Fall Fest II Event Recap
BABC was the talk of the tournament on Saturday. After defeating a solid Bay State Magic team by 30+ points in their first game they went on to defeat Mass Premier in their second game. Led by the UConn bound sophomore duo of Jamal Coombs (pictured) and Alex Oriakhi the sheer amount of talent this team possesses is extremely impressive. But even more is the way in which this team shares the basketball, and it is freshman point guard Phil Pressey who sets that tone for the team with his incredible court vision and passing ability. Another freshman Ron Giplaye was one of many beneficiaries of those passes today leading the team in scoring during the first game and being equally impressive in the second.
While their offensive attack was unselfish and well-balanced it was the BABC full court defensive pressure that set the tone igniting their fast break. And if the press ever got broken, Oriakhi was always there to protect the basket and swat away any challengers. Nate Lubick, Willie Lyons, and Darryl Cato-Bishop also played well for BABC in a total team effort.
While BABC looked like they would walk away with the 16u championship on Sunday the 17u bracket left some questions to be answered with Connecticut Gold, Bay State Magic, Triple Threat, Dunbar CC, and the hometown Rhode Island Breakers all looking solid.
Connecticut Gold certainly appeared to be the deepest team in their pool with a plethora of big men to rotate in and out and solid guard play. The two biggest impact players were guard Michael Auriemma and 6’10 center Ed Zayjac who formed a lethal inside out combination. Auriemma was on fire from behind the three-point line in the team’s first win of the day over SHEN Basketball and Zayjac owned the glass and ignited the fast break with his long outlet passes. 6’11 junior center Ryan Olander, 6’0 senior point guard Mike Rhodes, and 6’7 senior forward Kyle Bogucki also played well for the Gold.
Bay State Magic and Triple Threat squared off in a very competitive game to start the afternoon session. 6’4 junior wing Danquah Rollins are 6’0 senior point guard Ryan Sasso were impressive for both teams respectively. Despite losing to Connecticut Gold, Dunbar CC showed some promise, mostly behind the play of sophomore big man Rashad Wright who is definitely a work in progress but has the tools to one day be a division one prospect.
The Rhode Island Breakers had two teams in the 17u bracket but one team stood out in particular. Led by Beyiha Ba Nguindjel the Breakers could be a force to be reckoned with on Sunday. Ba Nguindjel showed his versatility throughout the day by attacking from both the post and perimeter and scoring with both hands inside the lane.
Play will begin at 8:30 am on Sunday with both the 16u and 17u championship games scheduled for noon at the Community College of Rhode Island Fieldhouse.
Darryl Cato-Bishop
Alex Oriakhi
Ryan Sasso
Ryan Olander
Ron Giplaye
Beyiha Ba Nguindjel
Nate Lubick
Michael Auriemma
Rashad Wright