Program Profiles – BABC

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our <em>Program Profiles</em> series moves on today with a look at the <em>Boston Amateur Basketball Club</em>, also known as <em>BABC</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Based out of Boston, BABC was founded in 1977 and is led by its founder and head coach, Leo Papile.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of just two programs from New England to participate in the <em>3SSB</em>, BABC has a proud tradition of success that includes developing 211 NCAA scholarship athletes, 12 McDonald's All-Americans, and 17 future NBA players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 26-time national champions are an active leader in the Boston basketball community and host the highly regarded <em>Boston Shootout</em> every June.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are five prospects from BABC that have stood out so far this spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2610674"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68352d78609a8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Te Ratana, a member of the 17U 3SSB squad, is a versatile wing out of the <em>Darrow School</em> in New York. A jack-of-all-trades out of New Zealand, he plays incredibly hard, gives up his body for the good of the team, and makes winning play after winning play for his squad. A high level athlete, he has a nose for the ball on the offensive glass, finishes plays through contact at the rim, and shows good footwork in and around the paint as a scorer. He can make plays for others off the bounce, is terrific in transition, and doesn't need to have the ball in his hands to be impactful. Defensively, he's a multi-positional defender that's seemingly everywhere on the floor making plays, whether that's blocking shots, rebounding, or taking on the toughest perimeter assignment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2571906"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68352d7860a17"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Odugbela, a member of the 15U 3SSB squad, is a high level prospect on the wing out of <em>St. Andrew's School</em> in Rhode Island. A big guard, he's long, lean, and has some real wiggle with the ball in his hands. He's not a natural lead guard, but he's incredibly comfortable making plays with the ball in his hands. He knows how to use ball screens to create scoring opportunities for himself and teammates, has the size needed to see over the defense as a facilitator in the half-court, and makes great decisions with the ball in his hands in transition. As a scorer, he's really skilled as a finisher around the rim, while also showing the ability to make tough shots in the mid-range. As he continues to grow into his frame, his potential two be a two-way force should become more and more evident.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2634307"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68352d7860a62"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Baker, a member of the 16U 3SSB squad, is an impressive perimeter athlete out of <em>Lawrence Academy</em> in Massachusetts. A hard playing wing, he uses his physical gifts to his advantage on both ends of the floor, allowing him to make a real two-way impact. His defensive versatility stands out as he moves well laterally when guarding the ball, has good instincts and burst to make plays in passing lanes, and even offers shot blocking from the help side. Offensively, he's really good as a cutter off the ball, showing the IQ of when to make his way to the rim and the skill and strength needed to finish in the paint over, around, and through size. An injury cut short his sophomore season this winter, but he finally looks like he's shaking off the rust and is back to playing some really good basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2470930"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68352d7860aab"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Njenga, a member of the 16U 3SSB squad, is a talented scoring guard out of <em>St. George's School</em> in Rhode Island. A capable scorer, he's done a great job this spring of running the show when asked to, showing that he can facilitate at a high level. He's a creative ball-handler that knows how to navigate ball screens and also has the ability to break down defenders in isolation situations. He has good burst when attacking the rim, sees the floor well in the half-court and in transition, and continues to improve his consistency as a shooter. Defensively, he's really good on the ball, making things hard for opposing ball-handlers and creating plenty of steals and deflections with his activity level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2341304"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68352d7860af1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Toure, a member of the 17U 3SSB squad, is one of the nation's highest rated prospects out of <em>Notre Dame-West Haven</em> in Connecticut. An explosive athlete, there might not be a better two-footed jumper in the class, he is an elite scorer when he gets downhill and puts pressure on the rim. A talented mid-range scorer, where he really seems to have elevated his game this spring is as a creator off the bounce and in catch and shoot situations from behind the arc. At 6'6", he's big enough, athletic enough, and strong enough to defend multiple positions and with his combination of physical tools, has the potential to be a defensive stopper at the next level if he buys into that role. His recruitment continues to be an impressive list of high major programs and he's sure to have a big following this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->