Hometeam All-Stars: Winter 2009 - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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PAGECENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINEWWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM8BOYS’ BASKETBALLSUPER TEAMThe team was selected by the Telegram & Gazette staff with the help of a panel of coaches.Athleteof the yearMatthew LaBoveSt. John’s HighSenior, CenterAthree-year selection to theTelegram & Gazette SuperTeam, LaBove has earned thehonor of being named MVP ofthis elite group of athletes. The6-foot-9 LaBove capped off atremendous career by helpingthe Pioneers win the Division 1state title. LaBove finishedsecond in Central Mass. Conferencescoring, averaging 14.7 points a game.LaBove completed his career with 1,245 points,ranking him second in school history, trailingMatt Palazzi’s mark of 2,239. Labove was afour-year starter and a two-year captain forcoach Bob Foley, becoming the second junior tobe named a captain during Foley’s long coachingcareer. LaBove was named MVP of thisseason’s Laska Yuletide Tournament, was nominatedto the McDonald’s All-America game,and played in the New England High SchoolAll-Star Classic. He was invited to the NewEngland Top 75 game as a junior. LaBoveenjoys playing video games in his spare time,and said playing in the last two state finalsprovided his most memorable sports moments.LaBove will play next winter at DartmouthCollege, and hopes to someday become an orthopedicsurgeon. He’s the son of Charles andPamela LaBove of Shrewsbury.Hamed AkanniFitchburg HighSenior, GuardThe 6-foot-2 Akanni averaged14.9 points a game while helpingthe Red Raiders to the CentralMass. Division 1 semifinals. Akanniand fellow Super Teamer Kyle Dobsonled Fitchburg to the Mid-Wach Atitle with a 12-0 record as the RedRaiders finished the season 20-4overall. Akanni stepped up in theplayoffs, scoring 14 points againstNorth and 12 against South after finishing the regularseason with 19 in a win over St. John’s. Akanni alsoscored 20 points against Shrewsbury in a victory thatclinched the league title. Akanni earned a spot onboth the Mid-Wach A and Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterpriseall-star teams. His most memorable sportsmoment was hitting a shot against BC High to sendthe game to overtime. Akanni is undecided on college.He’s the son of Sheri Akanni of Fitchburg.Keith BrownMarlboro HighSenior, GuardThe 6-foot-1 Brown is a two-timeTelegram & Gazette SuperTeamer and was named the Mid-Wach B’s MVP after leading theleague in scoring at 20.4 points agame. Brown played his first twoseasons at Dorchester High, andhas been a league all-star all fouryears. He helped the Panthers tothe Mid-Wach B title and a spot in aDivision 1 Central Mass. quarterfinal. Brown finishedwith more than 1,700 points at the two schools. Heenjoys lifting weights and rapping in his spare time,and also participates in outdoor track at Marlboro.Brown will prep next year at Tilton School with thehope of playing a high level of college basketball, andmaybe pro ball. Brown fondly recalls dunking analley-oop pass from teammate Dan Imperato againstShrewsbury as his most memorable sports moment.He’s the son of Melanie and Keith Brown Sr.Markese BerryNorth HighJunior, GuardBerry made his first season atNorth High a memorable one.The 6-foot shooting guard averaged10.3 points a game, helpingthe Polar Bears to the Inter-Hightitle and a spot in the CentralMass. Division 1 final against St.John’s. Berry, who played twoyears at Burncoat High, flourishedin the postseason, scoring 16points against both St. John’s and Marlboro, and 14against Fitchburg. Berry’s brother, Mark, also had abig hand in North’s success this season, helpingcoach Al Pettway and the Polar Bears to a 17-6record. Berry is undecided about college. He saidwinning the Inter-High title and beating Fitchburg togo to the CMass final, played at Holy Cross, werehis most memorable sports moments. He is the sonof Patritia Burnett of Worcester.Jonathan CopelandSutton HighSenior, ForwardThe 6-foot-4 Copeland wasnamed the Dual Valley ConferencePlayer of the Year after helpingthe Sammies to the CentralMass. Division 3 title by averaging19.1 points a game. Copeland is atwo-time DVC All-Star and was onthe Telegram & Gazette’s Division3 All-Star team last year. Copelandfinished a stellar career for theSammies as the second-leading scorer in schoolhistory with 1,190 points. Copeland enjoys bowlingand volleyball in his spare time and, while currentlyundecided on college, he hopes to major infinance. Copeland’s two most memorable sportsmoments came this year when Sutton won theCentral Mass. Division 3 and Clark tournaments. Heis the son of Carl and Susan Copeland of Sutton.Kyle DobsonFitchburg HighSenior, ForwardDobson earned his second consecutive Super Team berthafter helping the Red Raiders to a 20-4 record, theMid-Wach A title, and a spot in a Central Mass. Division 1semifinals. The 6-foot, 170-pounder averaged 14.9 points agame for coach Paul DiGeronimo and was named the Mid-Wach A’s MVP and to the Fitchburg Sentinel & EnterpriseAll-Star team for the second straight season. Dobson, atwo-time Mid-Wach A All-Star, scored 21 points in a seasonendingloss to North High and 25 points in a victory overstate champion St. John’s, but it was a pass he made forthe winning basket against Shrewsbury that Dobson considers his most memorablesports moment. He is the son of Silas Dobson of Fitchburg.
WWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM CENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE PAGE9BOYS’ BASKETBALLJohn GenkosDoherty HighSenior, GuardAtwo-year Super Team selection,Genkos wrapped up a stellarcareer at Doherty with 1,298points, ranking him second all-timein school history. The 6-foot-2Genkos was a two-year captain forthe Highlanders and was selectedto the Inter-High All-Star team threetimes. Genkos helped Doherty tothe playoffs in each of his four yearsas a varsity starter and led the Inter-High in scoringfor the second straight year, averaging 20.2 points.Also a standout wide receiver in football for Doherty,Genkos enjoys playing NBA Live and being withfriends. Undecided on college, he hopes to major inbusiness and coach basketball after he graduates.His cousins, Shane and Ryan Keddy, were bothformer T&G Super Teamers for Worcester Tech. Heis the son of Ted and Veda Genkos of Worcester.Kellon HaynesWachusett RegionalSenior, GuardThe 6-foot Haynes was a twotimeMid-Wach A All-Star and afour-year starter for coach TomGibbons. He helped the Mountaineersto a 17-7 record before theylost to eventual state champion St.John’s in a Central Mass. Division1 semifinal. Haynes was a two-timeselection on the Laska HolidayTournament team and earned MVPhonors as a junior. Last year’s Laska Tournamentvictory is regarded by Haynes as his most memorablesports moment. Haynes is undecided on college,but hopes to play basketball and major inbusiness management. Also a standout footballplayer, Haynes was named Wachusett’s ThanksgivingDay MVP this season against Holy Name. Heis the son of David and Chris Haynes of Holden.John HenaultSt. Bernard’s HighSophomore, ForwardThe 6-foot-2, 170-pound sophomoreearned his first Super Teamselection after helping the Bernardiansto the Central Mass. Division 2title. Henault led the Central Mass.Conference with a 20.6 points-pergameaverage, and helped St.Bernard’s and coach Mark Pierce toa 17-8 record. Henault hit the winningjumper and stole the inboundspass to defeat Tantasqua in a CMass Division 2 semifinal,which he regards as his most memorable sportsmoment. Henault plays basketball year-round. Whenhe’s not wearing a St. Bernard’s uniform, he’s playingAAU hoops. His brother, Tim, is also a former St.Bernard’s basketball star and made the Telegram &Gazette Super Team last year. They are the sons ofScott and Stephanie Henault of Lunenburg.Gaetano IacavoneNorth HighJunior, ForwardThe 6-foot-1, 210-pound powerforward earned his first berthon the T&G Super Team afterbeing named a Division 1 All-Starlast year. Iacavone led the PolarBears by scoring 13 points agame in the regular season, andhelped North win the Inter-Hightitle. The Polar Bears finished17-6 after losing to St. John’s inthe Central Mass. Division 1 championship game.Iacavone said his team’s run through the districttournament this year was his most memorablesports moment, and he hopes to cap off his senioryear with a title in 2010. Iacavone’s father, GaetanoTatalo, was a basketball captain at NorthHigh, while his mother was a softball player. He isthe son of Ellie Iacavone of Worcester.Dan KempTantasqua RegionalSenior, ForwardThe 6-foot-3 Kemp was a twoyearco-captain for coach JeffChild and helped the Warriors to a18-5 record before they lost in theCentral Mass. Division 2 semifinals.Kemp averaged 15.7 points agame as Tantasqua earned a shareof the SWCL West title. Kemp is afour-year varsity player and wasnamed to the SWCL All-Star teamthe last three years. His sophomore season, whenthe Warriors went 25-0 and won the state title, washis most memorable moment. While Kemp is anall-star in basketball, his best sport may be baseball.He is a three-time SWCL All-Star as a shortstop andwill play baseball next year at Franklin Pierce University.Kemp is the son of Douglas and DorothyKemp of Sturbridge.Richard RodgersSt. John’s HighSophomore, ForwardOne of the more dynamic playersin Central Mass., Rodgers madehis first Telegram & Gazette SuperTeam after helping the Pioneers winthe state title in Division 1. The6-foot-3, 215-pound forward averaged13.5 points a game, andplayed his best in the postseason,scoring 28 points in the Division 1final victory over Lynn English and18 against Springfield Central in a state semifinal.Rodgers emerged as a top football player last fall, andsaid he hopes to pursue a professional career in oneof the two sports. He comes from a family of athletes.His father, Richard, is the defensive coordinator forthe football team at Holy Cross and played at theUniversity of California. Three of his uncles wereprofessional athletes, in football and baseball, and hiscousin, Jairus Byrd, has entered the NFL Draft afterplaying at Oregon. He is the son of Richard Rodgersof Worcester.Boys’ BasketballHonorable MentionDivision 1Orlando Anderson, FitchburgBrendon Boyd, BurncoatEmmanuel Feraud, SouthDan Laroche, QuabbinIke Ofasu, NorthColby Reese, ShrewsburyJeremy Ross, WachusettCanaan Severin, MarlboroYawin Smallwood, DohertyEmmanuel Tarwoe, NorthAnthony Trapasso, St. John’sBrian Westgate, Shepherd HillSam Yoder, Holy NameDivision 2Mark Bradshaw, GraftonJose DeLeon, SouthbridgeNick DiBlasi, HudsonAndrew Gosselin, St. Bernard’sJake Gubitose, TantasquaD.J. Guillette, LunenburgCasey Hippert, NorthbridgeVictor Martinez, SouthbridgeDerek McCaffrey, Groton-DunstableRyan Romich, Groton-DunstableTrevor Stock, GraftonZach Zidelis, NorthbridgeDivision 3Hugo Al-Homsi, BromfieldBen Bickford, SuttonDan DeChristofaro,Whitinsville ChristianEric Deya, Monty TechConor Draleau, ParkerAndrew Dykstra,Whitinsville ChristianStefan Forsberg, SuttonMike Fowler, MaynardRyan McKernan, West BoylstonSteven Parker, AssabetBrandon Shea, Hudson CatholicKurt Steiner, Whitinsville ChristianDavid White Jr.St. John’s HighJunior, GuardWhite is making his secondconsecutive appearance onthe Telegram & Gazette SuperTeam. As point guard, he was anessential part of the Pioneerscapturing the Division 1 state titlethis year. When he wasn’t comingup with big buckets after coast-tocoastdrives, White, who averaged12.7 points, distributed the ball tofellow Super Teamers Matt LaBove and RichardRodgers. Since White joined St. John’s as a freshman,the Pioneers have lost once in the CentralMass. final, once in the state final, and have won astate title. That’s an 11-2 postseason record withWhite. Undecided on college, but hoping somedayfor a career in the NBA, White enjoys being withfriends, going to the Boys & Girls Club, and playingvideo games in his spare time. He’s the son ofDavid White Sr. and Michelle Moore of Worcester.
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Hometeam All-Stars: Winter 2009 - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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