BOYS BASKETBALL: Renaissance Academy opens at No. 1
Tiny La Canada school happens to be area powerhouse
From left, Josh Thomas, Justin Cook and Yader Combs help make Renaissance Academy a basketball power and the area's top-ranked boys team. (Sarah Reingewirtz/Staff Photographer)
STAR-NEWS TOP TEN
1. Renaissance Academy
2. Pasadena
3. Maranatha
4. La Canada
5. Alhambra
6. Pasadena Poly
7. La Salle
8. Monrovia
9. Muir
10. Keppel
By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer
It may be a small school nestled on a hilly street in La Canada with a gymnasium that resembles more of a recreation hall than a high school gym.
To many, this school might be too small to be recognized as a major player when it comes to the area boys basketball scene.
Yet, somehow, Renaissance Academy has emerged as the little school that could and somehow has become a smorgasbord of talent in one location.
The Wildcats reached the CIF-Southern Section Division III-A finals last season, where they fell to Corona Del Mar. Playing without one of their top players, Josh Thomas, they lost to eventual CIF-State Division V runner-up Viewpark Prep in the Southern California regionals.
With everybody returning from a team that went 28-3 including All-CIF Division III-A picks Justin Cook and Thomas, Renaissance Academy is the Star-News' preseason No. 1 team.
"We went 28-1 this summer, and this team is a lot mentally tougher than last year," Renaissance Academy coach Sid Cooke said. "They're all bigger and stronger and they've been working really hard."
Cook, a first-team Star-News All-Area selection, averaged 24 points a game last season to lead the Wildcats. Thomas, a third-team All-Area pick, provided a steady presence on the floor before suffering an ankle injury during the second round of the CIF-State playoffs.
Joining Cook and Thomas from last year's squad are senior guard Yader Combs, junior center Anthony Stover, who is listed at 6-foot-10, and Hector Harold, a 6-7 junior.
The wild card is newcomer DeAndre Daniels, a talented 6-8 sophomore transfer from Louisiana.
"We have a lot more versatility and we're much stronger in the post," Cooke said. "Corona del Mar went 6-10, 6-8, 6-5, so now we can match up better when we play bigger teams this year."
Among some of the tougher opponents for the Wildcats this season are Baseline League champion and Division I-A quarterfinalist Etiwanda and Channel League champion and Division I-A quarterfinalist Santa Barbara.
Renaissance Academy also will play local road games against Keppel (Dec. 17) and Maranatha (Jan 23) and participate in the San Gabriel Tournament.
"We feel that we can do really well this year, so we'll see," Cooke said.
2. PASADENA
Renaissance Academy's reign atop the Star-News poll could be short-lived, with the only area team to win a CIF title last season breathing down its neck.
The Bulldogs kept their goals high and fulfilled them en route to a CIF-SS Division II-AA championship.
Pasadena finished the season with a 32-3 record and lost to Fairfax in the CIF-State Southern California finals.
After losing their entire starting five to graduation, including Star-News Player of the Year Trevon Harmon, Pasadena begins the season with basically a new cast of characters.
But don't let Pasadena's inexperience fool you.
After undergoing offseason hip surgery, Joseph Henson, a 6-9, 250-pound junior center, is ready to make an impact as the Bulldogs set their sights on another Southern Section title.
"Joseph's one of those big men being recruited by some Pac-10 schools right now," Pasadena coach Tim Tucker said. "A lot of things for us are going to happen with the way he goes."
Henson won't have to go it alone.
Junior point guard Darius Johnson joins Henson to comprise one of the state's best 2009 classes.
Joining them will be senior wing man Marcus Harvey, who provides experience; senior Keion Bell, a transfer from Los Angeles Serra; junior forward Travis Flye; and sophomore center Steven Adams.
"We have one of the best '09 classes in the state, but it's going to take us a better part of a year for them to mature," Tucker said.
Tucker expects big things out of Bell, who sat out last season after winning a CIF title with Serra as a sophomore. He is being heavily recruited by Cal.
"Keion is a very explosive player, a high flyer and just a show-stopper with his athleticism," Tucker said. "He just gives us a full package and is probably one of the most solid athletes I've had in a long time around here."
His team needs to jell on the court, but the bar still is quite high.
"I think the expectations are probably another championship or somewhere close," Tucker said. "The problem with us is that we're inexperienced. But I think by the time we roll to league and start getting around playoff time, we'll be rolling again."
3. MARANATHA
The Minutemen (19-9) return eight players from a team that reached the CIF-Southern Section Division V-AA finals a year ago.
Junior Daniel Dingle, who fought through injuries last season, grew from 5-11 to 6-3 and could be a leader for Minutemen coach Doug Ravasdy after averaging 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds last season.
Senior Anthony Morton (8.2 points per game) and junior Ronald Cole (10.2 points) also return. Juniors Derrick Simms (5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds) and Mark Elffers (8.1 points) also will provide experience.
"We'll start four juniors this season with Anthony, and they're all solid players," Ravasdy said. "We're a good six, seven deep with kids that can play different positions."
His team is not only a year older in terms of experience, it also learned what type of pressure a high ranking can bring.
"We were ranked No. 1 to go into CIF last year," Ravasdy said. "We have a team that is certainly capable of winning a CIF championship, but we also have the defending champion Pacific Hills in our (Delphic) League and in our way."
4. LA CANADA
The Spartans finished a Cinderella-type 2006-07 season with a 30-4 record.
La Canada took Campbell Hall to the limit in a 61-57 overtime loss in the CIF-Southern Section Division III-AA title game and eventually reached the CIF-State Division III Southern California regional finals, where it lost to state champion Artesia.
The landscape is much different for Tom Hoffman's squad this season.
Gone is Adam Malik, who emerged as one of the top players in Southern California.
The Spartans will play more by committee this season with defense a priority.
Will Baldwin, the Spartans' seventh man last year, returns for his senior season and will be relied on in the post.
Point guard Will Omokawa broke his right wrist in fall practice and will be out two to three weeks.
Riley Heaton, expected to bring a toughness to the guard position, will start at the point until Omokawa returns.
Ryan Lew and Steven Johnson were on last year's team and expect to see significant minutes this season, along with senior Zack Ward, who played on the junior varsity.
Jeff Grigg, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, scored 50 points in a freshman game against Monrovia a year ago and could be a surprise on this year's squad.
"We're really solid at the guard position," Hoffman said.
Junior Andrew Schiller, 6-4; Josh Newton, a 6-7 junior; Mike Gillespie, a 6-4 power forward; and Clark Anderson all are expected to provide strong contributions.
"We've got a really young team, experience-wise, and to be a good team, we'll need to be strong defensively," Hoffman said. "If we establish a defensive presence, I think that we have enough good athletes to be a strong team in the area."
5. ALHAMBRA
The Moors (15-12) finished tied for third in the Almont League and lost to La Canada in the first round of the CIF-SS Division III-AA playoffs.
Alhambra has five returning players, three of whom - junior guard Aeric Allen, junior forward Kevin Kwan and senior Justin Juarez - saw significant time last season. Senior forward Matt Bell and senior guard Tommy Huynh are expected to see more time in 2007-08. Senior post player Josh Giambalvo and junior Nelson Chan make the jump from the JV team to varsity.
"I think we have really good quickness and will defend pretty well," said Alhambra coach Joe Petralia, entering his 13th season as Moors coach. "If we shoot the ball OK, we can have a decent year."
6. PASADENA POLY
The Panthers (15-10) won the Prep League with an 8-0 record a year ago before losing in the second round of the CIF-SS Division IV-A playoffs.
In the third season of his second stint at the school, Brad Hall has a couple of solid returning players to build around in senior A.J. Talt, a 6-6 All-CIF forward the past two seasons, and 6-3 guard John Harewood, co-MVP of the Prep League.
"They're good and we're looking to fill spots around them," Hall said. "Our league should be competitive, but we should be right there."
Senior Billy Wardlaw, a 5-10 guard, will be looked upon to run the Panthers offense.
Sophomore Justin Worland, a 6-4 post player, is showing rapid improvement.
7. LA SALLE
The Lancers lost eight seniors from a team that went 23-6 and reached the CIF-SS Division IV-A semifinals.
Matt Nuguid, an All-Camino Real League selection as shooting guard, is the top returning player.
The Lancers' success will ride on his shoulders.
"We're going to run our offense through him," La Salle coach Steve Goldstein said. "He's our team leader on offense and defense."
Matt Nolan, a 6-4 sophomore center, makes the jump from the freshman team.
Junior guard Drew Assenesi, a transfer from Pasadena High School, and his brother Kelly Assenesi are expected to make major contributions this season.
Jake Godshall, a 5-10 shooting guard, also could make an instant impact.
"We're small, but quicker than we've ever been," Goldstein said. "We're going to pressure full-court more than we ever have as well as push the ball up the floor."
8. MONROVIA
The Wildcats (13-14) finished tied for third in the Rio Hondo League last season and reached the second round of the CIF-SS Division III-AA playoffs.
Gone to graduation is leading scorer Markus Monroe, who averaged 19 points.
"We lost seven seniors last year, but I'm optimistic that we'll be really competitive," Monrovia coach Jarod Mix said. "We may struggle at the beginning of the season, but my goal is to improve on our 13 wins last year."
Phillip Brown, the team's second-leading scorer (8.2 points), is ready to take over the leadership role.
MacKenzie Hall-Solomon (4.0 points), Phillup Konklin (2.2 points) and Jerod Carr (1.5 points) also look for expanded roles.
Junior center Jonathan Snickles and freshman point guard Derrin Jenkins also are expected to get quality minutes.
Mix is looking forward to getting shooting guard Fernando Gonzalez, center Gerard Longtin, power forwards Josh Walls and Kendell Boggs and Dwight Smith into basketball shape now that the Wildcats' football season is over.
Mix said he is excited about his team's chances in the rugged Rio Hondo League.
"I think we'll have a chance to contend for league," he said.
9. MUIR
The Mustangs (14-13) finished tied for second in the Pacific League a year ago.
They not only have a new coach in Idris Jones but a senior-laden, yet inexperienced squad.
Senior post/wing David Evans is expected to provide an inside presence for the Mustangs after having a successful season on the junior varsity last year.
He is joined by Keith Knetge, Jonathan Hill and junior guard Paul King.
"We'll have good senior leadership. It's just a matter of how they handle being in their first year of varsity," Jones said.
Jones, hired earlier this month, is diligently working on building team chemistry as his team opens the season tonight at Pasadena High's Rose City Round Ball Classic against Price.
With mostly new players at the varsity level, Jones still is eager to get started.
"What I do like is that it seems we're on the same page and they believe in what I'm teaching them," Jones said. "Our intensity and effort is there so I'm very, very optimistic about our chances."
10. KEPPEL
Hung Duong returns for his eighth year as coach.
The Aztecs (17-10), who finished second in the Almont League last season, return one player, Moses Lim, from that team.
Keppel will rely on five players who learned the system on the junior-varsity level last season.
Leading the charge is senior Alvin Han, who is one of the team's top shooters, and sophomore Timmy Wong, who makes the jump from the freshman team to assume point-guard responsibilities.
"We have a lot of inexperience, so we're trying to get chemistry," Duong said. "We have the pieces to compete, but it's going to take some time in the preseason."
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
i know hoop strategy is everchanging, but sacrificing a Knight to L Ron Hubbard?
With Bobby Fisher.
Where's the chess blog. ;)
I really think that monrovia being ranked 8th in the area is being real nice. Monroe was all of monrovia's B-ball team. He did it all for that team. I dont know if the guys from the football team can bring their raw talent, skill, and athletic ability to the basketball court but only time will tell. I know makenzie is truely a B-ball player but I know nothing of the other football players that are going to be joing the team like Dwight smith, and Gonzales.
Congrats to the John Muir Chess Team!!
We need to hear more GOOD NEWS about the students in the PUSD. I no longer live in the area, but I still support my DOGS! More parents and community leaders need to support the schools.
Mustang Alum,
That's unfortunate. When the upper-middle and upper-classes deserted the district after busing in the early 70's it struck a blow to the district. However, that doesn't compare to the effects that the abandonment of the middle-class (especially at the high school level) has had on the district in this era.
BTW, Muir has always had good news about it's students, however, those type of things don't sell newspapers.
To Stang Fan,
Congrats to the Chess team! Muir needs some good news about it's students.
That being said, I will take the private school education that costs me an arm and a leg to PUSD. Especially after my wonderful conversation with Percy Clark 7 years ago. I was too through with this district way back then.
Just wanted to give a shot out to the John Muir Chess Club who took first place in the Maranatha Chess Tournament.
Right now, this victory means more to me than any Turkey Tussle victory or any CIF playoff game. For our young scholars I'd just like to say thank you for showing EVERYONE what the youngsters of NW Pasadena are capable of....the John Muir community is SOOOOOOOOO proud of you guys.
RA Parent,
Your comment on how your son wouldn't have "passed" the SAT had he attended a public school is comical. FIrst of all, students don't necessarily "pass" the SAT. Ask your son to break the process down for you. Secondly, the argument between public vs. private will never die and everyone will have their opinion. We all know that private schools have capabilities that the public schools just don't, but the bottom line is if parents keep up with their child's education from grades K-12 their children will do fairly well. I can talk about this subject for DAYS, but alas I know all too well that most blogggers don't want me to opine on and on about the benefits of public school...........so I'll just end it with.......LET'S GO STANGS!!!
Bball,
To answer your question, yes and no. Good coaches do not make good athletes but rather good teams. We have seen plenty of schools with great talent not meet up to their expectations. To use examples from football: Lavelle Peterson and company 06-07, Alhambra with Zion Babb and their RB last year, and even Blair who has been attributed with having great athletes, but a poor team prior to this year.
So no good athletes don't make good coaches.
It is the great teams that one traditionally sees doing well. With good coaching I believe LC could have gone very far, but it seemed from watching games, they didn't know what to do with their talent.
I am not oblivious to the fact that recruitment goes on and I would also say that bringing in a good basketball player by recruitment is far more effective than a recruited football player.
But what I was saying previously was that schools don't have to recruit to be good, because if they create a good team, good players will want to go there recruited or not.
I think its rather unethical to recruit in high school and teams should look to improve what they have and build a strong foundation instead.
Let me know what you guys think.
To Anon 8:05pm, LaCanada does have a fine choir and a great reputation that parents from all over want their kids to attend but can't because they do not live in the community. It's true, a school does not need to recruit if their program is solid,has a good rep and excellent teachers/coaches.
But I'd like bloggers to answer this question. Do great coaches make great athletes or do great athletes make great coaches?
It's unfortunate that many good coaches never get the best athletes but consistently field excellent winning teams but have to compete against less qualified coaches who get the best talent. The recruitment battle emerged when the private schools could draw from all over while the public schhols had defined boundaries. So anon 8:05 don't be naive that recruitment does not exist or is not the fruit of successful programs.
Oh by the way a friend of mine managed to get her daughter into LCHS to sing in the choir and I don't believe she lived within 5 miles.
Some Choir groups are even more intense than the athletic teams at some schools. And then there's cheerleading....
And there is "recruiting" in those arenas just like athletics.
Bball,
LACSA always losses to La Canada in choir and LC doesn't need to recruit to be one of the best choirs in the nation. I know this isn't a choir/music blog so I apologize for getting off topic, but no school really needs to recruit to be good in athletics, music, or anything else.
RA Parent wake up.
"Study technology, or study tech, is a methodology for learning developed by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. Hubbard's "Study Tech" is used by Church of Scientology members as part of their training, and is also promoted outside the church by a church-affiliated corporation known as Applied Scholastics, which presents study tech as a universally applicable method to enhance the comprehension of any student, studying any topic.
Though both Applied Scholastics and the Church of Scientology say that Hubbard's study tech is tremendously effective, practically no supporting data has appeared in educational journals or other third-party publications. The study tech materials have gained little acceptance among public school administrators or scholars of educational theory.
Hubbard wrote that study tech is part of the "Tech of Scientology" and stated in a policy letter the "Study Tech is our primary bridge to Society."
Why Scientology wants its hands on your kid?
The following was printed in a Scientology magazine and should be enlightening for any parent:
Why is education so important? The Jesuits (an order within the Roman Catholic Church well known for their activism) exported the policy of starting Church schools in areas where they wished to introduce their religion. The reasons are obvious. By educating a child into one's own beliefs, one gradually takes over a whole new generation of a country and can thus influence, in the long term, the development and growth of that country.
-Impact (an International Association of Scientologists' publication), "In Search of Truth", Issue 7, pg. 49, 1986
New York - you are very smart - that is exactly what they are looking for.
RA Parent,
Come On!! No affiliation with Scientology? The executive director of the school claims to be a scientologist,
http://www.oursites.org/annhazen/myself.htm as does the rest of the staff. The website mentions that money is received from the Church of Scientology yet there is supposedly no affiliation between the school and the
"Church". Oh please!
But hey, If you want to claims the two organizations aren't mutual, that's okay. Just don't be suprised when your child is told that aliens are the reason for the Earth's population...and I'm being serious!
By the way, I have no problems with religions/beliefs that are different than mine, I just wish RA would come clean about the "Machine" that really runs the school.
Tton sounds like sour grapes. Remember most programs recruit, oops I mean publicize. The questions is illegal or undue influence. Just attend a club sports game and you'll see.
And again I mention college tuition, local magnets and so on. There is not a top program anywhere without a pipeline of talent in "any" sport. I say let the kids play and enjoy the ride. Stop the NBA and MLS from recruiting our kids in Junior High and maybe the field will be level again.
Artesia and Westchester are no longer the top dogs. Several of the top players from Artesia transferred out this year because word was that their bball progam was going to go on probation. Was it Westchester or Dominguez that got placed on probation for recruiting. RA should follow. Just like Ribet!!!
High schools recruiting!I can't believe it. Of course recruiting goes on. You can't have a top flight program of any kind without talent coming to your school. Is it recruited or do parents inquire about the level of the program and apply on their own. Does word of mouth from athletes carry any weight?
Before anyone thinks this only relates to sports, think again. It happens in the arts, music, academics and yes, sports. How does a school consistently have an all star choir or band? Recruit, oops I mean put articles in every local paper, visit churches and the best way, work at an academy or teach privately. Anyone heard of the LA County School for the Performing Arts. If tkids from LACSA enter a competition guess who usually wins. Kids follow those with whom they feel comfortable.
Basketball, swimming, soccer, track, volleyball and baseball use the club system. Club players are use to playing at a high level with other talented players and quality coaches and often pool their talent to win and get noticed. We all want the best for our kids and with college tuition costs soaring, any edge to garner a scholarship is reason enough to go with the best around. I heard a parent say the other day if you want your kid to get in a good science school go to the LA Science Magnet. We only get mad when sports is involved.
Oh by the way. How do Mater Dei, Artesia and Westchester always end up with the best basketball talent in the state? Huummm!
Here is a link to the teaching methods that are applied at Renaissance: http://appliedscholastics.org
As you can see, there is no mention of Scientology on this site. For those of you that dont know, L Ron Hubbard was a teacher prior to all his other work. He analyzed study methods and came up with this system that has been adopted by a number of schools across the country.
ra parent,
I was just wondering how the teaching of L Ron Hubbard are used by the school. We all know he invented scientology but does the school still practice some of his religious beliefs or is it just his teaching methods?
Parents have the right to send their kids to any school they are comfortable with - either the public school in their area or a private school they can afford. Everyone has different reasons for their choices - academic, athletic, social, location etc. If the parent and the student are happy and secure with their decision then why question it or condemn their choice? Give some credit to the school administration as well, are they going to recruit illegally and ruin their chances of success? We live in America for goodness sakes - freedom of choice is our right and isn't the bottom line to educate our kids in a safe, nurturing environment of OUR CHOICE and see them succeed?
As a parent of an RA player I can tell you that your accusations and assumptions are incorrect. One, coach Cooke never contacted me prior to my son attending the school, I wanted him to get a better education and RA was one of the schools we looked at. Two, I pay for my sons tuition with my own hard earned money, the school does not provide scholarships. Three, the school does not teach scientology, they use teaching methods that L Ron Hubbard invented, but by no means is the school preaching any religious beliefs. Finally, my son passed the SAT exam and I doubt he would have done that attending any of the area public schools, we are looking forward to him attending a 4 year university when he graduates. So please stop putting down this program and most importantly the kids at this school. They all work hard both on and off the court. Ron W said it best, if this group wasnt as talented and not ranked #1 no one would care.
HMMMH, does RA remind anyone else of a small school that use to be located in La Canada that recruited players illegally and than said coach went to a JC and got in trouble for the same thing?
Deacon - wait.
I just read the whole story.
At 6-10, 6-8, 6-7, I'm throwing in with everyone else.
We gotta break this RA team up before Jan. 23!
Deacon,
You make a very good point.
I think there are schools that bring in inner city kids with good minds regardless of their athletics. Poly does it I think, I know Flintridge Prep does - Maranatha does as well. They all help with tuition, it just doesn't get blown up in the press (blogs).
I still think though that the athletic kids will get a better quality education at RA than at an "inner city" school. If I lived in a bad area and my son could get into a private school in La Canada, I don't think it would matter if the door opened because he was extra smart or if he played ball well.
On the other hand, if the school is known for using the kids for PR but not supporting their educational needs - then everyone should have a giant problem with RA. I don't know enough about the school to make a judgement call on that one.
I do think though that there are a lot of good schools in LC and having kids that attended 2 of them (not RA) I know the kids came first.
That said, you have to wonder if RA was rated #10 on Scott's list would anyone care? We all know schools like Oaks Christian, SO Notre Dame, Mater Dei, etc. get kids to come from out of the area - I think it is up to the kid/parents to use their advantage as a spring board towards college and a better life.
I wish the kids well. I also hope they and the Pasadena team quickly fade to #4 and #5 moving Maranatha up two spots.
Go Minutemen!
Burbank,
I'm not saying San Marino would have won but there #1 player Chevy McGinley was sick and tried to play but sat on the bench most the time, last night SM beat Belmont 55-44 with McGinley half way healthy,if they don't have his double digits they don't have a chance,take nothing away from Burbank they are quick and don't make many mistakes, they should take there tournament easy.
Pride- I agree.
Burbank 74
San Marino 35
RA is not connected to Scientology. RA took over Delphi's buildings when Delphi moved to Lake View Terrace. Delphi is the L. Ron Hubbard school.
I went to RA's website. 150 kids K-12. The only team they field to compete is boys basketball - no girls teams, soccer, baseball, etc. Comments below may have some validity.
Pasadena 65, Marshall 32
Pasadena put on an outstanding team effort in dominating the Los Feliz Marshall team tonight as 12 of the entire team's 16 players contributed to the scoring, with Marcus Harvey leading the pack with 10.
This game had its "TV" moments, as Marcus Ford, Travis Flye, and Keion (#3) each lit up the crowd with dunks. Overall, the Bulldogs finished 29 of 64 from the field. Their stifling defense forced at least 37 turnovers, whith 23 of those 37 coming off steals. The Marshall Eagles were unable to put anything together offensively until late in the 4th, when the outcome was long decided already. Cameron Sentence led the way for Marshall with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and for the Eagles.
If the school's motivation for building a top notch basketball program at a bottom tier private school is to get recognition for their school and its agenda then the fact that we are discussing them here means they have succeeded.
just sayin the pacific league is tougher. rio hondo's no cake walk but id like to see how some of those teams do in the pacific league. goodluck to monrovia this season though. prove me wrong
Scientology??? Really??? Like John Travolta and Tom Cruise??? L Ron Hubbard's Dianetics? I hope their parents keep a close eye on them. This school may be looking for some future NBA spokesmen.
Ron W.,
Wow, you missed the point! You said, "As far as the school pulling in some great basketball players, good for them."
What about a high school pulling in great minds? I'm sure they would have no trouble finding them in the "inner city" and paying for their tuitional.
But we all know that isn't happening don't we?
pride,
Maybe you are right though. They probably don't deserve a top spot at this very minute.
pride,
The team will rely heavily on the football players who are just coming in after fall sports and the coach has already said that it'll be a bumpy start getting the team acclimated with each other; just like what Mr. Galleti had on the article.
Deacon -
Wow! Did you just say that just because a kid is from the "inner city" he cannot spell or comprehend scientology?
I think that going way down the wrong track.
As far as the school pulling in some great basketball players, good for them. Scientology is not my thing, but if the young men get to play ball in place they are supported and appreciated -plus they get a private education - why is that unsettling to you?
Schools want good players, players want good programs. If it helps them get into a good university then everyone wins.
Unless that university is UCLA of course...
hahah
monrovia 8th?
thats funny
arcadia beat monrovia by 20+ in a scrimmage.
i understand though..especially with that weak league monrovia's in (La Canada exempt)
No one asked but I think that when a school like that attracts top tier talent and builds a powerhouse something isn't right. I wonder how closely the individual who is building this unlikely dynasty is watched by the administration there??? I know I'm being cynical and hope I'm wrong.
Maranatha parent,
I never insinuated that all private schools recruit, where did you get that from?
I would prefer private schools to be more like Rio Hondo Prep and less like
Renaissance Academy and Price High School.
Question: (with all due respect Scott).
Given the extremely low percentage of African-American practicing Scientologists, is it right to ask a family (Of any religious belief) to allow their child to attend Renaissance Academy knowing that the school only wants the kids physical talent and not their mental acumen?
I'm just asking...
Maranatha parent, and why must you assume that private schools are always going to be better than public ones?
Deacon,
Why do you assume that private schools always recruit? What about the fact that parents want their children to have a better education than those who attend a public school?
Curious,
I agree that these are two seperate issues, but how does a coach convince an inner city basketball playing phenom to attend their school when the school practices a belief or religion that the kid can't spell more-less comprehend?
Now that must be a difficult sale to make....
Deacon, What is your definition of recruiting? Is it when a coach goes out and tries to convince a kid to come to a school by offering things like tuition, playing time, etc.? Or is it just the fact that private schools can have kids attend that do not have to live within a certain boundary? To me, these are two different things, but some people beg to differ.
Ok everyone, let's start the whole, "recruiting- public vs. private, our school would never do that", debate.....And don't forget the "Scientology vs Catholic" argument either.
Scott, thanks for the food for fodder!