Josh Verlin (@jmverlin), -- MANALAPAN, N.J. -- The Elevate Hoops Summer Icebreaker I is one of two tournaments being held at Sportika Sports Complex this week, the first of three five-day periods this month where Division I coaches can be out on the road watching and evaluating high school prospects. Here’s a notebook from the evening’s action, featuring some 15U and 16U talent: ~~~  Joshua Cohen (right) grew from 6-0 as a freshman to 6-9 going into his junior year. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL) Growth spurt has CBA’s Cohen learning how to be big Imagine being a freshman guard, standing 6-foot-tall, only knowing how to play the guard position. And then, as a junior, you’re standing 6-9 and having to learn how to play a completely different position. For Christian Brothers Academy junior Joshua Cohen, that was the situation that his body threw at him over the past year-and-change. “It makes me feel good,” Cohen said. “I’m not complaining, even when I have to switch clothes sizes. Growing nine inches, it really helped my game.” In basketball, height is the one variable that can really put you at an advantage or a disadvantage when it comes to college recruitment, depending on the situation. Thankfully for Cohen, his height is now putting him at an advantage for colleges to reach out to him. While Cohen has not received a scholarship offer just yet, he has received interest from schools such as New Hampshire and Holy Cross. “When I was 6-4, I was not getting any college interest but with the growth spurt I was getting a lot of calls and texts and emails from different schools,” he said. Even Cohen’s AAU team, the Jersey Shore Warriors, did not have Cohen on their radar until he hit his growth spurt this past season. Though he had a rough intro to the guard-oriented team during the April live periods, several months playing with the Warriors during tournaments in May and June has him feeling much more comfortable back out in front of coaches this time around. “In my first two tournaments, I was not really fitting in with the team really well and I didn’t know the guys all that well,” Cohen said. “But as I’ve gotten into the program, it expanded my game; the practices were really tough, I really got to work and my teammates are the greatest, we just put up 92 points in a game in July, we’re really well put together.” The Jersey Shore Warriors looked absolutely fantastic in their rout of Achieve More on Wednesday night, with a final score of 92-47. Cohen had his part in the offensive explosion, including a 3-point play in the second half and a few other buckets on dump-offs, knocking down one mid-range jumper as well. As Cohen is still transforming into his body, he still has some kinks to work out in his switch from a guard to a center. “CBA really helped me with elevating my game from a guard to a big man,” Cohen said. “We had a guy come in and help me with my footwork and excel in the big man game. I’ve also been working on my face-up game.” -- Austin Petolillo |
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