As of July 1, 2004 James Quinn MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff MdVarsity.com did a couple of interviews with veteran Spalding Coach Mike Glick before traveling to St. Albans to watch a Cavalier game in the Ban The Brick League with Coach Glick last weekend. Coach Glick had been optimistic with regards to Spalding's outlook for 2004-2005 even before their game against WCAC power Paul VI. The fact that the Cavaliers, with two key returning senior starters not present for the game, played a competitive game against Levi Franklin's tough WCAC team had to be encouraging for Coach Glick. 6' wing guard Marquis Sullivan and 6'5" small forward Lawrence Dixon missed the Paul VI game, which the Panthers won 57-51 after holding off a late Spalding comeback. In an interview last month after Spalding had concluded its spring "open gym" period, Coch Glick told MdVarsity.com, "I think that we could ve very good next year. We return some very god players and we have a few kids coming up from the JV who will help us. I think we will be a very good defensive team and we will have good team quickness and be very versatile." Glick was particularly effusive about his three returning senior starters. "We have three seniors returning who will be D-I (college) recruits. Marquis Sullivan and Justin Castleberry give us two senior guards who are D-I kids who can shoot, play defense, really have complete games. I think that Lawrence Dixon will have a great senior year. In the six weeks since the season ended, Lawrence has improved as much in six weeks as any player I've ever had. He could be really outstanding for us next year." MdVarsity.com did a feature profile on Castleberry in May. The 6'2" point guard, who started his career at DeMatha HS, is also an outstanding student and is being recruited by a number of colleges from the Ivy and Patriot Leagues. Sullivan, a tremendous long range shooter, was the second leading scorer on the 2003-2004 Spalding team. The Cavaliers had a great season in 2003-2004. Spalding was 29-8 and won the MIAA "A" Conference Tournament Championship. For the second year in a row, Spalding lost to Mt. St. Joe's in the Championship Game of the BCL Tournament. Spalding finished No. 2 in the Baltimore Sun Top Twenty Rankings, No. 12 in the Washington Post rankings. Glick will lose several key players to graduation, most notably All-American forward Rudy Gay. The 6'8" UConn-bound, Parade and McDonald's All-American averaged 21 points, 9 rebounds and blocked a team high 125 shots last year. Numbers not easily replaced. "Well, obviously, you don't replace a great player like Rudy. He's the best player I've had in all the years I was at Pallotti and Spalding, I mean, he's a future NBA player. And, we won't have the size next year that we have had the last few seasons when we had Rudy and Will (7' center Will Bowers, a 2002 graduate now playing at the University of Maryland). But we have a lot of good players returning. we'll be very quick and athletic and we'll be a better defensive team. We have a few kids who are really good rebounders, even tough we won't have a seven footer next year." In addition to losing Gay, Spalding graduated starting point guard Jesse Brooks (Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts), wing shooter Kevin Galinat (D-III Mary Washington College), 6'11' reserve center Jason Loughery (Mt. St. Mary's), and 6'4' rebounder/enforcer Matt Cornell (Ohio State on a lacrosse scholarship). Spalding is off to a 5-1 start in the Ban the Brick Summer League. Also, this spring a number of the Spalding underclassmen played together on an AAU Team called "the Fighting Irish". The Fighting Irish were coached by, among others, three of Mike Glick's Spalding assistants. In all likelihood, one of the starting positions will go to rising junior Johann Jones. Jones, a 6'4" high-energy rebounder and defender, had a excellent sophomore eason on the cavalier varsity and started a number of games at the end of the season. He is an efficient offensive player, but principally earns his keep with excellent defense, his ability to run the floor and force turnovers, and his relentless work on the boards. "Johann was definitely my 'surprise sophomore' this year," Glick told MDVarsity.com. "I think he can be a really good player for us next year." Danny Quinn, a rugged 6'6" junior who transferred in from DeMatha, will likely be the Cavalier's starting center. Quinn is a tough rebounder with some developing post skills. He had 13 rebounds in the Paul VI summer game that we watched. "Danny is going to be really good. I think he is going to do a great job for us. he is just now starting to get used to playing with our other kids. He is very tough, a strong kid. He understands how to play inside," said Glick. Ironically, Glick recruited Quinn (no relation to Jim Quinn) very heavily two years ago as an eighth grader coming out of the Annapolis area. A pair of transfers from Prince George's County will also give Glick great backcourt depth. Daniel Palumbo and Derek Young each transferred into Spalding last fall and they played on the Cavalier's excellent JV team last year. Young had attended Suitland HS as a ninth grader. Palumbo, who is from Bowie, Md., attended DeMatha as a freshman. "Palumbo is a terrific athlete and a great competitior," said Glick. "He can play either guard position. He's also a great baseball player, but he loves basketball. He gives us a lot of different looks for our line-up next year. He is tough and he can PLAY." "Derek is a GREAT defensive player. I think Derek will be one of the two best defensive guards in the BCL next year. He will really help next year because we are looking to be quicker and more defensively-oriented," said Glick. Another guard up from the JV who might help next year is 5'10" rising junior Miguel Jones. Jones came off tyhe bench in the Paul VI game to hit 3 first half three pointers and scored 16 points. Jones is also one of the younger Spalding players who played on thr Fighting Irish AAU Team. "I like the look of our team, I think we will surprise some people and be real good," said Glick. SPALDING NOTES: -Two of the bigger, bulkier Cavaliers who could provide depth on the frontline for next year have been injured. 6'6" 250 pound senior Anthony Angion, who only played in 10 games as a junior because of a knee injury, continued to have knee problems after the season. 6'3" 240 rising sophomore Rickey Congo, a standout on last year's JV as a freshman, is, according to Glick, out with an ACL injury. - Coach Glick told us that the Spalding program is starting to build some quality depth in its Boys Basketball program. Unlike most catholic/private schools, Coach Glick does not field a Freshman Team for ninth graders. He only fields a JV and a Varsity. Although Glick told us that he does not foresee starting a Freshman Team at Spalding next year, "We are now in the position to do that if we wanted to...we have enough good young talent that we could field a Freshman Team and a JV if I wanted to, I'm not going to do that now, but we could. We have a couple of big kids coming in, a couple of big wings who can really shoot it. Our young kids, our young classes are pretty deep." -Spalding landed one of the best eighth graders in the DC area in 6'3" Kevon Moore. We asked Coach Glick if Moore might go straight to the Spalding varsity as a ninth grader? "I don't think so, I have never kept a freshman on the varsity here (at Spalding), I only had one at Pallotti. I'd rather see a really young player get started on the JV. But, believe me, this kid is REALLY good. Kevon was the MVP on the Bethesda Magic. He is really athletic. he's a lefty...he kind of reminds me of a young Adrian Branch, he's the best eighth grader I've ever recruited here."

A New Phase for Spalding Summer League Play Is a Start to Life Without All-Met Gay By Jake Schaller Special to The Washington Post Thursday, June 24, 2004; Page AA20 Archbishop Spalding boys' basketball coach Mike Glick and his summer league coach, Andy Sachs, are quick to point out that one player does not make a team -- or a program. It is important for them to stress that this summer as the Cavaliers begin life without Rudy Gay, last winter's Washington Post All-Met player of the year and one of the nation's top recruits, bound for defending national champion Connecticut after weeks of speculation that he might declare for the NBA draft. Above left, Spalding summer coach Andy Sachs talks with players after a loss in the And 1 tournament. Above, Lawrence Dixon is double-teamed. (Photos Katherine Frey For The Washington Post) Glick points out that several players who are being recruited by Division I colleges are coming back to the team. Sachs adds that the private school in Severn won titles before Gay arrived. "Our goals will still be the same," Glick said. "It will be just like losing any other senior, except for the fanfare." The Cavaliers indeed still have talent and experience on their roster, but there will be some bumps in the road as they learn to play without the 6-foot-9 go-to player who scored 21.2 points per game last season. All that was apparent last weekend when the Cavaliers went 2-1 at the And 1 High School Basketball Championship's East Region II tournament at Run 'n' Shoot Athletic Center in District Heights. Spalding lost to Crossland, 82-75, in its first game of the tournament but came back to defeat Roman Catholic High (Philadelphia), 46-45, and Woodlawn, 63-46. "We're just trying to get ready for the fall," Sachs said. "We'll be fine." The 2-1 record at the highly competitive tournament was encouraging, especially considering the Cavaliers' abridged roster. Junior Daniel Palumbo was out with an eye infection, junior Danny Quinn will not join the team until this week, and sophomore TomMario Davis was out with a sprained ankle. The absence of the 6-3 Palumbo and the 6-7 Quinn in particular hurt the Cavaliers as they were dominated in rebounding, giving up numerous second-chance baskets, especially to Crossland. "That's putting it nicely," Sachs said. "We're just small right now. We're missing our fourth-, fifth- and sixth-best players." In their absence, however, the Cavaliers' three Division I recruits -- combo guard Justin Castleberry, shooting guard Marquis Sullivan and guard-forward Lawrence Dixon -- shined. The 6-2 Castleberry assumed most of the ball-handling responsibilities for the Cavaliers and was often effective in the open court against Crossland. He also played good defense, picking up a charge late in the first half and making several steals. Sullivan (6-0), the Cavaliers' second-leading scorer last year with 9.9 points per game, showed he could score inside and out. He hit several jumpers and made an acrobatic reverse layup late in the loss to Crossland. The 6-5 Dixon, meanwhile, is "an emerging talent" who can create matchup problems, according to Glick. "I feel very, very confident about our guards," Glick said. Also helping out will be several players who will move up from last year's junior varsity team, which finished 29-3. Among them is 6-1 junior Matt Cassilly, a standout soccer and lacrosse player. "He never gets tired," Glick said. "He's a phenomenal defensive player. He's all over the court." These talented components, however, will need some time to jell and learn new roles. While fatigue due to the limited roster was certainly partly to blame when the Cavaliers blew a 15-point second-half lead against Crossland, there seemed to be some uncertainty down the stretch as to who would take the big shots. "The big difference is getting a bucket in the clutch," Castleberry said after the Crossland game. "We always would go to Rudy. Now we need to find our go-to scorer or go-to play. I think it kind of showed today. . . . We just need to get a better flow for each other in game situations." Once that happens, Glick expects his players to blossom in Gay's absence. "I think it will be kind of relaxing for the kids and the coaching staff to return to some normalcy," Glick said. "They're high school kids, so every year is different, and every year is unique, but I don't think we'll be impacted other than there won't be as much fanfare and media attention." Glick said next year's teams will look more like his previous 10 squads at Spalding and Pallotti, with balanced scoring and multiple threats. "This will be my 12th year coaching, and I've only had three players in that time score over 17 points per game, and only two score over 20 points per game," Glick said. "So we're returning to the style that my teams usually play. We'll play ball control. We'll spread the ball. Not that we were selfish last year, but Rudy was such a talent that we had to get him the ball." Despite the graduation of Gay, his presence last year and the attention he and Spalding received have made the Cavaliers a team that opponents relish the chance to beat. "Teams definitely know who we are," Castleberry said. "We definitely get everybody's best effort."

by James Quinn MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff St. Mary’s High School of Annapolis did not have to look too far for a new head coach when they selected Josh Pratt from Coach Mike Glick’s staff at Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Maryland. Based on working eleven years for Coach Glick at Pallotti HS and at Spalding, the 32 year old Pratt, originally from Beltsville, Md., and a graduate of High Point HS and Bowie State, knows more than a little bit about coaching in the MIAA and Baltimore-area hoops and also about building a prep basketball program at a Catholic High School. The Saints went 7-18 last year. They had a 5-11 record in MIAA “B” Conference. “I am really excited about this opportunity,” Pratt told MdVarsity.com. “St. Mary’s is a great school. The academics and the facilities are excellent. I have really enjoyed and been encouraged by the support of the school’s Administration and the alumni and the school community. The basketball program has not been real strong here lately, but I have no doubt we can build a real good program here.” St. Mary’s is best known, athletically, for its outstanding lacrosse program. “The lacrosse program is outstanding, one of the best. This is always going to be kind of a ‘lacrosse school’, I understand that, I think that it’s great that we are so good in lacrosse. But I also think we can build a good basketball program.” “St. Mary’s has a kindergarten through eighth grade elementary and middle school. It is absolutely an unbelievable school, parents are trying like heck to get their kids into this school. It is a great academic middle school, excellent academically. Part of what I’m trying to do is build the relationships to keep the best middle school basketball players at St. Mary’s High School. We recognize that the DeMathas and the Spaldings and other Catholic schools are going to recruit Annapolis and Anne Arundel, so we want to keep the best players here.” Pratt is a middle school math teacher. The High School at St. Mary’s is co-ed and there are 580 students from grades 9-12. Pratt has excellent AAU, CYO, and Recreation League ties to Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Prince George’s County. “I’ve already been reaching out and talking to a lot of these people (on behalf of St. Mary’s HS),” said Pratt, “but there are still a few coaches I need to call to let them know where I’m going.” Pratt attended High Point HS in Beltsville, though he told us he never got to play for the legendary Eagle Coach Ernie Welch. Pratt played at Montgomery College-Germantown where a young Mike Glick was just getting started out as an assistant coach. “I had a good career at MC-Germantown,” said Pratt, “I got some All-District and All-American mention. I went down and played at Newberry College (in South Carolina). When my scholarship ran out, I came back and got my college degree and my teaching certification at Bowie State. I spent six years with Mike (Glick) at Pallotti and the last five years with Mike at Spalding.” Pratt learned a lot about what it takes to build a winner at Catholic High Schools. The collective records of the Pallotti and Spalding teams that he helped to recruit and coach was 247-107 (.698%). The 2003-2004 Spalding edition was 29-8, ranked No. 2 in the Baltimore Sun, No. 12 in the Washington Post. In addition to having been an assistant coach at Pallotti and Spalding, Pratt has served as a Counselor at Gary Williams’ University of Maryland Summer Basketball Camp and as a coach in the Baltimore Catholic League Preseason All Star game, which is held annually at Spalding for all of the BCL member schools. Pratt is realistic about the Saints’ chances in the MIAA “B” Conference next year. “It will take us a couple of years to get up with the top of the conference. Brett Davis has a good program at Pallotti, they won the “B” regular season last year. Gilman has some good young players, they won the “B” Tournament. Boys Latin is going to be good, so is Severn. I think in three or four years, we’ll have things where I want them to be… it will take a while to do it right. Like some of the other teams in the MIAA “B” Conference, I’d like to get to the “A” Conference someday but, of course, you have to be winning in the “B” Conference first. We’re going to test ourselves early on, we are going to play five games against “A” teams next year.” As for the 2004-2005 season, Coach Pratt is cautiously optimistic his first year at St. Mary’s will be a good one. “We have a few seniors who have played who I think are pretty good, I hesitate to mention just a few of the kids, but, I’d say that Matt Davis, who is 6’6”, will be good. Anthony Bennett, who is a ‘combo’ guard, is probably our best player. Anthony is a really good player. Mike Stanford is another good guard. We got a couple of new kids who were already coming who might help. There are four freshman here who will make the varsity as sophomores, so that might be a big part of our future here.” ‘We got a lot of work ahead of us, but I really like the people up here. I think we can build a really good program,” said Pratt. Pratt’s longtime mentor and employer, Mike Glick, has no doubt that St. Mary’s made a great selection in Pratt. Coach Glick told MdVarsity.com, “Josh is a tremendous guy. He really cares about the kids. He is a great teacher and coach. He is good at recruiting and player development. He was a big part of our success (at Pallotti and Spalding). I think he’ll do a tremendous job at St. Mary’s.” The MIAA “B” Conference has a number of good, young coaches and improving teams. The Conference should be very competitive in 2004-2005 and looks to be improving as a basketball league.

May 27, 2004 Jim Time with Spalding's Justin Castleberry by James Quinn MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff Archbishop Spalding's 6'2" junior guard Justin Castleberry is drawing attention from a number of D-I colleges, mostly from the Ivy League and the Patriot League. And with the graduation of superstar forward Rudy Gay, Castleberry is one of three rising seniors that Spalding Coach Mike Glick will be counting on to keep the Cavaliers at the top of the Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) and the MIAA "A" Conference in 2004-2005. Coach Glick told us that 6'5" small forward Lawrence Dixon and 6' wing guard Marquis Sullivan are also drawing significant recruiting attention. Castleberry was Spalding's starting wing guard and also backed-up senior Jesse Brooks at the point this season. It was Castleberry's first season at the Severn, MD, Catholic high school after attending WCAC power DeMatha High School as a freshman and a sophomore. Castleberry was a part-time starter and a key sub on the Stag varsity as a sophomore. As a heavily recruited eighth grader at The Mater Dei School in Bethesda (where he played with Georgetown Prep lacrosse/soccer/basketball standout Danny Glading), Castleberry was one of the most heavily recruited school boy athletes in the D.C. area three years ago. "Justin was one of the best players his age in the area,” said Glick. "We recruited him very hard and it came down to us and DeMatha. He chose DeMatha and did pretty well there for two years, but we are certainly glad to have him now." A resident of Upper Marlboro in Prince George's County, Castleberry told us that he really enjoyed his first season as a Cavalier. "I really felt like I played pretty well. Our team had a great season and I was happy with my role and my contribution. It is a really good bunch of people and players. Obviously, Rudy was the focus of our team. It was great to play with him. Statistically, with Rudy doing so much, I didn't have a great year, but it was probably the most enjoyable year of basketball I've ever had. I feel like I played well and improved a lot and the team did well." Castleberry led the team in steals and free throw percentage, was second in free throws made and in assists, and was the third leading scorer. The Cavaliers won the MIAA "A" Conference Tournament and were ranked No. 2 in the Baltimore Sun and No. 12 in the Washington Post. They compiled a 29-8 record, 19-4 in combined BCL/MIAA"A" Conference play. With Brooks graduated, Coach Glick will move Castleberry to the starting point guard position in 2004-2005. What does Glick see as Justin's strengths? "First of all, Justin is very versatile. He can play either guard position. He is a very mature, smart player. He is very strong physically. His strength helps him be a good rebounder from the guard position and it also enables him to take the bump when he drives into the lane. He is very good at drawing fouls and he is an excellent free throw shooter. He is a pretty good outside shooter and I think he has improved in that area and will still get better. He is a good defensive player, but I still think he needs to work on that a little. He is a quality person, a great student. He is very unselfish on the floor and makes the players around him better." Beyond his basketball abilities, college coaches are attracted to his outstanding grades. “Justin has a 1290 on his SAT and about a 3.4 GPA. He is taking Honors Classes and AP Courses. He has four scholarship offers on the table from four colleges and a lot of other schools interested in him. Bucknell, Colgate, Lehigh, Holy Cross, American University, Yale, Columbia...mostly Ivy League and Patriot League." Justin told us that he has already taken unofficial visits to Lehigh and Colgate. He has not taken any official recruiting visits yet. He confirmed that he is possibly interested in playing in either the Ivy League or Patriot League. "I'd like to major in either Computer Science or Management Information Systems," said Castleberry. Castleberry played AAU ball with the D.C, Blue Devils from thee time he was 10 years old until last year. He played on the outstand Blue Devil 17 & Under Team that went to the AAU Nationals last year. Justin now plays AAU with the other Spalding players on a team called the Fighting Irish. The team also has players from Laurel HS and some Anne Arundel schools. "I'm looking forward to next season,” said Castleberry, "even without Rudy, I think we'll be very good."

May 27, 2004 by James Quinn MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff MdVarsity.com caught up with Spalding Head Coach Mike Glick Tuesday night. We plan on tripping to the Severn, Md., Catholic High School for an “in the Gym” to get an early look at the Cavalier’s 2004-2005 Team. Even though All-American Rudy Gay will be off to Connecticut next year, and Spalding loses five other seniors, Coach Glick is very excited about next season. Coach Glick told us that his three returning seniors, Marquis Sullivan, Lawrence Dixon and Justin Castleberry, are all getting a lot of D-I college interest. “All three of those kids will get D-I scholarships next year, said Glick, “Lawrence Dixon has absolutely ‘blown up’ this off-season, he is going to have a great senior year. You won’t believe how much he has improved in the two months or so since the season ended.” Meanwhile, Coach Glick told us that each of the six seniors on the Spalding roster have definitized their college/prep school plans for next year: - Rudy Gay 6’9” Forward ……. Signed with Connecticut - Jason Loughry 6’11” Center … Signed with Mt. St. Mary’s - Jesse Brooks 5’10” Point Guard …Notre Dame Prep (Massachusetts) “Jesse is being reclassified as a senior, he’ll be attending Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts. He is going up there with three other Baltimore kids from Cecil-Kirk (AAU Team),” said Glick. - Matt Cornell 6’4” Forward …Signed lacrosse scholarship with Ohio State - Kevin Galinat 6’2” Guard…Will attend and play basketball at Division III Mary Washington College. “Kevin was one of their top recruits this year,” said Glick. - Jason Johns 5’9” Point Guard…“Jason didn’t play a lot for us, but he had a great attitude. He was a valuable practice player, very popular with the other players and students. He is a good student and I’m really pleased to say that he has been accepted to the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, “ said Glick