Prociak, Walsh help AAU team to pool title

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Matt Prociak and J.J. Walsh helped the NEPA Elite Coyle 17U boys basketball team have a successful three days in Atlantic City in preparation for its Hoop Group season championship event that began this weekend at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim, Lancaster County.

The NEPA Elite boys teams headed right to Lancaster after finishing up in Atlantic City Friday.

The Coyle team, the program’s top boys team, went 3-0 Thursday and Friday in pool play while winning the 2022 Platinum Division Pool J title in the Atlantic City Jam Fest.

The only loss in Atlantic City came on a basket in the final second in a Wednesday night Hoop Group Showcase League game that was not part of the pool standings.

Prociak and Walsh each came off the bench for NEPA Elite. Prociak is a rising senior forward/center at Holy Redeemer from Jenkins Township. Walsh, the only underclassman on the Coyle team, is a rising junior shooting guard at Pittston Area.

Both have earned Wyoming Valley Conference all-star recognition in high school.

Prociak had six points, a team-high five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in Wednesday’s 47-45 loss to the South Jersey Hoops Elite.

The local players were two of the team’s top four scorers in Thursday’s early game, a 52-46 win over Team Mega.

Prociak had 11 points and Walsh added seven.

NEPA Elite shot a combined 22-for-38 (57.9 percent) from 3-point range in its last two wins.

Prociak had one of the early 3-pointers in the 23-2 start that carried NEPA Elite to a 63-51 win over PTT-HGSL Wednesday night. He finished 2-for-3 from the floor with five points and four rebounds.

Walsh was 2-for-4, going 1-for-2 on second-half, 3-point attempts, while also scoring five points and adding a steal.

Prociak had four points, a team-high five rebounds and two assists in a 71-40 rout of Team Final Black Friday.

The NEPA Elite AAU teams are based out of Riverfront Sports in Scranton.