Massachusetts 16-Under and 17-Under AAU Recap
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Over the past two weekends, the Amateur Athletic Union in Massachusetts called the Mansfield SportsPlex home. There, many divisions of its state tournament were held, including the 16-under and 17-under in the high school age categories.
Pool play was held the first weekend, featuring a few good games but a decided lack of competitive ones. As is often the case, it was mainly a warm-up to this weekend, when bracket play commenced on Friday night with three overtime games and continued through Sunday night.
The 16-under championship game came right down to the wire, which at one point did not seem likely. Trailing 53-52, M.A.D. Basketball scored 10 unanswered points to take over the game, and held a steady lead until the final couple of minutes. With less than a minute to go, CMAC tied the game at 73, setting up the dramatic final seconds.
CMAC had the ball and took a long jumper that missed with a few seconds left. The rebound made its way to Rodney Beldo (5’11” So. PG, Scituate (MA) High), who raced up the floor and made a layup just before the buzzer sounded to give M.A.D. (My Athletic Desire) a 75-73 win. Beldo finished with 19 points, while teammate Emmanuel Hutcherson (6’4″ So. SF, Milton (MA) High) led the winners with a game-high 21 points and Prentis Douglas (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Braintree (MA) High) added 18.
The 17-under championship game was a much-anticipated matchup between the New England Playaz and BABC, a matchup with a lot written all over it. Details on this game, which BABC won by a score of 70-64, can be found at the New England Recruiting Report. The third place game, which was to be between Metro Boston and BABC South, was not played. All four teams have bids to the AAU National Championship in Orlando in July.
Here are some notes on many of the players who competed here.
Class of 2009
Mike Accaoui (5’9″ PG-SG, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s School) In his team’s opener, this undersized shooter scorched the nets for 25 points with seven three-pointers. He didn’t match that effort later, but made shots and also made a few good plays off the dribble.
Ike Azutam (6’7″ SF-PF, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) In his team’s semifinal loss, he had his coming-out party, as there was a stretch in the game where he got the ball just about every time down the floor and each time it resulted in a basket. A plus athlete, he projects as a power forward but clearly has the athleticism to play small forward and shows enough ball skills now to indicate he could eventually play there as well. He scored a number of driving field goals and had one play where he stole the ball and took it three-quarters of the court for a layup. Most of his offense comes close to the basket, as he generally doesn’t take jump shots. Mid-major prospect.
Billy Baron (6’0″ PG, Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken HS) He finished a good showing with 26 points in a losing effort, and in the two later games his scoring output increased each time out. He finished the break well and was good leading it at times, and shot the ball well from long range (three three-pointers in one game) and with a few pull-up jumpers.
Kevin Barr (6’6″ PF, Ashburnham (MA) Cushing Academy) Thick post player is a role player on his team, using his big body inside. He runs the floor well for his size and is mobile inside, and he went for 14 points in one win. Also a good football player, he’s a low-major prospect on the hardwood.
Mike Campbell (6’2″ SG, Brockton (MA) Southeastern HS) Well-built wing is athletic and showed some ability for playing both guard spots. He showed some range on his jumper out to the three-point line and also hit from the foul line off the dribble, going for 25 points in an early playoff victory.
Darryl Cato-Bishop (6’3″ SG-SF, Dorchester (MA) Lawrence Academy) Simply put, this solidly-built wing does things that help a team win games. In this tournament, he shot the ball well from long range and was better offensively than usual, as he’s capable of scoring but does many more things to help his team. He went for 18 in one game with four three-pointers, 20 in another, then 25 in a quarterfinal win, scoring on a variety of drives where he found gaps in the defense and some crafty finishes. In the title game, no one was better as he made early three-pointers, knifed to the basket on one drive and made a number of key plays at both ends. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect is also an excellent football player.
Mike Clifford (6’7″ PF, Peabody (MA) Bishop Fenwick HS) Possessing a mature body, he really goes to work inside at both ends of the floor and gets things done. He showed good post moves en route to 27 points in a pool play game, and when matched up on a smaller player he can take advantage of it. Low-major/Division II prospect.
Jerome Cohen (6’6″ PF, Everett (MA) High) A newcomer to his team, he seemed to embrace rebounding right away, and with his body, he should be able to own the boards. He has a big body that he moves well, though he could stand to improve in that regard, and generally scored his points close to the basket. He’s also unselfish, making a few nice passes along the way. Low-major prospect.
Gerard Coleman (6’3″ SG, West Roxbury (MA) High) There is probably not a player in New England who has had a better spring than this lanky lefty athlete. Whenever he got near the basket, it was almost automatic that the ball was going in, as he finishes so well. He went for 21 in one game and 26 in another, showing a little right-handed dribble one time and showing signs of a jumper coming to life. With his body being physically immature, there’s some good upside. Next year, he will join a couple of BABC teammates at the Tilton School. High-major minus/mid-major plus prospect.
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (6’7″ SF, Tilton (NH) School) His body is now stronger and more mature, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that he gets things done on the court. He’s not an offensive stud, but put up 24 points in each of two games in part because he finds a way to get scoring chances. This time around, he did shoot the ball well, knocking down four three-pointers in one game. When he struggles offensively, he doesn’t let the rest of his game suffer. High-major prospect has committed to Connecticut.
Cliff Desravines (6’6″ SF, Lexington (MA) Taft School) An intriguing prospect, he has the physical gifts but doesn’t really know the game. He’s very athletic and has a good body, but his game is rough around the edges. In the role of a roamer, he can be solid, as he’s a capable rebounder and is active. He went for 14 in one game and 13 in another, showing a mid-range shot off the dribble in addition to close baskets, indicating that he may not just look the part of a prospect. Mid-major prospect.
Ndubisi Ezeigwe (6’6″ SF-PF, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s School) Well-built role player is an undersized power forward, although he seems athletic enough to potentially play on the wing. He works hard inside, including against bigger players, defending quite ably against anyone who comes inside. He didn’t get many offensive opportunities. A solid student, he’s a low/mid-major prospect.
Jay Freeman (6’0″ PG, Dorchester (MA) St. Mark’s School) Lefty point guard isn’t overly quick and might be a little too left-handed. He has shown the ability to knock down the open shot, sometimes after using a pick and his man leaves him. He’s a borderline low-major/Division II prospect.
Alan Harris (6’4″ SG-SF, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) Athletic guard showed a nice ability to score, primarily on jump shots although he also showed some good ball skills. He scored many of his points on mid-range jumpers, posting a couple of double-digit scoring efforts. Mid-major prospect.
Peter Kaasila (6’9″ PF-C, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) A role player on his team, one full of big men, he generally scored on stickbacks here. He was more active inside while in the game. Mid-major prospect.
Gabe Kindred (6’0″ PG, Oakland (CA) Worcester Academy) A competitor at the point, he’s quick and has a good body with solid intangibles. He’s not going to score a ton of points, and didn’t here, but he helped his team with some good play off the bench.
Willie Lyons (6’1″ PG-SG, Newton (MA) South HS) Scoring guard played the best game we’ve seen him have in his team’s tournament-ending loss. In that game, he came alive offensively, showing his continued ability to score on drives and shooting the ball better from long range than before (with a jumper that’s almost a set shot). On a few occasions, he made a nice pass on the move, but a teammate couldn’t cash in, and he gives the effort defending a player on the ball. Mid-major prospect.
Mario Monroe (6’7″ PF, Cambridge (MA) North Cambridge Catholic HS) Noticeably improved from a year ago, he still has plenty of work to do but has shown some progress. He now appears to have a motor, something he lacked entirely before, and looks to have some toughness inside. He ran the floor well and made a few plays, and has to keep this up, especially since he’s a little slight and not physically imposing.
Erik Murphy (6’9″ PF-C, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) In his team’s semifinal matchup, opposing players could be heard yelling, “He’s soft” quite often. While he won’t bowl you over with toughness, give him credit: whenever he got the ball inside during the two weekends, it was almost automatic that it was going in. Even with athletes coming after him trying to steal the ball off the catch or block his shot, he used an array of moves to finish often and made a clutch leaner with less than a second left to cap a 36-point effort in the semifinals. When left open away from the basket, he knocked down three-pointers. His efforts also included a 33-point outing and another with 24. High-major prospect committed to Florida.
Shabazz Napier (5’11” PG, Charlestown (MA) High) While he generally shot the ball well, he took some of that good away at times by calling his own number a little too much. In pool play, he played downright selfish basketball at times, taking shots too early in the possession without letting others try to create a play. He was better in the playoff rounds, but one time that stands out was when he came down on a 1-on-5 and hauled up a three-pointer instead of waiting for his teammates to come down and try to run something.
Daniel O’Keefe (6’5″ SF, Lexington (MA) High) He wasn’t quite the factor he has been in other events, but he had a couple of good weekends. During pool play, he was slow to get going with his jumper, but came alive later with shots off the catch and a couple of pull-ups. His efforts included a 21-point outing along the way, and he scored in double figures in each game. One thing that was never in doubt was his effort, as that remains solid. Low-major prospect.
Alex Oriakhi (6’9″ PF-C, Tilton (NH) School) This tournament was the same thing as usual with him: he has the body and fundamentals to dominate, but no killer instinct, and as such, wasn’t a big factor. Perhaps here as much as any other event, though, he was practically invisible. You hardly knew he was out there, even though he has all the tools to dominate and the light bulb just hasn’t gone on yet. One has to wonder if it ever will, at least before college, and at that point it will be quite an adjustment because his future coach gets after players. Big-time prospect has committed to Connecticut.
Dartaye Ruffin (6’8″ PF, Stoughton (MA) High) Playing in a reserve role, he came in and was primarily a space-eater, although he got a few rebounds and occasionally got a scoring opportunity. He went for 17 points in a playoff game, but overall wasn’t a big offensive factor as his game is still developing. Mid-major prospect.
Nyheem Sanders (6’2″ SG, Pawtucket (RI) St. Andrew’s School) There’s a direct correlation between how much he tries to drive to the basket to make plays and how well he plays. When he drives, he’s capable of scoring and did just that most of the time when he did, going for 14 in two games and 18 in the other. He’s athletic and still coming along physically, and is clearly more of a scorer than a shooter. Mid-major prospect.
Sean Sullivan (6’8″ PF, Leominster (MA) Ayer HS) A slight post player with a thin lower body, his physical tools limit his upside. That said, he has solid post moves and finishes well when he gets the ball close to the basket, and seems very adept at using a height advantage if he has one. Division II prospect.
Jeff Tagger (6’0″ PG, Brockton (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) Also a very good football player, he had a huge game in a losing effort when his team was knocked out, going for 39 points with eight three-pointers. From the point guard spot, he’s a good distributor with above-average quickness and is athletic, although he showed more scoring ability than playmaking here, as he also scored 23 in an earlier playoff game. Also an excellent student, he’s a mid/low-major prospect who is likely to get better offers for football.
Scott Tavares (5’8″ PG, Lexington (MA) Tilton School) A waterbug point guard, he’s quick and makes plays happen using his speed and quickness. He’s not a big scorer and lacks size, but he’s also strong for his size as well. He looks like a nice Division II prospect.
Akeem Williams (5’10” SG, Brockton (MA) Avon HS) Although he’s more athletic than he looks, this three-point marksman could stand to improve his conditioning. That said, he isn’t someone an opposing defense wants left open, and he showed that once again in going for 30 points (seven three-pointers) in a losing effort.
Class of 2010
Rodney Beldo (5’10” PG, Scituate (MA) High) He’s on a team where he has to score more now, and he’s done just that. Much of his scoring was done with drives to the basket, at times knifing through the defense, as he didn’t take a lot of jumpers along the way. Quick but still a baby physically, he consistently scored in double figures, going for 20 in an early playoff game.
Jarell Byrd (6’3″ SG-SF, Lynn (MA) Classical HS) Very athletic wing is a live body and not much game right now. He was very active, with a lot of offensive boards and stickbacks at the offensive end and several blocked shots at the defensive end. Most of his scoring came close to the basket, and he went for 16 in one game.
Denzel Brito (6’0″ SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) Athletic scoring guard had a couple of nice scoring games, including a 23-point outing, but didn’t shoot it as well as he’s capable of. He tipped and stole his share of passes defensively, with some of those leading to fast breaks he finished. At the offensive end, he doesn’t seem as aggressive with the ball when he gets it in a non-scoring position, whereas if he gets it inside the three-point line he’s dangerous.
Daniel Brooks (6’2″ So. SG, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) Athletic wing looks to have some real upside as he’s not there yet physically. He’s capable of shooting it from long range, and in his team’s big semifinal win against BABC, he scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.
Jose Cruz (6’5″ PF, Shrewsbury (MA) High) Lefty post player is a bit undersized but may not be done growing, as he doesn’t look very physically mature. He ran the floor well and was active inside, and while he didn’t put up big numbers he was certainly a factor in leading his team to the 16-under title game.
Prentis Douglas (6’3″ SG-SF, Braintree (MA) High) A classic example of a great athlete who doesn’t know the game, he often plays too much for show and not enough for effect. That said, he’ll tease you with plays that make you wonder how good he could be if he learns the game. His athleticism is the start, and he has a good body, but it’s also quite mature and he’s probably not going to grow any more. He can hit from long range and mid-range off the dribble, though he fades away a little too much on his mid-range shots, will crash the boards, and is very good in the open floor, but also looks disinterested all too often and especially on defense. Reportedly, academics are an issue as well.
Jeremy Driscoll (6’3″ SG, Dracut (MA) High) A solid role player who fits in well with his team and plays like the son of a coach, he didn’t show all of his tools the majority of the two weekends. While he knocked down open looks he got out to three-point range and played very well within the team concept, he’s also athletic and has a little length.
Stanley Greene (PG, Dorchester (MA)) Quick guard is fairly mature physically and was his team’s best player. He’s active on defense, which leads to some steals and they sometimes resulted in breakaway layups. Offensively, his quickness includes good lateral movement, and he didn’t just score on drives as he showed a nice touch from long range.
Greg Kelley (6’8″ PF, Newton (MA) North HS) Throughout the playoff rounds, he took a beating inside but kept on playing. He really owned the glass and often made good outlet passes almost as soon as he had the ball. Though he lacks strength right now, he scored often on close shots with plenty of good post moves and a variety of fakes, showing great fundamentals, and he also ran the floor for a few baskets. He went for 24 points in each of two games and had 19 in another. One concerning item was that in his team’s semifinal loss, he was in a position to take a charge several times, but instead took a step back at the last second and tried to block the shot instead.
Nate Lubick (6’8″ SF-PF, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) Prior to sustaining a right knee injury (not believed to be serious) in his team’s first playoff game, he had continued making the good strides he had all spring. While remaining a scoring threat away from the basket, he got transition baskets and scored some inside hoops, while also continuing to be a factor on the glass, making some good lead passes and generally more basketball plays. All the while, he went for 20, 19 and 16 points in his three games.
Jason Morris (6’5″ SF, Lakeville (CT) Hotchkiss School) Very athletic wing has a good body and had two excellent games in pool play, going for 19 and 26 points. His athleticism will jump out at you, but he has some feel for the game and should only get better in that regard. His ceiling looks to be very high.
Phil Pressey (5’9″ PG, Ashburnham (MA) Cushing Academy) Though he still has a small body, he continues to make big things happen for his team. His quickness doesn’t jump out at you at first, but then he’ll knife into the late to create a play, often one that finishes with a no-look pass as he has an uncanny ability to find an open man and nail him with a pass. At times, he doesn’t look like he’s playing hard, but he processes the game so well. Although he consistently scored, he didn’t seem to have it in the semifinal loss in the 16-under.
Daniel Santos (6’3″ SG-SF, Brockton (MA) High) Spindly wing is a scorer who made several good finishes when he drove to the basket or made a post move. On a couple of occasions, he knocked down a mid-range shot, and showed some ball skills that included a drive and dish one time, though he also tended to lose the ball.
Rashad Wright (6’9″ PF-C, Springfield (MA) Cathedral HS) What he showed in the pool play rounds (as he wasn’t with his team for the playoffs) was a pleasant surprise considering that in past viewing, he’s shown no motor whatsoever and has been a non-factor despite being long and athletic. Here, though, he was active inside, getting stickbacks at the offensive end and blocking some shots. He’s still a baby physically, but what he showed from a basketball standpoint are good signs.
Class of 2011
Michael Carter-Williams (PG-SG, Hamilton (MA) Hamilton-Wenham HS) There was a good deal of buzz about him during a pool play game, where he went for 21 points, but that was nothing compared to his final effort of the tournament. Against BABC, he went for 34 points with eight three-pointers and was the best player on the floor. A baby physically, he was more than just a shooter, as he drove inside with no fear and played stronger than he looks and showed no lack of effort. He’s going to be a player to keep an eye on, as this was probably his coming-out party and he showed all kinds of upside.
Nadir Tharpe (5’11” PG, Worcester (MA) Brewster Academy) Overall, he was just all right for most of the tournament, although he played well in the title game. A distributor first, he did knock down a few jumpers when defenders played off him and challenged him to hit shots. He found his inside players and helped his team ride their play to the final, but you don’t get the sense that he makes his team go even though he’s the point guard.
