Summer Eyecatchers

*Here are some additional players that have caught my eye at various events this Summer

*All 2021 Prospects

Cameron Lawrence 5’11 Point Guard (PK Flash-HGSL/Youngstown Chaney HS (OH)): Lawrence impressed in PK Flash’s close win against NJ Shoreshots Alesi-HGSL at the Hoop Group Summer Jam Fest. Showed a smooth shooting stroke with a trey in the second half from the top of the key, using two left hand dribbles to get to his spot off of a screen. Has a soft floater in his scoring arsenal. In transition when the defense took him away from getting all the way to the rim, he was able to score on a floater. In the second half, he made another floater, driving from the right wing on a left to right through the legs move to get into the paint for the score. Is a very good ball handler which allowed him to get into the paint consistently. Had a nice drive from the right corner where he got into the lane and used a spin move to score with his left hand. Also finished at the rim on a play where he used a nice left to right through the legs move to get by his defender and score a right handed layup. Had 11 points in the contest. While he only finished with one assist in the game, he certainly could have had more as he made a good effort to find teammates for good looks; however, most of the shots didn’t go down. Had an important assist late in the game on a drive and kick to a teammate for three. Though he didn't get credited with an assist, he made a heads up play down one with 15 seconds left to find a teammate in the corner who took one dribble to his right and made the game winning three. Defensively, while he’s not the most physically gifted player, he gives consistent effort with his on ball defense and fighting through screens. Had a good contest to force his opponent into a lower percentage shot on the potential game winning three with three seconds left. D3 schools in a league like the OAC should be tracking Lawrence.

Tyler Lapetina 6’3 Shooting Guard (PSB Philly/Perkiomen Valley HS): Lapetina showed his versatile scoring ability in his team’s close loss to Team Final Red at the Hoop Group PA Tip-Off. Has compact shooting form with a quick release on his shot. Had three treys in the game that came from spot-ups from the left and right wings in addition to one from the top of the key. When opponents played tighter defense on him to take away his three-point shooting ability he was able to counter that with his dribble drive game. Had a nice floater driving from the top of the key taking two dribbles with his right hand. Had another good drive from the right wing where he used two left handed dribbles to score with a floater off the glass in the paint. Showed soft touch on his layups as well. Finished at the rim with his left hand on a nice drive from the right wing. Had another good finish in transition where he scored on a reverse layup driving from the right wing. Finished the contest with 25 points. D3 schools in leagues like the Landmark and MAC should be keeping an eye on Lapetina.

Highlight Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKeX_lh_8tc

Ray Ford Jr. 6’3 Shooting Guard (Jersey Force Elite/St. Peter’s Prep): Ford stood out in Jersey Force Elite’s win over NY Jayhawks Select at the Jersey Force Scrimmages Volume 3. Was very impressive shooting the ball from long range as he had two treys in this game. His first one was a spot up three from the top of the key. His other make was off the dribble coming off a ball screen to knock down another trey from the top of the key. Continued to show his knack for getting to the basket, driving from the left wing to finish with a reverse layup in addition to a strong transition finish on the left side. Had 14 points in the contest. Defensively, he was especially impressive on the glass where he was consistently in the right spot at the right time. Finished the game with six rebounds. Also understands the spots to be in position for help defense or to force an opponent into a lower percentage shot. Currently, holds one D1 offer, from FDU. Other NEC schools should be showing stronger interest. If he can consistently have games like this which show that the three-pointer is a key part of his offensive repertoire, MAAC schools could get more involved.

Highlight Film: https://twitter.com/SPPBASKETBALL/status/1294721399781761028

Dom Barlow 6’7 Small Forward (Jersey Force Elite/Dumont HS): One of the more underrated players in the Northeast is Barlow, who further showed why with his performance in Jersey Force Elite’s win against MSU Skyliners at the Jersey Force Scrimmages Volume 3. What immediately stands out when watching Barlow play is his athleticism. He has great leaping ability which he uses on both ends of the floor. Had a thunderous two handed alley-oop dunk in transition for an and-1 in the first half. In the second half, he scored on another big jam in transition using his right hand. Barlow has clearly improved his ball-handling and shooting. He has no problem bringing the ball up when he gets a rebound and can get to the basket with ease from the perimeter. Scored on an and-1 on a drive from the top of the key. Showed off his ball handling in transition as well when he used a crossover move to get by his defender and draw a shooting foul. He hit a nice spot up three from the left wing in the first half and had another trey that barely missed. Barlow definitely looks much more confident from long range and is a guy who can’t be left open from out there anymore. Finished the contest with 23 points. Defensively, he consistently forces opponents into lower percentage shots with his athleticism and length. Also moves very well laterally for a player of his size. Had a nice steal when he was playing tight defense on his opponent and plucked the ball away from them when they were loose with their handle. Had two steals in the game. Currently holds D1 offers from FDU, Siena, and Quinnipiac. Barlow is a player who schools in a league like the A-10 should be showing stronger interest in with the improvements he has made in his game.

Highlight Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y505eghu4Gs

Mike McClain 6’4 Small Forward (Philly Pride UAA/Cheltenham HS): Playing for one of the top AAU programs in the Northeast, McClain has proven to be an unsung hero for Philly Pride, doing a lot of the little things that contribute to team success. In his team’s win over Team Richmond at the I-95 Coalition Session 2, McClain showed improvement on his three-point shot hitting two treys in the contest from the wings. Has good form on his shot with a high release, and his size makes it difficult for opponents to block it. He understands his role on the team and rarely takes bad shots. Also showcased his reliable defensive ability, taking advantage of an opponent’s bad pass into the paint and going the other way for a layup. Had eight points in the game. He is also a player who plays bigger than his size because of his length and did a commendable job of battling inside with Team Richmond’s forwards. Has guarded anywhere from the two-four positions for Philly Pride. Will certainly be interesting to follow him as he takes on a bigger role at Cheltenham this coming season. D2 schools in a league like the PSAC should be checking out McClain.

Kai Cipalla 6’3 Wing (York Ballers-HGSL/Warwick HS): Cipalla was huge in York Ballers close win against Global Squad-HGSL at the Hoop Group Summer Jam Fest. He finished with 16 points in the contest. Made a particular impact in the paint during this contest. Cipalla used his strong body to convert on a number of tough layups. Scored the go ahead bucket with 15 seconds left on a drive from the top of the key for a right handed layup. He also scored through contact on a drop-off from a teammate for an and-1 in the first half. Cipalla showcased his middle game as well. Had a nice two dribble pull-up in the paint on a drive from the right wing. Scored a two dribble pull-up again in the paint on a drive from the right corner. Defensively, he made his presence felt on the glass finishing the game with eight rebounds. Does a commendable job of using his strength to get an advantageous position on his opponents when boxing out. Also had two steals in the game. On one of them, he picked off an opponent’s pass to take it the other way for a right handed layup. D3 schools in leagues like the Centennial and Landmark should be keeping an eye on Cipalla.

Highlight Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx-Rc6NMphk

Jordan Derkack 6’3 Combo Guard (MSU Skyliners/Colonia HS): Derkack stood out in MSU Skyliner’s loss to Jersey Force Elite at the Jersey Force Scrimmages Volume 3 with his stellar athleticism. His vertical explosiveness allows him to finish strong at the rim both in the halfcourt and transition. Gave his team momentum in the first half finishing a two hand dunk on a defender in transition. Had another thunderous two hand dunk in the second half as well in transition. Derkack has a very quick first-step as well which he showed on a nice drive to the rim for a score from the left wing in the first half, in addition to another drive from the top of the key where he drew a shooting foul. While he is not much of a three-point shooter only hitting 19 treys in 27 games this past high school season, he hit a smooth trey in this game from the top of the key where he used a right to left through the legs move to get his shot off. Derkack had 18 points in the contest. Defensively, he was able to make an impact on the glass using his leaping ability to get rebounds quickly after they came off the rim. Finished with five rebounds in the game. Also is quick when jumping to the ball on defense both when playing opponents straight up or going for a steal. Created a steal when he tipped an opponent’s pass and took it the other way for a layup. D3 schools in a league like the NJAC should be following Derkack. Could get D2 schools in a league like the CACC to show interest if he can improve his three-point shot to make them at a higher volume and have them become a legitimate part of his offensive arsenal.

Kyle Rolon 6’3 Shooting Guard (Hoop Heaven Hawks Elite/Somerville HS): Rolon was great in Hoop Heaven Hawks Elite’s narrow loss to the NJ Wizards at the Jersey Force Scrimmages Volume 4. He made a significant impact in this game with his three-point shooting ability. Has great form on his shot, keeping his elbow in to go along with a quick release. Rolon had four treys in the game. In the first half when his teammate got doubled, he moved to an open spot in the right corner where his teammate found him and he knocked down the trey. Had another important three in the second half from the left corner on an out of bounds play coming off of a screen. Showed the ability to score in other ways as well. Had a nice play where he got the rebound off an opponent’s free throw miss and took it the other way for a floater in the lane. Rolon found the defense sleeping on an out of bounds play in the second half for an easy layup. Finished with 22 points in the game. Defensively, he was regularly in the right spots at the right times for rebounds as he had five boards in the contest. Had a nice steal when he was in the proper spot for help defense forcing the opponent to lose the ball. He showed great effort when he got back on defense during a play in transition to take the ball away from an opponent from behind. D3 schools in a league like the NJAC should be taking a look at Rolon.

Highlight Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/10584660/Kyle-Rolon-13

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