My Basketball History RHAM Basketball My 2007-2008 Stats 2007-2008 NCAA Season


My Basketball History
I began playing basketball when I was in first grade, yet it did not become my favorite sport until I reached fourth grade. I lived in Marlborough, where the only teams were recreational, and most of the kids were not very skilled.

It wasn't until I was in sixth grade that I began playing with kids from other towns. When I was in seventh grade, I was very cocky and thought that I might be the best basketball player in the grade. This thought was stopped short as I was cut from the middle school team. I played AAU in seventh grade, and improved greatly, yet I was still not at the level in which I could play for the school team in eigth grade.

I was devastated, and determined that I was prove wrong those who doubted my abilities. On my rec team in eight grade, I averaged about 20 points a game and took my team to the championship game of the regional tournament. I continued to improve throughout the end of my middle school career, and my hard work and dedication gave me the opportunity to play in high school.


RHAM Basketball
Basketball has always been one of the most popular sports at RHAM High School. Although the team has not always had great seasons, the players always give 100% and there is a strong fan base. Steve Emt, the current head varsity coach, was the best player in RHAM Basketball history. Over his high school career, he scored over 1000 points and was one of the top players in the state. While in college, he was a walk-on for the University of Connecticut.

Before RHAM was in the Northwest Conference, they played in the Charter Oak Conference, where every year they were one of the top teams. However, RHAM has not been as successful in the Northwest Conference. In 2005-2006 RHAM had one of their best seasons, with a 10-14 record. They progressed to the state quarterfinal game, where they lost in the final seconds.

Some of the better players RHAM has recently produced were, Jesse Billard, AJ Pollock, Dave Sadlowski and Andy Schultz.
The 2007-2008 season was not one of RHAM's best. The Varsity team had a record of 3-17 and were led by captains Scott Ferony, Ryan Allison, and Tyler Hopson. Three Varsity players quit mid-season, as they were unhappy with their playing time.

Although Varsity often stuck with the opposition, they lacked the experience and skill to win the games in the final minutes. The Northwest Conference this year was very competitive, and one team, Northwest Catholic, had the best player in the state, Chris Prescott. Other teams such as Farmington, East Catholic and Middletown were powerhouses who proved near impossible to defeat for other teams in the conference.

This past season was my second season for RHAM High School. As a freshman, I played for the Freshman team, and as a sophmore, I played for JV. For the Freshman team, I started in about half of the games, and our record was 8-10. As a sophmore, I started every game but one, and our record was 9-9. I hope to continue to play through my senior year, when I believe the team will be very successful.








My 2007-2008 Season Stats

Opponent

Points
Windham 2
E.O. Smith 2
Northwest Catholic 2
Plainville 6
Farmington 4
East Catholic 2
Middletown 10
Rocky Hill 8
Berlin 6
St. Paul 8
St. Paul 10
Northwest Catholic 9
Plainville 6
Farmington 8
Middletown 6
East Catholic 2
Rocky Hill 8
Berlin 6

2007-2008 NCAA Season
The NCAA regular season came to a close on Sunday, March 9th. Although some conferences have started their tournaments, others have yet to begin. The more competitive conferences, such as the Big East and ACC are starting their tournaments on the 12th and 13th of March. The final Associated Press Poll was released on March 9th, pending the final few games:

Associated Press Top 25
1 North Carolina
2 Memphis
3 UCLA
4 Tennessee
5 Kansas
6 Texas
7 Duke
8 Wisconsin
9 Georgetown
10 Xavier
11 Stanford
12 Butler
13 Louisville
14 Notre Dame
15 Connecticut
16 Drake
17 Purdue
18 Vanderbilt
19 Michigan State
20 Gonzaga
21 Washington State
22 Indiana
23 Davidson
24 Brigham Young
25 Marquette



Freshman players have emerged this season as some of the most dominant in the game. Michael Beasley from Kansas State is a front runner for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year. He is third in the NCAA with 26.5 points per game and is leading the NCAA with 12.5 rebounds a game. Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo, freshmen from UCLA and USC have lived up to the hype surrounding them. Both of their teams have greatly improved from past seasons. Kevin Love is leading the third ranked team in the nation with roughly 17 points and 11 rebounds a game. O.J. Mayo is averaging about 21 points a night and has lead USC to recent victories over Cal and Stanford. The other highly underrated Freshman is Kyle Singler from Duke. He is one of the top performers on one of America's best teams, and is averaging 14 points and 6 rebounds a game.

Tyler Hansbrough from North Carolina is another candidate for Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year. He is averaging 21 points and 10.5 rebounds a game, and is the top player on the top team in the country. Greg Paulus out of Duke only average about 11 points a game, but is perhaps the best clutch player in all of college basketball. In his two games versus North Carolina, he has lead his team in scoring and hit 10 3-pointers in the two games combined.

The Big East, the strongest conference in the NCAA this season, has 5 teams in the AP top 25, and looks to have perhaps 7 teams entering the NCAA tournament. Some of the strongest and most skilled players in the country have emerged from this conference. Just recently the All- Big East Honorees were released. Roy Hibbert, Luke Harangody, David Padgett, A.J. Price and Sam Young were just a few of the Big East First Team selections. Luke Harangody especially has proved to be an exceptional player and is first in the Big East with 21 points a game and is second in the Big East with just over 10 rebounds a game. He also ranks very high in the conference in Field Goal and Free Throw percentages.

With the Conference Tournaments closing soon, and the National Tournament approaching, tensions are high and every team is giving 100% in hopes that they will have the opportunity to succeed in the National Tournament. A few unheard of schools will look to gain entry by making a run in their conference tournaments. University of San Diego, not primarily known for basketball, claimed a spot for the National Tournament as they pulled out an amazing upset against Gonzaga, who is already guaranteed to make it as they finished 25-7 and 13-1 in conference play. As the Conference Tournaments wrap up on Saturday, there may be even more surprises, changing the potential outcome of the 64-team bracket.