Zero Gravity/NERR Super 16 10th Grade Division Standouts

Tucker Tharpe 6’5 Power Forward (Blueprint Basketball/Champlain Valley Union HS): Tharpe is a consistent finisher in the post. He can score with a jump-hook. Has the ability to take a few dribbles, jump-stop, then get defenders up in the air with ball fakes. Also has soft touch off the glass with either hand. Tharpe can put the ball on the floor. Gets to the rim when attacking closeouts, finishing through contact well with his well-built frame. Creates second layup opportunities for himself with his high motor on the offensive glass. Tharpes is a good defensive rebounder. Regularly uses his strength to get an advantageous position on opponents when boxing out.

Rhandyn Bair 5’10 Point Guard (CT Dream/Kingswood Oxford): Bair uses a quick crossover move to make it difficult for defenders to keep him out of the paint. Can score over the bigger opponents around the rim with creative finger-rolls high off the glass with either hand. When defenders collapse on him in the paint, he makes good decisions kicking the ball out to teammates for open three-pointers. Shows in spurts an ability to stop and pop for fifteen-foot jumpers in the mid-range. Bair can also stretch the floor from long range. Makes treys at a solid rate on standstill attempts when the ball is swung to him on the perimeter. Defensively, he moves his feet well laterally. Bair can defend opposing point guards tightly on the ball, making it difficult for them to get into their offense.

Regimantas Ciunys 6’6 Combo Forward (Stamford Peace/Harvey School): Ciunys is a reliable floor spacer from beyond the arc. Has compact form on his shot. Hits three-pointers at a good rate off movement or when spotting up. If an opponent closes out sharply on him to take away his potent long-range shot, he can put the ball on the floor and score over bigger defenders with a soft floater. Also finishes effectively at the rim in traffic with his explosiveness. Ciunys moves well without the ball. Creates high percentage layup opportunities for himself with his instincts as an off-ball cutter. He is a good passer when catching the ball in the post, finding cutting teammates for finishes around the basket.

Gianpiero Arnone 6’5 Power Forward (Level Up LI/St. John the Baptist HS): Arnone is a shooting threat as a big man. Opponents cannot leave him open from the perimeter as he makes standstill three-pointers at a solid rate. Shows flashes of hitting treys on the move, giving optimism for him to potentially be a pick and pop guy in college. Also does a nice job finding seams within a defense, flashing to the mid-post for soft jumpers. While the jump-shot is a key component of Arnone’s game, he can score closer to the rim as well. Has the ability to take opposing big men off the dribble with straight-line drives for finishes off the glass. Uses his wide frame to back defenders down in the post, getting deep position to give himself better scoring angles. Also creates high percentage finishing opportunities for himself when rolling hard out of ball screens. Arnone uses his frame effectively on the defensive glass. Limits his matchup from getting around him when boxing out.

Jake Palluzzi 5’11 Combo Guard (Project Triple Threat/Branford HS): Palluzzi is a terrific shooter from beyond the arc. Has deep range out to the NBA line, while needing very little time and space to get his attempts off. Hit treys off movement, when spotting up, or on ball screen pull-up attempts. Also can make step-back three-pointers, creating separation effectively with a behind-the-back move. When playing on the ball, Palluzzi regularly gets lane penetration to create for himself or others with quick crossover or through the legs moves. Scores well around the basket with crafty left-hand finishes high off the backboard. If an opponent takes away his driving lanes to the rim, he has a good feel as a passer. Consistently makes the right decision kicking the ball out to someone else for an open trey or dumping the ball off to a teammate for a high percentage layup opportunity.

Thomas Glover 6’1 Combo Guard (Team RC23/Hill Regional Career HS): Glover is difficult for defenders to keep out of the paint with his quick first step and crafty handle. Can stop on a dime to get his pull-up jumper off over opponents in the mid-range. Also can slice to the rim and score through contact with either hand. While Glover’s bread and butter is scoring from fifteen feet in, he has shown flashes of hitting three-pointers when spotting up. Is a good playmaker. Excels at finding teammates for dump-off layups if an opponent collapses on him in the lane. Defensively, Gloves moves well from side to side. Limits opponents from getting blow-by by drives against him. Also generates steals at a solid rate. Has good reflexes knowing the right times when to shoot the gap in a passing lane.

Lorenzo Carrara 6’4 Combo Forward (Middlesex Magic/Xaverian Brothers HS): Carrara consistently stretches the floor from long range. Has fluid mechanics on his shot. Makes treys at a solid rate off movement or when spotting up. Shows in spurts an ability to hit three-pointers on pull-up attempts. Can score in different ways when attacking closeouts. Carrara has a smooth pull-up jumper as part of his in-between game. Can score at the rim through contact with either hand. Also is comfortable finishing around the rim with creative inside-hand or reverse layups. Does a nice job taking his shots within the flow of his team’s offense. Rarely takes ill-advised attempts. Defensive, Carrara has a good understanding of where to be when guarding off the ball. Rarely is out of position when one pass away or coming over from the weak side.

Cameron Perkins 6’3 Combo Forward (CT Elite/Danbury HS): Perkins needs to be accounted for from beyond the arc. Hits three-pointers at a good rate on standstill attempts. If an opponent closes out hard on him, he can put the ball on the floor to get into the lane. Can score over bigger defenders with a high arching teardrop. Perkins is also a threat to score on the block. Has a nice drop-step move in his post-up repertoire. Can finish at different angles off the backboard with his soft touch. Uses his wide frame to get an advantageous position on defenders. Consistently gives teammates a good target to feed him the ball. Perkins is a solid defensive rebounder. Uses his high motor to regularly outwork opponents for 50-50 balls.