By Ron P. Coderre

Although the baseball season is in full swing, coach Tom Espinosa and the Woodstock Academy Post Graduate basketball program are busy preparing for the upcoming 2015-2016 hoop season.  Espinosa recently announced the signing of the team’s second recruit for the newly formed program.

Taurian Archie, a 5-foot, 11-inch, 150-pound combination guard from Queens, N.Y., has indicated he’ll be arriving in Woodstock in late summer.  Archie is coming off a season at Monsignor McClansy High School where he averaged 14 points, three assists and three rebounds a game for the Catholic High School Athletic Association team.  

“Taurian is a quick guard who can shoot and handle.  He’s pesky on defense, which will help us in our transition game.  We love his intensity for the game and his hard nose style on the floor,” said Espinosa.

Last season, Archie who was a First Team CHSAA All-League A Division performer, shot 44% from the floor and 31 percent from three-point range.  He was a 65.4 percent free throw shooter for the 11-15 Monsignor McClansy High School, which was coached by Anthony Olszweski.

“All reports from New York are that Taurian has had offers for D-3 and D-2 schools.  He’s hoping that the increased competition of our Centaur PG program will elevate his game and give him more opportunities on the college level,” said Espinosa about his latest recruit.

In the tough Queens area competition, Archie was named to the Tablet CHSAA A & B Division All Star team, and received the McClansy Coaches Award as team Most Valuable Player.  Archie who was his team’s leading scorer was also recognized with the Special Athlete Award.

As a Queens  product, Archie played as a young man with current Centaur PG Mamadou Diarra.  He joins another guard, Brandon Steed, who was the first recruit signed by the Woodstock Academy PG program.  Along with holdovers Diarra, Hamidou Diallo and Brandon Hurst, the Centaurs now have five players on the roster for the upcoming season