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Nikitas headed to Europe with USA Select squad

August 12, 2016 | Joseph Vanden Acker

APPLETON, Wis. — Jamie Nikitas is chasing his hoop dreams on the other side of the pond.

The former Lawrence University men’s basketball star guard is playing on a USA Select team that will take part is as many as 20 contests in Europe from Sept. 1-20.

“I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to be seen, get noticed and get a chance to play over there,” Nikitas said.

The USA Select team is made up of recent college graduates ranging from NCAA Division III to Division I. The team will play in England, Ireland, Norway and possibly Greece over its three-week stay. The USA Select schedule will be a mix of games, tournaments and scrimmages, according to Nikitas.

After putting together a highlight tape, Nikitas began talking with an official from USA Select and was pleased to land with this group.

The Nikitas family has a history of competition overseas with Nikitas’ father, Danny, playing for two seasons in Greece after a stellar career at Lake Forest College. Nikitas’ uncle, Chris, played in the same league in Greece after helping DePaul University, led by Mark Aguirre, to a Final Four berth in 1979.

“This USA Select organization has placed plenty of guys, and a lot of guys are still playing with teams in Europe,” Nikitas said.

Nikitas said he’s not quite sure what to expect from his USA Select teammates since he’s never played with any of them.

“I think it will be letting the game come to me,” Nikitas said. “I may not be the guy who needs to score 25 points a game so it may be grabbing rebounds and stopping guys defensively. I feel like I had a pretty solid all-around game in college so hopefully whatever needs to show itself will show itself.”

Nikitas was a 2015-16 first-team All-Midwest Conference selection and one of 10 national finalists for the Josten’s Trophy, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division III. He finished in the top 10 in the nation in scoring at 25.1 points per game and broke Lawrence’s season scoring record with 577 points. He was the only player in the Midwest Conference to finish in the top seven in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

Nikitas was named the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week, was chosen for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week and was twice named Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

Nikitas ranks among the greatest players in Lawrence history and his name is all over the school’s record book. He finished fourth on the career scoring list with 1,406 points, trailing only Josten’s Trophy winner and three-time All-American Chris Braier, All-American Ryan Kroeger and Lawrence Hall of Famer Joel Dillingham.

Once the tour is done, Nikitas hopes he gets the call from a pro team that needs an American guard.

“As long as I stay healthy and play like I can play, I have a chance to catch on with someone,” Nikitas said. “Even if nothing comes of it … to have the opportunity to do this is a really cool thing.”

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Lancashire Spinners ‏@LancsSpinners Jul 22
Looking forward to hosting @USASelectBBall for our 3rd Annual @SuperJCharity game. http://bit.ly/29ZaWNj

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Charity Game with USA Select – HD

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AAU Basketball Tournament Underway in Greensboro

By Elaina O’Connell | Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 12:14 PM EDT

GREENSBORO — Two North Carolina teams tipped off against one another Tuesday morning during the Amateur Athletic Union’s 7th Grade Basketball Tournament.

“It’s real good competition, and it’s bragging rights; they beat us last time so we have to come out here and get it done,” said AIA player Silas Mason.

Mason has been playing basketball since he was 4.

“My dad played college basketball and so I picked it up at a young age,” said Mason.

He worked his way up into the elite AAU.

“To get here they all had to qualify in their district which means finish in a top eight in their respective location,” said NC AAU District Gov. Sean Kilmartin. “We’ve got teams from Seattle, San Diego, Texas and all over the country.”

Overall, the AAU has 34 sports with about 750,000 athletes. In North Carolina alone, there are more than 20,000 athletes, participants and volunteers.

“To get to this level, these are some of the most talented basketball players in the country. It doesn’t just take an hour a day at practice,” said Kilmartin.

It takes much more. Players like Myles Evans practice four to five hours a day.

“Morning, middle of the day, and end of the day working out,” said Evans, who plays for the Garner Road Bulldogs. “It is a lot of work and a lot of dedication you have to have in order to play for a team like this.”

The last day of the tournament is Saturday, July 9. Admission for adults is $15 daily and kids’ tickets are $12.

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Exciting times for Ipswich Basketball Club as glamour friendly secured

11:06 | 21 June 2016 | Stuart Watson

Head coach Nick Drane says these are exciting times for Ipswich Basketball Club.

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The man who has overseen two promotions, followed by three near misses when it has come to attempting the final jump to the top-flight, believes he is close to assembling his best ever Tomcats squad.

And there is also the prospect of a glamour pre-season friendly to look forward to, a USA Select team made up of College graduates confirming that they will be visiting Copleston High School on September 12 as part of a big European tour.

“We’ve finished third, third and fifth in Division Two and, if I’m being honest, last season was a transitional period of us,” explained Drane.

“A couple of great servants to the club were not quite at the same level, so we parted ways with them and started planning for the future.

“I’ve been saying every pre-season ‘we are going to get promoted this time’, so I won’t put that pressure on my players again – but what I will say is that I am confident that the team I am looking to put on the floor will be the best I’ve ever had.

“Leigh Greenan has had surgery on the knee problem which has plagued him for the last 18 months and the bottom line is that he is the biggest, baddest player in this league when fully fit. Having him back is the ultimate summer signing.

“All my main players are returning with the exception of Sam Newman, who is going to university in Canada. I essentially put an advert out looking for a replacement and the response has been phenomenal.

“I must have had 30 to 40 applicants, we’ve whittled that down to four and it’s now about deciding who is the best fit for Ipswich Basketball Club.

“They will not only have to be good players for this level, but also understand the history of this unique small town club and the responsibilities that we expect senior players to take on.

“It might be someone looking to drop down a level and make a name for themselves or someone in this league looking for a change. This process is really fun for me as a coach. Having built this team on local talent for so long, it’s exciting to think that we can begin recruiting to take us to that next level.”

He added: “Securing the USA Select match is another sign of just how far we’ve come and further enhances our reputation.

“It’s also worth pointing out that we have 11 junior players – boys and girls – in various international age-group teams. That’s more than many of the clubs from the big cities. I really think we are on the cusp of something special here.”

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Arrows Edged Out by USA Select

Linbraze Arrows 103
Team USA Select 104

The Linbraze Arrows were edged out by a buzzer beating finish, 103-104, as they brought their pre season to an end. A great time was had by all at Dronfield Sports Centre as the young Arrows team went toe to toe with a group of USA professional prospects.

The Arrows were under the coaching of Jonathan Kelly while Team USA were coached by former Arrows super star Noah Brown. The Arrows were slow to start but a “3 pointer” followed by a 2 by the impressive Joseph Baugh got the Arrows underway. Joseph Baugh, Dennis Scott and Alex Burt carried the scoring load for the Arrows plus a smart finish by Paul Heymann saw the Arrows trail by 27 – 28 as the quarter came to an end.

There was plenty of fight in the Arrows after the break as they took the second quarter 29 – 23. Point guard James Kelly led a more experienced unit as Scott, Baugh, Burt and Jonny Broodie produced a very athletic and high paced tempo to see the Arrows ahead 56 – 54 at the half time interval.

Coach Kelly continued to explore several combinations in the third quarter in preparation for the season. However, the Arrows lost the quarter 16 – 32 as Team Select took control. The Arrows struggled to deal with the non – stop full court pressure applied by the visitors which exposed the newness of the Arrows group.

The Arrows began the final quarter behind 72 – 86. However, the Arrows with Andreas Lycoudis adding consecutive 3 pointers and a powerful exhibition by Burt, Scott, Broodie and Baugh saw the Arrows level the contest at 101 – 101. Nathan Dacres capped a great defensive display by producing a huge dunk. The Arrows led 103 – 102 when they were called for a shot clock violation with 6 seconds of the game remaining before losing to a buzzer beating shot 104 – 103.

Scorers; Burt 31, Baugh 27, Scott 13, Broodie 11, Lycoudis 8, Kelly 4

Despite the result, Coach Jonny Kelly was up beat about his sides outing at Dronfield last night. He said:

“It was a real pleasure to coach in this contest. It genuinely had everything! Momentum shifts, highlights and a lot of encouraging signs for the team moving forward. It felt like a different group to last week as they dealt with all the pressures and played with freedom and enjoyment. We will move on to Sunday with confidence and a new belief in our ability as a group.”

Arrows overseas player, Alex Burt, made his first appearance for the Arrows last night just 10 hours after landing in the UK. The American from Plymouth State University said:

“Although we lost at the buzzer, I think our team overall made good progress. Our energy and intensity was great, but our defensive communication must be more consistent as we enter Sundays game. It felt great to put on the Arrows uniform for the first time and play in front of our fans, who brought a tremendous level of energy and support.”

The Arrows now move on to their first competitive game of the season as they head to the EIS Sheffield to meet Sheffield Hallam Sharks in the National Cup 1st Round. Tip off on Sunday is at 1:20pm.

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Bristol Flyers Head Coach speaks exclusively to Bristol Flyers TV on his side’s 78-82 overtime to USA Select on Thursday night.

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Fury go to down to US stars – News | King’s Lynn Fury

In Fury’s second pre season game it was a fantastic experience as we hosted USA select Blue. A side made up of US players hopeful of finding professional contracts in Europe.

Before the game the players from the US side hosted a clinic for Fury U16′s which was inspiring for the youngsters.

In the game itself Fury struggled early with the US sides pressure D trailing 8-0, but started to find their feet led by Giedrius Pakalniskis and the first period ended with Fury trailing 34 – 25.

In the second period the US side looked to put the game away taking a 15 point lead but Mindaugas Spukas and Eivydas Aleksa who was making an emotional farewell before his move to Worcester Uni combined for 13 points to bring the lead to just 49 – 47. Trialist Audrius Gudekis impressed with a run of 9 points of his own to keep the game close but with half time approaching a big 3 from USA stole Furys momentum to trail 69-59 at the break.

The longer 12 minute periods where clearly a factor as Coach Bamfield used the extra time to give all 14 of his players court time.

The third period remained competitive as Fury led by excellent guard play and anchored by superb play from Deividas Butkevicius but the game swung on a couple of key moments out of Fury’s grasp. Ironically the swings came on inguarded 15 ft free shots as Fury missed 10 from 12 over a 4 minute spell with Blue again ladning a buzzer 3 the lead had slipped from a potential 5 to a unassailable 17.

Credit to Fury realising this was a training exercise in preperation for the season the side played strong in the 4th period 30 – 32 scoring but could not close the gap in a meaningful way.

Final Score Fury 117 USA Select 136

Bamfield “I was pleased with the side today we fixed a number of problems that i was unhappy about in the last game. There was little more atmosphere around the team and we fought hard for 48 minutes. Giedrius and Deividas were superb and will lead our side from the front this year while Audrius and Arnas have started to settle and played really well. It was also nice to give Kobe a send off game and see further senior development for 16 year old Saul Holland, 17 year old Vytau Girdzius and 18 year old Luke Huggins.”

Top scorers;
Fury Pakalniskis 27, Butkevicius 27, Gudekis 23 & Aleksa 17

USA (no names available)
#50 44, #49 18, #46 17 & #51 16

You can see footage of the game on youtube;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTjZEwqSEio

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