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There are four finalists for this week’s BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Player of the Week award.
They are: Andrew Kimberly of the Fairfield Ludlowe boys basketball team, Addie Mckeon and Nicole Carroll of the Greenwich girls hockey team, and Elise Sondheim of the Fairfield Warde cheerleading team.
The winner, who will be announced tomorrow, will receive a plaque and T-shirt from BlueStreak.
Nominations for next week’s award will be accepted starting at noon tomorrow.
When Kelly Palma was in 8th grade, she wrote a letter to Craig Pucci, the volleyball coach at Trinity Catholic High School.
“I wanted him to know I was coming and really interested in volleyball,” Palma recalled. “I had a feeling I would develop a passion for volleyball.
Palma was correct, and because of it letters of introduction are no longer necessary. Earlier this month the 5-foot-8 hitter decided to attend Seton Hall as a preferred walk-on, which means she will have the opportunity to eventually earn a scholarship.
“It just seemed like a perfect fit,” said Palma, who picked the Pirates over several schools, including Sacred Heart. “Academically and athletically. When I went for a visit it just seemed like I was supposed to be there.”
In a press release issued by the school, Seton Hall coach Kris Zeiter said, “Kelly is a very raw volleyball player with a lot of upside. She jumps very well and will help us with depth at all three front row positions. ”She is an exceptional student and will be a great addition to this recruiting class.”
Palma played on the Trinity basketball team for her first two years at the school, then decided to commit to playing volleyball year-round, playing at the club level outside of the Crusaders’ season.
“It gave her a chance to play more and work on her skills,” Trinity coach Craig Pucci said. “When she gave up basketball, that’s when her game changed. After her junior year you could see she had a shot at making somebody’s team. She stepped up her game.”
Eileen Ornousky, Palma’s teammate at Trinity and close friend, noticed the same level of commitment.
“She’s always wanted it,” Ornousky said. “I like playing volleyball, but she was different. You could see how much she wanted to play.”
Palma was part of a senior-dominated Trinity team last fall that reached the semifinal round of the FCIAC Tournament and semifinals of the state tournament.
Pucci said Palma has a lot of skills that will serve her well at the next level.
“She’s a great passer and has a lot of all-around skills,” Pucci said. “She’s a good defensive passer and she has a good offensive game. She has a good approach and good jumping ability.”
Palma said she is looking forward to the chance to prove herself playing in the Big East.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I always like to push myself as hard as I can, and if that is what it takes to get better at volleyball, that’s what I want to do.”
The high school basketball season has reached the midway point. A lot can — and will — happen before the postseason begins next month.
Here are some early impressions:
— The overall quality of boys basketball is as weak as I can ever remember.
— Girls basketball is even weaker. In a strange way, as we shall see, that negative will become a positive in a few weeks.
— The boys basketball title is Central’s to lose. The Hilltoppers are more talented, deeper and have better athletes than anybody in the league. The difference between them and the next-best team is wide. Right now the only team that can beat Central is Central.
—If the Hilltoppers are No. 1, which team is the favorite for the second seed in the FCIAC Tournament? That is wide open. A case can be made for St. Joseph, Warren Harding and Bassick as the balance of power this year has moved East.
Bassick, which improved to 7-0 in the conference after last night’s win over Trinity Catholic, has been a surprise. The Lions lost most of their talent from a year ago and their best player, Joshua Hamilton, has not played since the opening game and, according to coach Harrison Taylor, is not expected back for a few more weeks. If Hamilton returns Bassick might have the best chance at the second seed.
St. Joseph is a better version of its recent teams. The Cadets will pound opponents on the boards and have difficulty against teams with speed. They have played Central tougher than anyone.
Many people believe Greg Langston is the Cadets’ best player. It is Timajh Parker.
Harding coach Charlie Bentley is back into hockey form. That means he can sub five players in and five players out at a time, a favorite maneuver of his, and one that has served him well over the years. It has been a while since he has been deep enough to do this.
Willie Gray is a dangerous scorer and the Presidents will be a difficult out with Laquan Mendenhall running the show.
These are probably your top four seeds in some configuration.
— Stamford is the wild card team this season. Right now the Black Knights have been hurt by the absence of a reliable point guard, which in effect neutralizes their big three of Mark Ellis, Marc Guirand and Jethro Anilus. It is no secret that the best way to play Stamford is with a relentless press.
Yet the Black Knights might have played their best ball in a loss. They were nearly flawless for the first 15 minutes of the second half against Harding, then turned the ball over down the stretch and lost.
If Stamford can solve its ballhandling problems — a big if given coach Jim Moriarty is still searching for answers — Anilus will get more open looks and become the outside weapon he was a year ago and Ellis will get more points in the paint. Ellis has to break his habit of first-half foul trouble.
And Guirand is one of the most underrated players in the league.
— This could be the first FCIAC Tournament without Trinity Catholic since 1997. The Crusaders finished 10-12 that season and right now sit at 4-5. They have been unable to compensate for the loss of forward Takari Smalls, whose presence in a down year could have elevated the team into contention for one of the top seeds.
Trinity has little margin for error, and nearly beat Bassick last night and almost swept St. Joseph. But the Crusaders are usually their own worst enemy, making poor decisions and unforced mistakes.
The Crusaders will probably have to come close to running the table against non-top tier teams and perhaps need to steal a win against either Harding or Stamford. It is possible, but will not be easy.
— This could be the year for schools like Ridgefield, Trumbull and Fairfield Warde to make a return to the league playoffs
— The girls basketball playoffs will be WIDE open. In recent seasons there has always been a strong favorite or two. Not this year. The difference between the top and eighth seeds will be narrower than ever.
Ridgefield, Danbury and St. Joseph look like the favorites right now, but Staples, Trinity Catholic, New Canaan, Stamford and Darien are all capable of winning three games and the title. If there is a year for a lower seed to be crowned champion, this is it.
The 8th Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience was held Monday night at the Greenwich Hyatt. It is the primary fundraiser for the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund, which was created to perpetuate the legacy of one of Stamford’s greatest youth coaches, and awards youth scholarships to sophomore male, and starting this year female, student-athletes at Trinity Catholic, Westhill and Stamford High School.
The fund also established the Wellington Mara Award for an outstanding youth coach and pours money back into many Stamford youth sports organizations.
Full Disclosure: I am on the charity’s Board of Directors.
Wahstudio in Stamford was on hand to capture the event, and gave me these pictures from the night, which drew around 1,000 people. Click on the photos to enlarge.
Bobby Valentine (left) and Jim Nantz of CBS Sports
Former Notre Dame and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Hanratty (left) and Bobby Valentine.
Bobby Valentine (left), Mets general manager Omar Minaya (center), Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and the World Series trophy.
2009 scholarship winners (from left) Patrick Murphy, Zac Krowitz and Zach Lyman
Boxing historian Bert Sugar entertains some admiring fans.
Former Trinity Catholic and UConn basketball star Rashamel Jones with scholarship winners.
Sheila Mara presents the Wellington Mara award to Junie DeLeo, with board president Jerry Lione (far left) and Bobby Valentine (far right).
Nobody runs a live auction better than Bobby Valentine.
The Staples High School baseball team has won the last two FCIAC championships. Today the winning pitchers in the title games announced they are headed to Ivy League schools to continue their careers.
David Speer, who has become one of the top clutch pitchers in league history, has committed to play at Columbia, while Jimmy Sikorski will be attending Cornell.
Speer, who shut down favored Westhill in the 2008 final, 3-1, has a career 15-3 mark with an unearned run average under 1.00. More impressive, he is 4-0 in conference playoff games and was named to both the All-FCIAC and All-State teams his first two seasons.
Sikorski, who allowed just one earned run in a 5-3 victory over the Vikings in last year’s final, had a 5-2 record last season.
With another strong pool of candidates to choose from, Doug DelBene of the Ridgefield boys basketball team and Olivia Hompe of the New Canaan girls hockey team have been selected as co-winners of the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Player of the Week award.
DelBene and Hompe will each receive plaques and T-shirts from BlueStreak.
DelBene put on a tour de force performance with 38 points in a win over Brien McMahon. He followed that off with a 19-point effort in a victory over Westhill.
Hompe scored three goals — two shorthanded and one on a power play — and an assist in a win over Trumbull. She also had two goals and two assists in a victory over Wilton.
Nominations for next week’s award will be accepted starting at noon today and run until noon next Tuesday.
Part of what makes the Stamford sports community so special is the many people who give back.
There is no greater example of this than Junie DeLeo. He has coached the Clairol team in the Springdale Little League for the past 48 years. He has amazingly coached 933 games, with five city and 12 league championships.
More important is the approximately 625 players who have learned the values of teamwork and sportsmanship from a man who has given tireless hours to teach young baseball players the fundamentals of the game and life lessons.
DeLeo’s work was recognized last night by the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund. At its 8th Annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience, DeLeo received the Wellington Mara Award for coaching excellence.
(Full disclsoure: I am a board member of the charity).
Here is a video of DeLeo receiving his award from Bobby Valentine, Sheila Mara, the daughter of the late Giants owner, and DeLeo’s speech.
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