The end of the AAU season can be bittersweet, and even more so for those entering their final year of high school. For many rising seniors, the final weekend marks a culmination of years playing together with their teammates on the summer circuits.
This weekend was the end of the July live recruiting period – with college coaches getting a final look at potential prospects for the summer – and also represented a final chance for AAU squads to suit up together as they competed for national championships in different circuits around the country.
There was plenty of New England flavor around the country as several teams chased AAU glory this weekend. From the iconic Nike Peach Jam to some of the smaller circuit championships, there were teams and players with New England roots represented at all of them.
Here’s a recap of how some of the 17U teams and players from New England performed this weekend, breaking it down by each circuit.
Nike EYBL Peach Jam
Fresh off helping Team USA win gold at the FIBA U17 World Cup earlier this month, AJ Dybantsa (Brockton, Mass.), the No. 1-ranked recruit in the 2025 class, looked to lead his Oakland Soldiers to a Peach Jam crown in Augusta, S.C. Despite a dominant week, Dybantsa’s Soldiers came up short in the championship game.
Sunday’s final was a must-see matchup as Dybantsa met No. 2-ranked recruit Cameron Boozer and Nightrydas Elite. But Boozer’s squad proved to be deeper, better and more experienced as they handed Dybantsa and the Soldiers a 71-62 loss, cementing Nightrydas as one of the best AAU teams in recent history as that group won its third consecutive Peach Jam crown.
Dybantsa averaged 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as he led the Soldiers to a 7-1 record at Peach Jam, including a 25-point effort in Sunday’s finale. The Soldiers trailed the Nightrydas by as many as 15 in the first half before Dybantsa took over and scored 12 of his 25 in the third quarter to close their deficit to three. But Boozer and the Nightrydas proved to be too much as they pulled away in the fourth.
Expressions Elite needed a victory to advance out of Group D to the eight-team knockout stage on Friday, but they were dominated in the second and third quarters en route to a 74-59 loss to JL3 to end their strong spring. London Jemison (Bloomfield, Conn.) led the way with 21 points, including five 3-pointers, to keep Expressions within striking distance. But they couldn’t slow down JL3’s hot shot-making.
Jaylen Harrell (Roxbury, Mass.) averaged 10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in five games at Peach Jam, Dwayne Aristode chipped in 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and Jemison contributed 14.2 points per game on 40 percent shooting from deep.
Under Armour Next Circuit Finals
The Middlesex Magic flew to Chicago on Thursday feeling confident about their chances for a second straight 17U national championship on the Under Armour circuit, but they were shocked in the first round with a 52-51 loss to Canada Elite. Ryder Frost (Beverly, Mass.) hit four 3-pointers, and Daithi Quinn (Quincy, Mass.) hit a go-ahead bucket in the final minute, but Canada Elite scored a game-winner with one second to go. Quinn’s half-court heave at the buzzer missed as the defending champs bowed out.
Michael Crotty, the head coach of the Magic, said Canada Elite was tough and physical, and slowed the game down knowing the Magic’s offensive firepower. In three years on the Under Armour circuit, the Magic are now 46-10 – and Crotty said games like Friday come with the territory of being one of the best teams on the circuit.
“Our guys get everybody’s best shot,” Crotty said. “That’s a privilege that they’ve earned over the years by virtue of having so much success, but when we lost that game, it was like the entire gym stopped and went nuts. … You’re really disappointed, but when you take a step back, you realize what you’ve accomplished. You realize you’ve earned that right to have the whole gym go berserk because your team lost. They don’t do that for teams who just win every now and then.”
The Magic, to their credit, responded in the consolation bracket with three consecutive wins over West Coast Elite, Wisconsin Playground and Illinois Wolves to end their season on a strong note. After Friday’s loss, Crotty issued a challenge to his talented squad.
“I said to the guys, ‘The next two days are going to be about character. You’re going to show who you are,’” Crotty said. “You’re either one of the best teams on Under Armour that just lost a game, or you’re not as good as we all thought. And they came out and won three excellent, tough hard-fought games.
“I’m proud of them. I knew they would do it. I knew they wouldn’t mail it in because they care too much about what it means to put that jersey on.”
Crotty said he was emotional after Sunday’s finale. With 10 Division 1 caliber players, he believes it’s one of the best Magic teams in the history of the program, and he’ll miss them even more because of the quality of their character.
“I’ll never forget them. I love them,” Crotty said. “They sealed their mark on the legacy of the Magic program. I know there were a couple goals we weren’t able to reach, but they left a legacy in a really positive way.”
MADE Hoops Summer Live Finale
In its first season of existence, Team White Mamba – the grassroots squad created by former NBA player Brian Scalabrine – was dominant on the MADE Hoops circuit but came up just one win short of claiming a trophy after they suffered a heartbreaking 63-62 loss to the York Ballers in the Sunday’s championship game at Summer Live Finale in Oaks, Pa.
White Mamba was led all season by Ace Flagg (Newport, Maine), the twin brother of Cooper, and Andrew Alekseyenko (Brookline, Mass.) to nab the No. 1 seed in this weekend’s championship tournament. They took down Michigan Unified, East Coast Cyclones and Boston Basketball to reach Sunday’s final.
Boston Basketball – the MADE Hoops arm of Mass Rivals – made a Cinderella run as the No. 13 seed to Sunday’s final four before taking a 61-41 loss to White Mamba. They were paced by Carson Gretz (Newburyport, Mass.) and Jonathan Ocasio (Lawrence, Mass.) as they knocked out Team Takeover National and New Haven Heat to make Sunday’s semifinals.
Puma PRO16 Finals
Rhode Island Elite made the round of 16 at the Puma national championships in Indiana before falling with a 55-47 loss to Louisiana Elite. Darius Lopes (Providence, R.I.), who’s heading to the University of Maine this fall, had a standout performance in Rhode Island’s round of 32 victory over Colorado Collective, while Kelvin Odih (Providence, R.I.) hit the game-winner to send them to the final 16.
