Thursday, January 26, 2012
Nobody was near DJ Rossino when he crumpled to the floor during basketball practice last summer.
No, Lehighton's senior point guard was about to go up for a layup when his right knee suddenly gave out.
"It was our second practice of the summer," recalled Lehighton head coach Rich Oertner. "No one was around him. We were running the three-man-weave drill and he was going up for a layup and just fell to the floor."
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Steve Hicks had spent close to two decades running up and down the hardwood as a varsity basketball referee before he had to make a life-changing decision.
After tearing the meniscus in his right knee about four years ago, Hicks' career in officiating slowed down a lot. In fact, so much so that a medical recommendation gave him the incentive to hang up his whistle for good.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Christmas is a time for giving, sharing and spending time together with loved ones.
In the sports world, the holidays are also the time for local basketball tournaments.
Eleven area basketball teams will compete in Christmas tournaments next week. All 11 figure to play two games regardless if they win or lose on the first day, as they will either move on to their respective championship or consolation games.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday night has become 'Championship Night' in the TIMES NEWS area.
Three local girls' basketball teams will be playing for their respective conference championships, as Northern Lehigh, Pleasant Valley and Tamaqua will all tip-off at 6 p.m. this evening.
Oddly enough, each team has a different storyline and has taken a different road to the finals. One team is undefeated and looking to defend its title. One team is looking for redemption in its first-ever title game. And one team is looking to get back to where it has been in the past.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Nick Young has been broadcasting basketball games on the radio for so many years, even he isn't sure of the exact year he started.
What is certain is this: Young has been a fixture on the airwaves as a play by play announcer spanning five decades, beginning in the 1970's and continuing with the current 2010-11 season.
At age 85, Young is still calling games on the radio, although his appearances on WMGH 105.5 FM in Tamaqua were cut back this season due to illness.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
After winning a District 11 title as the head coach of the Panther Valley girls' basketball team in 1998-99, Rob Kovac later took over Jim Thorpe's program and is now in his fourth year at the helm.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
When he first looked at this year's schedule, Northern Lehigh girls' basketball coach Dave Oertner expected the unexpected.
The fourth-year Bulldogs' mentor truly believed that his team had a fair shot of accomplishing something rarely done in high school basketball an undefeated regular season.
That's a bit unusual to hear from any coach even before his team has taken the court.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
One can't possibly overstate the importance of vision when playing sports.
Although it is sometimes taken for granted, athletes need to have good eyesight and a fast reaction time in order to process the information in front of them quickly and efficiently.
Unfortunately for Pleasant Valley's Tarik Williams, a member of the varsity basketball team and the school's band, his vision is slowly being taken away from him.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
During the next several weeks, the term "on the bubble" will be heard over and over again in college basketball circles.
With 'March Madness' just around the corner, lots of opinions will be offered about which teams will make the NCAA tournament field and which teams will be left out.
While projections of which college teams will reach the postseason are largely subjective, that isn't the case on the high school level in District 11.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Not a lot of basketball teams are able to keep large classes of players all the way through their senior year.
With only five available starting spots there isn't a lot of playing time to go around. If players today don't get what they (or their parents) feel is a fair share of playing time, they usually don't stick around.
