GOING PREP
Area hoopsters seek to improve college stock
A little of this, a little of that …
• Two standout boys’ basketball players from this past season are heading to prep school.
Abdul Ajia, the high-flying forward who last week graduated from Shea High, is taking his many talents to Bradford Christian Academy. Dyondre Dominguez is leaving Tolman High after a strong sophomore season for New Hampton Prep where he’ll reclassify to the Class of 2020.
Ajia will face top-notch competition at Bradford, based in Haverhill, Mass. Bradford is a full member of the New England
Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and competes as an Independent Member in Class AA. Last season, Bradford played games against notable schools such as Brewster Academy, St. Andrew’s, and Brimmer & May.
The school Dominguez is heading off to is located in New Hampshire and also plays in the NEPSAC. New Hampton went 22-9 last season and lost to a Brewster squad in the NEPSAC AAA semifinals that featured future Providence Friar Makai AshtonLangford.
“We are ecstatic to have Dyondre joining us at New Hampton School. He represents the type of high character, student-athletes we seek to recruit,” said New Hampton head coach Nick Whitmore. “Dyondre is naturally talented, but what we are most excited about is his terrific work ethic. We look forward to watching his growth as a student, person, and player while at New Hampton.”
Best of luck to both Ajia and Dominguez as each one seeks to elevate their recruiting portfolio.
• Per the UConn athletic website, North Smithfield native/pitcher C.J. Dandeneau is set to play for Hyannis of the prestigious Cape Cod League. As a redshirt sophomore for the Huskies this past spring, Dandeneau went 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA in 15 relief appearances, striking out 20 in 15.1 innings.
The 2017 summer baseball season on the Cape opens on Wednesday.
• The two graduating Central Falls High student-athletes receiving the 2017 Christine (Mello) Handy Scholarship are Marleena Cruz and Cameron Larivee. Each scholarship is worth $750 and comes from money raised from last month’s high school benefit softball game.
A member of the Warriors’ baseball team, Larivee is attending Bryant University. Cruz played softball at C.F. and is heading to Rhode Island College.
• The 10-team Mount St. Charles Boys’ Basketball Summer League that begins on Monday, June 26 will be held at North Smithfield’s high school and middle school gyms. Credit Matt Tek, athletic director at North Smithfield, for providing not one but two gyms and a location that’s not too far from Mount.
• Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola was asked during his appearance at McCoy Stadium last Thursday about larger-than-life teammate Rob Gronkowski and his on-field presence at last week’s minicamp. Even though the tight end proclaimed that he’s 100 percent recovered from back surgery, New England has been known to tread carefully with him, particularly during the offseason.
“Gronk is a monster,” said Amendola, certainly encouraging words regarding one of the top threats in the Patriots’ offense.
• On Sunday, Jaylen Encarnacion received his diploma from St. Raphael Academy. This coming fall, the bruising tailback and linebacker will be putting on the shoulder pads and helmet for Division III Nichols College, located in Dudley, Mass.
• En route to capturing the Division II World Series earlier this month, the West Chester University baseball program under the direction of Lincoln native Jad Prachniak proved that just because you play your home games in a spring climate that weather-wise isn’t always ideal, it doesn’t automatically put you at a significant disadvantage.
Located in Pennsylvania, West Chester in the NCAA playoffs defeated teams that hailed from North Carolina, Georgia, and California – places where it’s conceivable to go outside and play catch on a January or February day and not freeze or deal with snow.
“You can look up and down the northern corridor and there’s a ton of good baseball stories happening,” Prachniak said. “Where (West Chester is), it’s probably a little milder than what you get in Rhode Island, but we still have our tough weather days.
“It’s good to show that a northern school can win it all at this level,” Prachniak added.
• Memo to David Price: take a page from Chris Sale. Don’t preoccupy yourself with Twitter or any other extracurricular activities that hold the potential of landing you in hot water. Just focus on the business of pitching.
If Price wishes to make himself available to the media after his starts, that’s fine. The more you speak, the more you run the risk of saying something that has the potential of setting off a firestorm. Speak once every five days and if you do so in a group setting, those words will carry more weight.
Last week’s profanity-fueled flairup with members of the fourth estate at Yankee Stadium was not a good look. David Price is a well-compensated baseball player. He’s also an adult. Price’s choice to limit his exposure can only help him stay on task and attack hitters, not beat reporters.
In case Price needs any additional pointers, just simply follow Sale’s lead.