ORLANDO, Fla. -- When action concluded on Monday at the U-17 AAU Super Showcase the final had been set for Tuesday -- St. Louis Eagles vs. Each 1 Teach 1. However, the silver bracket had a distinctive East Coast flair as Maryland's Finest, Jersey Shore Warriors, Team Takeover Oxendine, and ECE Delaware Panthers had advanced to Tuesday's semifinal.For the Jersey Shore Warriors this is just the latest run in what has already been a tremendously successful summer. They took the title at the Summer Classic East earlier in the month and followed that up with a run to the semifinals of the West Virginia Jam Fest before before falling to the eventual champions, the New England Playaz.Following the Warriors' quarterfinal win over a very talented Expressions Elite squad on Monday afternoon I had the opportunity to catch up with Warriors coach Tony Sagona and a couple of his top guns.
Darren Hilliard (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) was absolutely phenomenal in the win, not just showing his trademark athleticism and making some shots behind the three-point line but impacting the game in a variety of other ways -- most notably his contributions on the glass.Following the game, Hilliard gave an update on his recruiting and claimed scholarship offers from Boston College, Siena, St. Joseph's, Temple and LaSalle while having also heard from Villanova, Wake Forest and Cincinnati.Sharp-shooting forward
Andrew Nicholas (Wrightsville, Pa./Eastern York Sr.) was previously committed to Rutgers and is now hearing from places like Penn State, St. Bonaventure, UMass and Siena, according to Sagona.Perhaps my favorite player on the Warriors' roster is point guard Austin Tillotson (Wrightsville, Pa./Eastern York Sr.). While not explosively quick or athletic by nature, this kid maximizes every bit of ability in his body, plays with a ton of confidence and toughness, and is as pure of a point guard I saw all day on Monday.Tillotson claims offers from Monmouth, Delaware, Citadel, Quinnipiac, and Bucknell and said he is hoping to take some visits in the fall before making his final decision.The silver semifinals will tip off at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday morning with the Warriors facing Maryland's Finest and Team Takeover facing ECE Delaware Panthers. The winners will meet for the championship at 4 p.m.