Bay State Magic Break Out at DII Nationals

Vilfort Flattens out Defenses with his Speed

12th Place Finish out of 89 Teams for BSM

Orlando -  Over the past few days, the Bay State Magic went on a tear in the DII Nationals down at Disney.  They opened up by going 3-0 in pool play to advance to the Gold Bracket, where they came up with a win in their 1st Rd game.  In the next Rd,the Bay State Magic were knocked out of title contention by Team Blaze, but continued to play on in the consolation bracket to determine their overall National Ranking, with the opportunity to finish as high as 9th.  In their first game in the consolation bracket, BSM found themselves down by 10 points at the half, but in the 2nd half, Keyon Armstrong went off for 5 treys and the Magic won going away by a score of 81-65.  They moved on to the next round to defeat Team Dynasty out of Michigan by a score of 72-56.  They next moved on to the Final Four of the Consolation Bracket, where they faced a nice Birmingham Express team.  The Bay State Magic had their run ended here, but they finished a very impressive 12th overall out of 89 total teams, with a record of 6-2 overall.  More imprtantly, the BSM players got the opportunity to perform in front of college coaches from schools such as Stonybrook, Nebraska, Houston, Quinnipiac, Loyola, Maine, Anderson College, and Endicott.

Player Notes

- Henry Vilfort ran the show for BSM and did a great job of pushing the tempo and creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.  He also employed his trademark pressure defense on the opposing team's primarily ball-handler.  Vilfort was joined in the back-court by Keyon Armstrong, who handled some of the ball handling responsibilities and scored the ball in bunches.  Dan Powers from Catholic Memorial was deadly from 3-pt range throughout the event and was vital for the Magic in spreading the defense for Vilfort and Armstrong.   In the front-court, the athletic tandem of Jamal Reuben and Cam Walker handled the bulk of the scoring load and also rebound the ball efficiently beside athletic big man Jahliel Moise, who displayed a great motor and wowed the crowd with a series of thunderous dunks.  

Congrats to Kalon Jenkins and the BSM players for a great run.

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Curtain Closes on CBC's Wild Summer of 2011

A New England Treasure  & Future #1 NBA Pick

CBC Upset Early in National Championship Bid

- After a great run out in Vegas, CBC headed down to Orlando to get busy at the 17u AAU Nationals.  The CT crew breezed through pool-play, knocking off Each 1 Teach 1 out of Florida 86-71, hammering the Lower Buck Lightning 47-21, and the blowing out DC Assault Blue by a score of 105-63.  CBC entered bracket-play intent on making a run at the National Title, but in the 1st Rd, they were shocked by a talented ASA Elite squad and knocked out of Bracket Play.

This marks the end wild summer for CBC, in which they started 0-4 at the Adidas Invitational in Indy before reeling off an impressive 14 game winning streak in which they defeated teams such as the New England Playaz, the Mass Rivals, Terry Porter Elite, Lone Peak out of Utah, the Houston Hoopstars, Family First out of Texas, the SoCal All-Stars and more.  This CBC squad will go down as one of the most exciting teams in New England Grassroots Basketball History.  When they had it going, there was no team more fun to watch and there were more highlights than alphabet soup.  For CBC, the Summer of 2011 will be remembered as the Summer of debates over who Drummond reminded more of...Amare Stoudamire or Dwight Howard?  The Summer that Kris Dunn convinced the basketball world that he has the most long term potential of any PG in the Class of 2012.  The Summer that Khalil Dukes broke out and proved that he is a high-major prospect.  The Summer that Ethan O'Day stamped his status as a mid-major prospect who continues to improve rapidly.  The summer that Timjah Parker-Rivera showed his versatility and proved he was a mid-major with high major potential.  And the Summer that Sean Obi showed he is a Grizzly who is just beginning his basketball development, and who has the distinction of being the first player we've seen who Kaleb Tarczewski couldn't move in the post.
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BABC Wins 15th AAU National Championship

Will be 1st-ballot HoopRootz Hall of Famer

The BABC Summer of 2011 Ends in Style

- In yesterday's title game in Orlando, the BABC Sophomores outlasted Team Takeover in a slug-fest by a score of 30-29 to win the 16u AAU National Championship for the second straight year.  For the Summer of 2011, that's 2 AAU National Championships, a Peach Jam/NikeEYBL Title, and a Silver Medal in the 15u & 17u Super Showcases for Leo Papile and his BABC Program.  Umm..that's kinda crazy, and what's crazier is that while Niang, Layman, and Bull will definitely be missed, BABC could be even better next year.  Hats off to Leo Papile and his Machine.  Stay tuned for BABC Summer Recap later tonight.
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West Coast Trip Ends for Playaz & Rivals

The New England Story's Over in Hollywood

 New England Playaz

- This morning, both the Rivals and the Playaz played 2nd Rd games in the Championship Bracket at the Double Pump Best of Summer Classic in Los Angeles.  The Playaz did not have their best day on the offensive end and dropped a tough one to a swarming and athletic Team Bradley squad by a score of 44-35.  Congragulations to the Playaz on a solid summer showing and stay tuned for recruiting updates on Kaleb Tarczewski, John Papale, Terry Brutus, Joe Bramanti, and the incoming Choate post-grad guard whose name I do not know but will find out.  Also check for news on the Playaz underclassmen: Jared Reuter, Makai Mason, John Powell, Adrian Oliveira, and Cane Broome.

Mass Rivals

- On the neighboring court, the Rivals took down quite a talented squad in D1 Sports out of Raleigh, North Carolina by a score of 74-61.  The Rivals were led by 25 points by Noah Vonleh and 14 points and six dimes from Dimitry Floras.  With the win, the Rivals moved on to the Sweet 16 where this afternoon they went up against a very good Minnesota Pump N' Run club in front of huge crowds on both baselines; on one end were the fans and on the other were college coaches such as Gerry Mac of Syracuse, Jerod Haase of UNC, Joe Dooley from Kansas, and coaches from BC, UCLA, USC, Georgetown, St Johns, Minnesota, WVU, Notre Dame, Texas, UMass, URI, Navy, UNH, Brown, Cal Poly, Marquette, Auburn, Nebraska, Drake, UC Irvine, Wichita St, Stanford, Pepperdine, Princeton, UCSB, Richmond, and Washington State.

The game itself was an absolute war, with MPR possessing a front-line that was quite impressive in going up against the 21.5 ft wing-span of the Rivals front-line.  MPR attacked the basket and the rim relentlessly, seeming to answer each and every dunk by Vonleh and Auguste with a harder dunk of their own.  The game itself was close throughout, with Noah Vonleh, Dimitry Floras, and Steve Haldyna keeping the Rivals in the game by making plays and scoring the ball.  In the end, it was MPR who made more plays down the stretch and the Rivals were eliminated from the tournament by a score of 55-50.  All in all, this summer could not have gone better for the Rivals.  They finish up in LA with a record of 5-1, and finish 8-2 on their West Coast Trip.. For July, they finished with a record of 14-4  with the four losses coming against top-flight teams in CBC, Terry Porter Elite, the Devin Harris Superstars, and Minnesota Pump N' Run.  They also won a Major Championship at the Basketbull HOFNI and most importantly, Vin Pastore got the Rivals players the opportunity to play in front of a ton of college coaches, and at the end of the day, that is what really counts in Live-July.  Stay tuned for recruiting updates on Zach Auguste, Cedric Kuakumensah, Steve Haladyna, Jamie Holder, and Mike Carbone and also come around to follow the 2014 Rivals combination of Dimitry Floras and Noah Vonleh.

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16u Nationals: BABC Moves on to Title Game

BABC going after AAU National Title #15

16u Nationals - Gold Bracket Update

- The Sweet 16 at the Sophomore Nationals took place on Thursday afternoon, and two New England squads were among the 16.  After proving themselves nationally with a 3-0 pool-play showing, followed by two impressive Gold Bracket wins, Expressions Elite fell in the 3rd Rd to a very good Ohio Varsity White team by about 10 points.  But with their collective 5-1 record at Nationals, the Expressions 16s made their point.  What's most impressive about this performace is that the squad is made up mostly of 2014 guys and a 2015 guy in the forms of Jared Terrell, Abdul Malik-Abu, Alec Brennan, Mikey Rodriguez, and Jeremy Miller.  This group will likely enter next Spring as one of the top 16u squads in the Northeast.

- In the other New England-flavored Sweet 16 game, BABC eliminated Team CBIZ out of Michigan 46-36 in a low scoring affair. Then, last night in the Elite 8, BABC took down the Garner Road Bulldogs by a score of 71-57 to move on to the Final 4, where today they played the same Ohio Varsity White team which eliminated Expressions.  Ohio Varsity played them tough in the 1st half, but BABC eventually imposed their will on the NC boys to run away with a 51-27 win.  BABC now advances on to the Title Game of the 16u National Championships and with a win, that would be three Major Chips for the BABC Program in the Summer of 2011.  A win would also give BABC back to back 16u National Titles and an 15th National Championship for the Program.  Wonder where that total stands overall.  Stayed tuned as BABC looks to end their Summer in style.

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Rivals Creating a Buzz on the West Coast

Rivals 5-0 in LA if you count Vonleh's NBA Jam win with the Lakers over the Clippers.

Rivals Move to 4-0 at Best of Summer Classic

- In their final pool-play game this morning, the Mass Rivals went up against 805 basketball out of the Santa Barbara area.  This one was all-Rivals from the opening-tip, as they opened the game on a 13-2 run and never looked back, winning the game by a score of 51-31.  It was a balanced attack for the Rivals in this one.  Ryan Hartung continued to have a hot hand and led the scoring with 14 while Zach Auguste added 13, and Holder added 10.  Dimitri Floras was very efficient and dropped six or seven dimes...he is really improving in terms of making his teammates better.  Noah Vonleh played an excellent floor game and scored when the opportunity was there.  And Cedric Kuakumensah threw down a vicious one hand dunk on the break and registered yet another double-double.  Mike Carbone also was solid in this one, knocking down several long range bombs and playing tough physical defense on the 805 shooters.  With the win, the Rival finished 3-0 in Super Pool A and earned a top seed in the Best of Summer Championship Bracket.

Best of Summer Championship Bracket 1st Rd

- In the 1st Rd of Bracket Play, the Rivals matched up against the Danny Granger Hurricanes, a team with two of the deadliest shooters we have seen this year on the circuit.  The duo was terrific in knocking down difficult long range shots against tough defense and their play was enough to keep the Hurricanes in the game for the opening 6 or 7 minutes.  But after that, it was all Rivals.  They simply overwhelmed Danny Granger's squad and ended up winning by a score of 61-42.

 

Noah Vonleh was sensational in the 1st half, going for 19 points (22 for game) on 3 trey balls, two dunks, and several moves in which he went up outside of the key, keeping his shoulders square to the baseline so that his body was between the ball and the defender, and then absorbing contact and hanging in the air before banking it home softly off the window.  Vonleh also made a play that sent the gym into an absolute frenzy.  He had the ball in a 1-4 set on the left side of the floor just inside halfcourt.  After making a move and beating his defender hard right, Vonleh took two steps and took off a step inside the foul line.  As Vonleh elevated, a brave Hurricane defender stepped in and challenged Vonleh right inside the dotted semi-circle in the paint.  Vonleh went over the top, rising high above the defender to throw down what would have been a crazy dunk had he not spiked it off the back rim.  On another play, Vonleh rotated from the weak side to challenge what would have been an easy little bank shot from the block for a an attacking Hurricane guard.  Sensing the shot-blocker closing in, the crafty Hurrican guard attepmted a to put a high floater up and over Vonleh and softly off the glass.  Vonleh went up and got it right as the ball was about to hit above the square on the backboard.  The Danny Granger coach pleaded for a goaltend, but they credited Vonleh with the block and play went on.  In addition to Vonleh, Zach Auguste also had a field day against what quite honestly was an inferior front line.  Auguste finished around the rim, crashed the offensive glass with authority, and attacked from the perimeter, torching the Hurricane defense for 17 points on six dunks.  Also for the Rivals, Jamie Holder had his best game of July.  After a career at NH's Milford HS in which he was unstoppable, Holder is still learning how to tailor his talent and ability to a high-level of basketball and in this ball game, he did his best job to date of keeping his game simple and allowing scoring opportunities to materialize rather than trying to force opportunities.  He is starting to learn to use his ability to take care of the ball and create opportunities for his talented teammates, rather than try to force his talent down the throat of the defense every time he touches the pill.  Although he is an older player, and an older guard at that, who will be doing a post-grad year at Notre Dame, Holder has a lot of room for improvement and will become an intriguing prospect if he can play like he did today more consistently.  Lastly for the Rivals, Steve Haladyna was again solid from the wing, knocking down open shots, slashing to the basket in transition, and getting easy buckets cleaning up on the offensive glass.

College Coaches in  Attendance:  Brown Coach Jesse Agel was present again for Big Cedrick along with Adam Ginsberg from UMass, and assistants from URI, Holy Cross, UVM, Yale, James Madison, Penn, and Iona (some of whom who here also for Steve Haldyna)  Syracuse Asst Gerry Mac, Joe Dooley from Kansas, and two assistants from UCLA were there for Noah Vonleh.  In the bleachers for Zach Auguste were Auburn, Providence, Boston College, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Marquette.  Also present were Weber St., UC Davis, New Mexico St. and more.
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NE Playaz Gettin the Job Done out in California

Playaz Go-to-Guy

 Pool Play - Game #3

- After winning their first two pool play games on Wednesday, the NE Playaz this morning played their third and final pool play game against Iowa Pump N' Run.  The 1st half was not a pleasant one for the Playaz as they struggled to score the ball and watched Iowa throw in a barrage of three-point bombs from all over the floor.  At the half, the Playaz trailed Iowa by a score of 31-14 and there were no smiling faces on the Playaz sideline.  Coach John Carroll was so perturbed that he sat down all five of his starters to start the 2nd half.  The ploy worked to perfection as the Playaz opened the half playing with desperation,  and never looked back.  They employed a full-court diamond-and-one press which absolutely terrorized Iowa, forcing them into turnover after turnover and converting most of them into quick scores.  When Iowa did manage to beat the press, Tarczewski was waiting for them at the other end to squash any notions of getting an easy bucket after breaking pressure.

Throughout the 2nd half, the Playaz chipped away at the 17 point halftime deficit, finally erasing the Iowa lead and going ahead with about 5 minutes on the clock before winning the game going away by a final of 57-48, outscoring Iowa 43-17 in the 2nd half.  After a scoreless first half, John Papale exploded for 19 in the 2nd on 3 treys, 3 fgs, and 4 fts.  Also coming up big for the Playaz in the second half were Joe Bramanti, who was all over the place on the press, and Terry Brutus, whose relentless attack wore on the Iowa front-line.  With the win, the Playaz finish pool play at 3-0, winning Super Pool M and gaining a top seed in the Championship Bracket.

Best of Summer Classic - Gold Bracket 1st Rd

- In the 1st Rd of Bracket Play, the New England Playaz went up a hard-charging Rise Team out of Philly, a physical ball-club who will challenge you on every inch of the court.  The game was a dogfight all the way, with neither team ever leading by more than 4 or 5 points.  The 1st half was a defensive half for sure, as the teams headed into the break with the Playaz up 25-23.  The 2nd half was a mirror image of the 1st, except it was Rise who outscored the Playaz 25-23.  You don't have to be Buck Showalter to figure out that the game went into OT tied at 48, and in OT, it was all Playaz, as John Papale knocked down a few jumpers and a few free throws and the Playaz held Rise OT scoreless to end up winning the game by about 10.  Papale scored 20+ and again was the go to guy for the Playaz.  In the paint, Kaleb Tarczewski was a mountain and registered a hard-fought double-double playing against a rugged Rise front-line.  Jared Reuter also did a nice job of banging inside and scoring the basketball through contact.  Also, Makai Mason, limited playing time, showed flashes of his talent and potential with several big time basketball plays.  He's going to be very good. 

With the win, the Playaz move on to the 2nd Round tomorrow morning, where they will play to advance to the Sweet 16. 

College Coaches:  Present for Kaleb Tarczewski were Arizona boss Sean Miller (with an assistant) and Joe Dooley, assistant for Kansas.  Marquette was there for Terry Brutus as was Adam Ginsberg of UMass for John Papale.  Other school in attendance were BU, Toledo, URI, Princeton, San Francisco, Cincinatti, George Mason, Providence,Temple, Houston, Santa Clara, Dartmouth, and more.
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Basketbull Frosh Take Down HOF Summer Open

Breakout 2011 for Basketbull Frosh

Basketbull Frosh Defend Home-Turf

- After a Spring Season in which Greg Lyons put himself on the coaching map and his squad on the grassroots basketball map, the Basketbull 15u squad went into this summer looking to cement their position as a New England ball-club to watch in the next couple of years.  Simply stated, they accomplished their mission.  During the 1st phase of Live-July, Basketbull had a strong showing at the Basketbull HOFNI, and in Live-July Phase II, while most New England teams traveled to Florida or the West Coast, the Basketbull Frosh, for logistical reasons, remained at home in Springfeild to defend New England's hoop turf at the Basketbull HOFSO.

Greg Lyons told his team going into the tournament that taking down the championship was their only option if they wanted to continue on the path to proving they are a legitiamte elite team.  The Basketbull Frosh had no problem with that order, as they noisily moved their way through the tournament to get themselves into the Championship game and a chance at the Title.  In the Finals, Basketbull squared off against another New England Team in the Greater Boston Lions.

Basketbull came up big in the Chip Game and defeated GBL in business-like fashion.  David Murrell had an absolutely monsterous game for Basketbull, putting in 15 points and grabbing 22 boards.  Dizel Wright was also oustanding, making a mess of the stat sheet with 13 points, 6 rebouns, 6 assists, and 6 steals.  Also making noise in this one for Basketbull were Nelson Zayaz with 11 points and 4 assists, Justin Crosby with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals, and Amari Brown who had 8 points and 2 dimes.

With their 2011 season now complete, the 2014 Basketbull ball-club will look ahead to next when they will be one of New England's top 16u teams heading into the 2012 season.  And next summer, there is no doubt that Greg Lyons will be taking his team on the road to take the next step in their journey and prove themselves Nationally.

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16u AAU Nationals - Gold Bracket Update

CORRECTION

-  Last night on HoopRootz, it was erroneously reported that four New England teams advanced on to the Gold Bracket at the 16u Nationals down at Disney.  The accurate number of New England teams was six however, because we failed to realize that the CBC 16s also won their pool and advanced on to the Gold Bracket, as did Maine MAC, who qualified for the Championship Bracket as a Wild Card.

16u Nationals Championship Bracket - 1st Rd Results

(1st Rd took place yesterday afternoon and evening)

- BABC cruised on to the 2nd Rd by topping the YBAM Heat 69-39.

- Expressions took down the Florida Tarheels by 8, 52-44.

- CBC defeated TMP 66-49.

- The RI Hawks fell to Nike Team Florida 50-37

- CT Select was tripped up by Team Takeove, 60-54.

- Maine Mac lost in a Preliminary Rd game to the Florida Tarheels. 

16u Nationals Gold Bracket - 2nd Rd Results

- BABC defeated the CP3 All-Stars by 13, 61-48, to advance on to the Sweet 16, where they will face TEAM CBIZ.

- Expressions also won by 13, eliminating Team Orlando by a score of 60-47.  They will face Ohio Varsity White in the Sweet 16.

- CBC was eliminated in a tight one with Team Nashville, falling by a score of 65-61.

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Ketchup Notebook: The Last Leg of Live-July

17u Showcase Final Wrap-Up

- If there was ever a prototype for a team who matched up well with BABC, the Houston Defenders might be it.  They have a back-court in the Harrison twins that is not only highly talented, but also seemingly unflappable and highly cohesive.  This is exactly what the recipe for handling BABC's pressure defense calls for.  In addition to the Harrison-brother back-court, the Defenders also have a frontcourt of Shaq Cleare and Derek Griffin that can compete down-low with Niang and Noel.  So if you buy this Houston Defender prototype theory, and then you add in the fact that the Defenders had a good day and BABC didn't play their best, it isn't the craziest happening in the world that the Defenders were able to win this single game on a single day.  Congratulations to them and also to the BABC Jrs for a Summer to Remember..

- After a Sweet 16 victory over Maine MAC on Monday, the Middlesex Magic yesterday defeated Dayton Metro in the 17u Showcase Bronze Bracket Elite 8 with Mike Thorpe, Peter Miller, Joey Glynn, and Connor Mahoney all putting up double figures.  With the victory, the Magic moved on to the Final 4, where they were defeated 47-4.

- In the 17u Showcase Iron Bracket, the RI Hawks 2012 made quite a run, advancing all the way to the Championship Game before falling to Team Southern Indiana.
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Double Pump Best of Summer Classic - Cali

Playaz & Rivals Get Started in LA

- Rivals Game #1: Today out in Los Angeles, the Double Pump Best of Summer Classic got underway at the American Sports Center.  This morning, the Mass Rivals got going in Super Pool A against a Reach Legends squad out of Detroit who always brings talent and heart to the table.  The game was close throughout, but in the final 8 minutes, the Rivals were able to carve out a lead and then hold off a furious Reach rally late to hold on for 57-56 win.  Dimitry Floras, Jamie Holder, and Steve Haladyna led the charge offensively as the Rivals front-line did not bring their A-game this morning, although each Vonleh and Auguste made several plays high above the rim which drew a chorus of oohhs and ahhs from the crowd.  There were plenty of coaches sitting in the bleachers for this one.  Among the head coaches in attendance were West Virginia’s Bob Huggins, Minnesota’s Tubby Smith, Auburn’s Tony Barbee, and Brown’s Jesse Agel.  Among the schools represented by assistant coaches were UCLA, Virginia Tech, Iowa St, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Michigan, Baylor, UC Davis, Texas State, Penn, Colgate, Dartmouth, Hartford, BU Lafayette, Cleveland St, Toledo, Detroit Mercy.  Unlike the isolated gym set-up in Vegas, the wide-open 16 court complex in LA made it difficult to identify coaches, specifically because fan seating and coach's seating were on bleachers on opposite baselines.

- Rivals Game #2:  In their second game, the Rivals squared off against the Dallas Heroes, who are coincidentally are from Dallas.  The first half of this game was a back and forth affair, with neither team seeming to possess the will to get defensive stops with any sort of consistency.  The Rivals were sloppy with the basketball but six Rivals 3's (4 from Ryan Hartung and one each from Mike Carbone and Sam Dowden) kept them in the game and allowed for the Rivals to go into the break tied up at 33.  After getting a heavy scolding from Coach Vin Pastore at halftime, the Rivals came out in the 2nd half and dominated, going on an 18-2 run to start the session and rolling to a 62-45 victory.  For the Rivals, the frontline of Kuaku, Vonleh, and Auguste was monstrous in the 2nd half, blocking or changing shots on seemingly every field goal attempt by the Heroes and getting 8 or 9 dunks between them. 

Zach Auguste put together his best half of the summer in the 2nd half of this one.  He went after shot blocking opportunities, rebounded the ball hard, and ran his tail off on the break and finished high above the rim on multiple occasions.  Vonleh again assumed a high percentage of the ball handling responsibility for the Rivals in this one, and throughout the game, he displayed his yo-yo handle and took good care of the rock.  He also did a nice job of changing up on his dribble penetration, at times kicking it out for a three and at times attacking the basket, where he finished with an array of bank-shots, lay-ins and dunk flushes.  In terms of Big Cedric, for the game he had 10 points on 3 dunks and two lay-ins.  He also grabbed 15 big boards, many of which started the break, and blocked or altered a ton of shots over the course of the game.

The college coaches in the bleachers for this one included a handful who took in both Rivals games today.  These coaches included Auburn Head Man Tony Barbee, Brown Boss Jesse Agel, Umass Asst Adam Ginsberg and assistants from UCLA, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Baylor and Penn.  Other coaches taking in the game were assistants from Kansas, Vanderbilt, Towson, and Penn.  There were a dime or so more who we couldn't ID. 

- NE Playaz Game #1: In their first ballgame out in Disney Land, the Playaz went up against the Eastern Washington Hoopsters, a team comprised of players from both the state of Washington and also Idaho.  From the opening tip, the Hoopsters gave the Playaz all they could handle, playing with physicality, crashing the offensive boards, and knocking down timely threes.  The Playaz were led in the first half by the play of big guys Kaleb Tarczewski and John Powell, who took on wave after wave of Hoopster Paint Invaders to help the Playaz maintain a small lead throughout the majority of the first half and going into halftime. The 2nd half of the game was similar in that it was a tight contest; however, the quality of play on both ends in the 2nd half was a treat for the fans as both teams did a very nice job of moving the basketball around.  When both teams were clicking in the 2nd half, we saw a consistent flow of app-laudable basketball plays.  For the Playaz, Joe Bramanti once again was very impressive.  He has really learned to simplify his game and has done a great job this summer of making simple, efficient, High IQ plays that help high-level basketball teams win games.  Curious about where Bramanti's recruitment stands at this point.  Also having a big 2nd half for the Playaz was SG John Papale, who was a recipient of several nice passes from Bramanti which resulted in trey balls, including a trey at the buzzer off a fade screen which broke a tie and gave the Playaz an all important W.  A sniper is dangerous weapon for any team to possess, and with his high IQ and his "no mistakes" style of play, Papale is a sniper who could practice his craft in any D1 Conference.  Another Playa who seems to really be getting better is stretch-4-man John Powell.  He is long and athletic, and when he has his motor going good like he did today, he makes things happen at both ends of the floor.  And of course Mount Tarczewski was his typical game-changing self, dominating the defensive glass and wearing out the Hoopster's front-court all by himself.  He also had several nice moves on the block in which he displayed his nimble feet, soft hands, and athleticism, finishing more than a few plays in thunderous fashion.  Whoever gets Tarczewski out of Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina will be very fortunate.

Coaches in attendance:  Of the 3 schools who are finalists for the services of Kaleb Tarczewski, two had representatives who were noticeably visible in the Coaches section.  Representing Arizona was head man Sean Miller, who with Grant Jerrett and Gabe York already on board, likely won't miss a Playaz game for the rest of the week.  Kansas was represented by Asst Coach Joe Dooley.  Unrepresented was North Carolina.  The two schools there for Traczewski were hardly alone.  Also present was Bobby Huggins from West Virginia, Adam Ginsberg from UMass was there for John Papale, and also identified were coaches from Michigan, BU, Idaho, Loyola Marymount, Dartmouth, Long Beach State, George Washington.  There were also about a dozen of other coaches there who we could never get a 100% ID on.  

- NE Playaz Game #2: As we speak, the Playaz are currently playing their second pool play game against Minnesota Pump N' Run.  We'll let you know how it goes.
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Four NE teams in Gold Bracket at 16u Nationals

16u AAU Nationals

New England Teams Advance on to Gold Bracket

- As was mentioned in a story earlier today, the RI Hawks won their pool at the 16u AAU Nationals and advanced to the Championship Bracket.  They are far from alone however, in terms of New England teams.  Let’s see what other New England teams will be joining the Hawks in the Chase for the Gold.

- Expressions: The Expressions 16s appear to clicking at the right time as they dominated their pool with three double-digit victories, defeating Atlanta Select 59-37, the Florida Heat 80-49, and Bulls Elite by a 55-45 score.  By going undefeated and winning their pool, Jared Terrell and the X-Squad advance to the Championship Bracket.

BABC – The BABC Sophomores cruised through Pool O.  They smacked the Douglass Brothers Prep Stars out of Georgia by a score of 89-35 in their 1^st game.  In Game 2, BABC clobbered Team Daniels out of Florida by a score of 53-28.  In Game 3, they crunched the NC Force 74-27 to advance to the Championship Bracket, where in the 1^st Rd this morning, BABC upended Maryland’s YBAM Heat by a score of 69-38 to advance to the 2^nd Rd.

CT Select – The 4^th New England team to advance to the Championship Bracket was CT Select, who went 3-0 in Pool II to make it in.  In winning three straight, CT Slect defeated the Louisiana Dominators, the New Jersey Blaze, and the Alabama Bravehearts.

Stayed tuned as we track each team's progress in Gold Bracket Play.

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BABC Advances to 17u Showcase Championship

17u Showcase – Gold Bracket

After defeating the Georgia Stars in the Elite 8, most expected to see a Final Four game between BABC and Memphis YOMCA in what would be a re-match of the Peach Jam Championship Game, a chance at revenge for YOMCA.  But they never made it, getting upset by Hoop Heaven Elite and their star PG Jaren Sina, a 2013 stud who is committed to Alabama.  Along with Lone Peak out of Utah, HHE plays the most efficient brand of ball we have seen in 2011.  This afternoon in the semis, Hoop Heaven Elite gave BABC all it could handle before BABC finally pulled away at the end to win by 14.  There is no doubt that HHE won the respect from the Buzz Club, who now moves on to play the Houston Defenders in the Championship Game later today.  The Defenders are led by the backcourt of twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, and down low will be a nice match-up between Nerlens Noel and Shaq Cleare.  Tune in to ESPN3 at 7pm to take this game in. 

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RI Hawks 16s Making Noise Down in Orlando

RI Hawks 16s are 13-3 in Live-July & 42-8 in 2011

RI Hawks Making Statement in Florida

- After an outstanding Spring Season  in which they  won Championships at tournaments such as the Gym Ratz Challenge in Albany, the Middlesex Magic First-Shot, and the Hoop Mountain Invitational,the RI Hawks 16s came into the summer looking to bring their success to the National Level.  They took care of business during the first portion of the Live-Period with a strong showing at the Basketbull HOFNI before heading down to Orlando last week to compete in the 16u AAU Super Showcase and also the 16u AAU Nationals.  Let's take a game by game look at how they have fared down at Disney thus far.

16u AAU Super Showcase - Pool Play Game One

- In their first game down in Orlando, the Hawks faced the Old Gold Dream Team out of Chicago, who gave the Rhode Island boys a good battle n the first-half as the game went to the break knotted at 24.  The 3rd Quarter was a different story as the Hawks outscored Old-Gold by a score of 18-3 behind 8 points and 2 treys from Charles Correa, ending the period with a 43-27 lead.  Old-Gold came back to battle the Hawk's in the 4th, but the damage had been done and the game ended with a 50-40 Hawk's victory.  Correa, who hails from Pawtucket and attends St. Raphael's Academy, finished the game with 10 points while Worcester Academy's Tom Rivard led the scoring for the Hawks with 12.

16u AAU Super Showcase - Pool Play Game Two

- Ben Engvall of Barrington High School led a balanced scoring attack with 13 as the Hawks defeated the Jacksonville Netes by a score of 70-56.

16u AAU Super Showcase - Pool Play Game Three

- In the third pool play game,.the Hawks faced off against a very tough Carolina Ravens team and lost by a score of 64-53.  Charles Correa weighed in for 16 points in the defeat.

2-1 record puts Hawks in Silver Bracket

16u AAU Super Showcase - Silver Bracket 1st Rd

- After dropping a tough game to one Ravens team in the final game of pool play, the RI Hawks faced yet another Ravens squad in the 1st Round of Silver Bracket, this one from Columbia, Maryland.  Apparently, there was no relation between the Ravens from Carolina and Maryland, because the Hawks absolutely steam-rolled the Maryland outfit by a score of 88-52.  They were led by a balanced scoring attack which placed five players in double figures. Colin Pascoe from Suffield Academy led the charge with 20.  Ben Engvall put up 16.  Charles Correa dropped 14.  Henry Bolton of Portsmouth and St. Andrews chipped in with 13, and Max Motroni of West Warwick and Milton Academy had a dozen. 

16u AAU Super Showcase - Silver Bracket 2nd Rd

- Heading into Rd 2, the RI Hawks were expecting to face Team Melo and Mr Youtube himself...2013 PG Aquille Carr.  But the matchup never materialized as another Baltimore squad took out Team Melo in a 1st Rd upset.  The Baltimore Wildcats are a ballclub well-known to Jay Elliot and his Hawks as the Wildcats defeated the Hawks by 7 last year at Rumble in the Bronx.  It was expected that this one would be a grueling duel, but the Hawks weren't in the mood apparently.  From the tip, the Wildcats had a heck of time trying to score the ball against a stifling Hawk's defense and the Hawks attacked the vaunted Wildcat's full-court press to get easy buckets throughout the 1st half and take a 28-14 into the break.  In the 2nd half, the Hawks again outplayed the Wildcats to take home a 59-41 victory.  For the Hawks, Harrison Taggart from St. Pauls led the scoring with 15, while Charles Correa had 13 and Thomas Rivard put in 10.

16u AAU Super Showcase - Silver Bracket Quarters

- In the quarterfinals, the RI Hawks went up against a tough ball-club in Shining Star out of Cincinatti, who led the Hawks most of the game, but a furious run by the Hawks in the final few minutes tied the game at 67 and it looked as if they might have Shining Star on the ropes.  But Demarion Geter came to the rescue for the WKRP boys and knocked down a jump-shot with 3.8 seconds left to give his club a 69-67 win.  Charles Correa was terrific in this one, drilling 5 trey balls and registering 22 points.  Also in double-figures for the Hawks were Henry Bolton with 14, Colin Pascoe with 11, and Max Motroni with 10.  For the Hawks, the defeat marked the end of a strong 4-2 performance at the 16u Showcase, quite an impressive showing on a national level for Jay Elliot's ever-blossoming program. 

16u AAU Nationals

- Following the Showcase, the RI Hawks 2013 remained in Orlando looking to stay hot as the 16u AAU Nationals got underway, and stay hot they have, rolling to a 3-0 record in Pool V to advance to the Championship Bracket.  In their first game, the Hawks took down the Missouri Running Rebels in a low scoring affair, 37-30.  In Game 2, the Hawks got by the South Bay City Ballers out of Florida by a score of 47-42.  Game 3 wasn't as close, as the Hawks steamrolled Alabama Select 69-33 win win Pool V and advance on for a opportunity to make a Championship Bracket Run.  

- The RI Hawks will get going in Bracket-Play at 6:40 this evening  and will match-up in the 1st Rd against a very talented squad in Nike Team Florida.  Stay tuned for results and good luck to the Hawks.

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Middlesex Magic on to Elite 8 in Orlando

The Puppet Master Mike Crotty

Magic Move on in Orlando

- There was a heavy scent of NE 10 & Patriot League coaches in the gym for this one as the Middlesex Magic and Maine Mac went at in a Bronze Bracket Sweet 16 game down in Orlando.  The match-up between these two New England squads was as tight as expected, but in the end, the Middlesex Magic were able to claw out a 68-67 win to advance to the Elite 8 later today where they will take on Dayton Metro.


Once again, Connor Mahoney led the charge for the Magic, chalking up 17 points and 10 rebounds.  Joey Glynn also went to work again with 15 points and 14 boards.  In addition, Anthony Barry dropped in 17 and Aaron Davis was impressive once again at point.


To be dead honest, Connor Mahoney is really putting his name on the map of a lot of college coaches.  After breakout performances in back to back games, schools from the NE-10 and the Patriot League are expressing serious interest in the former BC High and current Brooks combo-forward.  Mahoney is not alone however.  Mike Crotty has also been fielding similar calls regarding Barry, Davis, and Glynn, and coaches from other conferences have also been hitting Crotty up regarding other Magic players.  More details to come.  Stay tuned as the Magic zero in on the Bronze Bracket Title.
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Basketball Bruins Offer Boat to Noah Vonleh

Pac-10 Offer #1 for Vonleh

Noah Vonleh Gets Offer from UCLA Bruins

- Earlier this summer at Lebron James Camp, Noah Vonleh, the youngest camper, roomed in Akron with Oakland Soldiers PG Dominic Artis.  Yesterday, Artis committed to UCLA.  Well today, Ben Howland spoke to Vonleh by phone and offered Vonleh a boat at UCLA.  Stay tuned.

Photo Credit - Rivals.com

Desert Heat: On the Road with the Rivals

The above was a common sight in Vegas.


Diamonds in the Ruff

- A small gym packed with college coaches watching coveted prospect(s): an atmosphere which is as intoxicating to the basketball junkie as a 4-Loko is to a rookie.  In following the Mass Rivals at their four games out in Sin City, this is exactly the atmosphere that this full-blooded Basketball-Addict experienced.  Here’s how this story played out and keep in mind, when discussing what coaches were in attendance, these were only the coaches who we could identify.

Part I - Pool Play

Let’s start with Zach Auguste who holds about a dozen high-major offers.  He is 6’10 and highly athletic with a huge upside.  Those guys tend to attract some attention during July and therefore, swarms of coaches were on hand from day one to check him out.  Auburn is showing Zach the most love as Tony Barbee and two of his assistants were at all three games.  Seth Greenberg from Virginia Tech was at all three games.  Florida had assistants had at three games.  Buzz Williams of Marquette was at two of three with an assistant the other.  Minnesota had a coach at all three games with Tubby Smith coming to watch Game 3.  Clemson had the same assistant at all three games and their head coach was there last night.  Jeff Bordzlic from Wake Forest was there this morning along with Mike Jarvis and his son for Florida Atlantic.  In addition, assistants from Iowa, Alabama, West Virginia, and Georgia Tech all checked in at some point during pool play.


Next we’ll discuss the Cedric Kuakmensah situation.  Brown is definitely showing Big Ced the most love.  Assistant Coach TJ Sorrentine was front and center at each game and was joined by another assistant for Game 1 and the head coach for Game 3.   Penn was also there for multiple games with multiple coaches as were coaches from UVM.  In addition, Phil Martelli of St Joes came to Games 1 and 3 while BU Head Coach Joe Jones was there for Game 3 with one of his assistants.  Also checking in at one some point were Harvard, Robert Morris, St. Bonaventure, Lehigh and Holy Cross.  One Rivals player who may have really benefited from these coaches being in the gym was Steve Haladyna of St. John’s Prep.  He put on a show in Game 2 in leading the Rivals to a comeback win over Prodigy Elite.  The whispers are starting to circulate about Haladyna’s potential as an Ivy League player.


So now close your eyes and imagine a small gym with two rows of bleachers on one length of the gym and a row of chairs behind each baseline.  Now throw the fore-mentioned coaches into the gym.  Now throw in an equal amount of fans and you have a jammed-packed theater. 


The scene is now set for the youngster called Noah Vonleh, who has played the best basketball of his life over the past few days, putting on an eyebrow-raising display in front of a nice little chunk of the College Basketball Magi, who collectively wanted to see a birth certificate when they realized Vonleh was still 15 years of age.  Vonleh is really starting to put it all together.  One of his weaknesses heading into the summer was his tendency to expose the ball to the defense when using the dribble to attack.  But Noah has made an adjustment in his offensive game and is now really using his body to protect his dribble and get to the basket.  The result is that Vonleh has not turned the ball over much and is getting to the rim much more consistently because he does not have to “completely” beat his defender, he just needs he get the defender on his hip and then use his size, strength, length, and athleticism to get to the rim with authority.  He had a dozen or so dunks over the three games, half of them seemed to be over a defender or two, and every one them put a jolt into the Richter Scale.  On Saturday morning, Vonleh really put on a show in the 1^st half, with 17 points on five dunks, a trey, and two coast to coast layups (on bust-outs), 11 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots and a couple of steals.  


During pool play, Syracuse and North Carolina definitely showed Noah the most love, with both schools attending all three games.  For Syracuse, Mike Hopkins was at all three games and he was joined by Gerry Macnamara for the second game and the third.  For North Carolina, assistant coach Steve Robinson was at the first game, Roy Williams the second, and assistant coach CB McGrath the third.  With Jerod Haase having watched him in Springfield at the Basketbull HOFNI, Roy Williams plus all three of his assistants have all now seen Vonleh this July.  After the buzz he created the last couple of days, it will be interested to see his following during bracket play and for the rest of Live-July.

Part II - Bracket Play

After winning their pool, the Rivals advanced to the Championship Bracket and squared off in the first round against DTA Devin Harris Superstars out of Wisconsin, a top-notch club who went 3-0 in winning Super Pool H.  The game was played in a small gym…the practice gym at Desert Pines HS.  And it was absolutely packed with college coaches.  Lon Kruger was there from Oklahoma.  Dave Rice from UNLV.  Bill Self from Kansas.  Tim Floyd from UTEP. Jeff Bzdelic from Wake Forest.  Steve Donahue from BC.  Ed Cooley from Providence.  Steve Robinson from North Carolina.  Steve Wojo from Duke.  Joe Jones from Boston University.  Also present were assistants from Indiana, Auburn, Oregon, Providence, UNLV, Oklahoma, Georgetown, Memphis, Missouri, Virginia Tech, San Diego State, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Washington St., Alabama, Clemson,  Hartford, UVM, Brown, Elon, Davidson, Holy Cross, Penn, Monmouth, and more.  I’d say I identified about 3/5 or 4/7 of them.


As for the game it was a thriller…a see-saw battle which saw the Rivals take an early lead before giving up a huge DTA run in the final minutes of the 1^st half to go into the break down 11.  But the Rivals stormed back in the second half to take a lead with about 7 minutes left on the clock.  They held a small lead for the rest of the game until a DTA guard tied it on a driving layup as time expired.  The Rivals grabbed a lead in the first OT only to have a different DTA guard tie it again at the horn.  The second OT was a mirror image of the first, with the Rivals taking a lead only to see the same DTA guard hit a tough runner as the buzzer sounded, taking us to a 3^rd OT.  The 3^rd extra session was only 1:00, and DTA won the tip and despite ball pressure, was able to move it around and hold for one, drawing a foul with 2 seconds on the clock.  The DTA guard who tied the game at the end of regulation knocked down two free throws and the Rivals desperation attempt with 2 seconds was unsuccessful.  Unlike in scholastic basketball, there really is such a thing as a good loss in AAU, especially in Live-July.  The Rivals by far played their best ball of the tournament in the second half of today’s game, a performance which was a great note to go out on in front of the audience of coaches in attendance.


Cedric Kuakumensah bounced back from a sub-par performance yesterday to play very effectively today, doing what he does best.  With his wide-body frame and his long arms, he always commands space in the paint and he uses his athleticism to rebound the ball, block shots, and finish at the rim.


With the Rivals guards facing a very tough DTA backcourt, Noah Vonleh took over at the point for long stretches during this one, bringing up the bill against heavy pressure and showing the ability to attack with the dribble and then kick-out to a shooter.  When DTA switched a guard over to cover him, Vonleh fed the ball to the wing and brought his man down to the block.  Once posted, Vonleh continuously attacked the paint and got good looks consistently, although he did struggle to finish in this one as a bunch of balls popped out on him.  In the aftermath of the game, Vonleh received an offer from UCLA


Zach Auguste flat out brought his A-game in this one and showed why such a horde of college coaches have been on his trail in Vegas.  Going up against and ESPN Top 100 guy whose name escapes me, Auguste flat-out dominated the match-up.  His length on defense gave the DTA kid all sorts of fits on the offensive end as he struggled to get off good shots if he got them up at all.  Auguste must have his oil changed yesterday morning, because his motor was running full-throttle yesterday.  He rebounded the ball at a much higher level than he usually does and on several occasions grabbed a rebound high above the rim before busting out and leading the break. He also scored in a variety of ways.  He scored on a few jump-hooks in the lane, made a few nice spins moves where he finished softly with his left, and he banged three or four highlight reel dunks in which he caught the ball on the wing, put it on the deck once or twice, and caped up for a big two-hand jam, dunking with such force that he really did need to hold on the rim for a second or two after his dunks as a safety precaution.  Following the game, Auguste received another offer from Missouri and today Bill Self checked in to express interest.  One thing is for sure.  When an "unranked" player makes headlines on the big-dog recruiting sites during Live-July, they are usually not unranked for very much longer, and if you do some web-surfing, you will se that Auguste did just that with his performance against DTA.   Look for Auguste to bust into a bunch of different Top 100s when the post-Live-July Rankings surface.   

Two Rivals players who really benefited from having highly-followed teammates were 2012 wing Steve Haladyna and 2014 PG Dimitri Floras.  Haladyna has definitely sparked some Ivy-League interest after a breakout pool-play effort followed by another strong performance against a squad of elite athletes in DTA Devin Harris.  Floras was not as consistent as Haladyna during bracket play, but he saved his best for last as he went on an absolute tear in the 2nd half against DTA, scoring in bunches on a combination of pull-up threes, little pull-ups in the lane, and twisting drives to the hoop.  During his tear, Floras had coaches all over the gym scrambling through their packets for his info.  Then following the game, several  schools, including Missouri, placed inquiring calls to Rivals Coach Vin Pastore.


On to Californ-I-A tomorrow for the Rivals.  We'll see how the story plays out from here.  Stay tuned. 

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