Basketball junkies in the First State can hibernate peacefully the next seven months knowing that next season could be the most exciting in recent years.
Twelve all-state players return for their junior and senior seasons, and several sophomores will look to make strong impressions when the first whistle blows in mid-November. Sitting at the top of that list are two juniors, Sanford’s Trevor Cooney and Smyrna’s Betnijah Laney, voted boys and girls players of the year, respectively, by the state’s head coaches.
Cooney, a 6-foot-4 sharp-shooter who has already verbally committed to Syracuse, averaged 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds as Sanford (23-1) captured the school’s fifth state crown.
"It’s a well deserved honor for Trevor," Sanford coach Stan Waterman said. "His passion and love for the game is the driving force behind his success. He loves to win and really works at improving his overall game."
Laney led Smyrna (21-3) to their first-ever appearance in the state finals, averaging 21.6 points and 11.5 rebounds. In addition to her scoring prowess, Laney proved she’s an all-around player by also leading the team in assists (4.0) and steals (2.2).
"Betnijah is very deserving of this honor," Smyrna coach James Kiger said. "I am especially proud of how she elevated her game in such a way that she brought the rest of the team along with her, and that says a lot about her game.
"Knowing her, she will work even harder on her game this summer and I expect great things from her next year. She is a very coachable athlete, never takes a practice off and does exactly what we ask her to do. Often my hope is, as a coach, that I don't do anything to mess up her game."
2. All-state boys basketball team
First team: Trevor Cooney (Sanford, jr.), Terrance Bobb-Jones (Delcastle, jr.), Corey Crawford (Dover, sr.), Andre Horne (Hodgson, so.), Anthony Myles (Polytech, sr.)
Second team: Jordan Dupree (Concord, sr.), Andre Gibbs (Smyrna, so.), Deon Jones (Sanford, jr.), Marques Jones (Milford, sr.), Mark Medley (Tatnall, jr.)
Third team: Angelo Blackson (Red Lion Christian, jr.), Levi Blaylock (A.I. du Pont, sr.), A.J. English (Appoquinimink, jr.), Dominique Gibson (Caesar Rodney, sr.), Michael Morsches (St. Mark’s, sr.)
3. All-State girls basketball team
First team: Betnijah Laney (Smyrna, jr.), Andrea Hines (Sanford, jr.), Ashleigh Roberts (Concord, sr.), Antolnette Robertson (Dover, sr.), Telisha Turner (Glasgow, sr.)
Second team: Naiesha Brown (Sanford, jr.), Kelsey Miller (Ursuline, sr.), Bianca Parker (Delcastle, sr.), Kelly Perillo (Charter of Wilmington, so.), Johnesha Warren (Cape Henlopen, jr.)
Third team: Lindsey Nichols (St. Mark’s, so.), Anna Rivituso (St. Mark’s, jr.), Crystal Ross (Smyrna, jr.), Deandra Scott (Caesar Rodney, sr.), Tierra Scott (Appoquinimink, jr.)
4. Crawford garners Gatorade honor: Dover High's Corey Crawford has been named Gatorade Delaware Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
The 6-foot senior guard led the Senators (19-4) to the state finals, averaging 23.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. A first-team all-state selection, Crawford scored 29 points, including the 1,000th of his career, in a 60-50 win over Tatnall in the state semifinals. He also scored a team-high 18 points in the Senators’ loss to Sanford in the championship game.
Crawford, undecided about his college choice, has maintained a 93.1 average in the classroom. He serves as a youth pastor and has volunteered as part of humanitarian efforts to collect and send shoes to earthquake victims in Haiti.
Blue-Gold all-star performances
* Stephen Poarch (Sanford): The senior guard won the slam dunk contest at the annual BlueGold All-Star Basketball Games, played Saturday at the Bob Carpenter Center.
* Marques Jones (Milford): The 5-foot-9 senior guard scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Gold team to a 96-95 win in the boys game.
* Jazmine Reeves (Caesar Rodney): The senior forward scored 11 points, including sinking 7 of 11 at the free-throw line, to lead the Gold team to a 64-53 win in the girls game. Reeves is heading to Virginia Tech on a soccer scholarship this fall.
Game to watch
St. Mark’s begins defense of its baseball state title when it hosts Dickinson Saturday at 11 a.m. The traditionally tough Dickinson team recently returned from a five-day spring training trip to Florida and will already have two regular-season games under its belt after playing Appoquinimink on Tuesday and McKean on Thursday.
The buzz
For many players, participating in the annual BlueGold All-Star Basketball Game is one final chance to play in a meaningful competitive game. For others, it’s an opportunity to show off their talents to the home-state crowd one last time before taking that next step onward and upward to the hardwood floors of the NCAA.
But for the 61 seniors competing at the Bob Carpenter Center on Saturday, the game took on an entirely different meaning, evident by their enthusiastic show of support when the honorary captains were introduced during pregame ceremonies and then each took shots and scored at some point during the games.
The honorary captains are participants in Best Buddies Delaware, first-year benefactor of the annual event. Best Buddies Delaware is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"Our program is entrenched in the high schools, many of which are represented here on the courts today," Best Buddies state director Leslie Kosek said in between games. "And so we feel this is the perfect win-win relationship for the game and our organization."
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and occasional color commentator for the 1290 AM The Ticket High School Football Game of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
