2009 Hall of Fame Overnight Academy Recap

The Hall of Fame Overnight Academy concluded Thursday with some good games and individual performances.  The camp, in it's first year, was held from Sunday to Thursday at Wilbraham and Monson Academy.  Over 10 states were represented at the inaugural camp including Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennslvania, and all of New England. 

In the NCAA division, strong guard play seemed to be the dominant theme, with RJ Cole out of New Jersey garnering MVP honors for the league.  The best playmaker award went to 12-year old Derrick Boyd of Springfield, Ma. who simply found ways to get things done all week.  The strong guard was able to get to the rim at will, created shots for his teammate and played extremely hard throughout the week. 

Other award recipients were:

Most Improved - Augustus Busumbru (Conn.)

Mr Station - Azzur Taylor (New Jersey)

Mr Unselfish - Jaylen Franklin (Massachusetts)

Best Defender - Isaiah Wilson (New York)

In the NBA division, balance seemed to be the theme of the week as every game (except the championship) was decided by 7 points or less and more than 5 games went into sudden-death overtime.  The teams were remarkably competitive with numerous college-level players participating and showing their skills during the week.  The NBA MVP went to Tony Wilson out of Brooklyn, New York.  The 6'4, 210lb forward was simply over-powering all week and also displayed the ability to hit the 19-foot shot.  The best part about Wilson was his desire on the court.  Best Playmaker went to 6'2 Tarik Philip out of New York and Dana Dingle's Long Island Lightning group.  The 15-year old rising junior was very active on both ends, showed a high-level of court savvy and did a good job of penetrating to the hoop.  Look for Philip in the coming years to develop into a future Division-I player. 

Other award winners:

Mr. Station - Niam Thomas (New York)

Most Unselfish - Kevin Little (New York)

Most Improved - Shavar Newkirk (New York)

Defensive Player of the week - Colin Pascoe (Connecticut)

Overall, it was a great week, with a day spent at the Hall of Fame were the kids were fortunate enough to see the new Jordan Exhibit and learn about the history of the game.