After a long four months and particularly grueling last three weeks, grassroots programs around the country capped their seasons with AAU championship tournaments.
The past weekend (which really started Friday and ended Monday afternoon) holds special meaning. It's the final live period recruiting window on the grassroots calendar. Teams want to prove themselves against the best competition in the country on their respective circuits. The stars of the 2027 class put on their AAU jerseys for the final time with teammates they've known often since elementary school.
This was a particularly great weekend for the mid-size programs in New England. While the region's AAU powerhouses struggled against their competition, some smaller teams seized the spotlight. We only got one local champion in the top three age groups, but several programs made deep runs on various circuits around the East Coast and Midwest regions.
Here are five team-centric takeaways in this recap of championship weekend.
Big weekend for Boston Showstoppers
One of the smaller programs in New England's grassroots scene emerged as this weekend's big winner.
The Boston Showstoppers sent both their 17U and 15 teams to championship appearances in the Hoop Group Showcase League. The 15U team captured the trophy with a 57-49 victory Monday afternoon against local opponent Team NSSA. Meanwhile, the 17U Showstoppers took down PA Royals, Riverside Hawks and Elevate NYBC before running into a juggernaut Junior Clutch foe in the 77-35 championship loss.
Within the 17U squad's run was the most impressive individual effort from the championship weekend. Rising senior Alaysia Drummonds (Foxboro, Mass.) erupted for 43 points, powered by ten 3s, in a 68-38 Saturday pool play victory against Connecticut Elite. Drummonds has long been a strong shooter off the catch, but this was an otherworldly performance aided by great team ball movement and some assists in particular from Jaidelis Rivera (New London, Conn.).
Directed by Cathedral head coach Clinton Lassiter, the Showstoppers primarily consist of Greater Boston-area players, though some like Rivera come from further away.
More standout programs from HGSL championships
The Hoop Group Showcase League championships in Manheim, Pa., had the most New England representation.
D4S made a valiant run to the 16U championship game before coming up short against Team Swish. D4S has a few notable talents on this roster, including Worcester Academy 2029 transfer Lyla Diaz (Hartford, Conn.) and Northwest Catholic 2028 guard Sam Casper (Cromwell, Conn.).
Team NSSA reached the quarterfinals with its 17U squad and sent its 15U team to the finals, with the 15U squad falling in that defeat to the Showstoppers. The Springfield Lady Ballers 16U team advanced to the semifinals of the 16U bracket.
Tough weekend for New England on top circuits
New England features four programs on the top national grassroots circuits: Mass Rivals (Adidas 3SSB), Bay State Jaguars (Under Armour Association), MCW Starz and iBelieve Elite (both Select Events Power 24).
None of them had much luck this weekend. No top 17U, 16U or 15U squad competing on these circuits advanced past the Round of 16 in their respective championship brackets. MCW Starz and iBelieve Elite entered the Power 24 championships as No. 3 seeds and Rivals won a single play-in game to make the Adidas Round of 16. That was about it for success at the highest levels.
Mass Huskies 15U excels in Nike EYCL
In Chicago, the Huskies' 15U squad lived up to my pre-showcase expectations. They won both pool play games and continued rolling to the semifinals before falling short, 39-22, against All Ohio Red on Sunday.
Maci LaFontaine (North Scituate, R.I.), incredibly, made her first 17 field goal attempts across the first three victories (all inside the arc, per Nike's live stats). She finished shooting 70.5 percent from the field and averaged 11.7 points. Standout point guard Ashley Fontanella (Higganum, Conn.) opened the tournament with a 24-point effort.
More highlights from secondary circuits
- Both the Jaguars' UA Rise Black 17U and 16U teams reached championship bracket semifinals before coming up just short. The 17U UA Rise Black team triumphed in its third-place game against Blueprint Basketball. Blueprint, a smaller upstart program based in Vermont, also deserves a shoutout for its own semifinal run.
- MCW Starz's best-performing squad was its Select 40 16U team, which fought to the championship bracket semifinals. We also got a fun matchup in the Select 40 2027 championships. After New England Storm and Maine Firecrackers each lost their first-round playoff games, they fought to meet in the final of the loser's bracket, with the Firecrackers earning a 51-39 victory.
