Hoop Group Pocono Jam Fest Report

* Any college coach seeking additional information on any players, including projected collegiate level, may make an inquiry at necorridorhoops@gmail.com

*All class of 2022 prospects unless noted

Elijah Lewis 6’4 Shooting Guard (NJ Panthers Select/Watchung Hills Regional HS): Lewis scored in a variety of ways during NJ Panthers Select’s victory over PK Flash-HGSL. Has good burst off the dribble, making it difficult for opponents to stay in front of him in the halfcourt. Had a nice straight line drive from the wing to get by an opponent and draw a shooting foul on a seven foot pull-up jumper. Also has some creativity off the dribble with his spin move. Used a spin move to get by an opponent from the corner and finish strong at the rim for a layup. While Lewis only made 11 three-pointers in 15 games this past high school season, he showed more comfort in this game from long range. He hit two treys when spotting up from the corner and wing on drive and kicks from teammates. Finished the game with 18 points. Despite Lewis’ slender frame, he makes a consistent impact rebounding with his toughness and knack for being around the ball when it comes off the rim. He averaged seven boards per game this past high school season.

Gavin Cote 6’5 Shooting Guard (PK Flash-HGSL/Peters Township HS): Cote showcased his smooth shot from long range in PK Flash-HGSL’s loss to NJ Panthers Select. Can make three-pointers at a very good rate when spotting up or coming off screens. Hit a trey from the wing when coming off a screen on the block, in addition to nailing a long ball from the wing, spotting up after a teammate got an offensive rebound. Cote is also a solid cutter, creating high percentage layup attempts for himself. Had a nice cut to the hoop, drawing a shooting foul on a reverse layup, as well as face-cutting an opponent for a left hand layup after a teammate got an offensive rebound. He can put the ball on the floor as well, making strong drives to the basket to finish at a good percentage. Had a nice play when he caught the ball on the elbow, taking one dribble into a jump stop and then getting an opponent up in the air so he could finish a layup off the glass. Had 14 points in the contest.

(I watched the Jersey Force-HGSL vs Philly Pride Gold-HGSL game on live stream and it cut out when the contest went into overtime. As a result, my stats are based off regulation only.)

Thomas Haugh 6’8 Power Forward (Philly Pride Gold-HGSL/Perkiomen School): Haugh was a standout on both ends of the floor during Philly Pride Gold-HGSL’s win over Jersey Force-HGSL. Is a very good athlete, using his vertical leap to make it difficult for opponents’ to score on him at the rim. Showed nice recovery blocking an opponent’s shot off the backboard after the opponent got separation on him with a spin move. Blocked three other shots in the game bringing his total to four when opponents’ tried to score over him at the basket for layups. Haugh also uses his explosiveness and getting good position on opponents when boxing out to rebound the ball at a good rate. Offensively, he is very effective getting out in transition and being in the right spots when a teammate drives down the lane to score high percentage layups. Had a nice two hand slam in transition off a push ahead pass from a teammate, in addition to when his team was on the break, making a hard cut down down the lane to score an and-1 layup. He scored an easy layup during the second half on a drop-off from a teammate in the lane. While Haugh did not shoot three-pointers at a high volume this past high school season, he has good form and elevation on his shot, showing he has stretch four potential at the next level. Drained a trey in this game from the wing on a drive and kick from a teammate. Finished the game with 14 points.

Al-Fatir Connor 6’0 Point Guard 2021 (Jersey Force-HGSL/Elizabeth HS): Connor made an impact consistently getting in the lane with his penetration during Jersey Force-HGSL’s loss to Philly Pride Gold-HGSL. Uses his quick first step to get by opponents at a very good rate and finish at the rim efficiently with crafty layups. Had a variety of nice plays finishing at the rim such as a contested layup on a drive from the top of the key, getting by an opponent with a blow by drive when bringing the ball up to score a layup high off the glass, and finishing with his left hand off the glass between two bigs on a drive from the wing. Showed good awareness when realizing he had a quickness advantage on a bigger defender guarding him, driving right by him to score an and-1 layup off a goaltend by an opponent. Connor also has a smooth mid-range jumper when opponents collapse on him in the paint. Drained a one dribble pull-up from fifteen feet after trailing a play in transition. Finished the game with 12 points. While he did not have any three-pointers in the contest, he has shown over the course of his high school career to make them at a good rate when spotting up. Had 20 treys in 13 games this past high school season. Connor is also a good playmaker who finds teammates effectively on drive and kicks for open threes, in addition to drop-offs in the lane and pushing the ball ahead in transition for high percentage layups. Averaged five assists per game this past high school season. Connor is a very good defender, making NJ Hoops All Defender 1st Team this past high school season. He is very quick laterally limiting opposing point guards from getting dribble penetration on him. Also does a good job creating steals, jumping into passing lanes at the right times when opponents throw lazy passes, or taking the ball away from opponents when they are weak with their handle. Averaged 2.5 steals per game this past high school season.

Dontae Prescott 5’11 Point Guard (NY Gauchos-HGSL/TBD Prep School): Prescott provided a lot of offensive firepower in NY Gauchos-HGSL’s win over Crown Basketball-HGSL. Makes three-pointers effectively both off the catch and bounce. Nailed a spot up trey from the corner on a drive and kick from a teammate, in addition to hitting a long ball from the wing, using a crossover move to create separation on an opponent. Prescott also makes good decisions when reading ball screens to create scoring opportunities for himself. Used a nice behind the back move on an opponent when they hedged, getting all the way to the rim for an and-1 layup. Had another solid play rejecting a ball screen, using a crossover move to get all the way to the rim and draw a shooting foul on a layup. Scored 15 points in the contest. While Prescott did not have any assists in the game, he has shown over the course of his high school career to find teammates well on drive and dishes in lane for high percentage layups. Defensively, he has good lateral quickness, making it difficult for opposing point guards to get into their offense. Had a nice play on an opponent, picking up full court and causing them to dribble the ball off their foot leading to a steal.

Luke Rossi 5’11 Point Guard 2021 (Crown Basketball-HGSL/St. Anthony’s HS): Rossi showed improvement in his playmaking ability during Crown Basketball-HGSL’s loss to NY Gauchos-HGSL. Had three assists in the contest, finding teammates effectively for good looks from beyond the arc in a variety of ways. He found a teammate spotting up from the wing when pushing the ball after a rebound, in addition to hitting a teammate in the halfcourt for a trey from the top of the key when coming off a screen from the foul line. Rossi found a teammate for a three-pointer from the corner on a baseline out of bounds play coming off a screen from the block. His very good outside shooting ability when spotting up was made clear again in this game. Nailed a three from the top of the key when spotting up against the opponent’s zone, as well as hitting a long ball in transition when spotting up from the wing. Also drained a third spot up trey from the top of the key off good ball movement. Finished the game with 13 points. Rossi is active with his hands defensively, helping him to create steals at a solid rate. Had three thefts in the contest that included jumping into a passing lane for a steal when an opponent drove baseline and tried to hit Rossi’s man, in addition to tipping the ball from behind on his matchup after they got by him using a screen.

Jake DeMotte 5’10 Point Guard (PK Flash-Red/Fox Chapel HS): DeMotte ran the show effectively for PK Flash-Red in their victory over Unity Legends Select. He makes teammates better with his good vision, finding them effectively in the halfcourt in a variety of different ways. Made a good extra pass to a teammate spotting up for a three-pointer near the wing, in addition to hitting a teammate with a nice bounce pass when cutting to the basket for a layup. DeMotte also had some other solid passes where he did not get credit for assists. He dished the ball off when an opponent collapsed on him in the lane, finding a teammate close to the basket who drew a shooting foul. Also made a good decision on a ball screen, hitting the pop man when he was left open for a trey from the top of the key. The southpaw makes threes at a good rate when spotting up. Hit a pair of treys in the contest on a spot up from the top of the key off good ball movement, as well as a long ball from near the wing when the ball got kicked to him after a teammate got an offensive rebound. DeMotte also has a mid-range pull-up in his arsenal. When an opponent closed out hard on him in the second half to take away his three-point shot, he drove past him to nail a two dribble pull-up from the foul line. Had 10 points in the contest.

Chase Clarke 6’5 Combo Forward (Unity Legends Select/Newark Academy): Clarke was impressive from long-range, while also displaying his standout athleticism during Unity Legends Select’s loss to PK Flash-Red. Has a smooth stroke, with good form on his shot, making three-pointers at a solid percentage when spotting up. Hit a spot up trey from the corner on a drive and kick from a teammate. Also showed some potential off the bounce, draining a one dribble three near the top of the key in transition when trailing the play. Clarke does a good job backing down opponents in the post, using his strong frame and soft touch off the glass to score efficiently in this area. Had a nice play taking an opponent into the post and rising over them for a layup. With his very good explosiveness, he is also a threat for alley-oops in the halfcourt and transition. Finished a two hand slam off an alley-oop in the halfcourt when coming off a screen by a teammate at the elbow. Scored 14 points in the contest. Defensively, Clarke does a nice job using his size and leaping ability, forcing opponents into lower percentage shots both from beyond the arc and at the rim. He has good instincts when rotating in the paint to block opponents shots. Rejected an opponent’s shot at the rim when coming over from the help side. Averaged two blocks per game this past high school season. Also makes his presence felt on the glass, using his strength and athleticism to rebound the ball at a very high rate. Clarke averaged an astonishing 17 rebounds per game this past high school season.

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