Salesian’s Akinjo chooses Georgetown
James Akinjo has found a new college home.
The Salesian point guard announced Monday that he has committed to Georgetown, the decision coming a little more than a month after he asked for a release from the letter of intent he signed with Connecticut in the wake of coach Kevin Ollie’s dismissal.
Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing was among several high-profile coaches to visit Akinjo, a four-star recruit and the Bay Area News Group’s high school player of the year.
According to ESPN, Akinjo had offers from Cal, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa State, Maryland and Pittsburgh. ESPN rated the 6-foot-1 guard 97th in its Top 100, 22nd at his position and ninth in the state.
“Patrick Ewing is a great guy,” Akinjo told 247Sports. com. “I really got to know him, and my grandma loves him. I played with the team in the open gym and so I’ve seen them play a lot and I’ve been watching a lot of film. So I feel like I can come in and contribute with everything that I do right away.”
Akinjo averaged 20.7 points and 5.2 assists per game last season as Salesian won a North Coast Section Division III crown and began the regional playoffs ranked No. 1 in the state. The Pride finished 30-2.
“I am just thankful for the opportunity God has given me to be recruited by all these schools,” Akinjo told this publication two weeks ago. “It always feels good to be wanted.”
• Bellarmine College Prep guard Jake Wojcik has been given the OK to reopen his recruitment after Siena coach Jimmy Patsos resigned. Wojcik, a senior, received first-team all-Bay Area News Group honors this season and is a twotime West Catholic Athletic League player of the year.
Serra QB’s honor
Serra QB Luke Bottari has received the Bay Area Semper-Fidelis All-American honor, joining the roughly 100 high school students across the United States that the prestigious U.S. Marine Corps program recognizes.
Nominated by Tom Brady Sr. — the father of Serra’s most famous quarterback — Bottari will travel to Washington, D.C., in July on an all-expenses paid trip to participate in the Battles Won Academy, which is part of the Semper-Fidelis program and includes activities such as team-bonding, athletic competitions, leadership seminars and a trip to the nation’s capital.
In addition to excelling on the field and in the classroom, Bottari, a junior, launched what is becoming a well-known nonprofit foundation called Play4Prevention, which aims to educate teens and parents about mental health and teen suicide and provide avenues for help. Bottari started P4P after a former girlfriend took her own life last spring.
“I have heard nothing but glowing comments about Luke,” Tom Brady Sr. said in Serra’s news release. “He is unique in so many ways. He has succeeded academically, and he is a leader on the football field. Luke started his own foundation, which is something that very few people would be able to do. The Marine Corps motto is ‘The few, the proud, the Marines.’ In this case, Luke is one of the very few, and he has a lot to be proud of.”
Baseball upset
For the second time in a span of 22 days, Serra prevailed in a WCAL game against Valley Christian, beating the No. 1 team in MaxPreps’ national computer rankings 3-0 on Tuesday.
“There are no days off in our league,” said Valley Christian coach John Diatte, whose team fell to 182-1 overall and 6-2 in the WCAL. “You’ve got to be competitive every time you go to the field.”
Serra is 13-5, 5-3.