Boston Shootout: BABC squads dominate
Teams now a combined 55-12
QUINCY >> It became THE question during the 2023 Boston Shootout at Quincy’s YMCA.
It was not whether the BABC 16-and-under team was better than its competition. And, similarly, if the club’s 17-and-under squad had any peers there.
No, it was more like this: what would happen if the BABC’s 16s and 17s played each other, because those were clearly the best teams on Sunday.
In two romps, the 16s beat the New York Jayhawks, 82-23, and the 17s beat the same Jayhawks program, 98-51.
The man most qualified to give an accurate response is head of the BABC, Leo Papile.
“The older guys would outfox them because of experience,” Papile said. “The little guys would go down swinging. We run the same stuff, so it would be really physical, up on each other, knowing what’s going to happen. It would become like a football game. The older guys would win the line of scrimmage battle and end up beating them by 20.”
Maybe, but it is hard to imagine the 16s losing by 20 to anyone. In the early game, the 16s jumped on the Jayhawks and ran out to a 19-0 lead. With a balanced, efficient offense, BABC had no trouble getting the shots it wanted, and its vaunted press created turnovers at will.
The scoring was balanced, with everyone getting in on the act.
Ricardo Nieves scored 20 points, while Amir Jenkins and Collins Chidera each had 17, and Sam Fleming added 13.
“We just take pride in getting better, transition offense,” said Nieves, a Springfield native who plays at Williston Northampton. “We score most of our points in transition. It’s just turning from defense to offense.”
Both games went to running clock fairly quickly. In the 17s, BABC showed off its depth at the guard position, with point guard Amir Lindsey and Anthony Daley each scoring 25 apiece.
Lindsey, of the Rivers School, controlled the game at point guard, while Daley, of St. George’s, drained six 3-pointers.
“It’s all just about my team,” Lindsey said. “I get them in spots so they can succeed. We just let it go from there. … It’s pretty good. We can all share, It’s really fun being a part of this team, a part of this chemistry.”
BABC always has a talented roster up and down, and is again having a fun time on the circuit. The program competes in the 3SSB (3 Stripes Select Basketball) national AAU league. After Sunday’s results, the 17s are 25-5, and the 16s are 30-7 on the season.
“And, playing up. Understand, on the older team, we’re starting a freshman,” Papile said. “Ben Ahmed (of Putnam Science Academy) is a freshman, not a repeat freshman: A legitimate, 15-year-old freshman. (Ebuka Okorie) is a 15-year-old sophomore. Those guys could be playing in the first game, and they’re dominating now. And on the other team, which is a 16, which means 10th grade, has one 10th grader. All the other guys are eighth and ninth.
“For us, to have this much youth and be able to win, that’s not easy.”