ESPN

Different year. Same story.

Or to put it another way, Hendricken is giving every indication that it’s zeroing in on a state-record 18th Division I baseball championship.

Through games of May 7, the Hawks led Division I-North with an 11-0 record – one game ahead of arch-rival La Salle (10-1) whom Hendricken edged, 3-2, on April 17.

Going into the season, veteran coach Ed Holloway knew he would have his ace on the mound in the person of First Team All-State selection Mike King (who’s already signed a letter of intent to play for Boston College).

But the Hawks’ pitching staff has developed into something more than a one-trick pony.

Senior Dillon Manfredi and sophomore Mike McCaffrey have developed into reliable starting pitchers who’ve given Hendricken valuable depth.

Most importantly, the Hawks have shown an uncanny ability to win close games (games decided by one run).

Following is a list of Hendricken victories that underscore the above point:

* McCaffrey went the distance on a two-hitter as Hendricken edged Cranston East, 1-0. The game was tied 1-1 entering the last of the sixth when John Toppa singled with two outs to plate the go-ahead run.

* Manfredi tossed a complete-game four-hitter as Hendricken nipped Johnston, 2-1.

* King hurled a two-hit, 13-strikeout shutout as Hendricken blanked Woonsocket, 2-0. King also helped himself at the plate as he lofted a first-inning sacrifice fly and doubled home a fifth-inning run. King pulled off a major escape act in the top of the seventh when the Villa Novans loaded the bases with none out only to have the Hendricken ace fan three consecutive batters.

* Eddie Markowski’s single in the bottom of the ninth broke a 1-1 tie and gave Hendricken a 2-1 victory over Lincoln.

* King struck out nine and allowed only five hits as the Hawks clipped Cranston West, 2-1. Hendricken utilized the long ball to win this game when Nick Boland belted a solo homer in the top of the seventh inning.

TOWNIE TIME
While Hendricken long has been the dominant baseball team in the state, the same can’t be said of East Providence.

But this year may be different for a school that’s never won a state baseball title.

The Townies moved into sole possession of first place in Division II-Central with a 10-0 record thanks to 3-2, come-from-behind victory over second-place Central (8-2). Jerry Espinal and Keith Grant combined on a six-hitter as the Townies swept the season series from the Knights.

Prior to that game, the Townies outlasted Warwick Vets, 8-4, with Nick Karalekas collecting two hits, two RBI and four stolen bases.

Led by Karalekas plus Alex Hurley, Jasiah Hatch, Mike Allienello and Marc LaValley, the Townies have been pounding the opposition into submission.

Want proof? East Providence out-scored its first 10 opponents by a combined margin of 99-20.

AROUND THE DIAMOND
In two other games of note, North Kingstown beat South County rival South Kingstown, 3-1, and moved into a tie for first place in I-South with each team having a 9-2 record.

The Skippers’ Dom Grillo went the route on a two-hitter – allowing an RBI double in the first and not surrendering another hit until the sixth. In addition, he fanned eight Rebels.

Brian Cox accounted for North Kingstown’s runs, with an RBI single in the fourth and an RBI double in the sixth.

Exeter-West Greenwich (2-8), which has been struggling in Division II-South, rallied from a 6-1 deficit and upset West Warwick, 10-6.

The Scarlet Knights trailed 6-1 entering the fourth when Matt Grenier came on in relief. Grenier blanked the Wizards (4-5) on zero hits over the last 3 1/3 innings which enabled him to notch the victory.

DEFENSE MISSING
Defense was left on each team’s respective bus when the girls’ lacrosse teams from Moses Brown and East Greenwich met in a Division I crossover game.

The Quakers’ Meghan Buonanno scored eight goals and assisted on one while teammate Alexandra Pinsky recorded an unbelievable total of seven goals plus six assists during a 25-19 victory.

Ironically, the Avengers’ Marielle Kraft out-did Buonnano and Pinsky by scoring nine games.

Moses Brown improved to 7-1 in I-North.

AROUND THE RIM
Division I champion La Salle landed two players on the All-State Girls’ Basketball First Team – sophomore Davida Dale and senior Priscilla Dunphy.

Dale led the Rams in scoring with a 17.7 average and was voted MVP honors in the Division I Tournament.

Dunphy, who’ll play her college basketball at UMass-Lowell, averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists for a La Salle team that finished 21-4 overall and won its third consecutive state title.

Rounding out the top five are Exeter-West Greenwich sophomore Taylor Buckley, the Gatorade Rhode Island Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year; Westerly senior Hannah Dobson who finished her career as the second-leading scorer in school history with 1,589 points; and Barrington senior Caitlyn Nolan who averaged 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

HEADING NORTH AND SOUTH
Elizabeth Scala, who played hockey at Bay View Academy before transferring to the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, has signed a letter of intent to play for Syracuse University.

Central senior Carlos Mangum, who earned All-American and All-State honors in the weight throw, has accepted a full ride from the University of Miami. Most recently, Mangum was ranked fourth in the nation in the hammer throw with a heave of 212-feet, 9-inches.

Mike Scandura has been covering high school sports, college basketball, football and hockey plus minor league baseball in Rhode Island since the early 1970s. A native of Oswego, N.Y, he’s a member of the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame which is the statewide organization of sportswriters, sportscasters and sports publicists.

A source told ESPNBoston.com last night that George Washington University has extended a scholarship offer to Central Catholic Class of 2014 guard Tyler Nelson.

The Colonials are the third Division 1 school to offer the 6-foot-2 Haverhill resident, joining Jacksonville and Dartmouth. He is a two-time ESPN Boston All-State selection, and is also among the most accurate shooters in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) this spring. Playing with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC), Nelson ranks second on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) and is shooting 51.9 percent from three-point range.

Several local star players are making headlines on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit this spring, playing for regular power BABC or strong newcomer Expressions Elite. Of the 40 talented teams coast-to-coast who play on the highly-competitive EYBL circuit, Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) and Expressions, both based out of Boston, are two of the best teams in the field—at 8-1 and 9-0, respectively.

Expressions is one of two undefeated teams left in the entire field, including a win over the defending EYBL champ Oakland Soldiers. Behind a high-octane offensive attack -- led by juniors Abdul-Malik Abu and Jared Terrell, and sophomores Aaron Falzon and Jared Wilson-Frame -- Expressions has been one of the teams taking the event by storm. They've overpowered some of the top club teams in the country, and done so with players who are hungry college prospects with something to prove.

Abu has led the attack from the beginning. A chiseled 6-foot-8 forward with warrior strength and elite bounce, he has, on more than one occasion this spring, "posterized" opposing defenders via his high-flying dunks.

Head coach Tyron Boswell admits the undefeated start didn’t cross his mind at the beginning, but he isn’t surprised at the outcome given the work his players have put in.

“Honestly, I did expect us to do well, not undefeated, but we were prepared for it," Boswell said. "Guys got in the gym over summer and winter break, they work out three times a week. We’ve prepared to be successful."

Abu and Terrell are well-known commodities on the AAU circuit, with Abu breaking out last summer as one of the best forwards in the entire 2014 class. Terrell, who fractured his foot in two places last fall and struggled with the injury at times over the course of the prep season, looks healthy and is re-emerging as one of the nation’s best power guards.

Falzon and Wilson-Frame, who going into the season were lesser-known prospects, are just scratching the surface of their potential, says Boswell.

“Jared [Wilson-Frame] is a big part of what we’re doing," Boswell said. "He’s a great kid, he embodies what we’re all about: taking kids who are unknown and showcase them, help them get what they deserve. He’s brought what we need to do to win…an unselfish kid who holds our guys accountable."

For BABC head coach Leo Papile, whose program has won 17 AAU national championships, the strong run at EYBL has been all about selfless play and full-court pressure defense. Led in scoring by St. Andrew’s junior forward Bonzie Colson and Central Catholic junior sharpshooter Tyler Nelson, BABC is out to an 8-1 start. Sophomore point guard Johnny Joseph, a Brockton product who preps at Tilton (N.H.), is fifth in the EYBL in assists. To his credit, Joseph was absent from BABC’s only loss, a one point loss that he had to miss due to an academic obligation.

Nelson, who is an impressive 27-for-52 (51 percent) from three point range, along with Colson, Joseph and Wilbraham & Monson sophomore guard Curtis Cobb, have been the top players for BABC in terms of leadership and production. However, rising star Terrance Mann, a long 6-foot-5 wing player from Lowell, has already become one of New England’s most promising prospects. The Tilton (N.H.) sophomore picked up scholarship offers recently from Florida and Iowa State.

Mann, after receiving the offer from the Gators, said in an interview with ESPNBoston.com that he learned a lot this past prep school season from AAU and prep teammate Wayne Selden -- who on many occasions carried Tilton to wins following the graduation last year of Dominique Bull, Nerlens Noel, and Georges Niang.

“I learned a lot, seeing Wayne take over as much as he did," Mann said. "He was the man who had to take over, that’s a hard role to pick up. He’s in the gym every day. Having a work ethic like he does, by the time next year comes around, I think I’ll be ready to be a go-to [scorer]."

Teammates at Tilton, the 5-foot-8 Joseph may not have Mann’s height, but Papile says he has been making up for it with his defensive tenacity and tremendous floor vision.

“Bonzie and Tyler are the veterans from last year’s team, but Jon, he’s the quarterback. He’s going to have to erase a lot of doubts, and he’s in the process of doing it,” Papile said. “He’s a little guy, and sometimes people have pre-conceived notions. He doesn’t need to score for us to be successful.”

A lot of the scoring has gone to Colson, he’s one of the EYBL’s top scorers at 18.3 points per game. Well-known on the New England grassroots and prep school circuit already, Colson is quickly making himself a nationally-known prospect.

Papile’s teams as of late have included ESPN 100 prospects like Phil Pressey, Michael Carter-Williams, Niang, Noel, and Selden. For what this year’s team lacks in nationally-known blue-chip prospects, they make up for with defense, accountability, and offensive efficiency. A team’s best offense is its defense—a saying Papile has engraved into his players heads.

The defensive tenacity is something that role players like super-athletic Notre Dame Prep sophomore guard Tyree Robinson, Brighton guard Malik James, and Noble & Greenough sophomore forward Bobby Martin Jr. —- whom Papile says constantly makes “winning plays,” -- have taken to heart.

“Guys are battle-tested in terms of what we expect from them…they embody our definition of character," Papile said. "They can’t be a group of strangers with various missions, we try to weed all that out in ninth or tenth grade before they step up. Reaction to structure and being coached is key, it’s a recipe for disaster if you don’t have that structure.

"We really value having five thinkers on the floor at all times. There’s a big correlation between basketball IQ and real life IQ."

Seeing his team develop as a unit is also an aspect that Boswell has enjoyed with his Expressions squad. While the majority of the players on the team had never played together before this spring, the coach says something about the personality of his team has made things click. He credits guys like Dimitri Floras and Idris Taqqee with bringing the type of scrappy play needed to compliment Expressions’ many scorers.

“You would think that these guys knew each other prior to, but in all actuality every piece was hand-picked," Boswell said. "The togetherness they have...they’re just so unselfish. I’ve never seen a basketball move so much in one possession.”

BABC and Expressions Elite will travel to Dallas this weekend for the third round of Nike EYBL. The well-known Boston AAU squads will meet for the first time at session four of EYBL in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 24.

The city of Springfield has seen great success in high school basketball over the past two seasons with Springfield Central and Putnam Vocational bringing consecutive Division 1 boys’ basketball titles back to Roosevelt Ave.

While the birthplace of basketball revels in the success of the Golden Eagles and Beavers, one of Springfield’s most revered coaches is being honored for the legacy he leaves behind at the High School of Commerce.

Gary Mindell, who finished his 19th season on the Red Raiders sideline, announced earlier this week that he would retire as both Commerce’s basketball coach and physical education teacher. Mindell ends his 27-year coaching career at Granby High School and Commerce with 332 wins, three Western Mass. titles and a state championship in 2004.

“I kind of knew that coming in to this year, that this would most likely be my last season,” Mindell said. “I just didn’t want to make an announcement too soon or too quick.”

Mindell wanted to coach in Springfield, but needed to wait his turn to gain a head coaching job in the city. He spent eight seasons at Granby, before the Commerce job became available in 1995. He took over a program far from being a powerhouse in the city of Springfield.

Commerce had seven losing seasons in eight years before Mindell showed up. In that span Central, which opened in 1986, had dominated the city with the most talented ball players including future NBA veteran Travis Best. In first eight seasons of the Central-Commerce rivalry, the Golden Eagles were 16-0.

“I took over the program with high ambitions and I brought a lot of passion into the program,” Mindell said.

Enter Commerce Pride.

“That was my motto at Granby and I brought that over to Commerce with me,” Mindell said. “When I took over the program I had to change the whole culture, and one of the things I wanted to do was talk about building pride. Pride in our team, pride in our program, pride in our school, pride in ourselves.”

Commerce defeated Central three out of four times in Mindell’s first two seasons on the Red Raiders bench. In that memorable second season, Commerce won the Western Mass championship and the basketball powers within the city began to switch hands.

“From that point on, all of a sudden, Central wasn’t the king of the city anymore,” Mindell said.

The 2000s were when Commerce built a dynasty. From 2001-2007, the Red Raiders made two appearances in the state championship, capturing two Western Mass. titles and five league titles in a row. The Red Raiders appeared in either the Western Mass. finals or semifinals in each of those seasons.

The highlight of that run of dominance was the 2004 state championship team.

“One of the first times I spoke to him he said, ‘At Commerce they play for championships,’” said Pat Ochoa, the co-captain of the 2004 state championship team. “The goal every year is to win championships and he backed it up.”

The 2004 state championship team defeated a Brookline team headlined by former UConn star and current Charlotte Bobcats forward Jeff Adrien. Commerce went on to narrowly defeat Brookline 53-51, holding Adrien to only four field goals.

“We were so close on and off the court,” Ochoa added. “It just clicked. With Mindell leading us as the coach, it was something special.”

That would be the city’s last boys’ basketball championship until Central and Putnam went back-to-back the past two years. In March, William Shepard led Putnam to the school’s first sectional and state title. Shepard first met Mindell three decades ago when Shepard was in middle school. Their relationship continued at Commerce when Shepard was a star player and Mindell was a volunteer assistant. Shepard would serve as Mindell’s assistant when he first took the Commerce job in 1995.

“I was very proud for him and his school,” Mindell said. “They defended like nobody else. He did a wonderful job of pushing those kids and directing those kids. He got them to buy in to what he was trying to get across.”

Mindell had one more shot to sit atop Western Mass. basketball in 2012. With less talent than some of his other championship teams, Commerce made it to the Western Mass. final and nearly knocked off eventual state champion Central behind the 32-point performance by senior guard Alex Lopez.

“Still to this day I wish I could have given him another championship,” Lopez said. “I’m sure it would have meant everything to coach.”

Lopez will be Mindell’s last star player. The four-year varsity starter was the fourth Commerce player under Mindell to win the John “Honey” Lahovich Award, given the top player in Western Mass. Mike Vaz (’03), Will Dawkins (’04) and Josh Tate (’05) won the other three in consecutive seasons.

Mindell said he had a special relationship with all of his players during their playing careers and to this day continues to keep in touch with many of his former players such as Lopez, now a freshman at Worcester State University; Dawkins, who is currently the Director of College Player Personnel for the Oklahoma City Thunder; and Ochoa, who is a supervisor at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“Yeah, me and Coach Mindell talk to each other every now and then,” Lopez said. “Not every day, but we still call each other to see how everything is going.”

“Every time we see him, one of the first things he reflects on is how he there was only one team he won a state championship with and it was with us,” said Ochoa, who is also an assistant coach at East Longmeadow High School. “And he always says he keeps that close to his heart and it’s something that he’ll always cherish and at the same time that feeling is returned right back to him.”

Mindell won’t completely be removed from Commerce. He’ll return in September to coach the girls’ volleyball team. He’ll be able to watch a few Commerce basketball games next season, though he said he’ll most likely be sitting in the back row being as inconspicuous as he can be.

After the holidays he and his wife Jenny will spend January, February and March in Tampa, enjoying retirement.

“Of course I loved every minute of it,” Mindell said. “I would have coached for free all these years. The fact that they’ve paid me is really a bonus.

“It’s all about the passion -- the passion for the game and the passion for the kids.”

Per his father Jeff, Central Catholic Class of 2014 guard Tyler Nelson picked up his second Division 1 offer today, from Jacksonville University.

The Dolphins join Dartmouth, which offered this past winter, among the Division 1 offers to date for the 6-foot-1 Nelson. He has also seen varying degrees of interest from George Washington, George Mason, Fairfield and Florida State.

Nelson is one of the state's most accurate long-range shooters, shooting 41 percent from three-point range to help lead the Raiders to the MIAA Division 1 North title. For his junior season, he averaged 17.2 points and 4.7 assists, and also shot 89 percent from the free throw line, to earn a second consecutive nod on ESPN Boston's annual MIAA All-State Team.

This spring, Nelson has been a standout with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) on the Nike EYBL circuit. Furthering his reputation as a long-range marksman, he is 27-for-52 on three-pointers (52 percent) through the first nine games of the season.

St. Mary's of Lynn junior guard Briana Rudolph has verbally committed to UMass-Lowell, the school announced this afternoon.

The 5-foot-7 Rudolph averaged 16.8 points per game last season for the Lady Spartans, and is currently the school's fifth all-time female scorer despite missing a significant time her sophomore year to injury.

Athletic Director Jeff Newhall sent along the following release, courtesy of Paul Halloran:

The first of May was a day of firsts for St. Mary's basketball standout Brianna Rudolph.

Rudolph, a junior guard, gave a verbal commitment to UMass Lowell Coach Sarah Behn, becoming the first St. Mary's basketball player ever to accept a Div. 1 full scholarship and the River Hawks' first recruit to commit since they became a Div. 1 program earlier this year. (UMass Lowell reportedly picked up another verbal commitment two days later.)

"Playing at the top level of women's basketball has always been a goal of mine, but I was never really sure if that would happen," said Rudolph. "I am extremely grateful that Coach Behn and UMass Lowell have given me this opportunity."

UMass Lowell is joining America East next year, effectively replacing BU, which is moving to the Patriot League.

Rudolph is coming off a spectacular year in which she set the school record for points in a season with 402, averaging 16.8 and scoring more than 20 eight times. She ranks fifth on the all-time scoring list (738 points), despite missing 18 games with an injury her sophomore year.

"Brianna is obviously one of the most talented players we have ever had. To have her get this scholarship is great for her, the school and our program," said St. Mary's Coach Jeff Newhall. "She has overcome a lot of obstacles along the way, including losing a year with a broken ankle. She deserves a lot of credit for making the dream of being a Div. 1 basketball player become a reality."

Rudolph came to St. Mary's as a freshman and made an immediate impact, starting on a state championship team in 2011. After the injury-marred sophomore year, she had a breakout junior season, earning Boston Herald All-Scholastic and Daily Item Player of the Year honors. St. Mary's is 51-8 in games in games in which Rudolph has played the last three years.

She was being recruited by a number of Div. 1 and Div. 2 schools. Playing for the Mass Thundercats AAU program run by Marvin Avery and Jim Ridley of Lynn, Rudolph had a very good showing at an AAU tournament in Connecticut the weekend of April 19-21. UMass Lowell was on the phone first thing on April 22 and, after a week of communication back and forth, Rudolph made an unofficial visit to the school on May 1 and made the verbal commitment.

"This is something that kind of transpired really quickly and I can't tell you how good it feels to have this process over so soon," said Rudolph, a good student with a 90 average who was attracted by UMass Lowell's criminal justice program. "St. Mary's has been a perfect fit for me. Without the people at the school this would not have been possible."

Rudolph will continue a tradition of St. Mary's players advancing to the next level. This past season, there were seven former Spartans playing collegiate basketball -- four in Div. 3 and three in Div. 2, including Tori Faieta, who is at Stonehill on a full scholarship, Ann Marie Idusuyi, who is at Assumption on a three-quarter scholarship and Cassi Amenta, who is at Merrimack on a full academic scholarship.

"We pride ourselves on our players going to college, so first and foremost we are excited about that," said Newhall, who in eight years as coach has had 27 of 27 seniors go to 4-year colleges. "To be able to place a player into Div. 1 makes it even more special."

Newhall credited Ridley and Avery -- the former and current Lynn Tech boys basketball coaches, respectively -- with playing a significant role in Rudolph's development as a player and bringing her to national tournaments so colleges could see her play.

Archbishop Williams junior guard Leah Spencer has verbally committed to UMass-Lowell for the 2014-15 season, she announced tonight in a post on her Twitter account.

"Officially committed to UMass Lowell!" she wrote in a tweet.

The 5-foot-7 Spencer, a Brockton resident, was an integral piece of the Bishops' run to their third MIAA Division 3 state championship in eight seasons, and a No. 1 ranking in ESPNBoston.com's final statewide poll of the 2012-13 season. The Bishops beat Lee, 60-33, in the state final, finishing off a six-game run through the state tournament in which they won by an average of 19.8 points.

Spencer is the second underclassman from this Archies squad to commit to a Division 1 school. Last July, 2015 center Jaylen Williams committed to Penn State.

St. Mary's of Lynn announced this afternoon the hiring of former Winthrop coach Dave Brown as its new head boys basketball coach, for the 2012-13 season.

Brown built Winthrop in a Division 4 power in the latter half of his 10-year run with the Vikings program, culminating in an MIAA State Championship in 2011 before he stepped down in 2012.

Courtesy of Paul Halloran, here is the full release from St. Mary's:

It did not take long for St. Mary’s Athletic Director Jeff Newhall to fill the varsity boys basketball coaching position. That’s what happens when you have a candidate who wants the job as much as you want him to hire him.

As a result, St. Mary’s named David Brown, a 1989 graduate who ranks sixth on the all-time scoring list, to replace Kevin Moran on Thursday, only three days after Moran announced his resignation.

“To be able to get a coach with Dave’s background who is also a graduate made this an easy decision,” Newhall said. “When we identified Dave as the coach we wanted, we decided to speak to him first before going through a lengthy process. When he expressed interest, that moved things along very quickly.”

Brown, who served as head coach at Winthrop High from 2002-12, said he has thought about coaching at St. Mary’s since his days as an assistant coach at the school. “Since I first got into coaching, my goal was to coach at my alma mater,” he said. “I enjoyed the time I spent at Winthrop, but I always wanted to coach at St. Mary’s.”

“We are very pleased to welcome Dave to our coaching staff,” said Head of School Grace Cotter Regan. “We are confident he will serve as a positive role model for our student-athletes.”

“Dave brings a wealth of experience and success to our program, and he is a graduate who understands the values and traditions of our school,” Principal Carl DiMaiti said.

After scoring 1,267 points while playing for Coach Frank Valeri at St. Mary’s, Brown went to Westfield State, where he became a 1,000-point scorer (1035) and set school records for career assists (383) and steals (224). He was inducted into the Westfield State Hall of Fame in 2008.

Brown was an assistant at St. Mary’s from 1997-2000 and at Winthrop from 2000-2002. He built a Northeastern Conference power at Winthrop in his 10 years as head coach, as the Vikings advanced to the MIAA North final for three straight years (2008-10) before winning the state championship in 2011.

He took last year off and started the Brown Development League, a basketball program for youth in grades 2-6 emphasizing the fundamentals of the game. He knew he wanted to eventually get back into high school coaching, but was not sure when.

“When this opportunity came about, I jumped at it,” he said. “Kevin (Moran) did a great job; the kids are talented and hard-working and they know how to win. It’s always easier to go into a situation like that.”

A police officer in Winthrop since 1995, Brown is married to the former Helen Pedro. They live in Lynn with their three children: Ava (12), Eliza (10) and David Jr. (8).

Brighton High's Malik James and Reading High's Olivia Healy stopped by ESPNBoston.com's Foxborough office yesterday afternoon, where they were officially presented their trophies as the state's player of the year, the "Mr. Basketball" and "Miss Basketball" awards, respectively.

James, a 6-foot-1 point guard, was masterful in Brighton’s run to its first-ever MIAA Division 2 state championship in school history. He averaged 20 points per game over a six-game run through the tournament, which culminated with a 59-41 win over South Hadley in Saturday’s state final at Worcester’s DCU Center. Most dramatically, he led the Bengals to a comeback victory over Scituate in the Eastern Mass. final at TD Garden. Brighton trailed by 11 points with four minutes to go, but James sealed the victory with a three-point play with 1.8 seconds to go.

Healy, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward, led the state in scoring average (27.5 points per game), and shot 54.1 percent from the field -- including a 41 percent clip from three-point range. She also averaged 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 3.8 assists per game. She leaves Reading as the school's all-time leading scorer of either gender, at 1,897 points, breaking the previous mark set in 1985. In her four seasons with the Reading varsity, the Rockets went 86-7 with four Middlesex League titles, two MIAA Division 2 North titles, an Eastern Mass. Championship and the school's first-ever state title in 2012. The Rockets also endured a 48-game win streak, starting at the beginning of the 2011-12 season and snapping on March 11 in the Eastern Mass. Championship at TD Garden.

Both are expected to fulfill Division 1 aspirations following graduation. Healy signed a letter of intent with the University of Richmond last November, while James is expected to finish up next year at prep school. Yesterday, during the awards presentation, James received his first Division 1 scholarship offer, from Canisius College, for the 2014-15 season.

Canisius College extended a scholarship to 2014 point guard prospect Malik James on Tuesday afternoon, while he was at ESPNBoston.com's Foxborough office this afternoon to receive the organization's "Mr. Basketball" award.

James took the MIAA by storm the past two years, leading Brighton to the state finals as a sophomore and bringing home the school’s first ever state championship as a junior. He separated himself as the MIAA’s best player during the state tournament, where he averaged 20 points per game.

In receiving his first Division 1 offer, James feels relief.

“Finally my mother won’t have to pay for college out of her own pocket," he said. "I’m just happy knowing that it’s my first offer, and also that there are many more to come. All that hard work in the gym has paid off. It’s really a blessing too, I’m very proud."

He will be playing against some of the best AAU competition in the country this summer with BABC, as part of the Nike EYBL circuit. Playing with BABC for Coach Leo Papile has already been a rewarding experience for James.

“Leo’s a very good coach, he really knows his X’s and O’s," James said. "If you listen to him and stay in his system, you’ll be good. So far the competition is obviously way better than the Boston City League or anything like that. I’m going up against other top point guards in my class."

With significant interest from several other Division 1 programs, James is currently in the process of deciding where he will play prep school basketball this coming fall.

Providence College became the first school to offer a scholarship to Windsor (Conn.) Class of 2015 hoops standout Jared Wilson-Frame last night. The offer comes following his strong play on consecutive weekends at the Nike EYBL circuit in Los Angeles, Calif., and Hampton, Va.

Wilson-Frame, who visited Providence unofficially earlier this month, was ecstatic about receiving his first offer.

“It’s really exciting to know that a school wants to give you a chance where you can get a free education and play basketball at a high level,” Wilson-Frame said.

He has been well-known on New England’s high school basketball scene as one of the region’s best players, especially after leading Windsor to a 49-6 record over the past two seasons. This season, the small forward was named to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State Team.

In an attempt to become a better-known prospect on a national scale, he accepted the invitation to play with Expressions Elite this summer.

“That’s one thing I always said to myself. I always go on ESPN or on Twitter and I’ll see kids getting offers who I have played against--kids who I honestly feel like I have played at their level or better," he said. "That really motivated me to want to play at a higher level."

Wilson-Frame is considering the prep school route next school year, but says for now he is focused on finishing this year strong academically and continuing to build his name on the AAU circuit. Expressions Elite has made quite a splash at Nike EYBL, sitting at 9-0 after the first two weekends of play.

“They’re good guys off the court," he said. "Our whole team was hand-elected, so we hadn’t played together before. But now we’re always on each other [off the court], joking and laughing…it really is a family environment."

Last Wednesday was an emotional day for those associated with the Foran High School baseball program, and it had little to do with Foran's 5-0 loss to rival Law.

<img src="http://a.espncdn.com/espncitysites/boston/prod/assets/hs_connect_110.jpg" alt="Connecticut" class="floatright" />Earlier that day Foran named its baseball field after Ken Walker, who served as Foran's baseball coach from 1986 to 2003, and then from 2011 to 2012. He passed away last June at age 60.

Walker won 279 games during his tenure as Foran's baseball coach – all of his teams qualified for the state tournament – but he also guided the Foran football team to the 1994 Class M title.

Walker graduated from Milford High School in 1969 and then played baseball at Central Connecticut State. He was a three-sport athlete in high school (he also played football and basketball) and coached at all three Milford high schools: Milford, Foran and Law.

“I saw, probably, every public school athlete that came through Milford in the last 48 years,” former Milford baseball coach Dick Jeynes told the Connecticut Post. “In my opinion, he's arguably the best all-around. That's my opinion because he was outstanding at all three – football, basketball and baseball.”

Walker's son Garrett replaced is father as Foran's baseball coach.

“I've never thought about it as anybody else's field except his,” Garrett said. “In my eyes, it's finally getting the name I think it deserves.”

DIAMOND GEMS
Ten players to watch during the 2013 CIAC baseball and softball seasons:

Baseball
"Anthony Alicki, P/1B (Foran): Senior has committed to play at Franklin Pierce, one of the top Division II programs in the country.

"Charles Ameer, P/SS (Weston): Has been clocked in the low 90s. Will continue his baseball career at St. John's.

"Matt Blandino, P (Bristol Central): A possible selected in June's MLB draft, Blandino has committed to play at Central Connecticut State.

"Michael Concato, P (Amity): Concato, a senior, posted an 11-2 record with 108 strikeouts and a 0.61 ERA last season. He will play at Brown.

"Manny Cruz, P/INF (Wolcott): Hit .503 with 28 RBIs, and was 6-0 on the mound last season. Has committed to Southern New Hampshire University.

"Kyle Dunster, P/OF (Greenwich): Dunster, a junior, has committed to play at Boston College.

"Griffen Garabedian, OF (Notre Dame-West Haven): Batted .403 and stole 12 bases as a junior last season. Has committed to play at the University of Connecticut.

"Aaron Hill, INF. (Fitch): Hill has also committed to play at the University of Connecticut. He hit .395, scored 21 runs, collected 19 RBIs and stole 11 bases last season.

"Will Rios, P (St. Bernard): Only a sophomore, Rios has already committed to the University of Maryland.

"Ryan Testani, P (Shelton): Helped Shelton win the Class LL state championship last season, when his posted a 9-3 record and a 1.31 ERA. Testani has committed to Seton Hall.

Softball
"Fallon Bevino, OF (Foran): A three-year starter, Bevino hit .450 with 22 RBIs last season as a sophomore.

"Sydney Ferrante, SS (Southington): Batted .453 with 46 RBIs as a junior last season.

"Hannah Ford, C/3B (New Fairfield): Ford, a junior, hit .525 with 25 runs scored and 21 RBIs last season.

"Katelyn Haff, 2B (Waterford): Senior led her team with a .477 average last season, when she collected six triples, four home runs and 33 RBIs.

"Jess Harkness, P (Foran): Posted a 23-2 record with 270 strikeouts in 186 innings last season.

"Kaitlyn Lajoie, P (Rockville): Had a 22-2 record and a 0.76 ERA to help the Rams win the Class L title as a junior.

"Erika Leonard, SS (Rocky Hill): Hit .494 with 40 hits and 19 RBIs for last year's Class M champion.

"Katie Petroski, INF (Seymour): Had a .505 average with 55 RBIs and 45 runs scored last season as a sophomore.

"Jenn Vazquez, C (St. Joseph): Has committed to play at Manhattan College. Hit .468 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs last season.

"Kayla Votto, 2B (Coginchaug): Senior led her team in batting average (.500), triples (12) and RBIs (36) last season.

GREENWICH GIRLS START STRONG
The Greenwich girls' lacrosse program has won the last two Class L championships, and, judging by the early results, this year's team appears capable of extending that streak.

Greenwich is off to a 5-0 start and has outscored its opponents 84-36. Greenwich's latest victory was a 16-8 triumph over Stamford on Friday. The Cardinals were without leading scorer Emily Johnson (hamstring) for that contest, but senior Emma Christie stepped up and scored a career-high five goals against Stamford.

The Greenwich program has won nine games in a row, dating back to last season.

BOYS OF SUMMER
Players selected in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Classic Military Bowl draft for the game that will be played June 29 at Rentschler Field:

Connecticut Marines Team: Quinn Fleeting, Windsor, QB; Cole Ormsby, Windsor, DE; Kevin Dean, Xavier, OL; Jeremy Clarke, Woodland, OL; Sean Merrill, Sheehan, OL; Mike LaSala, Wilton, OL; Ryheime Moore, Windsor, WR; Raeshaun Finney, Ansonia, WR; Teno Simpson, Hillhouse, LB; Rahmi Roundtree, Woodland, WR; Denzel Moscova, St. Joseph, WR; Devonte Dillion, Windsor, RB; Isiah Swain, Middletown, LB; Joe Pacheco, New Fairfield, RB; Andre Gee West Haven, S; Lamont Waites, New London, LB; Brandon Marquis, Farmington, DL; Nick Spitz, Southington, LB; Donery Evans, Hyde, DL; Eddy Williams, West Haven, LB; David Campbell, Bloomfield, RB/CB; Akeino Chamberlain, Middletown, LB; Caleb Camacho, New London, WR; Dennis Flanagan, Amity, OL; Sixto Acosta, Newington, LB; Jesse Adelberg, Greenwich, K; Mike Alexander, Bulkeley, S; Ian Auger, Coginchaug, LB; William Barrett, West Haven, OL; Nathan Bonafonte, Southington; S; Andrew Campbell, Middletown, LB; Brennan Diaz, Oxford, QB; Nygel Gladney, Crosby, LB; Cam Gravina, Hand, OL; Zak Hedberg, Newington, OL; Spencer Hill, Windham, FB; Rakim Jordan, Prince Tech, LB; Jevon Lawrence, Manchester, DL; Brandon Marquis, Manchester, DL; Terrance N'Dabian, Bunnell, CB; Emmett Odegard, Greenwich, LS; Lance Ormsby, Windsor, LB; Christian Outlaw, Middletown, OL; Rashad Ramsey, Windsor, WR; Roy Ricahards, Manchester, RB; Miguel Santos, Xavier, DL; Mike Semacik, Fitch, OL; O'Brien Sinclair, Middletown, WR; Carlton Steer, East Hartford, TE; Shane Steinman, Rocky Hill, RB; David Tanner, East Hartford, RB; Jh'mel Trammell, Ansonia, LB; Chris Traore, Windsor, LB; Jalon White, North Haven, QB; David Wilcox, Waterford, DL; Chuck Wooding, Glastonbury, RB.

Head coach: Rob Fleeting, Windsor. Assistant coaches: John Ferrazzi, Sheehan; Roy Roberts, Newington; Sal Morello, Middletown; Duane Maranda, New London; Harry Bellucci, Hartford Public; Scott Jenkins, Windsor; and Derrick Lewis, Bassick.

Connecticut National Guard Team: Tim Boyle, Xavier; QB; Nick Gaynor, Northwest Catholic, DB/RB; Zack Creeron, Xavier, OL/DL; Je'Vaughn Moore , Hillhouse, QB/DB;; Max Schumann, Xavier, OL/DL; Justin Potts, Platt, RB/DBback; Max Tylki, Xavier, LB; Terrell Huff, Windsor, DB; Chris Luster, Xavier, WR/DB; Jonah Dorsey, Xavier, OL/DL; Kyle Wilson, Ledyard, OL; Terrell Fairweather, Hillhouse, LB; Kadialy Toure, West Haven, LB; Marc Wildman, Housatonic, DL; Brandon Robertson , Montville, TE; Daequane Clark, New Britain, WR; Ed Croft, Shelton, K; Sam Miranda, New London, WR; Alex Borkowski, Branford, LB; Mick Pernell, Naugatuck, WR; Derek Villard, Cromwell, RB; Dan Herbert, Newtown, WR; Jelani Roman, Notre Dame-Fairfield, LB; Jake Pelletier, St. Joseph, WR; John Shannon, Bullard Havens, RB; Mike Nichol, Wolcott, QB; Saffwan Davis, Fitch, RB; Austin Kingsbury, Windsor Locks, FB; Antonine Byrd, Capital Prep/Classical Magnet, WR; Dillon McMahon, Derby, WR; Hector Rodriguez, Berlin, OL; Ryan Murtha, Montville, OL; Justin Pelazza, Branford, OL; Robert Roehrich, St. Joseph, OL; Mitch Blanchette, Berlin, OL; Ben Morales, Ledyard, OL; Bobby Bozym, Ledyard, OL; Abdullah Dukalay, Hartford Public, DB; Kevin Main, Berlin, DB; Justin Develis, Newtown, DB; Mustaphe Noibi, Fitch, DB; Christian Clark, Windham, DG; Cal Karpi, Ledyard, DB; Mike Pulaski, St. Joseph, LB; Chris Golger, Fairfield Prep, LB; Devin Stewart, Northwest Catholic, LB; Alex Kyprianou, New Milford, LB; Patrick Kirkwood, Fitch, LB; Miles Pompeii-Grove, Holy Cross, LB; Al Harris, Windsor, DL; Andrew Klarman, Branford, DL; Eric Collodel, Woodland, DL; Bryan Monaco, Masuk, DL; Lester Smith, Fitch, DL; Colton Schilling, Guilford, DL.

Head coach: Jim Buonocore, Ledyard. Assistant coaches: Sean Marinan, Xavier; Jemal Davis, Norwich Free Academy; Tim Shea, Woodland; Duncan Dellavolpe, Warde; Tanner Grove, Montville; John Marinelli, New Canaan; Andy Guyon, Xavier; Chris Silvestri, New Canaan; and Chris Eckert, Cromwell.

FITCH PICKS PANUCCI
Jodan Panucci, 26, was named Fitch's varsity football coach last Tuesday.

Panucci has spent the last five years as an assistant coach with the program. He was an offensive lineman at Fitch and a team captain in his senior season.

Panucci replaces Mike Emery, who stepped down last year after 17 seasons as Fitch's head coach.

FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE SELECTS DAILEY
John Dailey has been named the varsity boys basketball coach at Fairfield Ludlowe. He replaces Brian Silvestro, who retired following the 2012-13 season.

Dailey has been with the Fairfield Ludlowe program as a freshman coach, a junior varsity coach and a varsity assistant coach for the last six seasons. He coached the varsity team for four games last season while Silvestro dealt with a medical issue.

Roger Brown is a staff writer with the New Hampshire Union Leader, and has been covering high school sports throughout New England since 1992.

There was no shortage of candidates to replace Brad Parker as Champlain Valley Union's girls' soccer coach.

According to a story in the Burlington Free Press, a five -person search committee narrowed the field to five individuals – four of whom were interviewed – before selecting former CVU boys' soccer assistant coach Stan Williams.

Williams graduated from CVU in 1989, and was an assistant coach with the CVU girls program in 2001, 2003-04 and 2010. He also served as the program's co-head coach with Parker in 2002.

Parker, who resigned in February, guided CVU to a 340-45-42 record and 11 state championships in his 25 seasons as head coach. He was selected as the national coach of the year in 1997.

“It's a program with pressure, but also a program that anybody would want to coach,” Williams told the Free Press. “It's obviously an exciting position. This job has always been something I've held out there as a job I've wanted.”

CVU has won the last two Division I titles. Fifteen players are eligible to return from last year's team.

Williams has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the CVU boys soccer team. He also coached the CVU girls basketball team from 2002 to 2009.

MMU BASEBALL ADDS FAMILIAR FACE
The Mount Mansfield Union baseball team posted a 9-2 triumph over Milton in its first game under interim coach Bob Slayton, who agreed to a one-year commitment to the program when head coach Brian Chandler decided not to coach the team this spring after the birth of his second child.

Mount Mansfield appears to be in capable hands since Slayton, 66, guided MMU to four Division I state championships and 356 victories in 34 seasons before he retired in 2008.

Chandler was an assistant under Slayton for nine seasons before he became head coach when Slayton retired.

GOAL-ORIENTED
Rice Memorial's Emily Cutting recorded her 100th career varsity goal in a season-opening lacrosse victory over St. Johnsbury.

Cutting collected five goals in last year's Division III title game, a 13-11 triumph over BFA-St. Albans. She also scored five goals in Rice's second game of the season, a 10-9 loss to BFA-St. Albans. Kate Dillon scored with one second remaining to give BFA-St. Albans the victory.

ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAMES RETURN
The Twin-State Basketball Classic, two all-star games between players from Vermont and New Hampshire, will be held July 13 at Essex High School. The girls game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and the boys game will follow.

The Twin-State Basketball Classic was once a must-see event for high school basketball fans in each state, but was discontinued in 2010 after a 30-year run. The New Hampshire boys and girls each have an 18-12 edge in the series.

The rosters and coaches for each team are expected to be released in May.

WILLINGHAM HEADED TO PREP SCHOOL
Rice Memorial forward Marcus Willingham announced that he will attend Tilton (N.H.) Prep next season. Willingham had 17 points and 14 rebounds when Rice defeated St. Johnsbury in last month's Division I championship game.

Roger Brown is a staff writer for the New Hampshire Union Leader and has been covering high school sports throughout New England since 1992.

Former Whitinsville Christian star Brady Bajema has been named the new head boys basketball coach at his alma mater, the school officially announced on Friday afternoon.

Bajema -- who teaches health, history, and physical education at the school -- will take over for his father, Jeff, who helped build the program into one of the state's most consistent across Division 3. The Crusaders won three consecutive Central Mass. Division 3 championships from 2010 to 2012, including a state championship in 2011 with the elder Bajema at the helm. Jeff Bajema was also Rick Martin’s assistant in 2005, when the Crusaders won their first state title -- with Bajema’s sons, Mitch and Brady, as the starting backcourt.

Brady matriculated to Gordon College, in Wenham, where he scored over one-thousand career points and led the Fighting Scots to the 2010 NCAA Division 3 tournament. Following his playing career, he spent two years at Gordon as a graduate assistant to head coach Tod Murphy before starting his career as a teacher at Whitinsville. This past season, he coached the Crusaders’ middle school team.

Speaking to ESPNBoston.com on Friday night, he expressed his excitement towards building his own program, but also continuing the winning tradition at Whitinsville.

"I’m pretty excited, I care about this school a lot -- it’s a special place," Brady said. "The basketball program has a great tradition...I appreciate the support from players, coaches, administrators. I’m excited about the group of guys that we have at WCS."

Brady and Athletic Director Leonard Krygsman met with members of the team during lunch hour on Friday afternoon, where he had an opportunity to talk to players and briefly lay down expectations.

"I got some good feedback from them. There are some tremendous leaders in this group," he said.

He received plenty of congratulations from his father as well, and said he will certainly draw from his father’s experience as he takes over a program that has been of the MIAA’s most storied over the course of the last decade.

"He’s been great," Brady said. "He’s willing to help in any way that I’d like him to help. But we both understand it’s my call now, that’s the way it needs to be, and I’ll definitely go to him for advice on certain things.

“It’s where I’m supposed to be. I understand the work and time [my dad] put in, and I’m willing to do the same to keep the basketball tradition [at Whitinsville].”

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its recipients in each sport for its Coach of the Year awards. Each coach will be recognized at the third annual MIAA Coach of the Year/Student-­Athlete of the Month banquet on Wednesday, May 29.

Below are the winners:

Chris Gould, Amherst - Boys' Outdoor Track
Robert L'Homme, Bishop Feehan - Girls' Cross Country
Thomas Rivet, Chicopee - Boys Soccer
Donald Savi, Dedham - Girls Soccer
Chris Sweet, Duxbury - Boys Lacrosse
Friend Weiler, Duxbury - Girls Ice Hockey
Kirk Fredericks, LincolnSudbury - Baseball
Alyssa Schatzel, Masconomet - Girls Volleyball
Brenda Sullivan, Maynard - Field Hockey
Michael Kirby, Narragansett - Softball
Robert Ryan, New Bedford - Boys Tennis
Wayne Griffin, North Attleborough - Wrestling
Paul Worth, North Shore Tech - Football
Jose Rocha, Peabody - Boys' Cross Country
Shawn Thornton, Pope John XXIII - Girls Basketball
Jeff Nelson, Reading - Boys' Golf
Mark Pierce, St. Bernard's - Boys Basketball