Blogs > Gettin' Schooled

A boys basketball blog hosted by Daily Times reporter Christopher A. Vito



Sunday, July 5, 2009

HIGH SCHOOL NEWS & NOTES

Even with school out for the last four weeks, there have been some goings-on with the high schools scene:

BOYS BASKETBALL
Strath Haven's Avatar Jones and Monsignor Bonner's Brian Boyle, pictured, joined the incoming class at the University of the Sciences. The backcourt duo will join seven others in coach David Pauley's 2009 crop of recruits.

Pauley, a Ridley alumnus, found some talent in his own backyard.

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Elsewhere on the boys hoops front, Delaware County Christian hired a new head coach -- Erick Woods.

A Saint Joseph's alumnus and a native of St. Louis, Mo., Woods takes over the Knights in what will be his first venture into head coaching. He had served as an assistant at Bayard Rustin, Imhotep Charter and at Penn Wood, under Rap Curry.

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GOLF
Jackie Calamaro did not have a banner day at the U.S. Junior Girls Championship this week at Merion West, but her finish is something she hopes to build on.

The rising senior at Radnor, and a 2009 All-Delco selection, Calamaro placed 13th out of an international field of 36. She went eight-over on the back nine, after posting an impressive one-over on the first nine holes.

STAY CLOSE TO GETTIN' SCHOOLED ALL SUMMER FOR THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SCENE.

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Early recruiting: for better or worse?

It appears recruiting services are making their marks on youth basketball players earlier and earlier these days.

The Dallas Morning News reports today that, according to recruiting service HoopScoop.com, some of the nation's top elementary school basketball players hail from Texas. My question is this: When did recruiting services begin rating kids before reaching high school?

Then I remembered how Sebastian Telfair (pictured) was heralded among national media only years ago. He was ranked among the nation's top fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders before heading to Brooklyn's Lincoln High. In the end, he's a middle-of-the road NBA player averaging 7.5 points per game.

So is all the attention necessary? Does it set the bar too high? Does it only set these kids up for failure and missed expectations? I welcome your thoughts.

In Saturday's playoff games:
I was at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Saturday, where Radnor's season came to an end. The Red Raiders weren't alone. Also in the District One Class AAA tournament, Springfield's season concluded in defeat.

Elsewhere, Monsignor Bonner and Delco Christian advanced to the second rounds of their respective tournaments. The Friars knocked off Neumann-Goretti in the Catholic League playoffs, while the Knights took down Renaissance Academy in the District One Class A tourney. Check out Matt Smith's report on the Radnor/Holy Ghost game and Terry Toohey's account from the Delco Christian game.

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