The 2009 version of the NY2LASports.com Breakfast of Champions League tipped off this weekend inside the M.S.O.E. Kern Center and the talent was better than advertised as a loaded crop of prospects from across the state put down strong efforts and laid the foundation for what promises to be a competitive and talented field of action this fall on Saturday mornings. In what was a virtual who's who of many of the top prospects from the state of Wisconsin, week 1 offered up the chance for many of the prospects to start to get themselves ready for the upcoming season as they participated through skills sessions and a lightning round of basketball games for week 1 before we get into the full slate of action and league games next week.
In part two of our recap of the first week, we take a look as some of the young talent that made quality showings this past weekend. Here's a rundown of some 2012 and 2013 top performers from week 1...
BOC WEEK 1 TOP PERFORMERS - 2012 PROSPECTS
(Note: Listed in alphabetical order)
5-10 PG Nathyas Abdullah (Milwaukee Hamilton)
One of the sleepers in the 2012 class, Abdullah had a number of quality efforts last year and took the court on Saturday and did much of the same. He showed solid quickness, handled the ball well, and made plays. All I was looking for on Saturday was effort and Abdullah gave a great one for the first week. Look for him to have a solid showing this fall.
6-5 F Darrell Bowie (Wauwatosa East)
Talented swingman who made a quality showing during the first week along with a host of other sophomores. Bowie attacked the rim, grabbed boards, showed an improved handle, and gave a nice first week effort. Continues to improve and look the part of a solid college prospect whenever he takes the floor and that was evident once again this weekend as Bowie was solid on both ends. Look for him to have a great showing this fall when league divisional play tips off this week.
6-6 F Sheldon Cooks (Kenosha Bradford)
Another of the rising 2012 prospects in the state of Wisconsin, this young talent from Kenosha made his presence felt on Saturday with a quality first week showing. He attacked the glass, finished around the rim, ran the floor well, and showed the foundation of a talent that should grow into a quality prospect. Expect a continual progression each week as Cooks showed flashes of some quality showings this fall with a great effort during the first week.
6-2 F Vince Cupertino (Wauwatosa East)
One of the max effort type young talents that coaches love, Cupertino brought a great effort to the table on Saturday. He attacked the rim, grabbed rebounds, and made things happen on both ends. A nuts and bolts type forward, Cupertino is a hard nosed player who showed up and made a quality contribution this past weekend.
6-4 PG Arroyo Edwards (Milwaukee King)
One of the elite 2012 talents in the state, Edwards was sensational at times this past weekend as he continues his evolution as one of the talented lead guards in the country for the sophomore class. Edwards scored at will, handled the ball well, showed solid dribble penetration skills, and also knocked down a few perimeter shots as well. Has made the transition from forward to lead guard very well in only a few short months and looks primed to take on the 2009 BOC and be one of the impact performers week in and week out. One of the best this past weekend.
6-4 F Jordan Fouse (Racine St. Catherines)
A young interior talent with some promise, Fouse shook off some early day rust to finish up in strong fashion with a decent showing during the first week. He grabs rebounds, can score the basketball, and has some solid instincts and upside with hard work. That was evident time and time again on Saturday as Fouse turned in a solid effort to build on this fall in the 2009 BOC when league divisional play kicks off next week.
6-2 G DeAndre Harris (Shorewood)
This young perimeter talent gave a quality max effort during the first week. After shaking off some early rust during the skills portion, Harris was aggressive on both ends of the court during lightning round game play and is a max effort type talent who makes this happen. He can attack the rim, has solid defensive potential, and showed that he should be a force to reckon with this fall as he plays hard on both ends and makes things happen when on the court.
6-2 PG Brandon Marquardt (Oshkosh West)
A talented lead guard with potential, Marquardt took on many of the top athletes in the state and handled his own this past weekend. An instinctive floor general with solid handles and playmaking potential, Marquardt showed flashes of some excellent potential in a quality week 1 showing. Expect him to improve each week and look for him to make a number of quality things happen this fall once league divisional play kicks off next week.
5-8 G Tevin Martin (Milwaukee Riverside)
This young perimeter talent turned in a great effort this past weekend. A bit undersized, Martin played big as he showed solid range from beyond the arc, solid court awareness, and a nice handle. The young City Conference talent more than held his own and showed up looking to make a state that he can play during the first week of the BOC.
5-11 G Quentin Marzette (Racine Case)
A quick scoring talent, Marzette was a bit of an unknown when he walked into the gym on Saturday but he made his presence felt before the day was complete. Handles the ball well, attacks the rim, and has range that extends beyond the arc. Will need to see more of him but if the first week is any indication of what lies ahead this fall, Marzette will be one talent who makes his presence felt.
6-0 PG Diamonte McKinley (Wauwatosa East)
In arguably one of his best effort in his young BOC career, McKinley hit jumpers, created, and made things happen. A solid young floor general on the rise, McKinley took the court Saturday with confidence and it translated into a quality first week effort.
6-5 F Najeal McMillian (West Allis Central)
Powerful and explosive forward talent showed flashes of his athleticism during a solid week 1 showing. McMillian is a big strong young forward who runs the floor well, attacks the glass, and finishes with consistency. Expect a solid fall campaign from him as he's one of the true sleepers in the 2012 for the state of Wisconsin and is pound for pound as physical as they come.
6-6 F Seth Mortag (Brookfield Central)
Young talented forward who continues to take steps forward every time he takes the floor. Was solid during the first week as he attacked the rim, grabbed rebounds, knocked down some shots, and shows solid instincts on both ends of the floor. Expected to be one of the breakout performers in the 2012 class over the next 12 months, Mortag looks ready to take his game to another level this fall after watching him this past weekend.
6-9 F/C Phillip Nolan (Milwaukee Vincent)
One of the top 2012 prospects in the state, Nolan didn't disappoint this weekend as a long wiry interior talent showed flashes of his potential with a number of quality moves on Saturday. He grabbed rebounds, hit some shots around the basket, and showed range that extends beyond the arc as well. Has a tendency to stay on the perimeter too much which is always a potential issue with young bigs with range but on the blocks he can get his shot fairly easy and that was evident a number of times this past weekend. Look for him to improve each week and make his mark this fall after a quality showing during the first week.
6-0 G Stephen Pelkofer (Whitnall)
One of the purest shooting talents in the 2012 class, Pelkofer was all that and more this past weekend. The young Whitnall perimeter talent hit trey balls, handled the ball, knocked down the mid range shot, and gave a quality floor effort on both ends. Always a model of efficiency, expect to see a number of quality showings from the sharpshooting talent and look for him to be one of the breakout performers in the 2012 class this fall.
6-3 G/F Otis Pirtle (Bradley Tech)
A lethal mix of strength, athleticism, and toughness, Pirtle was solid this weekend after shaking off some early day rust. He attacked the rim, grabbed rebounds, showed solid defensive instincts, and proved once again why he's one of the top 2012 prospects the state of Wisconsin has to offer with another quality showing during the first week.
6-1 G Jamall Taylor (Dominican)
A lethal scoring talent already, Taylor showed up on Saturday and immediately made his presence felt. He attacked the rim, hit some jumpers, made some quality decisions with the basketball, and continues to show that he belongs in any discussion of 2012 prospects in the state of Wisconsin. Expect a huge fall from Taylor who continued his rise as one of the top 2012 prospects the state has to offer with a solid effort on Saturday.
6-4 G Brandon Tyler (OMRO)
Really loved this young talent's first week performance. He has nice size, handled the ball well, showed solid playmaking ability, and hit some shots as well. Look for him to turn in a number of solid efforts this fall as he looks primed to make his mark among the best at the 2009 BOC.
6-2 SG Connor Weas (Whitefish Bay)
Last year this young Whitefish Bay talent took to the court against some of the premiere athletes and was a bit passive at times, which is expected of the younger prospects. Fast forward a year later and Weas is a perfect example of how the BOC works in that he was already better the first week than he was all of last fall as he played with confidence, looked for his shot, hit some perimeter jumpers, and made things happen. Having grown a bit, added some strength, and just simply continued his development, Weas was solid during the first week and took a great step forward with a quality effort on Saturday. Look for him to have some solid showings this fall based on his performance this weekend. Nice effort.
5-9 PG Derek Williams (CYD)
A physically tough lead guard, Williams was solid during a quality week 1 showing and made a number quality plays on Saturday. Williams has nice strength, handles the ball well, has solid dribble penetration skills, and showed quality playmaking skills along with an ability to get to the rack. As he makes decisions quicker and eliminates a tendency to over dribble at times, expect to see an excellent progression in his game this fall and look for him to really put in a number of solid efforts when league divisional play kicks off next week.
6-6 F Matt Van Scyoc (Green Lake)
Really looking forward to watching this young talent get after it this fall when league divisional play tips off next week. Was solid during the first week as the Green Lake standout ran the floor well, showed nice athleticism, finished around the basket, was instinctive, and grabbed a number of rebounds on both ends. Would expect him to be one of the breakout performers this fall as he showed he can compete with many of the top athletes the state has to offer with a quality showing this past weekend.
BOC WEEK 1 TOP PERFORMERS - 2013 PROSPECTS
(Note: Listed in alphabetical order)
5-10 PG Nick Allen (Milwaukee Washington)
One of the prized floor generals for the incoming frosh class, Allen was a bit rusty at times on Saturday but picked up his effort later in the day and finished off in great fashion. He handled the ball well, made solid decisions, attacked the rim, and showed flashes of what should be a solid 2009 BOC fall campaign. Look for him to have some big weeks when divisional play kicks off next week.
5-10 G Marquise Carter (Wauwatosa East)
Solid perimeter talent made some positive things happen on Saturday. Attacked the rim well, handled the ball, made solid decisions, and showed nice dribble penetration skills. One to watch as things as the 2009 BOC moves forward this fall.
5-10 G Deondre Cunningham (Dominican)
Versatile scoring talent who showed flashes of being a solid contributor this fall. Had a little rust to his game early on but as the day moved along Cunningham picked it up and showed some solid range and perimeter shooting during the game play. He handles the ball well, can score it, and looks primed to have a solid 2009 BOC campaign when divisional game play tips jumps off next week.
6-7 F D'andre Downey (Milwaukee Riverside)
The young long wiry Downey took the 2009 BOC court Saturday a little taller than last seen in July but showed the same big time promise and potential that we've been raving about for months. Downey ran the floor well, grabbed rebounds, showed solid athleticism, and displayed solid instincts as well along with a long raw athletic frame. Downey drips with upside and potential and looks the part of a high major talent on the rise. Excellent first week showing for the Riverside talent.
6-1 F Montrell Hobbs (Milwaukee Riverside)
One of the pleasant surprises of the first week, Hobbs gave a great effort on both ends and made a number of quality things happen on Saturday. Hobbs ran the floor well, attacked the glass, finished around the rim, and basically looked like a max effort type talent that makes the team better. A solid week 1 showing for Hobbs who looked the part of one young talent to keep an eye on this fall.
6-0 G Breon Jordan (Milwaukee Vincent)
Another quality young talent on board with the 2009 BOC, Jordan showed solid instincts and decent athleticism during the first week. The young talent from the V-house looks to be on the cusp of making a name for himself in the coming years and a solid first week effort on Saturday is a nice step in that direction.
5-10 G Marquis Mayo (Madison Memorial)
Another of the young bright spots on Saturday, Mayo showed a solid floor game and excellent range throughout the day during the first week. He hit a few mid range shots and also showed range that extends beyond the arc. The talented perimeter prospect played hard on both ends and made himself one to watch with a quality week 1 showing.
6-2 G/F Jamaar McKay (Milwaukee Washington)
One of the best performers of the weekend, class notwithstanding. McKay was lethal at times as he attacked the rim, grabbed rebounds, knocked down shots, and simply scored the basketball at will. One thing to watch in the BOC is the young performers who can get it done at a high level against the older prospects and McKay was unstoppable at times. One of the bright young stars on the rise, McKay proved that he's going to be a force to reckon with this fall. Exceptional first day showing.
5-10 PG Nathaniel Moore (Wauwatosa East)
Talented young playmaking lead guard who was solid on a number of levels this past weekend. Showed solid quickness, nice ball handling, good decision making, and excellent dribble penetration skills for a young floor general. Looking forward to watching him the next few weeks when divisional play tips off as he was one of the bright spots on Saturday from a floor game standpoint.
6-8 F/C RayVonn Posey (Milwaukee Washington)
Big strong powerful young interior talent who was solid during the first week. He attacked the glass, finished well, showed excellent agility for a guy his size, great hands, solid instincts, and proved why he's one of the premiere 2013 bigs in the state. Expect him to really have a solid fall campaign and he looks primed to be one of the biggest 2013 prospects on the board in the coming years. Solid first week effort.
5-1 PG Brandon Ramey (Menomonee Falls)
When it comes to feel, instincts, and awareness, Ramey is on par with any 2013 prospect in the state of Wisconsin. That was evident this weekend as he made play after play and was always in control with the ball in his hands. He handles the ball well, sees the court, and is a solid playmaking lead guard on the rise. Excellent first day showing for the young talent from the Falls.
6-1 PG Duane Wilson Jr. (Dominican)
Skilled instinctive lead guard was his usual dominant self this past weekend in his first taste of the BOC. He stroked the perimeter jumper, made some excellent passes, and attacked the rim as well. One of the premiere 2013 prospects nationally, Wilson was exceptional once again on Saturday and looked the part of one of the big time incoming frosh in the state with a quality showing during the first week.
6-0 PG Lydell Young (West Allis Central)
Long regarded as a solid up and coming floor general, Young was solid in his BOC debut on Saturday. The lead guard showed decent handles, solid instincts, and an ability to make plays. As he continues to develop week after week the young lead guard stands to be one of the 2013 prospects to open some eyes during the BOC league divisional play, which tips off next week.