Austin Rivers, Winter Park (Fla.)
Photo by Jim Redman
When it comes to high school basketball, all schedules are not created equal.
A pair of participants in the recently-announced field for the 2009 T-Mobile Invitational illustrate the contrast teams in different states face in scheduling showcase opportunities.
In Florida, head coach David Bailey and Winter Park High School had offers to compete in at least 10 major national tournaments or events – thanks in part to the appeal of star junior guard and Florida Gator verbal commitment Austin Rivers.
Due to a regular season schedule that allows for 25 games, including 13 out-of-district slots, the Wildcats were able to sign on for the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., the Spalding HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass., and the aforementioned T-Mobile Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. Winter Park will also face Brandon Knight and Pine Crest of Fort Lauderdale in an ESPN2-televised matchup, Montverde Academy in a local showcase and host its own early-December tournament.
Several factors were influential in deciding the who, where and when.
“First, we take a look at travel rules within the state association,” Bailey said. “Then it’s whether or not it can be logically fit in, whether kids have to miss school and then looking at the opponent and deciding if that is a good fit.”
Kentwood High School of Covington, Wash., isn’t as fortunate. Head coach Michael Angelidis’ Conquerors will be every bit the draw that Rivers and Winter Park are next winter with 6-foot-10 post player Josh Smith, but are limited to just four out-of-league contests.
Angelidis says he was contacted by at least six different events. But Washington schools are prohibited to play more than 20 regular season games and in the nine-team South Puget Sound League North Division (where schools play each opponent twice), Kentwood’s options are limited as far as taking the Josh Smith show on the road.
“It is what it is,” Angelidis said. “We can only play 20 games, which isn’t an unreasonable number, but we would like to have more openings.
“My biggest issue is that with the way the state tournament here is run, you could end up playing the same team three or four times. I’m not crazy about that.”
Angelidis pointed out that it would be within the realm of possibility for his program to play league rivals like Federal Way (defending 4A state champion) or Kentridge five times including the state tournament.
Josh Smith, Kentwood (Covington, Wash.)
Photo by Dennis Lee
Like Winter Park, Smith and the Conquerors will participate in both the T-Mobile Invitational and the Spalding HoopHall Classic. Kentwood’s fourth non-league game was scheduled to be against Garfield of Seattle on ESPN. An injury to Bulldogs star Tony Wroten Jr. has put that matchup in jeopardy.
Despite the limitations, Angelidis understands his program has opportunities that most in his region do not and expects that to be beneficial.
“A lot of national tournaments are not going to really know our situation or our conference. We had to be selective in the way we approached that (scheduling),” Angelidis said. “But this is once in a lifetime opportunity for our kids, to play some teams from other parts of the country and quality teams that will challenge us and expose weaknesses we have.”
In Texas, home to a third T-Mobile invitee in Houston's Yates High School, teams are allowed to play 21 regular season contests, plus three invitational tournaments. That often results in 30-plus games prior to postseason competition.
More on Rivers, Smith
Think all high school basketball stars are coddled, overhyped prima donnas? That’s definitely not the case with Winter Park’s Austin Rivers or Kentwood’s Josh Smith, according to their respective coaches.
Without a media relations office to handle interview requests and the accompanying baggage that comes with having a blue chipper on the roster, high school coaches are often overburdened by the demands.
“With Austin it hasn’t been too difficult,” Bailey said of his star junior. “Austin is like every other kid. He has never requested anything special. I’ve obviously had to do more talking to people, but it hasn’t been overbearing or too strenuous.”
On the opposite coast, Angelidis stresses that Smith’s character has made the media frenzy manageable.
“Josh is a good kid. With him, there are a lot of positives to talk about,” Angelidis said. “For me the biggest challenge is that when everybody in the world tells him how great he is, sometimes it makes it difficult to tell him he isn’t doing things right. But I can truly say that Josh is a really good kid.”
And for now, some of attention is shifting away from Angelidis and toward Kentwood football coach Rex Norris as Smith is the state’s most high-profile gridiron rookie. Smith, who is still deciding between UCLA and Washington, is playing defensive end this fall and recently recorded the first sack of his high school career.
“It was something he wanted to do and I talked to him in the spring about it,” Angelidis said. “I’m okay with it. The biggest thing is his health, knock on wood. That happened with Tony (Wroten Jr., who went under the knife this week after an injury suffered in football), but that’s sports. Things happen, you can’t live in a shell. He is having fun with it and enjoying.
“It’s kind of funny watching him smash kids that are 5-6 or 5-7.”
Gaudio drawing star-studded class to Wake Forest
The untimely death of Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser in 2007 and subsequent hiring of assistant Dino Gaudio left many wondering whether the transition would be a long-term solution.
After coaching his team all the way to No. 1 in the national rankings last season, Gaudio is following by piecing together a recruiting class that could go a long way in making the Demon Deacons a contender in the ACC for years to come.
Last week, 6-11 Central Catholic (Lawrence, Mass.) post Carson Desrosiers – No. 74 in the MaxPreps 2010 Top 100 – became the fifth verbal commitment to the program for next fall, thanks in large part to a special visit by Gaudio.
“It was a 50-50 tossup between ASU (Arizona State) and Wake," Central Catholic head coach Rich Nault told the Winston-Salem Journal Reporter. "He called Marquette yesterday to let them know he wasn't going to take the visit, which was supposed to be scheduled for this weekend.
"And then Coach Gaudio came in yesterday afternoon and really sealed the deal with the home visit."
High-scoring North Carolina guard J.T. Terrell got the ball rolling for Wake Forest over a year ago and has since been joined by fellow backcourt player Tony Chennault (Neumann-Goretti/Philadelphia, Pa.), wing Travis McKie (Marshall/Richmond, Va.), post Melvin Tabb (Enloe/Raleigh, N.C.) and now Desrosiers.
Terrell is the highest-rated player in the group according to MaxPreps, checking in at No. 41 in the 2010 Top 100.
“Coach Gaudio, he is a real cool coach. He is down to earth and fun to be around,” Terrell said. “There’s not much not to like about him.”
Chennault is rated No. 76.
“I know Tony really well,” Terrell said. “I met him and his grandfather out in California at the Pangos All-American Camp and I think we will be really good together.”
