By Ron P. Coderre
Putnam Science Academy “6th Man” Tyere Marshall proved that it’s not a bad thing to come off the bench as a sub. Marshall, who played for Martin Luther King High School in Philadelphia prior to joining the PSA Mustangs, is coach Tom Espinosa’s first big man off the bench.
Two of the most famous 6th Men in basketball history are former Boston Celtics greats John “Hondo” Havlicek and Frank Ramsey. These two pros had the ability to come off the bench cold and ignite their teams to victory. Marshal has proven that he’s capable of doing the same for the Mustangs. He’s being rewarded for his play by accepting an offer and making a verbal commitment to Rider University in New Jersey and plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
After starting 10 games for Putnam Science Academy earlier this season, Marshall swapped places with Hamidou Diallo who moved into the starting role. The move by coach Espinosa has obviously agreed with Marshall who has responded like a fireman responding to a “three-alarm” blaze. In recent games against St. Andrew’s, Lee Academy and Believe Prep, Marshall has been the igniter, scoring and rebounding like a man possessed.
Marshall, who is averaging 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in the Mustangs first 24 contests, has almost doubled those numbers since coming off the bench.
“Tyere can really score down in the low post. He has a number of inside moves that are difficult to defend. He may be one of the best big men we’ve had here at Putnam Science Academy,” said Espinosa.
Prior to verbally committing to NCAA Division I Rider, Marshall had received offers from High Point University and Wagner as well as Canisius and University of North Carolina Greensboro. The savvy lefty is able to play with his back to the basket or facing up. He’s also improved his game and conditioning, extending his range away from the basket.
“I’m very pleased for Tyere. He’s a hard worker who continues to improve every day. I think Rider is a great fit for him,” said Espinosa.
In selecting Rider, Marshall joins a pair of former Mustangs, Kealan Ives from last season’s PSA team and Anthony Durham a 2014 graduate, already at the New Jersey school. He’s also the second current Mustang to declare for a Division I school, joining his teammate Mamadou Diarra who is committed to UConn.
Legal Notice
Town of Pomfret
Public Hearing Notice
Planning and
Zoning Commission
The Pomfret Planning & Zoning Commission will hold the following Public Hearings at its regular meeting on February 17, 2016, starting at 7:00 PM at the Old Town House:
1. Larry Lane, 161 Putnam Road, special permit for 40’ x 40’ addition to barn for equipment storage
2. CME for John DiIorio, 65 Hamlet Hill Road, special permit for 1,080-square-foot garage adjacent to existing residence
A copy of these applications is on file in the office of the Planning and Zoning Commission, 5 Haven Road Pomfret, Pomfret Center, Connecticut. The files are available for review during normal business hours.
Town of Pomfret
Planning & Zoning
Commission
Dated this 3rd day
of February 2016
Lynn L. Krajewski,
Clerk
Feb. 10, 2016
By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s RPC column is dedicated to Darin Maheu who’s enjoyed a rewarding career in construction and facilities management. Maheu , who lives in Putnam, is embarking on a new venture as the Facility Manager of the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center. He’s anxiously looking forward to the opening of the sparkling new facility on Technology Drive in Putnam.
Big Purses Coming To Thompson
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) through its Director of Marketing Theresa Condict recently announced that the course will pay out more than $600,000 in prize money over the 10-event 2016 season. This is a $100,000 increase from 2015.
The Sunoco Modified division will have more than $12,000 in purse money for its Sunoco Modified 20/20 sprint scheduled for Wednesday, July 27. Over the course of the season, Sunoco Modified teams will be the beneficiary of nearly $100,000 in prize money.
Late Model drivers will compete for nearly $60,000 over the course of the 2016 campaign. The Limited sportsman Long Distance event on May 18 will vie for a purse of $4,255. Overall the Limited sportsman will share in more than $30,000 over the season.
Mini Stock teams will vie for purses valued at $15,000-plus. In addition to the event purses a healthy contingency program will be announced leading up to the season-opening Icebreaker. More than $25,000 will be distributed in point fund money at the season-ending awards banquet for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and Triple Crown Series. The available prize money promises to make the 2016 season on the historic 5/8-mile oval track very exciting and competitive.
Familiar Faces
The Assumption College Greyhounds faced off in a women’s and men’s basketball doubleheader on Wednesday, February 3 against Southern New Hampshire University. It turned out to be a split with the Lady Greyhounds picking up their 13th win of the season and the men going down for the 14th time this season.
There were a couple of familiar faces in the Laska Gymnasium for the two contests. On hand to root for the women was former Putnam High School and Providence College star Laurie St. Jean-Sevigny. She was on hand to root for her Lady Friar teammate and Assumption women’s coach Kerry Phayre. St. Jean was recently selected as one of the Top 15 best female high school basketball players in Eastern Connecticut.
On the bench for the SNHU Penmen was assistant coach Jeff Gore. Around 1986 Gore arrived on the Plainfield High School campus from North Carolina. He was an instant hit for the Panthers. His play earned him a basketball scholarship to the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y., where he starred for four seasons.
New Football League
Forming for the Fall
Football on the prep school level has been fading and dwindling over the past few years with many schools struggling with manpower issues. There’s been talk in many corners that a number of preps were thinking seriously of dropping the gridiron sport. Among the preps that were considering disbanding football was Pomfret School.
In a recent announcement in the Hartford Courant it was noted that a new football league featuring Forman School, The Gunnery, Millbrook School and Pomfret School will be forming in the fall. The name of the league will be announced in the next few weeks.
A unique feature of the league is that games will be played with eight players on the field as opposed to the current 11-player set up. A six-game schedule is planned, which apparently means that each school will play the others twice. Presumably a home-and-home series.
It looks like when creative minds get together problems can be solved and sports such as football that are suffering can be saved, albeit in a modified fashion.
Gymnastics and More
Woodstock Academy gymnastics under coach Kasey Fillmore continued its winning ways with victories over Killingly and Windham in a tri-event. Woodstock ran away with the win with 146.75 points, while the Redgals posted a 97.35 and the Whippets 63.45. The Centaurs are 6-0 overall and in the Eastern Connecticut Conference.
The all-around title went to Paige Stuyniski with a score of 39.75. She won the bars and beam and finished second in the vault and floor. The other member of the Centaurs one-two punch, Grace Logan was second in the all-around at 37.8. She won the vault and the floor and finished second on the bars and third in the beam. The third all-around finisher was Lydia Taft at 36.3. She was third in vault, bars and floor and second in the beam.
For the first time in many years Putnam was represented as a team-of-one. The Clipper gymnast was Maggie McKeon. Proud to represent her school, McKeon finished with an all-around total of 32.7 and earns the coveted RPC Tip of the Sports Fedora.
College Update
Worcester Polytechnic Institute was upended by underdog Springfield College 56-51 in a key NEWMAC contest. The Engineers are 16-2 overall and 6-1 in the NEWMAC. Tied 23 all at intermission, the Engineers ran out of steam in the second half. Former Woodstock Academy standout, 6-foot, 5-inch Ian Converse posted six points in the loss.
The Worcester State Lancers improved to 12-7 on the season and 4-2 in the MASCAC with a 104-96 overtime victory over MCLA. Paul Brooks, the former Putnam Science Academy big man, contributed 10 points and 18 big rebounds for the Lancers.
Quinnipiac picked up wins over Niagara, Fairfield and Marist to raise its record to 8-13 on the season and 5-7 in the MAAC. Former PSA performer, 6-8 Chaise Daniels had 12 points against Niagara and only one point against the Stags. He’s still favoring his injured knee as he returns to full strength. The Robinson twins Andrew and Aaron didn’t see action in the first two contests. In the win over Marist, coach Tom Moore gave Andrew Robinson his first big opportunity of the season. Robinson responded with 15 points, all coming via the three-point range.
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: “To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.” William Shakespeare
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By Ron P. Coderre
The girls’ high school postseason basketball picture got much clearer this week as four of the six local teams qualified for the CIAC tournament. Putnam, Woodstock Academy, Plainfield and Killingly all reached the eight –win plateau and can begin making plans to play following the regular season.
Two teams, Tourtellotte and Ellis Tech, may be on the outside looking in unless they come up with victories as the regular season winds down. The Lady Tigers appear to have the better shot at the postseason as they need to pick up two wins in their final three games. Ellis Tech meanwhile is walking on egg shells, as the Golden Eagles need to pick up four wins in their final
five games. It may be a tough road for both teams.
Pomfret School and Hyde-Woodstock were the only two preps to see action last week. The Lady Griffins got back on the winning track, while the Wolfpack suffered a humiliating loss.
Victories Bring Smiles and More Games
Winning has a way of making people smile. Putnam, under coach Mandy Hogan, picked up its 10th victory of the season, a 34-27 win over Constitution State Conference East Division foe Parish Hill. The Lady Clippers jumped out to an insurmountable 25-8 half time advantage and coasted to the road win. Maria Fredette, with 10 points, was the lone Putnam player in double figures but she received offensive support from Alyssa Espinosa who had nine points and Ashley Burke who chipped in eight. Putnam is 10-7 and 8-2 in the CSC East division.
Plainfield raised its record to 9-7 overall and 3-4 in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Medium Division. The Lady Panthers opened the week with a convincing 61-38 victory over Montville. Madge Collins emerged as the team’s leading scorer in the game with 15 points. Freshman Madison Kelley, who is beginning to get comfortable in the veteran-laden Plainfield lineup had 11 points as did Zoe Beaver.
The Lady Panthers then put another notch in their belt with a big 46-38 win over a pesky Stonington five. Kelley came through with another 11 point game, while Madeline Lorange, who was hot from three-point land, led the way with 12 points. Three of her hoops were from beyond the arc.
Woodstock Academy pulled out a thrilling one-point victory over East Lyme with a big 17-point fourth quarter surge. Jamie Woods with 16 points topped the Centaur’s scoring, while freshman Ari Koivisto continued her solid play with a 12-point performance. The Acads are 9-7 overall and 1-6 in the ECC Large Division.
Tourtellotte split a pair of games losing to Lyman 52-40 and coming back to defeat Wheeler 44-39. Abby Poirier with 15 points and Emily Vincent with 13 paced the Lady Tigers over the Wheeler Lions. Poirier had 11 in the loss to Lyman. Tourtellotte is 6-11 and 3-4 in the ECC Small Division.
Ellis Tech also split two games accepting a forfeit victory from Achievement First and losing 60-31 to Windham Tech. The Golden Eagles are 4-11 and 3-6 in the CSC East Division. Killingly lost big 74-41 to New London in its only game of the week. Meagan Bianchi with 20 and Reagan Morin with a dozen were the only two Redgals in double figures. Killingly is 8-8 and 1-6 in the ECC Medium Division.
Light Schedule for Preps
Pomfret School got back in the Win column following a brief three game skid with a 59-56 win over Groton School of Massachusetts. Four players hit double digits for the Golden Griffins led by Deja Ross with 13 points. She was joined in double figures by Olivia Batastini (10), Corinne McPadden (11) and Alyzae Davis with a dozen. Pomfret is 9-5 on the season.
Hyde-Woodstock was walloped by the Williams School 38-6. The Wolfpack has yet to win a game this season, standing at 0-6.