By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent along to Kathy Guertin of Putnam, who is one of the Putnam Clippers most avid rooters.  Guertin, who works in the design department at Chase Graphics, is excellent in her field and loyal to Putnam on the athletic field.

Putnam Science Academy was fitted for the glass slipper Feb. 25 when the Mustangs received word that they had been invited to the National Prep Championship Tournament.  The invitation is the first in the brief history of the Cinderella program, which has been coached throughout by Putnam native Tom Espinosa. 

According to word from Espinosa, the initial tournament contest is against St. Thomas More from Oakdale.  The Chancellors are a team that the Mustangs defeated earlier in the season in a close game played on the St. Thomas More campus.  (Note: The National Tournament game was played on March 4 in New Haven at Albertus Magnus College prior to the publication of the Putnam Town Crier.)

On the day prior to the invitation the latest National Post Grad Rankings were updated with Putnam Science Academy occupying the 5th spot.  St. Thomas More was in the 2nd spot, while Brewster Academy, one of the four teams to beat the 28-4 Scientists this season ranked as the top team in the nation.  A pair of Virginia schools, Fisburne Military School and Hargrave Military Academy is in the 3rd and 4th spots respectively.

The second half of the Top Ten includes New Hampton (NH) 6th; Massanutten (VA) 7th; Northfield Mt. Hermon (MA) 8th; IMG Academy (FL) 9th; and South Kent School (CT) 10th.  The Scientists have beaten both Northfield Mt. Hermon and South Kent School.

The Mustangs go into the National Tournament after winning the Northeast Prep Basketball Tournament with victories over Redemption Christian Academy and Lee Academy.  Putnam’s Jordan Butler, who was immense in the two-day tourney, was selected as the Most Valuable Player as he averaged more than 20 points and ten rebounds per game.

The 6-foot, 7-inch Jordan, who is headed to Norfolk State in September, was joined by his teammates Anthony Durham and Danny Upchurch on the all-tournament team.  Hyde-Woodstock placed Dexter Thompson on the team along with Redemption’s Tyler Wright, who averaged 15 points and five assists, rounding out the squad.

Daytona Rain Doesn’t Stop Thompson Resident

The Daytona 500 won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. despite a six-hour rain delay, didn’t deter the enthusiasm of the huge crowd in attendance.  It also didn’t deter or dampen the spirits of Thompson resident Bill Chvirko, who enjoyed a ride that most people who are NASCAR enthusiasts would put on their ‘bucket list.’  Chvirko, a former Tourtellotte Memorial High School basketball and baseball standout, spent a “great week in Daytona.”   Topping the week was Chvirko in the passenger’s seat taking a lap around the Daytona Speedway in the Pace Car with former driver Brett Bodine.

In his own words Chvirko said, “I now feel I’m one of the select few people who have gone supersonic and exceeded 155 miles per hour in an automobile.”  Bill, you get RPC’s checkered flag of the week.

Coaching Milestones

Two well known coaches, one on the high school level and the other in the college ranks, who do their work only 25 miles from Putnam, reached significant milestones last week.  Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma of the UConn women Huskies coached the 1000th game of his basketball coaching career in the recent victory over the University of Houston.

Around the same time Ron Pires, the head coach at E.O. Smith High School, picked up his 500th career high school coaching victory in a win over Bloomfield.  Pires, a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University where he was a basketball and baseball standout, is well known in our area having taught at Helen Baldwin School and Parish Hill.

The affable Pires picked up the significant win in a 60-56 overtime contest over Bloomfield.  Pires is in his 35th season at the Storrs school.  The energy he exudes on the sidelines is an indication that he isn’t ready to give up his coaching job anytime soon.

Auriemma, the celebrity coach of the Huskies, won his significant game by beating Houston 92-41. Auriemma arrived on the Storrs campus in 1985 as a little known individual and has transformed himself and the basketball program into celebrity status as the top program in the history of women’s basketball.

Since Auriemma’s been the standard at UConn RPC has had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions.  The first was in the summer of his arrival when the late George Dropo had the “young coach” as a member of his foursome in the Day Kimball Hospital Golf Classic at Pautipaug Country Club.  As the organizer of the tournament I never realized the celebrity he would bring to our area in years to come.

In more recent years our paths have crossed at Assumption College, where Geno and Kathy Auriemma’s son Michael Auriemma was a member of the Greyhound basketball team.  Geno and Kathy very seldom if ever missed a game on the Worcester campus.  The Auriemmas were always cordial to everyone, including RPC, when approached with small talk of questions.

Congratulations and many more years of success Ron Pires and Geno Auriemma.

Updating the Collegians

Freshman Paul Brooks, the former Putnam Science Academy center, continues to improve each week at Worcester State University.  In a recent 67-58 victory over Framingham State, Brooks led the Lancers to victory with an impressive 16-point performance as WSU raised its record to 11-14 and 8-4 in the MASCAC.  Brooks will lead his team into the MASCAC Tournament quarterfinals next.

Meanwhile at Quinnipiac University junior center Ousmane Drame, the former Marianapolis standout, continues to shine and collect the honors.  Last week Drame was selected the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the week.  This is the second time this season that Drame’s garnered the award.

From The Annals Of Putnam Sports History

February 1915: Putnam High School defeated Falmouth High School 18-17 and then beat Southbridge High School 58-15.  (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Become the most positive enthusiastic person you know. 

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