Germantown Academy point guard Devon Goodman, here at the Reebok Breakout Classic last week, dropped 30 at the Summer Classic East. (Photo: Josh Einbinder-Schatz)
Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld) &
David Hassinger (@David_Hassinger)
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The Hoop Group’s Summer Classic East kicked off the second July live period in the area, with brackets in the 15U, 16U and 17U brackets getting underway shortly before Division I coaches began pouring into the buildings at Competitive Edge, Philadelphia University and Upper Merion Middle School to check out the action.
This is Part 2 of the opening night’s notebook, featuring mostly 16U and 15U action from the courts at Philly U (for Part 1, click here):
Devon Goodman (2016/Team Philly/Germantown Academy)
Goodman undoubtedly turned in the most impressive performance of the night, scoring 30 points (20 in the first half), and knocking down six three-pointers in Team Philly’s blowout victory over Sports U.
“I was shooting well coming out, so I just kept shooting,” he said. “And it seemed like I couldn’t miss today. I just rolled with it.”
Goodman picked up his first offer last week, when Penn extended him a scholarship opportunity during his steady performance at the Reebok Breakout Classic. He is happy with what he has seen of the West Philadelphia campus.
“I actually went to their Elite Camp. That was a really great experience,” Goodman said. “We got to stay in the dorms, walk around the campus a little bit. Penn is a really good campus, and it’s an option that I could go to.”
While Penn is still his only offer, he also has interest from “a lot of Patriot schools”, as well as Rhode Island and La Salle.
Goodman has some good role models to look up to while he goes through the recruiting process, playing alongside fellow Division I recruits Tim Guers and Sam Lindgren at Germantown Academy. He has already begun to pick up on their work habits.
“Both of them work extremely hard, so I’m just piggy-backing off of them,” he explained.
He has also received advice from longtime Germantown Academy head coach Jim Fenerty, who has sent a number of players to the Divison I level during his tenure at the Fort Washington school.
“He just told me not to worry about it, and that coaches will come to you,” Goodman said. –Ari Rosenfeld
Zane Martin (2016/Team Final Black/Neumann-Goretti)
Playing last year for a Neumann-Goretti team which featured two Division I senior guards and a Division I forward, as well as other future D-I prospects in his grade and below, Martin had to wait his chance to show his talents. Now playing for Team Final Black, Martin has showed that he is ready and worthy to step in and fulfill the roles left by his former teammates.
Neumann-Goretti (Pa.) guard Zane Martin has had to wait his turn in a D-I stocked backcourt. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
“Shine, I want to show everybody that I can do what I do, last year I was sitting on the bench so its a process, just want to prove everybody wrong,” Martin said.
He right now has interest from Fairfield and Quinnipiac, and plans to visit Fairfield.
He is working on improving “my right hand and my jump shot.”
Today he drove to the basket and finished on multiple occasions. He handled the ball extremely well and knocked down a few jumpers. Martin also displays an excellent free throw stroke, and barely missed at all today.
“Its hard work and dedication, you gotta stay in the gym, always be in the gym no days off,” Martin said about competing in the Catholic League. –David Hassinger
Kobe Gantz (2016/Team Final Black/McCaskey)
As a sophomore last season, Gantz was the leading scorer for J.P. McCaskey High School. Now, he is playing a major role for Team Final Black this July. The team dropped two games today, but Gantz did not disappoint. He ran the point mostly for his team today but will do whatever is asked of him.
“I love to get people involved, I love to create plays, if I can get to the basket and get somebody a wide open look then I would love to do that. If I can make a basket, I would love to do that to,” Gantz said.
Going into the second live period of the month, Gantz has no offers on the table, though he does have interest from a few schools including Temple, Wisconsin, Fairfield and UMBC. He is unsure of when his visits will be and where is going to go. Gantz says he will “wait and see how the summer goes on.”
“I’m hoping I can get some [offers] later on in this live period, I’m really hoping I do,” Gantz said. “Some more interest, some more offers, I just wanna get seen.”
Gantz put many of his talents on display today for Team Final Black. Even as a point guard, he was able to fight underneath the basket for tough defensive rebounds, and transition off of them. He is also a quick player who runs the floor well with and without the ball in his hands. His is focusing on becoming the best possible floor general he can be.
“Becoming a leader on my team, becoming a point guard, learning how to run everything, organize my teammates. I want to become a leader,” he said. –David Hassinger
Caleb Green (2017/DC Blue Devils/Proctor Academy)
Just a rising sophomore, Green just received his first offer last weekend from Stony Brook and is also getting a look from Fairfield.
“It’s kinda quick, I wasn’t expecting it to be honest and its was good though,” Green said. “It was surprising, I definitely wasn’t expecting it”
Green scored twenty first half points in his first game of the day against Game 7 NY Elite including five three points. He was able to drive to the basketball and finish with either hand. His team won both games of the day and advance to play in the Elite 8 tomorrow.
“My goal is to get more offers, to get more looks from college coaches, to get my teammates more looks, and to help them get to college,” Green said.
Green is also in the middle of making a transition to a new school. This year he will attend a prep school, Proctor Academy, where he will board at the school during the school year.
“It’s a nice school, we are a young team, it should be good when I get up there,” Green said.
The transition from his local public school to Proctor Academy is something that Green is going to have to adjust to.
“Definitely going to be more athletic, I gotta get used to that and quicker, faster game its just more explosive,” said Green. “It’s a good league, I wanna get looks and get more, and more competition.” –David Hassinger
D’Andre Vilmar (2017/Team Final/Roman Catholic)
Playing behind four other Division I recruits in Roman Catholic’s backcourt last year, Vilmar did not always get much of an opportunity to display his full abilities.
Roman Catholic’s D’Andre Vilmar was a solid role player as a freshman. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
He certainly did so tonight with Team Final, playing very well on both ends en route to a blowout victory over Baltimore Supreme. It seemed like he was all over the court, making plays on the defensive end, hitting jumpers, and even finishing well above the rim on two thunderous dunks.
Still just a rising sophomore, Vilmar already claimed interest from Rutgers and Temple. He visited Rutgers a few weeks ago with Team Final teammates Lonnie Walker and Quade Green.
“I liked the campus and the atmosphere,” he said. “And I liked the head coach, Eddie Jordan. He gave me a few pointers while I was there. It was a great thing.”
A 6-foot-3 shooting guard, Vilmar made the most of his time on the bench last year, learning as much as he could from backcourt mates Shep Garner, who will be playing at Penn State next year, and Rashann London, who will be playing for Bruiser Flint at Drexel.
“I learned a lot from ‘Shann and Shep, and the way they play the game, just having to sit there and watch them because they taught me a lot I didn’t know,” Vilmar said. “I’m sitting behind Tone Carr right now, just learning. So when he leaves, I can fill in that leadership role and take over.”
While he is still young, Vilmar is already thinking about where he might end up playing in college. He would not mind leaving the Philly area if he finds the right fit elsewhere.
“I’m not really from here. I’m from the Bahamas. I’ve been moving all my life, so I wouldn’t have a problem going far away,” he explained. “But staying local, if they offer, I wouldn’t mind either.” –Ari Rosenfeld
Everett Hammond (2017/Mid Atlantic Select/St.Vincent Pallotti)
Coming into the second July Live Period, Hammond had no offers, which isn’t unusual for a rising sophomore. He does have interest though from Davidson and Columbia University.
“I just wanna build my stock and try to rise. I wanna put my team on the map for college coaches,” Hammond said.
He says he plans to make the most of this week in Philadelphia and visit some of the area colleges like Villanova, Saint Josephs and Philadelphia University. He knows at least some things he is looking for in a college.
“Family Atmosphere, a coach that also be my friend and my coach,” Guers said.
Hammond was playing up a year for the 16U Mid Atlantic Select Team which features mostly 2016 players. He still had success though, showing the ability to knock down a three and drive to the basket and finish. He also had a nice move to the basket where he beat a defender of the dribble and pulled up and hit a well timed floater.
“I gotta keep working hard and get a lot of shots up work on my ball handling and anything I can do to be the best player that I can be,” Hammond said.
He has high expectations for this school year as a player.
“Last year we lost in the MIA, this year we are looking to win conference and then move up,” said Hammond. “Trying to win all of our out of town games, win a championship and try to go undefeated” –David Hassinger
Quick Shots
–Taylor Funk (2017/Team PA/Manheim Central) was very impressive tonight, playing up with Team PA’s 16U team. He knocked down a couple 3-point shots, played well in transition, and consistently crashed the boards hard from the wings.
Afterwards, he claimed interest from Bucknell, Penn State, Colgate, and Holy Cross. Funk has found playing at the 16U level very helpful towards his development.
“Playing against better competition, that’s the main help that I think I’m getting,” said the 6-8 forward. “And getting more exposure with a better team.”
–Tim Guers (2015/PA Renegades/Germantown Academy) came into the Summer Classic East Invitational with no offers but interest from a wide range of schools including Loyola and Marist at the Division I level, and St. Anselm, Franklin & Marshall and East Stroudsburg at the Division II and III levels.
He is still searching for the best fit and does not exactly know if that means a Division I school.
“Right now I’m not sure, an academic-school with a solid basketball program,” said Guers. “[I am] mostly a spot up shooter, a hustle player on defense and offense, doing the little things to help my team win.”
