Fitzy-Nolan Games Returning

Press Release | Thursday, February 13th, 2014

BABC will open the 2014 season on March 21st at Quincy High School in the 12th annual "Fitzy-Nolan Games".

The games are named after Quincy High School '66 Hall of Famer Paul Fitzpatrick who went on to coach at his alma mater, Boston St College, leading them to the NCAA Division III Nationals in 1977. Coach Bob "Knobby" Nolan was Boys Basketball coach at North Quincy High School from 1965-1977 leading them to Greater Boston League titles in '65,'66,'69,'74.  Both men were pioneers on the summer camp basketball circuit in the Boston area. Accordingly, proceeds from this event help local players attend basketball camps across New England each summer.

This year's event marks a new format with the event moving from Mount Ida College to Quincy High School. Former Mount Ida coach Rico Cabral founded the event in 2002 shortly after the death of Fitzpatrick, while Nolan was added to the Memorial Game a few years later following his passing.

The BABC juniors (class of 2015) will play in the feature game at 7;30pm. This group enters the 2014 season with hopes of winning the club's 18th National Championship since its founding in 1977. They reached the AAU 10th grde division 1 final four last july in Orlando, finishing 55-4, and had a 15-0 fall 2013 record to begin this 2014 season. The team features 8 juniors and 2 sphomores this season, all of whom are considered NCAA Division I prospects.  

The BABC Class of 2015 is led by veterans like six-foot-six combo-guard Terance Mann from Lowell attending Tilton School (NH), six-foot-ten power forward Jeremy Miller from Milton attending New Hampton School (NH), and six-foot-six forward Bobby Martin Jr. from Waltham attending Noble & Greenough School in Dedham.  Six-foot-three guard Bruce Brown, from Dorchester attending Vermont Academy, and six-foot-ten forward Terrell Brown, attending St. Andrew's School, are the two players from the Class of 2016 on the BABC junior team.  

The group also features three of the most productive players in the MIAA as Newton North six-foot-two guard Tommy Mobley, Catholic Memorial five-foot-ten point guard Aamahnie Santos,and Durfee six-foot-four power forward Tyree Robinson lead the second unit.  

The BABC juniors will be opposed by a "South Select" team made up of juniors and seniors from the MIAA South Region selected by a committee of area high school coaches and coached by North Quincy coach Kevin Barrett and Cohasset coach (North Quincy'60) Bo Ruggerio.

The first game of the evening will be at 6:15pm featuring the BABC freshmen vs the "South Select" freshmen and sophomores coached by Quincy High School coach Dave Parry and Braintree High School coach Bob Crook. A further Quincy connection to this event is that BABC founder and Junior team coach Leo Papile is a 1971 graduate of North Quincy High School and a member of the North Quincy High School Basketball Hall of Fame while BABC Executive Director Britney Papile attended NQHS for three years before transferring.  Both are natives of the City of Presidents.

The Host Committee for this event include some of Quincy's favorite sons who are all well known in the athletic, civic, and business world: attorney George"Trigger" Burke former Norfolk County Treasurer, UMass '56 and Quincy HS'50 Basketball Hall of Famer; Attorney Dave "Chub" Mahoney, NQHS'72 (football Hall of Fame); Brian Donahue of J. Donahue Architects-Quincy, NQHS '71 and NCAA Division 1 basketball at U Vermont; Rich Mahoney,NQHS '77 and NQHS basketball Hall of Fame, member of NCAA Division 3 National Champion at Clark University; Paul Bregoli NQHS'66 and current member of Quincy School Committee and longtime coach at NQHS; former quincy teacher and NQHS'66 alumni Jerry Mulvey owner of Granite Rail in Quincy; and 1510 AM Radio personality Roger Homan; and Quincy HS Freshman basketball coach Matt Ramponi. Their efforts assured that this outstanding event come home to Quincy where the individuals we honor in memory Paul Fitzpatrick and Knobby Nolan are eternally revered.

Any further information can be found at www.thebabc.com. Tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting babc via email at babc@me.com. The "Fitzy-Nolan Games" will kick-off a busy weekend for the the BABC as they will play on Saturday, March 22nd at 10:30a.m. at Worcester Academy and noon vs. Central Mass Select, and then again that same evening vs. the Rhode Island Select at 6:00p.m. at CCRI-Warwick (junior game only).  On Sunday, March 23rd the weekend continues with BABC vs. North of Boston Select at Salem State University with the freshmen tipping off at 10:30a.m. and the juniors at noon.