This is a tale of three basketball players.
Today is not the first time Karon Burton’s picture has appeared on the front page of the newspaper.
It is the first time he’s been so featured involving his arrest.
Burton, 19, was one of 11 people arrested during a drug sting carried out by Chester police officers on Monday. The pictures of all 12 suspects appear on the front page.
But it’s the shot of Burton that stands out. And he’s the focus of the lead headline. That’s because he’s the only one that was named our 2008 All-Delco Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
Burton led the Chester Clippers to a state hoops title, in the process placing his name in the very deep, rich annals of Chester High hoops, alongside such legends as Jameer Nelson.
I remember very well the day Burton’s picture appeared on the front page. We tease our All-Delco selections on Page One for each sport with a photo of the Player of the Year. Burton’s picture was the lead element dominating the Back Page of the newspaper, the gateway into the sports section.
I remember that day in part because of the phone calls I received. Not everyone was happy with our selection of Burton as Player of the Year.
You might recall there was another standout player in that class. His name was Tyreke Evans.
Several callers were incredulous that we would select Burton over Evans as our Player of the Year. Evans was named to the All-Delco hoops team.
Our selection was made in part because Burton led Chester High to a PIAA AAAA state title, while Evans played for the much smaller American Christian. You could easily make the argument that Evans was a better player, but Burton faced much tougher competition and was the clear leader of a state title team.
So what happened to Evans? Maybe you saw him or heard his name during March Madness. He went on to the University of Memphis, where he starred as a freshman for John Calipari.
It is widely expected that Evans will turn pro and offer his services to the NBA. Evans made it official Monday when he confirmed he would be taking his game to the next level.
In the meantime, Burton was recruited to play hoops at La Salle. He sat out last season for academic reasons. A spokesman for the school said they were distressed at the news, but reserved further comment.
Evans appears poised for stardom and a multi-million dollar payday in the NBA; Burton is awaiting arraignment this morning of charges of drug possession and possession with intent to deliver.
And the third player? Ironically, Burton’s successor as Player of the Year also was in the newspaper this week.
Duane Johnson led Penn Wood High School to their first-ever PIAA AAAA title this year. He received a full scholarship to East Stroudsburg University in the fall.
Johnson was one of 76 high school seniors honored Sunday by Congressman Joe Sestak as 7th Congressional District Scholar Athletes.
I was fascinated by Johnson’s reaction to the honor.
“Basketball really helped me stay focused,” Johnson said, accompanied by a very proud family. “It shows that you can excel at both things.”
Good for him.
The speaker at the banquet was Saint Joe’s head coach Phil Martelli.
If you ever get the chance to see Martelli speak to young people, don’t miss it. He’s mesmerizing, stressing things off the basketball court as much as on it.
“He understands it’s not all about the game, it’s about life,” Sestak said.
To which, this week maybe more than ever, I can only add: You can say that again.
Today is not the first time Karon Burton’s picture has appeared on the front page of the newspaper.
It is the first time he’s been so featured involving his arrest.
Burton, 19, was one of 11 people arrested during a drug sting carried out by Chester police officers on Monday. The pictures of all 12 suspects appear on the front page.
But it’s the shot of Burton that stands out. And he’s the focus of the lead headline. That’s because he’s the only one that was named our 2008 All-Delco Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
Burton led the Chester Clippers to a state hoops title, in the process placing his name in the very deep, rich annals of Chester High hoops, alongside such legends as Jameer Nelson.
I remember very well the day Burton’s picture appeared on the front page. We tease our All-Delco selections on Page One for each sport with a photo of the Player of the Year. Burton’s picture was the lead element dominating the Back Page of the newspaper, the gateway into the sports section.
I remember that day in part because of the phone calls I received. Not everyone was happy with our selection of Burton as Player of the Year.
You might recall there was another standout player in that class. His name was Tyreke Evans.
Several callers were incredulous that we would select Burton over Evans as our Player of the Year. Evans was named to the All-Delco hoops team.
Our selection was made in part because Burton led Chester High to a PIAA AAAA state title, while Evans played for the much smaller American Christian. You could easily make the argument that Evans was a better player, but Burton faced much tougher competition and was the clear leader of a state title team.
So what happened to Evans? Maybe you saw him or heard his name during March Madness. He went on to the University of Memphis, where he starred as a freshman for John Calipari.
It is widely expected that Evans will turn pro and offer his services to the NBA. Evans made it official Monday when he confirmed he would be taking his game to the next level.
In the meantime, Burton was recruited to play hoops at La Salle. He sat out last season for academic reasons. A spokesman for the school said they were distressed at the news, but reserved further comment.
Evans appears poised for stardom and a multi-million dollar payday in the NBA; Burton is awaiting arraignment this morning of charges of drug possession and possession with intent to deliver.
And the third player? Ironically, Burton’s successor as Player of the Year also was in the newspaper this week.
Duane Johnson led Penn Wood High School to their first-ever PIAA AAAA title this year. He received a full scholarship to East Stroudsburg University in the fall.
Johnson was one of 76 high school seniors honored Sunday by Congressman Joe Sestak as 7th Congressional District Scholar Athletes.
I was fascinated by Johnson’s reaction to the honor.
“Basketball really helped me stay focused,” Johnson said, accompanied by a very proud family. “It shows that you can excel at both things.”
Good for him.
The speaker at the banquet was Saint Joe’s head coach Phil Martelli.
If you ever get the chance to see Martelli speak to young people, don’t miss it. He’s mesmerizing, stressing things off the basketball court as much as on it.
“He understands it’s not all about the game, it’s about life,” Sestak said.
To which, this week maybe more than ever, I can only add: You can say that again.
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