1. Watch Out Florida
Watch out track and field world! Jackson (Miami, Fla.) freshman Robin Reynolds is the new high school phenom of the sport after winning the Florida state team championship virtually all by herself earlier this month. Reynolds won four individuals events, the 100 meters (11.56 seconds), the 200 (23.67), 400 (54.95) and the long jump (19 feet, 4¾ inches) as Jackson won its first state title since 1980. See story.
Salesian guard Jabari Brown is one of top sophomores in country.
Photo by Dennis Stiff
2. Oakland Soldiers Highlight Memorial Day Rumble in the Bay
Memorial Day honors soldiers throughout the land and one way high school sports honors the holiday is to flourish on the fields. There are giant playoff games and events throughout the weekend, including one of the biggest basketball showcases in the country — the eighth annual Patrick Dennehy Memorial Rumble in the Bay. Nearly 1,000 high school prospects and 94 teams will show off their skills in five San Francisco Bay Area gyms, including the renowned Oakland Slam N Jam AAU Soldiers program that has featured numerous future NBA stars like Eddie House, Leon Powe, Drew Gooden and Mark Madsen. One year, LeBron James made a weekend guest appearance for the Soldiers. Top sophomores and juniors from not only the Bay Area which include the Salesian (Richmond) duo of Desmond Simmons and Jabari Brown, but standouts from Los Angeles, Washington, Colorado and Arizona will demonstrate their play.
3. Wall to Wall Coverage
John Wall took his time to make his college decision and now, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, he’ll take his time to get to the NBA. Even though some already have him projected to be the top pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Wall said he plans to stay at Kentucky at least 2-3 years.
4. More Memorial
There's nothing more American than football, especially in Texas, where another Memorial weekend happening is unfolding in the Houston area. Some 32 teams will compete in the two-day 7-on-7 event hosted by Chavez at the Houston Texans Methodist Training Center. Among those competing are Cinco Ranch, which finished No. 17 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 Texas rankings in 2008.
5. Combating Extremes
High school and youth sports are usually portrayed as positive, character-building experiences that help us through future life, but Ben Hyman has written a fascinating book entitled “Until it Hurts,” featured and critiqued here by Rachel Bauman of the Oregonian.
National High 5 is a regular feature highlighting the top high school sports news and features on the Net. Let us know if there are some interesting reads that we’ve missed. E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
