Team USA dares to dream
Young stars lead the way
USA Basketball will put its national pride on the line, beginning this weekend, when it begins competition in the FIBA World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. The preliminary rounds will be held next week with the medal rounds beginning of Aug. 26.
Team USA has been impressive during its five exhibition victories in South Korea. Their average margin of victory for the five games was 34 points with the only close game being a 90-86 squeaker over Brazil.
Players are still competing for the 12 final spots for the 2008 Olympic team, but the youth movement continues. Leading the way will be young stars Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who were part of the 2004 Olympic debacle in Athens after their rookie seasons. They are leading the charge for atonement in 2008. Also on the squad from that loaded 2003 Draft class are Chris Bosh and Kirk Hinrich. Also joining the group are NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Paul and 2005 All-Rookie Team member Dwight Howard.
After struggling to win a bronze medal in 2004 and finishing sixth are the World Championships in 2002, USA Basketball is putting the team together three years ahead of time in hopes of creating some kind of continuity and teamwork. In recent years, the international teams have relied on team play and shooting to get the best of the USA team that is long on individual stars, but short on cohesion.
The injury bug has already bitten Team USA as Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire and Gilbert Arenas are out of the World Championships.
Team USA will face Puerto Rico on Saturday (midnight, ESPN-2), China on Sunday (5:30 a.m., ESPN-2), Slovenia on Tuesday, Aug. 22 (5:30 a.m., ESPN-2), Italy on Wednesday, Aug. 23 (5:30 a.m., ESPN-2), and Senegal on Thursday, Aug. 24 (5:30 a.m., ESPN-2).
Gridiron tidbits
High school football practice got underway officially on both sides of the river this week. Here are just a few tidbits on this opening week of practice. A big game to watch right out of the game will happen on Thursday night, Aug. 31, when defending Class 6 state champion DeSmet hosts Columbia Rock Bridge, one of the favorites for the state title this season. DeSmet knocked off Rock Bridge in the sectionals last season en route to the state title.
Class 6 state runner-up Hazelwood Central picked up the services of transfer DeVion Moore, a talented senior running back from Lawrenceville, Ga. As a junior, Moore helped lead Brookwood High to the Georgia Class AAAA state title. He is being recruited actively by several NCAA Division I schools.
Fort Zumwalt West also added a talented transfer from the South in tailback/defensive back Carl Gettis, who comes to St. Charles County from Antioch, Tenn. He also has a slew of Division I recruiters on his tail.
On the local transfer front, wide receiver Rolandis Woodland transferred from Lutheran North to Rockwood Summit over the summer. The 6’4” senior is an athletic big-play receiver who averaged 25 yards per reception and scored 10 touchdowns as a junior.
The postseason landscape will change with a few area powers changing classificiations. Hazelwood East and Kirkwood have moved down from Class 6 to Class 5 while Webster Groves and Parkway Central have been moved to Class 4 after competing in Class 5.
Shimmy recruits
Saint Louis University women’s basketball coach enjoyed another big recruiting coup last week when she received a verbal commitment from forward Lauren Woods from Belleville East. The 6’1” Woods averaged 14 points and four rebounds in leading the Lancers to a 24-6 record and IHSA Class AA regional title last season. Woods chose SLU over the likes of Texas Tech and Arkansas State. She is considered one of the top 20 players in the state of Illinois along with 5’7” guard Tatiana Ortiz, a talented guard from Chicago who committed to SLU during the spring. With do-it-all guard Theresa Lisch from Althoff already on campus for her freshman year, Gray is doing a nice job of recruiting some of the area’s top talent. SLU is also hot on the trail of 6’2” forward Shakara Jones of Francis Howell Central. Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa State are among the list of schools in the hunt for Jones, who is the top returning player in the St. Louis area.
On the men’s side, the Billikens have put together a challenging non-conference schedule for the upcoming season. The headliner will be a Dec. 22 home date against North Carolina, which will be ranked in everyone’s preseason Top 5. SLU will also face NCAA Tournament participants Southern Illinois (22-11), Texas A&M (22-9), Pacific (24-8) and NIT qualifiers Missouri State (22-9), Houston, twice (21-10), and Louisiana Tech (20-13). SLU will also face Loyola (Ill.), (19-11) and Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference. No weak sisters in that bunch.
Best of the Midwest
McCluer North won the championship of the Best of the Midwest Summer Basketball League at Vashon High last week. The Stars defeated Vashon 58-55 in the championship game. McCluer North was led by 6’4” junior guard Torres Roundtree with 18 points and fellow junior guard Femi John, who had 17. Roundtree has an offer from Southern Illinois while the 6’4” John has received offers from Missouri State and Illinois State. Northern Iowa has also shown great interest. The Stars also feature 6’7” junior Anthony Booker, who has also received offers from Missouri State and Illinois State. North coach Randy Reed should have one of the top teams in the St. Louis area during the 2006-07 season.
Patriotic Maroney
Former Normandy High football star Laurence Maroney had an impressive professional debut for the New England Patriots. Maroney rushed for 66 yards on nine carries in the Patriots’ 26-23 preseason loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Maroney averaged better than seven yards per carry in his NFL debut.
Now, for a little love for my collegiate alma mater, Lindenwood University. Former LU All-American DeDe Dorsey is a rookie free agent running back trying to win a spot with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his NFL debut, Dorsey rushed for 68 yards on six carries in the Bengals’ 19-3 victory over the Washington Redskins. Dorsey opened some eyes with a 46-yard run in the second half.