Coolidge and VA Assault place two in Division I
Ron Bailey, Publisher
Duo aided by both institutions.
November 15, 2011 – The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association has been maligned in recent years, as the once proud producer of student athletes who went on to strong collegiate careers hasn’t done so as much lately. Though its football programs have been resurgent in not only developing top talent, but also ensuring student athletes are eligible to accept NCAA Division I scholarships directly out of high school, hoops teams have lagged in that regard.
It makes no sense that former Coolidge Colt Andre Mattison was the first
player in years to have the talent to an academic credentials for, NCAA
Division I scholarship acceptance in years when he graduated in 2009.
The following year, Jeremy Underwood followed in Mattison's footsteps.
The pair attend Florida Atlantic and North Carolina A&T, respectively.
Since then there have been talented players, but no one has gone D-1,
either because they could not meet eligibility requirements and headed
to junior college, decided to explore the prep school route, or simply
fell through the cracks.
Khalen Cumberlander.
Well, Coolidge has bucked the unfortunate trend again; last week seniors Mo Jeffers and Khalen Cumberlander signed letters of intent to attend Delaware and Central Connecticut State, respectively.
"It feels real good, I fell real honored. I just shows all the hard work pays off" said Cumberlander, a 6'2", 175 pound guard of heading heading off to CCSU. "The late staying in the gym with my father and coaches, really paid off".
Those coaches include of course Coolidge's, led by coach Vaughn Jones. When asked what his high school has done for him, Cumberlander smiled as if to reflect on good memories, before saying "Coolidge is a good community, with the (coaching) staff here and teachers that help you a lot...It was a good experience for me, so it's just real good".
He's bullish on his his AAU team, Virginia Assault, as well.
Cumberlander said of VA Assault's assistance to his development "they pushed me a lot and made me stay focused", while in terms of recruitment, the organization led by Jerry Mcfarland "made a lot of calls for me, put me in the right situation playing point guard or combo guard, let me travel with them and let me shine", thereby providing positive exposure.
That issue of playing a pg/combo role is crucial, as previously Cumberlander was more shooting guard, but at his size playing some point guard in college is necessary.
Mo Jeffers.
Is he close to being a full time point guard?
"I'm not that far" replied Khalen. "Just have to work more on my ball handling and decision making. That's about it".
Jeffers also a VA Assault guy, one that at 6'8", 210 pounds is very athletic. He may be somewhat raw in terms of footwork and deep shooting range, but impacts the game with activity on both ends of the floor, while also at times hitting mid-range shots.
Mo plays center for the Colts, but tracks as a power forward at Delaware.
"I believe it's a nice institution, and I can't wait to be there" said Jeffers of Delaware. He also believes an immediate impact can be made as a Blue Hen, where he will "play my hardest and do the best I can".
Jeffers understands he's not a finished product, saying "I put hard work into it (development). I believe I'm getting better by everyday. And hard work never stops, so I'm just going to keep progressing until I can be the best I can be".
When asked about VA Assault, Mo's response was similar to Cumberlander's identifying "exposure" and development as key, while also saying "they helped me with conditioning".
Both Coolidge HS and VA Assault can be proud of this tandem. Add the entire DCIAA community as well. McFarland certainly is.
"I'm proud of both of the kids, I've seen both of them develop" he shared. On Cumberlander, McFarland said "Khalen has been with me ever since he was fifteen and-under, and each and every year, he's gotten better; the biggest thing about him, he's gotten a whole lot stronger". The coach believes that strength development "is really going to help him on the next level".
In terms of Jeffers, McFarland was informative: "He's just one of those kids that just loves the game. He stays in the gym and works on his game whether he's at Coolidge or me in AAU. So I just knew he would improve".
Congrats go to Coolidge, VA Assault and the families of both Mo Jeffers and Khalen Cumberlander. A village has succeeded.
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