Lambros Papalambros always has faith in his teams. But on a rainy Saturday morning in May, it was cemented with his Middlesex Magic Hoop Group squad.
The Magic were playing in a small tournament at the Sudbury Fieldhouse, and they only had five players available. But CJ Farrell, Ty Grudzien, Jack Millward, Connor Noel and Otis Crosby showed up – and they brought their best.
Papalambros doesn’t remember the opponent, but in one game, they went up by a 32-4 score. They ultimately won by 50. All five players were flying around, playing relentless defense. It didn’t matter that the tournament was low stakes.
That day, Papalambros saw something special brewing.
“I have to get on them or our habits will stink. It’s the toughest thing to do,” the coach said. “That’s when I started to believe. There is no one at this gym, there is not a college coach in the vicinity. There’s five of us. It’s a rainy Saturday. They could be out doing anything they want and they’re here playing defense and it’s 32-4. …
“There was a championship DNA.”
About two months later, that DNA proved itself. On one of the best independent AAU circuits in the country, the Magic’s 17U Hoop Group team won its second HGSL (Hoop Group Showcase League) championship in three years under Papalambros with an incredible July run in Pittsburgh, Pa.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Papalambros said.
Beating the odds
This year had exceptionally high parity on the HGSL circuit, according to Papalambros. And his Magic team did not take an especially linear route to the title.
They had to deal with adversity, and manage roster turnover throughout the spring and summer. Keyshon Joyner and Philipe Ndong – two high-level talents – were initially members of this team before Joyner went to Team New England and Ndong was called up to the Magic’s top Under Armour circuit team. Injuries defined this spring and summer, too, with big man Tyson Robinson in and out of the lineup, and an unfortunate finger injury to Millward (Wakefield, Mass.), one of their best players, kept him out of the July live periods.
But through it all, they maintained belief. They knew they had enough. A core of selfless players who knew their roles – Farrell, Grudzien, Noel, Crosby, JJ Martinez and Michael D’Ambra – gained increased connection on both sides of the ball throughout the season.
“The whole season, literally from practice day one, we were saying our team might be the team just to do it, just to win it,” Farrell said. “Everything was kind of thrown at us and going against us, but we were still able to handle it.”
Farrell (St. Mark’s/Milford, Mass.) and Grudzien (Woodstock Academy/Uncasville, Conn.) controlled the backcourt with their pace and playmaking, and they were both monstrous on the defensive end. Noel (Milton Academy/Waltham, Mass.), Crosby (St. George’s/Barrington, R.I.) and D’Ambra (Bishop Hendricken/Warwick, R.I.) were high-level shooters, with Noel presenting great problems as a 5 in small-ball lineups without Robinson. Martinez (Darrow/Lynn, Mass.) embraced and excelled in a sixth man role. It all clicked.
Even in the face of adversity on the eve of the championship tournament.
On the day the tournament started, the Magic were playing a showcase tune-up game early in the day when Robinson (Brimmer & May/Newton, Mass.) went down with an injury. It was devastating timing. The 6-foot-7 Robinson was playing at a high level, and Papalambros said the air went out of the room. But the coach didn’t let it linger.
Papalambros, who’s also the head coach at Nobles, learned from a moment last season. When his star guard, Jack Charchaflian, suffered a season-ending injury, the coach admitted he didn’t wear it the right way. He was visibly shaken, and he knew it affected the team. He was obviously hurt for Robinson in the moment, but he stayed stronger as the leader.
“I took the group in and I was like, ‘If you guys don't think we can win this thing without Tyson, you're (expletive) crazy, and get out of huddle,’” Papalambros recalled. “I meant it.”
Defense wins championships
It was the only time they spoke about it. And to Robinson’s credit, he stuck around all weekend and was “the greatest teammate in the world,” Papalambros said. From the sidelines, he watched them fulfill that belief.
The strength of this Magic team was on the defensive end, especially on the perimeter. Farrell, Grudzien and Martinez led the charge with their instincts, effort and high motors. But Papalambros needed to harness their energy. They gambled too much and sold out in passing lanes; Papalambros taught technique, and they were consistently the aggressor on that end. As a result, they were incredibly connected as a group throughout the season with their defensive principles.
“We found a way throughout the season that even when we weren't making shots, we would still freaking guard,” Papalambros said. “And that gives you a chance in every game. Defense travels.”
It traveled to Pittsburgh.
After handling Philly Power and HoopRoots in the opening two rounds of the tournament, the Magic produced a signature defensive performance in its quarterfinal win over Philly Pride. Their 54-42 win was defined by a 15-2 run in the first half that helped them run away.
“It was the most electric five minutes of basketball,” Papalambros said. “Like, I can't explain it.”
The Magic pocketed five steals during the stretch. Papalambros described the vibe as a shark smelling blood in the water. The big moment came towards the end of the run, when after forcing another turnover, Farrell found himself alone in transition and finished a one-handed dunk. The bench erupted. They weren’t looking back from there.
“It was an avalanche.”
Farrell’s breakout
Farrell, who won a NEPSAC Class B Large championship with St. Mark’s in March, had a big stock-rising grassroots season. When Joyner left, he took over lead guard responsibilities and thrived as a facilitator and distributor. But it still felt like a part of his game was waiting to be unlocked.
The weekend before the championship tournament, during the live period in Spooky Nook, Pa., Farrell approached Papalambros to meet and discuss his role. The Magic had just won a game, but it wasn’t a totally comfortable victory, and Farrell wanted to chat about some things that were on his mind.
“I just wanted to talk to him about what I can do as the primary ball handler, just to get myself and everybody else more included and more intense in the game, like just locked in, you know?” Farrell said. “Just little things I can do.”
The next weekend, it all came together – and Farrell even took his game up a notch.
Farrell said he was talking to his father on the way to the tournament, and he gave him some motivating words.
“They've been saying, ‘Oh, you've been showing flashes all season, you've had a certain couple games here and there, and my dad and I, on the way up to the tournament, we were just talking, and he was like, ‘Just go all in one time. and just show them what you can do. I guess I just trusted that,” Farrell said.
Farrell also said he knew it was his final AAU weekend, and he wanted to go out with a bang. It showed. Farrell was more aggressive on the offensive end than he had been all season, and he perfectly blended attacking his own scoring chances with engineering the offense. Defensively, he was as dominant as he’s always been.
His signature moment came in an emotional, back-and-forth semifinal thriller vs. Valente Rocks. The game required great resilience. After leading early, the Magic allowed a big second-half run to Valente Rocks and trailed by six at one point. Papalambros admitted he didn’t have many answers. But D’Ambra rescued them with a big late 3-pointer, and the Magic forced overtime.
Overtime rules in the HGSL include the Elam Ending, which means both teams play to a target score to determine the winner. It was first to five points.
“Elam Ending is the scariest thing known to man,” Papalambros said. “Like there's skydiving and then there's the Elam Ending.”
Both teams exchanged two-pointers to start overtime, and Valente Rocks had possession. A 3-pointer would have won them the game. That’s when a timeout was called and the Magic discussed strategy. Papalambros told his team to deny 3-point looks, and avoid fouling for a potential three-point play. For him, it was a matter of when – not if – they got a defensive stop, they were going for the win.
“I got real pumped,” Papalambros said. “We've been built on defense. That's all I talked about for five months. I said, ‘You're telling me we need one stop to go to the finals? I'm not even worried about it. The only thing we need to talk about, we're going for the win. Guys are like, ‘We’re going for the win?’ Yes. (Expletive) yes. This game is not going another possession, guys. Lock up.”
Before Papalambros could even gather himself, the Magic had forced a turnover in less than three seconds. And without a shot clock in HGSL games, they proceeded to essentially sit on the ball until they found the right offensive look on the next possession.
Papalambros wants to make something clear – he’s a proponent of the shot clock. But he knows every team would have done the same thing against him. For the next 90 seconds, and maybe longer, they waited patiently. It got dicey in a few moments. Papalambros called three different sets and none of them worked.
“Finally, I'm like, I'm like, yo, CJ, make a play,” Papalambros said.
Moments later, a flare screen was set for Farrell in the corner. He saw a glimmer of daylight and unleashed a 3-pointer that swished through the net for the game-winner. A wild celebration ensued on the court.
“I've never had that feeling before,” Farrell said. “That was unreal.”
Added Papalambros: “He's just that dude. He wants the ball. They all do, but CJ, he wants that freaking ball, man.”
The clincher
The Magic barely had any time to turn the page for the championship game. Tip time was coming about two hours after Farrell’s game-winner. Papalambros raced back to his hotel room to take a shower and go over some quick film.
He was licking his chops. Their opponent, AKT Elite, was the team who beat them in the 17U championship last year. It was a different roster, of course, but it was the same coach and system. He was out for some revenge.
“I’ve been waiting 365 days for that game,” he said.
Papalambros remembered kicking himself a year before because he didn’t make adjustments. But while watching film in his room, he had a eureka moment. He knew AKT Elite liked to blitz ball screens, and he came up with the right counters for it. It ultimately worked.
The Magic were down early but roared back. D’Ambra went on a huge personal run to put them up five, and they kept AKT Elite at bay for the entirety of the second half. Crosby saved his best game in a Magic uniform for the perfect time, too.
“It was unbelievable,” Papalambros said. “The most hustle plays, the most winning plays he's ever made. He was amazing. He did not want to lose.”
When the final buzzer sounded on the Magic’s victory, the emotion of the moment overwhelmed Papalambros, whose father was with him in Pittsburgh throughout the weekend to make it even sweeter. He later said he cried, full of gratitude for the opportunity made possible by Magic director Michael Crotty, all the coaches of his past, and the roller-coaster journey this season entailed.
“We pour into this stuff, man,” Papalambros said. “It's the greatest experience in my life. I don't know why I'm this lucky.”
This group worked because it was so connected, both Papalambros and Farrell said. Even two late newcomers to the team, Liam Kilroy and Agee Griffith, added to the culture. The personalities and styles worked perfectly together. They refused to lose in the most tense moments. Through it all, their belief won out.
“I really do love these guys,” said Farrell, who was named MVP of the tournament. “Every one of them. The whole two weeks is a memory I'm never going to forget. I know they won't either. I'm glad we went out on top.”
