EASTON, Mass. – Not surprisingly, BABC rolled in the 16-under Massachusetts Division I AAU Tournament, winning the title game by an 83-28 margin over New England Storm. BABC scored 13 unanswered points after New England Storm had a 5-4 lead and was never challenged after that as four players scored in double figures.
The South Shore Wolfpack took home the Division II championship with a 55-33 win over Worcester West. Interestingly, the two teams were in the same pool, with Worcester West winning the first meeting between the two by 14 points.
BABC won with a balanced attack as is often the case, but a few players certainly stood out for what they showed. Dominique Bull (6’3” So. SG, Worcester (MA) Cushing Academy) continues to look better passing the ball, as he made nice passes in the halfcourt offense and a couple of nice lead passes for a fast break. He also looks more athletic, while continuing to show he can score. Jared Johnson (6’0” So. PG, Springfield (MA) Cushing Academy) continued to run the show but also knocked down some shots from long range and played nice defense within the team concept. Nerlens Noel (6’10” So. C, Everett (MA) High) continued to be effective and at times dominant despite playing basically on one leg, but also showed some aggressiveness on offense that he had not shown before. Egi Gjikondi (6’8” So. PF, Malden (MA) Cushing Academy) got a lot of close baskets as usual, but here he also finished with contact and showed a touch from mid-range at the offensive end, looking like a more effective player overall.
If Jaylen Brantley (5’9” So. PG, Springfield (MA) Central HS) grows a few more inches, he could be a combo guard. He knows how to run a team and lead the way, but he continued to knock down shots from long range here.
Jake Layman (6’7” So. SF-PF, Wrentham (MA) King Philip HS) had a nice 20-point outing on Saturday and contributed by being active, as he usually does. Shaquille Jones (6’5” So. SF, Providence (RI) Hope HS) looks to be emerging more and more, as he’s long and has good overall offensive skills within the flow of an offense. He will head to Notre Dame Prep next year but might not repeat a year. Fellow Rhode Islander Andrew Chrabascz (6’6” So. SF-PF, Portsmouth (RI) High), who will repeat his sophomore year at Cushing Academy next year, continued to show solid fundamentals that will carry him a long way. Georges Niang (6’7” So. PF, Methuen (MA) Tilton School) helped off the bench with some scoring inside and a few mid-range jump shots.
BABC’s opponent in the semifinals, Dunbar, had a nice undersized post prospect in Jevaughn McMillan (6’6” So. PF, Springfield (MA) Central HS). A thick post player, he moves well but could be better if he improves his conditioning, scored well inside with 16 in a quarterfinal win and 11 against BABC, and he got a few stickbacks. He also showed a nice stroke at the foul line, which helped because he got there a few times.
One team with prospects that caught our eye was the Bomb Squad, a group of competitive kids who lost a tough semifinal game. Curtis Howe II (So. PG-SG, Boston (MA) Cathedral HS) is the son of the coach and looks the part, and in the tough loss he scored 17 points with several three-point shots. Kyle Lawyer (So. SF, Boston (MA) Cathedral HS) scored 12 points in the loss and has some size and a touch from long range, while the best prospect could be Kwandel Bush (So. SF-PF, East Boston (MA) High), who had 14 points in the loss and is athletic with a good body.
Kyle Romich (So. PG-SG, West Groton (MA) Groton-Dunstable Regional HS) has had a growth spurt and isn’t far from older brother Ryan now. He could be set to break out much like his brother did at about the same age.
