Nation’s longest winning streak comes to an end Tuesday night as Student Sports FAB 50 No. 9 Germantown (Germantown, Wis.) loses to Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis.). Coach from prominent Northern California program suspended for a month by his school district and Javaris Crittenton’s sad spiral from high school star to murder suspect.
The game of the year in Wisconsin was played Tuesday night and it was such a hot ticket that some were going on Craiglist for $50 a pop. Tickets for the game at Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis..) were sold out a week before and the game between the host and Germantown (Germantown, Wis.) lived up to the hype.
Before a standing-room only crowd, Brookfield Central closed the game on a 18-5 run, after trialing by three points with 4:14 remainin,g to defeated previously unbeaten and Student Sports FAB 50 No. 9 Germantown, 68-58.
With its win, Brookfield Central (12-0) snapped the nation’s longest winning streak at 69 games. Germantown’s record on the season is now 13-1. The Warhawks’ last loss before Tuesday was a 54-42 loss to Appleton East (Appleton, Wis.) in the state quarterfinals.
Senior Riley LaChance, a Vanderbilt recruit, led Brookfield Central with 23 points while Elijah Goodman chipped in 19. LaMonte Bearden Jr., headed to Buffalo, netted a game-high 24 points for Germantown.
According to the Student Sports National High School Record Book, the longest winning streak ever in boys high school basketball is an amazing 159 games by Passaic (Passaic, N.J.) between 1919 and 1925.
The longest streak in recent years was the 83-game win streak of St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.). The Friars’ streak came to an end during the regular season in 2013 when it lost to St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.), 47-38. St. Benedict’s finished No. 2 in the final 2013 FAB 50 rankings.
Successful Coach Suspended 30 Days
Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) coach Joey Rollings was suspended for a month by the Elk Grove Unified School District, effective immediately, after the district’s findings on allegations of undue influence were outlined in a letter to the school’s principal.
Rollings has coached Sheldon to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championships four consecutive years, a section record for large schools. Two years ago, the Huskies played in the CIF Division I state title game and last year’s club, led by San Diego State freshmen Dakarai Allen and D’ Erryl Williams and Washington freshman Darin Johnson, finished No. 39 in the FAB 50.
Officials for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, the governing body of athletics for Elk Grove Unified School District high schools and many other districts in the region, did not comment of the district’s ruling. There is no word yet if the Sac-Joaquin Section, the second largest section in California, will penalize Sheldon for the findings.
The section hasn’t yet ruled on the eligibility of three students who transferred to Sheldon at the beginning of the school year. A fourth, Isaiah Brooks from Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento, Calif.), has played for the 5-8 team. Rollings got his team in high-powered events such as the Tarkanian Classic and UA Holiday Classic, but the Huskies struggled without all the players they figured would be eligible. According to the Sacramento Bee, the district’s investigation found that all four transfers live within Sheldon’s attendance boundaries.
Sheldon is set to begin Delta River League play this week and Rollings will be eligible to return before the post-season begins. He told the Sacramento Bee he’s disappointed in the rulings. Others within the Sheldon basketball program told Student Sports they feel the program is being made an example of.
Sheldon principal Paula Duncan told the Sacramento Bee the school self-reported the transfers and clerical errors surrounding them to CIF Sac-Joaquin Section commissioner Pete Saco during the summer.
“In the fall, an allegation of undue influence was brought to the District’s attention,” district spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich said in a statement. “We conducted a full investigation. The investigation found multiple CIF bylaws may have been violated. It also found that some district protocols were not followed.”
Javaris Crittenton’s Sad Saga
Javaris Crittenton, a 2006 EA SPORTS Second Team All-American out of Southwest Atlanta Christian (Atlanta, Ga.) who spent some time in the NBA, was indicted Wednesday on federal drug charges in his hometown. This occurred while the former Georgia Tech standout was awaiting trial for his alleged role in the shooting death of a mother of four.
According to ESPN.com, Crittenton and 13 others were named in an indictment as a result of a federal Drug Enforcement Agency investigation. In April 2013, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Crittenton and his cousin Douglas Gamble for the murder of Julian Jones, 22.
The latest indictment is a sad predicament for a 6-foot-5 guard best known for a gun confrontation with former Washington Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas in the team’s locker room instead of his basketball talents.
As a sophomore in high school, Crittenton teamed with EA SPORTS All-American Dwight Howard to lead Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) to its first state Class A title. SACA finished No. 24 in the final 2004 FAB 50 rankings and a few months later Howard was the No. 1 pick of the 2004 NBA Draft.
As a senior, Crittenton led his high school to another state title and he participate in the McDonald’s All-American Game in San Diego, Calif.
In a bit of irony, Howard’s uncle, Paul Howard, is the current Fulton County District Attorney.
Ronnie Flores is the Publisher and Editor of GrassrootsHoops.net. He can be reached at ronlocc1977@yahoo.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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