by Jim Quinn MD Marylandprephoops.com Early last July, Marylandprephoops.com sat in the bleachers in St. Alban’s Gymnasium at the Ban the Brick Summer League with Archbishop Spalding Coach Mike Glick as he watched one of assistant coaches direct the Cavaliers in a game against Paul VI Catholic. As we gathered background information on Glick’s fine rising senior class of guard Justin Castleberry, small forward Lawrence Dixon, and guard Marquis Sullivan, all of whom we profiled individually either this Summer and Fall, Coach Glick confidently predicted, “All three of these kids will get Division One college scholarships. They are all great kids, good students, and really good players. They’ll all get offers to real good academic schools. I think they’ll all sign in November and we might even get them all (verbally) committed early in the school year.” Glick’s prophecy held true as 6’2” combo guard Justin Castleberry verbal to Bucknell shortly after the academic year started and 6’5” Lawrence Dixon committed to Holy Cross and the 6’ wing guard Marquis Sullivan popped for Loyola College before the month of October had passed. Castleberry, Dixon, and Sullivan will be the top scorers and team leaders on the 2004-2005 Cavalier team. Dixon and Sullivan are three-year varsity players for Glick. They both played key roles on the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 Spalding teams that each reached the Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) Tournament Championship Game before succumbing to Mt. St. Joe’s. Castleberry transferred into the Severn, Maryland, Catholic school after two years at DeMatha HS. Though Mt. St. Joe’s has denied the Cavaliers in the last two BCL Championship Games, Spalding did win the MIAA”A” Championship last year. Late last week, Coach Glick contacted us to confirm that the trio had each formally committed on the first day of the NCAA November National Letter of Intent period. “They are all signed, said Glick. “This is the eighth straight year that we have sent at least one player to a Division One college on scholarship. This is my sixth year at Spalding and we’ve had at least one player signed to a D-I scholarship every year. All three of these players are all fully (academically) qualified.” This is the third consecutive year that Spalding has produced multiple D-I hoops signees. In 2003, center Will Bowers signed with the University of Maryland and forward Gus Durr, Jr. signed with Mt. St. Mary’s. Last year, McDonald’s all-America Rudy Gay signed with UConn and center Jason Loughery signed with Mt. St. Mary’s. The other starting senior on last year’s Spalding team, point guard Jesse Brooks, is attending prep school this year. “Jesse is at Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts this year, Coach Glick told us. “He was a full academic qualifier when he graduated from Spalding but decided to prep to get some more D-I college looks. Jesse will get a D-I scholarship this year.” Regarding the signings of Dixon, Castleberry, and Sullivan, Coach Glick told Marylandprephoops.com., “I’m very proud of all three of these young men. They are very good student-athletes. They were all ‘priority recruits’ by the colleges that signed them. They all signed with great academic schools. At Spalding, academics come first and I think this Class of players has proven that. I’m also proud of the hard work that these kids put in on the court and in the classroom. Frankly, the last couple of years, a lot of the attention at Spalding has been on Will Bowers and Rudy Gay, now it is these players’ turn. I think they’ll all have very good senior years. I think we are going to be a lot better team than most people are predicting, and these seniors will be our leaders.” Subscribe to Maryland Prep Hoops Newsletter/Magazine for complete coverage of Maryland high school basketball. Advertise In Maryland Prep Magazine (Email Us for more info) Subscription Info

Monday, November 8, 2004 By Andy Katz ESPN.com STORRS, Conn. -- The coaching staff is waiting for Rudy Gay to take over a practice. They know it will come sometime soon. When it occurs, Gay will realize that he can't be so humble. He can't be so passive. He will, supposedly, see the light that he can be a dominant player. Yes, Gay is a freshman. But he has already been anointed as the next Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton or Caron Butler. The weight of that kind of praise at Connecticut, a program that has developed wings into college (and sometimes NBA) stars, is a heavy burden. But Gay isn't embracing that role just yet; he just wants to be a contributor. The reality is that he will be much more. Gay already looks comfortable at UConn. "When he develops the maturity and strength to take over the game, he's going to be a very important part of what we do," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. "I could see him having 25 [points in a game] this year, 30 maybe." Calhoun said Gay will be a highlight editor's dream, with his ability to dunk, block shots and move to the basket. The lanky 6-9 Gay dribbles the ball high but keeps it under control. He seems to float to the rim when he decides to make a move from the free-throw line extended. Calhoun said Gay is the team's leading offensive rebounder in practice. That shouldn't come as a surprise since he tends to always float near the rim. "I don't think he'll have a Carmelo Anthony-type of year because he's younger [in age, not class] and he's not as big [in weight, not height]," Calhoun said. "But Rudy can play the two, three, and has our third-best handle on the team. He's a beautiful player to watch." Gay chose Connecticut over his hometown Maryland Terrapins -- a tough choice that got him booed when he played in the Jordan All-Star game at the Comcast Center in College Park last April. He said he chose the Huskies because he wanted to win, but quickly said the Terrapins fit that criteria, too. Ultimately, he said it was good to go away from home. Regardless of which school he chose, Gay wouldn't have been handed anything. He will share the wing with juniors Rashad Anderson and Denham Brown. So far, the three are coexisting without an issue. "It's tough right now because every practice is a battle," Gay said. "We don't have any star players. So, I'm just here contributing and waiting my turn." But that won't be good enough for the Huskies to make a run at another title. Gay admitted that he was too passive when he first arrived, sizing up his teammates and not wanting to be too cocky without playing in a game. Anderson had to tell Gay during pickup games that he must be more assertive. He told him that when he has a shot to take it and not pass it up -- because it's the right thing to do. The Huskies want him to shoot, score and drive when he has the opening. "He's handling all of this well so far," said teammate Josh Boone, who, like Gay, is from Maryland. "He's definitely making an impact. He brings something that we didn't have here last year. He's a 6-8, 6-9 three man, who is quick, can drive and dunk it. He was passive but he's getting more comfortable and getting more aggressive every day." Boone guaranteed that there will come a practice, and most certainly a game, when Gay will dominate. "He's got a ton of star potential," said assistant coach Tom Moore of Gay, who was talked about as a potential first-round draft pick but apparently never seriously considered declaring for the draft. "He's got a ton of ability, a great smile and the fans of this state will adore him. "We don't know when it will happen, but even Rudy doesn't know how good he is yet," Moore said. "It could happen on Nov. 6 at a practice at Gampel Pavilion when he looks around and realizes he's the best player here. It could happen in an exhibition. It could be in a game in November. It could be against Indiana in December or on the road in our first conference game. It could be in February or even next season. But that moment will come when the light goes on. The quicker he realizes how good he is, the better. But we've got enough pieces around him this season that we can wait." And when this does happen, the Huskies could have the top freshman in the country on their hands.

September 17, 2004 Jim Time with Spalding's Marquis Sullivan by James Quinn MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff Archbishop Spalding’s 6-0 senior wing guard Marquis Sullivan, the leading returning scorer for the Cavaliers, has narrowed his list of possible college destinations to four schools and will verbally commit soon and sign during the November early NCAA signing period. Spalding Head Coach Mike Glick believes that the resident of Westminster, Maryland, “…will really have a very good senior year. We will be counting on Marquis and our other returning senior starters to replace most of the scoring we lost with Rudy (Gay) graduating.” Prep All-American and University of Connecticut recruit Rudy Gay averaged 23 points a game for the Cavaliers last year. Sullivan was Spalding’s second leading scorer at 10 ppg. Spalding won the MIAA “A” Conference Tournament, was the runner-up in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament and went 29-8 overall in 2003-2004. The Cavaliers were ranked no. 2 in the Baltimore Sun, no. 12 in the Washington Post, and no. 29 in the USA Today national rankings. Sullivan, who will be in his third year on the Cavalier roster, ended his junior season in fine fashion as he put up two outstanding scoring performances in the post-season Alhambra Tournament. “Marquis scored 28 points against DeMatha at Alhambra and 26 points in our game against St. Joe’s Prep of Pennsylvania. He had a great Tournament up at Alhambra,” said Coach Glick. Although Rudy Gay was clearly the Cavalier’s “go-to-guy” last year, MdVarsity.com saw Sullivan put on some very impressive performances last year as a junior. In the BCL Tournament at Goucher College, Sullivan scored 22 points in a win over Calvert Hall. Late in the regular season in a game that Gay missed with a minor injury, Sullivan led the Cavaliers to a tough, hard fought win over Towson Catholic. In the TC win, Sullivan and fellow guard Justin Castleberry put the Cavaliers on their backs and scored virtually all of the key Spalding baskets. Unlike most 6-0 guards, Sullivan is a wing guard– not a point guard or a “combination guard”. “Marquis is a wing guard, a shooting guard. He may only be 6-0 tall, but he doesn’t have any trouble getting his shot. He is a pretty strong 180 pound guard and a good athlete. He can shoot the fade-away shooter or jump over defenders to get his shot. He can find the open spots in a defense and get his shots,” said Coach Glick. “Marquis isn’t just a shooter, he is a ‘scorer’. In fact, he might be the best pure scorer among the guards I’ve ever coached. I’m not talking 6’9” guys like Rudy (gay), I mean backcourt players. Marquis might be the best pure scoring guard I’ve ever had. I think Marquis could be a 15 point a game scorer in college.” As much as Coach Glick praises Sullivan as a player, he is equally effusive of Marquis as a person. “Marquis is a great kid. He comes from a great family. He is a good student, he is a full (academic) qualifier. When Marquis was in the eighth grade, he was the top eighth grader in the Baltimore area. Marquis and his parents picked Spalding for our academics. Marquis’ parents and grandparents made a real commitment when they picked Spalding because it is about an hour from his home in Carroll County to Spalding and they had to drive him each way. Marquis played on our junior varsity as a freshman and he scored 24 points a game and led us to the BCL JV regular season and tournament championships. He didn’t play a lot on the varsity as a sophomore, but really had a great junior year. I think he’ll have a very good senior year. With Marquis, Lawrence (Dixon, a 6’5” forward), and Justin (Castleberry, a 6’2” guard), we have three D-I college players in our senior class.” Sullivan’s four possible college destinations are Niagara, Loyola, Robert Morris and Stetson. SPALDING NOTES: - Sullivan’s grandfather is former Baltimore Colt star Roy Hilton. Hilton was an outstanding lineman for the Colts in their glory days of the 1960’s and 1970’s. We have met Mr. Hilton at a couple of Spalding practices and he is an interesting gentleman to talk to. - Spalding guard Justin Castleberry has already verbally committed to Bucknell. Forward Lawrence Dixon is getting recruited by a number of D-I colleges- including Holy Cross, where former Spalding assistant Coach Andy Sachs is now an assistant coach for Head Coach Ralph Williard. Dixon, Castleberry, and Sullivan are all strong students.

By MICHAEL PIPER, Staff Writer Archbishop Spalding basketball player Justin Castleberry and his parents were driving back from Lewisburg, Pa. last weekend. On the way they decided to make a list of positives and negatives from their visit to Bucknell University. The funny thing is they couldn't come up with any negatives. "We were talking about Bucknell on the way home and there just wasn't any negatives about the school or the athletics," said Castleberry, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior guard. "That made it an easier decision on Saturday morning." With that, Castleberry decided to attend Bucknell on a basketball scholarship. The senior, also a strong student, had narrowed his choices to Bucknell, Dartmouth, the Naval Academy, Davidson and Colgate prior to making his final decision. Three of those schools - Bucknell, the Naval Academy and Colgate - all play in the Patriot League, known as a quality basketball conference with the best academic reputation of any league not named the Ivy League. "Bucknell sold the academics first," Castleberry said. "They had me meet with the head of the computer science department, which is what I want to major in, and he laid out some impressive plans for me. Then we talked about basketball." Castleberry will play the point at Bucknell, though he is capable of playing both guard positions. Castleberry could have strung out the recruiting process in hopes of drawing the interest of some schools with higher basketball profiles. "I wanted to make a decision and enjoy my senior year," Castleberry said. "That was how we handled things. We were proactive this summer in finding out who was interested and going from there. Plus, I'm Bucknell's top recruit and I'd rather be somewhere where they wanted me, not where two or three other recruits didn't work out, so I was next on the list." Spalding coach Mike Glick was thrilled with his point guard's decision. "I think it's fantastic," Glick said. "Bucknell has a lot to offer with its academics and in terms of its basketball program. (Bucknell head) coach (Pat) Flannery has been there 10 years, so there is stability at the head coaching position, which is something Justin wanted." Published September 01, 2004, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. Copyright © 2004 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

By MICHAEL PIPER, MD Gazette Staff Writer One of the best parts about being in school, without question, is that once that final bell rings in late May or early June, most students bolt out the doors and commence forgetting everything they learned in the last nine months. It's not until mid-August when those pesky Wal-Mart advertisements for "Back-to-School" sales start running and the brutal preseason begins for fall sports, that most students begin contemplating the upcoming school year. That was not the case, however, for the basketball teams at Glen Burnie and Archbishop Spalding. Over the last two winters, the two programs have accounted for a combined 93-24 record, two Class 4A East Region titles and a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A-Conference crown. As this winter approaches, however, there will be a lot of unfamiliar names on the hardwood at both schools. Gone are Rudy Gay, Jesse Brooks and Will Bowers (a 2003 graduate), all three cornerstones of Spalding's nationally competitive program. Gone also are Mitch Guest, Branden Albert, Delayne Nelson and a senior class that helped bring Glen Burnie to the status of "public school power" over the last two years. The task of replacing those players does not wait for the start of winter practice. It began in the stuffy area gyms, packed with rivals hoping for a piece of the two programs' success, this summer. "Oh yeah, we've already heard it," Glen Burnie's Chris Schrader said. "Everybody is telling us we aren't going to be any good. They don't expect anything from us because we lost Mitch and Branden, but we're hoping to surprise some people." The Gophers are in a tough spot in that the only players returning this season with significant experience are Schrader and teammate Scott Matthews. For a public school, the notion of replacing players like Guest and Albert is daunting. "You just don't replace 6-foot-7, 300 pounds," Glen Burnie head coach Mike Rudd said, referring to Albert. "We have a good nucleus, but we're going to be a different team... Old Mill, Arundel and Broadneck sound like the teams to beat, but we'll do a little chasing for a change this year." The only thing the Gophers can do is work - which they did at the Lake Waterford Summer League. The Gophers got good participation in the league (they went 5-5) as well as in the summer weight-lifting sessions. "I've never worked so hard at basketball as I did this summer," Schrader said. "I talked to Coach Rudd almost every week and got a membership to World's Gym. We tried to get our teammates in the weight room too, with the football team." Spalding has the advantage of recruiting players, but the school also has the monumental task of trying to replace a player in Rudy Gay that some recruiting analysts believed could have gone straight to the NBA. "It's going to be totally different for the players and the coaching staff without Rudy," Spalding coach Mike Glick said. "It was easy to take for granted what Rudy did in terms of rebounding and blocking shots. He made our defense look good and got us easy baskets by just being in the paint. We're going to have to get used to a different style of rebounding and defense this year." The three returning seniors on the Spalding roster have plenty of talent. Shooting guard Justin Castleberry, swing man Marquis Sullivan and forward Lawrence Dixon all could end up playing division I. Their work this summer centered on becoming more complete players, however. "We're looking at it as a challenge," Castleberry said. "We're looking forward to handling the added responsibility. We all have to do a little more this year and that's what we worked on this summer." Castleberry may possibly have to replace Jesse Brooks at the point guard spot, while Sullivan will handle a good share of the scoring (he averaged 10.5 points per game last season) and Dixon will need to add scoring and perhaps handling the ball some to his game, which previously centered on defense and rebounding. "We're going to be playing the kind of basketball that we haven't played since freshman year," Dixon said. "We're the go-to guys right now." Spalding spent the summer in two leagues with the three seniors playing in a league at St. Alban's in Washington, D.C. and the rest of the team getting more playing time in the Lake Waterford League. Sullivan said the emphasis was on rebounding and defense at St. Alban's. "Our tallest guy is 6-6 this year," he said. Spalding had front lines ranging from 6-6 to 7-foot the last two years. "We were trying to get all five guys to rebound and all five guys to play better on-the-ball defense this summer." How hard did the teams work? "I was out in California for two weeks and it felt nice to get away for a little bit," Castleberry said. "We had a long summer." Both school's hope that work won't result in a long winter.