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Haverhill High Athletic Director Tom O'Brien announced this afternoon the hiring of former great Melissa Tarpy as its new head girls basketball coach. Tarpy, the school's first female 1,000-point scorer, was part of two Division 1 state champion squads during the Hillies' dynasty years, when they won four D1 state titles in five seasons from 1991 to 1996.

Here is the official release from O'Brien:

Melissa Tarpy has been named Girls’ Basketball Head Coach at Haverhill High School, it was announced today by Athletic Director Tom O’Brien.

A 1994 graduate, Tarpy was a three-sport athlete at Haverhill High School and was a key member of the 1992 and 1994 girls’ basketball state championship teams. She went on to have an outstanding career at Endicott College where she was a two-time All-Conference selection. She was the first woman in school history to break the 1,000-point mark and left as both the men’s and women’s all-time leading scorer. She was inducted into the Endicott Hall of Fame in 2003.

Tarpy most recently served as the assistant coach at Greater Lawrence Technical High School. She has also coached with the New England Warrior AAU Program had a brief stint as the JV basketball coach at Haverhill in 1998-99.

Springfield Central principal Tad Tokarz officially announced that the school has hired legendary former Charlestown and Salem coach Jack O'Brien as its new head boys basketball coach.

O'Brien, who has won six MIAA state championships over a career spanning three decades, takes over for Mike Labrie, who stepped down last spring after seven years and one Division 1 state title.

"We're excited, the school is excited, the kids should be excited," Tokarz said. "We got a guy with a tremendous reputation and a proven track record. We're very excited to give him everything he needs to be successful here. He's done it before, he's got a tremendous track record. He changes kids' lives, and that’s the biggest thing with us. It's not about wins and losses, it's how to get kids into college and give them opportunities outside of basketball. He convinced all of us that he's the best person to make that happen.

"For us it gives the kids the ability to learn from somebody that has all the experience, the knowledge, to get our kids not only to teach them about basketball, but to teach them about life. We're very excited about the opportunity to build on what Coach Labrie has built here."

O'Brien, a Medford native, won his MIAA state championship in 1990 at Salem High behind McDonald's All-American guard and 10-year NBA vet Rick Brunson, before taking over at Charlestown in 1993. From 1999 to 2005, O'Brien's Townies squads won five state titles in a span of six seasons; the 2002 squad finished the season ranked No. 16 in USA Today's national Super 25 poll.

He took over at Lynn English in 2006, but abruptly resigned hours before the first practice of the season. Since that sudden departure, he had remained out of coaching until now, though his name had been linked to a handful of jobs over the years -- most notably Somerville, in 2008, where he was a finalist.

Asked if there was any concerns regarding that departure, Tokarz said there weren't any.

"Not necessarily," he said. "Things happen and to be quite honest, we didn't really talk much about it. We talked about our program and what he could do for our students, that's what we were concerned about. What happened in the past [is in the past]."

O'Brien currently works in the physical education department at West Roxbury High, and plans to maintain that job while coaching the Golden Eagles. He understands what a difficult commute this will be -- the schools are nearly 85 miles apart -- but says that this was too good of an opportunity to turn down.

"It's not gonna be easy -- I'm on my way back right now -- but you know what? There's too many good things about this job to say I'm gonna let that get in the way," he said. "It's something I've gotta deal with, it's something I thought out. I saw a report somewhere that the average drive to work is 65 minutes. This is a bit further obviously, but I'm OK with that."

The Golden Eagles won the Division 1 state title in 2012 under Labrie -- their first since 1991 -- and reached the Division 1 West Final last season, where they lost to eventual state champion Putnam. Central graduated two-time ESPN Boston All-State selection Kamari Robinson, but expected to return a very competitive nucleus between guards Cody and Ju'an Williams, and promising 6-foot-8 power forward Chris Baldwin.

And while there is talent returning, that wasn't the primary factor in why he took the job.

"It's a large urban school, there's great support from the administration, and from the standpoint of helping them off the court, it's something I enjoy doing and want to do again," he said. "I don’t know much about the kids, in terms of any individuals, I've never seen any of them play, but that didn’t move me either way to tell you the truth. The kids we had at Charlestown were kids that developed as we went on.

"[Brighton coach] Hugh Coleman was my last kid to make JV as a frehsman, and by senior year he was one of the best players in the state. You don't know kids' heart until you get to know them as a person."

O'Brien is known for his unique brand of uptempo, running style of basketball, and plans to implement that same frenetic pace at Central.

"I wanna play fast, play a lot of kids and go up and down," he said. "I think it's fun, we've had great success with it. I think kids like playing that style. It's conducive to playing a lot of kids, and when more people contribute...When you have good athletes and you can play them, press them up and down, they're gonna contribute well."

St. Thomas More 2014 point guard Cane Broome committed so Sacred Heart on Wednesday afternoon, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Finkelstein.

Broome, a star point guard originally at East Hartford High School who transferred to St. Thomas More and repeated his junior year, has been one of New England’s most well-known players since the eighth grade. He said Sacred Heart coach Anthony Latina made the decision an easy one for him: the coach didn’t miss a single one of Broome’s games this summer.

“I picked Sacred Heart because it’s a wonderful academic school, and playing time as a freshman there was more than anywhere else," Broome told ESPNBoston.com. "I had a good relationship with the coach and felt comfortable; he didn’t miss a game this summer. He was there for the good ones and the bad."

Known primarily as a scorer during his days at East Hartford, Broome had a rude awakening when he went to St. Thomas More. On his first day of class at the Oakdale, Conn. prep school, well-known coach Jere Quinn pulled Broome into his office to give him a reality check.

“[Quinn] told me if I wanted to play Division 1 ball that I had to become a point guard," Broome said. "He put me in tough situations last year to make me a better player. I learned to be a leader from being around him and playing for him really matured my game and got me to become a point guard. I’ve become a smarter player, my mindset was score and that’s it, no defense, barely any assists…coming out of East Hartford."

This summer, he ran the point for a loaded Expressions Elite squad that advanced to the Nike Peach Jam. By creating opportunities for blue-chip scorers like Abdul-Malik Abu, Jared Terrell, and Jared Wilson-Frame, Broome’s knack for playmaking brought in attention from several Division 1 coaches. He even got feedback on his game from the nation’s top-ranked point guard, Tyus Jones.

“[EYBL] helped me a lot, just seeing the high level guards and going against them and learning different things. When we played Howard Pulley, Tyus Jones gave me a lot of feedback on my game and helped me out,” Broome said.

St. Thomas More was the top seed in the NEPSAC Class AAA tournament last year, but came up just short of Brewster Academy in the championship game, falling 77-75 to a Bobcats team who boasted perhaps the best front line in the nation. With his recruitment out of the way, Broome can now fully focus on school—and some unfinished business on the court.

“I’m really relieved, just school and worrying about winning the NEPSAC this year is all that’s on my mind now.”

ROXBURY, Mass. -– Jared Terrell and Abdul-Malik Abu reached across each other at the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday to pick the hat of the school they would be committing to. As they each picked up their respective hat, a short-lived look of confusion spread through the room.

Abu picked up an Oklahoma State hat from Terrell’s side of the table, while Terrell picked up a North Carolina State hat from Abu’s side. To much amusement for the 200 or so supporters in attendance, the two quickly exchanged their hats back and announced their official college plans: Abu to N.C. State and Terrell to Oklahoma State.

The duo had planned the prank in advance to lighten the mood in the room.

“We only get to do this once so we wanted to have some fun with it," Abu said. "unless we get into the green room some day, that’s our dream."

The Kimball Union Academy (N.H.) power forward chose North Carolina State over Florida, Providence, and Connecticut. The Huskies were considered by most to be the outliers of the group, while Florida and Providence were both legitimate options for Abu, as he visited Billy Donovan and staff in Gainesville this past week. Providence coach Ed Cooley has been recruiting Abu and Terrell since he was hired in March 2011.

In the end though, the Wolfpack won out for Abu, the No. 44 player in the 2014 ESPN 100. Naturally though, he had one last prank to play.

“I first told NC State I was going in another direction and they were like ‘oh my gosh,’ and then I was like ‘nah I’m kidding, I’m coming,’” he said with a laugh. “They were happy, that makes me feel good that they really wanted me that bad.”

Expressions coach Ty Boswell, who has been integral in the development of the dynamic duo, said that Terell’s decision came down to the Cowboys and Rhode Island -- who made quite a push for Terrell, a Brewster Academy (N.H.) guard who is No. 76 player in the ESPN 100, behind new head coach Danny Hurley.

“He had a great visit, Dan Hurley does a terrific job. But with him it was a sense of he wanted to play at the highest level and ‘hey, at least I tried,” Boswell said.

Terrell added, on his visit to Oklahoma State: “They players were really nice, I got along with the coaches really well. It’s a higher level of basketball, and that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t want to sell myself short of anything.”

Current Oklahoma State stars Marcus Smart and Le’Bryan Nash are both expected picks in next year’s NBA draft, with most scouts pegging Smart as a top-five pick. That being said, Terrell will have an opportunity to go to Oklahoma State and get minutes right away. Having not seen the campus until recently, he was impressed by what the Cowboys had to offer.

“I didn’t even think about Oklahoma State before I went out there, cause when you think of Oklahoma you just think about farmland, it being real flat, and that there’s just nothing out there," Terrell said. "But when I went out there they just blew me away, it’s an amazing place."

Close friends on an off the court, they joked about the potential of one day playing against each other on a college court.

“I would foul him and then just look at him,” Abu said with a laugh.

He continued, on a more serious note, “He was there when I was nothing and I was there when he was nothing…it means the world to make my decision alongside my brother.”

Boswell has seen the development of Abu and Terrell up close, and expressed how proud he was of his two star players following the press conference.

“I’m just happy that it’s over," he said. "It’s a long grueling process, and it’s a lot. They felt like they picked the best situation that was for them... But I’m happy for them, they’re the two highest character, two best kids I’ve met.”

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) AAU club saw two of its top squads earn spots in a recent poll of the nation's top summer basketball clubs. BABC Director of Communications Jay Demings passed along the following release:

BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) Junior and Sophomore teams have each been selected to the Indihoops.com Final Top 25 teams in the nation for 2013. BABC’s Junior team placed 23rd while the Sophomore team placed 21st in the final rankings, becoming the only New England teams to make the list. Additionally, BABC is one of only three programs nationally to finish in the top 25 of multiple age-group rankings.

“Our veterans, Bonzie Colson, John Joseph and Tyree Robinson date back to the 6th grade as a group,” said BABC Head Coach Leo Papile. “Those players, along with sophomores Bruce Brown, Terrance Mann and Robert Martin, Jr. that played up during the EYBL season, gave us the depth to accomplish this award. Our entire 2014 class including Tyler Nelson, Malik James, Nick Cambio and Mike Rodriguez all gave effort that will forever be appreciated. We look forward to 2014 as we feel we can compete for the number one spot in the nation once again.”

The 2013 season saw the BABC Junior team qualify for the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Finals at the Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC, the club’s 4th straight year reaching the Nike EYBL playoffs. The Junior team also finished in the Elite 8 of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Gold Super Showcase in Orlando. The BABC Sophomore team reached the Final 4 of the AAU 10th Grade Division 1 National Championships and also finished in the Final 4 of the AAU 10th Grade Super Showcase, both in Orlando.

Established in 1977, the BABC has evolved into one of the most prestigious amateur basketball programs in the country. The club has won 17 National Championships, has been a National Finalist 28 times, reached the National Final Four 39 times, and has garnered 90 New England AAU gold medals.

Fairfield Prep (Conn.) Class of 2014 center Pascal Chuwku verbally committed to Providence tonight for the 2014-15 season, he announced on his Twitter account.

The Westport, Conn., native is the nation's No. 58 overall player in the Class of 2014 in the latest ESPN rankings, and the No. 5 overall center. He took an official visit to St. Joseph’s (Pa.) earlier this week, and was widely perceived to be choosing between the two schools, despite having been pursued by a variety of high-major programs.

ESPN's Adam Finkelstein has more on the commitment, over on ESPN's RecruitingNation blog:

For Providence coach Ed Cooley, the commitment is a result of years of hard work, dating back to his time as the coach at the University of Fairfield. Providence made Chukwu a top priority not just this year, but also in the summer of 2012, when he was still flying very low below the national radar.

“I’m close to the coaching staff, I’ve been up to Providence many times and I thought it was a good fit for me,” Chukwu told ESPN. “I like how Coach Cooley relates to players.”

The commitment is an absolutely huge one for Providence as Chukwu joins Jalen Lindsey (Franklin, TN/Hungtington Prep) to become the second ESPN 100 product to commit to Providence this year. That’s significant for a number of reasons.

First, the 2014 class is expected to be a big one for Providence, with potentially as many as five scholarships to fill. Lindsey and Chukwu give Providence just the early anchors it was looking for, while also addressing its top priorities in the frontcourt.

For the complete entry from Finkelstein, CLICK HERE (Insider only).

Here is Scouts Inc.'s evaluation of Chukwu (full entry HERE)

Strengths:
Chukwu's size and length are his most obvious assets, but he also has a great pair of feet for a guy his size, giving him outstanding agility and mobility to cover the court. He's an excellent shot-blocker whose ability to change direction only makes him that much more dangerous patrolling the paint and protecting the rim from wide radius's. He's also a diligent rebounder who is content to dominate a game on the defensive end. While he doesn't need a ton of touches to stay engaged, Chukwu has tools to work with in a soft touch, a passer's instinct, fairly good hands, and the ability to change ends of the floor.

Weaknesses:
Physical strength is his top priority right now. His lean body type and high center of gravity make it difficult for him to hold his position against contact at times. His defense is far ahead of his offense right now. He needs to become a more consistent finisher at the rim, establish a go-to move with his back to the basket, and begin to learn how to play pick and roll.

Bottom Line:
He needs to get stronger and develop his offensive game, but this is a seven-footer who can anchor your team defensively, will give you a diligent effort, and has tools to continue to develop in the years to come.

Brimmer and May senior guard Sammy Mojica committed to Drexel University earlier today, weeks after he took an unofficial visit to the Philadelphia school.

Mojica, a 6-foot-3 wing player known for his versatility on the perimeter, averaged 18 points per game last year for Brimmer, earning third-team all NEPSAC honors. He was one of the top players in the MIAA following his junior year, just a game away from getting his name on a “1000 point” banner at Chelsea High School—and potentially, becoming the all-time leading scorer in the school’s history.

Instead, he made the decision to attend Brimmer and May, in hopes of earning a Division 1 scholarship, preparing himself mentally for college, and to work year-round with coach Tom Nelson. He earned a scholarship this summer from Drexel, and was taken aback by the loyalty of Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint and his staff.

Given the fact that Mojica can play either perimeter position or slide over to the small forward spot, Flint nicknamed him “a Swiss Army knife,” because of his versatility on the basketball court.

“They were the first team to offer me, to give me a chance,” Mojica said. “They saw something in me.

“They were the first school to get real serious. I was waiting for an offer, they were the first ones to pull the trigger. When I went to go visit, it felt right; it felt like I belonged there.”

Nelson heavily recruited Mojica during his junior year at Chelsea. He attended games at Chelsea High, brought members of the Brimmer and May team to the games, and made a promise to Mojica’s parents: to see to it that Sammy earned a free education. Not only did Nelson help him earn a Division 1 scholarship, the coach helped transform his game, making sure to keep every promise along the way.

“Tom has been exceptional,” Mojica said of his coach. “I love Tom with all my heart. When he came to one of my games at Chelsea and brought some guys on the team, I told my parents that’s where I wanted to go.

“My mom put full trust in Tom, everything he told my mom has ended up happening. He’s very loyal, hasn’t made a mistake with me yet, he’s trustworthy. He worked me, he just pushed me so hard every day in practice.”

Their relationship goes far beyond coach and player however, as displayed when Mojica lost his house back in January. He played the end of last season without a home, after a fire consumed his mother’s Chelsea apartment. The night after the fire, Nelson and Sherwyn Cooper, a close friend of both Nelson and Mojica, brought the team to see Sammy again—this time to comfort him during what Mojica called “the lowest point of my life.”

“We were there with him, we all went up to his dad’s house, we went up there with Sherwyn [Cooper] and we even cancelled the game we were supposed to play to go lift his spirits,” Nelson said. “We saw him at one of his lowest points. But the thing with Sammy is that he’s one of those great kids that keeps fighting through adversity.”

Following the fire, Nelson and Cooper started a fundraiser for Mojica and his family, so that the family could have money to move into a new home and find a way to replace all the things they had lost. The fundraiser brought in over $12,000.

Whether it was walking through the tattered remains of what had once been his bedroom or sleeping on the couch of teammate Jake Fay for days at a time, the fire motivated him this summer on the AAU circuit—as he proved to be one of the best players at the Hoop Group Summer Jamfest.

“Tom just kept saying to me during the AAU season, ‘Look at all these kids, you’re the one who doesn’t have a house.”

Mojica and his family now live in Everett, in a home that he says is in a much better part of town than his previous home. While he has many basketball-related aspirations, one of his main goals is to graduate from Drexel; he would become the first person in his family to earn a degree. After the emotional roller coaster that the last seven months have presented, he says it feels like going “from rock bottom to the top of the world.”

The commitment was a proud moment for Nelson. The coach considers Mojica to be one of his hardest workers and one of the highest character players that he has ever coached.

“I’m so proud of him. This is one of the best days of my life. We took a kid out of obscurity in Chelsea, and got him to a mid-major school. It was hard work. There was no smoke and mirrors with this one. It’s been a lot of ups and downs.”

Nelson added, “He sent me a text saying, ‘Check out my tweet. I love you Tom.’ I’m his coach, but I’m also a big brother. I know to draw the line as their coach, but I try to make them understand the love, that we care.”

Central Catholic senior guard Tyler Nelson made a verbal commitment to Fairfield University on Monday afternoon, he told ESPN Boston.

Nelson, a 6-foot-2 sharpshooter, averaged 17.2 points per game last season for Central Catholic, leading the Red Raiders to the Division 1 North championship and garnering his second consecutive ESPN Boston All-State nomination.

This summer, playing for Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC), Nelson picked up offers from Jacksonville, George Washington, Vermont, Fairfield and Binghamton. Dartmouth offered him in January.

He narrowed his choices down to Fairfield, Binghamton, and Dartmouth, and ultimately chose the Stags.

“I recently have been thinking about it a lot, and I wanted to make my decision before the beginning of my senior year. I narrowed it down to three schools who [sic] were at a level of play I could play at and get a good education,” Nelson said following his commitment.

He visited Fairfield, unofficially, earlier in the summer, and came away impressed with what the school and the basketball program had to offer. He’ll visit Fairfield, officially, on Sept. 5.

“I really enjoyed the unofficial visit to campus, and I like the coaches a lot…I’ll have a good chance to play a lot as a freshman.”

Nelson was one of the most feared scorers on the Nike EYBL summer circuit, shooting 46.8 percent from behind the three-point line. While he admits the long summer schedule wore him down quite a bit, especially towards the end, he was able to reap the benefits and draw in widespread Division 1 attention.

“I just played out of my mind, I played well at EYBL. I was scoring well against some really good teams. I was one of the leading scorers for my team. That’s where I really did all my damage,” he said.

Playing on a relatively young BABC squad for coach Leo Papile, Nelson said he was able to pick up plenty of pointers from his AAU coach about competitiveness.

“All he wants to do is win, he doesn’t care who plays good, who doesn’t care who does what. That’s a good mindset to have going into college…you just want to win.”

There is also a noticeable amount of relief from Nelson, as he can now focus on team goals: leading Central to a deep run in yet another loaded Division 1 North field. Coach Rick Nault’s Red Raiders will again be one of the area’s most talented teams.

“I’m really pumped, I’m looking forward to having a good senior year,” Nelson said, “We’re going to be a lot better than people are giving us credit for.”

He attributes Central’s high in-house expectations to Nault, whom Nelson says is constantly pushing him to be better. As the Assistant Principal and Dean of Students at Central, Nault’s high expectations of Nelson and the team come on and off the court.

“I’ve known him a long time, he’s my favorite coach I ever played for. He’s always been there pushing me, he pushes me every day in practice. In school he’s the same way.”

The 2013 Under Armour Elite 24 will be held at the historic Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday and Saturday. The game airs live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. on Saturday, while the Slam Dunk Contest and Skills Competition will air tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

Two local New England prep school products -- Goodluck Okonoboh of Wilbraham & Monson, and Chris McCullough of Brewster Academy (N.H.) -- will be competing in the showcase event, which annually draws 24 of the top high school basketball prospects from around the country.

Below is some of the coverage of the two stars leading into tonight's festivities, from the staff at RecruitingNation, along with links:

Reggie Rankin: Top Elite 24 Position Matchups | LINK (Insider only)

Power forward matchup
Ivan Rabb vs. Chris McCullough
This matchup is between two long, athletic, explosive quick-off-the-floor forwards. Who will miss the first block-out and give up a tip dunk and get the crowd fired up? Which one will display his much improved ball skills and shooting and get off to a quick start? Expect rim-level rebounds, blocked shots and poster-like, above-the-rim finishes early in this one.

Reggie Rankin: Elite 24 Player Breakdowns | LINK (Insider only)

Chris McCullough
Power Forward
Bronx, N.Y./Brewster Academy
6-9, 210
College: Syracuse

McCullough is a extra-long athletic forward that excels on the break and finishes above the rim on all clear paths. He rebounds and blocks shots to go along with being a capable multiple-position lockdown defender as well with great upside.

NBA Comparison: Taj Gibson

Goodluck Okonoboh
Power Forward
Woburn, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson
6-10, 220
College: Undeclared

Okonoboh is a strong and physical forward that is finishes above the rim with extreme power and volleyball spike-like shots. He is a top-notch finisher, shot blocker, rebounder and rim protector with great upside.

NBA Comparisons: Serge Ibaka/Derrick Favors

Lawrence Academy senior guard Kyle Howes has verbally committed to Merrimack College for the 2014-15 season, his AAU program Boston Warriors announced tonight.

The 6-foot-2 Howes, a Maynard resident, is entering his third season at LA after a nice two-year run at Maynard High to start his high school career. As a freshman in 2009-10, he started in the backcourt on a Tigers squad that captured the No. 1 overall seed in Division 3 Central. He transferred to LA over the summer of 2011, and re-classified to the 2014 class.

Here is the full release, courtesy of Boston Warriors director Mark Papas:

The Boston Warriors are happy to announce that long-time player Kyle Howes has committed to full athletic scholarship to play basketball at Merrimack College. Merrimack has been on Kyle from the beginning. Kyle is very comfortable with Coach [Bert] Hammel and the coaching staff, and he feels that Merrimack is the best fit for him.

Kyle has excelled at both basketball and football at Lawrence Academy. This past spring and summer Kyle was our leading scorer and toughest player.

“Kyle will be a success at the next level because he loves basketball and wants to be successful. The college coaches know Kyle can score but this summer not only was he one of our leading scorers, but he did the little things to help us win big games like rebounding versus bigger opponents and diving on a loose balls.” quotes coach Cory McCarthy. “We had a slow start to the Gold Super Showcase and needed a win badly, Kyle stepped up and lead by example showed his teammates the effort it takes to get physical and play high level defense to get a big win over Grassroots Indiana.”

Cushing Academy senior ooint guard Kaleb Joseph has verbally committed to Syracuse University for the 2014-15 season, he announced late this afternoon.

I have officially decided to chase my dreams at Syracuse University and play for the hall of fame coach Jim Boeheim #OrangeNation

— kaleb joseph (@kalebjoseph15) August 17, 2013

The Nashua, N.H.-bred Joseph is the No. 51 overall player in ESPN 100, and the No. 10 point guard. last season, he helped lead the Penguins to the NEPSAC Class AA Championship, in a thrilling buzzer-beating finish over St. Andrew's (R.I.). Earlier this month, Joseph whittled his list of suitors down to three finalists -- Providence, West Virginia, and the aforementioned Orange.

Joseph becomes the second New England prospect to commit to Syracuse in the Class of 2014, joining Brewster Academy (N.H.) power forward Chris McCullough, a native of Bronx, N.Y., who is ranked No. 7 overall in the ESPN 100.

ESPN's Adam Finkelstein has more on Joseph's commitment, which is excerpted below. For the full article, CLICK HERE.

For Joseph, the opportunity to play at Syracuse was a dream come true.

"It's always been my dream school, and I just don't think there are many people who have the opportunity to do what they have dreamed about since they were young," Joseph said. "To work so hard for so long and then have God put the opportunity in front of me, it just felt right."

Nevertheless, this commitment still wasn't an easy one for Syracuse to win. Jim Boeheim and his staff followed Joseph throughout July with his Mass Rivals travel team and ultimately had to convince Joseph there was an important role for him despite the presence of Tyler Ennis, who will be just a year ahead of Joseph at Syracuse and is widely expected to be the team's starting point guard from Day One of his freshman season.

While the realization that both West Virginia and Providence had more immediate playing time to offer gave Joseph pause, it ultimately wasn't enough to make him say no to his dream school.

"I know of like the whole thing about Tyler, how everybody thinks I won't play," Joseph said.

"My whole basketball career I've always been the underdog," he added. "Not many basketball players come from New Hampshire to begin with. Everybody said I'd never get out of here. I like the underdog role. It keeps me grounded and motivated."

In our ongoing series chronicling the latest uniform changes for high school teams across Massachusetts, today we take a quick look at the big uniform overhaul at Greater Lowell Tech.

Be sure to tweet us your team's new uniforms at @BHallESPN, @ESPNScottB, or @ESPNBostonHS.

Greater Lowell Tech is upgrading its helmets, with a new finish, and hints that new away jerseys may be coming soon as well.

@BHallESPN New flat finish Vegas Gold helmets. New away jerseys arriving shortly. pic.twitter.com/2IdsQdeY82

— GL Tech Gryphons (@GLTechAthletics) August 13, 2013

The Gryphons also unveiled new uniforms for the boys and girls basketball teams:

@BHallESPN New boys home hoop uni's. pic.twitter.com/dRXRadYLTz

— GL Tech Gryphons (@GLTechAthletics) August 13, 2013

@BHallESPN New girls hoop home uni's. pic.twitter.com/5DtfDvKDoX

— GL Tech Gryphons (@GLTechAthletics) August 13, 2013

@BHallESPN New girls hoop aways. pic.twitter.com/H71k6PZiZb

— GL Tech Gryphons (@GLTechAthletics) August 13, 2013

What do you guys think? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below:

Mashpee High Athletic Director Matt Triveri officially announced the hiring this morning of Bob Catalini as the new head varsity girls basketball coach.

Below is the official release from Triveri:

Mashpee High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Bob Catalini as its new varsity girls basketball coach. Bob’s coaching experience includes a head coaching stint as the varsity boys coach at Groton-Dunstable High School and at Fitchburg State University as an assistant coach for the men’s program. He mostly recently worked as a volunteer assistant for the Sandwich High School girls' varsity team and coached a team in the Cape Cod Waves girls AAU program. He has also directed numerous basketball camps over the past 25 years. Bob worked as an Athletic Director at Groton-Dunstable High School and Old Rochester High School. He is currently a Certified Coach’s Education Instructor for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and member of the Sandwich School Committee.

Northfield Mount Hermon incoming Class of 2016 center A.J. Brodeur picked up his first Division 1 scholarship offer today, from Holy Cross.

Holy Cross offered Northfield Mount Hermon '16 forward AJ Brodeur, per source. First of many for one of New England's best young prospects

— Christian Bradley (@_ChrisBradley) August 12, 2013

"When I got the phone call, at first I had a smile on my face for about a half hour," Brodeur told ESPNBoston.com. "It feels good. I was happy, I was really excited."

The 6-foot-8 Brodeur is one of the most promising young stars in Massachusetts, considered a high-ceiling prospect after a monster sophomore campaign at Algonquin Regional this past season. The Tomahawks captured the No. 1 overall seed in MIAA Division 1 Central this season thanks to Brodeur, who averaged 17.5 points, 14.4 rebounds, 8.5 blocks and 4.5 assists; that also includes four triple-doubles of points, rebounds and blocks. He earned a spot on ESPN Boston's annual MIAA All-State Team for his efforts.

Brodeur, a Northborough resident, is transferring to NMH for this school year and re-classifying to the Class of 2016.

The offer comes as both a breath of excitement and a sigh of relief for the Brodeur family. Raised by a single mother, A.J. is about to part ways with his older brother, Jackson, who is headed off to the University of Southern California this fall.

"It feels really good knowing that I won't have to pay for college," he said. "My mom is a single mother, and my brother's going off to college -- it's hard enough doing that. And to have the opportunity to play college basketball is great."

Brewster Academy (N.H.) Class of 2014 guard Kevin Zabo has verbally committed to San Diego State for the 2014-15 season, he announced tonight via Twitter.

I'm truly blessed and happy to say that I have committed to San Diego State University! #SDSU #Aztecs

— kevin zabo (@KevinMzabo) August 10, 2013

The Gatineau, Quebec native is entering his second season with the Bobcats, having previously played at Montrose Christian (Md.) and St. Mark's (Mass.). ESPN ranks him as a three-star prospect, and the No. 32 overall point guard in the country. He also had interest from Georgetown, George Washington, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Villanova, Virginia and West Virginia before settling on the Aztecs.

In its evaluation of Zabo, Scouts Inc. believes Zabo to have a high ceiling:

Zabo shows great potential moving forward. He is very advanced for his age, both physically and in terms of his approach to the game. He has a natural basketball body with speed, quickness, and a strong frame and the feel for the game to vary his speeds and make good decisions. He is already comfortable playing with older and more mature players and has a natural composure and presence to his floor game.

For the full evaluation on Zabo, CLICK HERE.