Sunday, December 10, 2006 Tue DALLAS POST PAGE 9 SPOrts Leading mall playing new role By DAVE KONOPKI Dallas Post Editor he season is less than a month old and already Tim Crossin has experienced two things he never has during his play- ing career. Playing in one of the country’s most famous college basketball venue is one. Starting a game on the bench is another. And he considers both to be a valuable expe- rience. The former Bishop O'Reilly standout is en- joying his sophomore season at Towson Uni- versity, helping the Tigers get off to an impres- sive start to the young season. Towson has an overall record of 5-3, including a 1-0 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Tigers are 3-0 at home for their best start in 17 years. “I feel a lot more comfortable on the court this year and I have more confidence,” said the former Pennsylvania Class A Player of the Year. “When I came here last year, I didn’t know what to expect. The game is starting to slow down a little. The more you play against this kind of competition, the more confident you become.” During his days at Bishop O'Reilly, Crossin was the leading man — leading the Queens- men to back-to-back state championships dur- ing his junior and senior seasons. But recently, Towson head coach Pat Kennedy asked the son of Tom and Eileen Crossin of Trucksville to play a new role. A member of the supporting cast. “We came back home after a long road trip and Coach (Kennedy) called me into his of- fice,” explained Crossin, who was named to the CAA All-Rookie team last season. “We were having trouble rebounding from the (number) three spot and he wanted me to play off the ball a little more. That meant me com- ing off the bench instead of starting.” It certainly wasn’t a demotion or a knock on his young talent, stressed Kennedy. “Tims totally a team player,” said Kennedy, a King’s College graduate who recruited and coached GAR product Bob Sura at Florida State in the 1990s. “We needed to make put more pressure on teams early in the game. (C.C.) Williams is a little quicker and a little stronger than Timmy. We put him in to pres- sure the ball early, and then we put in Tim.” Crossin certainly didn’t let the change affect his performance on the court. In his first game off the bench, the 19-year-old responded by scoring a season-high 13 points. “I've learned a lot,” Crossin said. “You're go- ing to go through adversity at times in your life. You just have to keep working hard and stay positive. That’s what Coach (Kennedy) preaches. He’s the reason I'm here. I have a lot of respect for him.” The two-time high school all-state selection is fourth on the Towson team in minutes played (187). He’s also the second-leading scorer (7.8 points per game), leading free throw shooter (93 percent), No. 2 player in as- sists (23) and the top three-point shooter (41 percent). That doesn’t surprise the man who recruit- ed him. “Statistically, Tim was our best player last Trucksville's Tim Crossin leads Towson University in three-point shooting. year and he’s our best again this year,” Kenne- dy said. “The great thing about Tim is that he can score, play the point, and he’s a very smart defensive player. He certainly brings a lot to the table.” Crossin recently enjoyed the basketball ex- perience of a lifetime when Towson traveled to play the University of Kansas in historic Al- len Fieldhouse. A capacity crowd of almost 17,000 people saw the Jayhawks pull way from the Tigers in the second half for an 87-61 win. Crossin finished the game with seven points and five assists. “It was amazing,” said Crossin, whose par- ents flew to Kansas for the game. “I got goose bumps when I walked on the court. There’s so much tradition in that place. It was quite an experience.” Crossin says he won’t spend any time won- dering if he'll return to the starting lineup. In- stead, he says he’ll remain focused on his team’s top goal: winning a CAA championship and earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. “We were the preseason pick to finish sev- enth,” he said. “We use it as little motivation. We definitely feel like we can win it. We've added some good players and we have a lot of guys playing this year. Last year, our rotation was about six guys. This year, it’s eight or nine.” Kennedy has a national reputation for turn- ing programs around. He’s coached at Iona, Florida State, DePaul and Montana, leading his teams to eight NCAA Tournament appear- ances and five National Invitation Tourna- ments. Kennedy says he has high hopes for the Towson program. And he expects Tim Crossin to be a big part of it. “Timmy has played a vital role in our suc- cess so far and he will continue to be a vital part of our program,” Kennedy said. “He’s been a standout from Day One. He’s one of most efficient players I've ever coached. We're very happy to have him at Towson.” PHOTOS COURTESY TOWSON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS Former Bishop O'Reilly standout Tim Crossin is enjoying his sophomore season at Towson University. Tim Crossin is among the statisti- cal leader in almost every offensive category for the Towson University Tigers. oLawatsky, Dunbar spark DYB teams Editor’s note: The follow- ing game results were submit- ted to The Dallas Post by rep- resentatives from the leagues. Game results from all youth basketball leagues are welcome, as long as they are submitted in the format in which these games appear. For more information, call ed- itor Dave Konopki at 829- 7248 or e-mail him at dkonop- ki@timesleader.com. Eric Zawatsky scored 11 points to lead Sheetz to a 32- 20 win against Gordon-Smith Insurance in Dallas Youth Basketballs fifth and sixth grade boys action. Chase Ma- kowsky chipped in eight points while Blake Williams played well defensively and added five points. Felix Dol- man chipped in with four points as the Center For Imaging Center to a thrilling FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Meghan Martin grabs a rebound away from Vanessa Wells and Lauren Skudalski during a DYB game last weekend. points, while points. Danny Saba added 12 JT. Carey (ORMOTTR MiversITY KERESTES SIGNS WITH MONMOUTH » i Li points. Greg Petorek led Gor- @ io smith with 10 points, while John Murray added eight points. Mike Boris pulled down 10 rebounds. ¢ Michael Boland scored 12 36-34 win against Dough Company. Kyle Razawich chipped in 10 points and Brenden Ehret played well de- fensively. Darren Lupple led Dough Company . with 14 tossed in six points. e Mariano Medico scored 10 points to lead Drs. Banas, Byron and Kim to a 26-17 win See DYB HOOPS, Page 1 Dallas cross country and track standout Kenslie Kerestes accepted a full athletic/academic scholarship to Monmouth University. The daughter of Joe and Diane Kerestes plans to compete for the cross country, and indoor/outdoor track teams. At Dallas, Kerestes was a member of the Class 2A state championship cross country team in 2005. Her gutsy performance with an in- jured ankle helped the Mountaineers win their second state title in three years. Attending the signing, from left, first row are Diane Kerestes, Kenslie Kerestes and Joe Kerestes. Second row: Matt Samuel, head coach; Ed Radzinski, assistant coach; and Jack Wolensky, athletic director.
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