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Featuring players from New Bedford, Dartmouth and Fall River, the Leaders In Training (LIT) seventh grade boys basketball team recently won the Zero Gravity National Championship for Division 2, beating the Lakes Region Elite (LRE) Lakers of New Hampshire, 62-54, in the finals on June 7 at Babson College.
Austin Rodrigues, Lucas Diaz and Kobly Walker combined for 50 of the team’s 62 points in the title game.
“The guys were very excited,” said LIT head coach Brian Rudolph. “We challenged them all spring by having them play against the best in New England.”
LIT faced Division I competition all spring, but moved down a division for Nationals with the team shorthanded due to conflicts with baseball with some multi-sport athletes on the team.
“The final two games were as competitive as any games we had at the highest level all spring,” Rudolph said. “We have an extremely special group.
“We have a great combination of skill, speed, toughness and unselfishness and we are very excited to continue growing with this group.”
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Rodrigues, the son of LIT assistant coach and former New Bedford High standout Ryan Rodrigues, was named MVP of Nationals.
“Austin Rodrigues is special,” Rudolph said. “We are going to be hearing his name for a long time in our area. (He) comes from the basketball family in New Bedford.”
LIT team members include Rodrigues, Diaz, Walker, Jaziah Baptista, Jayden Bazora, Taj Thomas, Marquise Lee, Jhamari Edwards and Bruno Mendes.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: South Coast youth basketball team wins national title
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Austin Rodrigues, Lucas Diaz and Kobly Walker combined for 50 of the team’s 62 points in the title game.
“The guys were very excited,” said LIT head coach Brian Rudolph. “We challenged them all spring by having them play against the best in New England.”
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LIT faced Division I competition all spring, but moved down a division for Nationals with the team shorthanded due to conflicts with baseball with some multi-sport athletes on the team.
“The final two games were as competitive as any games we had at the highest level all spring,” Rudolph said. “We have an extremely special group.
“We have a great combination of skill, speed, toughness and unselfishness and we are very excited to continue growing with this group.”
VOTE: SouthCoast Softball Player of the Year for 2026
VOTE: SouthCoast Baseball Player of the Year for 2026
You must be registered for see images attach
Rodrigues, the son of LIT assistant coach and former New Bedford High standout Ryan Rodrigues, was named MVP of Nationals.
“Austin Rodrigues is special,” Rudolph said. “We are going to be hearing his name for a long time in our area. (He) comes from the basketball family in New Bedford.”
LIT team members include Rodrigues, Diaz, Walker, Jaziah Baptista, Jayden Bazora, Taj Thomas, Marquise Lee, Jhamari Edwards and Bruno Mendes.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: South Coast youth basketball team wins national title
Continue reading...
