College players get taste of international basketball

Three college basketball players with local ties are part of the East Coast All-Stars, an 11-man team that is playing this week in a tournament in Estonia.

The group includes Bladensburg High School graduate Jerald Williams (Lycoming College), Bowie resident Quinn Cook (Duke University) and Baltimore resident Nick Faust (University of Maryland). The rest of the team includes players from Xavier, West Virginia, Iowa and Stanford under the direction of Lycoming College coach Guy Rancourt, who is guiding the team for the seventh time. The squad is playing in the Four Nations Cup against national teams from Estonia, Georgia and the Czech Republic.

Williams, a 5-foot-8 rising senior guard finished in the top 10 in the nation among NCAA Division III players in steals, assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. Cook averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 assists per game as a reserve in his freshman year at Duke last season. Faust, a 6-6 guard who helped Baltimore's City College High win two state championships, averaged 8.9 points and 4 rebounds per game last season as a freshman with the Terps.

Maryland brings home Big 26 title

Paced by numerous players from Prince George’s and Frederick counties, the 18-member Maryland squad captured the Big 26 Baseball Classic, winning two of three games against host Pennsylvania in games played in York, Pa., and at Metro Stadium in Harrisburg, Pa., the home of the Class AA Eastern League’s Harrisburg Senators.

Maryland dropped the opener of the best-of-three series, 7-5 on July 21, but rebounded that day for a 15-4 victory in Game 2. It then concluded the series with a 4-3 win July 22 behind a strong combined effort on the mound from Bishop McNamara’s Connor Hax and DeMatha Catholic’s Ryan Gough.

Also representing Prince George’s County were Brian Baker, Devin Beverly, Carl Colbert, Kevin Fitzmaurice from DeMatha as well as Corey Fields and Curtis Pope of McNamara and Riverdale Baptist pitcher Ryan Selmer. Walkersville High had five players make the Big 26 team: Troy Cavell, Brandon Humbertson, Josh Kutchey, Brady Policelli and Nick Tucker.

“Brady Policelli was unbelievably rock steady at shortstop all weekend,” said DeMatha coach Sean O’Connor, who guided the Big 26 team and was joined by DeMatha assistant Mike Chroniger and Eleanor Roosevelt coach Andrew Capece. “Our pitching kind of led us. Ryan Selmer and Ryan Gough both pitched really well.

“It was very neat to go and play against another state. You play for state pride.”

Crab Claw Classic set for this weekend

The 10th annual Mid-Atlantic High School Baseball Classic, also known as the Crab Claw Classic, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Joe Cannon Stadium in Hanover.

Registered players will perform in a combine Friday in front of numerous college scouts. In past years the event has drawn coaches from Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia, Towson and West Virginia. Based on their performances, players will be selected to participate in the Crab Claw Classic contest Saturday.

The combine is open to all high school players who graduate in between 2013 and 2016, and it will run from 9 a.m. through 7 p.m. The North vs. South Crab Claw Classic is set for 4 p.m. Saturday. It will be televised on Harford Cable Network.

For information, visit diamondrecruiting.com or contact Lou Holcomb at 410-593-9922.

Local athletes storm Morgan State again

There must be something about Hughes Stadium and Prince George’s track.

Two months after county athletes won 38 individual state titles and four team crowns at in the Maryland Outdoor State Championships at Morgan State University, they returned there again — on the national stage this time — and won more hardware.

Charles H. Flowers middle-distance runner Onyx Johnson, who has been battling unusual heart problems for the majority of the past two seasons, led the Glenarden Track Club with the help of teammate Jalen Robinson-McCoy to a victory in the 3,200 meter relay. Track Express, led by Laurel’s Joel Roberson, followed in fourth. Johnson also took second place in the 800 with a personal record time of 1 minute, 53.11 seconds.

University of Illinois recruit Mobolaji Adeokun, a DuVal grad who was The Gazette’s track athlete of the year, led the Glenarden girls to a victory in the 400 relay. On the boys side in the event, Track Express took third with contributions from Henry A. Wise’s Champ Page (Ohio State) and Antoine Whitaker as well as Suitland’s Taivon Jacobs (Ohio State for football) and David Winters.

Other notable finishes: Clemson recruit Kyle Smith won the 110 hurdles; Page captured second in the 400; Elizabeth Seton’s Javonne Antoine took third in the triple jump; Track Express won the 1,600 relay with Page, Winters, Beysean Hamilton (Wise) and Christopher Tate (Riverdale Baptist).

Rising stars: Nicholas Eggleston of St. Mary of the Mills in Laurel boosted Team Accelerate Maryland with a gold medal in the 400, a silver in the 200, and contributed a leg in the third-place 1,600 relay. Team Accelerate’s girls also added a seventh-place finish in the 400 relay.

Douglass wide receiver competes in ESPN event

Frederick Douglass wide receiver Paul Harris participated last weekend in the Champion Gridiron Kings, an ESPN-hosted 7-on-7 tournament in Florida. His Midwest team reached the final of the four-team event.