By: Mark Thomas Date: December 20, 2002 GREENBELT, MD (E.Roosevelt HS)-It was supposed to be a mismatch. It started off like a mismatch. Down 13-0, a 1-4 E.Roosevelt squad could've easily quit. Instead, they played their hearts out and might've done something to turn their season around, falling 56-51 in OT. As for Spalding, they were staring at their first L, as they trailed 48-45 with :10.9 left in regulation. During a time out, Spalding head coach Mike Glick turned to big man Will Bowers and told him that this is the shot he's wanted to take his whole life and he's getting it. The 7-foot Bowers received the pass above the 3 point line at the top of the key. With one motion, he calmly buried the 3, looking like it was a regular part of his repertoire. It was the 2nd 3-pointer of his career. Despite a knee that was obviously bothering him, Bowers scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. He and 6'9 Jared Gaither from E.R. (15 points) were causing tremors throughout the gym as these two wide bodies battled in the paint. Spalding also got a scintillating performance from one of the country's top juniors, Rudy Gay. The 6'7 Gay had 29 points and 10 rebounds. 19 of his points were in the book by halftime. Two of the biggest came in overtime with the score tied at 50 and about 1:05 left on the clock. Gay received a pass just outside the paint in the left side low post. He was immediately doubled. He calmly stepped through the double team and hit a short jumper. 52-50 Spalding and the Cavaliers never relinquished the lead. Gay scored the game's first points with a dunk and slammed home an airball at the end of the 1st quarter. Spalding led 23-11 at the end of that quarter and pushed the lead to 27-13. Gay was sprinkling shots from all over the court as he displayed very nice touch. Again, ER could've folded, but they went on a 15-0 run and led at the half, 28-27. They did it with some outstanding pressure defense. All the sudden, we had a ball game on our hands. I don't think anyone led by more than 3 points in the 2nd half, as each side seemed to counter with constant clutch shots. Biggest key stat of the game is probably ER's woeful free throw shooting. They were 11-27 from the FT line. Spalding was 11-16. Only 4 Spalding players scored tonight- Gay, Brooks, Durr and Bowers. Bowers REALLY competed tonight. ER was led by 15 from Gaither and 15 from Carl Campbell. This was a great game for both teams in terms of their preparation for the rest of the season. Spalding faced better defense than they will probably see all year in the BCL. E.R. has to exit with a confidence boost. Look for them to get better as their bevy of young players learn their system.

Maryland High School Boys Basketball State Poll "The Only True Basketball State Poll in Maryland." 12/16/02 Compiled by Jeff Graves for the Media. The poll is voted on by a panel of selected state media members. Schools are ranked by votes received. The number in parenthesis reflects first-place votes. LW is last week's ranking. Rk. School Record Points LW 1. Montrose Christian (7) 2-0 194 1 2. Archbishop Spalding (3) 5-0 191 2 3. DeMatha 5-0 180 3 4. Oxon Hill 3-0 170 4 5. Friendly 3-0 155 7 6. Suitland 3-0 142 9 7. Riverdale Baptist 7-1 131 13 8. Thomas Johnson 1-1 116 6 9. National Christian 3-1 109 11 10. Lake Clifton 2-1 102 5 11. Mount St. Joseph 5-0 95 16 12. Good Counsel 4-3 85 8 13. Magruder 2-1 82 14 14. Douglass-Balt. 3-0 61 NR 15. Randallstown 2-0 55 18 16. Bullis Prep 3-1 42 NR 17. Bishop McNamara 6-2 37 20 18. Georgetown Prep 4-1 34 NR 19. Mervo 1-3 31 12 20. Calvert Hall 5-0 19 NR Others Receiving Votes: Annapolis, 14; St. John's-PH, 14; Pocomoke, 13; Wicomico, 10; Eleanor Roosevelt, 5; McDonogh, 3; Boys' Latin, 2; St. Maria Goretti, 2; Watkins Mill, 2; Lansdowne, 1; Meade, 1; Paint Branch, 1; Thomas Stone, 1. Any questions can be sent to JMG010883@aol.com

No. 1 Spalding boxes up Goretti, Davis, 50-34 Unbeaten Cavaliers use box-and-one defense to limit Gaels star to 4 points By Pat O'Malley Sun Staff Originally published December 16, 2002 The almost always reliable box-and-one defense carried top-ranked Archbishop Spalding to a 50-34 victory over St. Maria Goretti of Hagerstown yesterday in Severn. It was the second win in the combined Catholic League and Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference for the host Cavaliers (4-0, 2-0). The game was a rematch of last season's Catholic League/MIAA A final, which was won, 45-36, by Spalding, and it was the league opener for the Gaels (3-3). Senior guards Jesse Brooks, Matt Latonick and Dave Douglas anchored the Cavaliers' box-and-one defense that took the Gaels' leading scorer and only returning starter, Derrick Davis, out of the offense. "Their defense got to us in the second half, and they monitored Derrick excellently," said Goretti coach Cokey Robertson, who is eight wins from becoming only the second coach in state history to win 700 games. "They took Derrick out, and we didn't have anybody to step up." The Cavaliers held Davis, who averages about 20 points, to four points. "We tried to get him out of the game early, didn't want to get him started because we know he's a good player, and he could have lit us up with a lot of points, " said Brooks, who, with teammate Gus Durr, were the only players to score in double digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively. In their zone defense, the Gaels double-teamed the Cavaliers' 7-footer, Will Bowers, who did not have a field goal and had six points from the foul line. "And they did a good job of taking Rudy Gay out of the game," Spalding coach Mike Glick said of his 6-8 forward who was held to four points. It didn't matter because the Cavaliers have too many weapons and made 24 of 33 foul shots, while Goretti only went to the line seven times, converting five. "I think a key thing was our big men rebounding in the second half," said Douglas. "We had him [Davis] in the box, but Will stepped up on the boards. He didn't score as many points as he wanted to, but his rebounding was key in the game." Bowers had nine rebounds, including five on the defensive side in the second half, as he prevented the Gaels from getting second shots. He also altered a number of Goretti's shots. Davis, who was 1-for-8 from the field, was shut out in the first half and got his only field goal in the third quarter. Spalding's hustling defense held the Gaels to 2-for-15 shooting from the field in the third quarter and 14-for-48 (29 percent) for the game. While the Cavaliers, who led 25-24 at halftime, scored only seven in the third quarter to push their lead to 32-28, they secured the victory by making 14 of 19 free-throw attempts in the final quarter. G--Nelson 7, Spierenberg 8, Davis 4, Breslin 9, Costello 4, Tornetta 2. Totals 14 5-5 34. S--Brooks 13, Douglas 6, Gay 4, Bowers 6, Durr 12, Latonick 4, Brackney 3, Dixon 2. Totals 12 24-33 50. Half: S, 25-24. Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun

Spalding and St. Albans Start Season With a Bang!! By: Mark Thomas MD Varsity.com Date: December 10, 2002 So many things to say as I think about this one...Where to start??? First- Absolutely two of the BEST coaches around going head to head. I'd be crazy to pass up seeing St. Albans Bob Brown (16 seasons, 241 wins and 151 losses) and Spalding's Mike Glick (10th season, 194-92) match wits. I would let either of them coach my team any day. Brown is long overdue for some coaching recognition. Second- Meet the new and improved Rudy Gay. The 6'7 Junior has come so far from where he was as a player last year at Eastern Tech. He is stronger, more assertive, more active, more confident and seems like a flat out better basketball player. His athletic ability is undeniable. Georgetown, Charlotte and West Virginia all saw him score 15 points and block 3? shots tonight. I can only imagine how much more he will develop as last year he kind of floated at times. I am excited to watch him. Credit Rudy for some hard work and Coach Glick and staff for working with him. Third- St. Albans has one of the best backcourts around and they are all underclassmen. Manny Quazada (6'2/180) is a sophomore and is the best of the bunch. He had 20 points tonight and he just plays so smoothly and in control. He really distributes the ball well and can score in multiple ways with never needing to dunk or jump over top of someone. The other two are Junior Cameron Dantlely (6'0/190 and son of THE Adrian Dantley)who also plays quite smart and is effective around the basket getting put-backs. He had 19 points. The 3rd jewel is junior Ruben Montilla (5'11/170). Ruben only had 3 points tonight, but his influence was felt all over the game with his defense and distribution. I say this now and I want you to listen carefully. Manny Quazada is one of the best guards and prehaps the best "basketball player" in the entire DC area. He won't blow you away with his athletic ability, but nobody around can stop him. He is a sophomore. Fourth- There is this 6'2 white kid named Matt Latonick who made 5-6 3pters for Spalding and was HUGE. Fifth- Will Bowers was in early foul trouble and not much of a factor. Watching him play, he gives you everything he has. He really makes you root for him. That being said, I think he is a long way from being able to contribute at MD. Give him 2-3 years. He should redshirt next season, but I hesistate to say that too fast. You should usually see a kid play 2-3 times before judging. Now to the game... Spalding jumped out of the gate fast. Rudy Gay was everywhere and the Cavaliers led 19-6 at the end of the 1st period. 2nd and 3rd Qs belonged to St. Albans. They eventually used some pressure defense to change things up. In the 2nd Q, St. Albans outscored Spalding 18-7 and in the 3rd Q they got them 13-8. Key moments in the 3rd period included a tough Manny Quazada 2 off of a nice pass from Montilla. Then, on the break, St. A's Jugo Karetanovic (I'll have fun saying that one on TV) hit Cameron Dantley for a layup and the Bulldogs took their first lead at 33-31. By the end of the 3rd period, St. Albans was leading 37-34. 4th period...St. Albans was able to extend the lead to 46-39 with about 4:00 to play. Then, Rudy Gay helped launch Spalding on a 9-0 spurt. First Gay blocked a shot, then he came up with a monster follow slam. Latonick hit a 3 (his 5th) and Jesse Brooks got 3 the old fashioned way- 2+1. With 2:52 to play, Spalding reclaimed the lead at 47-46. Manny Q hit a 3 to put St. A up 51-49. Will Bowers got his only bucket of the night to tie it at 51. Will scored on an aggressive layup and really risked fouling out. Tied at 51 with :09 left to play. Spalding calls on Jesse Brooks to go one on one from the top of the key. He gets his shot blocked, but the ref calls a foul on the penetration move. Brooks hits 1-2 FTs as Spalding leads 52-51 with :04.1 to play. St. A gathered the rebound on the missed 2nd shot and called a TO with 2.2 left on the clock. Football QB Cameron Dantley inbounds past the harassing, 7'0 Bowers. They get it to Montilla just across half court. Montilla launches a shot that looks good, but hits the back of the iron and comes out. The St. A players collapse to the floor in disappointment. Spalding wipes off their brow with a sense of relief. They could've easily taken their first loss tonight. A doozie in Northwest Washington tonight.

Published December 8th By KEVIN BRADFORD, Staff Writer Anne Arundel Capital/Gazette COLLEGE PARK -- Archbishop Spalding earned a monumental victory over a storied national program. Annapolis was flat-out embarrassed in a lopsided loss to one of Maryland's most successful public schools. That was the difference between the two Anne Arundel County schools in yesterday's seventh annual Morgan Wootten Invitational at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center. Rudy Gay and Will Bowers led the way as Spalding, ranked No. 2 in the state, defeated Archbishop Molloy 56-52 in a showdown between Baltimore Catholic League and New York Catholic League powerhouses. "I think it's a significant win for our program, our league and Anne Arundel County. Our league is viewed as not as competitive as the New York Catholic League, but this shows our league can play at the national level," Spalding coach Mike Glick. Richard Thomas had 29 points, six rebounds and five steals as seven-time state champion Thomas Johnson handled Annapolis 76-52 in the first prep game ever at Comcast in the opening game of the event. Thomas Johnson, which has won the fourth-most state titles in Maryland history and is ranked No. 6 in the state, ended Annapolis' 42-game regular-season winning streak. It was the Panthers' first regular-season loss since falling to Dulaney 64-61 exactly two years to the day on Dec. 7, 2000. Archbishop Molloy, the alma mater of former ACC and NBA star guards Kenny Anderson and Kenny Smith, has won 817 games and five New York Catholic championships under legendary 45-year coach Jack Curran. Yet the Briarwood, N.Y., school, which finished last season ranked No. 5 in the East Region by USA Today, couldn't handle Gay and Bowers in the post. "Spalding is very good. They have the constant factors with both big guys in the middle. Both are good and Gay played excellent. He was hard to keep away from the basket," Curran said. Gay, a 6-foot-7 swingman rated as one of the nation's top juniors, had 18 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots and made 8-of-9 field goals in his Spalding debut after transferring from Eastern Tech in Baltimore. "I was so proud of Rudy's performance. He played so composed despite having four fouls the whole fourth quarter. Great players make great plays in big games, and that's what he did. He gives us a versatile player who can play inside or out," Glick said. Bowers, a 7-foot, 250-pound senior center who signed with defending NCAA champion Maryland, totaled 12 points, five boards and one block in his first game on his future homecourt. Gay and Bowers combined for four of the high-flying Cavaliers' five dunks. Bowers couldn't have asked for a better start as he threw down a two-handed monster dunk for his first basket at Comcast. He showed off his athletic ability later in the game when he took a fastbreak pass from point guard Jesse Brooks on the wing and soared in for another slam. While Bowers lifted Spalding in the first half with eight points, Gay took over after halftime with 13 points, including nine in the decisive fourth quarter. "Rudy really carried us in the second half. It's a really good win for us. We could've folded at some parts of the game, but we didn't," Bowers said. Gay put an exclamation point on the win when he jammed home an alley-oop pass from Brooks with 32 seconds left. "Coming from Eastern Tech, we didn't play teams like this. It's great to beat a team with such a great past," Gay said. Brooks, a junior point guard, had an impressive all-around floor game directing the offense with 10 points, eight assists and three rebounds. Senior guard Dave Douglas also stepped up with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting. Douglas also anchored a packed-in defense that held Molloy 5-11 senior guard Marlon Smith, a major Division I recruit, to just 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting. In the first game, Thomas Johnson executed its flex offense to near-perfection in shooting 60 percent from the field (26-for-43) and 56 percent from 3-point range (9-16). The Patriots limited the Panthers to 39 percent shooting (17-for-44). Annapolis senior forward Josh Johnson had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Panthers lost their fifth straight game on the University of Maryland campus, where they've made a state-record 25 state tournament appearances. They fell to 7-24 all-time in College Park, where they haven't won since capturing their second state title in 1990. "This game was a lesson. Hopefully we can get back here (for the state tournament). I think we can do it. We just need to look at the tape and see what we did wrong and try to have another great season," Johnson said. Annapolis senior guard Laronja Owens, the returning county Player of the Year who averaged 23.4 points last year, was held to 12 points. "They are a well-coached team," Owens said of Thomas Johnson. "We got some experience against another competition level and we'll know how to handle it when we play another tough team later." Spalding (1-0)13111517--56 Molloy (2-1)1513915--52 Spalding (56)Douglas 4-6 0-2 8, Durr 1-6 0-0 2, Latonick 1-5 0-0 3, Gay 8-9 2-4 18, Brackney 1-4 0-0 3, Bowers 4-8 4-8 12, Brooks 3-6 4-6 10. Totals: 22-44 10-18 56. 3-Pointers: 2-9 (Latonick 1-5, Brackney 1-3, Brooks 0-1).Molloy (52)Miller 1-10 0-0 3, Mackey 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 3-9 4-4 12, Gaines 7-10 5-8 23, Marnika 1-8 1-2 3, Abit 4-4 3-4 11. Totals: 19-42 13-18 52. 3-Pointers: 7-27 (Miller 1-9, Mackey 0-1, Smith 2-7, Gaines 4-6, Marnika 0-4). Published December 08, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. Copyright © 2002 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.