New England Hidden Gems: Cape Cod Edition

I took a trip down to Cape Cod to watch an on-court workout session run by trainer Ben Vaneria of Swish Private Basketball Training. The girls worked on various skills such as full-court dribble moves, shooting off the catch and in transition, post moves, and competitive 3 on 3 action where they got to utilize all the skills they were developing in live-action. There were some under-the-radar athletes participating in this session that should be on everyone’s watch list this spring. Here are my notes on the stand-out athletes in attendance. https://x.com/BashHoopsNE/status/1387898472855228430 [player_tooltip player_id="183947" first="Olivia" last="Gourdine"] - Barnstable/Cape Cod Warriors - 5’9’’ - SF - ’22 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/suaIbXfTSPyQJMWZ5cWXlA-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619791011.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-279478" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/suaIbXfTSPyQJMWZ5cWXlA-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619791011-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hardest worker in the gym/does every drill full speed</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Deadly shooter from mid-long range/shoots well while tired</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Versatile scorer/can work in the post</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Efficient shooter/good shot selection</li> </ul> [player_tooltip player_id="263826" first="MacKenzie" last="Balfore"] - Cape Cod Academy/Cape Cod Bulls - 5’10’’ - PF/SF - ’22 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/uS8aEPpMR3WtNhrJhzctTw-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619790897.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-279476" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/uS8aEPpMR3WtNhrJhzctTw-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619790897-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Stretch 4/good skill set for small-ball lineups </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good catch and shoot forward/ pick and pop nightmare</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Excellent three-point shooter in transition </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good footwork and timing when sizing up trail 3’s</li> </ul> [player_tooltip player_id="279199" first="Olivia" last="Marchand"] - St John Paul II/Cape Cod Bulls - 5’4’’ - PG - ’24 PGH Rank: WL <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-279468" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/Ovh5IAmTa2QWnDVwyuyKg-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619790129-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good burst/explosion when attacking</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Best passer of the night/throws accurate backdoor passes/hits cutters in stride</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good lateral quickness/has no trouble staying in front of the ball handler/pesky defender</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Proficient shooter off catch and dribble/has 3 point range</li> </ul> [player_tooltip player_id="263963" first="Abby" last="Lockhart"] - Barnstable/Cape Cod Warriors - 5’3’’ - PG - ’22 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/K6SG7VSNuRx2JYciULYw-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619789786.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-279465" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/K6SG7VSNuRx2JYciULYw-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619789786-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Confident ball handler/keeps the ball on a string</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good ball control/security with her off-hand</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Face cuts hard/looks comfortable playing off the ball</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Confidently takes defender off dribble with both hands</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Has range extends beyond the 3 point line</li> </ul> [player_tooltip player_id="279202" first="Skyler" last="Gonsalves"] - St. John Paul II - 6’2’’ - PF - ’21 (unsigned) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-279463" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/KShQEpiQmWN1bxpGkDcQ-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619789611-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> The biggest mystery in Massachusetts is Gonsalves being unsigned this far into the calendar year. The 6’2’’ power forward runs the floor like a gazelle and has the footwork of a ballet dancer. Gonsalves’ coordination at her size mixed with her athleticism is something I have not seen this spring from a big. She easily checks every box when it comes to physical gifts, and Gonsalves has the skill to go along with it. She showed soft touch in the post and the ability to score over either shoulder. I even saw her get from basket-to-basket in two dribbles effortlessly. Gonsalves is not going to snipe from three on a consistent basis, but she can extend out to 15 feet when she isn’t dominating in the paint. She is a fascinating athlete and one who I have heard about all winter long and after watching her up close I’m perplexed as to why a player of her magnitude is still available. Gonsalves is without a doubt Massachusetts’ best-kept secret. https://x.com/BashHoopsNE/status/1387913284402155525