Live from Springfield, MA: Erhunmwunse Oswin makes his season debut, plus 7'2 Anton Bonke commits to PC, Ryan Mela gets hot vs. New Hampton, and more

Just 24 hours after committing to Providence, Erhunmwunse Oswin made his season debut for Putnam Science at the Hoop Hall Prep Showcase in Springfield, MA on Friday night. Oswin and Putnam Science went down to the wire against elite shooting guard Joson Sanon (a Providence recruit) and Vermont Academy in front of PC head coach Kim English and assistant Dennis Felton.

I was in attendance on Friday to take in the action, and in this article subscribers can read more about the rest of the action at the Hoop Hall Prep Showcase, including a terrific performance from 2024 Providence commit Ryan Mela, Oswin’s second game of the weekend against Cushing Academy, and the play of another priority recruit in class of 2025 guard Jaylen Harrell.

We also have notes on 7’2 Anton Bonke, a junior college transfer from Eastern Arizona, who The Pawtucket Times/Woonsocket Call’s Brendan McGair reported on Saturday will enroll at PC for the second semester.

Oswin steady in his return, while Joson Sanon shines in a narrow victory for Vermont Academy

With Oswin debuting against Sanon, a five-star shooting guard from Fall River, MA, this game was the headliner coming into the weekend and it didn’t disappoint.

Already considered one of the best guards in the country heading into this season, Sanon’s stock continues to explode. He had 46 points earlier in the week, on a ridiculous 9-12 shooting from beyond the arc, and he wasted little time getting it going against Putnam Science on Friday. He knocked down a 3-pointer to kick off the scoring, and then made a leaner to make it 5-0 out of the gate. Throughout the course of the first half, Sanon finished a pair of and-1s, showed a flawless midrange game, and buried 3-4 from deep. He closed the first half with 21 points on 8-12 shooting from the field to lead Vermont Academy to a 47-31 advantage.

Oswin, playing in his first game in seven months after offseason shoulder surgery, checked into the game seven minutes in, with his team down 12-5. He immediately scored off of an offensive rebound and put-back, and on the next possession Oswin laid one in after catching a lob at the rim.

The future Friar played in three-minute spurts in the first half, finishing 3-3 from the field (his third bucket coming from another offensive rebound).

Vermont Academy pushed its lead to 16 early in the second half, and maintained a double-digit edge for a majority of the half. With Putnam down, 72-62, with just over six minutes to play, Oswin got his longest stint of the night — playing the rest of the way as Putnam made a furious push in the final two minutes.

He scored Putnam’s next two buckets after checking into the game — catching an inbounds pass, dribbling twice, and scoring in traffic off the glass, and then showing a lot of patience with defenders circling around him to score in traffic once again. Oswin added two blocks in the final six minutes.

Vermont was ahead 80-69 with just over two minutes to play, but a Putnam Science and-1 cut it to an 80-72 advantage at the 2:05 mark. Putnam got to within 82-81 with the ball in the final 10 seconds, but they couldn’t convert, as Vermont escaped with a well-earned victory.

Sanon filled the stat sheet with 32 points, seven rebounds, and five steals, while Oswin didn’t show much rust in putting up 14 points (7-9 shooting), five boards, and a pair of blocks. It was a relatively impressive effort considering he hadn’t played at game speed since last summer. All of his shots came around the rim, and we didn’t see the type of explosive blocks that have gotten Friar fans so excited, but for his first game back this was a solid start.

While his defensive prowess is what makes Oswin an elite prospect, he impressed with his composure with the ball on the interior. He never seemed sped up, and missed just two shots on the night (including what would have been a loud dunk off a lob).

Meanwhile, Sanon is one of the best scorers I have watched in person over the past 15 years of covering prep games. His makes rarely hit the rim, and he has range well beyond the arc, with a terrific mid-range game to match. Sanon is one of the best scorers New England has produced in recent memory.

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