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Page 28 <strong>Medway</strong> & <strong>Millis</strong> Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com <strong>December</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
<strong>Medway</strong>’s Childs Gets<br />
Scholarship to Play<br />
Basketball at BU<br />
Sports<br />
By Ken Hamwey,<br />
Staff Sports Writer<br />
The future is in clear focus for<br />
Riley Childs.<br />
<strong>Medway</strong> High’s talented offguard,<br />
who was a first-team Tri<br />
Valley League all-star last year,<br />
has verbally committed to play<br />
basketball at Boston University<br />
after she completes her senior<br />
season for the Mustangs.<br />
The 5-foot-11 Childs averaged<br />
17 points, 8 rebounds and<br />
3 assists last year when <strong>Medway</strong><br />
posted a 14-8 record and split a<br />
pair of playoff games. A threesport<br />
athlete, she’s been an outside<br />
hitter in volleyball for four<br />
years and she also has posted<br />
some impressive numbers in outdoor<br />
track. She holds the school<br />
record in the shot put (33 feet,<br />
1 inch) and she’s only 11 inches<br />
away from tying the school record<br />
in the discus, which is 119-8.<br />
“I’m thrilled about getting a<br />
full scholarship to Boston University,’’<br />
Childs said. “I like the<br />
city, and all the coaches and players<br />
were great to be around when<br />
I visited. It’s a situation that just<br />
feels right. I’ve verbally committed,<br />
and I’m just waiting now for<br />
final acceptance.’’<br />
The Terriers head coach,<br />
Katy Steading, did most of the<br />
scouting on Childs. But, it was at<br />
a BU camp for potential recruits,<br />
where Childs impressed Steading.<br />
“She saw me the summer<br />
before my junior year,’’ Childs<br />
said. “And, she also saw me play<br />
several other times. Schools like<br />
Holy Cross, Lehigh and Bucknell<br />
also showed interest, but I<br />
selected BU after they offered me<br />
a scholarship.’’<br />
Childs said that Steading was<br />
optimistic about her addition to<br />
the Terrier squad but made no<br />
promises about her role. “She<br />
said I’d have to earn my playing<br />
time, and that’s the way it should<br />
be,’’ Childs said.<br />
A native of <strong>Medway</strong>, Childs,<br />
who is 330 points away from<br />
reaching 1,000 career points<br />
at <strong>Medway</strong>, has a variety of<br />
strengths. She’s quick, has a high<br />
basketball IQ, her court vision<br />
is excellent, she penetrates to<br />
the basketball and her release is<br />
quick and high. She has a wing<br />
span of six feet, an attribute that<br />
makes her a threat on defense.<br />
“I like to drive to the hoop<br />
for a layup or a pull-up jumper,’’<br />
Childs emphasized. “I’m a fair<br />
three-point shooter, but I need to<br />
improve in that area. Although I<br />
consider myself as a dependable<br />
defender, I can be better on steals<br />
and deflections.’’<br />
Joe Iannone, Childs’ coach at<br />
<strong>Medway</strong>, calls her the most versatile<br />
player he’s coached in his<br />
nine years on the job. “Riley can<br />
play point guard or center,’’ he<br />
said. “We use her wherever we<br />
need to. She can score inside or<br />
on the perimeter. She was our<br />
top rebounder last year, and she’s<br />
a very good passer who has great<br />
court vision.’’<br />
Two of Childs’ best games<br />
came last year at Norton and<br />
against at <strong>Medway</strong> when the<br />
Mustangs faced Nashoba in the<br />
first round of the tourney.<br />
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“I hit five of six three-pointers<br />
against Norton and finished with<br />
23 points,’’ she recalled. “I also<br />
played a strong game on defense<br />
in the victory. Against Nashoba,<br />
the atmosphere was exciting because<br />
it was a playoff game at our<br />
gym. There were lots of friends<br />
and relatives on hand. We won,<br />
but what was nice was that everyone<br />
played a solid overall game.’’<br />
Childs was a captain in volleyball<br />
this season and she’s been<br />
selected by her teammates and<br />
coach to be a captain in basketball.<br />
“I’m a vocal kind of captain,’’<br />
she noted. “I’ll also try to<br />
lead by example, and if a younger<br />
play needs help or advice, I’ll be<br />
more than glad to assist.’’<br />
With her future in college assured,<br />
Childs hasn’t lost sight of<br />
the year ahead for <strong>Medway</strong>. Her<br />
goal is to make it four straight<br />
years of qualifying for the tourney.<br />
“We’ll have to work hard,<br />
because we’re a young team,’’ she<br />
said. “But, it’s realistic, because<br />
we’ve got girls with a strong work<br />
ethic who compete hard against<br />
Tri Valley League teams.’’<br />
Childs points to <strong>Medway</strong>’s<br />
other captain, Meg Downing,<br />
and freshman Lauren Beach, as<br />
quality players. She’s also bullish<br />
on the job Joe Iannone does<br />
as the team’s coach. “Meg and<br />
I have played basketball since<br />
the sixth grade,’’ Childs said.<br />
“A point guard who’s a strong<br />
defender, she’s also an excellent<br />
passer. Lauren has height,<br />
is a threat inside and she can<br />
rebound. Coach Iannone is a<br />
Riley Childs is a top-notch student-athlete who should have another<br />
terrific season of basketball for the Mustangs before her career at<br />
BU begins.<br />
Norfolk Community League’s<br />
Annual Santa’s Breakfast!<br />
This will be held Saturday,<br />
<strong>December</strong> 2nd from 9-10.30<br />
a.m. at the H. Olive Day School,<br />
in the cafeteria. There will be a<br />
sing-a-long and a visit from Santa<br />
himself! This will be a continental<br />
breakfast and treats for all<br />
ages. Admission, Children ages<br />
1-12: $10 NCL member/$12<br />
non-member. Adults that are<br />
NCL members are free and<br />
$4 for non-members. Children<br />
under 12 months are free.<br />
competitive guy who is a great<br />
motivator and communicator.’’<br />
An honor-roll student, Childs<br />
plans on majoring in broadcast<br />
journalism at BU. Acutely aware<br />
that there’ll be a transition period<br />
going from high school all-star to<br />
Division 1 rookie, Childs knows<br />
where she’ll have to improve.<br />
“My overall game will need to<br />
get better, but I also know I need<br />
to get stronger and faster,’’ she<br />
said. “I’ll be focusing on weight<br />
training a lot.’’<br />
Childs relies on a competitive<br />
philosophy that stresses being the<br />
best she can be in her specific role.<br />
“Reaching my potential in whatever<br />
role I play is the key,’’ Childs<br />
noted. “And, it’s important to absorb<br />
the life lessons that one can<br />
learn from athletics. Becoming a<br />
leader and being responsible are<br />
solid lessons to be learned. Sports<br />
also build confidence.’’<br />
Caller her father (Rich) a<br />
role model for his support and<br />
encouragement, Childs is looking<br />
forward to a solid basketball<br />
campaign that will lead to a new<br />
experience at BU.<br />
“I’ve enjoyed my friends, and<br />
I’ve built great relationships at<br />
<strong>Medway</strong> High,’’ she said. “It’ll<br />
be sad to not play volleyball and<br />
basketball again at <strong>Medway</strong>, but<br />
I’m excited and happy that a new<br />
chapter will be unfolding after I<br />
graduate.’’<br />
Tickets: https://www.<br />
memberplanet.com/events/<br />
norfolkcommunityleague/santabreakfast<strong>2017</strong><br />
Questions – contact: familybased@norfolkcommunityleague.org
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