Charlestown hands No. 1 SJP its first loss in boys hoops

by Danny Ventura (Boston Herald Blog)

The five massive championship banners hanging on the wall behind one of the baskets serves as a constant reminder of the legacy which was once Charlestown basketball.

Maybe we saw the dawning of a new era earlier Saturday afternoon.

Facing the No. 1 team in the state, Charlestown not only took St. John’s Prep’s best punches, but showed some knockout power of its own. Locked in a life-and-death struggle through the better part of 28 minutes, Charlestown responded with a devastating 15-1 closing kick to hand the Eagles their first loss, 72-56.

“We had our worst practice of the year yesterday and I let them know about it,” said Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. “They came in today, apologized and went out and played great defense against the top-ranked team in the state.”

Added Akosa Maduegbunam: “We believed in our heart we could do it. When we get out there and run, there aren’t too many teams who can run with us.”

In the eyes of one neutral observer, the difference was plain and simple: Charlestown’s top player (Maduegbunam) received much more support than St. John’s Prep’s ace (Pat Connaughtion).

Connaughton was his usual splendid self, scoring 29 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, He also supplied a pair of crowd-pleasers, converting an alley-oop feed into a dunk as well as a gorgeous behind-the-back drive to the hoop in traffic for a layup.

But to beat a good team, Connaughton can not do it alone and today was a prime example. The rest of the Eagles accounted for just 27 points, making 11-of-45 shots. In the fateful fourth quarter, the non-Connaughtons were 0-for-12 from the field.

On the other side of the ledger, Maduegbunam scored 22 points (though he took 27 shots) and grabbed five rebounds. Where the 6-foot-3 junior was more impressive was at the other end of the floor where he took the assignment of stopping Connaughton.

One would look at the 29 points and figure Maduegbunam didn’t get the job done. That couldn’t be further from the truth as Connaughton had to work for each and every point and let’s face it, he’s going to get his points - that’s why he’s going to Notre Dame.

But the rest of the Townies certainly came to play. Starting with point guard Rony Fernandes. He scored 23 points, but dished out seven assists and run the offense smoothly.

“That’s my job - get the ball to the other guys,” said Fernandes. “If the shot is there, I’m going to take it.”

Then you have the warriors in the paint. Tyrik Jackson pulled down 14 rebounds, Tyerese Hoxter had nine points and five rebounds, C.J. Dowdell went for six points and six rebounds.

“We’re more than just one guy,” said Cardoso. “If Akosa isn’t scoring, then Omar (Orriols) can score. If he isn’t scoring, then Rony can score.”

Yesterday, all of them proved to be more than enough to take down the top dogs.

Boston Herald Hot Shots: Samir McDaniels

New Mission boys basketball coach Cory McCarthy knew something was amiss when he saw Samir McDaniels land awkwardly on his tailbone.

Normally, the 6-foot-4 senior swingman would bounce right back up and head down court. But this time, McDaniels remained down, the pain clearly etched across his face.

He would eventually get up and remain in the game against St. John’s Prep, but his effectiveness for the rest of the two-day BABC holiday tournament was greatly diminished.

“Samir is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever met,” said McCarthy. “But I could see it in his face that he was hurting and wasn’t sure he could continue. He played but everyone could see that the injury bothered Samir. He didn’t have that explosiveness he usually has.”

This wasn’t quite the way McDaniels, a Herald All-Scholastic last year, envisioned his senior season would unfold. A preseason ankle injury forced him to miss all the scrimmages as well as a season-opening loss to St. Mary’s (N.Y.). The bruised tailbone limited him to single digits in losses to St. John’s Prep and Mansfield.

“It was frustrating for me,” said McDaniels, who helped guide New Mission to the Division 4 state title last season. “I knew I couldn’t do some of things I wanted to do, but I felt I had to be out there for my teammates.”

The saving grace proved to be a week-long break in the schedule. The seven-day respite allowed McDaniels time to rest and recuperate fully from the ankle and tailbone injuries. With a healthy McDaniels back in top form, the Titans are ready to assume their place among the elite in Div. 2, where the Titans moved up two divisions to this season.

In a recent win over previously undefeated Brighton, McDaniels had 19 points and 10 rebounds, constantly beating his man to the basket.

It’s those skills and several others which McCarthy feels make McDaniels a solid college prospect, if schools would take a look.

“I think one of the reasons that Samir is being under-recruited is that they don’t think he can shoot from the outside,” said McCarthy. “In high school, he hasn’t had to do that because he’s quick enough to get right by his man. If you watch him in AAU tournament against some of the top competition, Samir has shown he can handle the ball and shoot from the outside.

“Some college is going to be very lucky to get him.”

Do you have a similar story in your community? Let us know at dventura@bostonherald.com or e-mail your own Hot Shots-worthy video (max. 25 megabytes) to hotshots@heraldinteractive.com.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/general/view.bg?articleid=1312262

Milestone not in Morgan Jenkins’ thoughts

Morgan Jenkins reaches 1000-point mark as Lady Pats improve to 8-0

Morgan Jenkins reached the 1000 career point plateau and the Revere High girls basketball team remained undefeated with a pair of victories this past week.

Jenkins came into last Tuesday’s game with Peabody at the Merullo Fieldhouse 12 points shy of the 1000 point level. It took her slightly over a quarter of play to crack the 1000 point mark and the large crowd, which featured a lot of support from the entire community who turned out for the momentous event, went delirious when the ball swished through the basket.

Jenkins and her teammates then got down to the other business at hand, taking care of a pesky Peabody team that matched Revere point for point in the first period, which ended in a 20-20 deadlock.

However, the Lady Pats upped their intensity on the defensive end, which in turn created transition opportunities. The Revere “D” held the visiting Lady Tanners to just four points in the second frame and walked off at the half with a nice 36-24 advantage.

“I think the entire team may have been a bit nervous at the start of the game because of the big crowd and Morgan’s situation,” said RHS head coach Diana DeCristoforo. “But once Morgan got her 1000th, we settled down and began to play our kind of game.

“We pride ourselves on our defense because we feel that it is our defense that says the most about this team,” continued the coach. “When we successfully put pressure on the other team, our offense flows from that.”

The Lady Pats picked up where they left off after the intermission and continued to build their lead, increasing it to 20 points, 55-35, by the third buzzer. The 76-39 finale was proof positive of the hard work on defense by the Revere girls, as they limited Peabody to fewer points (19) in the final three periods than Peabody had scored in the first period alone.

Jenkins was immense with a 20-point, 21-rebound effort. Marissa Parent hit for 18 points and Gena Restiano reached double figures with 15. Ashley DiFraia chipped in with five and Caitlyn Caramello, Melissa Adreani, Michaela Maguire, and Amy Rotger accounted for four point each. Cassandra Zullo also added two points.

Friday night’s encounter with Gloucester proved to be Revere’s toughest test of the season. The Lady Fishermen handed Revere one of its few losses last year and once again are among the top teams in the Northeastern Conference.

After Revere grabbed a 21-15 lead in the first quarter, Gloucester fought back to knot matters at 32-32 at the half. However, the Lady Patriots came out strong in the third stanza and eventually began to pull away. A 47-40 advantage after three quarters turned into a 62-51 victory.

Jenkins once again was at the top of the score sheet with 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Restiano also tingled the twine for 20 points and dished out 10 assists. Parent and DiFraia hit for eight points apiece with Rotger adding four and Adreani two.

“Ashley (DiFraia) and Melissa (Adreani) really stepped up for us in the rebounding department,” said DeCristoforo, who noted that her team pulled down a season high 55 boards on the night. “This was a big win for us, not only because it was nice to get back at Gloucester from last year, but because we showed that we can meet the challenge when we are in a close game with a good team.”

With the victory over Peabody, the Lady Pats are 5-0 against their opponents from the NEC’s Large School Division. The Gloucester contest marked the first game against the six NEC Small School rivals. DeCristoforo and her crew, who sport an 8-0 record overall, traveled to Saugus last night (Tuesday) and will journey tonight to former GBL foe Medford in a non league tilt. They will return home Friday to host Marblehead.

Tournament hoop updates

Here are the updated times for the Publics vs. Catholics and Black History Month basketball tournaments.

PUBLICS vs. CATHOLIC ROUNDBALL CLASSIC

(Saturday, February 5 at UMass-Boston)

1:00 p.m. - Cathedral High School vs. Dennis Yarmouth High School

2:30 p.m. - O’Bryant High School vs. Holy Cross High School (CT)

4:00 p.m. - New Mission High School vs. St. Raphael Academy (RI)

5:30 p.m. - East Boston High School vs. Bishop Ford High School (NY)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CLASSIC

(Monday, February 21 at Emmanuel College)

11:00 a.m. - Boston Trinity Academy vs. Brighton High School

12:30 p.m. - Lee Academy (ME) vs. NIA Prep International (NJ)

2:00 p.m. - Everett High School vs. Lowell High School

3:30 p.m. - New Mission High School vs. East Boston High School

New Mission statement

New Mission 68, West Roxbury 62 — With the score tied at 55 in the final seconds last night, Samir McDaniels made a dangerous mistake. The New Mission senior turned the ball over and watched as host West Roxbury streaked down the court needing just a layup to secure victory. The West Roxbury shot missed as time expired and the game went into overtime, where McDaniels took charge. He drained 8 of his 31 points in overtime and helped lift New Mission to a 68-62 victory. ‘‘This was a huge win for us,'' said coach Cory McCarthy. ‘‘It really set the tone for our season. Westie is always a tough place to play.'' Things started slow for New Mission (2-1). With star forward Kachi Nzerem in early foul trouble, the Titans struggled to gain a rhythm. Nzerem managed 9 points and his team was down by 11 at intermission. ‘‘They got off to a really fast start and we were struggling a bit,'' McCarthy said. ‘‘We got into some foul trouble and we were a bit careless with the ball.'' Then McDaniels went on a tear. The 6-foot-4-inch senior knocked down 15 points in the second half and 8 in overtime, buoyed by his 13-for-14 effort at the free throw line. McDaniels helped clinch the victory by stealing a West Roxbury inbounds pass early in overtime and converting it on the other end, giving his team a 7-point cushion. Roger Paul led the Raiders with 14 points.

Wayne Turner Joins Men's Basketball Staff

Former UK standout is finishing his degree

Sept. 24, 2010

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky head coach John Calipari is pleased to announce the addition of former UK guard Wayne Turner to the 2010-11 men's basketball staff.

Turner, who is currently finishing his undergraduate degree at UK, will assist pre-, during and post-practice and primarily focus on working with UK's guards.

A newly installed NCAA rule allows returning former players who are working toward their undergraduate degree to be used as on-court staff. With that opportunity Turner, who was part of two national title teams at UK, will join a list of former Wildcats and Calipari assistants and former players who have returned to their schools to finish their degrees.

“I’m really excited to be back in school getting my degree and to have an opportunity to work with the basketball team,” Turner said. “Coach Cal is one of the best, if not the best coach in the world, and who better to learn from. I’m looking forward to the season and feel like I can give some great advice to the players.”

Turner finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time games played leader at 151. A member of Kentucky’s prestigious 1,000-point club (1,170), Turner earned All-SEC status his senior year (Coaches) and was named the 1998 NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player as well as the SEC Tournament MVP that same season.

"I'm so happy to be able to bring back a player and person of Wayne's stature to our program," Coach Calipari said. "I've always tried to bring former players back to finish their degrees wherever I have been and I applaud the NCAA for this new rule. It's always been one of the pleasures of my career to bring people back to campus and finish their degrees and let them know their University hasn't forgotten about them.

"What's also neat is that we get to help guys like Wayne or Tony Delk or Scott Padgett - all guys who are members of our family - to get their start in coaching and help them pursue their next goals in life," Calipari said. "I've passed this information on to the NBA office and my contacts in the league so that players know this opportunity exists and is available if coaches will allow it on their staffs."

Calipari, who recruited Turner out of Boston's Beaver Country Day high school while coaching at UMass, said that he will be a valuable asset to the current team.

"Wayne will do a lot of work with our guys before and after practice, but there could be times when he needs to strap it on and jump in for practice," Coach Calipari said. "I used to be able to do that myself, but not anymore!

“It's funny, when I was recruiting him and I lost him to Kentucky, but I was okay with it because it was Kentucky! At that point, when UK or Duke or UNC wanted a kid, they got him," Coach Calipari recalled. "It's interesting to be on the other side of that now."

http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/092410aaa.html