All eight of Team Melo's 2008 players will continue their basketball careers next year, coach Darrick Oliver said yesterday.

“They just competed against the top competition all summer,” said Oliver, who is now working with the AAU program's 12-and-under team. “Everybody was prepared [to play at the next level]. I’m just happy and thank God for that.”

Most of Team Melo’s commitments have been written about in this space. To recap, the club’s DI signees include Towson Catholic point guard Larry Bastfield (Toledo), Cardinal Gibbons point guard Jamar Briscoe (North Carolina Central), Towson Catholic forward Brandon Greene (Robert Morris) and, of course, St. Frances shooting guard Sean Mosley (Maryland).

Additionally, Erik Etherly, who starred for Annandale (Va.) High School but made the drive up to Baltimore for AAU play, inked with Northeastern last fall.

Rounding out Team Melo’s college-bound players are Loyola guard Sal Schittino and Mount St. Joseph forward Chris Olsen, both of whom are headed to Washington College.

The final Team Melo senior, Towson Catholic guard Vinny Breckinridge, will prep for a year at The Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C.

“They were a great group of kids that I had for four years,” Oliver said, “and it was one of my most ... enjoyable [times I’ve had] with a team. I had the same kids for four years, and for all of them to go to school was great.”