BOSTON – The 2013 Hoopville Spring Finale is in the books, and in addition the 2013 spring circuit is history. Over 50 teams competed and six emerged victorious, including four programs that won here for the first time. Plenty of other teams came close and/or walked away with just one loss on the weekend. The all-important month of July now beckons.
Before we get to that, let’s look back at some notes from this weekend.
Jalen Adams (6’3″ So. SG, Boston (MA) Cushing Academy) had a good weekend playing in his hometown. He had another buzzer-beater at halftime of one game and showed a solid offensive skill package enabling him to score effectively in several ways.
Adams’ teammate Josh Sharma (7’0″ So. C, Lexington (MA) Northfield Mount Hermon) looks ready to break out. The body is developing and still has a ways to go, and the skill package is already in a good place as evidenced by plays like a long outlet pass for a fast break and a nice short baseline jumper.
The younger Rivals team included eighth grader Tomas Murphy, the younger brother of Erik and Alex. Headed to the Prout School next year, Murphy’s game looks like a nice combo of both brothers’ games at the same stage. He continues to grow and is quite baby-faced, and was very active at both ends of the floor.
Alec Brennan (6’11” Jr. PF-C, Weston (MA) Milton Academy) had played sparingly this spring because of a nagging knee injury. This weekend was the second in a row that he has played, and he said he felt good following each game. He played well, so he’s rounding back into form at a good time.
One of the best kids you’ll meet on the circuit, Abdul-Malik Abu (6’8″ Jr. PF, Dorchester (MA) Kimball Union Academy) reminded everyone how relentless he can be inside this weekend. Recently selected as a finalist for EYBL MVP, a distinction BABC’s Bonzie Colson also earned, Abu will once again have the challenge of playing the big month of July during Ramadan. Having done that last year, Abu knows how to manage it, and should be better the second time around although he was good last year. He said he felt like he had to hold back a bit at times, which isn’t natural for him, but armed with a feel for it and knowing how important EYBL is, he probably won’t be holding back this time around.
Aaron Falzon (6’6″ So. SF, Newton (MA) St. Mark’s School) had a nice weekend shooting the ball, at one point making three from long range in short succession. On this team, he has plenty of others he can play off of for shots, and he showed how well that can work.
Jeremy Miller (6’9″ So. PF-C, Milton (MA) New Hampton School) is another who has been banged up but was a pleasant surprise on the court this weekend. He’s been bothered by an Achilles injury and wasn’t expected to go at all, but played and said he felt good. That’s a hopeful sign for the month of July.
Miller’s teammate, Tommy Mobley (6’0″ So. PG-SG, Newton (MA) North HS) has always known how to score, and on this team he seems to be finding his niche. This group is a little different from some others BABC has had, as they seem to need a little jump-start in some games, but Mobley can play off more athletic penetrators like Terance Mann (6’5″ So. SG-SF, Lowell (MA) Tilton School) and Bruce Brown (6’2″ So. SG, Wakefield (MA) Vermont Academy), the latter of whom had some trouble finishing here.
The Boston Spartans have always had guard-oriented teams at all levels of the program, and the team that won the 15-under title certainly fits the bill. Ernie Chatman (Fr. PG, Jamaica Plain (MA) Boston English HS) leads the way at the point and Kellan Grady (Fr. PG-SG, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) is a solid complement off the ball. But this team also had a big man play a key role in their championship run as Matt Kaprowicz (6’6″ Fr. PF-C, Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s) was a dominant presence and added 15 points in an early pool game.
Fab 5 Elite capped off a big spring in its first go-round with a championship here. Alex Delarosa, a 5’9″ guard who will attend New Mission, was a force all weekend long and Nate Conrad, a 6’0″ guard who will attend East Boston High School, came up big in a couple of games. They were among four double-digit scorers in the championship game, and Delarosa was huge in their win over the Rhode Island Hawks to take the pool earlier on Sunday. Christian Reddick, a 6’0″ guard headed to Milton High School, was a threat from long range all weekend long.
In the losing effort of the 14-under final, the Spartans’ Will Phelan had a game-high 24 points to cap a good weekend. The 5’9″ guard will join Kaprowicz at St. Sebastian’s next year.
One of the better finds here was Romello Walker (6’6″ Jr. SF, Ft. Lauderdale (FL) South Kent School). The well-built wing is a plus athlete who drove for layups and showed a little touch shooting the ball, at times making offense look easy against a couple of good teams.
Another program that is new and had a good trip was the S.T.A.R. Athletic Club from New London, Connecticut. Their 16-under entry won their pool before losing in the semifinals to BABC, while their 15-under entry went 1-2 on the weekend with losses to the eventual champion Boston Spartans and the well-balanced Metro Heat, the latter another young program that went 2-1 here.
