s a winner, as his Windsor team has gone 49-6 over the past two seasons, while his AAU squad, Expressions, has exploded onto the EYBL scene this summer, starting a remarkable 9-0 in their debut season.

From the article:

“That’s one thing I always said to myself. I always go on ESPN or on Twitter and I’ll see kids getting offers who I have played against–kids who I honestly feel like I have played at their level or better,” he said. “That really motivated me to want to play at a higher level.” 

Wilson-Frame is considering the prep school route next school year, but says for now he is focused on finishing this year strong academically and continuing to build his name on the AAU circuit. Expressions Elite has made quite a splash at Nike EYBL, sitting at 9-0 after the first two weekends of play.

* * *

Don’t look now, but Kentucky is showing interest in Abdul Malik Abu, which comes off of the heels of him receiving offers from Kansas, North Carolina State and Texas this weekend. It’s at the point where Abu will choose whatever school he wants this year.

* * *

Providence offered Blair Academy’s Marial Shayok after a very impressive run at the National Prep Showcase Invitational in February, and he continues to receive new offers after a solid EYBL run. Rutgers, Minnesota, and LaSalle offered this weekend, joining the likes of Providence, BC, Villanova, Seton Hall, Kansas State and Texas A&M who have all offered.

Shayok may not be top of mind for those who follow Providence recruiting, but he has major upside as a physical, productive small forward.

* * *

Providence generated some serious buzz with a late season surge, capped with a tremendous send off by Ed Cooley after the Friars defeated Robert Morris in the second round of the NIT. Here’s the footage of the coach thanking PC fans after the game.

Expressions Elite 80– Baltimore Elite 57
Abdul Malik Abu scored 18 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in 19 minutes of action as he led Expressions Elite to a 23 point victory over Baltimore Elite. Jared Terrell chipped in with 16 points and Aaron Falzon added 10 in the victory for Expressions.
Box Score

Team Scan 54– California Supreme 49
Terrier Larrier had 10 and 7 rebounds in Team Scan’s victory over California Supreme. Shavar Newkirk added 3 points and 3 rebounds in 23 minutes of action for Team Scan.Big Man Cheick Diallo from Our Savior New American had a big game for Team Scan with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. The Friars have offered him.

Team Penny 73– Southern Stampede 68
Jalen Lindsey had 15 points in 25 minutes of action as the Southern Stampede lost by five points to Team Penny.

Saturday Morning

Expressions Elite 81– Jackson Tigers 74
Aaron Falzon had a great game against the Jackson Tigers scoring 22 points while demonstrating his 3 point prowess (6-6 beyond the arc). It was also announced over the weekend that the 6’8 2015 PF will be playing for Northfield Mount Hermon next year. Abdul Malik Abu, Jared Wilson-Frame, and Jared Terrell all chipped in with double figure scoring in the victory.
Box Score: http://www.nikeeyb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/VA130803.pdf

Team Scan 64– Alabama Challenge 55
2015 PF Chieck Diallo led Team Scan in the victory over the Alabama Challenge with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Terrier Larrier added 10 points and 7 rebounds while Shavar Newkirk had 7 points and 4 assists

NJ Playaz 74– Southern Stampede 56
Jalen Lindsey scored 11 points in 19 minutes as the Southern Stampede lost another game to the NJ Playaz.

Saturday Afternoon

Expressions Elite 67– Alabama Challenge 54
Abdul Malik Abu had a monster game with 28 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes of action as Expressions remained undefeated in EYBL with a victory over Alabama Challenge. Jared Terrell added 13 points and Aaron Falzon had 7 for Expressions
Box Score: http://www.nikeeyb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/VA130505.pdf

Georgia Stars 74– Southern Stampede 51
Jalen Lindsey only played 16 minutes in scoring 4 points as the Southern Stampede lost to the Georgia Stars.

Oakland Soilders 88– Team Scan 84
Cheik Diallo had 24 points, 17 rebounds, and 4 blocks as Team Scan lost a close one to the Oakland Soilders. Terry Larrier had 17 points and Shavar Newkirk added 2 for Team Scan.

Sunday Morning

Expressions Elite 76–California Supreme 58
Abdul Malik Abu led a balanced attack with 14points as Expressions Elite won yet again defeating California Supreme. Aaron Falzone had 12 points, Jared Wilson-Frame had 11 and Jared Terrell had 9 for Expressions.
Box Score: http://www.nikeeyb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/VA130607.pdf

STL Eagles 71–Team Scan 65

Cheick Diallo had 7 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks but Team Scan lost their second straight game, this time to the STL Eagles. Terry Larrier added 6 points for Team Scan, while Shavar Newkirk had his best game so far leading Team Scan in scoring with 21 points.

Boo Williams 79–Southern Stampede 62
Jalen Lindsey had 3 points in 20 minutes of action as the Southern Stampede lost another game to Boo Williams.

Sunday Afternoon

Team Scan 58– The Family 45
Shavar Newkirk had 14 points, Cheick Diallo had 9 points and 10 rebounds, and Terry Larrier had 5 points as Team Scan defeated The Family in their final game of the weekend.

Expressions Elite 71–Athletes First 56
Jared Terrell led Expressions with 23 points and 6 rebounds as they remained undefeated for the weekend (and for the entire EYBL season) with a victory over Athlletes First. Abdul Malik Abu added 14 points, Jared Wilson-Frame had 9 points, and Aaron Falzon also had 9 points for Expressions.
Box Score: http://www.nikeeyb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/VA130313.pdf

New York Lighting 76–Southern Stampede 67
Jalen Lindsey only played 10 minutes in this game scoring 5 points as the Southern Stampede lost their final game of the weekend.

Players of Friar Interest at the EYBL

Abdul Malik Abu — Expressions Elite (PC offer)
Jared Wilson Frame — Expressions Elite (recent PC offer)
Jared Terrrell — Expressions Elite (PC offer)
Aaron Falzon — Expressions Elite (recent PC offer)
Alec Brennan — Expressions Elite (did not play this weekend)

Jalen Lindsey — Southern Stampede (PC offer, recent PC in home visit)

Cheick Diallo — Team Scan (offer)
Terry Larrier — Team Scan (recent PC offer)
Shavar Newkirk — Team Scan

Tyler Lydon — Albany City Rocks (recent offer)

Bennie Boatright — California Supreme (PC offer)

Kevin Zabo — CIA Bounce

Marial Shayok — CIA Bounce

Khadee Carrington — NY Lighting
Luis Montero — NY Lighting
Kahari Beaufort — NY Lighting

Terrance Mann — BABC
Jonathan Joseph — BABC
Henry Bolton — BABC
Bonzie Colson — BABC
Marcel Pettway — BABC (did not play this weekend)

All of the EYBL box scores from the weekend can be found here:

http://www.nikeeyb.com/Events/eybl-session-2-hampton-va2k13/

It happens every year in New England without fail. A relative unknown prospect heads to the Northeast to play in the most competitive prep league in the country and sees his recruitment take off.

For many of these prospects it’s easy to question if you’re overrating a solid string of performances, but what’s become clear over recent years is if you can shine playing in the NEPSAC or at prep showcases featuring the top teams in the country, you can most likely have a very productive college career at a variety of levels.

Of course, Michigan backup point guard Spike Albrecht is the latest, and perhaps now the most famous example of a relatively un-recruited New England prep who signed late and then more than showed his worth on the biggest stage when given a shot.

Winchendon had a backcourt duo that would not have made headlines if the Friars signed either of them in 2010, but most likely would have had very solid careers here (ironically, they were part of the same class in which Gerard Coleman was a top 60 recruit and Bryce Cotton was off the radar). Anthony Ireland is a Waterbury, CT kid who is now a 20/5/4 guy at Loyola Marymount after prepping at Winchendon and his backcourt mate Devon Saddler is a 20 point, 4 assist guard at Delaware who saves his best for high majors, scoring 32 against Kansas State, 28 versus Pitt, 25 at Temple and 23 more on Duke.

It was clear to anyone who watched the Ireland/Sadder-led Winchendon group that lost in the final seconds to Will Barton, CJ Fair, Melvin Ejim and Naadir Tharpe in the NEPSAC Championship in 2010 that they were certainly good enough to carve out a sizable role at PC (both were signed by then), despite their recruiting rankings or high major options.

The one player who jumped out at the National Prep School Invitational this February was Marquise Moore. Those grabbing for a roster trying to get the name of the kid who was breaking down virtually every Brewster defender off of the dribble weren’t to be blamed – hardly anyone had heard of Moore outside of New York heading into this season.

The point guard did not have a single Division I offer last year, so he headed to St. Thomas More for the 2012-13 season where he not only showed he belonged, but he excelled.

When reading that Hofstra had signed him a few weeks back it seemed like a steal for them, and when his recruitment re-opened the next thought was that he’d be a really nice fit for a Providence team that annually lacks a true backup point guard who can run the show.

The ball will most likely be in Kris Dunn’s hands from the start, Cotton showed he can give the Friars minutes there, and the hope of some is that 6’6 freshman Brandon Austin can handle leading the offense in certain instances, but Moore would bring a different dimension to the Friars – a pure point who is extremely difficult to keep out of the paint.

This is a very quick point guard who is effective in both the open court and in breaking his man down in the halfcourt.

The kid with no DI offers a year ago finished this year as a 2nd Team All NEPSAC performer (as a point of comparison former Rutgers commit Shane Rector was named to the 3rd Team, and a year ago Ricky Ledo was 2nd Team – albeit in a far stronger field in 2012… and no one is saying Moore is in the same stratosphere as Ledo).

Moore directed the offense for the NEPSAC AAA’s top team in the regular season, finishing the year as an 11/6/5 point guard. In St. Thomas More’s final win of the season, in the Prep National Quarterfinals, he led his team to victory with 18 points against a terrifically talented Hargrave bunch.

Moore is an inconsistent shooter at this stage of his development, but his blow-by ability would make him an intriguing addition in late-April.

 * * *

According to Zagsblog, Providence is involved and has asked more to come to play in an open gym with their team.

Martez Walker has narrowed down his list of schools to four, including PC. He said he would like to take one more official visit to Providence, possibly this weekend or early next week. It appears that PC turned up the volume on his recruitment once Ricky Ledo declared for the NBA draft

Walker is a 6’5 SG with a decent handle, nice jump shot out to three point range, and is a good defensive player. The other schools on his final four list are Temple, Texas, and Oakland. He just recently got back from a visit to Texas.

ESPN says that “Walker is a long wiry lefty that is a good athlete. He can knock down jumpers with range to the arc by running the floor on the break, coming off screens or spacing to the open area on the side of dribble penetration. Walker plays with emotion, energy and urgency and can get on a roll from beyond the arc. He is also a good passer especially on the move in the open court.”

Scout says that “For teams who are looking for a scorer late in the process one who is still available is Martez Walker of Pershing. The 6’5 wing can really shoot and is having an excellent senior season.”

Here are a couple of highlight videos courtesy of PrepHoopsTV and Reachlegendsaau

Terry Larrier was not a well known name heading into last summer’s PC Elite camp, but by the end of the day had attracted the attention of the Providence coaching staff. The Bronx native looked to be more athlete than polished player last summer, but with his length (6’7) and athleticism he was certainly someone to keep an eye on going forward.

Reports are that Providence has offered the class of 2014 forward who is being labeled one of the breakout players of the early AAU season.

Here’s what I wrote about him upon first view last summer:

Playing for the top 16U AAU team in the country in Team Scan, 2014 combo forward Terry Larrier may slide under the radar a bit when playing alongside names like Chris McCullough and Conrad Chambers, but he certainly caught the eye on Saturday afternoon at the Providence Elite Camp.

I hadn’t seen Larrier previously and it took some digging after the camp to find out who the bouncy 6’7-6’8ish athlete was who looked tremendous in the speed and agility drills early in the camp.  Larrier is a Bronx native who ESPN lists at 6’6, but he looked, and played, a lot longer than that on Saturday, seemingly catching the attention of the Providence staff.  In a camp with the upwards of 80 young men, he really stood out during those agility drills, yet how he’d look once he stepped into five on five competition was a another question, and he accounted for himself well – knocking down a somewhat unorthodox looking jumper with some consistency, putting the ball on the floor well for a forward and using his fine athleticism to his advantage.

He’s a long limbed wing with terrific athleticism.

* * *

Providence is also in the final four of Detroit shooting guard Martez Walker. The Friars have been listed with Walker for quite some time now, and he’s down to PC, Texas, Temple and Oakland. The lefty is a member of the class of 2013.

Here’s the update from the Detroit News.

* * *

Here are recently release highlights of Providence signee Rodney Bullock, who will be a freshman at PC next season.