This past weekend, seven venues played host to the 131 teams that were hoping to capture the 2012 King of the Mountain Summer Championship crown. With the girls and younger boys squaring off at Siena and the Saratoga Rec. Center, the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade boys competed mostly at Rensselaer High School and Green Tech, with the championship rounds being played at Saint Rose on Sunday. As tournament commissioner Eric Medved had prophesized to us last week, the class of 2014 proved to be the class, no pun intended, of the tournament.
One of the more intriguing games we were able to catch over the two-day basketball marathon was between the New York Dream Team and the Granite State Raiders from New Hampshire. The Dream Team has already garnered a fair amount of press from Upstate Scout because of the top area talent that their squad features. However, it was a Granite State Raider player that captured the eyes of our scouts this weekend. Shooting guard Pat Welch stands about six feet tall. As the teams “go-to” guy, Welch is an excellent outside shooter who doesn’t need a whole lot of room to get a good shot off. He possesses a great pull up jump shot and his ability to catch-and-shoot is just as good. His scoring prowess along with his cutthroat offensive mentality will remind some who are familiar with Section II basketball with Cambridge alum and former Saint Rose standout Shea Bromirski. Welch is also very athletic and plays at 100% capacity all the time. A member of the class of 2014, Pat attends Pembroke Academy in New Hampshire and we heard through the grapevine that he has already commanded some looks from top schools. Pat is joined by 6’1” swingman Matt Person who also shoots the ball very well and can drive to the hoop. For a righty, Person goes to his left very well. Team 518 ended up beating out the US Hoopsters for the championship trophy in the 11th grade division.
Scotia was able to secure bragging rights in the 10th grade division. On their way, they upset a very strong Brothers Select (Section II powerhouse CBA’s AAU team) team. Brothers Select are lead by class of 2014 standouts Elijah Lott, brother of former CBA star Chaz Lott of the class of 2012, as well as Nick Marini. Greig Stire also stars for the Brothers, although he didn’t play in the King of the Mountain this weekend, as he was at the Rumble In The Bronx with his other AAU team. Greig is a 6’6” force in the post that has already secured verbal offers from top institutions. On their way to their semi final upset defeat, the Brothers faced a team from north of the border in Sun Youth from Montreal. Sun Youth featured two players we were very impressed with in 6’0” point forward Ibrihim Ngam. A rising junior, Ngam is a good defender who is very quick. He possesses a solid handle and is a strong finisher around the rim. Most impressive about Ngam is his athletic build. For his age, Ngam is a very well put together individual, an attribute that will help him as he progresses through his final years of high school and into college. Also on that team was 5’11” power post Nathan Croxen of the class of 2015. For his size, Croxen is a very good athlete who can jump out of the gym. He knows how to score, whether is be down low or from the perimeter. He can handle the ball well and he has the ability to make good passes.
The class of 2014 really outshined everyone else this past weekend. It was good to see the younger kids getting the job done as many class of 2014 players played up a level and held their own. The King of the Mountain was the final installment of tournaments run by Medved for the 2012 campaign. It’s been an exciting year for AAU hoops, and as the summer heats up, we look forward to the various summer leagues that will be competing in our area. Good luck to all the local athletes taking their Regents exams this week and congratulations to the class of 2012!
Mike Long Jr.
Staff Writer
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