Corriero takes over Meade boys basketball program Former St. Mary's, Gwynn Park assistant teaches physical education at Meade Published: 04/27/2009

The Meade High School boys basketball team finished 5-17 overall, 4-11 in Anne Arundel County last year. Pete Corriero was named the team's new coach on Tuesday. More Photos View All by Aaron Gray agray@digitalsports.com Pete Corriero is the new Meade High School boys basketball coach, school athletic director Dave Lanham told DigitalSports on Tuesday. "I really think he is the coach that will take our program to the next level and beyond," Lanham said. Corriero replaces former coach Darryl Adams, who was not retained after coaching the Mustangs for the last six years. Adams led Meade to a 5-17 record with a 4-11 mark in Anne Arundel County last season and fell in the first round of the Class 4A East Region tournament. Corriero, 26, is a physical education teacher at Meade and starting coaching around the state before he even graduated from the University of Maryland five years ago. "I'm very excited and appreciative of the school for putting their faith into me," said Corriero, an Odenton resident. "There are a lot of great athletes at this school and there's been a big improvement in the overall athletics. I'm confident the boys basketball team will continue with that trend." Corriero started as an assistant coach at St. Mary's under Josh Pratt when he was still a junior in college. He was still at the Annapolis private school when current Saints coach Brian Konik took over four years ago and Corriero recruited Josh Morgan-Green (South New Hampshire) to the St. Mary's program. After the 2005-06 season, Corriero joined former Spalding coach Mike Glick at Gwynn Park in Prince George's County as a varsity assistant and the junior-varsity head coach. At Gwynn Park, Corriero played a big role in practices while supervising the strength and conditioning workouts for both the varsity and junior-varsity squads. "I might have been the youngest assistant coach in PG County," said Corriero, who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the state championship in 2007-08 after an undefeated regular season. Two players from that team went onto Division I scholarships, which is something Corriero wants to continue at Meade. "You don't see enough guys take the next step and that's something as a coach, I take pride in," Corriero said. "There's a lot of talent at Meade and now is the time for any player to step up. I'm really looking forward to working with them and helping them move on to the college ranks." Corriero returned to St. Mary's this past season as a varsity assistant and helped guide the Saints to their second MIAA B Conference title in three years. He also oversaw a junior-varsity squad that finished 24-8 and advanced to the conference playoffs. Corriero is very active in summer basketball camps and has big plans for the Mustangs when school lets out in two months. Going from the private school league to the Anne Arundel County public-school league should also be a smooth transition for the New Jersey native. "The great thing about St. Mary's this past season is that we played five public schools in the county so I got a great look at the league," Corriero said. "We were one of the only teams around to beat Old Mill so I'm pretty familiar with the competition." Severna Park, Broadneck and Chesapeake also fell victim to the Saints last season along with Meade. "I can't wait to get started," Corriero said.

Prince George's 4A All-League 2008-09
Boys' Team	School	Year	Girls' Team	School	Year
Francis Ashe	Eleanor Roosevelt	Sr.	Olivia Applewhite	Eleanor Roosevelt	Sr.
Colin Beatty	DuVal	Sr.	Nikia Gorham	C.H. Flowers	Sr.
Delonta Boyd	Wise	Sr.	Elashier Hall	Eleanor Roosevelt	Sr.
David Golladay	Wise	Sr.	Leondra King	Parkdale	Sr.
Marcus Hebron	Laurel	Sr.	Jasmine McIntosh	Bowie	Sr.
Lasan Kromah	Eleanor Roosevelt	Sr.	Morgan Pope-Addison	Wise	Sr.
COY: O.J. Johnson	Wise

Gwynn Park 69, Central 59

Gwynn Park came out flat and found itself down by 12 at halftime against a Central team comfortable playing at home.

"Central shot it excellent in the first half," said Gwynn Park coach Michael Glick. "I would guess they made around 75 percent of their attempts."

In the third, Gwynn Park turned the game around thanks to sophomore Brandon Ford.

"He put us on his back and carried us," Glick said of Ford's 16 points in the second half.

Central was outscored 20-7 in the third quarter as Gwynn Park dominated the rest of the game.

Senior center Corey Anderson was another outstanding contributor for Gwynn Park with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Gwynn Park (16-4, 15-1): Tion Coates 8, Brandon Ford 22, Ryan Woodard 2, Corey Anderson 13, Malachi Malik 10, Trevon Hall 3, Keith Thomas 11

Central (2-18, 2-14): Devinne White 12, El Ricco Collins 16, Jevon Jordan 12, Joven McKinny 9, Tony Clark 7, Omari George 3

Halftime score: Central 34, Gwynn Park 22.

Gwynn Park 85, Surrattsville 60

Every player that played for Gwynn Park's boys' basketball team scored during its win over host Surrattsville (0-13, 0-10).

The Yellow Jackets (10-4, 9-1) were led by Keith Thomas and Ryan Woodard who each had 12 points apiece.

Andre Williams led Surrattsville with 15 points. Richard Harris and Louis Simpson chipped in with 14 apiece in the losing effort.

Gwynn Park (10-4, 9-1): Brandon Ford 8, Ryan Woodard 12, Corey Anderson 8, Malachi Malik 8, Brian Blue 5, Trevon Hall 2, Corey Williams 2, Michael Fourth 3, Deante Brown 7, Raymond Barnes 6, Rashaad Muhammad 5, Keith Thomas 12, Luis Peavy 7

Surrattsville (0-13, 0-10): Richard Harris 14, Keith Ross 4, Louis Simpson 14, Andre Williams 15, William Wright 2, Julian Wright 7, John Savoy 2, Cleavon Morris 2

Halftime: Gwynn Park 44, Surrattsville 28

No. 5 Friendly 54, Gwynn Park 53

R.J. Sims sinks a late-game free throw to lift Patriots over Yellow Jackets

By James A. McCray III
Prince George's County, Content Manager

Standing at the free-throw line Thursday night at Gwynn Park with 3 seconds remaining and the score tied at 53-53, Friendly junior R.J. Sims stood there with the ball in his hands and one could only imagine what may have been going through his mind for those brief moments before he let the ball go.

"I was just thinking this was a big time to make a big play," Sims said on his thoughts.

First place in the Prince George's County 3A/2A/1A League was up for grabs and snapping the 28-game conference win streak of the Yellow Jackets was only one swish of the net away, and it was all up to Sims and his second of two free throws. 

And although the ball hit just the back edge of the rim, it found the bottom of the net to secure the win, first place in the league and a 54-53 victory for the Patriots.

"He has been shooting free throws like that all year," Friendly head coach Rob Garner said. "We spend a lot of time in practice on free-throw shooting and for him to be able to come off of the bench like that and make one or two and make the free throw that we need; what can you say about the kid?

"He is a tough kid, mentally tough kid ... and it won't be the last time he will do that."

Sims' late-game heroics were preceded by a few late-game heroics from Gwynn Park (9-4, 8-1).

Down two points with less than 10 seconds remaining, Gwynn Park's Corey Anderson (7 points) put back a missed shot to tie the game at 53-53 setting up the game's dramatic finish.

"Overtime," Anderson said simply on his thoughts after his shot. "Overtime and winning was all I could think about."

Friendly (11-1, 10-0) gained an eight-point advantage entering the fourth quarter thanks to a defensive effort that held Gwynn Park to six third-quarter points.

The lead, however, disappeared thanks to a 12-4 run from the Yellow Jackets that tied the game at 43-43 with 2 minutes, 49 seconds remaining in the contest.
 
Gwynn Park witnessed the Patriots swiftly respond with a 7-0 run of its own, capped off by an A.J. Thomas (13) three-pointer from the corner.

The 7-0 scoring run was sparked by a basket from George Latson who finished with nine points including four during crucial moments of the final period.

"I am a senior," Latson said. "I know I had to get it done for my team."

"I am just proud of our guys because we were able to come over to Gwynn Park and get a very, very tough win," Garner added. "The kids ... wanted to come out and wanted to win the ballgame. I don't know how much we can celebrate because we have to turn back around [tonight] and play a very tough Forestville team at Forestville.

"And guess what? If we lose that game, this game means nothing."

"That was a great high-school basketball game," Gwynn Park head coach Mike Glick said. "It was just typical of our league. I couldn't be more proud of our kids. ... We won 28 straight games in our league, which is a heck of an accomplishment. Yeah the streak is broken, but Friendly has a great team.

Gwynn Park's Brandon Ford led all scorers with 18 points on the night.

"We told our players our number one goal is to get back to Comcast [Center, home of the Maryland state basketball championships]," Glick continued, "and this game has nothing to do with Comcast. All that it is going to do is make us better."

tmccray@digitalsports.com

Friendly 54, Gwynn Park 53
Friendly        --     13   12   14   15; Thomas 13, Latson 9, Sims 7, Brooks 7, Gonzales 6, Hood 5, Adewole 3, Mayfield 2, Baltimore 2
Gwynn Park  --     15   10    6    22; Ford 18, Woodard 9, Peavy 8, Anderson 7, Thomas 5, Williams 3, Blue 3

Three-point goals
Friendly (Thomas 3, Adewole)
Gwynn Park (Thomas, Blue)

SALISBURY -- Throughout play in the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival, 44 games will be played at Wicomico Youth & Civic Center and Wicomico High School. The game that just might go down as the best took place Monday morning at the Civic Center, as Nichols School overcame a late deficit to force overtime against Gwynn Park and win 62-57.

"We really thought we were down and out for a while," Nichols senior Ben Meyer said. "We hit our free throws and they didn't, and we just gave ourselves every chance to win with defense and focus."

Near the end of regulation, which featured nine ties and 10 lead changes, Gwynn Park held a 51-43 lead, with 47 seconds showing on the clock, having utilized a spread offense to kill much of the previous three minutes, seemingly sealing the win.

But a Will Regan three-pointer, with 38 seconds showing on the clock, cut the Yellow Jackets' lead to five and started the comeback. Gwynn Park missed its final four free throws, while Nichols' Chris Stegemann hit his two chances, cutting the lead to three, setting up Meyer as the hero.

The Vikings inbounded the ball with 19 seconds left, trailing by three and they knew Regan and guard Ron Canestro would be the focus of the Gwynn Park defense.

"We knew they were going to guard Ron, we knew they were going to guard Will, a guy like Meyer, he's in the gym shooting shots every day after practice," Nichols school coach Greg Plumb said. "He's not flashy, but if you're going to leave him open, he's going to make you pay."

Meyer hung out in the right corner, while the Yellow Jacket defense chased the ball before Regan took possession at the top of the key. Guarded closely, he found a wide-open Meyer in the corner, who fired up a quick shot.

"I just let it go and I just felt good about it," Meyer said. "I just let it go right away, I didn't want to think about it. I knew if I held it any longer it would not have as good of chance of going in, so I just let it go right away."

Meyer's shot, like many others from outside for Nichols, got nothing but net as it passed through the rim, with four seconds showing on the clock to tie the game at 51-51.

Nichols won the overtime tip and after a hard-fought possession, Canestro was able to finish an easy bucket after point guard Andrew MacKinnon drove the middle of the lane and dropped it off. The bucket was the first of six overtime points for Canestro, who took control in the final four minutes and led all scorers in the game, with 19 to go, with six rebounds.

The 53-51 advantage was the first Nichols lead since early in the fourth quarter, and the momentum of sending the game to the extra session carried over as Nichols stretched its lead to four points before Gwynn Park could get on the board.

"We kind of knew, from our history, we take a team like that to overtime, they're deflated," Plumb said. "Especially when we got a real tough first bucket (in overtime) and then a tough second bucket."

Nichols got a big game inside from Regan, who scored 18 in the game to go with 18 rebounds, while MacKinnon added 11 points and seven assists.

Gwynn Park got balanced scoring led by Keith Thomas' 12 points, while Tion Coates added 11 points and six rebounds.

Getting It Done In Class & On Court Is Ford                                         

Gazette file photo Laurel basketball coach Keith Coutreyer can only sit with the crowd and watch as his team plays Flowers in summer league play at High Point High School in July, 2007

Laurel basketball coach moving on

Coutreyer joins mentor as assistant at Hampton University

Keith Coutreyer, who coached the Laurel High School boys' basketball team to the Class 4A South Region championship last year, is leaving the Spartans to join the staff at Hampton University next season.

Coutreyer finalized the deal at the historically black university in southeastern Virginia Monday after mulling an offer from head coach and longtime friend Kevin Nickelberry since mid- July. He said leaving Laurel was the toughest career decision he's ever made.

"It's just one of those things, an opportunity," said Coutreyer, who last season guided Laurel to the school's first regional title in boys' basketball since 1980. "At the same time, I'm definitely losing a place I've called home for 14 years. It's hard to wrap my mind around it."

Laurel principal Dwayne Jones, who was the head coach at Laurel when Coutreyer first joined the staff, said he was sad to see Coutreyer go, but understood his decision.

"You never want to see anybody leave, but if folks leave you hope it's for something bigger and better," Jones said, adding that the search is under way to fill the coaching job and Coutreyer's position as a special education teacher.

Coutreyer and Nickelberry, a Central High School graduate, have a long relationship, dating to when Coutreyer played for Nickelberry at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park in the early 1990s. Nickelberry's first college coaching job was as an assistant there for one year, alongside current Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. Coutreyer and Nickelberry later were roommates, while Nickelberry was an assistant at Howard.

Nickelberry is entering his third season at Hampton, which went 18-12 and placed second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last year. He is regarded as a rising coach and a strong recruiter. He arrived at Hampton after stints as an assistant at Clemson, Charlotte, Monmouth and Howard.

Coutreyer said he never seriously considered joining the college ranks, even when his friend landed the top job at Hampton. When Nickelberry contacted him in July, seeking to fill two assistant coaching positions, the idea of coaching alongside a friend appealed to Coutreyer even more than the prestige of the job.

"He's been a mentor to me as I've gotten into coaching," Coutreyer said. "More than coaching at the college level, it was working for coach Nickelberry [that led to the decision]."

Coutreyer said his position will focus on coaching guards and academic coordination.

The Pirates' roster has several county products, including Chris Tolson and Milade Lola-Charles, who played for Coutreyer two years ago at Laurel. Jordan Brooks from Charles H. Flowers, Kwame Morgan from Largo and John Ntoko from Eleanor Roosevelt also are on the team.

Coutreyer spent 13 years as a teacher and coach at Laurel, the first five as an assistant under Jones before taking over the head job in 2000, tallying an 89-94 career record.

Also under his leadership, Laurel produced three Gazette-Star All-County First-Team selections in Tolson, Will Alston (Jacksonville) and John Vaughan (George Mason).

"There's not many opportunities to do what you love solely," Coutreyer said. "Being in the classroom was great and I loved those kids, but coaching was my passion."

E-mail Kevin Hilgers at khilgers@gazette.net.

Team camps about more than wins, losses

Exposure to life, recruiters can be beneficial, albeit expensive

And in addition to those events, team camps have become popular summer options over the past decade. The camps are sort of like extended summer leagues, but they serve an important purpose.

‘‘I would say it’s just a chance to get used to playing with each other and building team chemistry,” said Eleanor Roosevelt High boys’ basketball coach Brendan O’Connell. ‘‘The season is still so far way, wins and losses don’t really matter, we’re just trying to get the kids a chance to play.”

Roosevelt senior point guard Francis Ashe said team camps have more functions than just X’s and O’s and jump shots.

‘‘I think they allow us to bond with our teammates,” said Ashe, whose team participated in a team camp last weekend at American University. ‘‘So far this summer, we’ve had to deal with people on our team who are also playing football and injuries and don’t get the chance to be on the court with the rest of the team. [Last weekend], we actually had the chance to see what [the team] had to work on and improve in.”

Gwynn Park boys’ coach Mike Glick likes the opportunity a team camp provides, but added that he doesn’t look too much into performance during the camps.

‘‘We decided to attend the U.S. Naval Academy team camp [June 13-15] because not only does it create team building, but it gives our students an opportunity to see a different side of life,” Glick said. ‘‘They have the chance to be spending time with their teammates and players they don’t know on college campuses. It’s a 100 percent positive experience, but I wouldn’t read too much into the wins and losses of the camp. It’s not an indication of what your team is going to be like.”

Another crucial aspect of team camps is that individual players are offered the chance to show their talents to college coaches. Some team camps on college campuses aren’t designed as recruiting events, but coaches from the host college are present and watching. Others, like the Eastern Invitational Elite Team Camp, are not affiliated with any university. And as a result, camps like the Eastern Invitational have an advantage over camps held on college campuses, because many college coaches attend.

‘‘Our biggest thing is exposure,” said EI Elite Team Camp Co-Director Michael Farrelly. ‘‘We want to provide a forum for high school programs to play against really good competition. The feedback that we’ve gotten from coaches is that they want to play and want to get the kids exposure. It’s very rare that we’ve had a bad experience.”

The EI Elite Team Camp started in 2001 with 12 teams. Farrelly said this year’s camp, set for July 9-10 at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J., will include 72 teams, including Bishop McNamara, Bladensburg, Eleanor Roosevelt, Laurel and Riverdale Baptist. More importantly, Farrelly added, more than 200 colleges coaches are expected to attend.

Team camp does have a drawback. Participation can be expensive.

‘‘I think this year going to a team camp was a double-edged sword,” said Charles H. Flowers boys’ basketball coach George McClure. ‘‘The travel part, that’s an issue. This day and age, it’s so many expenses coming up, like with gas, it’s time to rethink how you do everything. We went to the [Naval Academy] camp where we didn’t have to pay as much because we can commute back and forth.”

The EI Elite Team Camp will charge $100 per player as the standard rate, which includes jerseys. The overnight rate is $190 per player, including housing and meals.

While the rates are expensive, Ashe said many players and their families view it as a worthwhile cost.

‘‘Money can probably be an issue,” he said. ‘‘I think parents sometimes see the benefit of team camps and would pay the price. They look at it as their kids and their college future and can actually benefit in the long run.”

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.

March 24, 2008

Washington Becomes a Bobcat 

James Quinn
MDVarsity.com Staff

Gwynn Park's outstanding senior All-County guard Harold Washington verbally committed to Quinnipiac College on March 21.

Harold Washington

Quinnipiac is a Division I-A college located in Hamden, Connecticut. The Bobcats play in the Northeast Conference (NEC), which was represented in the NCAA Tournament by Mount St. Mary's College.

The 6-foot-1 Washington averaged 19 points, five rebounds, two steals and four assists for Gwynn Park as a senior. He it 35 percent of his three-point field goal attempts and had a single game high of 34 points this season.

Washington was First team All-County in Prince George's County this year and received All-Met Honors. Washington has also been selected to play in the Capital Classic Preliminary game in April.

Quinnipiac has increasingly recruited the Washington D.C. and Baltimore area in the last few years and landing Washington, an athletic wing guard with tremendous shooting range, is a major coup for the Bobcats.

Throughout the course of this season, a large number of local prep basketball players in the D.C. area mentioned Quinnipiac as a college that they were considering. Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore, a former assistant coach at UConn, already has several former D.C. area prep hoops products on the current Bobcat roster.

Washington, along with backcourt mate Sean Thomas, who was recently chosen First Team All-Met by the Washington Post, led Gwynn Park to a 25-2 record this year. The Yellow Jackets had a tremendous run through Prince George's County this season, including a pair of convincing wins over eventual Maryland 3A Champion Largo, before losing to Winters Mill, 58-56, on a buzzer beater in the 2A Semifinals at the Comcast Center.

The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 8 in the Washington Post's Final Top Twenty Rankings. Thomas is expected to commit to a Division I college very soon, as well.

Yellow Jacket coach Mike Glick, who previously built private school hoops powers at Catholic Schools Pallotti and Archbishop Spalding before arriving at Gwynn Park two years ago told MdVarsity.com.,

"He picked a perfect school in Quinnipiac," Yellow Jacket head coach Mike Glick said. "He is a great fit for the school and the basketball program. Coach Moore is going to do a great job up there. He recruited Rudy Gay (now in the NBA after two stellar years at UConn) to UConn when I had Rudy at Spalding. Coach Moore recruited Harold as a two, which is Harold's natural position. He is kind of an undersized two guard, but he has enough size to be a wing guard in that league. Harold still has a lot of upside. Like I said, I think he'll do great there – I couldn't be happier for him."

Glick added that Washington is a full academic qualifier for college freshman eligibility. Washington ultimately chose Quinnipiac over Hampton University and Morgan State, two fast rising MEAC programs.

"Harold also had some interest from some larger colleges, like George Mason," Glick said. "If he had decided to prep for a year to see if he could get a little more college exposure with a prep year, some other colleges definitely would have come in and recruited him, but Harold was (academically) qualified and Quinnipiac was a great fit."

Loyola College also recruited Washington and reportedly would have recruited him in 2008-2009 if he had gone to prep school.

"They (Quinnipiac) are going to be a very good program in the Northeast Conference, said Glick. "And I think that Harold can be a part of their success. I think he has a chance to help them some right away."

EDITOR'S NOTE: MDVarsity.com's James Quinn went In the Gym early this year to profile the 2007-2008 Gwynn Park team and did separate profiles on coach Mike Glick's outstanding senior guards Sean Thomas and Harold Washington. Both the Yellow Jacket team and their stellar backcourt lived up to their advance billing as Gwynn Park went 25-2 and advanced to the Maryland State 2A Semifinals at the Comcast Center in mid-March.

Posted at 2:15 PM ET, 03/21/2008

Gwynn Park Guard to Quinnipiac

From Josh Barr:

Gwynn Park guard Harold Washington took an unofficial visit and committed this morning to play for Quinnipiac, Gwynn Park Coach Mike Glick reports. Quinnipiac is coached by Tom Moore, who recruited Rudy Gay to Connecticut. Gay played for Glick at Spalding.

Quinnipiac Scores A Pair
DeAndre Bynum		By Dave Telep National Recruiting Director Posted Mar 23, 2008 Tom Moore's Quinnipiac program scored a pair of commitments this weekend. One of them was former Memphis standout DeAndre Bynum, a 6-foot-5 senior.
The crew from Quinnipiac struck twice this weekend. DeAndre Bynum, a wing, and Harold Washington, a combo guard, both committed to Tom Moore’s program from the Class of 2008. Bynum, a former Memphis (Tenn.) White Station standout, transferred to Camp Hills (Md.) Progressive Christian this season. Washington, who will play in the Capital Classic all-star game, averaged 19 points a game at Gwynn Park High School. Hampton offered Washington and George Mason was said to be taking a peek. Regardless, Moore’s program appealed the most to Washington. “It’s a beautiful facility,” Washington said. “I loved the coach’s plan for the program. It’s a program that is going somewhere. It seems like the school is putting a lot of money into the basketball program and the coaches are looking for players to build the program.” Washington knew of Bynum before the pair verballed but it’s been a while since he’s seen him play. “I saw him on the AAU circuit but other than that I don’t really know him. He told me that he felt the same way I did about the school.”

2008 All-County Boys Basketball Team

Brenda Ahearn⁄The Gazette The Gazette-Star All-County Boys’ Basketball Team includes: (front row, from left) Jamahl Brown, Klevin Pollard, Sean Thomas; (middle row, from left) Will Alston, Naji Hibbert, Coach of the Year Lewis Howard, Maurice Sutton, Talib Zanna; (back row, from left) Khaalis Coppock-Bey, Terrance Burke, Harold Washington. Not pictured: Thomas Robinson.

The senior doesn’t have much bulk on his lanky 6-foot-11 frame. But once opponents saw him play a few possessions on defense, it was clear he was a force to be reckoned with. With Sutton controlling the paint, the Lions captured the state Class 3A championship — Largo’s first in 15 years. Sutton created problems for the opposition at both ends of the floor, averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and a whopping nine blocks per contest. Sutton, who has drawn serious interest from the University of Kentucky and Seton Hall, is expected to make a college choice in the coming weeks.

Coach of the Year

Lewis Howard

Howard has had his share of bumps during his time at Largo. In 2004, the Lions lost in the state Class 4A semifinals in Howard’s first trip to the state Final Four. Last season, the Lions fell short of perfection, suffering their only loss of the season in the Class 3A semifinals. But with the nucleus of that team still intact this season Howard and the Lions won games of all types — close battles and blowouts. Largo won its last two 3A South Region playoff games on the road, including a 49-48 victory at Lackey in the region title game. The Lions then avenged last year’s state semifinal loss to Bethesda-Chevy Chase, beating the Barons in this year’s semifinals before easily dispatching Long Reach in the title game.

First Team

Will Alston, Laurel: The Spartans could have had a dropoff this year after graduating their two best players from last season, but Alston helped them to the Class 4A semifinals for the first time since 1980. A transfer from Archbishop Spalding, the senior averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, helping Laurel to a 22-3 record and the county championship.

Naji Hibbert, DeMatha: On one of the youngest DeMatha squads in years, Hibbert helped the three-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions reach the tournament semifinals. He transferred from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore to a team that was missing five starters to begin the season and averaged 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals and is being recruited by Miami (Fla.) and Syracuse, among others.

Harold Washington, Gwynn Park: The Yellow Jackets went from a middle-of-the-pack squad to one of the best in the state as Washington took off for nearly 19 points and two steals per game. He could drive inside or hit from the outside, as he led the team with 31 3-pointers, and helped Gwynn Park into the Class 2A state tournament for the first time in four years.

Sean Thomas, Gwynn Park: The other half of the Yellow Jackets’ success this year, Thomas put up numbers nearly identical to his teammate in the backcourt. He averaged 18.9 points and had his best game of the year — 30 points on 12 for 13 shooting — in a win against defending County 3A⁄2A⁄1A League champion Largo on Jan. 19, which was key in helping Gwynn Park win 22 straight regular season games.

Thomas Robinson, Riverdale Baptist: A major contributor to the 31-6 Crusaders, Robinson averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, two assists and two steals per game. The junior recorded 23 double-doubles during the season. He was named to the all-tournament team and most outstanding defensive player at the National Association of Christian Athletes tournament and also was selected to the all-tournament team at the Lone Star Invitational.

Klevin Pollard, Largo: Pollard quietly got better as he progressed in his career with the Lions. Last season, he was overshadowed by former Lions Kwame Morgan and Maurice Colter. But the senior’s time came this year as he averaged 21 points, five assists and four rebounds per contest for the state Class 3A champion Lions.

Talib Zanna, Bishop McNamara: The junior came off a serious injury to have a breakout season. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks during a season removed from a broken ankle. With one more year of high school left, Zanna has drawn interest from schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East and Atlantic 10.

Terrance Burke, Northwestern: Despite the Wildcats’ struggles as a team, the senior quietly established himself as one of the best players in the county over the past two years. Burke carried the Wildcats on his back for stretches as he averaged 24.8 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Burke has drawn interest from a number of Division I schools and has a scholarship offer from Farleigh-Dickinson University.

Jamahl Brown, Surrattsville: The premier scorer in the county, Brown was virtually unstoppable when he decided to shoot the ball from close or long range. The senior averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and five steals per game. Brown averaged 38 points per game in the postseason as he helped lead Surrattsville to the Class 1A state title game. Brown is still evaluating his college options.

Khaalis Coppock-Bey, Fairmont Heights: The only returning starter from last season’s state Class 2A runner-up, Coppock-Bey was the heart of the Hornets’ attack this season. The junior averaged 22.3 points, five rebounds and two assists per game this season. Coppock-Bey scored a season-high 34 points against Frederick Douglass and helped the Hornets make the Class 2A South Region semifinals.

Second Team

Marquise Simmons, Central

Israel Alao, Bladensburg

Jason Burns, Frederick Douglass

Chaune Duffy, Fairmont Heights

Justin Bess, DuVal

Dewayne Jackson, Bowie

Deonte Edmunds and Sedric Baker, Oxon Hill

Rashad Whack, Bishop McNamara

Reggie Young, Laurel

Lasan Kromah and Brenden Straughn, Eleanor Roosevelt

Kenny Tate, DeMatha

Eric Washington, St. Vincent Pallotti

Delonta Boyd, Henry A. Wise

Chandler Davenport, Queen Anne

A.J. Thomas, Friendly

All-county teams are selected by the Gazette-Star sports staff based on our observations, athletes’ performances, statistics and nominations from coaches. Staff writers Terron Hampton, Ted Black and Kevin Hilgers compiled the writeups on these pages.

Gwynn Park buzzer-beaten in 2A semis

Sean Thomas squatted and pulled his jersey to his face 15 feet from the basket at Comcast Center, between the elbow and the 3-point line. It was the very spot where the senior’s Gwynn Park High School basketball team saw its season come to a dramatic end in the Class 2A semifinals Friday night.

Then Lesniak, double-teamed just inside the 3-point line, fell back and put up a prayer of a shot that arched high into the air and dropped through the net, ending Gwynn Park’s season with a 58-56 defeat.

There were no tears or lamentations among the Yellow Jackets (25-2), who had the most wins of any team in the county and were aiming for their first state title in 20 years. But the buzzer-beater was emotionally draining.

‘‘I don’t think there are any words to describe it,” said senior Harold Washington. ‘‘You hope it works out, but unfortunately it didn’t.”

The Falcons (21-5), in their first-ever appearance at the state tournament, defeated two-time defending champion Randallstown, 54-47, for the 2A title Saturday.

Thomas led Gwynn Park with 18 points, Washington scored 15 and Mark Penn had 10 points, including two 3-pointers. But the Yellow Jackets shot 39 percent and went 10 for 21 from the free-throw line, missing three of their last five while Winters Mill rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit.

They also were outrebounded, 40-32, by the Falcons, who had a good combination of size and shooting skill that challenged Gwynn Park’s defense. Cammeron Woodyard, a 6-foot-5 Penn State recruit, scored 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Rashad Blackwell, 6-6, had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

‘‘They’re a great team. You don’t get here unless you’re a great team,” said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. ‘‘Cammeron Woodyard’s a great player, probably the best player we’ve played against all season. I thought they had an excellent game plan, but at the same time I thought our kids played great.”

Gwynn Park’s tallest player, 6-5 senior Ronnell Leggett, almost wasn’t available. He was cleared to play by his doctor before the game after breaking an orbital bone when he was elbowed in the face in the South Region final last weekend. He stepped in for seven points, five rebounds and a block.

Lesniak’s basket was the final stroke of the Falcons’ game-ending rally, which came just when Gwynn Park appeared to be pulling away in the back-and-forth contest.

Neither team led by more than six entering the fourth quarter. Gwynn Park broke ahead for its largest lead of the game, 52-44 with 4 1⁄2 minutes left, when Leggett and Cory Anderson made back-to-back layups and Thomas drove from baseline to baseline.

But the Falcons made sure that wouldn’t be the decisive run. Winters Mill crawled out of the deficit with five straight free throws, then Lesniak grabbed an offensive rebound and dished to Blackwell for a layup that put the Falcons within one.

Thomas went 1 for 2 from the foul line on Gwynn Park’s next possession, and Blackwell made a turnaround shot at the other end to tie the game for the first time since the third quarter.

Washington scored inside with two minutes left and was fouled, but he missed the shot. Kendall Dorsey hit a huge 3-pointer with 1 1⁄2 minutes remaining to give Winters Mill a one-point lead.

Gwynn Park, which had struggled to get inside shots to fall all night, missed three in a row on its next possession before Thomas was fouled going after a rebound. He made one free throw to tie the game with just over a minute left.

Glick said even without his team’s untimely shooting slump, there was no guarantee the Yellow Jackets would have coasted to a win.

‘‘I don’t think that if we make those shots we’re going to pull away,” he said. ‘‘I think you had two totally evenly matched teams. I thought Winters Mill had strength inside, I thought our guard play was excellent. I just thought that the game could have gone either way.”

But after Thomas’ free throw, the Falcons waited for the last shot. They got it in improbable fashion.

‘‘This wasn’t a game where we lost the game,” Glick said. ‘‘It was a great high school basketball game. Their players stepped up and made a few shots. But I couldn’t be prouder of my players.”

E-mail Kevin Hilgers at khilgers@gazette.net.

No. 12 Winters Mill 58, Gwynn Park 56

Lesniak's buzzer-beater sends Winters Mill to final

By Rich Scherr | Special to The Sun

March 15, 2008

Yellow Jackets ready for one more chance at a crown

Winters Mill awaits in Friday’s 2A semifinal

The 2007-08 season has marked the re-emergence of the most successful boys’ high school basketball program in Maryland public schools history as Gwynn Park has won 25 of 26 games.

When the Yellow Jackets suit up to play Winters Mill in a state Class 2A semifinal at 9 p.m. Friday at Comcast Center, they will have a challenging task in front of them. The other three teams in the 2A Final Four — Randallstown, Wicomico and Winters Mill — have a combined 62-13 record. Gwynn Park beat Randallstown, 73-60, during the Christmas break.

Approaching the season with confidence, the Yellow Jackets figured they would be in this position.

‘‘We did think we were going to be state champions before the season started,” said senior standout Sean Thomas following Gwynn Park’s 72-56 victory against McDonough in the 2A South Region final. ‘‘We had that trust in each other. I believe if we stay focused and humble and continue to play our way, we should finish with a title.”

The Yellow Jackets have benefited from a deep corps of seniors and a number of juniors who have stepped up this season. Senior point guard and co-captain Harold Washington has been one of the county’s most impressive players, averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists per game. Meanwhile, junior forward Corey Anderson has been an important piece of the puzzle for the Yellow Jackets, averaging 15 points, 13 rebounds and nine rebounds.

Throw in Thomas (21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists) and senior multi-sport star Chibuike Achuko and Gwynn Park has a formidable lineup. But the Yellow Jackets may be without one important piece as senior forward Ronnell Leggett suffered three fractures of his left orbital bone, leaving Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick unsure about his availability.

Glick understands that Winters Mill, which features 6-foot-7 Rashad Blackwell (8.7 points, 8.1 rebounds) and star guard Cammeron Woodyard (20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and three assists), will be a test.

‘‘They’re a great team, very well coached and have a great player going to Penn State,” Glick said of the Falcons and Woodyard, who has committed to PSU. ‘‘We have our work cut out for us.”

Gwynn Park should be wary of the task at hand because the team has lost three state finals this decade (2000, 2002 and 2004). The 2004 final, a 66-65 loss to Baltimore’s Douglass High in the final seconds, was particularly heartbreaking.

‘‘Based on what I’ve read about them, they are really well-coached,” Winters Mill coach David Herman said. ‘‘They play hard and get after the ball. Our kids play hard and I think real good defense and we’re ready to play.”

Glick said the Yellow Jackets have another factor on their side.

‘‘I feel if we survived the county, then we can compete with anyone in the state,” Glick said. ‘‘I think [Prince George’s] County has a great feeder system and having four [boys] teams make it [to the state semifinals] from all four classifications shows that we’re the best basketball county in the state and in the nation.”

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.

Boys Class 2Astate semifinals

Gwynn Park (25-1) vs.Winters Mill (19-5)

When: 9 p.m. Friday.

Where: Comcast Center,University of Maryland,College Park.

Players to watch: Gwynn Park — Sean Thomas (21 ppg, 10 rpg, 7 apg); Harold Washington (19 ppg, 12 rpg); CoreyAnderson (15 ppg, 13 rpg, 9 apg). Winters Mill — Cammeron Woodyard (20.5 ppg); Devon Lesniak (14.6 ppg).

Yellow Jackets take unbeaten record into 2A regional

2A South

Easily the talk of the 2A South has to be undefeated Gwynn Park (23-0). The Yellow Jackets are the No. 1 seed, but will have an interesting time trying to get back to its first state Final Four since 2004, when they lost to Douglass (Baltimore) in the state title game on a shot in the final seconds. The Yellow Jackets get a first-round bye and will host the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 8 Oakland Mills (6-14) and No. 9 Central (5-16).

Meanwhile, Fairmont Heights, which staggered at the end of the season to a 13-7 finish, earned the 2A South’s No. 4 seed. The defending region champion Hornets will face No. 13 Mount Hebron (3-17) on Friday.

If the Hornets win their first-round game, they will return to action Tuesday against the winner of Friday’s game between No. 5 Calvert (4-15) and Frederick Douglass (10-12).

If both the Yellow Jackets and Hornets advance beyond the second round, Gwynn Park will host Fairmont Heights in what would be the third meeting between the two teams.

Second-year Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick eagerly awaits the playoffs.

‘‘Basically, we’re excited we’re the No. 1 seed and we’re excited that we’ll have the opportunity to be able to host a lot of the rounds,” Glick said. ‘‘For us to matriculate through, we’ll have to beat one or two of the teams that we will have faced for the third time this season. The best thing I can say about my team this year is that it is one of the few teams that I’ve coached in over 20 years that has gotten better and better as the year has gone along.”

 4A South

The 4A South Region, composed entirely of county schools, has some interesting pairings that make some teams appear to be playing in different positions than their seeds would indicate.

Laurel (17-2) drew the 4A South’s top seed after losing just one County 4A League game. Henry A. Wise (17-5) had an impressive regular season and earned the 4A South’s No. 2 seed. Eleanor Roosevelt (14-5) has the third seed, and Bowie (15-7), with a strong late-season finish, captured the 4A South’s fourth and final seed. All seeded teams earned a first-round bye.

The second-round matchups may be the story of the 4A South tournament. Laurel will host the winner of a first-round game between No. 8 Oxon Hill (10-8) and No. 9 Charles H. Flowers (7-13). Meanwhile, on the same side of the bracket, Bowie will play a less-challenging opponent than Laurel when the Bulldogs host the winner of No. 5 High Point (2-16) and No. 12 Parkdale (2-18).

Second-seeded Wise will most likely face No. 7 DuVal (13-7), which plays No. 10 Suitland (4-18) in a rematch of the regular season finale. Roosevelt, on the other hand, will play host to the winner of the game between No. 6 Bladensburg (9-12) and No. 11 Northwestern (8-13).

3A South

Midway through the regular season, the Largo boys seemed a lock for a top seed in the 3A South Region, but stumbled late and finished 18-4. Nonetheless, Largo did earn the No. 3 seed and will face the winner of the game between No. 6 Crossland (10-10) and No. 11 Westlake (14-6). No. 7 Friendly (12-9) will host No. 10 Potomac (6-16) on Friday with the winner playing No. 2 Huntingtown (17-3). Last season, Largo went undefeated until being upended by Bethesda Chevy-Chase in the state semifinal.

1A South

The MPSSAA did something new this year for the Class 1A draw as the 1A West and the 1A South Regions were subdivided into sectionals.

In the nine-team 1A South, Surrattsville (7-12) and Forestville (6-13) will face one another in the South Sectional on Monday. The winner moves on to face the winner of Tuesday’s game between South Carroll and Glenelg.

E-mail Terron Hampton atthampton@gazette.net.

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 02/28/2008

Bozeman, Nickelberry Among Those at P.G. Title Game

Largo is beaten badly 80-50 at the hands of the Yellow Jackets  

Passing game helps lift team to 30-point victory, Yellow Jacket girls suffer first loss of season

‘‘Even in practice we’re always together, working on our camaraderie,” Thomas said. ‘‘It really helps us and it showed on the court.”

The Yellow Jackets (13-0, 9-0 after defeating Friendly on Tuesday) trailed 19-15 after the first quarter, in which Largo’s Aaron Martin scored 11 of his 13 points and the Lions’ 6-foot-11 center, Maurice Sutton (12 points, four blocks), grabbed five of his seven rebounds.

But within the first minute of the second quarter, the Yellow Jackets jumped ahead with two Washington-to-Thomas transition layups. With four minutes before halftime, Thomas swiped a ball from Largo and fed Washington for a two-handed dunk to end a 6-0 run that put Gwynn Park ahead for good, 29-25.

Washington returned the favor to his teammate for his own jam, and the Yellow Jackets, who had been blown out in two of their last three meetings with Largo, had a 10-point lead. The difference grew to 30 when Tim Floyd hit a crowd-rousing 3-pointer at the final buzzer, giving Largo its first regular-season loss in the county in two seasons.

‘‘It was pretty shocking for us because the first half was back and forth and a real close game,” Washington said. ‘‘It was surprising when we were up by 20.”

Gwynn Park held Largo (11-2, 8-1 after defeating Forestville on Tuesday), which averaged 85 points entering the game, to a season low in scoring and limited the Lions to just two field goals in the fourth quarter, piling on to its 52-45 lead entering the period.

When they weren’t scoring in transition, the Yellow Jackets were cycling the ball around the perimeter, taking their time to make plays inside for easy baskets and dictating the pace.

‘‘That was the execution of the game plan to perfection for us, especially in the second half,” Glick said. ‘‘Our players were able to play with controlled discipline and handle the pressure.”

Chibuike Achuko scored 14 points for Gwynn Park and Corey Anderson chipped in 10. Klevin Pollard added 13 points for Largo, which will get a chance to get back at the Yellow Jackets when the Lions play host to the rematch on Feb. 19.

E-mail Kevin Hilgers at khilgers@gazette.net.

Sean Thomas and Eric Thomas are such good friends, they joke that they are "distant cousins." They may like many of the same things off the court, but on the floor the two unrelated senior guards could not be more different. Sean Thomas is the leading scorer for 13th-ranked Gwynn Park; Eric moved into the starting lineup last week for the first time when another teammate became academically ineligible.

 By Josh Barr

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 12, 2008; Page E05