By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
The University of North Carolina basketball team struck the mother lode last week with commitments from a trio of 6-foot-10 juniors.
The big names are highly-ranked 220-pound twins Travis and David Wear, who are playing their third varsity season with national powerhouse Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). Travis leads the 16-0 Monarchs with an 18.6 scoring average and also is averaging 8.7 rebounds. David averages 17.4 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
The third Tar Heel of the future is 200-pound John Henson, a rising prospect from Round Rock, Texas. Henson has grown over five inches in the last year and one half. Though recovering from a broken nose, he is averaging an impressive 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. He could end up reaching seven feet.
Boys Basketball Notes
* Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) defeated DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 73-66, during the Timberwolves Gatorade Shootout at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Raymond Cowles paced the winners with 26 points, but DeMatha's Naji Hibbert took game honors with 29 points. It marked one of six games played on Saturday.
Nick Williams scored 20 points to spark LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) to a 71-55 victory over Princeton (Minn.). LeFlore junior DeMarcus Cousins held Minnesota's No. 1 player, 6-10 Wisconsin recruit Jared Berggren, to 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. He had been averaging 24.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 8.8 blocks. The 6-10 Cousins totaled 11 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, four steals and three assists.Jrue Holiday poured in 30 points as Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) routed Minnetonka (Minn.), 90-61.
* American Christian (Aston, Pa.) rolled past American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 99-72, in a match-up of two of the country's premier shooting guards at the Boca Raton (Fla.) High School New Year's Bash. Senior Tyreke Evans scored 33 points for the winners, while junior Kenny Boynton paced the losers with 26. Five-foot-five junior point guard Raymond Taylor added 19 points and six assists for the losers.
* New York City power Rice had been sailing along - with wins in the Bay Ball Classic and Iolani Classic - before being stunned by city rival Christ The King, 65-62. Ryan Pearson, a 6-5 senior forward headed for George Mason, dominated the Raiders with 31 points.
* Daniel Orton staged a late show with University of Florida coach Billy Donovan among the capacity crowd. The 6-10, 260-pound junior from Bishop McGuinness (Oklahoma City, Okla.) was fouled on a dunk attempt. The ball bounced out, but the force also brought down the rim and a shower of broken glass. He took his numerous cuts in stride and the game was called with his team leading Tulsa Union, 64-54, and only 48.5 seconds left. The crowd, of course, enjoyed it immensely.
* Mathias Ward put on a show of a different kind while leading Gig Harbor to an 83-78 overtime victory against Silverdale Central Kitsap in a Washington thriller. The 6-6 senior, who has signed with Montana, exploded for school records of 56 points and 23 rebounds. He drilled 19-of-29 from the field and 17-of-22 from the free throw line.
* Coaching milestones: Andy Zihlman posted his 700th victory as Bishop Lynch (Dallas, Texas) beat Argyle Liberty Christian, 63-60, to end a 19-game winning streak.Tim Whipple recorded his 500th win as Irmo (Columbia, S.C.) routed Columbia, 68-27.
Girls Basketball Notes
* Skylar Diggins continues to raise her stock as Indiana's premier junior and one of the best in the nation. The 5-9 guard scored 31 points during a 67-58 victory over Michigan City with University of Tennessee coach Pat Summit sitting in the front row. She also broke the South Bend Washington career scoring record of 1,635 points held by Jackie Batteast, who later starred at Notre Dame and also was in the audience. Diggins is averaging 26 points and the Panthers now have won their last 42 games.
* Virginia power Virginia Beach Princess Anne won the battle, but may have lost the war during a 59-34 victory against Chesapeake Indian River at the Hampton Roads Basketball Classic. In the third quarter, the Cavaliers' standout 6-3 freshman center, Elizabeth Williams, broke two fingers on her left hand while colliding with another player. She will miss at least eight weeks. Williams, who is averaging 13 points, already had amassed 17 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks before being injured.
* Al Aldridge posted his 600th coaching victory as perennial Washington power, Prairie (Brush Prairie), defeated Oregon's No. 1 Class 6A team, Beaverton Southridge, 60-44. Aldridge, who has won five state titles in basketball and two in softball, now has a 600-119 basketball record.Suzie Oelschlegel won her 500th game recently at MacArthur (Irving, Texas).
All-Star Football Notes
* The East defeated the West, 33-23, before a record crowd of 36,534 during the eighth annual U.S. Army Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. MaxPreps Offensive Player of the Year Terrelle Pryor (Jeannette, Pa.) was named MVP with a total offense of 155 yards and two touchdowns. Minnesota wide receiver Michael Floyd (St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall) had four catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns and Kansas linebacker Arthur Brown (Wichita East) made six tackles. California defensive back Rahim Moore (Los Angeles Dorsey) led the West with six tackles.
The U.S. Army Bowl selection committee has named Roger Barta of Smith Center, Kan., as its National Coach of the Year. Smith Center, which has won its last 54 games, outscored this year's opponents by a mind-boggling 844-20 in 2007. The 62-year-old Barta's record is 276-58 with seven state titles in 30 years.
* Team Silver nipped Team Red, 17-14, during the first annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game before a crowd of 3,882 at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Fla. Florida's Kyle Parker (Jacksonville Bartram Trail) completed 9-of-13 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown, while Virginia's E.J. Manuel (Virginia Beach Bayside) completed 5-of-7 passes for 75 yards. Florida standouts Ramon Buchanan (Palm Bay) and Janoris Jenkins (Pahokee) each had five tackles. Alabama receiver Julio Jones (Foley) snared six passes for 97 yards.
MVP awards went to South Carolina defensive end Daquan Bowers (Bamberg-Ehrhardt) for the White team and Virginia quarterback Mike Glennon (Westfield) for the Red team. Bowers had two solo tackles - one for an eight-yard loss - and three quarterback hurries. Glennon completed 5-of-12 passes for 88 yards and ran for a one-yard touchdown.
Football Recruiting Notes
* All-Star weekend annually brings out college commitments and LSU got good news from a pair of standouts. The Bengal Tigers received pledges from outstanding corner back Patrick Johnson of Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and tight end Tyler Edwards of Ouachita (Monroe, La.). Johnson earlier had made a commitment to Miami.
Two players who were slowed by injuries during their senior years also have made recent commitments. Stonewall Jackson (Manassas, Va.) running back Ryan Williams, who battled ankle injuries, announced for Virginia Tech. Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) quarterback MarQueis Gray missed six games due to a broken bone in his arm, but he is expected to be a future force at Minnesota.
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) running back Covaughn Deboskie, has chosen California, while teammate Gerell Robinson, a swift wide receiver, has picked Arizona State. Other recent pledges have been made by Castle (Kaneohe, Haw.) two-way lineman Solomon Koehler, to Arizona; Christchurch (Va.) wide receiver Deion Walker, to Notre Dame; Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.) wide receiver Josh Jarboe, to Oklahoma; Reitz (Evansville, Ind.) quarterback Paul McIntosh, who switched from Ball State to Army; New Brunswick (N.J.) safety Brandon Smith, to Michigan; Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) defensive end Shayne Hale, to Pittsburgh; and Louisville (Ga.) offensive tackle A.J. Harmon, who switched from Clemson to Georgia.
Track Notes
* The milers made the biggest news during the 14th annual Hispanic Games at the Armory in New York City, with a pair of New Yorkers placing first and qualifying for the prestigious 101st Millrose Games, which will be held Feb. 1 at Madison Square Garden. Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills) senior Kyle Merber won the boys mile in a swift 4:15.13, while Roslyn (Roslyn Heights) sophomore Emily Lipari captured the girls title in 4:56.71 - the first time she has broken five minutes.
* Lancaster, N.Y., standout Melissa Kurzdorfer set a national sophomore indoor record by heaving the 20-pound weight 53 feet, 11 inches during the Upstate Holiday Classic IX in Rochester, N.Y..Nico Weiler of Los Gatos (Calif.) cleared 17-2 to win the boys division during the 18th annual Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev. Shade Weygandt of Mansfield (Texas) won the girls division with a vault of 13-7.
* Youthful shot putters are making big news in the East. Falmouth (Mass.) sophomore Samuel Bombaugh fired the iron ball 56-1 to win the 24th annual Red Auerbach Freshman-Sophomore Meet title. He broke the meet's previous small-school record by almost six feet. He had uncorked a 59-footer in warm-ups.Morristown phenom Nick Vena is making big waves in New Jersey. He broke the state freshman record by five feet with three tosses over 57 feet. He threw an amazing 62-2 as an eighth grader.
* Eight records were established in the 65th annual Hartford (Conn.) High School Indoor Invitational. Bloomfield senior Dominic Smith won three events, setting records in the 600 (1:24.49) and the 300 (34.74) meters. He also won the 55 in 6.49. Vernon Rockville senior Chelsea Jubrey won the girls 55 and 300 meters during her first-ever indoor competition.
* Hereford (Parkton, Md.) junior Kristen Malloy is moving to Glastonbury (Conn.) due to her father's new job. Malloy won Maryland's Class 3A state cross country title last fall and also won the Class 2A state 3200-meter run last spring in track.Woodbridge (Irvine, Calif.) distance star Christine Babcock has made a commitment to the University of Washington. She is a two-time state champion in the 1600-meter run and Division II cross country.Carroll (Southlake, Texas) senior Colby Lowe has committed to Oklahoma State. He placed fourth in the Foot Locker National Cross Country Meet. In Texas he won back-to-back cross country titles, while in track he won the state 1600 and 3200 races.
Wrestling Notes
* Waverly-Shell Rock (Waverly, Iowa) won The Clash National Duals championship in Rochester (Minn.) over a 32-team field which included 10 of the nation's top 40 teams according to Amateur Wrestling News. Waverly-Shell Rock, ranked No. 4, lost only to No. 3 Apple Valley (Minn.), 29-20, in six matches and was crowned champion by a tie-breaking system. No. 9 Montini Catholic (Lombard, Ill.) also had a 5-1 record and edged Apple Valley for second place. No. 17 Glenbard North (Carol Stream, Ill.) was fourth and No. 33 Hastings (Minn.) was fifth. The power-packed field included teams from 13 states, including Hawaii. The attendance approached 5,000 on both days.
Two heavyweights - both ranked No. 1 in the nation by at least one publication - tangled for the championship in the tournament's highlight match. Eric Thompson of Waverly-Shell Rock, who will attend Iowa State, defeated Ohio State recruit Garrett Goebel (Montini Catholic), 6-3.At 152 pounds, No. 2-ranked Jake Dietchler (Anoka, Minn.) edged No. 4-ranked Jake Salazar (Heber City, Utah, Wasatch), 11-10.
* You've got to hand it to Russ Cozart, veteran wrestling coach at Brandon, Fla. He created a tournament this year called "Beat the Streak" and his team lost the title match, 32-28, to Miami South Dade before a crowd of 2,000. That ended the granddaddy of all winning streaks - 459 matches over a 35-year period. It was the longest winning streak by any high school team in any sport in history. Cozart's record since 1980 now is 384-1. Brandon has won the last seven state titles and a Florida-record 18 overall.
Potpourri
* The U.S. lost to unbeaten Team Ontario, 3-0, in the championship game of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge before a tourney-record crowd of 8,889 in London, Ontario, Canada. The U.S. won four of six games and Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich.) was named to the all-star team. Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y.) paced the U.S. with eight points. The U.S. edged Canada's Team Pacific, 3-2, in the semifinals as goalie Brandon Maxwell (Winter Park, Fla.) made 24 saves.
* Top-seeded Bradley Klahn (Poway, Calif.) defeated No. 22-seeded Andre Dome (Arroyo Grande, Calif.), 6-3, 6-2, to win the USTA Winter Nationals 18-and-under singles title in Phoenix, Ariz. Klahn, who is headed to Stanford, then teamed with Steve Johnson (Orange, Calif.) to win the doubles crown with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Ian Chadwell (Franklin, Tenn.) and Ryan Noble (Fayetteville, N.C.). Klahn had outlasted Johnson in a steamy three-hour semifinal, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6.In the 18-and-under girls division, No. 23 seed Alexandra Cercone, a sophomore from Seminole, Fla., upset top-seeded Keri Wong (Jackson, Miss.), 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.