James Jones brought in a balanced freshman class this fall with a lead guard, an off guard, and two frontcourt recruits. Given what Yale returns from last season, there’s not going to be a lot of playing time available. However, the freshmen as a group are ready physically and mentally for the college game, so a few of them could find their way into Jones’s typically deep rotation.
PG Porter Braswell – 6-0, 185 lbs. (Scotch Plains, NJ – Lawrenceville School)
Braswell got a great deal of Ivy and Patriot League interest as a senior at Lawrenceville last year, but ultimately went with Yale. He was rated a 73 by Scouts, Inc. (122nd among point guards) and ranked 941st in the HoopScoop rankings. Braswell was named First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Prep League last spring, following a season in which he averaged 14 points per game. He’s expected to battle fellow New Jersey native Chris Andrews for the role of backing up Eric Flato at the point this season.
PF Garrett Fiddler – 6-9, 235 lbs. (Colorado Springs, CO – Doherty HS)
Fiddler committed to Yale back in October, spurning offers from Denver, Portland, and Southern Methodist, and some preliminary interest from Penn and Princeton. He was rated two stars by Rivals.com and one star by Scout.com, and finished 866th in HoopScoop’s Top 1000 high school seniors. Fiddler led Colorado in blocks his final two years of high school, and posted averages of 16 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks a game as a senior. While his defense has drawn the most attention in scouting reports, other Ivy staffs who have seen him insist Fiddler’s offensive game is underrated. He enters Yale with excellent size and strength, and his toughness should put him in the mix for frontcourt minutes right away.
SG Raffi Mantilla – 6-3, 180 lbs. (Mundelein, IL – Mundelein HS)
After visiting New Haven in early October, Mantilla canceled scheduled visits to Brown and Princeton and committed to the Bulldogs. The Illinois native received a rating of 71 by Scouts, Inc. (172nd among shooting guards), and put up 17 points and 11 rebounds a game in his final season at Mundelein High School outside Chicago. Described as a “pure shooter,” Mantilla might have trouble getting on the floor as a freshman, given Yale’s abundance of experienced wings.
PF Mike Sands – 6-7, 230 lbs. (Franklin Square, NY – H. Frank Carey HS)
Sands comes to Yale after Long Island high school basketball proved insufficiently challenging. As a senior, the 6-7 forward tallied eye-popping stats, averaging 28 points and 15 rebounds a game en route to Nassau County Player of the Year honors. In the end, Yale beat out Lafayette, Quinnipiac, Princeton, and Siena for his services. Ranked 804th by HoopScoop, Sands has put in a lot work in the weight room and has a very strong upper body to show for it. Jones speaks high of the freshman’s versatility, which could earn him playing time off the bench this year.
