Krider's National Notebook

By Dave Krider

MaxPreps.com

B.J. Mullens exploded for 62 points as Canal Winchester (Ohio) defeated Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 79-69, at the Flyin’ To The Hoop Classic in Vandalia, Ohio. The 7-foot-1 Ohio State recruit drilled 28-of-34 from the field and added six free throws. He also grabbed 21 rebounds and blocked three shots. Sorry, big guy, but you missed the state record by 58 points! It’s 120 points by Dick Bogenrife of Sedalia Midway in 1953.

The long-awaited duel in Florida took place recently as Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest defeated Plantation American Heritage, 86-70. Premier sophomore guard Brandon Knight led four players in double figures with 34 points for the winners. The losers’ brilliant junior guard, Kenny Boynton, took game honors with 40 points. However, his standout teammates – point guard Ray Taylor and 6-7 Eloy Vargas – were finishing a three-game suspension for refusing to play against Miami Monsignor Pace.

Boys Basketball Notes

* Christ the King (Queens, N.Y.) handed LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) its second loss, 73-71, in overtime to notch its fifth title during the 24th annual Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. Ryan Pearson, a 6-5 senior, sparked the Royals with 34 points and 15 rebounds. He also made a key steal and what proved to be the winning free throw in the closing seconds. DeMarcus Cousins, a 6-10 junior, paced LeFlore with 38 points and 12 rebounds.

Tourney MVP honors, however, went to 5-8 senior mighty mite Erving Walker of Christ the King. Walker finished with 24 points – 17 on free throws. The University of Florida recruit also scored 28 points during a 63-59 semifinal victory over Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) and he notched 33 in a first-round victory over MCluer North (Florissant, Mo.).

Pearson, who is headed for George Mason, also pumped in 35 points and Erving added 33 during a wild 92-87 double-overtime victory back home against Catholic League rival Flushing Holy Cross. Senior Sylven Landesberg overcame flu symptoms to score 34 points in a losing cause.

* The Pangos Dream Classic at UCLA produced another major collision of superstar players as South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) nipped Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.), 78-77, in two overtimes. The winners (18-1) were led by brilliant 6-9 junior Derrick Favors with 32 points, 29 rebounds and eight blocked shots. In a losing cause 6-4 senior guard Jrue Holiday produced this sensational line: 35 points, 18 rebounds, nine steals and seven assists.

* Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) edged St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 60-57, to win the 25th annual McDonald’s Classic in Erie, Pa. The Raiders, who trailed by 13 points in the third quarter, were led by senior guard Kemba Walker with 14 points and seven rebounds. Quintrell Thomas, a 6-8 senior, paced the losers with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

* Renardo Sidney strengthened his claim to the nation’s No. 1 ranking in the junior class with a monster game during a major collision in California. The 6-10 standout scored a career-high 36 points – including five dunks – while also grabbing 19 rebounds, dishing out five assists and blocking three shots as Los Angeles Fairfax edged city foe Westchester, 68-63.

* The nation’s No. 1 football recruit, Terrelle Pryor, scored his 2,000th career point as the Jeannette, Pa., basketball team defeated Greensburg Central, 69-43…Christ School (Arden, N.C.) has some tall timber in the persons of brothers Miles and Mason Plumlee. Miles is a 6-10 senior headed for Stanford, while Mason is a 6-11 junior. Then there is a third brother, 6-8 freshman Marshall Plumlee.

* Bill Mitaritonna was a student manager at Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.) when Kenny Anderson was earning National Player of the Year honors. Today he is coaching a rising superstar of his own – 6-7 sophomore guard Tobias Harris – at Hills West in Dix Hills, N.Y. Harris is averaging 31 points and eight rebounds and Hills West is undefeated. Mitaritonna calls his young star “the best high school player I’ve seen since Kenny Anderson.” He already has attracted interest from such colleges as Indiana, Maryland and Connecticut. So, stay tuned.

* Opponents of the Scituate, Mass., Sailors can’t help but look up all the time due to the presence of the 6-10 McCarthy brothers. Sean, a senior, averages 10 points, 12 rebounds and 4.5 blocks, while Andrew, a junior, averages five points and six rebounds as his brother’s back-up. Coach Matt Poirier swears he can hear them grow…Hughes (Cincinnati, Ohio) recently honored former star Robin Freeman, who averaged what then was a national-record 39.5 points during the 1951-52 season. He later was a two-time All-America pick at Ohio State.

* On the recruiting front, Millbrook (Winchester, Va.) junior Erick Green has committed to Virginia Tech. The 6-4 point guard is averaging 19.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds and is a three-year starter…Another junior, 6-10, 220-pound Erik Murphy, has committed to the University of Florida. Murphy is averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds for St. Mark’s in Southborough, Mass…Provine (Jackson, Miss.) senior Scottie Haralson has committed to the University of Connecticut. The 6-4 guard is averaging 22 points.

* Coahoma County (Clarksdale, Miss.) coach Isaiah Peterson notched his 900th victory, 50-40, against Webb West Tallahatchie. The 67-year-old coach now has a career record of 900-384 – including three state titles – in his 40th season. He ranks No. 3 in state history, just 31 wins short of the record. Four of his sons also are coaches…Worthington, Ohio, coach Bob Miller posted his 500th win, 62-53, over Delaware in his 34th campaign.

* The second annual Morgan Wootten Award will be given to 86-year-old Joe Gallagher – who gave legendary Morgan Wootten his first coaching job – at the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 26 in Milwaukee, Wis. Gallagher won 870 games in 46 seasons at St. John’s in Washington, D.C. The award is given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Girls Basketball Notes

* Being a “gym rat” is beginning to pay off for Wilkinsburg, Pa., star Darche Jackson, who sometimes works out with the boys team before hitting the practice floor with the girls. The 5-7 junior guard is averaging a superb 33.9 points after pouring in a school-record 54 during a 64-62 victory over Pittsburgh’s Shady Side Academy.

* Though she’s a slender 5-11, Brielle Jones of DeLand-Weldon (DeLand, Ill.) is making big waves as a shot blocker. She twice has blocked a state-record 21 shots and has 216 blocks this year, just eight short of the state record. She also has the rare knack of keeping most blocks in bounds. Coach Jason Vicich has been videotaping her games to prove her figures are accurate. She is averaging 10.3 blocks and 12.9 rebounds for the school of just 56 students. The most amazing statistic? She’s only a freshman!

* Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) has a junior to watch. Six-foot-three Sarah Watkins had 43 points, 18 rebounds and eight blocks during a 79-60 victory over Germantown…In Kentucky, Monique Reid produced 40 points and 20 rebounds as Louisville Fern Creek defeated city foe Jeffersontown, 74-64, while Ceira Ricketts totaled 19 points, 18 rebounds and 10 steals as Fairdale defeated Shepherdsville Bullitt Central, 54-30.

* Maggie Boyer, one of the top three candidates for Indiana’s Miss Basketball, has made a commitment to Miami (Ohio) University. The 5-11 senior guard is averaging 28.8 points for Lebanon, which once produced the great Rick Mount…Ernie Righetti posted his 600th coaching victory as Roeper (Birmingham, Mich.) defeated Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, 41-26.

Football Notes

* The Arizona Player of the Year, Scottsdale Saguaro quarterback Tim Ruben, still is looking for his first Division I college scholarship offer. The 6-0, 180-pound senior sparked the Sabercats to a 24-1 record and two consecutive Class 4A Division I state championships. Ruben had a total offense well over 3,000 yards in his final campaign.

* Even though MaxPreps All-America wide receiver Michael Floyd has played his final season of football at Minnesota powerhouse St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall, college recruiters continue to flock to the school. Why? Because sophomore offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson (6-7, 305) apparently is going to be an even bigger name in a couple years. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel already has paid his respects. Minnesota’s Tubby Smith also is eyeing the athletic big fellow for basketball.

* On the recruiting front, MaxPreps All-America defensive tackle Omar Hunter (Buford, Ga.) has chosen Florida after backing away from Notre Dame…MaxPreps A-A running back Ryan Bass (Centennial of Corona, Calif.) will cast his lot with Arizona State after switching from Arizona…Sisters High running back Cory McCaffrey has committed to Portland State. The 5-10, 189-pound senior set an Oregon state record by running for 8,460 yards during his three-year career. He also was Oregon’s two-time Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year…A.C. Flora (Columbia, S.C.) offensive guard Kenneth Page (6-4, 293) has chosen Clemson.

* A shocker in Pittsburgh, Pa. – Penn Hills has fired highly successful coach Neil Gordon. In 21 seasons, Gordon compiled a 156-74-2 record with 16 playoff teams – including the last 10 years. He won the big-school state title in 1995 and had several nationally-ranked teams. Penn Hills had a young team last fall and was expected to be very good in 2008.

Gordon told Post-Gazette sports writer Mike White that he was “blindsided” by the unexpected move. “I almost had a heart attack. No vote was taken (by the school board). I still think this has to be a joke. I still can not accept the fact that I am not going to coach Penn Hills.”

* Indiana Hall of Famer Bill Sharpe has retired after 28 years as head coach at Elkhart Jimtown. The 58-year-old coach compiled a 288-54 record with four small-school state titles…Former NFL quarterback Steve Matthews is the new head coach at Moore County in Lynchburg, Tenn. For the past three years, Matthews coached quarterbacks and receivers at Tullahoma.

Track Notes

* Sensational South Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.) junior Wayne Davis continues to make inroads towards becoming the greatest prep hurdler in USA history. During the Virginia Tech Invitational, Davis won the 55-meter high hurdles in a blazing 7.08 seconds – No. 2 all-time and just .01 seconds off Johnny Dutch’s national record.

* Judge Memorial (Salt Lake City, Utah) senior Luke Puskedra won the prestigious mile run at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. He was clocked in a swift 4:08.77, barely nipping Colby Lowe of Carroll (Southlake, Texas), who was timed in 4:08.99. In the girls race, Jillian Smith of Southern Regional (Manahawkin, N.J.) claimed the championship in 4:48.83.

* Several impressive field-event performances were turned in during the annual Carl Lewis Invitational in Houston, Texas. National season-bests were recorded by Marquise Goodwin (Rowlett, Texas), 24-7 in the long jump; and Michael Barbas (Jersey Village, Texas), 62-4.25 in the shot put. Another Texan, Temple’s Harry Sheppard, high jumped 6-10 for No. 2 nationally in 2008.

* Wellington (Fla.) junior Ashley Brasovan, who won the Foot Locker nationals, was named Gatorade’s National Player of the Year in girls cross country. The boys award went to Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.) senior Chris Derrick, who won the Nike Team Nationals and placed second in the Foot Locker nationals…Premier hurdler Robert Griffin III has graduated early from Copperas Cove, Texas, and enrolled at Baylor University where he will concentrate on football. The 6-3, 195-pounder was projected as one of the USA’s top hurdlers this spring.

Volleyball Notes

* Gatorade’s National Player of the Year in volleyball is senior Kelly Murphy of Joliet Catholic (Ill.). The 6-2 University of Florida recruit had 414 kills, 303 assists, 121 digs, 55 aces and 32 blocks.

* PrepVolleyball.com chose 6-0 senior Missy Harpenau as its eighth annual National Player of the Year. She sparked Cincinnati Mother of Mercy to Ohio’s Division I state title and will attend hometown University of Cincinnati. Its top junior was Lauren Cook of Pius X (Lincoln, Neb.); top sophomore was 6-4 Falyn Fonoimoana of Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.); and top freshman was Hayley Benninger of New Castle (Ind.).

* Legendary Louise Crocco has retired after 39 years as volleyball coach at Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She finished as one of the biggest winners in USA history with a record of 1,132 victories against 123 losses and a Florida-record 18 state championships. Crocco was selected as National Coach of the Year four times and in 2005 was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She was named the school’s athletic director in 1981 and will retain that position for at least one more year.

Hockey Notes

* In a classic match-up, Academy of Holy Angels (Richfield, Minn.) defeated longtime Rhode Island powerhouse Woonsocket Mount St. Charles, 5-3. Talented junior forward Danny Mattson sparked the swift Minnesota skaters with two goals and two assists. On its trip, Holy Angels also played a 2-2 tie in overtime against the No. 1 team in Massachusetts, West Roxbury Catholic Memorial.

* Senior center Abby Gauthier had four goals and three assists as Lynn St. Mary’s defeated Lexington, 7-1, in a battle of unbeaten Massachusetts girls teams. Gauthier’s big night gave her a state-record 306 points during her career. The Providence College signee erased the record of 303 points set in 2003 by Framingham’s Katie Cox.

Swimming Notes

* Churchill (San Antonio, Texas) senior Jimmy Feigen, who will attend the University of Texas, set a national record by winning the 50-yard freestyle in 19.65 seconds during the Class 5A district meet. The previous record was 19.69 by Michael Cavic of Tustin, Calif., in 2002.

* Officials predict that the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – scheduled for Omaha, Neb. this summer – will be the best-attended in history. Over 106,000 tickets already have been sold with more than five months remaining before the event is held. Over 1,000 hopefuls will battle for a maximum of 52 Olympic berths.

Wrestling Notes

* Perennial power Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) won the 11th annual Final Four of High School Wrestling Tournament in Easton, Pa., with a 3-0 record. The Bucs routed host Easton, 51-10; Eastside (Taylors, S.C.), 54-9; and Benton (Pa.), 66-3. Easton’s standout 130-pounder, Jordan Oliver, was named MVP. He will attend Oklahoma State.

Blair also won the Blair Super Quad with a 3-0 record. The Bucs, who are 18-0 and No. 2 in the nation, defeated defending national champion St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 32-18; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), 59-12; and McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.), 52-12…Central Square 125-pounder Winky Shepard set a New York state record for most career victories with 246.

Potpourri

* Perennial California baseball power Chatsworth lost one of its top pitchers when senior left-hander Casey Fry left school and enrolled at Pierce College…Los Angeles Roosevelt also lost a standout lefty, Martin Villanueva, who had a 14-1 record as a junior. He unknowingly signed a professional contract (he planned to attend an academy) last fall with the Mexico City Reds. The contract also makes him ineligible for this June’s Major League draft.

* Isabelle Lendl defeated Curtis Cup team member Megan Bolger, 1 up, to win the Ione D. Jones/Doherty championship at the Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Isabelle, who attends the Pendleton School at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Fla., is the second oldest daughter of tennis great Ivan Lendl.

* The newspaper industry’s loss is gain for the Alabama High School Athletic Association. Ron Ingram, a fixture in high school sports at the Birmingham News, has taken a position as communications director for the state in Montgomery after 24 years in the newspaper field. MaxPreps wishes you good luck in your new job, Ron.