BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE - First it was Maryland. Then Michigan. Now Keno Davis' first recruiting class as Providence College's head coach is growing again with an addition from Georgia.Kadeem Batts, a 6-foot-8 forward from John McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga., has committed to the Friars. Batts visited Providence this weekend and committed to Davis before he returned home to Atlanta yesterday. Batts joins two guards, Antoine Allen of Baltimore and Duke Mondy of Grand Rapids, Mich., in a class of recruits that can sign letters-of-intent in November and arrive on campus next summer."I don't know Duke but, I got to scrimmage with Antoine and he's a real good scorer and passer," Batts said. "Basketball-wise, it's a real good fit for me up there."Batts, who is regarded as a tough rebounder and shot blocker and is only 17 years old, heard from a wide variety of colleges. Indiana, Marquette, Minnesota, Western Kentucky and the College of Charleston all offered scholarships, according to McEachern coach Mike Thompson.Batts may live in Georgia but he's returning home by choosing to play in the Big East. The 230-pound forward grew up in Boston and attended Lincoln-Sudbury High for two years before moving to the Atlanta suburbs last summer. After hearing from Providence when Tim Welsh was coach, Batts continued to think about PC once Davis and assistant coach Pat Skerry contacted him last spring."I'm still a Boston guy," Batts said yesterday just before asking how the Patriots were doing. "We moved down there for family issues, but I'm looking forward to getting back."Batts joined a powerhouse prep program at McEachern that plays in Atlanta's highest division (5-A) and boats alumni like NBA forwards Josh Smith and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. McEachern finished 22-8 last season and was knocked out of the playoffs last spring by Wheeler High, the alma mater of PC point guard Sharaud Curry.Batts, Curry (Gainesville) and sophomore guard Marshon Brooks (Tucker) will give the Friars three Atlanta-area players in the program next season.Batts was a key player for McEachern as a junior but averaged just 7 points and 5 rebounds a game. He was overshadowed by guard Trae Golden, who was one of the top sophomores in the country, and current University of Richmond freshman Darrius Garrett, but is hoping to share a much larger role with Golden this season. Golden is being recruited by high-profile colleges like Ohio State, Kentucky, Georgia and Georgia Tech."We've got five guys that will probably sign (with) Division One schools," said Thompson. "I don't look for his numbers to be gaudy but be can be a double-figure guy in points and rebounds and be our best defender. He understands that we can win a state championship."Thompson added that PC is getting a high-quality prospect off the floor as well."In basketball you have a lot of self-centered, greedy kids but he's completely opposite of that. He's a very mature kid."Batts, who says he weighs 230 pounds, is hoping to continue expanding his game this year and bring a variety of skills to the Big East next fall."I can step out and handle the ball and make shots and Coach Davis' system will let me do that," he said. "That's one of the reasons I think Providence is a good fit for me."

Brown Gets Another

August 23rd, 2008
NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com

Less than two weeks after picking up a commitment from Tucker Halpern, Jesse Agel and his staff are at it again as they have now added Andrew McCarthy to their first recruiting class.

New Brown men’s basketball coach Jesse Agel has made it clear that owning his backyard will be a priority in recruiting.  Not only has he targeted, and now landed, two local New England products, but all three members of his newly formed staff have roots in the region as well. 

For any Ivy League school that wants to target New England, Northfield Mount Hermon is a good place to start.  McCarthy becomes the sixth NMH product to commit to an Ivy League School in the last three years.  That number will only increase as he is just the second member of the Hoggers class of 2009 to commit. 

As for McCarthy, his decision ends what has been a tumultuous couple of years.  Rewind not even two years ago and the southpaw forward was just starting to see his stock take off as schools from the highest levels of college basketball were beginning to show interest.  But then McCarthy suffered a back injury that sidelined him for the better part of the calendar year.  Unable to show his best basketball, and rarely able to even get on the court for the rest of his career at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols, McCarthy made the decision to do a post-graduate year at NMH. 

This summer the Massachusetts native split time between the Rhode Island Hawks and Expressions Elite AAU clubs and proved he was back to his old form.  He was fantastic at the Super 16 Showcase where he dominated 7’5” center Ring Ayeul of New York Elite by pulling the opposing big man away from the basket with his shooting range and finding ways to score and rebound around the basket.  Agel and Brown assistant T.J. Sorrentine were on hand for that performance and it didn’t take long for them to make McCarthy one of their top priorities. 

With the tandem of Halpern and McCarthy already in the mix, Brown has an interior duo that should prove to be quite formidable in the Ivy League.  Not only are they a talented pair, but they are very good friends on and off the floor (they even work out together during the summer).  Between their individual talents and chemistry working together, Brown’s frontline looks to be in great shape for the next four years.

 

Tongo leads list of 2008 Boston Warriors Alumni attending college. 

For the full list can be viewed  "Warrior News " .

Reebok Summer Classic East – Event Recap

July 13th, 2008 by Phil Kasiecki

Phil Kasiecki was in New Jersey this weekend to check out the action at the Reebok Summer Classic.  The highlight of the day was watching the Warriors plow through the field en route to the silver bracket championship. 

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Though more teams will be at the Playaz Ball an hour up the road in the Garden State, a few New England teams played in the Summer Classic East event at Rider. 

It didn't take long for a New England presence to be shown, as the Boston Warriors 17U team knocked off Team Philly in one of the first games of the tournament by a score of 79-77.  Akeem Williams simply couldn't be stopped in the second half, as he scored 23 of his 33 points in the latter frame.  Many of those points came on drives, as he often knifed to the basket and finished strong, while his jumper wasn't going like it normally is. He certainly didn't do it alone, though.  Alex Kershaw struggled for a lot of the game with his jumper, but got the game-winning field goal in the final seconds.  James Rodriques also played well, scoring 11 points and helping to run the show.

The Warriors lost their next game to Cecil Kirk, in part because the Baltimore-based squad held down Williams at the offensive end.  He scored just seven points and never really got on track. 

The loss sent them into the silver bracket, but they rebounded to win their next game against the Brooklyn Ballers in coonvincing style, getting a big effort from Jeff Tagger, en route to a 95-69 decision over the Gym Rat Challenge Tournament champions.  In the semi-finals of the silver bracket the Warriors then blew out the New Jersey All-Stars 86-64.  Their dominance continued in the final as they came away with another big vicotry, knocking off Rise/Sam Rines 90-72 to win the silver bracket championship. 

Williams averaged over 30 points per game in the Warriors' three games on Sunday, while Tagger averaged 24.  Kershaw, Peter Lynch, and Archie Allen were also major contributors. 

2008 Wrap-Up!
This past spring 10 Boston Warriors AAU teams qualified for their respective AAU National Championships.

Boys Accomplishments

10U (Skoko) - Massachusetts State Bronze Medalist - Division 1
11U (Fish) - Nen England Championship Gold Medalist, Massachusetts State & NE Super Regional Quarterfinalist 
13U North (McKenna) – Massachusetts State Quarterfinalist - Division 2
15U Elite (Coughlin) – Massachusetts State Bronze Medalist  - Division 1
16U ELite – NE Super Regionals Semi-Finalist  - Division I
16U North (Curley) – NE Super Regional Quarterfinalist - Division 2
16U South (Williamson) – Massachusetts State Quarterfinalist - Division 2
17U Elite (Papas) - NE Super Regional Silver Medalist (Undefeated in the tournament) - Division 1
17U Sanders - Massachusetts State Tournament Quarterfinalist - Division 2

 

 

Boston Warriors Elite 17U makes it to the final 8

The two-day event that drew 88 teams in the 17-under division requires teams that advance to the evening championship round to play five games on Sunday, often turning the title contest into a war of physical attrition. The 17U team won there pool play and despite numerous injuries won the first game in the championship round.  The injuries caught up to the Warrirors as they fell by 3 points to the eventual Gymrat Tournament runner up The Raiders (out of PA) in the quarterfinals.  Overall team competed as well as any team at the tournament.

 

17:U All-Gym Rat Challenge Team 

Akeem Williams(5-11 PG) Boston Warriors Elite: Very quick floor general who is an outstanding passer, and runs the team under control. Also exhibited an outstanding shooting touch. 

17:U Honorable Mention All-Gym Rat Challenge 

Colin Halprin (6-5 PF) Boston Warriors North

Peter Lynch (6-6 PF) Boston Warriors Elite

Jeff Tagger Jr. (6-0 SG) Boston Warriors Elite

Joel Pollick (5-11 PG/SG) Boston Warriors-Sanders 

16:U All-Gym Rat CHALLENGE Team 

Rodman Noel (6-4 SF/SG) Boston Warriors-North: Long, athletic build with excellent shooting touch. Smooth player who can handle the ball, and keeps turnovers to a minimum. High energy performer. 

T.J. Jann (6-4 SG/SF) Boston Warriors: Very fundamentally sound with good range on his shot. Natural scorer who is also an unselfish player with solid hoops IQ. Athletic and quick who gets the ball to teammates in good spots. 

16:U Honorable Mention All-Gym Rat CHALLENGE 

Jeff Brewington (6-0 SG) Boston Warriors Elite

 

 

 

Reebok Headliner Tryout Camp - Event Recap

May 22nd, 2008                                                                        NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com

After a few days of deliberations, Reebok has announced the players who earned summer camp invitations from this past weekend’s Headliner Camp.  Here is a look at who is headed to the Reebok All-American Camp, the Reebok Breakout Camp, and the Reebok Regional Proving Ground.

Reebok Breakout Camp Invitations

James Rodriguez:  The point guard turned a lot of heads with his play this weekend.  He is a tough floor general who plays strong with the ball, gets his teammates involved, and can score in a variety of ways as well.

Reebok Regional Proving Ground Invitations

Akeem Williams:  He has a reputation for putting points on the board in a hurry, but on Sunday he showed he has plenty of ability passing the basketball as well.  Actually he looked pretty comfortable playing the point guard position as he controlled the tempo of the game and created shots for his teammates all while limiting his turnovers. 

Others Who Impressed

Peter Lynch:  He may not have been the most skilled or athletic player in the gym this weekend, but he gets the most out of himself.  He gives outstanding effort on every possession, is a very fundamentally sound player, and has the rare ability to impact the game without getting many touches. 

Massachusetts 16-Under and 17-Under AAU Recap

by Phil Kasiecki

MANSFIELD, Mass. - Over the past two weekends, the Amateur Athletic Union in Massachusetts called the Mansfield SportsPlex home. There, many divisions of its state tournament were held, including the 16-under and 17-under in the high school age categories.

Pool play was held the first weekend, featuring a few good games but a decided lack of competitive ones. As is often the case, it was mainly a warm-up to this weekend, when bracket play commenced on Friday night with three overtime games and continued through Sunday night.

Here are some notes on many of the players who competed here.

Class of 2009

Jeff Tagger (6'0" PG, Brockton (MA) Catholic Memorial HS)   Also a very good football player, he had a huge game in a losing effort when his team was knocked out, going for 39 points with eight three-pointers. From the point guard spot, he's a good distributor with above-average quickness and is athletic, although he showed more scoring ability than playmaking here, as he also scored 23 in an earlier playoff game. Also an excellent student, he's a mid/low-major prospect who is likely to get better offers for football.

 Akeem Williams (5'10" SG, Brockton (MA) Avon HS)   Although he's more athletic than he looks, this three-point marksman could stand to improve his conditioning. That said, he isn't someone an opposing defense wants left open, and he showed that once again in going for 30 points (seven three-pointers) in a losing effort.


Providence Jamfest Results:

2008 PROVIDENCE JAM FEST 17 & UNDER ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

Akeem Williams 5'10 2009 Boston Warriors    2008 PROVIDENCE JAM FEST 16 & UNDER ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM James Rodrigues 5'9 2009 Boston Warriors

Boston Warriors 17U team wins pool and is one of only 3 New England teams that finish in the Final 16.  If not for a heartbreaking loss in the round of 16,  the Boston Warriors would have been the only New England 17U team in quarterfinals. As written on the New England Recruiting Report:

Providence Jam Fest – Day Two Recap

April 27th, 2008
NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com

Many local teams defended their home turf on Saturday as a variety of programs from New England advanced into the gold bracket.  Here is a look at the teams that advanced in the 17 and under division.

 Boston Warriors – Not only did the Warriors win their pool, but they won their first game in the gold bracket before an unlucky end to their run.  With the game already in overtime and the score tied, the Warriors were called for a phantom foul that cost them a trip to the quarterfinals.  Akeem Williams continued to be a consistent scorer as he went for 22 points in their last game, while Nicco Demasco was very active in the paint and on the boards.

Here is the video of the big win over Upstate Basketball (of NY) in the round of 32:

CHECK OUT THE 17u Boston Warriors at the 2007 Nationals in Orlando, Florida.

1. Below video of the Boston Warriors on the main court of the Milk House in front of a packed house playing the Illinios Rising Stars and Marcus Jordan (Michael's son, #3). The Warriors played them tough with the Rising Stars pulling away at the end for a 71-61 victory. The Warriors came in 2nd in the pool (to the Rising Stars) and moved onto the National bracket.

 http://www.localreplay.com/team/videos.php?eason=6&id=438885&vidindex=0&key=4F3ED631E061DAEC&title=Rising%20Stars%20Gold%20Illinois%20vs%20Boston%20Warriors

Here is some more video for the 17U nationals:

 http://www.localreplay.com/profile/?id=621&sec=videos&vidindex=2&key=6A2B45AD4C9BCC37&title=Philadelphia%20Patriots%20vs%20Boston%20Warriors%20Gold

2. Here are some pictures of Boston Warriors at the 2007 Nationals in Orlando, Florida.

http://www.localreplay.com/sendtofriend/retrieve.php?link=923

Additional highlights included:

17U Gold team won the New England Championships
17U Gold advanced to the round of 16 (Out of 108 teams) in the 17U Super Showcase in Orlando
17U Gold team advanced to the Championship bracket at the 17U Nationals in Orlando (1 of only 2 Mass teams)
16U Elite team advanced made the Mass State Finals (lost in OT).
16U Elite team lost in the bronze medal game of Providence Jamfest (out of 72 teams)
16U Elite team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Albany Gymrat Challenge (out of 70+ teams)
14U Elite team advanced to both the Mass State Finals and NE Super Regional final (lost in OT)


Boys Accomplishments

10U Blue (Larovere) - Massachusetts State Semi-Finalist - Division 1
12U North Blue (Bennett) - Massachusetts State Quarterfinalist - Division 1
13U South Blue (Rosseel) – NE Super Regional Quarterfinalist - Division 2
14U Elite (Coughlin) – Massachusetts State & NE Super Regional Silver Medalists - Division 1
14U North (Bolduc) – Massachusetts State Quarterfinalist - Division I
14U South (Young) – Massachusetts State Quarterfinalist D2 - Division 2
15U Elite (Sanders) – Massachusetts State & NE Super Regional Quarterfinalist - Division 1
16U Elite (Papas) - Massachusetts Silver Medalist - Division 1
16U Green (Hrusovsky) - NE Super Regional Quarterfinalist - Division 1
16U North (Nally) - Massachusetts State Tournament National Qualifier - Division 2
16U West (Sanders) - Massachusetts State Tournament National Qualifier - Division 2
17U Gold (Desantis) - New England Championship Gold Medalist - Division 1
17U Blue (Sullivan) – Massachusetts State Bronze Medalist – Division 1