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Zero Gravity XL Summit: Coverage Notebook (Pt. 2)

05/16/2021, 10:30pm EDT
By CoBL Staff

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)

MANHEIM, Pa. — The new Zero Gravity XL league made its first-ever appearance at Spooky Nook this weekend, with its affiliate group of travel hoops programs joined by an assortment of sneaker-sponsored programs and several other regional programs for a weekend-long tournament. 

CoBL had writers in attendance Saturday and Sunday, watching action in the 15U, 16U and 17U brackets. Here’s Pt. 2 of our weekend notebook, featuring a mix of recruiting and local coverage: 

(More coverage: Part 1 | Part 3 | Standouts

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Penn State is in hot pursuit of 2022 wing Noah Batchelor. (Photo: Rich Flanagan/CoBL)

Noah Batchelor (2022 | Team Thrill | IMG Academy, Fla.)

The ability on his jump-shot is what is so appealing to college coaches when watching 2022 guard Noah Batchelor. Take, for example, his first two makes in a matchup with Mass Rivals Red 17U. 

A catch coming off a screen into a smooth mid-range jumper. Good. 

A few possessions later, one dribble to the right into a pull-up from the wing. Nothing but net. 

Through repetition and discipline, the 6-6 wing prospect has found what makes him successful, but there is still plenty of room to add to his repertoire. 

“I see myself fitting into a really good role,” Batchelor said. “I still have to work on a lot. I have to keep getting into the gym in order to get my playing time up.”

Currently, he holds offers from Maryland, Marquette, NC State, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Florida, among others. Memphis, Pitt, NC State, Georgia and Penn State are all recruiting him the heaviest as he enters his senior season. 

Since taking over in Happy Valley, new Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry has been making Batchelor a priority and working to bring the sharpshooter to Pa.

“Coach Shrewsberry has been saying he really loves the way I shoot the ball,” Batchelor said. “There’s a lot to improve upon in my ball handling and defense, but he really likes the way I play, especially how I talk to my teammates.”

Penny Hardaway and assistant Cody Toppert have been aggressively working to bring him to the Tigers program.

“They’re basically telling me that I have everything that they need,” Batchelor said. “I'm an all-around great player. Coach Toppert will send me film on NBA players to model my game after.”

Batchelor has been “keeping an open mind” through the decision-making process. He does not have a timetable on when he will commit but his focus will remain on improving his game off the dribble as well as on the defensive end. With five-star prospect senior teammates in 6-8 forward Jarace Walker and 6-2 point guard Jaden Bradley in addition four-star players in 6-6 forward Eric Dailey Jr. and 6-4 Jett Howard, Batchelor will be playing on a loaded team this season with a great opportunity to showcase what he can do.

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Dominick Campbell (above) has picked up double-digit offers in the last two months. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Dominick Campbell (2022 | Middlesex Magic | Phillips Exeter, N.H.) 

Over the last two months, Campbell’s offer list has grown by leaps and bounds. 

The 6-9, 260-pound big man entered the 2021 offseason with three scholarship offers, but those had all come in during the fall of 2019. But ever since the AAU season started in late March, he’s gotten double-digit scholarship/roster offers from a variety of high-academics and mid-major programs. It stemmed from a strong performance he had against EYBL squad Expressions Elite just before April, but hasn’t stopped since.

“It’s been pretty hectic, you know, phone’s blowing up,” he said, “but my parents have been really supportive in this process, so it’s been really fun.”

Prior to this spring, the only three offers Campbell received were back in 2019, when he was going into his junior year at Waynflete (Maine), before he moved to Exeter and joined the ‘23 class. It’s also before he got his body in shape: this past year, he said he’s gone from more than 285 pounds down to his current 260 on his 6-9 frame, which has allowed him to be a more mobile screen-setter and post-up threat, as well as a more effective rebounder and court-running forward.

And the floodgates opened.

“I mean I wanted it to happen, but I wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “It’s just a blessing, really.”

Just as the world is opening back up from COVID, Campbell’s going to have a busy summer: his new list of suitors includes schools both near (UMass and Albany) and far (William & Mary, Wofford), plus the likes of Lehigh, Brown, Holy Cross, Siena, and more.

Another one of the schools that offered Campbell during his recent spate was Penn, which isn’t surprising given Campbell’s travel program. The Magic have produced a number of Quaker players in recent memory, most notably all-Ivy forward A.J. Brodeur, who scored 1,832 points and grabbed 928 rebounds during a standout Quakers career (2016-20).

“They’re a really good program, I like them a lot,” Campbell said. “I haven’t been to the Palestra yet but I’m looking forward to going there, so that should be really cool.”

Of course, he’s still going to have to take plenty of visits; so far he’s only been on the campuses of Brown and Holy Cross, but only just to walk around, as coaches haven’t been able to host recruits on campus since pre-COVID. Campbell said he expects a decision by his senior year.

“I kinda want to go to a place where it’s near the city but not directly in the city, per se, so I want to actually have a campus,” he said.”And then I want to be around good people, also.”

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Allen Cieslak (above) has a strong weekend at point guard for East Coast Power. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Allen Cieslak (2022 | East Coast Power | Devon Prep, Pa.)

The East Coast Power 17U team boasts well-known several local Pa. prospects in Methacton’s Brett Byrne and Westtown’s Matt Mayock, to name a few. One name that should see a rise in his recruitment if his current level of play is any indication is Allen Cieslak (2022/Devon Prep). The 6-1, 165-pound combo guard displayed a quick first step and an ability to finish through contact on Saturday, and he’s also a strong and creative passer.

Cieslak is still in the early stages of his recruitment but he has begun to receive some significant interest from one small-college program.

“I’ve had Franklin & Marshall reach out,” Cieslak said. “I’ve had a lot of interest in them, too. It’s a great school in Lancaster. I’ve talked to assistant coaches and it went really well.”

So far, the Diplomats program is the only one to talk with Cieslak, but strong performances on the AAU circuit with East Coast Power and during the regular season with Devon Prep should help in that. 

As a junior, he came off the bench for an improved Tide squad, under the direction of Jason Fisher. Behind Eamon Walsh and Chris Patton, both Kings College commits, and rising senior IV Pettit, a First Team All-Catholic selection, Devon Prep finished 9-4 in the Philadelphia Catholic League and advanced to the semifinals for the first time since joining the league in 2018. 

They fell to Roman Catholic but a winning record in one of the toughest leagues in Pa. and a semifinal appearance have boosted expectations heading into his senior season. He avg. 4.3 ppg but showed why he will become a bigger part of the rotation with nine points against Lansdale Catholic and a season-high 17 versus Conwell-Egan. 

There is still much of the AAU season to be played and Cieslak is looking forward to having “other schools [start] reaching out and having a great AAU season.” Meanwhile, his focus will eventually shift to the regular season and building on the Tide’s success from this year. He will be joined by Pettit, rising sophomore Ty Mishock, rising senior Jake Kenney, and rising juniors Lucas Orchard and Jacen Holloway.

He has one goal in mind.

“A PCL championship,” Cieslak said. “We lost in the semifinals against Roman and we definitely want that back. It was definitely a great year and we have some guys coming back. I’m looking forward to playing with them and, of course, for Coach Fisher.” — Rich Flanagan

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(More coverage: Part 1 | Part 3 | Standouts

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Dion Brown (above) had a 27-point win to help Team New England into one of the 17U championships. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Quick Hits

— Making a run to the 17U title game was Team New England (TNE), which had several consistent players throughout the weekend. Dion Brown (22/Vermont Academy, Vt.) had a 27-point outing Sunday morning against Mid-Atlantic Select, doing a bit of everything: knocking down 3-pointers, driving to the bucket and finishing with both hands, and taking advantage of his athleticism on the defensive end. His only scholarship offer thus far is from Bryant, but George Washington, VMI, Elton, ECU and BU have been in touch, he said. Also playing well in that win was 6-7, 240-pound forward Ademide Badmus, who had 11 points, 11 rebounds and two steals; like his teammate, Badmus also has a Bryant offer plus one from D-II Franklin Pierce, with interest from BU, Holy Cross and VMI. 

— Prodigy (Ma.) had a strong weekend, making it to the semifinals of one of the 17U brackets and going 4-1 overall thanks to a whole-team effort that included strong performances from several different players. Certainly in that mix was 6-7, 210-pound forward Mark Newell (St. Sebastian’s, Mass.), who fought hard on the glass, defended inside and out and scored around the basket all weekend long. The assertive, high-academic prospect said he’s hearing a little bit from D-I Brown but is being heavily pursued by D-IIIs including Hamilton, Middlebury and Babson, all Massachusetts schools. 

— Another forward who had an impressive weekend was Mid-Atlantic Select’s Aidan Mess (22/Mt. St. Joseph, Md.). A 6-7, 205-pound wing forward, Mess showcased the ability to knock down a 3-pointer as part of a 13 point, four-rebound effort against Team New England. Mess has good length and face-up ability, but was an aggressive driver who crashed the glass hard. He’s hearing from D-I’s Army and VMI, as well as D-IIIs Roanoke (Va.), Catholic (D.C.) and Brandeis (Mass.).

— Central PA Elite 2022 guard Eli Shearer (Chambersburg, Pa.) missed his entire junior season with a torn MCL suffered nine months back, but the 6-4 guard looked like he had fully recovered with an all-around performance Sunday in a win over Boston Warriors (Ma.). A athletic 6-4, 170-pound guard, Shearer had nine points, five assists and seven rebounds, playing an uptempo, attacking game where he was constantly getting past the first line of defense and creating opportunities for his teammates. Dickinson, Hood (Md.) and Elizabethtown are already in touch. His teammate, Matt Ward (22/Big Spring, Pa.) is a 6-2, 190-pound wing guard who was one of those beneficiaries, with 14 points in that same win. Ward displayed aggressiveness and confidence with his jumper, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, and he was also assertive on the glass with five boards. He’s hearing from high-academic D-IIIs including Franklin & Marshall, Ursinus and Carnegie Mellon.


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Tag(s): Home  Recruiting  Josh Verlin  Rich Flanagan