ROXBURY, Mass. – The 2015 Hoopville Spring Finale has come and gone. The sixth annual event gave us a busy Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center for two days, as well as a number of competitive games that were for all the marbles. Those who came out – the main gym had some pretty good crowds on Sunday – got their money’s worth.
The event is about the kids, and with that in mind, here are some notes on some players and teams who competed this weekend.
The BOS Basketball program is new this spring and made a splash this time around, getting to the championship game in both the 14-Under and 15-Under, dropping a tough one in the former and winning the latter.
Jordan Galloway (5’10” So. PG, Boston (MA) Brighton HS) is now fully healthy and looked it, shooting the ball well off the bounce. In one game, he hit one shot after another when he got a little opening to shoot. He is one reason Brighton will be one of the teams to beat in the Boston City League next season.
One of the younger teams, Wrightway Skills, has some young talent to watch. Although they have played in 15-Under all spring, quite a bit of their team is eighth graders playing up. The one who will produce the most right now is Jordan Mason, a shooting guard who is headed to Dexter Southfield School in Brookline in the fall. He has unlimited range and a quick trigger, and teams will leave him open at their peril. They also have Charles Coleman, a 6’8″ forward headed to the same school in the fall. Coleman is relatively new to the game and looks it right now, but he has potential as he learns the game and his body matures.
Traveling up from Delaware, the Diamond State Titans were younger than most teams in the oldest age group, and gave it all they had in going 2-1 and playing for the pool on Sunday. Impressing for them was Caleb Mathews (6’1″ Fr. SG, Smyrna (DE) High), who shot the ball well all weekend, including six three-pointers in the losing effort.
The team that knocked off the Titans, Red Rush, brought several teams to Boston as they usually do. They had two entries in the oldest age group, and the one that was runner-up has several prospects to watch. The best of them is Elijah Ifejeh (6’6″ Jr. SF, Montreal (Que.) Lucien-Page HS), who is athletic and has a good body and was a factor near the basket. He’s hoping to get to a prep school, and if he does he’ll certainly be able to play right away. They also have a talented floor leader in Berry Souffrant (5’9″ So. PG, Brooklyn (NY) Southshore HS), who is quick and shot the ball well off the bounce here, and a solid glue guy in Daniel Cayer (6’4″ Jr. SF, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (Que.) John Abbott College).
The BABC City team that won it all isn’t the juggernaut that the program’s main team is, but they have plenty of talent we’ve seen before and were well-coached. Justin Leip (5’7″ Jr. PG, Ashland (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) was steady running the show, Terrell Williams (6’3″ Jr. SG-SF, Bridgewater (MA) Bridgewater-Raynham Regional HS) had a nice showing on the wing, and Marcus Santos-Silva (6’8″ Jr. PF-C, Bridgewater (MA) Bridgewater-Raynham Regional HS) was a big presence inside who has some potential if he improves his conditioning. Also, Frunwe Che (6’5″ SF-PF, Somerville (MA) High), who is headed to the Brooks School and the class of 2017, got several stickbacks as he moved well without the ball to find it coming off the rim.
