More Player Movement

Many Top Mass Prospects Going Prep

Doing a Post-Grad Year (2011)
Andre King - Headed to Suffield Academy after four years at Sabis Charter School
Alex Levine - Headed to Philips Exeter Academy after four years at Weston High
Dan Brooks - Headed to Kimball Union Academy after four years at Catholic Memorial High

Repeating Junior Year (2012)
Zach Auguste - Transferring from Marlborough High to the New Hampton School
Jules Tavares - Transferring from Wareham High to Wilbraham & Monson

Repeating Sophomore Year (2013)
Kamali Bey - Transferring from Sabis Charter School to Wilbraham & Monson

Repeating Freshman Year (2014)
Wayne Selden - Transferring from O'Bryant High to the Tilton School

With all of these players going from high school to prep school, there is also one player who is doing the opposite. Jared Fahmy is headed back to Bedford High (NH) after spending this past season at Brewster Academy.

NH Boys State Tournament - Class of 2012

Rivals and Bishop Elite Have Talented Sophomores

Our player evaluations for this past weekend's NH Boys AAU State Tournament continue. Today we look at the Class of 2012.

Ryan Gauthier, Nashua North - Gauthier missed out on Saturday's action. But he made up for it on Sunday with a couple of big performances, especially in the 16U title game where he helped lead the NH Rivals to a win over Bishop Elite. The 5'11" combo guard was very impressive on both ends of the floor. On defense he forced a number of turnovers and on offense he was always on attack mode, playing with a swagger and converting some big baskets.

Gabe LaCount, Manchester Central - LaCount is a natural scorer, and he really played hard every minute he was out there. He was frustrated at times by the tough defense of Gauthier and Showly Nicholson, but he stuck with it and made some big plays late. LaCount was Bishop Elite's go-to-guy and nearly led the team to an upset win over the Rivals.

Chris Light, Pinkerton -Light is an emerging player, he was barely ranked in the top 20 before but he looked very good over the weekend. He played with a purpose, and at one point scored 8 straight points against the Rivals. The 6'3" wing was making strong drives to the rim and finishing, as well as knocking down pull-up jumpers.

Devin Gilligan, Souhegan - Gilligan showed a solid inside-outside game. He was grabbing rebounds and scoring some big hoops down low. And he was also defending and going by people on the perimeter. The 6'3" wing didn't try to do too much, and took adavantage of the chances he got my making some big plays when it counted.

Richard O'Brien, Bedford - O'Brien showed that he is a very tough, gritty player. The 5'10" point guard started and played most of the game for Bishop Elite's 16U team. He was fearless and didn't back down, even when confronted with intense defensive pressure.

Javon Williams, Nashua North - Williams was another key member of the Rivals' championship team. The 5'10" guard used his speed and athleticism to get into the lane and make plays, either for himself or setting up a teammate.

Tyler Gendron, Merrimack - The 6'4" Gendron is a very versatile player. He didn't have a monster weekend, but he played some solid ball. Gendron pulled down some key rebounds down low, showed a well rounded game and the ability to play on the perimter which is a nice asset in a 6'4" sophomore.

Mass. Girls State Tournament Results

Bay State Jaguars Win 4 Titles

The Mass. Girls AAU State Tournament was held this past weekend in Foxboro. Champions were crowned in both Division I and II for ages 10U-16U. Below are the championship game results.

Division I
16U - Bay State Jaguars 60 South Coast Elite 49
15U - Mass Frenzy 53 Mass Premier 51
14U - Visionary Basketball 48 Mass Lady Warriors 42
13U - Bay State Jaguars 38 Mass Wildcats 23
12U - Mass Destruction Elite 33 Bay State Magic Elite 18
11U - Bay State Jaguars 26 Bay State Magic Elite 25
10U - Boston Showstoppers 37 MPlex 34

Division II
16U - Shamrocks 52 Mass Cheetahs 36
15U - Bay State Jaguars 50 Mass Attack 22
14U - NE Select 60 MT Elite 56
13U - Mass Frenzy 56 Mass Premier 49
12U - North Central Blaze 42 Mass Elite 26
11U - Mass Wildcats 30 Bay State Jaguars 12

NH AAU State Tournament - Class of 2011

Madol Steals Show Saturday Night

Today we continue our look back at this past weekend's NH Boys AAU State Tournament by starting our player evaluations. First up is the Class of 2011.

David Madol, Trinity HS - Madol continues to show why he is NH's top prospect for the Class of 2011. The 6'5" wing had a monster game for Bishop Elite in their pool play victory Saturday night over the Granite State Jayhawks. Madol did it all, knocking down threes, blocking shots in transition and scoring and rebounding inside. The Jayhawks geared their defense towards stopping him and he still produced.

Steve Spirou, Pelham HS - Spirou showed a well rounded, fundamentally sound game in all three contests for the Jayhawks. The 6'4" wing is a crafty player who knows how to get good position near the rim for baskets, and has a nose for the ball when it comes to getting offensive rebounds and loose balls. Spirou always seemed to make big plays when the Jayhawks needed them.

Shomari Morgan, Manchester Memorial - Even though he didn't see significant varsity minutes until this past season as a junior, Morgan (pictured above) is now able to excel against the top players in his class. The 6'1" off-guard didn't back down from any challenger on the court, defending and driving past whoever he was matched up with. Morgan is extremely athletic, and has an improved jumper to go with his already excellent slashing ability.

Sean McClung, Bishop Guertin - McClung is another key member of the Jayhawks. In the first Bishop Elite game the Jayhawks made a comeback to actually take the lead in the closing seconds, and McClung was a big part of the comeback. He played nearly the entire game, and had a pair of huge three pointers late in the contest. The 6'4" off-guard showed good size and quickness on the wing. McClung injured his back and did not play on Sunday.

Theo Speas, Keene HS - One of the state's more underrated players, Speas is another Bishop Elite player who more than held his own on the big stage and against the best players in his class. The 6'2" wing played hard every minute he was out there, constantly attacking the rim and playing the game fearless. Speas suffered a leg injury in the championship game Sunday night and did not return.

Mike O'Loughlin, Milford - Connor Green didn't play on Saturday, and McClung missed Sunday's action. This meant more minutes for O'Loughlin, and he took advantage by playing some solid basketball. The 6'3" two-guard was at his best in the open court displaying his finishing ability. He was also able to create his own offense effectively and defend on the perimeter.

NH Boys State Tournament Recap

Good Weekend for NH Basketball

High school basketball in New Hampshire sometimes gets a bad rap, and a lack of respect. But this past weekend at the NH State AAU Tournament it is clear that the state has plenty of talent coming up through the ranks, and the state as a whole is on an upswing.

Over the next few days we will be recapping the tournament, breaking down many of the players who impressed in the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013.

First, here are the state champions for each age group:

11U - NH Fastbreak
12U - NH Rivals
13U - Bishop Elite
14U - NH Rivals
15U - NH Rivals
16U - NH Rivals
17U - Granite State Jayhawks (pictured above)

The Rivals were clearly the big winners on the weekend. They won four state titles, and were also the runners-up in the 13U division. The Bishop Elite program also had a good showing. They won the 13U title, they were the runners-up in both the 16U and 17U brackets, and their 15U team made the semi-finals.

The game of the weekend was on Saturday night in the 17U division between the Jayhawks and Bishop Elite. David Madol had a monster game to lead Bishop Elite to an upset win. Taylor Russell hit the game winning three-pointer at the buzzer for Bishop Elite for the 77-76 final.

Another excellent basketball game was the 14U championship game, with the NH Rivals defeating the NH Fastbreak in overtime. Between the players on these two teams as well as the players on the NH Titans 14U team, it is obvious that next year's freshman class is loaded with talent.

The 15U and 16U title games were also both tremendous battles. While the Rivals won both games, they were by no means easy wins. They got all they could handle from a tough, scrappy Seacoast Spartans team in the 15U title game. And Bishop Elite did the same, battling hard in a highly competitive 16U championship match.

Player evaluations from the tournament and updated player rankings will be released in the coming days, beginning with the Class of 2011 on Tuesday.