Kevin Stacom: Rhode Island's Red Hot AAU Program Is Making National Noise
Kevin Stacom, Sports Analyst
Kevin Stacom: Rhode Island's Red Hot AAU Program Is Making National Noise
In the process of researching for previous articles on the recruiting of various players for Providence College, especially from the New England area, I was gradually introduced to a few key AAU programs that a lot of the better players from the region sprang from. The most notable ones, each having a history of developing top talent for Division 1 and 2 college programs, include the Middlesex Magic, Expressions, Mass Rivals, and the longstanding BABC. All of these programs are based in different areas of Massachusetts- Middlesex, Braintree, the Lawrence area, and Boston, respectively.
It wasn’t until an old friend, Leo Papile (BABC), informed me recently that there is an AAU program that was started in Rhode Rhode Island a few years ago that has begun to gain legitimate traction.
Leo put me in touch with Nick Light, the founder of Rhode Island Elite, and, as the name implies, the local and up and coming entry on the New England AAU scene.
Nick grew up in Warwick, RI, attending Hendricken HS for two years, finishing the last two and graduating from Pilgrim HS. From there, he played basketball at Division 3 Mitchell College in New London. Nick began doing some coaching and training in the youth basketball space after college and, for whatever reasons, saw that what little AAU activity there was in Rhode Island was in pretty much disarray. There was in his mind a niche to fill, and he set out to fill that void.
Of course, it’s not easy to establish yourself and create a program in the midst of all the aforementioned programs competing for all the top talent in the area
Nick credits a few local players with helping him to literally get the ball rolling. In 2017 Abdul Ajai who played his high school ball at Shea HS was able to earn the 1at basketball scholarship to college from RI Elite- Division 2 Post College in Connecticut. Following soon the following year, Tedrick Wilcox from Tollman HS won a scholarship to Division 1 Hampton College in Virginia.
More recently, Sebastion Thomas, who played his HS ball at Hendricken HS along with the RI Elite AAU, should be a key player for URI this year. Also Isiah Miranda, a 7’1” 230lb big from Pawtucket went originally to Oklahoma State and now is at University Wisconsin Green Bay. Reports are that he has some maturing to do but is a legitimate NBA prospect (mobile, can shoot, defend).
Currently, the most talented player in the RI Elite program and the most highly recruited is Kelvin Odih, a 6’4” combination guard from Providence. This past January, he was awarded MVP at the NBA’s top 100 camp in Orlando, Florida. (Sponsored by the NBA Players Association) He also attended the Pangos All-American camp in Vegas this summer. Both venues are permitted scouting assignments for NBA teams. He currently attends South Kent prep school in Connecticut. Both URI and Providence were notified that he wishes to go away to college, as he’s narrowed his choices down to West Virginia, Creighton, Colorado, Rutgers, Louisville, and Oklahoma State.
Light is diversifying and extending his talent base with the addition of a couple of players from Senegal- Adama Tambedou, 6’7” Jr , who plays at Putman Science in Connecticut, and Mamadou Kane, 6’8” freshman who plays for Lee Academy in Maine.
It can get you dizzy trying to get your head around the extent of the travel and the intensity of the amount of games that these young 10th and 11th grade players experience.
A quick glimpse of this year’s just completed Spring and Summer schedule:
1- Indianapolis April 26-28
2- Memphis May 10-12
3- Wichita May 17-19
4- Phoenix July 10-14
5- Indianapolis July 18-21
Unencumbered by normal interscholastic rules and regulations about practice hours, etc, it’s easy to see how the Prep School/ AAU circuit has gained ascendency over traditional high school basketball for those wishing to take a more serious approach to the game. The experience of playing against such a wide swath of talent in order to develop, and the exposure gained in the process of being in front of just about every major college program in the country is invaluable.
My interview with Nick proved once again that enthusiasm for the game spans generations as we compared notes on how players from previous eras were socialized into the game. When In years gone by, summer ball was in the playgrounds, seeking out the better games where, as a young guy, you hoped to get chosen and get on a team that won because if you lost, you could be done for the day with 30 or 40 guys waiting in the wings looking to take on the winners.
You wouldn’t win any Friends coming in just jacking up jumpers - you had to prove you could help a team stay on the court by being willing to defend, doing the dirty work, and knowing how to play. Now, young guys are in nice indoor facilities getting in the reps and extensive skill work preparing for the modern game of a spread floor, 3-point shooting, and self-shot creating.
The second half of RI Elite’s mission statement on its website states, “….. The vision of RI Elite is, through basketball, to provide a system that will annually give 50+ student-athletes the maximum exposure and opportunity to attend an accredited college or university.”
Light relayed to me that over the last five years his program has placed 21 Division 1 players and 10 Division 2 players.
It appears that Light and his staff are well on their way to fulfilling their mission statement and providing some fertile soil for the next local Ernie D, Marvin Barnes, Joe Hassett, Abdul Abdul, Joe Mazzulla, Ricky Ledo, David Duke, from which to spring.