Damn you, Kenner

[hoyaboy1]

Well, I showed up at 7:30 to find that there were 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter of our game. We won 76-66, and I hope somebody was there for a recap. I don't see why they feel the need to change every start time.

[FrostbackHoya]

The do it to keep bin Laden from learning how to play sloppy streetball -- even HIS operatives can't keep the file 'updated'...

[EasyEd]

Does anyone have any feedback on this game? Even any "Joe told me that Frank saw the game and this is what happened"?

[Thomas]

I thought the organizers of the Kenner League look to screw EVERYONE except the Tombs, NBA players, and streetball "legends." I was surprised to see that the Tombs game was moved up and that they were playing a different team, not the one on the scedule. Today, they are scheduled to play against the Bulldogs at 3:30PM. The Bulldogs have a guy named Derrick Payne, who is somewhat of a D.C.streetball player, he is apparantly going to play for Bowie State. He will be the guy with the good athleticism who will drive to the basket or shoot it every time he touches it.

[DFW HOYA]

Does Derrick Payne have any eligibility left?

He was a senior in 1997, Georgetown passed on him, he goes to Maine Central Institute, signed by Southern, then failed to graduate and invalidated his LOI, went to San Jacinto JC... and now is still looking to play college ball?

[Thomas]

I believe Derrick Payne has eligibilty left because he never attended a 4-year college. I think he graduated Coolidge High School in 1999, was considered a top 100 prospect but didn't have the grades to qualify. He was considered a top tier juco prospect at San Jacinto and was recruited by Umass and Minnesota but didn't go on to those schools. Bowie State somehow has managed to get him in. They also have another local player named Kevin Bell who will also be suiting up for them this year. Bowie State has built themself into a D-II power by bringing in "questionable" players from D-1 programs. That can't be a safe thing to do. Derrick Payne played well for the Bulldogs as they were getting pounded by Tombs.

[hoyalove4ever]

Payne was a beast in HS. Too bad JT and/ or Esh couldn't whack him in the head and get him to make the grades, or we might have a few more NCAA banners in McD.

[Hilltopper]

What we would have had, is a series of violations on our hands...not to mention an average player. Derrick was a very talented HS player. He was a tweener, though, whose game does not transfer to D-1.

What's worse though is his attitude (after getting a tech, and his coach asking him to calm down, he told the coach to "Shut the #*&! up."...then later refused to go back in the game), his grades, and his "extra-curricular" habits. We did not and do not need Payne.

I know the DCIAA very well- the things he did in high school would not have flown in 95% of the leagues in the US. The DCIAA has nobody willing to take a stand. It's a shame. There is so much talent in DC that will never get to Georgetown or anywhere else for that matter, because the DC Public School system is failing them.

Bebe, Big Sky, Billy Martin, Vic- anybody want to bet on the next DCPS player to matriculate on the Hilltop?

[Thomas]

About a year ago, when trying to find information on what happened to Derrick Payne. Someone posted that he was spotted on a D.C.street participating in his "extra-curricular" habit. In recent years, Dunbar and Wilson have produced players who have gone straight to 4-year schools. Dunbar is a DCIAA school that does a good job of preparing athletes for college. Since Hilltopper is in the know about the DCIAA, what is up with Deonte Taylor of H.D.Woodson?? He is about 6-4 or 6-5, is extremely athletic, and finished school this past spring. There were several talented seniors from the DCIAA from the past 2 years(Ricky Branham, Sohi Frazier, Babcar Thiam) who seemed to have D-1 talent that have totally disappeared. In my opinion, D.Taylor was the best of them. As for the next DCIAA player to come to Georgetown, what about Jeffrey Owens of Theodore Roosevelt, he is a rising junior, and plays for D.C.Assault. Plus, don't schools like Dematha, Montrose Christian, and Gonzaga get talented guys from D.C. to play for them.

[Hilltopper]

Recent DCIAA players going on to play in college include:

DUNBAR:
Brian Chase (Va Tech)
Tre Kelley (So. Carolina)
Bernard Robinson (Michigan- after prep)

CARDOZO:
Rick Branham (Va Tech- after JuCo)

COOLIDGE:
Dave Holmes (Manhattan- after prep)

ANACOSTIA
Donta Smith (Cal-after prep-I think)

SPINGARN:
Chakowby Hicks (Norfolk St.)

HD WOODSON:
Antoine Mayhand (Miami, Fl- after ?-don't get me started)

WILSON:
Ronald Timus (Morgan State)
Bradley Nesbitt (Morgan State)
Justin Ajose (Goucher)
Chipalo Street (Haverford)

I am sure I am forgetting somebody- my apologies

Don't know what's up with Deonte. If I had to guess, he would play college football, rather than hoops. And I don't think Jeff is a Big East player...not right now, at least.

The sad fact is that most DCIAA players can't qualify straight out of high school, and even those that can are set up for failure, as they are not prepared for college classes.

Forgot about Nate Burton in previous post- McKinley Tech grad (soon to rise from the ashes?)

Hoya Saxa.

[Thomas]

Another DCIAA product was Deon Saunders of Spingarn who is now at Southern University after stints at at least 2 other colleges. He went straight to a 4-year college out of Spingarn, though. He is playing for D.C. Assault at the Kenner League. He is also somewhat of a selfish player. I haven't seen Deonte Taylor play football, but there is NO WAY he can be as good at football as he is at basketball. I've seen his name listed as a prospect for basketball on some websites. A 2004 first-team All Met named Randy Hampton of Dunbar who will attend Drexel this fall. He was one of the better players in the regional game of the Capitol Classic, didn't Jeff Green mention how good he played? I figure that a lot of athletes aren't prepared for college work but don't the universities give those guys "special elective courses" in order to get them through??

Another DCIAA underclassman that appears to have star qualities is rising junior Lester Williams of Cardozo, didn't he ABUSE guys like Marcus Ginyard and Freddie Stanback as Cardozo shocked O'Connell for the City Title. I was at the WCAC playoffs, believed the top 6 or 7 teams in the WCAC were far better than any team in the DCIAA, and thought the DCIAA champion would get destroyed in the City Title game. Unfortunately, I am hearing that Lester Williams is already having academic issues at Cardozo. That can't be a good sign.

[Hilltopper]

That speaks to the DCIAA right there. How many games did he play last year. He sat out the whole year and played the playoffs. If I am a WCAC coach, I raise hell. I wouldn't be surprised to see the "City Title" game go away if the DCIAA does shape up soon. It almost didn't happen a few years ago.

[Thomas]

I think Lester Williams started playing for Cardozo during the last 6 or 7 games of their regular season. There only loss with him in the lineup was against Dunbar, a game in which Randy Hampton scored 40. I heard the reason he didn't play for Cardozo until late in the season is because he was academically ineligible. Cardozo had a freshman guard, who started last year named Antonio Cooper, he is also very good. The WCAC constantly has players transfer in and out, I don't know if you can only point the finger at the DCIAA. Either way, O'Connell appeared to be superior to Cardozo in every way, yet they were defeated. I haven't seen Lester Williams listed as a college prospect, but I got to believe that a player who can drop 29 on a defensive-minded team like O'Connell must be a big time player. He scored over 20 points in most of the games he played in. They stopped televising the City Title game for some reason, so I couldn't see how L.Williams abused O'Connell.

Hilltopper, when you say that the City Title game almost didn't happen a few years ago, are you referring to Spingarn bringing in a bunch of guys from Virginia and New York to play for them?