Podcast: Recapping the Hoophall Classic, Prep Showcase and more

Darryn Peterson was among the national stars at the Hoophall Classic. (Courtesy of Basketball Hall of Fame)

New England has been treated to some fantastic high-level basketball in recent weeks.

We’ve had marquee matchups in NEPSAC and MIAA on both the boys and girls sides. But the biggest event was the Hoophall Classic, which took place at Springfield College’s Blake Arena during MLK weekend.

Dozens of nationally-ranked boys and girls took the court during the five-day showcase and wowed in front of college coaches, pro scouts and more than 10,000 fans. The Hoophall Prep Showcase also took place at nearby American International College, hosting many of New England’s top prep boys teams plus more from outside the region.

Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller reflect on their experiences in Springfield, Mass. They also look ahead to some highly-anticipated February games and give shoutouts to players they’ve enjoyed watching.

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Highlights

What are maybe one or two things that stood out for you from the Hoophall Classic?

Ethan: “… Darryn Peterson was awesome too. Probably the easiest natural athlete that we saw there. He’s just floating up to the rim on these dunks; it’s crazy. And then the Boozers — Cameron (Boozer) dominates this. I’ve watched him, I think, three times now at Hoophall since sophomore year. He just absolutely dominates this tournament every single year. He averaged 28.5 points, I
think, in their two games, and he’s just such a polished player.”

Tell me what you saw with Amir Jenkins (Worcester Academy) — is he the biggest rising name in the area?

Steve: “He is the story of New England right now. As I’m sure some of our listeners have heard, he is now ranked nationally by 247 … and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he just outplayed a top-25 player at Hoophall, Deron Rippey Jr. It’s one game obviously, we don’t want to glean a ton from that, but it is significant to, on that kind of stage, to play that well against a player that all the high-majors are after. … Amir goes off for 31 points and five assists, which must be becoming commonplace for him. I feel like every time I see a Worcester Academy box score, he’s going off for 25 points at least. He does everything playmaking and gets to the rim so easily, and his shot is coming along.

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