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The Daily Times' boys basketball blog

Friday, August 20, 2010

CHESTER'S NELSON AWARDED EXTRA YEAR OF ATHLETIC ELIGIBLITY

At the Daily Times' All-Delco banquet in June, at which his NBA All-Star half-brother was delivering the keynote speech, Maurice Nelson wore a look of resentment.

Maybe it was because Nelson was uncertain that he'd ever return to the banquet for a second year.

Nelson was a student in limbo. A junior athletically and academically (though he'd already spent four years in high school), Nelson lobbied for an extra year of PIAA eligibility this week ... and received it.

The Chester shooting guard traveled to District One's office in Norristown Wednesday - with his mother, Chester athletic director Randy Legette, former Clippers coach Fred Pickett and current coach Larry Yarbray - to make his case in an official hearing.

Nelson became the second Chester boys basketball player in the last four years to appeal for and receive another year of eligibility. Russell Johnson finished his career at Chester in 2007-08, when the Clippers went on to win a PIAA Class AAAA title.

Now Nelson, with one more year to go, has a chance to make it back to the All-Delco banquet. Though it doesn't get much more special than being celebrated as an All-Delco with your half-brother, Jameer Nelson, addressing the rest of the county's top athletes in the same night.

For more on Nelson's hearing, check out Friday's Daily Times.

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

SUMMER UPDATES ON CARROLL GRADS IRVING, MINGLEDOUGH

Basketball season is still three months away - at least. So I usually don't track down any of the coaches until late October/November for this reason: bothering them on vacation.

Archbishop Carroll's Paul Romanczuk is a good sport, though. He was out on the West Coast last week when I reached out to him. Nonetheless, Romanczuk gave me an update on his two recently graduated seniors:

D.J. Irving, a Boston University commit, was in Beantown for most of the summer taking classes during the summer session. He recently came back to the area to participate in an open-gym exercises with the 2010-11 Carroll Patriots.

"He looks good and, from what I hear, he's going to get a real shot to play a lot at Boston University," Romanczuk. "I've heard that from Brian (Daly, BU assistant coach and former Monsignor Bonner head coach) and I've heard it from Pat (Chambers, BU head coach and former Villanova assistant). D.J.'s got a really good shot. I think Matt Griffin, the St. Joe's Prep grad, is the only guy he's got to beat."

Ben Mingledough, who had a fantastic senior season that bolstered his recruiting stock, is going the prep-school route this fall. He still has his scholarship to the University of Delaware. But, according to Romanczuk, the Blue Hens were caught in a numbers game and they'd rather not burn up Mingledough's red-shirt option.

"He's going to the Phelps School and I think that's best for him," Romanczuk said. "He's going to get bigger and stronger and, rather than have a wasted year, he'll make the most of it."

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

SOURCE: WEST'S YOUNGER HAS NOT TRANSFERRED TO PENN WOOD

West Catholic rising senior Aquil Younger announced Wednesday that he's given Drexel University a verbal commitment to play with the Dragons' men's basketball team in 2011-12.

Why is this news in Delaware County? Because Younger told a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer that he plans on spending his senior year at Penn Wood.

According to a Penn Wood source, Younger - a Lansdowne native - has not completed the transfer paperwork that would make his move from the Philadelphia Catholic League to the Del Val League official.

A 6-footer who had played point guard with the Burrs, Younger averaged 18 points per game en route to Second-Team All-Catholic Blue Division honors. He had batted around offers (according to the Inquirer report) from Niagara, La Salle, Temple, Charlotte and St. Mary's.

Penn Wood would certainly welcome Younger, should he transfer to his neighborhood school. He would easily fit into one of the Patriots' two starting spots in the backcourt vacated by graduated seniors Tyree Johnson and Will Brown.

If and when Younger transfers into Penn Wood, the Daily Times will be on the story. Until then, just be happy that another local kid has a Division I scholarship. Other than that, it's not what you'd call newsworthy in Delco.

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