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Social network from Lexis-Nexis to Malibu-Matrix

Choosing college and major produces a lifelong impact
December 8, 2017

Full-court friends - Randy Rickards and Ian Robertson are both 6-foot-5. One is black, while the other is white. Randy is right-handed; Ian is a lefty. The seniors are longtime basketball teammates and friends who perform between the lines in front of a judgmental fan base. Randy is emotional – sometimes the moments get the best of him – while Ian is more laid back and “needs to go to the rack” more often and work on finishing. Coach Steve Re knows Cape’s game revolves around his Double R deployment on offense. Randy brings the ball upcourt, but after the first pass down low, he goes inside baseline, while Ian pops low post and plays like an old school “pivot man” with his back to the basket. Except when that doesn’t happen. Basketball is a flow-and-go sport. No one holds up fingers or shouts a color to run a specific play, then resets to run another. My first request when I talk to a smart coach after a game is, “Tell me what I saw out there, because I’m sure I have no idea.”

Jump trap game - The Sussex Central boys’ basketball team has lost two home games to open the season – Caesar Rodney 89-41 and Cape Henlopen 66-28. They travel next to defending state champion Smyrna for a Friday night game. Coach Vince Evans is a good guy, and he handles his players with care and encouragement. And the Knights are pretty athletic – they beat Cape in the JV game – but they just seem too good to lose so badly. They did dribble too much and allowed so many “jailbreaks” they should install a guard tower at the defensive end of the court. Speaking of prisons, Central will get rocked at Smyrna – maybe the best team in the state – but I can see them sneaking up on some people down the line, and I honestly hope they do. Central beat Cape on the girls’ side the same night. They also won in football last fall, and the Cape wrestlers have to go grapple with the defending state champs Wednesday, Dec. 13. Fortunately, the principal with the indoor cannon is gone, like Roy Moore from the local mall. 

Social network - While speaking to athletes about college choices, something to take into consideration is the Lexis-Nexis versus the Malibu-Matrix. Private colleges and the Ivys cost more; it keeps people out, so the word elite has real meaning – otherwise, it’s like Food Lion, where everyone is an MVP. And maybe it’s a good idea to major in something marketable, because there are only so many parks for recreation, and how many sociologists does one society really need? It’s all about landing a job that doesn’t seem like work and also pays pretty well.      

Snippets - The Thiel College Tomcats defeated Geneva College 57-55 Dec. 2 behind 21 points from senior Tyreik Burton. The Cape grad from Belltown is out there getting it done and heading toward graduation. Sam Young (Cape) is now a sophomore pole vaulter for the University of Virginia. Last indoor season, he jumped 16-feet-8-inches, setting a freshman record and placing Sam fourth on the all-time list. Sam was second-team All-ACC last spring. The indoor season begins in February. Keegan Pando from Lewes (St. Andrew’s) is a freshman swimmer for Middlebury College in Vermont. In a recent meet versus Amherst College, Keegan was on the Panthers’ winning 400 freestyle relay team, which clocked a 3:20:53. The St. Andrew’s boys’ team’s winning time over Cape at the Dec. 5 swim meet was 3:36.27. There are no players from Delaware on the University of Delaware women’s basketball team. The Hens have been averaging about 1,400 spectators for home games. The Bob seats 5,100, so yes, the bouncing ball echoes and so do swear words when you miss a layup. The Liacouras Center on the Temple campus seats 10,200. The Temple women play most games at McGonigle Hall, which holds 4,000. The Owls women draw about 1,200 for home games. The point is, play the game because you love it. The fans seem to love it a lot less. Delmar won two state championships this fall, field hockey and football, and they have a Super Wawa. This weekend, they will host the Delmar Invitational Wrestling Tournament, featuring 12 teams, including Cape. The Philadelphia Eagles are in a must-win game Sunday versus the LA Rams. I was in North Philly in 1964 for the Phillies’ colossal collapse. This is not that yet, but one game at a time. Go on now, git!

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