SPRINGFIELD — The Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) once again traveled to Springfield on Friday for exhibition matchups against teams of Western Massachusetts select boys basketball players. The BABC EYBL squad took down Western Mass. seniors 85-56, while the BABC sophomore team defeated the WMass underclassmen 80-52.
Here are five things we learned from Friday's game.
1. Tyonne Malone belongs alongside top-level talent.
The Western Mass. senior select team struggled against BABC in the second half, as BABC's size and athleticism started to wear down the seniors. In the first half, however, Western Mass. stayed competitive in no small part thanks to Malone's contributions. Putnam's senior looked at home against a collection of Division I athletes from BABC, posting 13 points and helping Western Mass. run its offense against a brutally efficient press.
"Tyonne might have been the best guy on the court, BABC or Western Mass.," Longmeadow coach Pat Murphy, one of the coaches of the WMass team, said. "He can do so many things on the basketball court. We had him, but they had a lot of other guys that neutralized that."
Malone's 3-point jumper (which was a real weapon for him this season) wasn't falling, but he showed how his athleticism and his ability to finish in transition around — and above — the rim mesh together, beating multiple defenders off the dribble and elevating too quickly for even BABC's incredible athleticism to contest him.
Malone said that playing his natural position at the wing — instead of the stretch forward — helped considerably.
"I just try to be the best player on the court, all the time," Malone said. "I tried to go out there and play like a guard. I haven't played guard all season. It really helps me to play like a guard."
2. BABC's shooters are elite.
On both the EYBL and sophomore squads, BABC's ability to stretch the floor on a consistent basis was evident. During the sophomore game, Cole Swider — a 6-foot-7 forward with an offer from Boston College — lit it up from behind the arc, with 24 points including four 3-pointers. In the EYBL game, Corey Romich knocked down six 3-pointers, finishing with 20 points. Romich was the only player to knock down a triple on the EYBL squad, but Bailey Patella — former Lenox star and current Vermont Academy 2017 guard/forward — is more than capable of burying triples as well.
BABC has plenty of size in the middle (more on that in a minute), so combining the squad's size with its shooting will be difficult for opponents to handle this summer.
3. Devonte McCall will be a great addition, wherever he goes.
Throughout this season, Amherst forward Devonte McCall proved he is far more than simply an undersized power forward at the next level. With an improving handle, a smooth jumper that appears to be the product of plenty of time in the gym, and the same high-level length and athleticism that he demonstrated last year, McCall showed flashes against a BABC team that was not friendly to length and athleticism. On one particularly impressive play, he swatted away a dunk by Terrell Brown around the rim — not an easy feat, given Brown's size (at least 6-foot-9) and athleticism.
4. BABC big man Terrell Brown is a monster in the paint.
One of Western Mass.' biggest problems (literally) on Friday was Brown, who posted 26 points. Brown can knock down mid-range jumpers, but he also has a nice jump hook, which he used to great effect against smaller Western Mass. forwards. Add in his athleticism and his absurdly long arms, and it's easy to see why college scouts would be drooling at bringing in the developing big man.
It's also worth noting 6-foot-6 forward Marcus Santos-Silva. At first glance, he didn't stand out as significantly as Brown in BABC's front court, but the versatile big man showed a well-rounded skill set as well. Santos-Silva is talented at carving out space for himself in the paint, and his touch around the basket was excellent. Add in his proclivity for drawing contact and his solid free-throw shooting, and Santos-Silva is poised to have a very good summer with BABC.
5. The BABC game is a lot of fun, and it's great for Western Mass. players.
Neither the EYBL game nor the sophomore game was close on Friday, but both were entertaining matchups and — according to Longmeadow coach Pat Murphy — both were valuable.
"It's fantastic for our kids from Western Mass. to have an opportunity to play a team like that," Murphy said. "Even in an exhibition, to see where we measure up, it's fantastic for our kids."
Pope Francis coach Justin Dalessio, who also coached the WMass select squads, agreed.
"They are very good," he said of BABC. "It was good for our guys to get on the floor. Some have played against guys like that, and some haven't, but it was just good to get on the floor. ... It's a good wake-up call for our guys. Playing against national guys, I think it's a good wake-up call for them."
While the BABC squads dominated, plenty of players showed flashes. Central sophomore Jorge Torres dominated the offensive glass at times, once again exhibiting the length, athleticism and tenacity that gave Putnam problems in the Western Mass. semifinals. Torres' fellow Golden Eagle Maickel DeJesus played aggressive defense and attacked the rim fearlessly. In the EYBL game, Keiayvin Hayes put up 14 points including a one-man 7-0 run in the second half, flashing his ball-handling ability in the paint.
Aside from Malone, however, Putnam freshman Taelon Martin may have looked the most at home of any of the WMass competitors against BABC. Martin finished with nine points, but he attacked the rim hard — getting two big dunks in transition — and had plenty of athleticism to match up with BABC's springy wins.
"Taelon has played against a lot of guys like that," Dallesio said. "He was in attack mode."
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