Andre Boykin (Team Takeover)NEPTUNE, NEW JERSEY – Basketball Spotlight’s Clash For The Cup is one of the premier youth basketball events in the northeast United States. In addition to drawing the best grassroots hoops teams from the region, the Clash has attracted squads from as far away as Canada and Florida for the 2012 event. With pool play action tipping Saturday morning across three age groups, games extended late into the evening, setting the stage for championship bracket play on Sunday. DunkDog.com was in the gym to catch all the action and has the exclusive Day 1 recap!
SATURDAY’S PLAYERS TO WATCH
ANDRE BOYKIN – 6’2/190 WF – TEAM TAKEOVER – CLASS OF 2017
As his peers continue to close the gap and surpass him with regard to height and athletic ability, Boykin remains an extremely tough guard at the seventh grade level. His move from the Maryland Panthers to Team Takeover has him paired with a more talented cast and Boykin has elevated his play and intensity to match his new teammates. Now given more freedom to roam, Boykin still primarily defends the post and does the majority of his offensive damage on the block, but his improvements laterally are noticeable as is his touch from midrange. Whether he’s classified as a post or a wing, when Boykin competes he’s still capable of dominant stretches and should only continue to improve.
SHIMOORE STERN – 6’3/175 WF – BROWARD SHARKS – CLASS OF 2017
Another promising prospect on the Florida squad’s roster, Stern didn’t have an exceptional outing, but his talent and upside cannot go unnoticed. A wiry and bouncy forward, he’s a willing rebounder and capable finisher around the rim, and also demonstrated nice flashes of explosiveness when slashing from the wing. The quicker he becomes aware of his defensive tools, the more of an asset Stern will be, as he alters a ton of shots near the rim and has length to disrupt opponents on the perimeter. Similar to his teammate Bonitto, he’s a great athlete, but must continue to work on his skill set, particularly his ball-handling and jump shot.
CHYREE WALKER – 6’2/170 PG – E.T.U. WARRIORS – CLASS OF 2017
Walker opened many eyes on Saturday, logging major minutes against nationally competitive teams, while playing ‘up’ an age and grade division. The Maryland-native is new to the regional radar but is certainly a name to remember. With natural strength and body control, Walker made plays in traffic, asserted himself defensively, and pursued rebounds on both ends of the floor. Experience and confidence will be major factors in his development and his physical growth will dictate which guard position becomes his primary role. For now, Walker appears comfortable playing a fast pace and is learning to be a playmaker in the half-court.
TYLER POLLEY – 6’1/160 WG – BROWARD SHARKS – CLASS OF 2017
Polley is an impressive prospect and had some memorable moments in his Basketball Spotlight debut on Saturday. Similar to other quality middle school players, Polley is nowhere near a finished product, but still manages to find ways to impact the game despite his lacking a complete skill package. He has impressive range on his jumper and uses his length to defend and rebound from the perimeter. Polley seems to truly enjoy playing but the next step will be for him to demonstrate the maturity necessary to make a commitment to improve. The young guard certainly showed enough promise that his progress will be monitored.
NICHOLAS BONITTO ‘Nick’ – 6’3/180 WF – BROWARD SHARKS – CLASS OF 2018
An extremely versatile prospect with tremendous potential, Bonitto wasted little time making an impression at Basketball Spotlight’s Clash For The Cup. The south Florida native can conceivably play any position on the floor in his age/grade division, but appears best suited as an active and athletic forward when playing ‘up’ like he is on this particular weekend. Bonitto is extremely composed for a young player, not bothered by contact, and not deterred when calls aren’t made in his favor. The next step is for him to continue his on-court production while making improvements with regard to his ball-handling ability and jumper.
FROM THE NOTEPAD
• Y.A.A.A.C.E. is known in Canada as one of the nation’s prominent grassroots basketball programs. They attract numerous prospects from around the Toronto-metro area each year and boast one of the country’s best in recent memory in forward Justin Jackson. However, it was Jackson’s teammate Marcus Ottey, who made the most impressive play on Saturday. A six-foot scoring guard, Ottey elevated up and literally over a defender for a dunk that had Hoop Group Headquarters buzzing for hours. The real question is, did anyone get it on film?!
• Nearly 1,300 miles away from home, head coach Alex Ordoqui and his Broward Sharks squad didn’t have their best showing on Saturday but still made an impression at the Clash For The Cup. They’ll be a competitive group regionally as the year moves forward and may even have the talent to make noise on the national level by the season’s end.
• New Renaissance brought in 6-foot-11 center Raekwon Long and six-foot super-scoring guard Rakym Felder for the Clash but the reinforcements weren’t enough as the Rens were eliminated on Saturday afternoon before picking up a consolation win later in the evening. Currently eighth graders, Long and Felder are both currently enrolled at Evelyn Mack Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina but could be on the move again next year as high school freshmen.
