LaRose Taking Talents To Siena

The Journal
B
Sports
THURSDAY
February 12, 2015
LaRose Taking Talents To Siena
Canton Overcomes
Strong Effort By OFA
In NAC Hockey
LOCAL, B2
BRIEFS
Snolf Teams Needed
Organizers of the
“Snolf” tournament are
seeking teams.
The event is a fourperson captain-andcrew golf tournament
played in the snow on
Feb. 28 from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m.
The tournament will
raise funds for the St.
Lawrence County SPCA.
Registration is $25 per
person, which covers golf
and a party afterward at
the K of C on Hasbrouck
Street. For more info,
registration forms, donations: call 394-3223, 3232512.
Girls Indoor Soccer
The Ogdensburg Boys
and Girls Club is now
taking signups for its
for Girls Indoor Soccer
League.
The league will begin
Feb.24th and end March
24th..
Games will be played
every Tuesday and
Thursday nights at 7 and
8pm.
Maples Rock’N’Skate
The Molson Maples
Old Timers Hockey team
would like to announce
that it will be offering
a Rock ‘N’ Skate at the
Richard C. Lockwood
Civic Center on Saturday, Feb. 21.
The Maples will be
providing four hours of
ice time to area youths
for this event.
Youngsters in grades
K-6 are scheduled to
take the ice from 5 to 7
p.m. and grades 7-12 will
follow from 7:15 to 9:15
p.m.
Admission is free
and for those not having their own ice skates
there will be ice skates
available to use through
Ogdensburg City Parks
and Recreation.
Devil Hoop Star
Verbally Accepts
D1 Scholarship
By DAVE SHEA
When Kinnon James
LaRose was a sixth grader
at St. Marguerite D’Youville
Academy in Ogdensburg he
wrote in his yearbook that
someday he wanted to play
college basketball at Oregon
State University.
On Tuesday, the OFA senior confirmed that he had
made a verbal commitment
to accept an NCAA Division
I basketball scholarship and
that he will officially sign a
letter intent during the week
of April 15.
But much closer to home,
much to the delight of his
mother Monica LaRose, as
he committed to join the
rich basketball tradition of
Siena College of the MAAC
Conference in Albany.
LaRose’s father, Steve
LaRose, said that his son
received his scholarship offer from Siena Coach Jimmy
Patsos on Monday.
“After he received the offer, he talked to Monica and
I about it and then accepted
the offer,” said Steve LaRose.
“Kinnon is looking for an
opportunity where he works
hard, competes every day,
earns time, and contributes
to the team and helps win
games along with getting a
great education.”
On Tuesday evening,
Coach Patsos made the trip
to Brushton-Moira to watch
OFA and his fourth 2015 recruit play.
“I felt like Siena was just
the best fit for me, academically and athletically. The
coaches feel my role will be
a two guard who steps in an
makes an impact” LaRose
said in a joint interview with
the “The Journal”, “The Watertown Daily Times” and
the Albany Times Union on
Wednesday morning.
“I love what Coach (Jimmy) Patsos brought to the table and all the other coaches
and the community around
it. It really felt like it was a
nice place to be and it would
be like home.”
He is also confident that
he will feel at home in Siena’s uptempo style and
in what he calls “the crazy
atmosphere” at the Saints’
home games at the Times
more athletic,” says LaRose.
“Playing with such talented players made me work
harder. I learned that I had to
get my shot off quicker and
get down in a stance and really play defense.”
He also became the second member of his family to
become an NCAA Division
I athlete. His older brother
Breton is a pitcher for Sacred
Heart University Baseball
and Breton’s twin brother
Cavan has overcome two
major knee surgeries to play
with Sacred Heart’s Division
I Club Basketball team.
Kinnon LaRose said that
cementing his long range
future plans was a “huge relief”.
But he never lost focus
on
his short term plans of
PHOTO BY DAVE SHEA
helping
OFA return to the
OFA Basketball Coach Mark Henry shows his approval of Kinnon LaRose’s decision to acNew York State Final Four
cept an NCAA Division I Scholarship to Siena College in Albany.
and compete for a New York
tion 10, became the school’s Rocks AAU coaches Jim Hart State Class B Championship
Union Center in Albany.
“My dad and I watch all all-time boys basketball and Hamlet Tibbs who invit- and then hopefully do the
the games on television and leader for career 3-point- ed LaRose to join their team. same in baseball.
LaRose says he plans to
“Coach Henry had the
they play the same uptempo ers, single game scoring at
take
summer classes at Sipressing style that we play at 51 points and career scoring foresight to schedule the
ena
and
work at the college’s
(1594 and counting).
game. The game, as you look
OFA,” says LaRose.
summer
basketball camp.
Entering the final two back, changed his life” re“They like to get after peo“I can’t wait to get startple on defense and score in games of the regular season, calls Steve LaRose.
transition just like we do.”
he is closing on the single
During the spring and ed,” he tweeted on his @ReLaRose joins three other season scoring record for summer, Kinnon LaRose alKinnon.
In cyberspace, he is
recruits, all from the Balti- boys basketball and the played 40 games with 17U
more, MD, are in: 6’ 2” guard overall school record for Elite Youth Basketball known as @RealKinnon.
In the North Country, he
Nico Clareth and 6’ 8” power scoring which was set by League team all over the
is
known
as The Real Deal.
forwards Kenny Wormley Bridget King 15 years ago.
country culminating with
NOTES:
LaRose is one
and Evan Fisher.
Last season as a junior, he a second place finish in the
The down home feeling set the single season school AAU National Champion- of two members of the OFA
was emphasized a short time record for steals in boys bas- ship Tournament at the team planning to attend Silater when LaRose received ketball.
landmark Freedom Hall in ena College. Senior guard
Jon Rogers will attend the
a tweet from fellow recruit
OFA Coach Mark Henry Louisville, KY.
Clareth saying “Kinnon wel- says that his “overall game”
Playing shooting guard college and has earned a
come to the fam bro. Nice to is what makes LaRose such and small forward he aver- Presidential Scholarship...
a have a sniper on deck. Go an outstanding collegiate aged eight points, seven re- LaRose is the second memSaints”
prospect.
bounds, two assists and two ber of his team to earn a DiA sniper indeed.
“Kinnon’s a natural scor- steals per game and hit a vision I scholarship. Seth
LaRose is averaging 34 er, from the three-point line game-winning three-point- Pinkerton has accepted a
points, 10 rebounds, five as- he’s got unlimited range,” er to send the City Rocks to baseball scholarship to the
sists and four steals per game says Coach Henry.
semi-finals of the national University of Hartford....
LaRose will be the second
while shooting 74 per cent
“When someone like him tournament.
from the two-point range, averages 34 points a game
He was contacted by over Ogdensburg product to play
42 per cent from three-point people might think he is 40 NCAA Division I pro- for Siena. Mike Seymour, a
range (59-140) and 80 per only a shooter. But he is a grams and made unofficial 1966 graduate of St. Mary’s
cent from the foul line.
great passer, he’s incred- visits to Siena, the University Academy, enjoyed a very
After two preseason loss- ibly unselfish, too and he of Michigan, Bucknell, Col- successful career and is a
es to Albany area schools, has become an outstanding gate, Cornell, Northeastern member of the college’s AthLaRose, a 6-foot-5 senior leader.”
and the University of Hart- letic Hall of Fame...LaRose
who earned second team
LaRose’s road to Siena ford which made a scholar- will become the first Section
10 basketball player in 37
all-state honors as a junior, started in the Albany area ship offer.
has led OFA to 14 straight in the first game of his ju“So many people helped years to reach the Division I
dominating wins, a third nior season when he scored me get to where I am and I level joining select company
straight NAC Central Divi- 30 points and grabbed 12 want to thank them all,” said in Dr. Hal Cohen (Canton
1976) at Syracuse University,
sion Championship and a rebounds in a 65-63 loss to LaRose.
number 10 New York State Albany Academy. On SaturIn committing to Siena, Senior Analyst at US Dept
Class B ranking.
day, OFA will host number LaRose became the eighth of Homeland Security Tom
In the course of the sea- four ranked Class A oppo- member of that Albany DuPre’ (OFA 1977) at the Air
son, the 2014 NAC Central nent Albany Academy in a Rocks team to earn an NCAA Force Academy and current
Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick
Division MVP and co-recipi- 4:30 p.m. start at SUNY Pots- Division I scholarship.
ent of the Joe Jukoski Memo- dam.
“Playing with the City Carlisle (Lisbon 1978) at the
rial Award given each year to
In attendance at least Rocks really helped me. University of Maine and the
outstanding player in Sec- season’s game were Albany I learned that I had to get University of Virginia.
QUOTABLE
“We like to go inside
a lot more than we
did tonight. I think
we settled for threepointers too much. But
Morristown did a good
job with its box-and-one,
Nate (Nate Weaver) just
stood around too much.
They are a tough club and
they will be tough in the
playoffs.”
Harrisville Basketball
Coach Brian Coloney
PHOTO BY DAVE SHEA
The two pond hockey rinks and an open skating area, constructed adjacent to the Richard Lockwood Arena, will provide a fine venue for this weekend’s Second Annual St. Lawrence River Pond Hockey Tournament.
All Systems Go For Pond Hockey Tourney
By DAVE SHEA
INDEX
Floor Hockey B3
Bowling B4
Classifieds B7
Brown Award B8
All systems are go for the
second annual St. Lawrence
River Pond Hockey Classic on
Saturday and Sunday.
Two pond hockey rinks and
an open skating area have
been constructed adjacent to
the Richard Lockwood Community Arena.
Pond hockey games will be
held throughout Saturday and
Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. on
both days and youth and adult
shootouts and chuck a puck
contests will be held along
witn a 50-50 raffle.
There will also be food and
drink on sale catered by Hosmer’s Marina.
At noon on Saturday, Minor
Hockey teams will play on the
two rinks.
“The ice in the rinks are in
great shape and the weather
is supposed to be excellent
for pond hockey. And we are
hoping that people will come
down and take part. Not just
the hockey players,” said Mike
Fennessy who headed the organization of the tournament
along with City Councilman
Bill Hosmer.
“We are going to have fire
pits set up so players and
spectators can keep warm
and teams can get dress in the
See ALL B6