New England Super Regional – Event Recap
April 20th, 2009
NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com
It was fitting that BABC took home titles in both the u16 and u17 divisions at the New England AAU Super Regional on the same day that BABC’s longtime head coach Leo Papile became the first ever inductee into the NEAAU Hall of Fame.
BABC defeated the Granite State Jayhawks in the finals of both the u16 division and the u17 division of the New England Super Regional this weekend. Ironically, both games had similar final scores as BABC won the u16 final 69-63 and the u17 final 68-63.
In the u17 division the Jayhawks got to the finals by beating the Bay State Magic, NH Rivals, and Boston Warriors North. They were able to control the first two games with the play of their guards, Eric Dean and Ben Bartoldus. Both shot the 3 well and were able to attack in transition. The Jayhawks’ full court pressure wore down both opponents and created scoring opportunities. Jake Nelson came up huge in the Jayhawks semi-final win as the guard went for 31 points and 8 assists.
BABC’s trip to the finals came with wins over Fidelity House, Mass Premier, and Boston Warriors Blue. Gerard Coleman and Ryan Woumn led the way on the perimeter while Greg Kelley and Ron Giplaye were taking turns inside. This group had athletes all over the court and just kept coming at the opposition all day long.
The finals match-up was an intriguing one as the Jayhawks actually led at the half, but couldn’t stop the BABC from rallying in the second half.
The Boston Warriors had two different squads advance to the u17 semi-finals. The North squad featured a deep team led by Derek Retos and Alex Kershaw. Retos continued to show his patented three-point stroke while Kershaw set the tone by being physical and aggressive on both ends of the floor. Catholic Memorial’s Dan Brooks is a wing that can make shots, put it on the floor, and finish. Malden’s Ramon Viches and Ernest LaChance gave them good contributions inside on the glass while Jasper Grassa hit a couple of big threes in the quarterfinal win over MB Nation.
Rod Odom suited up for Boston Warriors Blue and helped them to wins over CMAC Hawks and the Bay State Magic before falling to BABC. Odom showed off his entire offensive game, making 3’s, getting to the rim, and playing unselfishly. The Warriors got good effort from the supporting cast in both wins but ultimately couldn’t contend with the depth or interior strength of BABC in the final as Giplaye dominated that game in the paint.
All 4 One captured the u15 title on Sunday, taking third straight Super Regional title by knocking off BABC’s u15 team 89-76 in the final.
Two other players who stood out over the weekend were Matt Palzini from Mass Premier and Dennis Clifford from Bay State Magic. Palzini is a smooth wing who helped keep his team in the game against BABC. He’s very good getting to the rim and finishing, showed he could make the three-point shot, hit the glass hard, and sees the floor well with the ball in his hands. At 6’10”, Clifford has great size and length. He was able to finish inside as well as step out and make mid-range jumpers, while also running the floor well in transition.
Just prior to the u16 championship game the New England Amateur Athletic Union inducted BABC’s Leo Papile into the NEAAU Hall of Fame. Papile was presented with a Hall of Fame plaque from NEAAU President Ed Skovron and NEAAU Boys Basketball Director John Kittori. Sunday's ceremony marked the very first NEAAU Sports Hall of Fame induction. For more information or to see pictures from the ceremony visit www.neaau.org/boysbasketball.aspx.
