By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Gatorade and RISE Magazine have named senior guard Steve Mejia of Lawrence Academy in Groton as their 2007-08 Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior point guard averaged 19.7 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game this season, leading the Spartans (23-4) to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class C championship game.
A two-time Independent School League Most Valuable Player and two-time National Prep School Invitational All-Tournament Team selection, Mejia has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Rhode Island this fall.
Mejia has a B average and has been involved extensively in the community as a volunteer, donating his time to Greater Lawrence Head Start, a comprehensive social services program for low-income children and their families, and having been a mentor at the YMCA of South Boston/Halifax County (Va.).
“The reason he’s successful is he always has a chip on his shoulder,” said Mike Byrnes, coach of the rival Winchendon School in a press release. “He may be undersized, which he is, but he proves them wrong with his toughness, which he always does. As far as his toughness and his competitiveness and will to lead, he has all those intangibles, which are impossible to coach.”
Senior guard Felicia Barron of Central High School in Springfield earned the same honor on the girls' side.
The 5-7 senior point guard led the Golden Eagles to a 21-2 record and a berth in the Division 1 West Regional championship game. Averaging 20.0 points, 6.8 steals, 6.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots while making 55.2 percent of her shots from the field and 74.5 percent from the free throw line, Barron often took over a game at both ends of the court.
In 2007, Barron was not only the Vi Goodnow award recipient, which recognizes the best girls basketball player in Western Massachusetts, but also was the MVP of the 2007 Division 1 state championship game.
Maintaining a B average in the classroom, she has participated in several community-service endeavors, having volunteered as a coach for area youth basketball teams while working at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.
“Her defense is her offense; she gets a lot of points in transition,” said Anthony Willis, Barron's AAU coach with the Springfield Sparks. “She's extremely quick and talented. She gets it done on both ends of the floor.”
Barron has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Quinnipiac next fall.
Greater Boston All-Stars Shine at Harvard
Those who attended the 2008 Greater Boston All-Star boys' basketball games, sponsored by Hoop Mountain and the New England Recruiting Report, last Saturday night at Harvard University’s Lavietes Coliseum got a rare glimpse of the top interscholastic and prep talent in New England; few in the crowd of over 500 left disappointed.
In the seniors game it was the 'Dark' squad, paced by 6-7 center Peterson Bernard of Madison Park with 17 points, that pulled away from 'White' to win, 115-91.
Other major contributors for 'Dark', coached by Steve Cassidy of Charlestown, were Robert Wesley, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, a 6-0 guard, with 14 points; Matt Pressey, Cushing Academy, 6-0 guard, and Anthony Weeks, Worcester Academy, 6-2 guard, each with 12 points; Tim McKinney, Boston College High, 6-5 forward, and Matt Welch, Lowell, 6-5 forward, with 11 each; and Josh Paulino, Pomfret School, 6-2 guard, with 10.
For 'White', coached by Dan LeTarte of St. John's Prep, 5-10 guard Kyle Gerry of Brockton paced all scorers with 14, including a trio of 3-pointers, followed by 6-7 Andrew McCarthy, Buckingham, Browne & Nichols, 6-7 forward, with 13 and Ryan O'Connell, St. John's Prep, 6-2 guard, and Dorchester's Tyrone Hughes, Taft School, 5-10 guard, with 10 each.
In the underclassmen game, it was a wild offensive-minded affair, with six points being posted on the scoreboard every minute, including 25 shots made from behind the arc. Eventually it was 'White', coached by Jamie Gallagher of Middlesex, that prevailed over 'Dark', 129-121.
In a remarkable display of scoring balance, 'White' had only three players in doubles figures but a total of nine players chipped in with nine or more points. Sam Martin, a 6-2 guard from Worcester Academy, poured in 16 points while 6-3 forward Malik Smith of Notre Dame Prep had 14 and 6-0 guard Kyle Stockmal of Watertown had 10.
Other White teammates with impressive stints were Ben Crenca, Worcester Academy, 6-9 center; Evan Smotrycz, Reading, 6-8 forward; and Phil Pressey, Cushing Academy, a 5-8 guard who wowed the crowd with a steal and a dunk on a breakaway.
Sharing top scoring honors for 'Dark were Jamal Coombs, Tilton School, 6-6 forward, and Dave Johnson, St. Mark's, with 15 each, while 6-8 sophomore forward Nate Lubick, Johnson's St. Mark's teammate, and Daniel O'Keefe, a 6-5 forward from Lexington, added 14. Gerald Coleman, a 6-3 Roxbury guard, had 13.
The following senior players have made college commitments:
Adrian Gonzales, Central Catholic, 6-5 forward, Bentley; David Rufful, Northfield Mt. Hermon, 6-4 guard, Dartmouth; Steve Mejia, Lawrence Academy, 5-8 guard, University of Rhode Island; Jake O'Brien, Boston College High , 6-8 forward, Boston University; Jamal Turner, Tilton School, 6-3 guard, Fairfield; Ryan O'Connell, St. John's Prep, 6-2 guard, Bowdoin; and Andrew Van Nest, Northfield Mt. Hermon, 6-10 center, Harvard.
Matt Welch, the standout forward for Lowell, made his last official appearance on the hardwood. One of the region's most gifted all-around athletes, Welch has made a commitment to play football next year at the University of New Hampshire.
Underclassmen who have already made college decisions are 6-9 center Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs, both of the Tilton School, already committed to the University of Connecticut; and 6-5 junior sharpshooter Mike Marra of Northfield Mt. Hermon, who recently signed a letter of intent to attend Louisville and who displayed his long-range skills for the 'Dark' squad by netting 11 points, including three treys.
But with so many other talented underclassmen here already drawing attention from such colleges as Georgia, Providence, West Virginia, Holy Cross and dozens more, it won't be surprising to hear their announcements to commit to colleges and institutions within the next year or two.
MIAA Announces 2007-08 Winter Team Sportsmanship Awards
The MIAA announced the winners of its 2007-08 Winter Team Sportsmanship Awards. The following teams have been nominated and selected based on their commitment to the ideals of sportsmanship:
Basketball:
Div. 1 Boys - Lexington High School
Div. 1 Girls - Charlestown High School
Div. 2 Boys - King Philip Reg. High School
Div. 3 Girls - St. Joseph Central High School & Westwood High School
Div. 4 Boys - Harwich High School
Div. 4 Girls - Chatham High School
Hockey:
Div. 1 Boys - Hingham High School
Div. 1 Girls - Arlington Catholic High School
Div. 2 Boys - Stoughton High School
Div. 2 Girls - Norwood High School
Div. 3 Boys - Swampscott High School
Central Mass. - Hudson High School
Western Mass. - Ludlow High School
Track & Field:
Div. 2 - Plymouth North High School (boys & girls)
Div. 3 - Pentucket High School (girls)
Swimming & Diving:
Div. 1 North - Lexington High School
Div. 1 West - Agawam High School
Div. 2 North - Ipswich High School
Div. 2 Central/South - Mansfield High School
Gymnastics:
Girls - Reading High School
Boys - Revere High School
Skiing:
Alpine - St. Joseph Central High School
Nordic - Acton-Boxborough Reg. High School
MSSAA Cheerleading:
Taunton High School
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the New England Preps for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at rwat3hoop@aol.com.
