Boston City League Final Four: First Team

The Boston City League final four and championship was held at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Boston, MA over the last few days. In the semifinals, Boston Latin Academy beat Charlestown High School and Holland High School beat New Mission High School. In the finals, Holland outlasted BLA for the Boston City League championship.   Here is my first team from the semis and finals. I'll have a second team as well.    Though Dale Samuels won the MVP of the tournament, I think it's pretty clear Piper was Holland's most important player. The 6-foot-3 guard hangs at the top of their diamond press, and he does a phenomenal job using his wingspan, athleticism, instincts, and hands to get steals and overwhelm opposing guards. The senior also has an ambidextrous style to his game and therefore has the ability to finish confidently with both hands at the rim. You don't have to run any plays for him, either; he'll just put up numbers from steals, fast breaks, offensive rebounds, and cuts. Piper needs to improve his outside stroke and his general feel for the game/passing ability, but he could play at the next level if he does so.     Samuels was a key cog for Holland and walked away with MVP honors. The 6-foot-3 forward did an excellent job on the offensive and defensive boards and was simply too strong and physical for New Mission's bigs to compete with in the semifinals. Against some better competition in BLA, the senior showcased some decent footwork and touch in the paint, though he needs to slow down and improve his feel for the game if he wants to play at the next level. Regardless, Samuels has an excellent motor and the physical tools/foundation to play college hoops, and he seems to be a leader for this team.     I love watching Amparo hoop. He's certainly a bit raw offensively, but he plays so hard and has some incredibly intriguing physical tools that make him a super interesting prospect. The 6-foot-3 forward has amazing length and leaping ability, and he uses both to be a total menace on the offensive boards. He tracks the ball well off the rim, and then he does whatever it takes to retrieve the rock before showing off some solid touch around the hoop, especially with his right hand. His free throw form looks good, too, though he didn't look to do anything on the perimeter (maybe there's room for growth there). Amparo is only a junior but was one of the most physically imposing players in this tournament, so he has a bright future ahead.     In terms of pure skill level, I feel pretty confident making the claim that Olinto was the best player I saw in this tournament. The 5-foot-10 guard has the ball on a string and uses excellent change-of-pace moves and quickness to breeze by defenders at will (no pun intended). In both the semifinals and championship, the entire defense was constructed to stop Olinto from puncturing the paint, but he still got there pretty often. He needs to improve his outside shot, but he already has an excellent understanding of how to get his teammates involved, even as a sophomore, and he has some pretty special finishing instincts at the hoop. He has a super bright future ahead and is going to have a heck of a spring for Middlesex Magic if I had to guess.     If there was one guy who had ANY success defending [player_tooltip player_id='2967090' first='Will' last='Olinto'] in this tournament, it was Kamari Day. The sophomore guard slides his feet unbelievably well and somehow consistently beat Olinto to the spot defensively. He also has phenomenal hands but is disciplined and won't be overly aggressive for steals. Offensively, Day has some awesome quickness and does a great job finishing at the rim with contact, but he needs to improve his outside shot if he wants to be successful at his size. He has the foundation to be a phenomenal player for years to come in the MIAA, though, and a spring with Middlesex Magic could be huge for his development.

The Boston City League final four and championship was held at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Boston, MA over the last few days. In the semifinals, Boston Latin Academy beat Charlestown High School and Holland High School beat New Mission High School. In the finals, Holland outlasted BLA for the Boston City League championship.