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Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) media relations director Jay Demings sends along information regarding this weekend's State AAU tournament, which the club will be hosting:

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) will host the Massachusetts Boys 10th Grade State AAU Tournament beginning Friday, May 4 and running through Sunday, May 6. Teams will compete for both the Division 1 and Division 2 State AAU crowns with games held at Boston’s Tobin Gym and Community Center, Vine Street Community Center as well as the Orchard Garden Community Center.

This year’s 10th Grade State Tournament will feature 30 teams competing against each other in both pool and bracket play throughout the weekend. The teams that advance to the semi-finals of bracket play will then head to UMass-Lowell the weekend of May 19-20 for the Massachusetts State AAU “Final Four” where a state champion in each division will be decided.

Boston Amateur Basketball Club Director of Operations Jay Demings passes along information regarding this weekend's Trigger Burke Tipoff Tournament, this weekend in Boston.

BOSTON -- The Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) is set to host the 2012 George “Trigger” Burke Tipoff Tournament this Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1 in Boston. The tournament will feature 43 teams competing across 6 age divisions for players in grades 7 through 12.

“We feel that we have compiled some of the best local AAU and travel teams to take part in our Tip-off,” said Jay Demings, BABC’s Operations and Tournament Director. “For such an early season tournament we think this is going to be a highly competitive event because of the quality of teams and their coaches.”

The Tipoff is named after George “Trigger” Burke, a former standout basketball player at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the mid-1950s. A 1956 second-team All-America selection, Burke was also named first team All-East, first team All-New England, first team All-Yankee Conference, and first team All-Boston Garden. Burke was the first player ever to lead UMass in both scoring and assists in the same season. He remains one of only three former Minutemen to have his jersey number retired, and his #32, shared with fellow UMass legend Julius Erving, hangs from the rafters of the Mullins Center. A former acting mayor of the City of Quincy and District Attorney of Norfolk County, Burke enjoyed a successful law career after his playing days at UMass and as a professional player with the Boston Celtics.

BABC will have its Freshmen, Sophomore and Junior teams in action all weekend. Their schedule is as follows:

Freshmen
Saturday 4:35 p.m., Saturday 6:45 p.m. and Sunday at 4:20 or 5:25, all at the Tobin Gym

Sophomores
Saturday 5:40 at the Kroc Center, Saturday 8:00 p.m. at Vine Street Community Cntr & Sunday 2:10 p.m. at the Kroc Center

Juniors
Sunday 12 p.m. and 1:05 p.m., both at the Kroc Center

Boston Amateur Basketball Club Director of Operations Jay Demings forwards along the following press release regarding the club's participation in this weekend's 'Fitzy Games' at Mt. Ida College.

ROXBURY, MA - The Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) will debut its 2012 Freshmen, Sophomore and Junior teams in the 10th Annual Fitzy Games this Sunday, March 18, at the Mt. Ida College Athletic Center in Newton, MA.

BABC teams will compete against a select group of area players assembled by this year’s tournament host, Hoop Mountain New England. The BABC Freshmen team will tip-off at 10:00 AM, followed by the Sophomore team at 11:30 AM and the Junior team at 1:00 PM.

The Fitzy Games were established in 2003 to generate proceeds for the Paul Fitzpatrick and Robert “Knobby” Nolan foundations, which helps to send local kids to basketball camps in the names of both deceased coaches.

The BABC is coming off a banner year in 2011, as the club captured the prestigious Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) National Championship, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Sophomore National Championship, as well as the AAU Freshmen National Championship. In addition, both the Junior and Freshmen teams placed second in the country in the 2011 AAU National Super Showcases.

The club’s accomplishments led to the program being named Five-Star Basketball’s 2011 National Program of the Year and, as a result of the success, BABC head Leo Papile was named as National Coach of the Year.

Today on ESPNHS' national basketball blog, basketball writers Jason Jordan and Ronnie Flores offer 12 "bold predictions" for 2012.

Included among those predictions are some high-profile local ballers:

4. Nerlens Noel will lead BABC (Boston) to repeat as champs of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League this summer. The trio of Noel, a junior center at Tilton (Tilton, N.H.) who is ranked No. 2 in the ESPNU 60, Jaylen Brantley, a junior point guard at Wilbraham & Monson (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Wayne Selden, a sophomore shooting guard at Tilton who is ranked No. 10 in the ESPNU 25, will be too much for teams to handle.

7. Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) forward Mitch McGary, who is ranked No. 2 in the ESPNU 100, will take home MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic. Much like James McAdoo last season, McGary, a senior who is signed to Michigan, will clean up the misses from guards who are trying to do too much in the all-star setting.

Scoring is in Capital Prep junior Kahlil Dukes’ DNA. He reached 1,000 career points as a sophomore. He dropped 51 points in a game against Classical Magnet recently. Dukes has always been a scorer. You can go on YouTube and find videos of him from middle school doing exactly what he does today: embarrassing defenses.

There have been questions about Dukes too. Many scouts consider him to be an undersized two guard at 5-foot-11. Some question his upside at the next level as well.

After seeing him go up against West Roxbury, here are some observations I made:

Scoring

Dukes had an effortless 31 points against West Roxbury last Wednesday in the BABC Holiday Classic. He was scoring in every imaginable way, whether it was acrobatic drives to the hoop, pull-up jump shots, or deep three-pointers. Here are some clips of Dukes’ field goals:



The first two clips show Dukes’ great body control. He is that type of player that never is out of control. He’s always on balance and driving to the basket with a purpose. In the third clip, Dukes gains separation from the defender with a nice step-back move to get a pull-up jump shot. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth clip, Dukes demonstrates his superior basketball I.Q. Part of the reason why he is such a good scorer is that he knows defensive tendencies and how to take advantage of them. I made the last clip in slow motion to show just how good Dukes’ shooting form is. He has serious range on his jump shot and shoots a great percentage from everywhere on the floor.

Passes

There is no getting around the fact that Kahlil Dukes is a combo guard. He is by no means a point guard. At the high school level, he can play the point. At the next level he will need to improve his ball-handling and quickness to play any minutes at the point. He has the court vision and passing ability, which is key to his development into a point guard.



In all of these clips, Dukes does an excellent job of feeding the post. As a wing and a point guard, this is critical to a team’s success.

Shot Selection

For the most part, Dukes has good shot selection. As one of the Nutmeg State's finest scorers, it is Dukes’ role to take the most shots on his team. There were a few shots, however, there were questionable decisions.



Look at where Dukes is standing in the first clip. That is a three-pointer well beyond the NBA three-point line. This is a bad shot. Yes, Dukes did hit the back of the rim proving that he can hit that shot, but with 25 seconds left on the shot clock, he could have found a better shot. When he faces tougher defenses, Dukes cannot settle for deep range shots like this. In basketball, every possession counts and it is imperative for players to capitalize on every possession to get the highest percentage shot as possible.

In the second clip, Dukes makes a nice move around his first defender but gets his shot partially blocked because of the second defender. On a fast break, it would have been a better decision to pull the ball out and run a play rather than forcing a difficult shot on two defenders.

Observations

There were some things that stood out about Dukes that could not be seen on video.

-- Dukes has the poise of a Division I player. He never talks to the refs. He never talks back to his coach. He always supports his teammates. Dukes has the intangibles to play at the next level, which is why he has had a solid dose of low Division I offers.

-- Upside seems to be one of the main concerns with Dukes, but if he can develop into a point guard, what is there to worry about? This past summer, Dukes performed well on the national level with the Connecticut Basketball Club alongside superstars like Andre Drummond and Kris Dunn, proving that he can score on more than just the competition he faces in Connecticut.

-- The main concern at this point may be on the defensive end. Dukes has to play a less aggressive role on Capital Prep because they need him to stay out of foul trouble. As a small guard, he will need to work on his build (while maintaining his coordination and quickness) if he wants to play serious minutes at a Division I school.

Conclusion

Every high school team in America could use a guy like Kahlil Dukes. He can flat out score and has an unbelievable feel for the game. Sure, he is doing this type of damage on a team that is not a Top 35 team in Massachusetts, but Dukes does this to nearly every team he faces, regardless of the level.

With his elite scoring ability and underrated potential, Dukes could be a diamond in the rough on the New England basketball scene.

NEWTON, Mass. -- It's a season of change at Newton North High School. Last year's Division 1 South runner-up is going small, after a nice run the last few years with big men Greg Kelley, Tevin Falzon, and his younger brother Aaron Falzon. With both Falzons off to prep school, the Tigers are for once without ideal height, and are adopting a most fast-paced mentality as they get set to run the Bay State Carey gauntlet.

With a reloaded squad in defending champ Weymouth, as well as improvements from Brookline, Needham and Braintree, it's expected to be one of the most wide-open Carey Division races in recent memoery. Leading the charges is guard Michael Thorpe, a returning Bay State Conference All-Star who will be taking a new role this season as one of the lead scoring options, rather than a distributor.

Thorpe had a pretty good run over the offseason with the Middlesex Magic AAU squad, capped with a win over the powerhouse Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) last October. Head coach Mike Crotty Jr. had the following to say about Thorpe following the summer run:

"Thorpe emerged as a terrific combo guard for the Magic all season long. He has blazing speed and quickness which he uses to bother opposing guards and to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. He has a very good shooting touch from deep and a great ability to finish in traffic. Thorpe will provide a versatile guard with great scoring ability at the next level."

Thorpe spoke with ESPNBoston.com following a Tuesday afternoon practice, to talk about his preparation for the upcoming season.

Q: What kind of goals have you set for yourselves this year?
A: "Just try to do the best we can. Last season was last season, we can never say we're going to go that far again this year. As a team, I think we'll do pretty well."

Q: The theme this year for many of the top MIAA schools is going to be what they do in spite of their lack of size. You guys are probably one of the prime examples of this. How does the gameplan change with this personnel?
A: "We want to get up and down, pressure. We're not as big as recent years, so we're going to have to use our speed and athleticism to get up and down and make teams play faster then they would like."

Q: How has it changed for you? The last couple years, you've had a pretty good high-low game with Greg Kelley and then the Falzon brothers. This year it's a different look in the frontcourt.
A: "It is. It makes me want to shoot a little more, because we don't have the scoring presence that we used to. I'm not bringing the ball up as much. I'm more getting out on the wing, out on the break to score a little more, so that's a bit of a different look."

Q: How competitive do you guys anticipate the Bay State Conference being this year?
A: "I think it'll be pretty competitive. Needham just beat Lexington, that's a big win for the league. It looks like Braintree will be pretty good, Weymouth, Brookline, so the league's going to be very competitive."

Q: You went off in a game against the BABC this fall. How exciting was that?
A: "It was huge. BABC was the national champs, obviously they were down a little bit, but whenever you get a shot at them you've got to play your best. We came out big, and it was huge, really huge. Especially going into the season, knocking off BABC and going right into the season."

Q: Where would you say you've improved the most?
A: "It's hard to say. I think just making my overall game efficient. Not over-dribbling, or taking the forced shot. I just think efficiency is where I've improved the most."

Q: What's your favorite play to run?
A: "I don't know. I just like getting out on the break and having the game flow. Not really a play per se, but just having the game go up and down."

Q: How do you prepare for the game?
A: "I like a good snack, usually something with honey because honey is a good supplement that gives you energy. It's not like sugar, where you get energy and then you crash afterwards. So I like to get a really good snack, and then I just focus. I talk to my team, talk to my coaches about what the [other] team is going to bring, then I just go out and play."

Q: What's going to be the biggest keys for you guys as a team this season?
A: "As coach [Paul Connolly] says, communication. It's a brand new team than last year, got a lot of young kids, and we've just got to communicate and work through it. We're going to win games, yeah, but we have to communicate. How many we win, who knows?"

Q: Can you tell us about the tattoos on your upper left arm?
A: "I've got "Family First" [just above the elbow], because no matter what happens, basketball, whatever, your family's always going to be there. Then I have the sun rise [across the lower bicep] -- like early in the day, the sun rises and family's the first thing you think about. Then up top I have a basketball and then night, because I like to end the night with basketball. But I always have family first at the beginning of the day. So it's kind of like a day -- an ellipse. [On each letter of 'Family' is a different family member's name] Susan's my mother, Jason's my brother, Latoya's my sister, Walker's my brother, Emily's my sister, and then Patrick is my brother."

Q: Did that hurt?
A: "Not as much as people think. After a while, it gets numb, and then it's fine after that."

Q: How excited are you for the first game?
A: "Aw, extremely excited. We're going to Norwood, they've got a brand new gym, it's going to be the first game ever there at that gym, so it's going to be huge. I'm very excited."

Domonique Bull committed to Missouri on Friday, reuniting himself with former BABC teammates Phil and Matt Pressey, as well as former Tilton (N.H.) teammate Tony Lester.

Bull, who visited Missouri campus officially last weekend, was previously committed to Rhode Island before re-opening his recruitment last spring.

The Worcester native made a name for himself early in his grassroots career, earning a starring role for the Boston Amateur Basketball Club well before arriving at Cushing Acacdemy as a freshman.

Bull played a pivotal role in BABC’s 2010 sixteen-and-under AAU National Championship, teaming with Georges Niang to lead the team in scoring while Nerlens Noel anchored the team’s defensive efforts.

Following that summer, and three successful seasons at Cushing, Bull made the decision to join Niang, Noel and fellow AAU teammates Wayne Selden and Goodluck Okonoboh at the Tilton School. Six months later and the group would take another championship, this time the inaugural NEPSAC class AA title.

This past summer Bull made his final appearance on the AAU circuit, and he went out in style with yet another championship, taking the title at the Nike Peach Jam, the culminating event of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League.

Ultimately, his role in his teams’ collective success has repaid him with individual accolades, namely the opportunity to play high-major basketball. Now the question becomes what role can Bull expect upon arriving in Missouri.

Fortunately for Bull, Missouri plays with one of the deepest benches in all of college basketball, and while there is a new head coach in town, there doesn’t appear to be a major change in philosophy.

Former head coach Mike Anderson’s "40 minutes of hell" system revitalized Missouri basketball, bringing them to three straight NCAA tournaments, and while Anderson left to take the reigns at Arkansas this spring, new head coach Frank Haith appears content to stick with a similar style. So while Haith has yet to coach a game on the Tiger’s sidelines, all indications are that Mizzou will continue to defend the length of the floor, attempt to create tempo at every opportunity, and play at least a 10-man rotation.

That’s a style of play that suits Bull perfectly. A powerful guard, Bull can make plays on both ends of the floor. Offensively, his bread and butter is his dribble penetration, which allows him to create for both himself and his teammates. Defensively, he likes to attack opposing ball-handlers, using his strong body and aggressive approach to force turnovers.

While Bull’s strength are well suited for a transition game, equally important is the system’s ability to camouflage some of his deficiencies. While his jumper has improved over the years, it’s still streaky. Similarly, while he’s a playmaker who likes the ball in his hands, he isn’t a pure point. Those traits are much more easily exposed when attempting to grind out a game in the half-court, but given the extra space that the open floor allows, they are much easier to mask.

Ultimately, if Bull’s goal was to play high-major basketball there may not be a better place than Missouri where he’ll reunite with former teammates and play a style that suits his skills. That’s a recipe that has led to numerous championships at the high school and AAU levels, whether or not it will do the same in the SEC is a question that only time can tell.

Adam Finkelstein is the founder and editor of the New England Recruiting Report and also covers recruiting in the northeast for ESPN Scouts Inc. Adam has the rare distinction of having coached or scouted at the high school, NCAA, and NBA levels, having worked as a Division I assistant at the University of Hartford and spent three years under the NBA's director of scouting Marty Blake.

ESPN's Adam Finkelstein checks in today with Tilton junior guard/forward Wayne Selden, who is returning from a leg injury that's sidelined him since the end of AAU season.

Selden was pretty busy this summer, playing an integral role with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club's 15, 16 and 17-and-under squads, which included show-stopping appearances on national television in July.

But shortly after returning to Roxbury, Selden found himself in the doctor's office. Finkelstein writes (Insider only):

Shortly after his summer came to an end, Selden was diagnosed with compartment syndrome and required to undergo surgery in August.

The procedure left him with a 10-inch scar down the side of his calf muscle and forced him to sit out the first four weeks of Tilton’s preseason workouts.

There was a silver lining to his temporary setback though, as his trip to the doctor’s office officially confirmed what he had been telling people throughout the summer.

“I’m officially 6-5 now,” Selden said with a smile. “I got measured at the doctor’s office.”

Selden recently returned to the court and didn’t show much lingering rust, according to Tilton coach Marcus O’Neil.

“He’s back, playing well and looking sharp,” O’Neil said. “He’s shooting it well and looks healthy and able to make all the athletic plays.”

While Selden has already accomplished an incredible amount during a relatively short career to date, he remains focused on additional challenges.

“I’d like to go from more of a 2/3 to 2/1 by the time I get to college,” he said.

True to form though, his biggest goals are slated with respect to his team, as Selden spoke of his desire to return Tilton to the days of his predecessors, when Alex Oriakhi, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, and Gerard Coleman led the school to a national prep championship.

“We want to win class AA [of the NEPSAC] again this year and then win the national prep championship,” he said. “Basically we just don’t want to lose at all.”

On the recruiting front, Selden lists offers from Connecticut, Kentucky, West Virginia, Providence, Boston College and Pittsburgh along with additional interest from North Carolina, Ohio State, and Georgetown among others.

“I’m going to make a list after next AAU season,” he said.

Until then his focus is strictly on piling up more championships.

As if the accolades were ever going to stop for Tilton (N.H.) big man Nerlens Noel, they just continue to roll in.

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club passed along this note this morning from Five-Star Basketball:

NEW YORK CITY — Tabbed the "best shot blocker" he's ever played against by No. 1 Houston Defenders' Andrew Harrison, BABC's Five-Star rated center Nerlens Noel is the runaway winner for our inaugural Summer Defensive Player of the Year award.

"I'm really honored and grateful to win the award," Noel told Five-Star. "It means a lot to me."

The slender 6-foot-10 giant turned away 55 shots over 11 games in Nike EYBL play for an average of 5.0 per contest. And when the Peach Jam title was on the line against Memphis YOMCA, Noel recorded 10 boards (five defensive), a half-dozen blocks and four steals in an 84-67 win, justifying the age-old cliche that 'defense wins championships.'

But, that wasn't Noel's most memorable defensive outing.

"The play that stands out the most is when I blocked a Team Takeover shot in the last minute to win the 16U AAU National Championship [in Orlando]," he continued. "It was the second year in a row that I had a big block in the final minute."

Noel comes up big when it counts. Splitting his time between 16U and 17U competition, Noel led both BABC squads to multiple spring and summer championships, and a first and second place finish in our Top 25 rankings, respectively.

This "One-man zone" cemented his No. 1 positional ranking for centers in the Class of 2013 by all three major evaluation services - Rivals, Scout and ESPN - with consistent output on the defensive-end throughout the entire spring and summer.

BABC Director and Head Coach, Leo Papile, recently told the Louisville Courier-Journal, "No one has ever been compared to Bill Russell, but I said that about this kid [Nerlens Noel] when he was in the eighth grade. He has a basketball brain like no other player that I have ever coached. He’s a special kid."

One opposing summer league coach summed up the big man's defensive prowess this way: "It’s like that wrinkled dollar you keep putting in the machine and it just keeps spitting it out.”

That pretty much says it all.

Award Criteria: Known as a stopper; hard-nosed competitor; winner; always willing to take on a challenge of guarding the opponent’s best player; having the greatest impact on the game and his team from a defensive standpoint.

ESPN's basketball recruiting analysts gathered for a roundtable to discuss the highlights of the July live period, and among the frequent topic was the success of the Boston Amateur Basketball Club, which won the Nike EYBL Championship as well as the AAU Ninth Grade National Championship.

The BABC popped up several times among the memorable moments, highlighted below:

Paul Biancardi: In the quarterfinals of the AAU Super Showcase the BABC had a comfortable double-figure lead at the half vs. SYF Players. SYF made an outstanding comeback and had a 2-point lead with 2.3 seconds to go. BABC had to go the length of the floor and coach Leo Papile ran Jaylen Brantley (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson), the team's best 3-point shooter, off a screen. With his momentum going towards half court, Brantley caught the pass in the backcourt, took a couple of dribbles and from just about half court hit the game-winner to have BABC advance to the finals.

Adam Finkelstein: This summer's signature performance doesn't belong to one individual player in my mind, but instead to one program. The Boston Amateur Basketball Club put together one of the most dominant months that the AAU world has seen in recent years, rivaling All-Ohio Red's superiority from the summer of '09. BABC won their "big three" this month scoring national championships at AAU ninth grade nationals and AAU 10th grade nationals, while also taking the Nike EYBL title at the Peach Jam.

John Stovall: Nerlens Noel (Everett, Mass./The Tilton School) is the best shot-blocker and perhaps the best defensive force in the country, regardless of class. He is one of the players who can dominate a game without scoring a point. That point was made very clear in BABC's win over the Oakland Soldiers in the semifinals of the Nike EYBL. Noel had a triple-double, scoring a modest 12 points in the game and a solid rebounding effort with 10 boards, but he really made his presence felt with 11 blocks. Those blocks still don't tell the story of how dominant he was. He changed or altered at least that many shots and affected the Soldiers' shooting even more. That game elevated Noel's profile even more in not only my mind but the minds of all of the coaches and scouts present in the gym.

With the July evaluation period over, ESPN's group of basketball recruiting analysts got together for a roundtable on the biggest breakout performers of the summer. Several locals popped up on the radar, as shown below:

Mike LaPlante: BABC won as many games as anyone this summer, and Georges Niang (Methuen, Mass./The Tilton School) was a major factor. He is the ultimate lunch-pail guy who goes about his business without a lot of fanfare, while consistently outplaying higher-rated opponents. Although the Iowa State commit may not pass the eye test with flying colors, he is a deceptive athlete who understands how to maximize his abilities and is as tough as they come in the low post. I love his high basketball IQ and the fact that he is obsessed with winning. The rest of the country now knows what Iowa State and a handful of other programs knew all along -- this kid is a winner who was grossly undervalued.

Reggie Rankin: Xavier commit Semaj Christon (Cincinnati/Brewster Academy) is a postgrad, but his talent and ability to take over games from the point guard position was a treat to watch this summer. He has size, speed, quickness, athletic ability and skill. Plus, he can make a positive play with the clock winding down. Christon has the talent to have an immediate impact for the Musketeers from Day 1.

John Stovall: Kris Dunn (New London, Conn./Wilbraham & Monson) is a scoring point guard who had a limited national profile coming into this spring and summer. Playing alongside Andre Drummond (Middletown, Conn./St. Thomas More) all summer has really helped raise his profile, but he is very talented in his own right. Dunn is very quick, athletic, hard to keep out of the paint and very good at creating for himself or his teammates. The 6-3, 180-pounder understands how to use his size to score, pass and defend.

HAVERHILL, Mass. -- When Methuen native and Tilton (N.H.) forward Georges Niang committed to Iowa State last May, it turned a few heads -- some of them with an air of suspicion. Was he ready for the Big 12?

Then Niang hit the road with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club, and whatever dissidence was out there evaporated. Lauded for his throwback, physical style around the rim, the Methuen native isn't afraid to throw his elbows around, and takes pride in wearing down the opposition's top scoring threat. Together with fellow teammate and highly-suited center Nerlens Noel, the BABC were a dominant inside force during the Nike EYBL season, culminating with BABC director Leo Papile's first Peach Jam title in his eighth finals appearance, last month in North Augusta, S.C.

This week, Niang and New Hampton's Noah Vonleh were back home in the Merrimack Valley helping run the Elite Youth Players Camp, an annual youth basketball clinic put on by Utah Jazz scout Jeff Nelson at the Cedardale Athletic Club. Following this afternoon's session of the week-long camp, which ends Friday, Niang talked to ESPNBoston.com about his explosive summer, and the future.

Q: Going into the summer, what were some of your goals? What were you looking to accomplish?
A: "Going into the summer, my goals were definitely to win the Peach Jam, bring one home for Boston and definitely for Leo, giving him his first one at the Peach Jam. And to repeat for the Nationals with the 16's, since we didn't have enough guys to play for the 17's. But just, to win as many games as we could, and enjoy my last summer of AAU. I mean, I really did that with the guys. It was great spending time with them, and down at the houses in Florida. But winning the Peach Jam was definitely the highlight."

Q: What about personally, was there anything motivating you this summer?
A: "Definitely. There was a lot of stuff being thrown around, like, 'Oh, now that Georges committed, is he still going to put up the same kinda numbers that he did?' And I definitely wanted to show that I belonged in the Big 12, and that I belonged to Iowa State. Just by going out there and proving it every night against ranked guys, that was something that motivated me deep down."

Q: What do you think you've improved upon the most this summer?
A: "I think just my body, and always consistently playing well. That's definitely something I wanted going into the summer, just getting my body into the best shape I could, and consistently playing well at the top level."

Q: People sometimes talk about your game as unorthodox, because you don't fit a natural position, be it a three, four or five. But the one thing that does stick out is the way you take command on the boards. Is that something you take pride in? Is it a mentality?
A: "Oh yeah, definitely. Being the best you can be is something I strive for. Grabbing rebounds, looking for the ball down low, just doing what I got to do to stay on the floor. I feel like if you can be more versatile, you can stay on the floor as long as you want."

Q: As far as technique with boxing out, what is your strategy?
A: "I mean, I do have a big body, so you're putting your body on someone and just banging down low. That helps a lot. But strictly, I'm just finding the man -- usually, I try to find the more athletic kids, because beating down athletic guys, they really don't want to jump around the rim anymore, and that just makes rebounding that much easier."

Q: Who is the best player you faced this summer?
A: "In general, I have to give it to the Harrison twins [Aaron and Andrew, of Houston's Travis High]. They were tough, and they beat us [on national television, in the Super Showcase Final with Houston Defenders AAU]. But at my position, I'd definitely have to give it to Mitch McGary [of Brewster Academy]. Mitch McGary is tough to play against. He's strong, and he gets to the rim, and he's athletic."

Q: Should be a good matchup with Brewster this year, then?
A: "Yeah, we're going to beat them (laughs). We'll get them this year."

Q: You've won four straight NEPSAC titles at Tilton. What's motivating you to a fifth?
A: "To go out a winner, definitely. I don't want to go out a loser, I definitely want to end my high school career on a win. And not only that, we're looking for five in a row, but we're definitely going for a national championship. I definitely want to end my career on a national championship."

Q: You play year-round with Nerlens, Goodluck, and Wayne Selden. How is the chemistry?
A: "The chemistry is great. Sometimes, like anything else, we're like brothers, so we'll argue every now and then. But all of us love each other, we're never selfish or anything like that. It's just great, because you have someone to relate to who's at your level. These guys are in your classes, they live with you, so just being around them year round, getting to know them, they're friends for a lifetime, definitely."

Q: What are the places to be seen around Methuen? Any restaurants, hangouts?
A: "The Loop is the hangout. But...damn, I'll have to say Romano's Pizza. That's the spot. Sometimes I might get a calzone, but you know I like to mix it up with a chicken caesar salad -- make sure you tell Fred that one, too. No, but Romano's is a cool spot. And then sometimes the barber shop down in Methuen, Five Star Barber Shop, me and my boy Michael Gorman go there to get haircuts and just chill over there."

Q: You mentioned Fred Hoiberg. When did it hit you that Iowa State was the right place for you, and how did it feel when you made the call to Fred with your commitment?
A: "I knew after my visit, it felt right. I just wanted take my time and be sure. After my visit, he came up to visit three weeks in a row, as much as he could -- as in, him, himself, not his assistants. Coach came up and told me that he wanted me, always told me that he wanted me. I felt like it was the right spot. I think it was a Sunday, maybe May 15, I came home from Mike Gorman's house, and I was talking in the car. I was trying to get Fred on the phone with my mom, because I told my mom I think I'm ready to commit. So we talked to Rick Gorman, my old AAU coach, about it. I called Leo, called my high school coach, told all of them I was ready. And then I got Fred and my dad on the phone -- my dad was overseas, because he works in the Navy. After that, I called Fred back and told him I wanted to commit and come to Iowa State.

"And I mean, it's been the best ever since. Cyclone Nation has supported me to the fullest, and I can only love that, because that's where I'm going to be playing, and these are the people that are gonna be supporting me. I can't wait to get out to Ames."

Q: Your father is in the Navy. Is that where you get your discipline from?
A: "Yeah, definitely, definitely (laughs). He's hard on me, but he loves me, so you know, I love him to the fullest, too. My dad [Sidi Niang] moved here from Senegal when he was 18, he lived down at New Bedford and then my parents met at UMass Amherst."

Before a nationally televised audience on ESPNU, the Boston Amateur Basketball Club's 17-under squad fell to the Houston Defenders, 55-45, in the finals of the AAU Super Showcase tonight at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Iowa State commit and incoming Tilton (N.H.) senior Georges Niang led the BABC with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while guard Rene Castro had seven assists. Highly-touted big man Nerlens Noel also chipped in with 10 points in the loss.

ESPN RISE basketball editor Jason Jordan has a full recap of the game here.

Hampered by injuries to two key cogs, and already playing with a short bench, the Boston Amateur Basketball Club's 15-year-olds were able to persevere their way into the finals of the AAU Super Showcase, at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

After making it to the Sweet Sixteen of the tournament, the BABC knocked off Dorian's Pride (Mich.), Florida Family and Team United (N.C.), before losing to D.C. power Team Takeover in the championship, 61-54.

Boston native Wayne Selden, the No. 7 overall Class of 2014 player, grabbed his share of attention as usual with a team-high 22 points -- "He ran it," coach Eggie McRae said -- while Bonzie Colson (12 points) and Damion Smith (11 points, nine rebounds) were solid contributors. But once again, point guard and Brockton native Jonathan Joseph (eight points, eight assists) was the unsung hero throughout the tournament.

"He ran the show," McRae said of Joseph, who is transferring from Brockton High to Putnam Science Academy (Conn.) and re-classifying to 2015. "Shoot, we had 8 games, and he might have came out a total of 10 minutes. He was like a maestro. He could do no wrong, he was maybe an 8 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio for the week."

Early on in the tournament, the BABC lost Tyree Robinson and Joey O'Connell to injuries, forcing them to use sometimes as few as six players in games. But just like in Little Rock earlier this month, they were able to weather the storm.

"These players got big hearts," McRae said. "We don't get there without heart."

ESPN's Paul Biancardi checks in from Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., site of this year's invite-only Super Showcase. Two games will be broadcast on ESPNU, including the championship on July 27 at 7 p.m., and one of the heavyweights in this year's tournament is the Boston Amateur Basketball Club.

Biancardi tabs the BABC, fresh of a championship at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, as one of the "Five Favorites" headed into the event:

BABC (Boston)
Fresh off of winning its first Peach Jam championship in 16 years, the BABC comes into the Super Showcase with a record of 77-2 on the season. This defensive-minded group led the regular season of the EYBL in scoring defense at 51 points per game -- with a shot clock! The squad is led by the nation's best shot-blocker in C Nerlens Noel (Everett, Mass./Titlon School), who makes opponents think twice before attempting any shot, and the ones he does not block, he alters. Offensively, Noel is making progress as he scores with either hand inside and drives the ball from the high post effectively. Noel's partner in the frontcourt, PF Georges Niang (Methuen, Mass./The Tilton School), is fundamentally sound, productive and does a good job lifting taller defenders off the ground with a shot fake. PG Jaylen Brantley (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson) is the unsung hero. He is the team's best 3-point shooter and leading scorer.

Biancardi also makes note of the Albany (N.Y.) City Rocks, led by several New Englanders:

Albany City Rocks (Albany, N.Y.)
Albany City Rocks has one of the most talented teams on the circuit and could easily make a run if they can get all that talent on the same page. The team has one of the best inside-out combinations with 6-10, 280-pound C DaJuan Coleman (Dewitt, N.Y./James Dewitt) in the post and a dynamic scorer in 6-6 SG Ricardo Ledo (Providence, R.I./Notre Dame Prep) on the perimeter. PF Zach Auguste (Marlborough, Mass./New Hampton School) has also developed into a multidimensional forward who can score and rebound effectively. Don't ever count this team out.