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.