Marc Egerson and Elena Delle Donne were named players of the decade by Delaware’s Finest Inc., a local basketball charity group which polled coaches, referees and members of the media to determine its awards.
Elena Delle Donne, Ursuline Academy
File photo by Kevin Yen
Egerson was State Player of the Year in 2002-03 and 2003-04, leading Glasgow High School to the state title in 2003. He went on to play one year at Georgetown University before transferring to the University of Delaware, where he enjoyed a solid career.
Joining Egerson on the boys’ first-team all-decade team are Jawan Carter (Tatnall ’06), Will Sheridan (Sanford ’02), Brian Polk (Sussex Tech ’00) and Devin Smith (William Penn ’01).
Delle Donne, perhaps the most celebrated high school athlete in Delaware history, scored a state-record 2,818 points while leading Ursuline Academy to four state championships. She is currently starring as a freshman on the University of Delaware women’s basketball team.
Also named to the girls' first-team all-decade team are Khadijah Rushdan (St. Elizabeth ’07), Tyresa Smith (Polytech ’03), Michelle Albanese (St. Mark’s ’01) and Chelsea Davis (Middletown ’09).
The 2008 Ursuline Academy girls team and 2005 Middletown High School boys team were selected Teams of the Decade. Ursuline won its fourth state title in five years in ’08, while Middletown captured its second consecutive championship in ’05.
2. Jan. 4 rankings:
Boys basketball
1. Delcastle (5-0)
2. Sanford (4-0)
3. Polytech (6-1)
4. Concord (4-1)
5. Hodgson Vo-Tech (4-1)
Girls basketball
1. Sanford (5-2)
2. Ursuline (2-3)
3. St. Mark’s (2-0)
4. Dover (4-0)
5. St. Elizabeth (2-2)
3. St. Elizabeth girls take third place in Diamond State Classic: The Vikings rallied for a 44-37 victory over Hodgson Vo-Tech in the Diamond State Classic Avon Cup third-place game. Anna Tiberi finished with a game-high 17 points to lead St. Elizabeth (2-2), which outscored Hodgson 17-3 in the final 7:19.
4. St. Elizabeth boys win Quaker Classic B bracket: Senior forward William Harmon II scored 17 points to lead the Vikings to a 64-54 win over Seaford in the championship game. St. Elizabeth (4-1) defeated host Wilmington Christian, 78-56, in the opening round to advance to the finals.
5. Delcastle wins Quaker A bracket: Delcastle cruised to a 67-45 win over Smyrna in the Quaker Classic Bracket A championship game. The Cougars were led by junior forward Exzavier Cooper’s 20 points. Delcastle (5-0) defeated Pencader Charter, 85-61, in the opening round to advance to the championship game.
First-rate performers in the First State
* Anna Tiberi (St. Elizabeth): After being hospitalized for an undisclosed illness the night before, the 5-foot-5 senior nailed two 3-pointers down the stretch in her team’s 44-37 win over Hodgson Vo-Tech in the Diamond State Classic Avon Cup third-place game. She finished with a game-high 17 points.
* Exzavier Cooper (Delcastle): The 6-5 junior forward poured in 16 points in the opening round of the Quaker Classic and followed that up with a 20-point performance to lead the Cougars to a 67-45 win in the championship game.
* Bobby Telford (St. Mark’s): The Iowa-bound senior won the championship in the 285-pound division of the Bethlehem Hurricane Classic (Pa.), leading the Spartans to second place behind national power Blair Academy.
* Trevor Cooney (Sanford): The highly recruited junior averaged 21.5 points and 7.5 rebounds to lead the Warriors to blowout wins over Dunbar (80-64) and Oxon Hill (72-50) at the NHSCA Festival in Salisbury, Md.
* Deon Jones (Sanford): The 6-5 junior guard averaged 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds at the same NHSCA Festival.
Recruiting news
* Sanford junior Trevor Cooney has received basketball scholarship offers from Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Maryland, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Ohio State, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Pittsburgh and Delaware.
* Desmond Sivels, the 5-10, 165-pound first-team all-state junior running back from Sussex Tech has mentioned Boston College as being high on his list of potential college choices. Sivels, named the state’s Offensive Player of the Year, rushed for 1,769 yards and 31 touchdowns for the Ravens.
* Terrace Bourne, a first-team all-state selection at guard and defensive tackle at A.I. du Pont, has been offered a football scholarship by Southeast Missouri State.
DVR alert
* Appoquinimink hosts Howard Vo-Tech on Jan. 5 at 5:30 in a game highlighted by the expected return of highly recruited junior A.J. English III, who was suspended following the Jaguars’ loss to Middletown in a much-publicized move by rookie head coach Spencer Dunkley.
The buzz
Caravel senior Keasel Broome was named first-team all-state in soccer (goalkeeper) and football (kicker), becoming the first athlete to receive both honors since Seaford’s Nick Dunk in 2001. … Sam Goines, a straight-A student at A.I. du Pont who was recently named Defensive Player of the Year on the gridiron, says his college decision will depend on whether he decides to play football or baseball, or both.
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.
