Gomez Accepts Division 1 Scholarship To Marist College

Natalie Gomez is Heading to Marist University

Andover High School standout Natalie Gomez has verbally committed to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Gomez who is considered by many as the top guard in New England will take her talents to a perennial powerhouse in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Marist has made the NCAA division 1 tournament for the last four consecutive years.

Gomez a 5'7" point guard who has the ability to dominate games with her silky smooth ball handling and basketball savvy is no stranger to winning. Gomez displays great confidence while on the court and is virtually unstoppable at the high school level. As a member of the Andover High School team, Gomez led her team to the division 1 high school state championship last season. During this past Spring and Summer Gomez played point guard for the Rhode Island Breakers AAU program which is considered by most as the top high school team in New England.

Gomez picked Marist over Delaware, Providence, UMass Amherst and Sacred Heart. Strong academics, athletics and campus atmosphere made for an easy decision easy for Gomez.
"Definitely the coaching staff was a big thing and girls were very nice," Gomez-Martinez said after several visits to the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., campus. "They were girls I would be friends with. Academically, I like to go undecided to try out everything, but I do like business and communications. I want to do sports communication and Marist has internships, like with ESPN. If I can do interviews for them, that'll be great."

NH Class of 2011 Boys Is Talented

David Madol is the Top Rising Senior In New Hampshire

Boys Basketball in New Hampshire is as good as we can remember. There ares so many many talented New Hampshire natives that are playing well at New England Prep Schools and and local High Schools. The class of 2011 is loaded with talent and has many members that are destined to play basketball at the college level.

As a result of evaluations during the Spring and Summer AAU circuit, the New Hampshire Class of 2011 has been updated and below is the list of the top 10 prospects in the class.

1. David Madol (6'5" wing, Trinity High School) - There are many rumors swirling around about David Madol and what school he will be attending next year. But right now, Madol is still going to Trinity High School. If that is the case, Madol is easily the number 1 prospect in the class. Madol separated himself from his classmates by having an outstanding Spring and Summer for the Rivals Basketball Club. Madol game as evolved to make him a talented 6'5" wingman who can knock down the three, put the ball to the floor, and finish in traffic. Madol is extremely quick off his feet and a great rebounder in traffic. Madol hasn't any real deficiencies in his game, but we would love to see him compete at a high level every time he takes the floor. Madol is clearly a division 1 prospect as he has much interest at that level.

2. Ben Hill (6'9" center, Pittsfield High School) - Hill had an excellent summer with the Rivals Basketball club as he has continued to make great strides as a basketball player. One can not overlook Hill's size and athleticism. Still quite raw, Hill shows moments of division 1 potential as he can attack the basket and has nice touch from 12 feet in. The improved Hill needs to improve his low post moves and continue to develop a better understanding of the game. Hill already has interest from the University of New Hampshire and we expect that this year will be a breakout year for the big center.

3. John Wickey (6'6" forward, Manchester Central High School) - We saw Wickey at the New England Recruiting Reports Top 75 early in July and then a week later as a member of the Granite State Jayhawks AAU team in Western Mass. Wickey has improved significantly and because of his size is an intriguing player. Wickey is long and moves well for a player of his size. We were also impressed with the way Wickey gets after the glass at both ends of the floor. Wickey needs to continue to improve his low post moves. We would not be surprised if Wickey finds himself playing in the division 2 Northeast Conference after his final high school season.

4. Mike O'Loughlin (6'2" guard, Milford High School) - O'Loughlin is an athletic guard that does a little bit of everything. We like O'Loughlin because he can get up and down the floor, score and transition, and make shots. If O'Loughlin has a weakness, it is that he tends to get out of control when the game is sped up. As he continues to develop his left hand he will have the confidence required to stay under control at all times. Nonetheless, this young man is fun to watch play and at times is exceptional.

5. Jamie Holder (6'2" guard, Milford High School) - Holder stock has continued to rise over the last year as he is now recognized as one of the best basketball players in New Hampshire. Holder is extremely athletic and is able to finish acrobatically around the rim. Holder, who plays the 2-guard for his high school team, has been playing the point for his Rivals AAU team. Holder is not yet secure with the basketball under pressure and needs to learn to slow the game down. An improved skill set will help him with this. Nonetheless, he has an excellent upside and will continue to grow as a basketball player as he gains more experience at the point position and gets a better feel for the game.

6. Steve Spirou (6'4" forward, Pelham High School) - Every time we watch Spirou play we leave the gym happy. Sprirou plays the game the way it's supposed to be played, i.e., always hard and with a purpose. Spirou is an all around player. We wouldn't call him exceptional at any one part of the game, but he is good at everything. He has an excellent basketball I.Q., can knock down shots and is active around the basket. This Spring and Summer, it was Spirou who was often the catalyst and difference maker for the Jayhawks. Spirou is intriguing as he does so many things to help a team win. Spriou needs to continue to improve his skill package and working to make his body stronger will help his case.

7. Connor Green (6'4" forward, Bishop Guertin High School) - Green is a small forward who can shoot the basketball well. In watching Green, it is apparent that he can surely make shots behind the arc and he is a good athlete. At 6'4" tall, Green needs to improve his skill set so that he can play the guard position and needs to show he can cover a guard at the college level as well.

8. Sean McClung (6'4" forward, Bishop Guertin High School) - McClung is another combination guard/forward that can really shoot the basketball. Not the prettiest all the time, McClung gets it done on the offensive end of the floor as he can get his shot off even when he's covered. He knocks down the three on a pretty consistent basis. McClung needs to develop a better handle and a midrange game which will be required at the college level. Like his high school teammate Green, the question that surfaces when you watch this talent is in regard to what position he will be able to cover at the defensive end of the floor.

9. Jared Fahmy (6'5", Bedford High School) - A good size forward, Fahmy is another one of many members of the class of 2011 that can really shoot the basketball. Fahmy also has a strong body and can compete on the boards. We like to see the forward put the ball to the floor more consistently.

10. Mike Mitchell (5'7", Mildford High School) - We saw Mitchell several times this summer and we enjoyed him each time we saw him. Mitchell did an excellent job securing the basketball and leading the Jayhawks from the point guard position this summer. He proved to be an excellent floor general putting his teammates in an excellent position to score the basketball. He's small and has average athleticism, but he will likely make some division 3 college coach very happy some day soon.

To see the top twenty five prospects, visit our ranking.

New Rankings To Be Released

The Mass & NH High School Basketball Report has been on the road this Spring and Summer and has had the opportunity to see most of the high school basketball talent in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

As a result of the work we have done over the last few months, we will update our rankings over the next couple of weeks starting with New Hampshire high school boys and girls and finishing with Massachusetts high school boys and girls.

Ranking basketball players is a very difficult task and it is understandable and likely that any two evaluators will rank the athletes differently. It is our intent at the Mass & NH High School Basketball Report is to determine who the best college prospects are. As a result, our rankings do not always reflect a ranking order that is based on who the best high school player is at this moment of time, but rather the order is based on how the athletes project out as college players. Thus, what we call upside is a key criteria in ranking high school players as well as the athletes ability to flurish in the college style of play. Thus, in many instances, a player that has size and athleticism, but yet is still raw, often projects higher than a smaller and less athletic player who is already a seasoned high school basketball player.

It should also be understood that the criteria to determine who the best high school player will be is different than the criteria to determine who the best college player will be. Furthermore, the criteria used to determine who the best college player will be is different than the criteria used to determine who the best professional player will be.

As we have said, it is our intent at the Mass & NH High School Basketball Report to evaluate athletes and determine who projects out to be the best college players. To the best of our ability we will do so, but we are sure we will make mistakes and have omissions. For those, we apologize in advance.

Please stay tuned for the updated rankings.

Jimmy Zenevitch Chooses Assumption

Jimmy Zenevitch is Heading to Assumption College

The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune has reported that Central Catholic forward Jimmy Zenevitch accepted a full four-year scholarship to play at Assumption College in Worcester, a Division 2 program in the Northeast-10 Conference.

6'7" Zenevtich was instrumental in Central Catholic's division 1 State Championship run last winter as he had several big games for Central throughout the course of the season. The southpaw demonstrated great touch around the basket for the Raiders as he often found himself on the receiving end of 6'11" Carson Desrosiers touch passes. Zenevitch demonstrated an improved stroke from the perimeter as he became very consistent with the 12 foot jumper.

"The guys there, who are already on the team, told me about Coach DeBari and I liked what they had to say," said Zenevitch, who had also been hearing from Merrimack and UMass Lowell among others. "They told me he was a player's coach, the best around, a guy that you really like to play for".