Local product Palmer finds winter in Nebraska to his liking

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It’s rare that someone would prefer winter in Lincoln, Nebraska to winter in Miami.

But it worked out for James Palmer, Jr.

Palmerpic
James Palmer, Jr, who played at Henry Wise and St. John’s, is one of the main reasons Nebraska is battling for an NCAA Tournament bid as March approaches

Palmer, an Upper Marlboro native and former standout at St. John’s and Henry A. Wise, started his college career at the University of Miami. The 6-foot-6 wing played sparingly there, averaging about 12 minutes and three points per game for the Hurricanes.

With prospects for playing time looking bleak, Palmer opted to transfer to Nebraska. There, coach Tim Miles has shown a knack for landing transfers from big-time schools like Terran Petteway (Texas Tech), Walter Pitchford (Florida) and Andrew White (Kansas). All flourished at Nebraska and later pursued professional basketball careers of one kind or another.

“Those guys left a trail for me to follow,” Palmer told the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star. “That shows a good example of Nebraska getting good transfer players and really developing them.”

Continue reading Local product Palmer finds winter in Nebraska to his liking

50 years ago, Northwestern’s Fox played a game to remember

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Harold Fox
Harold Fox, a three-time All-Met selection from Northwestern High School, played his college ball at Jacksonville.

Was it the greatest single-game performance in the history of D.C. area high school basketball?

It just might be.

Fifty years ago this week, Harold Fox, a 6-foot-1 guard at Northwestern High School, pumped in 64 points in a wild 103-87 victory over Oxon Hill. Fox, a senior, connected on 29 of 44 shots, pouring in 28 points in the final quarter – 41 in the second half.

At the time, only one local high school player had ever scored more in a game –­ Mount Vernon’s Marty Lentz, who erupted for 74 points against Stuart during the 1960-61 season.

In terms of points, Fox’s game would have to rank among the best. But he didn’t limit himself to just scoring that night. According to The Washington Post account of the game, Fox was credited with 15 rebounds and 13 assists as well. Continue reading 50 years ago, Northwestern’s Fox played a game to remember

Gary Mays, Armstong High’s one-armed wonder, dead at 82

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When you hear the stories about Gary Mays, a multisport star at the long-closed Armstrong High School, it’s easy to dismiss what you’ve heard.Gary Mays

There’s couldn’t really have been a one-armed high school basketball player who was also the best catcher in the city. It’s got to be an urban legend.

Mays was a legend, all right. But the tales you’ve heard about him are absolutely, 100 percent true.

Mays, 82, passed away last week. He’d been living in Temple Hills for a while and his health hadn’t been good in recent years.

Continue reading Gary Mays, Armstong High’s one-armed wonder, dead at 82

In January of ’68, nobody was hotter than Jim O’Brien

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Fifty years ago this week, Washington’s sports pages were full of stories on the Green Bay Packers’ recent Super Bowl II victory over the Oakland Raiders.

O'Brien head shot
Jim O’Brien played with the NY Nets in 1973-74.

In sports news closer to home, local basketball fans were starting to notice a kid named Jim O’Brien, who kept showing up in the Stuart High School boxscores with 20 or 30 points to his credit. The rail-thin, 6-foot-7 redhead averaged 17.8 points per game as a sophomore on a team that finished just 11-10.

But by January of 1968, O’Brien had shifted his game into a different gear. He’d had a 42-point, 29-rebound game against rival Falls Church to open the 1967-68 season – a stunning statistical achievement in a 32-minute high school game.

Continue reading In January of ’68, nobody was hotter than Jim O’Brien

Brey now winningest coach in Notre Dame history

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For years, a string of Notre Dame football coaches has tried to duplicate the sustained success of the program’s  glory days.

 

Mike Brey at the ACC Tournament in Feb 2017 (Source: Grant Halverson/Getty Images North America
Mike Brey at the ACC Tournament in Feb 2017. (Source: Grant Halverson/Getty Images North America

Notre Dame’s basketball program, meanwhile, doesn’t have that problem.

Mike Brey has seen to that.

The Bethesda native and former DeMatha point guard, now in his 18th season as head coach of the Irish, became the all-time winningest coach in Notre Dame basketball history on Wednesday night, thanks to an 88-58 victory over North Carolina State. That triumph gave him 394 victories at Notre Dame, pushing him past the 393 wins accumulated by Richard “Digger” Phelps, who coached at the school from 1971-91.

In a nice gesture, Phelps was even on hand in South Bend the other night to hand Brey the game ball after the final buzzer.

Continue reading Brey now winningest coach in Notre Dame history

Grant Hill: Reston’s Hometown Hero

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Grant Hill in 1990, during his senior season as a South Lakes Seahawk in Reston.  (Fairfax County Times file photo)

South Lakes High School in Reston recently retired Grant Hill’s No. 32 jersey. Nobody who plays basketball for the Seahawks will wear that number again.
And with good reason; Hill was one of the best basketball players Northern Virginia ever produced.

He played 18 seasons in the NBA and was a seven-time all-star. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists during his career. But he really made his mark in his first six seasons, before injuries limited his game. In his first six seasons, the multi-talented Hill averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists.

By the time he decided to quit, Hill had done well enough in business and with his investments to become part of a group that bought the Atlanta Hawks for an estimated $800 million in 2015.

Continue reading Grant Hill: Reston’s Hometown Hero

Turnovers a big problem for Terrapins

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Much of the talk after University of Maryland’s 80-65 victory Saturday over New Mexico centered on the Terrapins’ ability to bounce back from a tough loss.

“I’m really proud of how my team responded,” Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said. “It was a short turn around but we came out with a lot of energy.”

The victory came less than 19 hours after the Terps walked off the court 63-61 losers to a short-handed Saint Bonaventure squad in the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla. on Friday night. In that game, Maryland showed little energy, struggled on offense and got beat by a team that was missing its top returning scorer from last season, guard Jaylen Adams. Adams, a Baltimore native, is nursing a sprained ankle.

The Terps showed far more life against New Mexico the next day, roaring out to a 27-3 lead and never looking back as they improved to 5-1 this season with Syracuse up next on Monday night.

But there was one problem that lingered from the St. Bonaventure loss and it’s a problem that has plagued the Terrapins all season – turnovers.

Maryland turned it over 20 times against St. Bonaventure and 22 times against New Mexico. They also had 20 against Butler in a home game earlier this season. For the year, Maryland’s got 120 turnovers in seven games (17 per game).

That number might seem a little high to Terrapins fans – and they’d be right. Last year’s 24-9 team averaged just 12.9 per game.

 

Cowans dribble
Cowan now has 25 assists after seven games and 20 turnovers for the Terrapins.

Continue reading Turnovers a big problem for Terrapins

Memories of ex-DeMatha star Sid Catlett

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Sid Catlett, courtesy of DeMatha High School, in about 1965
Sid Catlett, courtesy of DeMatha High School, in about 1965

I didn’t really know Sid Catlett.

But a couple of years ago, I got to spend more than an hour on the phone with him. I’d called him for an interview for something I was working on about D.C. area high school basketball. I’d asked for about 15-20 minutes of his time.

What I got was more than 60 minutes of history, philosophy, reflection, gratitude and thought-provoking observations on learning, life and growing up with the game in Washington, D.C.

Continue reading Memories of ex-DeMatha star Sid Catlett

Williams and Ferry inducted into Washington Metro Hall of Fame

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Walt Williams
Walt Williams in 1991

Prince George’s County was well-represented at the Wooden Leadership in Coaching awards dinner Thursday night at the Watergate Hotel in downtown Washington.

Walt Williams (Temple Hills, MD) and Danny Ferry (Bowie, MD) were inducted into the Washington Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame.

Both were high school standouts, with Williams playing on Crossland HS team that reached the Class AA state basketball finals three years in a row (1986-88). Ferry, of course, played at storied DeMatha Catholic HS, where the team he played on in his junior year (1983-84) wound up 29-2 and ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today.

Continue reading Williams and Ferry inducted into Washington Metro Hall of Fame

Fultz latest in long line of local products to go high in NBA Draft

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DeMatha's Markelle Fultz (pictured) is the fifth D.C.-area player to be taken No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.
DeMatha’s Markelle Fultz is the fifth D.C.-area player to be taken No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.

With his selection as the first overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 NBA Draft, DeMatha’s Markelle Fultz became the fifth D.C.-area player ever to be taken No. 1 overall.

Several accounts (wrongly) trumpeted the fact that Fultz would be the first local native chosen No. 1 overall since Mackin/Notre Dame star Austin Carr in 1971. But that overlooks Osbourn Park’s David Robinson in 1987.

Continue reading Fultz latest in long line of local products to go high in NBA Draft