PSA pg 10 3-29-12
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- Category: Past Issues
By Ron P. Coderre
PUTNAM — The annual Ray Brousseau Putnam Rotary Club Senior All Star game, boys’ version, received a big surprise with an unexpected performance from an unexpected player.
Putnam Science Academy reserve Arif Mehmedovic stunned the crowd, which included his high school coach Tom Espinosa, as he poured in 29 points to lead the Red team, sponsored by WINY Radio, to a lopsided 121-71 victory over the opposing Green team, sponsored by BenPe Consulting of Putnam. His spectacular shooting spree earned him the Most Valuable Player honors for his team.
Mehmedovic, playing on the same team as his PSA teammate Oscar Assie and Putnam Clippers Dino Porcic, Ramon “Razor” Rogers and Zach Simpson, stole the show with an impressive second-half long-range shooting performance, the likes of which have never been witnessed in the history of this game. Mehmedovic, of Bosnian extraction and a resident of W. Hartford, came out of nowhere and knocked home a total of nine three-pointers on the night.
The way the game began, it was obvious that the Red squad, coached by Putnam’s Shawn Deary, was the stronger unit on the floor. The team jumped out to a commanding 52-30 halftime advantage on the Green unit, which was coached by Woodstock Academy’s Greg Smith. The initial 20 minutes were dominated by PSA’s Assie, who dropped in 16 markers, many of the slam dunk variety.His early performance made it almost a certainty that he was on his way to an MVP performance.
But then along came Mr. Mehmedovic!
The sharp-shooting senior, who had only six points in the first half, exploded for seven three-pointers and 23 second-half points, earning him the prestigious award. Topping off his great evening on the hardwood, Mehmedovic also won $50 when he hit a foul shot, a shot beyond the arc and a half court bomb capturing the special contest.
“Coming over to the gym tonight I told myself I wanted to win the MVP Award. I guess dreams do come true,” said the excited Mehmedovic.
Joining Mehmedovic in double digits for the winners was his fellow Mustang, Assie with 24 points, and the Putnam Clipper trio of Rogers (19), Simpson (17) and Porcic (11).
The losing BenPe team was led by another PSA standout, Keon Scott who dropped in 27 points, earning him his team’s MVP honors. The only other player on the BenPe squad in double figures was Windham Tech’s Kevin Roman with 10 points.
“It was nice to be on the winning bench but the credit for the win goes to the kids on the floor. I still can’t believe Mehmedovic’s performance,” said winning coach Deary.
Everyone came to the Putnam gym expecting a high-scoring affair with slam dunks and great all-around play. And they certainly got their money’s worth. To top it off they also saw probably the best long range-shooting show of the 2011-2012 season. Although Mehmedovic isn’t into pyrotechnics, on this night he lit the gym up with a demonstration as good as any Fourth of July fireworks display.