Scott Burrell threw the full court pass to Tate George for “The Shot” in 1990. He was very good basketball player for UConn and pitched for the Blue Jay organization as well. I’m not sure if he ever played baseball while in college. There have been a bunch of guys who played CBB and football, mostly tight ends or big wide receivers that I can think of. Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and other guys. Going way, way back Mike Ditka played POWER forward for Pitt. Can you imagine taking a charge if he was coming to the basket? I thought of this topic when we played Niagara. Their coach Greg Paulus was an All American high school QB. He spent his graduate transfer year at Syracuse as their starting QB.
Julius Peppers played football and basketball overlapping - he was a walk-on for the basketball team and appeared in the 1999-2000 final four. I think he appeared in more NCAA basketball tournaments than bowl games.
Scott Burrell threw the full court pass to Tate George for “The Shot” in 1990. He was very good basketball player for UConn and pitched for the Blue Jay organization as well. I’m not sure if he ever played baseball while in college. There have been a bunch of guys who played CBB and football, mostly tight ends or big wide receivers that I can think of. Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and other guys. Going way, way back Mike Ditka played POWER forward for Pitt. Can you imagine taking a charge if he was coming to the basket? I thought of this topic when we played Niagara. Their coach Greg Paulus was an All American high school QB. He spent his graduate transfer year at Syracuse as their starting QB.
Julius Peppers played football and basketball overlapping - he was a walk-on for the basketball team and appeared in the 1999-2000 final four. I think he appeared in more NCAA basketball tournaments than bowl games.
I didn't know the scholarship situation between football and basketball but I do know one thing, although football became his calling card as a professional, he was no slouch at hoops. Certainly worthy of a ride in that sport alone. I specifically remember seeing him play live in a game at Middle Tennessee St. University when I was living down that way, I think in 1999.
Now this is a little funky and technically not quite in line with this discussion, but I'm pretty sure one of the conditions that led to the great Calvin Murphy to sign with Niagara so many years ago was that he would be allowed to twirl a baton (something he was extremely skilled at) at Buffalo Bills football games. Damn, too bad the Stags couldn't have had a connection with the Giants or Jets at the time. Certainly he would have been the best to ever play here if he had stayed home!
I remember 2 Fairfield players that played 2 sports.
Vball player Liz Lemon also played 1 year with Women's Basketball. She was a very good center. I think Liz Lemon was Austrailian
Basketball player Robbie Sisca played Men's basketball in 2008-2009. He was from Westport or Weston. He first went to Vermont, and then transferred to Fairfield. And I am pretty sure Robbie played Men's Golf for 1 year. Sisca and Mike Van Schaik were very good Golfers and both could shoot the eyes out of the basket
Yeah well I'll tell you about another very good golfer who came to Fairfield who could also shoot the eyes out of the basket, and that was Tyler Nelson. He won the NE Mass. district tournament his senior year at Central Catholic plus he only finished 2, maybe 3 strokes off the winning score in the state tourney. Has had at least 3 hole in ones also I think. In fact I believe at one time midway thru high school a golf scholarship rather than basketball was a consideration. Thank god for Stag fans, that didn't happen!
Post by nittanystag on Jan 13, 2020 21:02:06 GMT -5
Penn State's Mike Reid was an All-American defensive tackle who also wrestled for the Nittany Lions. He also was an accomplished pianist in college . Mike went played in the NFL with the Bengals for a few years and later became a Grammy award-winning music writer.
I agree based on conversations I have had with local people in the know ( a former coach in the FCIAC plus a talent scout for the annual springtime all-star game between Connecticut and New Jersey). So I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I am looking forward to watching the Crusaders play this season.
First impression, both are a bit raw but talented, especially athletically. Joseph might be a bit further ahead at this point. They should help the Crusaders become league and possible state contenders. Both kind of remind me at the same point in their careers as the Norwalk duo a few years ago of Steven Enoch and Roy Kane Jr. Enoch is now a star at Louisville while Kane had a decent if not great career at D-11 New Haven. Who knows what will happen with these kids, but there is potential and I think colleges will take notice.
I saw the Crusaders again in a loss to Fairfield Ludlowe earlier this week. The Falcones with a deep senior class are very good and should compete for an FCIAC championship this year. Anyway, the two big guys had bad games and were not impressive. Doesn't mean however that they won't create interest with D-1 schools, because as juniors with size and athleticism as a feature, the potential will always be there to garner a scholarship in a couple of years. Actually however, and the reason I am putting this up here, is that the third big guy on the team, 6-5 senior Rahsen Fisher, was very impressive in almost single-handedly keeping TC in the game by scoring 36 points from all over the floor. Also rebounded, blocked shots and ran the court well. I saw a rating that had him as #22 in Connecticut CIAC. That's not impressive, but OTOH his performance in this game would seem to indicate that maybe that number should be adjusted upward, especially if he can have more games like this one. Another local player to keep an eye on.
Last Edit: Jan 16, 2020 13:59:27 GMT -5 by nashvillestag
Thought this was an interesting tweet for two reasons:
1) This kid is from Hamden and I hope to have the Stags recruit more locally in the future
2) The concept of enrolling a semester early and practicing is common in NCAA Football but I usually don't hear it much in NCAA Basketball. I think it is an awesome idea for a Post Grade guy who is looking to get a head start on classes and practicing with his future teammates.
Last Edit: Jan 16, 2020 16:16:50 GMT -5 by gostags13
Sounds a lot like what NCAA Football calls "Gray Shirting"
Grey shirting is a recruiting term that is not as commonly used as the term redshirting. A grey shirt is an incoming college freshman who postpones his enrollment in classes until the second term of his freshman year. This means they don't take classes until the winter term.
Last Edit: Jan 16, 2020 17:40:53 GMT -5 by JoeStag
I have not seen him play, but it sounds like at best he's a border line D1 prospect per the article and the fact that he's not on Verbal Commits: <<However it turns out, Laput said he intends to make his collegiate decision after the season ends. Navy, Sacred Heart and Hartford have shown interest. There are others in the Ivy League and the Patriot League, and even others that Laput will not disclose.>>
I have not seen him play, but it sounds like at best he's a border line D1 prospect per the article and the fact that he's not on Verbal Commits: <<However it turns out, Laput said he intends to make his collegiate decision after the season ends. Navy, Sacred Heart and Hartford have shown interest. There are others in the Ivy League and the Patriot League, and even others that Laput will not disclose.>>
Saw him play the other night. One game (I had watched him play one time last year too), but I agree, border line D-1, at least from these limited views.
Last Edit: Mar 15, 2020 15:14:52 GMT -5 by nashvillestag
Post by nashvillestag on Jan 30, 2020 15:00:36 GMT -5
Well I've got to admit I was extremely disappointed the other night because when I showed up at Windsor at just after 5:00 o'clock the doors were shut and the biggest game of the year between #1 East Catholic and the #2 Warriors would have to go on without me being able to watch. However there is quite a write up about the contest in Connecticut Gametime Sports and also an 8 minute video. Also a big article by Jeff Jacobs in the Connecticut Post this morning. I'll make it quick for those that haven't heard. Windsor won 48-45 in a thriller with the winning basket being scored by Rider bound Cory McKeithan on a 360 degree spinning move in the lane, something that can be viewed by watching the video. Other than Yale bound Matt Knowling of East who scored 16 points, no one else managed to get as much as 15. And in that regard the guy who the Stags are interested in, Primo Spears (#11 in video), while only scoring 12 points, nevertheless had quite a few assists and also played very good defense in directly guarding Knowling and holding him well below his season average. The video shows him making a number of great athletic plays both on offense and defense. This one's over, but there's a great chance these two teams will meet again twice more, one in the league tournament and the other in the states. Other than maybe Sacred Heart I'd be surprised if any other school will be involved in the final of the Division 1 championship in the middle of March at Mohegan Sun.
Last Edit: Jan 30, 2020 15:13:10 GMT -5 by nashvillestag
Well I've got to admit I was extremely disappointed the other night because when I showed up at Windsor at just after 5:00 o'clock the doors were shut and the biggest game of the year between #1 East Catholic and the #2 Warriors would have to go on without me being able to watch. However there is quite a write up about the contest in Connecticut Gametime Sports and also an 8 minute video. Also a big article by Jeff Jacobs in the Connecticut Post this morning. I'll make it quick for those that haven't heard. Windsor won 48-45 in a thriller with the winning basket being scored by Rider bound Cory McKeithan on a 360 degree spinning move in the lane, something that can be viewed by watching the video. Other than Yale bound Matt Knowling of East who scored 16 points, no one else managed to get as much as 15. And in that regard the guy who the Stags are interested in, Primo Spears (#11 in video), while only scoring 12 points, nevertheless had quite a few assists and also played very good defense in directly guarding Knowling and holding him well below his season average. The video shows him making a number of great athletic plays both on offense and defense. This one's over, but there's a great chance these two teams will meet again twice more, one in the league tournament and the other in the states. Other than maybe Sacred Heart I'd be surprised if any other school will be involved in the final of the Division 1 championship in the middle of March at Mohegan Sun.
Here's a quick (17 seconds) clip of Spears from that game:
Well I've got to admit I was extremely disappointed the other night because when I showed up at Windsor at just after 5:00 o'clock the doors were shut and the biggest game of the year between #1 East Catholic and the #2 Warriors would have to go on without me being able to watch. However there is quite a write up about the contest in Connecticut Gametime Sports and also an 8 minute video. Also a big article by Jeff Jacobs in the Connecticut Post this morning. I'll make it quick for those that haven't heard. Windsor won 48-45 in a thriller with the winning basket being scored by Rider bound Cory McKeithan on a 360 degree spinning move in the lane, something that can be viewed by watching the video. Other than Yale bound Matt Knowling of East who scored 16 points, no one else managed to get as much as 15. And in that regard the guy who the Stags are interested in, Primo Spears (#11 in video), while only scoring 12 points, nevertheless had quite a few assists and also played very good defense in directly guarding Knowling and holding him well below his season average. The video shows him making a number of great athletic plays both on offense and defense. This one's over, but there's a great chance these two teams will meet again twice more, one in the league tournament and the other in the states. Other than maybe Sacred Heart I'd be surprised if any other school will be involved in the final of the Division 1 championship in the middle of March at Mohegan Sun.
Here's the link to the article with the video that Nashville mentioned in his post.
Post by nashvillestag on Feb 4, 2020 14:18:08 GMT -5
With the high school season now past the halfway mark a few things have started to happen which I think is interesting from a local angle. And one thing in particular that is as 'local' as can be is that Fairfield Warde has a couple of sophomores on their team who have the makeup in their games that might suggest they could turn out to be D-1 recruits in a couple of years. Multi-talented guards Jordyn Davis and Justyn Davis (brothers BTW) are athletic, fast, can shoot fairly well, and even more importantly they both compete hard and are good defensive players. They both have good size and length (in the 6'2-3 range) which will catch the attention of college recruiters down the road I think. Of the two so far in the games I have watched, Jordyn has stood out to me. For instance last evening in a blowout of town rival Ludlowe, a team that had been dominating opponents lately, Jordyn did an unbelievable job in guarding a couple of the Falcon's best players as they tried to move the ball into scoring position. Reminded me a bit of how Colin Nickerson used to constantly hound opponents all over the court. But I'm not taking anything at all away from his brother, therefore these two certainly bear watching as this season, not to mention future seasons evolve.
Last Edit: Feb 4, 2020 14:25:19 GMT -5 by nashvillestag
With the high school season now past the halfway mark a few things have started to happen which I think is interesting from a local angle. And one thing in particular that is as 'local' as can be is that Fairfield Warde has a couple of sophomores on their team who have the makeup in their games that might suggest they could turn out to be D-1 recruits in a couple of years. Multi-talented guards Jordyn Davis and Justyn Davis (brothers BTW) are athletic, fast, can shoot fairly well, and even more importantly they both compete hard and are good defensive players. They both have good size and length (in the 6'2-3 range) which will catch the attention of college recruiters down the road I think. Of the two so far in the games I have watched, Jordyn has stood out to me. For instance last evening in a blowout of town rival Ludlowe, a team that had been dominating opponents lately, Jordyn did an unbelievable job in guarding a couple of the Falcon's best players as they tried to move the ball into scoring position. Reminded me a bit of how Colin Nickerson used to constantly hound opponents all over the court. But I'm not taking anything at all away from his brother, therefore these two certainly bear watching as this season, not to mention future seasons evolve.
Agree. Saw the game. Both brothers are D1 material. Warde is a good FCIAC team. Tough and well coached.
Trinity Catholic has a couple juniors -- Akim Joseph and Rassoul Abakar -- that are worth keeping an eye on. Supposedly 6'6" and 6'9", respectively.
I agree based on conversations I have had with local people in the know ( a former coach in the FCIAC plus a talent scout for the annual springtime all-star game between Connecticut and New Jersey). So I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I am looking forward to watching the Crusaders play this season.
And now more than halfway through the regular season TC has added a transfer combo guard (who just became eligible after 10 games) who is outstanding and should make the Crusaders not only the favorite to win the FCIAC tournament but also make them perhaps the biggest sleeper pick in the D-1 state event. Senior Malcome Newman has been creating some buzz regarding outstanding performances in his first few games, and last night I watched him score 20 points and generally be their best player on the court as they blew out the formerly hot Fairfield Warde Mustangs. Really fun to watch this game because there were quite a few players participating who should be playing at some level of college ball in the future.