By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
The USA turned a close game into a runaway during the second half to defeat a tall, talented world team, 98-78, during the 11th annual Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore. The Americans forced 27 turnovers and had a plus-16 advantage in fast-break points over the world team, which included players from 11 different countries.
The balanced USA attack (six players in double figures) was led by 6-foot-7 Demar DeRozan (Compton, Calif.) with 17 points. Drew Gordon (Mitty, San Jose, Calif.) and 6-6 Scotty Hopson (University Heights, Hopkinsville, Ky.) each scored 15 points. The 6-10 Gordon shot 6-for-7 from the field and also had seven rebounds to go with four blocks. France’s 7-1 Alexis Ajinca paced the world team with 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Olek Czyz (Reno, Nev.) had 23 points and nine rebounds to spark the U.S. All-Stars to a 123-85 rout of the Capital All-Stars during the annual Capital Classic at the Comcast Center. The 6-7, 230-pound Duke recruit was named MVP. Backing him up nicely were 6-10 Henry Sims (Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore, Md.) with 17 points and 6-5 Sean Mosley (St. Francis, Baltimore, Md.) with 16 points. Jason Clark, a 6-2 senior from Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), led the Capital team with 16 points.
Basketball Notes
* To no one’s surprise, Tyler Zeller was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball. The 7-0, 220-pounder led the state with a 33.1 scoring average and sparked Washington to the Class 3A state championship. His brother, Luke, now a junior at Notre Dame, was crowned Mr. Basketball in 2005. They are only the third set of brothers to win this honor. The others were Billy and Dave Shepherd of Carmel and twins Tom and Dick VanArsdale of Indianapolis Manual.
* Though the Friars of St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) are losing four senior starters from this year’s unbeaten national championship team, they are reloading quickly due to the recent transfer of two outstanding sophomores from New York. They are 6-7 Devon Collier, who showed great potential with a 32-point, 20-rebound game for Bronx All Hallows; and 6-8 Ashton Pankey, who was the No. 2 scorer for Briarwood Archbishop Molloy with a 15.1 average.
* Washington State University landed a big-time recruit when DeAngelo Casto made a recent commitment. The 6-8, 230-pound senior led Spokane Ferris to back-to-back Class 4A state championships and is one of the nation’s biggest sleepers…Another senior, 6-7 Ryan Evans of Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), has committed to the University of Wisconsin. He averaged 18.4 points and 7.3 rebounds this year.
* South Carolina’s No. 1-ranked junior, 6-9 Milton Jennings (Summerville Pinewood Prep), has made a commitment to Clemson University…Alabama-Birmingham has received a commitment from 6-2 junior Tamir Jackson of St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.)…Carl Baptiste, a 6-9 junior who averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds for North Hunterdon (Annandale, N.J.), has committed to St. Joseph’s (Pa.)…Underrated Matt Kenney has made a commitment to Valparaiso University. An outstanding shooter, the 6-3 Kenney averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a junior guard at Mooresville, Ind.
* Pete Smith, head basketball coach at Guerin Catholic (Indianapolis, Ind.), has received the Advocacy Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Michigan State University coach Tom Izzo made the presentation. The award is based on taking a stand on issues critical to the integrity of the game, as well as providing support and counsel for the best interests of the game, the individual and society.
Baseball Notes
* Pete Jensen has put together one of California’s finest baseball programs for 22 years as head coach at San Mateo Serra, but even he was impressed by his team’s phenomenal pitching while winning all four games in the Serra Spring Classic. His pitchers fired two no-hitters and two three-hitters. And all were shutouts! He employed eight pitchers and didn’t even use his ace! Counting one inning before the tourney and three afterwards, Serra pitchers recorded 32 consecutive scoreless innings. “It was kind of a neat thing – it never had happened at Serra,” Jensen told MaxPreps. “We don’t have any real hammers – just good high school pitchers.”
* Fayetteville (Ark.) extended its school-record winning streak to 20 games by defeating Oklahoma power Tulsa Bishop Kelley, 3-2 and 9-7…Portsmouth (R.I.) pitcher Ryan Westmoreland struck out 20 batters in a seven-inning, 9-0 victory over Barrington. He fanned the first 12 to face him and gave up only one hit…Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.) sophomore slugger Christian Yelich has made a commitment to UCLA. His father, Steve, is a UCLA graduate and his uncle, Chris, was an offensive lineman for the Bruins.
* Mike Sheppard Jr. notched his 500th coaching victory when perennial power Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.) defeated Delbarton, 6-4. The 49-year-old coach has a 500-154-4 record with six state titles and was named National Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2007…Country Day (Cincinnati, Ohio) coach Tim Dunn recently posted victory No. 400 in his 21st season.
Football Notes
* Jason Hall has been named head coach at one of the nation’s most famous schools – Ohio’s Massillon Washington. The 33-year-old Hall was given a three-year contract after resigning his post at Nordonia. He is only the 33rd head coach in Massillon’s storied 113-year history…Philip Shadowens has resigned after 15 years at Smyrna (Tenn.). The 40-year-old coach led the Bulldogs to Class 5A state titles in 2006 and 2007.
* One of Arizona’s top coaches, Jim Rattay, has been hired at Laveen Cesar Chavez, a Class 5A-Division I school which posted a 3-7 record last fall. Rattay, who has coached seven state champions, left Class 2A Phoenix Christian in December…McBain (Mich.) principal Phil Christensen now also is the head football coach. It’s a tough double, but the 56-year-old McBain, who coached at Lowell from 1980-95, is ready for the challenge…Reigning state champions from Florida (Miami Booker T. Washington) and Georgia (Warner Robins Northside) are going to tangle in early September and hope to get the contest on national television.
* The University of Arizona has received a commitment from Jeremiah Cornist. The 5-9, 160-pound junior used his brilliant 4.3 speed (for 40 yards) to gain 1,605 yards and score 20 touchdowns last fall for La Jolla Community (Avondale, Ariz.). He averaged 28 yards on 20 kick-off returns, returning three for 97, 86 and 76 yards. He also threw three touchdown passes…Junior linebacker Kevin Minter (6-0, 231), who made 140 tackles last fall for Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee, Ga.), has made a commitment to Louisiana State University.
* Tulsa University has received a commitment from junior quarterback Phillip Butterfield of Lake Hamilton (Hot Springs, Ark.). Last fall the 6-2, 200-pounder threw for 2,795 yards and 30 touchdowns – with just five interceptions – and ran for eight touchdowns…Another junior quarterback, Evan Watkins of Glenbard North (Carol Stream, Ill.), has committed to Northwestern University. The 6-6, 230-pounder passed for 21 touchdowns and ran for nine last fall.
* Junior running back Deshaun Sands (5-9, 175) has made a commitment to the University of Kansas. Last fall he ran 222 times for 1,486 yards and 13 touchdowns for Monarch in Coconut Creek, Fla…Linebacker Mike Olson has chosen Wake Forest. As a junior, the 6-3, 200-pounder made 103 tackles for Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.).
Track Notes
* Despite lightning and rain, which caused a one-hour delay on the final day, four records tumbled the very next hour at the Taco Bell Classic, which drew over 2,000 athletes from 10 states to Columbia, S.C. Georgia star William Wynne (Powder Springs McEachern) broke the oldest meet record (set in 1991) by winning the 110-meter hurdles in 13.67 seconds. Marcus Rowland of Dorman (Spartanburg, S.C.) set the 100-meter dash record with a 10.28 clocking, which is an Olympic B qualifying standard.
* On the girls side, Tennessee star Jackie Coward (Knoxville West) broke the 100-meter hurdles record with a 13.26 effort. In that very fleet field, Pennsylvania ace Ryann Krais (Norristown Methacton) placed second in 13.50. In a highly competitive 100-meter dash field, Chalonda Goodman (Newnan, Ga.) turned in a record time of 11.37.
* In his initial meet of the spring, Mason Finley became the first Colorado prep to surpass 200 feet in the discus. The 6-8, 330-pound Buena Vista junior uncorked a throw of 202 feet, 10 inches during the Eagle Invitational. The best-ever state toss had been 197 feet by Mike Call of Boulder Fairview in 1978. The state-meet record is 192-5 and that has stood since 1977.
Tennis Notes
* Bradley Klahn (Poway, Calif.) and Melanie Oudin (Marietta, Ga.) won the boys and girls age-18 singles titles, respectively, during the ITF Grade 1 International Spring Championships in Carson, Calif. Klahn, seeded No. 2, defeated No. 5 Jarmere Jenkins, 6-1, 7-6. Top-seeded Oudin did what she was predicted to do and ousted unseeded Jacqueline Cako, 6-3, 6-3. Both champs lost only one set while posting six victories.
Klahn also teamed with Canadian Milos Raonic to win the boys 18 doubles crown with a 6-3, 6-4 win over unseeded Alexei Grigorov of Russia and Ryan Noble of the U.S. In girls 18 doubles, top-seeded Gabriela Paz of Venezuela and Valeria Solovieva of Russia grabbed the title with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over unseeded Americans Jessica Alexander and Lauren Embree.
* One day after winning its 100th consecutive regular-season match, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) suffered an 11-7 loss to Santa Barbara, which never previously had beaten the Wolverines…In New Jersey, Cherry Hill East coach Ralph Ipri recorded his 900th victory against only 81 losses in 43 years. That’s a sizzling winning percentage of .917.
Soccer Notes
* Flower Mound Marcus (26-3-3) blanked Klein, 3-0, to win its second consecutive Class 5A Texas state championship. Senior midfielder Sam Garza did not have a goal or assist, but drew two and three defenders throughout the match and was named MVP. Garza was one of just two returning starters from last year’s 30-0 state champs. After the match, Klein coach Allen Baker retired with 656 victories in 31 years.
* Nerinx Hall (Webster Groves, Mo.) nipped Jenks (Okla.), 3-2, to win the White Division during the eighth annual St. Louis Soccer Classic. Nerinx Hall won on points over St. Louis Incarnate Word Academy, which also had a 3-0 record and is ranked No. 1 in the nation. Broken Arrow (Okla.) won the Green Division with a 3-0 record.
* Wheaton Academy (Ill.) junior Leah Fortune has the good fortune to be the first international player to make the Brazil women’s national team. This November the 17-year-old standout will be the youngest member to represent Brazil in the women’s under-20 World Cup Championships in Chile. The straight-A student was born in Brazil and carries both U.S. and Brazilian passports.
Potpourri
* The USA won nine of 14 matches to whip Iowa, 40-15, in the 12th annual Dream Team Wrestling Classic before a capacity crowd of 2,000 at West High in Iowa City, Iowa. All No. 1 seeds won except at 171 pounds where No. 4 seed Grant Gambrall of hometown Iowa City West shocked top-seeded Pennsylvanian Quentin Wright (Bald Eagles Area), 6-0.
* Ocean Township (Oakhurst, N.J.) softball coach Mark Frankel posted his 400th victory, 3-1, against Freehold Boro. To commemorate the historic victory, his players presented him with a plaque, hand-made banner and cake, in addition to dumping a cooler of water on his head and rubbing cake in his face…Mountlake Terrace (Wash.) junior pitcher Kori Seidlitz struck out 18 batters during an 8-0 rout of Edmonds-Woodway…In Minnesota, Shakopee coach Neil Johnson recorded his 300th victory, 3-0, against Farmington.
* Bob Hartranft became the third boys lacrosse coach in national history to record 600 victories when Farmingdale (N.Y.) defeated La Costa Canyon (Calif.), 10-3…In New York, Northwestern University recruit Shannon Smith scored eight goals as West Babylon outlasted North Babylon, 19-16, giving Smith a state record with 447 career goals.
* Anchorage East senior Meghan Cavanaugh, considered by many to be the best swimmer in Alaska history, has accepted a scholarship to Northwestern University. She won a maximum eight state titles during her career and set state records this year in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.02 and the 100-yard butterfly in 55.59.
