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Interview with St. Bernard's star John Henault

Already a 1000 point-scorer, two time Central Mass Conference all-star, and twice an honoree of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s SuperTeam, Central Mass basketball fans will want to keep an eye on John this season. The 6’2, 175 pound senior guard is not only a student athlete of high character, but he is also a coveted college recruit thanks to his deadly jump shot, unmatchable work ethic on the defensive end of the floor, and a competitiveness and will to win that will be worth the price of admission once this season comes around.

Christian Bradley: So John, how'd the summer go for your AAU team and for you personally?

John Henault: My summer went really well. Playing with Bay State Magic was a lot of fun and I got a lot of good exposure. Personally, I thought I played well. I improved a lot on my game playing against top competition. Every tournament we went to we played against top players and that really helped me.

CB: You mentioned getting a lot of exposure. Who have you been getting interest from?

JH: So far I've gotten interest from St. Anselm, Stonehill, St. Michael's, Franklin Pierce and several division 3 schools.

CB:  Your recruitment looks pretty widespread so far. You've shown that you're one of the top scorers in the area, averaging around 20 a game the last two years. But what's one asset of your game that you think is either underrated or that you've worked a lot on this spring and summer?

JH: Being known as a scorer and playing zone at St.Bernard's, I don't think that people get to see my defensive game as much. During AAU we played straight man to man defense and while being in Orlando for the national tournament I think I showed that I can play defense against top players. I've really tried hard to work on my strength training and just being aggressive in general.

CB: How is St.Bernard’s basketball going to look this year?

JH: I feel that we should have a strong team this year. Last year we were pretty young. This year’s team consists mostly of seniors with the exception of a couple underclassmen. We have some solid players and I think that our experience will take us far.

CB: Your brother Tim (Worcester State) was also on some really good teams in high school with James Maloughney and Michael Mercier. How did seeing some really good teams like that right in front of you affect you as a player?

JH:I guess you could say that watching those teams motivated me. I always loved watching them play. All those teams either made it to the district championship or farther. Seeing them play at WPI or the Centrum gave me a drive to want to play there as well. I wanted to see myself playing there doing the things that they were doing. My dream has always been to win a state championship. Watching those teams make it that far really drove me to push myself to reach my potential so I could help my team as much as I could to reach that goal.

CB:  You’ve worked hard to make yourself one heck of a player, what was it like to be able to score your 1000th point last year and be able to celebrate that milestone with your friends, family, and teammates?

JH: Reaching my thousandth point was an incredible feeling. That has always been one of my individual goals since I was in middle school. My brother Tim, being a thousand point scorer as well, made it even better. My family, friends, and teammates couldn't have been more supportive. They were all so proud of what I had accomplished and there is no better feeling than that of having your loved ones being proud of you. To be able to celebrate with them made it ten times more special.

CB: Of course playing ball you give every game your best. But are there any teams in particular that you’re going to have circled on the schedule when the Monday after Thanksgiving comes around?

JH: I circle every team when the Monday after Thanksgiving comes around. I love to compete regardless of who it's against. I JUST WANT TO WIN.

Sutton's Mac Roy ready to explode this season

CMass Summer Developments

Former St. Peter-Marian point guard and Worcester native Naadir Tharpe, of Brewster Academy (NH), decommitted from Providence College last month. His reasoning behind decommitting was the fact that Providence assistant coach Pat Skerry took an assistant coaching job at the University of Pittsburgh. "Coach Skerry was the guy who was recruiting me the whole time, the one who I was close with.”So once he left I just wanted to look at my other recruitment and see what was out there," Tharpe said as he explained his decommitment to ESPN.com’s Adam Finkelstein. Tharpe reportedly has offers from Boston College, Seton Hall, Iowa State, Marquette, Rutgers, and Charlotte. Though Naadir told Alex Bozich of Insidethehall.com(a site that covers Indiana University basketball but is technically unrelated to the university) that he has spoken several times to staff from the Hoosiers this summer, he also confirmed that Indiana has yet to offer him a scholarship, despite the fact that he is one of only 2 or 3 2011 PG’s that they are heavily recruiting. In other words, don’t be surprised if Tharpe, one of the Top 100 players in the nation, gets another high level Division 1 offer coming from Indiana in the coming months. This is the link from the article about Naadir on Insidethehall.com, as well as video footage: http://www.insidethehall.com/2010/06/22/naadir-tharpe-confirms-iu-interest-keeping-options-open/

Rutland native and incoming senior Pat Ackerman from Worcester Academy is also receiving Division 1 looks. Pat is a 6’11 center with a soft touch on his mid-range jumper and a pretty good finisher going to the rim. He also excels at rebounding and blocking shots as he really makes his presence felt, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He’s getting a lot of attention from low to mid level D1 programs, mostly receiving questions from Division 1 coaches because of the fact that he lacks some speed and explosive athleticism. Despite this though, Pat could receive some higher level D1 attention if he shows he can produce and run the floor well going into his final year at Worcester Academy.

Former Westborough High School big man and current Northfield-Mt.Hermon(MA) incoming junior Evan Cummins has become one of the most followed big men in New England, especially over the past year. The 6’8 power-forward/center has gotten a ton of Division 1 buzz because of his stellar improvement during his time at Northfield-Mt.Hermon. Evan is an above average athlete, he runs the floor well, and often finishes above the rim, even in traffic. In addition to his athleticism and his defensive effort, Evan has a very good outside shot and, with good reason, doesn’t hesitate to shoot an open jumper from behind the 3-line. He also finishes very strong going to the rim and often draws contact while finishing down low with relative ease. He’s still growing and his game is still developing, don’t be surprised to see him receive some legit mid to high-level Division 1 buzz for the rest of his prep career.

According to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Central Mass Player of the Year David White will be playing basketball at Worcester Polytechnic Institute(MA), one of the top Division 3 programs in the Northeast, next year. The former St. John’s point guard had a glorious four-year career that included three Central Mass. Division 1 championships, a state title, twice a state runner-up, over 1000 career points, and he was also selected to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette Super Team three times (the Super Team is the Telegram’s appointment of the top player in Central Mass and the top 12 players besides the player of the year). Over the course of his high school career, David was 16-3 in the playoffs. “He’s tough as nails...people say: ‘how do you replace a David White?’ I say you don’t! He’s a great point guard and a great leader,” St. John’s coach Bob Foley said to me after the Pioneers heartbreaking loss in the state title game at the hands of Central Catholic. David’s teammate, 6’7 shot blocking, rebounding, and defensive post stopping big man Chad LaBove, will be headed to Division 3 Wesleyan in the fall.

Ryan Romich (2010) from Groton-Dunstable will be reclassified into the class of 2011 as he will be taking a post-grad year at Vermont Academy. Ryan is a 6’6 forward who is excellent at running the floor. Throughout his time at Groton-Dunstable he was known as one of the best finishers and most athletic players in the area. Romich and T&G Super Teamer Derek McCaffrey formed one of the toughest duos in Central Mass during their career, McCaffrey was also an All-American in soccer and he will be playing soccer at Boston University this fall. Ryan reportedly had offers from Niagra, Iona, and Colgate before deciding to prep for a year.“I had some options as far as college but I wanted to work on my game and kind of get to where I wanted to go in terms of the level I wanted to play at,” he told the New England Recruiting Report in late June. You can read the whole article by clicking the link below:  http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1497/Romich-Prepping-in-Vermont.php

6'4 guard/forward Anthony Barry from Milford High School will be transferring to Brooks School (MA) next year and he'll be repeating his junior year, putting him in the 2012 class. He has strived off of his excellent ability as a slasher to drive hard to the rim, often with what appears to be relative ease. Anthony is a hard-working defensive player that has mostly been getting looks from lower-level Division 1 schools, but that could quickly change as he develops a more balanced offensive game that includes a consistent jumper from 15-feet and beyond, that will be a great addition to his excellent driving ability.

5'8 guard Jake Gubitose from Tantasqua will be playing college ball at Division 3 Clark University in Worcester next year. Jake averaged just under 20 points per game during his senior year and was also named a Telegram & Gazette Super-Teamer as one of the very best area players. Jake feasted on opposing defenses during his career with a very quick first step, a strong finishing ability going to the rim, and one of the best 3-point strokes in Central Mass this past year that kept his defenders in check. Also a pest on defense, Jake averaged around 5 steals per game this past season.

Whitinsville Christian guard/forward Andrew Dykstra will be headed to Calvin College (MI) in the fall to play ball for the Knights. Calvin is among the top tier of Division 3 schools, as they have averaged over 20 wins per season over the last decade. Dykstra was a T&G Super Team selection and he captained the WCS team his last two years, as the Crusaders won the Division 3 Central Mass title this past year, and were the Division 3 runners-up the year before. Andrew had perhaps the two best games of his career during the playoffs in his senior year, when he dropped 31 points on Littleton in the district semis and 29 as he carried his team in the state semis in a Double Overtime 78-76 loss to New Leadership of Springfield. Andrew’s fellow junior and senior captain Kurt Steiner will be headed to Worcester State in the fall and he will be playing ball for the Lancers. Kurt is a tough defensive stopper, but he also has an excellent 3-point shot and pretty good driving ability that should help him make in impact for the Lancers.

One of the best shooters in Central Mass during his career, Shrewsbury High School guard Colby Reesewill be playing at Castleton State next year. Reese was a 1000-point career scorer and was able to form quite a duo with his classmate Jose Cruz. Cruz School will be going to Worcester Academy for a post-grad year. The 6’7 Cruz has a versatile offensive game as he could be seen dribbling the ball up the floor just as often as catching the ball in the high post during his four years at Shrewsbury.  Jose was also one of the most athletic players in Central Mass this past year and was unstoppable driving to his favored left-hand and finishing with a strong lay-up or an explosive dunk. He will be joined at Worcester Academy next year by 6’6 post-grad forward Dave Mack, from the Bancroft School in Worcester. Dave is a strong post presence who is an excellent on-ball defender in the post and he also has a pretty good offensive game down low, tending to finish off of offensive rebounds, back to the basket moves, and feeds from driving guards.

6’4 point guard Eddie Capstick, who just finished off his career at Doherty, will be doing a post-grad year at Marianapolis Prep next year. The only way to describe Eddie is that he’s a playmaker, just a flat out smart basketball player. Though not overly athletic, he was able to lead the Highlanders’ fast break and often set up playmakers Yawin Smallwood and Andre Santana for lay-ups and dunks at the other end. He always seems to be in control: he’s never out of control when he drives to the rim, doesn’t force or rush his excellent 3-point jumper, doesn’t turn the ball over, and he has no problem pulling the ball out on the fast break if he feels executing a play is a better choice than running. I would say Eddie’s one weak point is his on-ball defense out on the perimeter. He’s long and has good size for a point guard, but he doesn’t have a lot of acceleration and isn’t very laterally quick, so when he is defending on-ball and doesn’t stay low, he gets beat easily-but it’s something that a year at prep school will definitely help him out with. The 6’4 Smallwood will be attending Uconn in the fall on a full football scholarship, as he was one of the most coveted football recruits in New England this past year. Santana was a T&G Super Teamer in both basketball and spring track this past year, as he led Doherty’s basketball team with a   16-5 record as well as winning the gold medal in the high jump at this year’s district track meet. He will again be one of the top area basketball players this upcoming season, his senior year. You’ll be sure to see his name again later in the summer when BeantownHoops.com will publish info on some of the top returning Central Mass players.