Overtime: High school athletics in Connecticut

There was the prom on Friday and the softball team’s FCIAC championship yesterday. But a perfect weekend for Westhill High School was spoiled this afternoon when the baseball team lost to Staples in the conference final for the second straight year, 5-3.

The Wreckers’ Jimmy Sikorski pitched a complete-game three-hitter, most valuable player Jack Hennessy had three hits and scored twice, while left fielder MIke Rutski snuffed out a rally in the sixth inning by throwing out the Vikings’ Steve Rivera at the plate.

Westhill did all its scoring in the fourth inning, overcoming a 3-0 deficit. The Vikings took advantage of two errors and got an RBI single from Alex Rough and Bobby Horn’s sacrifice fly.

Staples became the first repeat champion in the sport since Trinity Catholic won back-to-back titles in 1999-2000.

Both teams must bounce back tomorrow in the opening round of the state tournament, their third games in three days.

Marist senior shortstop Melissa Giordano was named a third team Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA on Wednesday. Giordano, a former Stamford High School star, is the second Marist athlete to earn the All-American status, as well as the second softball player in program history to garner the award.

“I am proud to be a part of such an elite group of players that are very accomplished on and off the field,” Giordano said in a press release released by the school. “It speaks very highly of the education I received from Marist College. It is an honor to be recognized for my academics.”

Giordano was the 2009 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year. She led the conference in batting average (.429), on-base percentage (.491), hits (66), runs (42) and doubles (19). She added eight home runs and 21 runs batted in.

Additionally, Giordano was named First Team All-MAAC and is a three-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team. She set Marist single-season records in batting average and doubles.

Marist completed the 2009 season with a 16-33 record.

One of the more interesting debates among high school coaches is which means more: an FCIAC or state championship? I’ve heard arguments on both sides.

That question will be at the forefront the next few days for the Westhill baseball team — as well as Darien, Staples and Trumbull, the other semifinalists in the FCIAC Tournament. Thanks to the rain and the CIAC, it is conceivable that tomorrow’s winners might have to play four straight days, severely hampering their chances at a state title.

First a quick word about the CIAC, which would need a huge government bailout if it was a bank and not the governing body of high school sports in the state. Is there a more feckless organization around? I am convinced that there is no one making decisions with an IQ above single digits.

The state baseball tournaments will begin on Monday, with second-round games on Tuesday and then three days off before Saturday’s quarterfinals. No one can understand why. Wouldn’t it make more sense to go Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday or Monday-Wednesday-Saturday? That would be too practical for a group that should be renamed the CDAR: Can’t Do Anything Right.

Westhill baseball coach DJ Mulvany has had to think hard about how to set up his rotation with the prospect of playing four straight days after three off because of rain. Mulvany said he has decided to go with his ace, Steve Rivera, who won Tuesday’s quarterfinal game with Ludlowe, in tomorrow’s semifinal with Darien, then turn to John Porter for a possible title game.

Mulvany said he would likely then go with either Nate Newhall or Tyler Rich — whoever is more rested — for Monday’s game, then start the other on Tuesday if the Vikings win out.

Mulvany said there are two big reasons for starting Rivera today: you want to go with your best and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. Plus, Darien beat Porter during the regular season, 12-2, and also faced him in the preseason.

Asked if he thought about tinkering with the schedule because of the possibility of playing four straight days, Mulvany said, “No because I think it would send a bad message to the kids that a game wasn’t important. We’ve been talking all year about getting to Harbor Yard.”

The Vikings won the CIAC Class LL Tournament last season after losing to Staples in the FCIAC final.

So where does Mulvany stand on the league/state title debate?

“I think if you are going to win one I’d rather win the state tournament,” he said. “The tournament is state-wide and the best of the best get in. While I think the FCIAC is the most competitive league — that’s a bias on my part — and the FCIAC is important, the state I think is a bigger prize.”

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Stamford High senior Emily Powers, a starting defender for the school’s two-time state championship field hockey team, is playing lacrosse this spring though she had never picked up a stick before and the program is still competing on the JV level. She will tell you why and document the experience.)

By Emily Powers

The first uniform I put on when I arrived at Stamford High School four years ago was a cheerleading uniform.

Boy, how things have changed.

High school is just about over, and among the many things I am going to be leaving behind is the athletic program.

I’m using my last entry to recap the accomplishments that have come from being part of the Stamford athletic program.

Freshman year really began in 8^th grade, when I tried out to be a part of the Stamford High cheerleading team. It was something as a young girl I had always aspired to be a part of. There was a legacy for winning FCIACs every year, and always dominating when it came to competitions.

That season for us was no different. At tryouts, as a freshman, I had the fourth-highest score out of 30 cheerleaders, and my high school career started.

We won FCIACs, finished third in the state and got a bid to regionals for the first time in the program’s history.

While regionals didn’t go so well, it was still a huge accomplishment and I was proud — and still am — to be a part of that squad.

That spring, I was recruited to the track team and, well, let’s just say track wasn’t for me.

I don’t know what got into me, but sophomore year I traded the pom-poms and mini skirt for a field hockey stick and mini skirt. I went to one camp before the preseason from hell.

When I was doing my mile run completely out of shape, and my 300-yard sprints gasping for breath, I was wondering why I would ever trade the pom-poms in for this.

Everyone told me after the first week of preseason that it is not so bad, and they were right. I was on junior varsity that year and started on defense. (Why defense? Less running, in my mind.)

The varsity had a decent season, much better than the year before, and as for the JV, we held our own.

I opted to stick with the same fall sport my junior year, and it turned out to be the best decision of my life. Back to another preseason, this year much smoother, and that was because I had a completely different mindset going in. I was fighting for a spot on the varsity team. Both defenders had graduated and left us with big shoes to fill.

I guess I either had a great preseason, or sucked up to Coach Forker and Coach Lutz enough to get a starting spot. That season was spent training harder than anything I’ve ever trained for in my life, and the outcome was so rewarding it made it all worth it. The Stamford High field hockey team won the CIAC Class LL championship for just the second time in school history.

Senior year was the time for the members of the Class of 2009 to shine. I had impressed Forker enough in the 2007 season to be named a captain for the 2008 season.

Coming off a state championship, your expectations are that nothing less than victory is satisfactory. This made it really hard to lose our first game of the season to Greenwich.

The practice after that game was nothing but running, and if you know the Stamford High field hockey team, you know we are not big fans of sprinting. We won six straight games after that until Madi McLaughlin, one of the best players in the state and a fellow captain, got injured.

This truly was a rollercoaster season if there ever was one. After two players were suspended for a couple games, our season really took a turn for the worst. We lost to our city rival Westhill, 3-1, on our senior night, we got embarrassed by Darien, 6-0, and I guess many people were starting to lose faith after that.

That’s when we became lucky number 13. Being the 13^th seed going into the state tournament, we had a postseason of upsets and beat the best teams in the state, making it all the way back to the state championship game.

We ended up playing to a tie and becoming co-champions. Back-to-Back, as our state championship rings read.

I thought that would be my last game ever in a Stamford uniform, until I decided to pick up a lacrosse stick in the spring. While I wasn’t great at it, everyone told me that for a first-timer I learned the game pretty quickly.

My last game of the season, I had a shot on net that missed about five inches wide, and that’s when I knew I had improved greatly. The coaches and my teammates helped me through the season, never criticizing me and always wanting to lend a helping hand.

Four years ago, if you had told me I’d be where I am now, I wouldn’t have believed you. I made it to regionals for cheerleading, I’m a back-to-back state champion at a sport I only picked up as a sophomore, and I’m officially a lacrosse player.

High school has truly been a bumpy ride, but everything was well worth it. Though I won’t even again put the No. 10 Black Knight jerseys on, I will never forget any memory made in those jerseys.

So farewell Stamford athletics, and thanks to my coaches, teammates and athletic directors for a wonderful four years!

Note: An expanded version of this entry will be appearing in Sunday’s Stamford Advocate.

Tevin Baskin remembers an AAU game in Georgia two years ago, when he dove on the floor for a loose ball and landed under the seat of Tom Moore.

Moore should soon have a much better view of Baskin.

Baskin, the 6-foot-6 center on Trinity Catholic’s basketball team, ended months of speculation about his future with a 19-word statement just after noon on Wednesday.

“What I came in to tell you guys is that I have decided to attend Quinnipiac University next year,” Baskin told a small gathering in the school’s library.

Flanked by Mike Walsh, his coach at Trinity, and Torey Thomas, a former Crusaders star who has become a trusted advisor, Baskin divulged his intention to play next year for the Bobcats and Moore, their coach and a former assistant at the University of Connecticut.

Though the choice was expected, Baskin, who was pursued by many of the country’s top teams before narrowing his list to Quinnipiac, Manhattan and New Orleans, said he did not finalize his plans until late Tuesday night after a final conversation with his mother, Yolanda, and stepfather, Donald.

“Quinnipiac has a different feel,” Baskin said. “It’s big but it is not huge. It’s small but it’s not tiny. I had a relationship with Tom Moore when he was at UConn. He is going to be the type of coach who pushes me to the next level.”

Baskin led the Crusaders to a 24-2 mark this past season, averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds. The team was 92-12 during his career and reached the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference championship game in each of his four years, winning the title in 2008.

Trinity also reached the CIAC Class LL final that year, nearly upsetting Crosby behind Baskin’s 35-point, 12-rebound performance.

Baskin has not yet qualified to play next season and is awaiting his SAT scores before he can sign his National Letter of Intent.

Baskin will become the 12^th graduate from the Trinity program to play Division I basketball, following such luminaries as Rashamel Jones and Craig Austrie, who both went on to play at UConn and, along with Thomas, who played at Holy Cross, offered him advice throughout the recruiting process.

Perhaps Thomas has the best insight into what Baskin can look forward to. He was recruited to Holy Cross by current Quinnipiac assistant Sean Doherty, and coached by another assistant, Eric Eaton. Brijesh Patel, the Bobcats’ strength and conditioning coach, served in the same capacity at Holy Cross when Thomas was playing.

“He’s going to be in a good situation,” said Thomas, who just returned home after leading his professional team in The Netherlands into the playoffs. “We spoke a lot online from overseas.”

Baskin said the proximity of the Hamden campus also was a factor in his choice.

“People will be able to come see me play, and that’s a huge thing,” Baskin said.

Baskin visited each of the three schools on his final list during the past two weeks, most recently Quinnipiac eight days ago. Since that time he wrestled with his decision and when to announce it. He initially was going to last Saturday, but decided to delay it both because of the holiday weekend and he felt he needed more time.

Walsh said he thought Quinnipiac was a good fit for Baskin.

“Tevin’s been one of the greatest athletes to come through this program,” Walsh said. “It was a tough choice but a good choice.”

Walsh compared the situation to when Amanda Pape, the leading scorer in Stamford history, decided to attend Sacred Heart rather than a school with a higher profile. Pape went on to become the Pioneers’ career scoring leader and led them to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

“Everyone said she should go to a better school than that,” Walsh said. “She basically put Sacred Heart on the map and Tevin will have the opportunity to do that at Quinnipiac.”

Moore has been at Quinnipiac for two seasons and led it to a 15-16 mark this past winter. His name has also been mentioned in the ongoing investigation whether UConn violated NCAA rules in the recruitment of former guard Nate Miles.

Baskin, who is in the middle of finals before graduating in 10 days, said he was happy to be finished with what he termed a long and difficult road.

“It feels really good to get this done and over with,” Baskin said. “I can go back to being me.”

As expected, Trinity Catholic’s Tevin Baskin announced today that he will attend Quinnipiac University in the fall. The 6-foot-6 center spoke before a small gathering in the school library.

Baskin becomes the 12th Crusader to join a Division I program. One of them, Torey Thomas, who went on to play at Holy Cross and just returned from The Netherlands, where he plays professionally, was on hand for the announcement.

Baskin selected Quinnipiac over New Orleans and Manhattan. He said he did not make his final decision until late last night.

“It feels really good to get this done and over with,” Baskin said of the long process. “I’ll be close to home so people will be able to come see my play. And Quinnipiac has a different feel. It’s big but not huge. It’s small but it’s not tiny.”

I just got off the phone with Tevin Baskin, who is going to announce his college choice tomorrow at noon in the Trinity Catholic gymnasium.

Baskin said he has narrowed down his choice to three schools: Quinnipiac, New Orleans and Manhattan. Binghamton has been cut from his list.

While most seem to think he is headed for Quinnipiac, Baskin said he has not yet made his choice and doesn’t expect to until tonight, when he plans to sit down one final time with his mother and stepfather. He reiterated that he really enjoyed his visit to New Orleans.

“After I talk with my family I hope by 8 to have my final decision,” Baskin said.

Baskin said it has been a wild last few days, starting with his visit to Quinnipiac Wednesday, his prom on Thursday, studying for finals, which started today, and trying to escape the scrutiny over the holiday weekend.

“It has been crazy,” Baskin said. “Colleges are still calling trying to make a final push. I had to turn my phone off.”

Trinity Catholic basketball star Tevin Baskin will make a much-anticipated announcement of his college choice on Wednesday at noon at the school.

Baskin said Friday afternoon he has narrowed his decision down to four schools: Quinnipiac, Binghamton, New Orleans and Manhattan.

Baskin has visited each school except for Binghamton and was at Quinnipiac Wednesday night.

Baskin originally was going to reveal his choice Saturday, but decided he needed more time.

“I still have to talk over things with my family,” the 6-foot-6 center said. “I’ve basically been recruited by a lot of the conferences in the country. I’m planning not just for the next four years, but the next 40.”

With Baskin averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds, the Crusaders finished 24-2 last year. They lost to Stamford in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference final and to Bulkeley in the CIAC Class L quarterfinals.

Trinity was 92-12 during Baskin’s four years and appeared in four straight conference finals, winning the title in 2008.

One of Baskin’s best games was in the CIAC Class LL championship against Crosby his junior year. Baskin finished with 35 points and 12 rebounds as the Crusaders almost defeated the state’s top-ranked team before missing a shot at the buzzer and losing, 82-79.

Baskin said he is looking forward to putting the entire recruiting process behind him and moving forward.

“I’ll feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders,” he said.