NEW YORK – It was one stop shopping last weekend. It wasn’t Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but when the Nike EYBL and Under Armour Association summer loops pulled into town for the start of the live period, it was special.

Nike’s temporary facility at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was a nightmare to find in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn (it overlooks the lower Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty situated in the New York Harbor), but fan-friendly once you cleared security. There were four courts in two adjoining terminal buildings on the Atlantic basin (Red Hook Terminal 12). Suffice it to say this is a GPS-must location and one that several events have started to investigate for future hoop gatherings. UAA played across the water on the Lower East Side in Manhattan in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge at Basketball City.

Here are a handful of takes we learned last weekend.

Talk of the Town

The most talked about player last weekend in Brooklyn was 7-2 junior Mohamed Bamba of Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.), who drew a huge cluster of coaches when his PSA Cardinals took the court. The long, athletic Bamba is a double-double machine, averaging 15.3 points and 15.7 rebounds in three games. He also redirected shots (3.3 blocks) and showed overall skill why he is pushing to be the nation’s top prospect from the Class of 2017. His list of college offers is staggering and juice with the usual suspects.

Whispers

After attending both the EYBL and Jordan Brand Classic, this juicy rumor was confirmed: Gary Trent, Jr. of Apple Valley (Minn.) will transfer schools for his senior year. National coaches on the prep side from all corners of the country said such schools as Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champion Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), Montverde (Fla.) Academy and Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) are all in play. La Lumiere would be a good fit with its Midwest location (less than hour from Chicago) and superior academics. Plus Shane Heirman is becoming a destination-coach for high-major prospects and rising, elite sophomore point guard Tyger Campbell is the team’s friendly facilitator. No matter where Trent lands, he’ll enhance that roster and become a go-to player.

Under Armour standouts

There was a buzz last Saturday morning when 6-5 sniper Lionel “L.J.” Figueroa lit up for 41 points for Team Breakdown (104 points total in four games). The rising senior from Oldsmar (Fla.) Christian is a pure scorer with offers from Louisville, South Florida, Miami and Florida. He also had 10 steals to lead the pack through one weekend. … Trevon Duval, a 6-2 point guard from Advanced Prep International (Dallas), averaged nearly 20 points and 4 dimes in four games playing for We R-1. Offers from ACC, Big East, Big 12 and Pac 12 schools are on the table. However, there was a rumor that Duval may transfer. Oak Hill Academy, with its guard-oriented attack, would be a natural fit. OHA coach Steve Smith could smooth out his perimeter game. … Finally, rising junior Bourama Sidibe, a 6-10, 225-pound post from St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) is coming on strong. His play in the latter portion of the schoolboy season was marked with improvement and comfort in the St. Benedict’s system. Last weekend he averaged a double-double (10.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg) with a sharpened post game and continued to annoy competitors with his superior shot-blocking ability. He’s already fielding offers from the majors with more on the way.

The UAA will head this weekend to the Best Choice Fieldhouse in Fishers, Ind. That’s followed by the third session from May 28-29 at MAP Sports Complex in Garden Grove, Calif. The finals for all three age groups (15, 16 and 17) are from July 13-16 at the Lake Point Sports in Emerson, Ga.

International Intrigue

Three weeks ago, I was tipped off to pay close, close attention to the Jordan Brand Classic International Game. This came from a highly respected NBA scout who was attending the McDonald’s All American Game in Chicago. So I arrived early last Friday to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the International Game (top 15 and 16 year olds globally). The room was essentially empty, the court was full with talent, but the tip came to fruition.

In 24 minutes, 6-10 rising sophomore Charles Bassey, who attends St. Anthony Catholic (San Antonio, Texas) saw his star rise, after producing 14 points (6-of-10 shooting) and 12 rebounds to earn Most Valuable Player honors in leading his International Black Team to victory. The Nigerian was dominant in a game that lacked cohesiveness—a byproduct of unfamiliarity amongst the players. Bassey took his Texas school to the TAPPS 5A championship game in March. He mentioned Texas A&M as a school of interest but it’s way too early for college destinations.

He came to America last summer and is now on a path to stardom.

“I started playing when I was 12. A coach in Nigeria discovered me. I sold chicken [on the side of the road in Nigeria] and then stopped because I was growing. I was like 6-1 at 12 years old. He then trained me until last year when I came to America. I went to different camps, so from there they told me I have good potential,” he said.

Bassey is clearly the top player in the Class of 2019 and will become a staple on the summer circuit. The do-it-all youngster is ambidextrous, a gazelle in transition, exciting in the blocks and a fly-swatting defender. Some call him the best prospect from Nigeria since Hakeem Olajuwon, but it’s way too early. So far there’s too much to like. The next three years should be fun in for the San Antonio hoop scene—provided he remains at the small Catholic school.

Additionally, Rowan “RJ” Barrett, Jr., was tabbed the White Team MVP. Barrett, a Canadian and whose dad played for St. John’s, tossed in a game-high 22 (8-of-14 shooting) and cleared 8 rebounds. The 6-6 wing from Brampton, Ont., plays for nationally known program Montverde Academy and recently completed his sophomore campaign. He is already being hailed as the best player from North of the Border since Andrew Wiggins.

Five Still Alive

It’s getting late in the recruiting game. The Final Four is over, coaches have reshuffled the deck, transfers are landing and incoming classes for the 2016-17 season are firming up. There’s still recruiting aplenty for jucos, non-committed seniors and other gems still kicking around the spring circuit in an attempt to score a full-ride.

Here are the five top unsigned players, who will bring impact and quality next season: 6-11 Marques Bolden, DeSoto (Texas); 6-10 Jarrett Allen, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Austin, Texas); 5-11 Charlie Moore, Morgan Park (Chicago); 6-8 Taurean Thompson, Brewster Academy (N.H.); 6-3 Eron Gordon, Cathedral (Indianapolis).

My take on possible landing spots for them.

Bolden is the pick of the litter. That’s why Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, SMU and Louisville are lined up for his signature. Now that Brandon Ingram has declared for the NBA draft, Duke could be the best fit. … Moore is an intriguing player. He was recently named the Chicago Player of the Year and de-committed from Memphis when coach Josh Pastner bolted for Georgia Tech. He’s now considering guard-friendly schools SMU, Georgia Tech, Seton Hall, Iowa, Miami and Missouri. … Thompson, who previously attended St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), has plenty of choices, but having spoke with his mother an Atlantic 10, ACC or Big East school with good academics is the best fit. … Thon Maker, a 7-foot post from Australia (by way of Sudan) would have headlined the list, but is angling for a pro career that may start overseas. … Gordon has several options but a closer look reveals Purdue, Butler and Seton Hall would be great fits. All three need a two-guard with point guard skills and there’s chances to see the floor in the fall. .., Allen is another elite big who performed well last weekend at the Jordan Brand Game in Brooklyn. If he stays instate, the UT Longhorns are an exciting team with coach Shaka Smart in charge, but Oregon (a.k.a. Nike U.) is spot for playing time. He’d compete incoming freshman M.J. Cage (from Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.) for playing time in the post. Houston or K-State are dark horses for his services.

What’s Next?

The action shifts to the Midwest this weekend inside Jonathan Byrd’s Field House in Westfield, Ind. The second of four sessions should continue to write the summer story as we move forward. More subplots and diamonds in the rough will emerge.

Heading into the second weekend, the top teams in the division standings are:

Division A: Albany (N.Y.) City Rocks and Team Takeover (D.C.) both at 3-0

Division B: Howard Pulley Panthers (Minn.) 3-0 and E1T1 (Fla.) 2-1

Division C: PSA Cardinals (N.Y.) 3-0, The Rens (N.Y.), Expressions and Phoenix (Ariz.) Phamily are all 2-1

Division D: MoKan Elite (Kansas City area), NJ Playaz and Team Final (Pa.) are both 3-0.

The final two weekends are May 13-15 in Hampton, Va. and May 27-39 in Suwanee, Ga. The Nike Peach Jam or EYBL championship is July 6-10 in North Augusta, S.C.