Massachusetts 16-Under AAU Recap

WESTON, Mass. – The Rivers School was home to the Massachusetts 16-under AAU Tournament this weekend.  For the first time, the format featured two levels, Division I and Division II, with 15 teams in the former and 12 in the latter.  The higher level of competition was in Division I, although neither was loaded with talent.  A number of the best travel teams in the state are not playing the AAU circuit, so a lot of the best talent was not here.  And although the champs in Division I got a major scare in the quarterfinals, by and large they were more than head and shoulders above the competition.

In the Division II championship game, New England Storm used an early second-half run to turn a 25-23 halftime edge into an early 35-25 lead over Bay State Magic.  After holding off the Magic, they would later build the lead to 49-37 late en route to a 56-43 win.  Yadoris Arias (So., Lawrence (MA) High) had a game-high 19 points to lead New England Storm.

In Division I, BABC survived a close call in the quarterfinals against Fidelity House, as they fell behind 10-0 early and trailed by five at halftime before pulling out the win.  When they reached the final against Team Magic, it was another story, as they ran out to a 19-2 lead and were up 43-14 at halftime en route to an 84-38 romp.  Egi Gjikondi (6′8″ Fr. PF, Malden (MA) High) led BABC with 22 points, Jeff Amazan (6′3″ So. SG, Charlestown (MA) High) added 14 and James Kennedy (6′6″ So. SF-PF, Dorchester (MA) Cushing Academy) added 12.

Now, a look at some of the top talent in the event.

Pat Ackerman (6′10″ So. PF-C, Worcester (MA) Academy) A big man with some potential, he showed some growth within the weekend in a couple of key areas.  He picked up a technical foul in one game and took himself right out of it, but came back later and then on Sunday was playing more assertively and even like a leader at times.  That gives hope that he can also improve his body language, as he doesn’t always give the appearance of being able to battle through a bad play or two during a game.  He rebounded well and looked better scoring inside, as at times his post moves seem to be in slow motion.

Jeff Amazan (6′3″ So. SG, Charlestown (MA) High) You can see the potential this guard has, with a good body and a few good moments over the weekend.  He helped get the team going in their quarterfinal game, coming off the bench to score 21 points after scoring 15 in an earlier game.

Zach Auguste (6′5″ So. SF, Marlborough (MA) High) After not being a factor early, he was very effective on Sunday, especially when an opponent was grabbing his shirt often.  Long and a baby physically, he doesn’t always use his length well, but he ran the floor, finished well later and got some stickbacks en route to 23 points in his team’s final game.  If he keeps putting in the work and gets better playing through a tough stretch, he’ll be a prospect.

Victor Aytche (6′3″ So. SG-SF, Springfield (MA) Cathedral HS) A plus athlete with a good upper body, he’s not a baby physically but hasn’t fully matured.  He has three-point range on his jumper and showed it nicely in knocking down three en route to 21 points in one game, but his overall game seems a bit rough around the edges.

Anthony Barry (6′3″ So. SG-SF, Milford (MA) High) Athletic wing assumes more of a combo forward position on his small team, but he has some tools to play the wing.  He has an in-between game, as his jump shot leaves something to be desired, with some good scorer’s moves to the basket and a nose for the ball on the boards, although he also missed his share of shots right at the basket.  His body’s not there yet, though he’s not a baby physically.

Kamali Bey (6′3″ Fr. SG, Springfield (MA) Sabis Charter School) A nice scoring guard, what really stood out about his scoring ability is that he’s so good at using his body yet not picking up offensive fouls.  In going for 19 and 20 points in two different games, he also showed a nice ability to use his left hand a few times as well.

Dominique Bull (6′2″ Fr. SG, Worcester (MA) Cushing Academy) Well-built scoring guard had his way often over the weekend, as he’s simply too strong for many of the guards he went up against.  He does most of his scoring on the move, going for 15 in one and 27 in the quarterfinals as the biggest bright spot in a close win, and a couple of times he made plays for teammates off the bounce as well.

Aaron Davis (5′9″ Fr. PG, Marshfield (MA) High) Small point guard is a baby physically but has a lot of potential at the position, as he was able to get in the lane all weekend long.  A capable scorer who went for 16 with four three-pointers in one game, he was at his best driving and dishing.  He did pick up a couple of dumb fouls, including a technical in one game, both being things to avoid and especially as a team’s floor leader.  Next year, he will attend the Brooks School in Andover.

Egi Gjikondi (6′8″ Fr. PF, Malden (MA) High) Lefty post player put up some big scoring numbers, going for 21 in one game and 14 in another before leading the way in the final.  However, he did a lot of that against significantly smaller players, so the fact that he’s very left-handed, went up too strong a few times and came up short a few times from mid-range can get lost from his numbers.  Next year, he will join a couple of his teammates at Cushing Academy.

Pat Gooden (6′1″ So. SG, Springfield (MA) Cathedral HS) Ever since he lit up the competition at the New England regionals last year, he had not shot the ball nearly as well, and that continued early on here.  To his credit, he never stopped competing, and it paid off on Sunday as he made three three-pointers in both of his games, going for 18 points in one of them.

Chris Green (5′10″ So. PG, Taunton (MA) High) Small and scrappy guard is a threat from long range and showed it a couple of times over the weekend.  He often played off the ball, which won’t be his position at the next level unless he grows several inches, but he went for 14 in a pool game and 17 in a playoff game, hitting five from long range in the latter.

Jared Johnson (5′11″ So. PG, Springfield (MA) Central HS) Playmaking guard didn’t have a stellar start to his weekend, but he kept competing and it paid off in the playoff rounds.  There, he was much more effective with some driving field goals and defensive plays, in addition to making the offense run better.

James Kennedy (6′6″ So. SF-PF, Dorchester (MA) Cushing Academy) Although he’s not putting up big numbers, his steady improvement can be seen.  He’s athletic and continues to battle inside, looks quicker off his feet all the time, and has become very good at making post moves to his left with the ball.

Nick Lund (6′7″ So. PF, Woburn (MA) High) Lefty post player has a good body that can still get better and some fundamentals.  While he can score some inside with a few basic post moves, he’s not the most mobile inside and might have a tougher time against quicker post players.  He runs the floor reasonably well and got his share of rebounds here.

Nerlens Noel (6′9″ Fr. C, Everett (MA) High) Very long big man didn’t dominate and had a couple of humbling moments, but his potential is clear.  Besides his physical gifts, he doesn’t seem to get caught in the trap of trying to block everything and often gets into rebounding position better than a lot of young shot-blockers.  One down side, besides his post offense needing a lot of work, is that a few times he reached in when he didn’t have much chance to pry the ball away and took a big risk of getting called for a needless foul.

Barrett Ramsay (5′7″ So. PG, Great Barrington (MA) Monument Mountain HS) Very small point guard is a baby physically but has a great motor.  He’s generally very effective with his dribble, although he’ll also get too fancy at times and travel or double dribble, and shot the ball well from long range.  Many intangibles are there, so now the thing for him is to grow physically and continue to improve while that happens.

Eddy Rodriquez (5′7″ So. PG, Holyoke (MA) High) A baby physically, he showed the ability to finish all weekend, especially in transition.  He’s quick and shot the ball well from long range, and was a consistent double-digit scorer as he had games of 16, 18, 21 and 19 before a single-digit effort in the final.  Now he just has to grow physically and keep improving.

Chris Sherwood (6′3″ So. SF, Canton (MA) High) His athleticism was on display for a lot of the weekend, and he looks to be using it better.  Whether it was in transition to get breakaway baskets or a play like the last game where he got a dunk off an offensive rebound, he used it well and finished with 20 points in his team’s last game.  Next year, he will attend Brimmer & May School.

Roderick Tyler (So. SF, Lexington (MA) Minuteman Tech) Very active wing is a live body and showed a real nose for the ball.  He’s not a baby physically, and he was a major factor on the offensive glass while also knocking down a couple of jumpers in a 21-point outing.