Yellow Jackets Summer Basketball Schedule 2007 May 31st vs. Potomac WON +22 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League June 7th vs. Wise (Blue) WON +24 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League June 9th vs. Suitland WON +37 @ HBC Tourn @ Catholic University June 9th vs. Gonzaga (DC) Loss -19 @ HBC Tourn @ Catholic University June 10th vs O'Connell (VA) Loss -8 @ HBC Tourn @ Catholic University June 12th vs. North Point WON +18 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League June 15-16 at Navy Team Camp 5-1 record @ United States Naval Academy vs. St Mary's Ryken WON + 4 " " vs. St. Mary's WON + 23 " " vs. Urbana WON + 24 " " vs. St. Paul's WON + 13 " " vs. St.Mary's Ryken WON + 3 " " vs. Laurel Loss -4 " " June 18th vs. PCA Loss -8 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League June 19th vs. Laurel Loss -5 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League June 23 & 24 vs. DC Borad Games 4-2 record @ Dr. Henry Wise High School vs. Riverdale Baptist WON +11 " " vs. Oxon Hill Loss -4 " " vs. Douglas WON + 28 " " vs. Bowie WON + 26 " " vs Oxon Hill WON +17 " " vs. E. Roosevelt Loss -12 " " June 25th vs DuVal Won + 2 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise SummerLeague June 28th vs. TC Williams Loss - 5 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League July 2nd vs. Largo WON + 31 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League July 5-9 at Eastern Invititional Basketball Camp @ Treton New Jersey July 12th vs. Wise (Gold) Loss - 6 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League July 16th vs Lackey Loss -13 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League July 19th vs. E. Roosevelt Loss - 2 @ WBG Dr. Henry Wise Summer League

CAA Insider Exclusive Interiew with Brad Bald Thursday, 05 July 2007 By Brian Crownover durunner@caainsider.com The University of North Carolina Wilmington recently received a commitment from forward Brad Bald out of Severna Park in Maryland. CAA Insider recently caught up with Brad to get his thoughts on his decision. CAA Insider: Congratulations on choosing the University of North Carolina Wilmington. They had a down season last year, but have been one of the top teams in the CAA over the last decade. CAA Insider: What impressed you most about the following: The team? The coaches? The school? Brad Bald: The team: The University of North Carolina Wilmington plays in the Colonial Athletic Association Conference which is one of the strongest mid major conferences in the Country. UNCW has been to the NCAA four of the past eight years. After meeting with second year Coach Benny Moss and his Coaching staff, I felt confident that he was putting together a team that would have a chance each year to make it to the NCAA's. The coaches: Coach Moss is awesome, he is a very positive Coach and very easy to talk to. I look forward to playing for him for four years. I felt comfortable with all of Coach Moss' coaching staff. I liked the fact that he is rebuilding the program and I will be a part of that building process. I believe his team will be much stronger next year and by the time I enroll in 2008 our team will be at the top of the conference once again. The school: I liked the size of the school, I think around 12,000 students. My mother's family all live in North Carolina, so I am happy that they will be able to come watch many of my games. Since I love the ocean the fact that it is only 5 minutes from the beach was perfect. I also loved the beach volleyball courts and pools on campus. The new student center also looked very nice. On the academic side, I plan on majoring in business and its business program is very strong. CAA Insider: You are a versatile forward who can score inside or step outside and knock down the jump shot. Which do you prefer doing now and what do you see yourself doing more of in college (if different)? How do you feel this versatility will fit in with what UNCW is trying to do? Brad Bald: My AAU coach has me playing mostly with my back to the basket since I have very strong post moves and good foot work. If I am being guarded by a smaller person I prefer playing inside so that I can use my low post moves to score. However, if I am being guarded by a bigger or slower person, I prefer to receive the ball on the perimeter where I can beat him off the dribble or knock down the open jumper. Playing for Coach Moss will be perfect for me since he allows his 4 men not only to play inside but also to play out on the wing. His 4 man also trails the break and is able to shoot the 3 pointer. I actually think my game is more suited for college than it is in high school since most of the teams I have played on have required me to stay in the low post since I was always the tallest on the team. In college, I will not be forced to only play inside and Coach Moss' offense will take advantage of my versatility. CAA Insider: What areas did the UNCW coaches or any other coaches you've talked to tell you that you need to work on? Brad Bald: As with most high school players I know I need to continue to get stronger. Presently I have been working with a trainer and I already have gotten stronger. I have put on 15 pounds since the season ended. I will continue to work with my trainer up until the time I enroll in UNCW. CAA Insider: You play with a pretty high profile AAU team in Triple Threat. What have you learned by playing alongside talented players such as Jason Clark (Georgetown) and Chris Braswell (Georgetown)? Brad Bald: Practicing every day with great players makes you better. I have also learned that when everyone is flowing into the system of play, and we are playing as a team, I play better. CAA Insider: Who is the best player you've ever had to guard? Brad Bald: Rudy Gay. CAA Insider: You are transferring from Archbishop Spalding to Severna Park? Why did you decide to make this move? Brad Bald: At the end of my sophomore year Spalding's Head Coach, Mike Glick, left. I really only went to Spalding because of Coach Glick and the reputation he had as a great basketball coach, having coached the likes of Rudy Guy and several other players who have gone on and had great college careers. Once he left, I wanted to transfer to Severna Park, but my parents wanted me to give it one year with the new coach. Since I didn't have as much fun playing my junior year, I decided to transfer to my local high school so that I could finish up my high school career with my childhood and middle school friends. Severna Park also has a very strong academic reputation and its basketball coach, Paul Pellicani, also has a great reputation having coached previously at Maine Central Prep. CAA Insider: By the time you get to UNCW, they will have graduated a number of frontcourt players? Was potential early playing time a big part of your decision? Brad Bald: Yes, because it’s definitely a plus to know your going to go to a school where you will be able to play your freshman year. CAA Insider: Most of the players making commitments this early on are going to high major programs from conferences like the Big East or ACC? A lot of players hold out in hopes of the bigger offer. What make you decide to commitment a mid major program this early? Brad Bald: Many people have asked me that question. Prior to my commitment to UNCW, I was being actively recruited by over forty schools having received over 22 scholarship offers. The remaining 18+ schools heavily recruiting me were mostly from the Colonial Athletic Conference, Atlantic 10 and Conference USA. I was also starting to get letters from schools like Penn State, Florida, Virginia and Virginia Tech. I felt that even if I did receive offers from a high major conference, I would not find a place that I felt more comfortable at than UNCW. I did not want to make the mistake my choosing to go to a school just because it had a higher rating only to want to transfer after my first year. I know I could have waited like many players do for a "bigger offer", but why wait if you know you have found the school that is a perfect fit for you. CAA Insider: July is a big evaluation period. Do you feel like you'll play more relaxed now that your decision has been made? Brad Bald: I am actually relaxed because I now do not have to respond to all of the text messages and phone calls. It seemed everyday some new school would call me or text me and I am the type of person that felt obligated to respond to every call or every text. Now I can relax and enjoy my summer. As far as playing more relaxed, I never felt uptight about playing in front of coaches because once the game starts you forget about who is watching and just play basketball. The fact that I have committed won't stop me from playing hard. CAA Insider: Speaking of July, what camps or events will you are playing at in the upcoming months? Brad Bald: I recently sprained my ankle and am out for about two weeks. My ankle sprain will cause me to miss the Eastern Camp and a Tournament in West Virginia. The ankle should be fine when I play in Las Vegas with my AAU team, "Triple Threat". Other than that I will wait and see. CAA Insider: Who has had the most impact on your game? Brad Bald: My parents and Triple Threat Coach Keith Stevens. CAA Insider: Do you know what you are going to major in at UNCW? Brad Bald: I'm not sure but possibly business or pre-law. CAA Insider: Thank you for your time and good luck at with the Seahawks.

Thursday, June 21, 2007 Yellow Jackets showing improvement under coach’s system by Terron Hampton | Staff Writer Year one of the Mike Glick era with the Gwynn Park High School boys’ basketball team did see the Yellow Jackets continue their recent run as state championship contenders. And the quality of basketball was not reflective of the teams Glick coached in his previous stops at Archbishop Spalding and St. Vincent Pallotti high schools, where his teams won multiple private school league championships. The Yellow Jackets started last season with five consecutive losses. Gwynn Park’s 2007 summer league coach, Brian Brennan, attributed the team’s early woes last season to learning Glick’s system. The team eventually caught on, winning its last five games of the regular season and taking eventual 3A South Region champion Largo down to the final minutes in a regional semifinal setback. ‘‘I think the most important thing for us was getting experience,” Glick said Tuesday evening after watching the Yellow Jackets suffer a 32-26 setback to Laurel at the Wise Battleground League. ‘‘I thought my first season went very well. I was very happy with the way we finished.” A year into his tenure, Glick said the current group of Yellow Jackets’ players have learned his system and ‘‘got it down.” The goals for the Yellow Jackets this summer are the same as virtually every team. ‘‘We want to get better,” said senior guard Sean Thomas, one of Gwynn Park’s leaders. ‘‘We all have to work on our games individually. Coach Glick is the type of person that will yell at you, but then turn around and encourage you and give you a compliment. He gives us sort of tough love.” Thomas and several of his teammates have recruiters hot on their trail. Thomas has been getting looks from Navy, George Mason, Hampton and Holy Cross among others. Thomas’ senior teammate Chibu Ikachuko excels on the basketball court, but moreso on the gridiron where he is being recruited to play football by Boston College, North Carolina State and James Madison. Ikachuko said he thinks the basketball team will ‘‘go all the way” and contend for a state championship. ‘‘Our experience is our biggest strength,” Ikachuko said. ‘‘We have a lot of players coming back from last season. This summer, we have to bond well and know coach’s system. But coach said that we have to learn to play the whole game from beginning to end.” The Yellow Jackets will open the 2007-08 season with the same starting lineup that finished the 2006-07 campaign. But developing a bond has been tough to do early on during the summer. Some players have gone on vacations with family, and some work. Others, like Ikachuko — who has not been with the team for the past three weeks — have been away on recruiting trips. On the court, the team still has a lot of work to do. ‘‘I think the thing that we have to work on is mostly our defense,” senior guard Harold Washington said. ‘‘We’re weak in [transition]. But we have definitely improved since last season. Sometimes, we were playing separately and not as a unit. But our front line is pretty strong this year and we know how to get to the basket.” In addition to the Wise Battleground League, Gwynn Park will participate in a number of team camps starting with the D.C. Board Games this weekend at Henry A. Wise High. And Glick is hoping to prepare the team for everything associated with the summer and upcoming season. ‘‘I’m very excited because we have great kids and great academic students,” Glick said. ‘‘It’s important that we improve as basketball players collectively and individually and get better as athletes in our conditioning. I really want to get them prepared for getting exposure and I have my eyes set on July 5, the first day of the collegiate open recruiting period.” E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.

With the talent on Gwynn Park's offense it is simple to understand how an athlete can be overlooked. With Ronald Hobby and Jerel Coles garnering most of the offensive load last year tight end Chibby Achucko went relatively unnoticed, but that is changing. The 6-3, 205 Achuko is receiving interest from Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Illinois, Villanova, Princeton, William & Mary, Temple and Duquesne; all of this has occurred within the last month. Head coach Danny Hayes calls Achuko the "quiet storm" on his team because he has been overlooked up to this point. His strong leaping ability has been enhanced by his play on the basketball court which is where Hayes first knew he had a talented tight end on his team. Achuko started playing defensive end for Yellow Jackets and recorded 86 tackles, four sacks, and seven knock downs last season. Once Hayes saw his Dennis Rodman-like ability to leap for rebounds and physically dominate opponents on the blocks he thought he had the strength. When he saw Achuko start catching the ball he knew he had the makings of a star. "(He) knows exactly what he wants to do, when he wants to do it and how he wants to do it," Hayes said. "If he wants the ball he's getting it." Achuko's strength is his hands and intelligence. On the field Achuko caught 11 passes for 168 yards and in the classroom he maintains a 3.5 GPA. Hayes intends to split Achuko out wide this year giving him more opportunities to make plays. Gwynn Park has a trio of talented offensive players and even with Cole and Hobby Achuko is sure not to be overlooked for long.