Kindred spirits on the court
Lake Mead basketball teammates making plans to stick together
When Lake Mead Christian Academy junior basketball players DeQuan Thompson and Landon Littlefield set out to find a college, they only had one requirement — finding a school where they could play together.
The two wanted to preserve their chemistry on the court, which helped Lake Mead to its first 1A state championship last year, and fulfill a dream to play in college together.
They found a perfect match in November at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, where they made a verbal commitment to attend. They won't be able to sign with the school until next year.
"We're like brothers on the court," Thompson said. "It's hard to explain how well we play together. I wouldn't be as good without him."
Lake Mead, which is coming off a 33-1 year, opens its season Thursday against Calvary Chapel, of Chula Vista, Calif., in the 12-team Lake Mead Classic tournament.
If it seems like Thompson and Littlefield play like kin, it's because they consider themselves brothers.
The two struck up a friendship shortly after meeting as eighth graders. Thompson spent so much time at the Littlefield house that when he had some family problems, Landon's father, Darryl Littlefield, had no qualms giving him a place to sleep.
A sleep-over turned into a permanent residence and Darryl Littlefield took legal guardianship of Thompson in 2005, he said.
"DeQuan and Landon are extremely close," Darryl Littlefield said. "I have never seen them argue. They share everything from the same clothes to the same room."
The two even share the same position as the 6-foot-1 Thompson and 5-foot-7 Landon Littlefield alternate between guard positions in Lake Mead's up-tempo offense.
Thompson had a breakout season last year as he averaged 10 points, three rebounds and two steals per game. Littlefield averaged 21 points and 3.3 assists per game.
"De'quan and I have been playing together for so long that before I even catch the ball I know where he is on the court," Landon Littlefield said. "I know his next move before he does it."
The two have similar work ethics and spend six days a week practicing. Their dedication to working together is so strong that when Landon Littlefield was out for four months with a knee injury this summer, Thompson wanted to sit out, too.
Thompson lost some of the urge to workout when his best friend could not play, said Darryl Littlefield, also an assistant coach at Lake Mead.
"It was like pulling teeth getting him on the court without Landon," Darryl Littlefield said.
Lake Mead coach Jeff Newton is thankful for the chemistry between the two.
With Landon Littlefield already making a name for himself on offense, Newton said Thompson will be one of the league's best defenders.
"He's by far our best on the ball defender," Newton said. "He can shut down the super quick point guard or he can shut down the small forward. But honestly his best attribute is his demeanor. He always has a smile when he's on the court."
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/04/kindred-spirits-court/
Las Vegas Guard Joins General Nation
Sheridan College Head Coach Steve Smiley has announced today the signing of Las Vegas guard Victor Bermudez to a national letter of intent. Bermudez, a 6’4 175 pound guard played last season at University Park Academy Prep last year in Houston. During his high school playing days at Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas, Bermudez showed his sharp shooting ability by raining in 50% from the field, 88% from the line, and an impressive 48% from beyond the arc. Bermudez joins a highly touted freshman class that is expected to contribute immediately after losing standout guards Matt Glover (signed at Penn State), Omar McDade (signed at Fort Hays State) and Kendrick Morse (signed at Fort Hays State).
Coach Smiley had this to say about Victor: “We’re very excited to get a player of Victor’s caliber this late in the recruiting process. Over the past several days, we realized that we might need to sign one more player and that is exactly when Victor became available. Victor is a good-sized, athletic guard with a high skill level that can play anywhere from the 1-3 guard positions. We saw Victor during the Las Vegas AAU Tournament in July when he played for 24-7 Hoops, and Head Coach Pat Amico. He has a chance to be a special player here at Sheridan and at the next level, as well. We’re excited to get him out here and start working with him right away.”
Omari Ray Grier- Turns Dream Into Reality
Ever since Omari Ray Grier can remember, his child hood dream was to play basketball at college basketballs most elite level (Division 1). This year he will turn that dream into a reality. Originally from Erial, New Jersey Omari was raised by his parents Raymond and Karen Grier who from day one instilled a strong work ethic in him as well as a strong belief in Christ. It is those two things that have led him to where he is today, a freshman combo guard for Florida Atlantic University. The 6-4 combo guard played his first three years of high school basketball for Episcopal Academy and AAU teams the Delaware Sharks, Jersey Shore Warriors and Virginia Assault where he averaged 19.5 points per game. Although Omari could score with the best of them, he wasn’t getting the press his parents and he knew they could. After his junior year at Episcopal Academy, the Grier’s family friend Tony Tucker suggested that Omari attend the famed Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, NV. (where hundreds of N.B.A. players train in the off season) for more exposure. The Grier family prayed and when the door opened, Omari migrated west knowing he would have to work hard and keep his faith in Christ to make this transfer worth it.
After averging 20 points per game for Impact Academy, Grier was approached by 24 7 Hoops (NV) head coach Patrick Amico to play AAU basketball. While playing for 24 7 Hoops Omari finally started to get the recognition he had so longed for as the team was ranked number one in the state of Nevada and Rivals high school said on their web page that he “could easily go for 30 points on any given night”. In the summer of 2010 Omari left Las Vegas and went home to New Jesrey where the phone was ringing all summer long with coaches from small schools, once again Omari and his family prayed about where he should go to school. This time he was lead to Maine Central Institute a prep school in Pittsfield, ME where he shot over 50 percent from three point range and helped MCI win the 2011 New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class AAA title. As the phone kept ringing with coaches on the other line, Omari still found himself searching for that perfect opportunity when Florida Atlantic Univeristy head coach Mike Jarvis called. Jarvis intrigued Omari and his family with his resume and ability to connect with young players. Omari and his family heard the coach out and prayed he would be lead by God to place that would take his game and life to another level.
Omari traveled to Florida to visit the school and met with Jarvis and his staff as well as the rest of the basketball team and immeditaly felt a connection. In April of 2011 Omari accepted a basketball scholarship to FAU. I asked Omari why he chose FAU and he had this to say ”I chose FAU because I felt that God has a great plan for me as far as academics and athletics. Coach Jarvis is also a great coach that has an amazing resume. I feel that he can develop my game to a whole other level and he’s a great coach! My teammates are also great and I feel comfortable playing with them. I feel that they will push me to becoming a better player as well”.
Omari is excited about the opportunity in front of him as he is constantly working on his game and head coach Mike Jarvis has already sung the praises telling the FAU OWLS website “The word on Omari is `all he can do is shoot’, which even if it were true, would be enough. He’s a terrific backcourt player that shot better than 50 percent from the three point line and we expect him to continue that here at FAU. He’s a shooter and every team can use another shooter,” said Jarvis.
If Omari contiues to work hard and plays up to the expectations of himself and the coaching staff, FAU will have stolen a prize posession and the rest of college basketball will be on notice.
6FEB/08
ORANGE APPEAL
RYAN T. BOYD
Herald Staff Writer
Good morning. Have a nice day. Syracuse loves you.
These are text messages Marisa Gobuty receives every day from her future women’s basketball coach at Syracuse University, Quentin Hillsman. In November, Gobuty, a senior guard on the Pendleton School girls basketball team at IMG Academies, signed a letter-of-intent to play basketball for the Orange next season.
College coaches know when they’ve landed a prize recruit. Gobuty is ranked 59th nationally among high school guards by Scout.com. "Marisa is a pure point guard who can run a ballclub with great efficiency," Hillsman said in a press release when Gobuty was signed. "She is a very hard-nosed, quick point guard with the ability to defend, create and make shots off the bounce."
Before this season, expectations were low for a Pendleton School girls team that lost about eight seniors to graduation last season and was returning a roster full of freshmen and sophomores.
With her leadership and performance on the court, the 5-foot-7 Gobuty has been the difference-maker for the Panthers this season.
The senior has almost doubled her scoring from a year ago, averaging 24 points a game. Her team has an 11-4 record, and she’s scored at least 30 points three times. "She’s a floor general," Pendleton girls coach Patrick Amico said. "She communicates very well with her teammates, and she recognizes defenses well. She’s an incredible scoring threat. No one really thought IMG could be capable of turning out a good season this year."
Just imagine what Gobuty could do if she could breathe normally.
Gobuty has a deviated septum which makes it impossible to breathe through her nose. She’ll have surgery to correct the problem next Thursday, which is one of the reasons she is leaving the Pendleton School after next week. Having the procedure "will help me playing-wise and running, just if it’s opened," she said. Gobuty also is leaving for an early return home.
Since arriving at IMG in 2004, the Toronto-born player, whose family lived in California until she was 8, has been splitting time between here and Israel, where she has been a prominent player on some of that country’s national women’s basketball teams that have taken part in events such as the European Championships.
She lists her two homes as Bradenton and Tel Aviv, but Gobuty still feels guilty about leaving her Pendleton teammates for the final time. "Yeah, I do," Gobuty said. "But I know that in the long run this will be important." Playing alongside 6-foot-9 Meme Besnoin, a defensive stalwart in the middle, has allowed Gobuty to focus on offense.
"This was an opportunity for me to take my team on my shoulders, and lead them," Gobuty said, "Meme is more helpful on defense blocking shots . . . But they rely more on me to step up and score."
A coach never enjoys losing a player as talented as Gobuty, and Amico is no exception. "This is no different from your players getting injured or into foul trouble during a game," Amico said. "There are other girls that we have who are capable of stepping up and contributing."
However, those 24 points a night from one player will be hard to replace. "I’ve enjoyed coaching Marisa," Amico said. "She puts her whole heart and soul into it. She’s what every coach wants in a player. I believe she’s going to surprise some people. I believe she’s going to do well at Syracuse."
No comments:
Post a Comment