By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
After trailing by 21 points in the first half, the Blue team outlasted the White team, 124-114, during the annual Jordan Brand All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. MaxPreps National Player of the Year Brandon Jennings scored 10 points, dished out a game-record 14 assists and was named MVP for his team. The previous assist record was 10 by Corey Fisher.
Leading the Blue team in scoring were Scotty Hopson with 21 points and Demar DeRozan with 17. The top rebounders, with eight each, were JaMychal Green and Greg Monroe. The White team MVP was Tyreke Evans, who finished with 23 points. He was supported by Devin Ebanks with 20 points and Samardo Samuels with 16. Al-Farouq Aminu set the pace with 12 rebounds.
Basketball Notes
* The annual Derby Festival Basketball Classic also was held over the weekend in Louisville, Ky. The Black team defeated the Gold squad, 128-121, before a crowd of 10,193 as Kansas signee Travis Releford scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Howard Thompkins added 19 points and also collected eight rebounds. Maurice Sutton added 17 points and Tyler Zeller had 15. The 7-foot Zeller defeated a field of guards to win the three-point shooting contest. For the losers, Yancy Gates led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Luke Babbitt added 15 points.
* For underclassmen, the AAU spring-summer circuit went into high gear with two big tournaments. In Houston, Texas, Howard Pulley defeated Team Jones, 69-58, to win the top division of the Kingwood Classic. Royce White led the champs with 13 points and Rodney Williams was close behind with 11 and four blocks. Terrance Jones, a 6-7 sophomore, paced the losers with 12 points.
* In Fayetteville, Ark., Team Breakdown nipped the Illinois Warriors, 59-57, in overtime to win the 17-and-under championship. The explosive champs were led by the premier guard tandem in the land. Sophomore Brandon Knight paced the Florida squad with 25 points and junior Kenny Boynton added nine points. Boynton, who was named MVP, had over 20 points in the other seven games. He scored 21 points against highly regarded junior Lance Stephenson and drilled a three-point bomb at the buzzer to stun the New York Gauchos, 56-53.
Team Breakdown coach Kenny Gillion told the Northwest Arkansas Times of Fayetteville, “A lot of people tell me that Kenny and Brandon are like Batman and Robin. But I tell them we have two Batmans.”
* Some talented unsigned seniors put their names on the line last week. Ebuka Anyaorah, a 6-4 guard who averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 rebounds for North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), signed with the University of Georgia…Minnesota’s career scoring leader, 6-5 Cody Schilling of Ellsworth, signed with Augustana College…The University of Mississippi landed 6-7 Murphy Holloway, who averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds for Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.)…The University of Evansville signed a talented Iowa guard, Kaylon Williams, who averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 assists for Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
* Mississippi’s Mr. Basketball, 6-9, 240-pound Rashanti Harris of New Hope, will attend a prep school power, Patterson School of Lenoir, N.C….Carmel (Ind.) senior guard Daniel Moore has rejected a scholarship from Boston University to walk on at Indiana University. The 5-10 Moore, a lifetime fan of the Hoosiers, averaged 13.5 points and 7.6 assists as a senior…Bobby Capobianco (6-8, 230), who averaged 20.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks as a junior for Loveland (Ohio), has made a commitment to Indiana University.
* Shiloh (Snellville, Ga.) has hired Kim Rivers as head boys basketball coach. Rivers has a career record of 315-50 and led Randallstown, Md., to five state championships in 14 seasons…Ramona (Riverside, Calif.) boys basketball coach Michael Mitchell has been named assistant coach for the WNBA Chicago Sky, but he also will retain his high school post…Roger De Boer has retired after 19 years as boys basketball coach at Seattle Christian (Wash.). His team won the Class A state title in 2000 and had three straight runner-up finishes.
Track Notes
* Ricky Robertson, a 5-11 junior from Hernando (Miss.), high jumped 7-3 during the Division 2-4A meet in Oxford, Miss. Though his personal-best had been only 6-6, his effort was just three inches shy of the national junior-class record…Anna Jelmini of Shafter, Calif., tied for No. 4 all-time with her discus effort of 183-11 at the Bill Kearney Invitational in Salinas, Calif…Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.) senior Chris Derrick won the 3200-meter run in 8:48.9 and the 1600-meter run in 4:14.8 during the Bob Cohoon Invitational in Downers Grove, Ill.
* Turning to the Kansas Relays, Florida State recruit Maurice Mitchell of Raytown South (Mo.) won the 100-meter dash for the second straight year with a 10.4 clocking. John Talbert of Kansas City East Christian Academy (Mo.) broke a 28-year-old meet record by throwing the discus 200-7. He leads the nation with a toss of 213-1. Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) sophomore Emily Sisson, who set meet records in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs, revealed that she will be transferring to Lee’s Summit West (Mo.) next fall.
* Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) standout Roman Holmes long jumped 24-5 during the fourth annual Littleton (Colo.) Invitational. He also turned in a career-best 47-3 effort in the triple jump…Knoxville West (Tenn.) senior Jackie Coward won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.11 and the 300-meter hurdles in 41.26 during the 45th Volunteer Track Classic in Knoxville, Tenn.
* Midwest City sprinter Carissa Levingston broke her own Oklahoma state record with a clocking of 23.85 in the 200-meter dash at the Oklahoma City Meet. Her previous record of 23.89 as a sophomore had erased the state record set by her mother, Nina Thompson, in 1980. The junior standout also set a state record of 11.76 in the 100-meter dash earlier this month at the John Jacobs Meet in Norman…Easton (Pa.) senior Chanelle Price won the 800-meter run in an outstanding 2;03.98 during the New York Relays in New York City.
Baseball Notes
* Indiana had a game for the record books last week as Union massacred Eminence, 53-0, in five innings. Thirty-six batters paraded to the plate in the first inning and 31 scored. The most incredible feat: center fielder Wesley Marshall hit for the cycle in the very first inning. To top it off, Logan Chesterfield pitched a no-hitter…Owasso, Okla., ranked No. 1 in the nation, was beaten twice in one week by Broken Arrow, 8-3 in nine innings and 4-3.
* Turning to New York, Evander stunned Monroe, 4-1, to end a 75-game winning streak against Bronx “A” teams. Right-hander Chris Palencia pitched a two-hitter…California’s No. 1-ranked team, San Jose Valley Christian (18-3) was bombed by San Mateo Serra, 16-1. Ryan Allgrove pitched a six-hitter, while Ryan Palermo slammed two home runs and drove in eight runs…Aaron Mayfield had a nice spring-break experience in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The LaRue County (Hodgenville, Ky.) senior pitched two perfect games in the Florida Beach Bash, beating Kentucky teams Corbin and West Paducah Heath by identical 5-0 margins.
* If you noticed strong winds recently in Washington and Texas, it could be due to some amazing strikeout feats. Start with Spokane, Wash., where Rusty Shelton struck out 21 batters and allowed only two seventh-inning hits as Central Valley blanked North Central, 5-0, in seven innings…Switching to Texas, senior left-hander Hunter Cervenka fanned 18 – including the final 10 – and scattered three hits as Baytown Sterling whipped Humble Atascocita, 4-1, to snap a 24-game winning streak. Losing pitcher Clay Schrader struck out 13 – four in the first inning.
* In another Texas gem, Oklahoma signee Teddy Nowell scattered four hits and struck out 16 as Mesquite Poteet shut out Forney, 4-0….Four-foot-three junior Brody Leach has a big heart and is an important cog on the baseball and golf teams at Kent-Meridian (Wash.). He can hit a golf ball 250 yards and is a pitcher and catcher in baseball.
Football Notes
* The University of Notre Dame held its annual spring game on Saturday and it served as a spring board for major junior commitments from running back Cierre Wood of Santa Clara (Oxnard, Calif.) and nose tackle Tyler Stockton (6-1, 290) of the Hun School (Princeton, N.J.). The 6-0, 189-pound Wood ran for 2,600 yards and 42 touchdowns last fall and could be a National Player of the Year candidate…Rutgers received a major commitment from junior quarterback Tom Savage (6-4, 231) of Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield, Pa.).
* The University of Oklahoma had a huge week with commitments from four outstanding juniors. They included three Texans and defensive end Justin Chaisson (6-5, 252), who had 103 tackles and 23 sacks last fall for Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). The Texans are linebacker Tom Wort (6-1, 210), New Braunfels; linebacker Brandon Mahoney (6-2, 210), Keller Fossil Ridge; and cornerback Steve Williams (5-10, 160), who has reportedly been timed at 4.4 in the 40 and made 53 tackles as a junior, Dallas Skyline.
* Kansas got its man when impressive Union (Mo.) junior quarterback Jordan Webb made his commitment recently. The 6-1, 214-pounder threw for 4,308 yards and 55 touchdowns, with just 11 interceptions, last fall…Another junior quarterback, C.J. Brown of Seneca Valley (Harmony, Pa.), chose the University of Maryland. He passed for 1,567 yards and ran for 586 yards last fall…Kylan Butler (5-7, 177), who ran for 1,006 yards and 20 touchdowns for De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) as a junior, has chosen the University of Arizona…Oregon State University has received a commitment from junior linebacker Ruebin Robinson (6-2, 215), who had 101 tackles for Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.).
* Neil Gordon, who was not rehired after a great career at Penn Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.), has been named offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh Shaler. During 21 years at Penn Hills, Gordon compiled a 156-72-2 record.
Softball Notes
* Salem (Virginia Beach, Va.) senior Kendra Knight has pitched four no-hitters and struck out 140 batters in 67 innings this spring. A University of Maryland signee, she fanned 377 in 180 innings last year…In Washington, Kori Seidlitz fired a no-hitter and struck out 17 as Mountlake Terrace blanked Everett Mariner, 7-0.
* Turning to Cincinnati, Ohio, McNicholas outlasted St. Ursula, 1-0, in a 15-inning marathon as senior right-hander Ronni Ferris struck out 21 and scattered seven hits. She had to record two strikeouts after two were out in the final inning because Alex Jones reached base on a wild pitch after striking out. St. Ursula sophomore right-hander Megan Flenniken finished with 18 strikeouts and gave up six hits.
Hockey Notes
* The U.S. lost to Russia, 3-1, before a crowd of 9,500 during the semifinals of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Hockey Championships in Kazan, Russia. Earlier the Americans nipped Finland, 4-3, on a goal by Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and also beat Germany, 4-1, as goalie Brandon Maxwell (Winter Park, Fla.) stopped 20 of 21 shots.
* St. Louis Bandits forward Mike Merrifield (Beverly Hills, Mich.) has been named Rookie of the Year in the North American Hockey League. The Michigan State University recruit scored 18 goals this year and totaled 57 points in 57 regular-season games. He also scored five goals during Robertson Cup playoff games.
Lacrosse Notes
* Sophomore Mary-Kate Sivilli had three goals and a New York-state record 12 assists as Glenn defeated Southampton, 21-11. The previous state record was 10 assists by Abbie Gowen of Amherst in 2007. Mary-Kate’s sister, Maddlyn, chipped in with four goals.
* Florida held its first state-sanctioned state tournament, with the Vero Beach girls and Boca Raton St. Andrew’s boys claiming the coveted titles. Vero Beach (21-2), which had won the last two club state titles, routed previously unbeaten Boynton Beach Park Vista, 18-2. St. Andrew’s, which had won the last five club titles, rolled past Altamonte Springs-Lake Brantley, 16-8.
Tennis Notes
* Top-seeded Melanie Oudin (Marietta, Ga.) won her fifth 18-and-under ITF championship – the Easter Bowl – with a 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 triumph over unseeded Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) at Rancho Mirage, Calif. Chase Buchanan (New Albany, Ohio) won the boys title by breezing past Puerto Rico resident Alex Llompart, 6-1, 6-0.
In the 16-and-under boys division, Jack Sock (Lincoln, Neb.) defeated Clay Thompson (Venice, Calif.), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, to capture the championship. Sock, who is coming back strong from injuries, has a 31-1 record with five tourney victories in 2008. During his career he has claimed 12 national titles – five in singles and seven in doubles.
Potpourri
* Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) senior golfer Chan Kim defeated some outstanding amateurs to win the Arizona Golf Association Champions Stroke Play Tournament in Scottsdale. He birdied four of the last five holes to finish at 3-under-par 277, winning by five shots over 2006 Arizona Mid-Amateur champ Chris Kessler.
* In a Wilmington matchup, St. Mark’s defeated Delaware’s No. 1 girls soccer team, Padua Academy, 3-2, in overtime to snap a 33-game winning streak. Marisa Muller scored the winning goal on a 20-yard free kick…In West Des Moines, Iowa, the Valley boys soccer team edged Dowling Catholic, 2-1, in double overtime to give coach Aziz Haffar his 300th victory. In the girls game, Valley blanked Dowling Catholic, 2-0, for its 60th consecutive victory against an in-state opponent.
* Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) upset California’s No. 1-ranked boys volleyball team, Valencia, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 19-25, 15-10, in the title game of the power-packed Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions. Six-foot-eight UCLA recruit Kyle Caldwell paced the champs with 43 assists, 12 kills and four blocks in the finale. Jamey Ker, also bound for UCLA, led Valencia with nine kills.
* Roy Garcia, is retiring after 40 years at Cathedral (Natchez, Miss.). The 67-year-old has coached football, basketball, tennis, golf, softball and track and served as athletic director. His tennis teams won five consecutive Class A state titles. He left his mark because the gym floor is named after him and he also is a member of the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame…Dale Gabor is retiring following 25 years as athletic director at St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio). The 60-year-old Gabor is a St. Ignatius graduate, as is his successor, Rory Fitzpatrick.