SPORTS NEWS ARTICLES
previously published in
The Daily Journal
December 2001
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
By Geoff Dodd
Staff Writer
St. Augustine Prep
Stacked? The defending South Jersey Parochial B champions are so loaded with talent, the best player on the floor could be a freshman. That's right, Farmer, a 6-1, 165-pounder from Millville, will likely start along with four seniors, and Hermits coach Paul Rodio already has touted him as having the "ability to be one of the best ever in South Jersey."
"I don't think he's raw. I think he's as ready to walk out onto the floor as any kid we have," Rodio said. "He has a great disposition about the sport. He's evolved as a mature kid. Anthony's not just a little kid playing out there. He could be our leading scorer on a given night. ... I have no reservations about putting him out there."
Another freshman shooter, Myron Rolle, also should see some significant time and perhaps even start a few games, especially because of a bone-chip injury that Mensah-Bonsu, a 2001 Daily Journal third-teamer, suffered apparently while running track in the fall.
Doctors fixed the injury by taking a piece of bone from a non-weight-bearing part of his knee and fusing it to the hole left by the chip, but that procedure has left the power forward, who has committed to George Washington, on crutches. He should get a medical clearance in the next week or so, and Rodio is hoping for a return by Christmas break.
Meanwhile, look for St. Augustine's other main inside threat, Mike Haddix (a Siena recruit) to pick up the slack. Haddix returns to the Hermits after a year at St. John-Neumann in Philadelphia.
Still, with the Hermits' bench as deep as it is -- almost anyone could start at any high school program around -- and Greenman, another D-I player off to Princeton, running the point, St. Augustine should be a clear favorite against Wildwood Catholic, Atlantic City and Holy Spirit. Their biggest challenge may be their move up to Parochial A.
"If we can get out of the chute early, I think that's a big thing for this team," Rodio said. "By the middle of January to early February, this should be a very good basketball team. We could be really good come playoff time."
St. Augustine Prep senior Mike Haddix,who has signed with Siena, grabs a rebound at a recent practice.