Festival Preview: St. Frances Is Tough, Yet Young

Ron Bailey, Publisher

December 1, 2007 – Heading to the University of Maryland next year, 6’4” senior St. Frances (MD) swingman Sean Mosely, will lead its team this season, and rightfully so; the four year starter’s skill set including the ability to dribble, shoot, rebound, and pass. Equally important will be the toughness Mosely supplies, as it affects the entire roster.

This year, that ability to play hard and with effort constantly will be key for the Baltimore-based school, as only one other senior is in the regular rotation, 6’3” athletic swingman Anthony Oquendo. In fact, most of the other prime minutes allotted on William Wells’ team, go to underclassman.

(l. to r.) Sean Mosley (drinking), Dante Holmes (obscured), soph. center Gregory Scott, Ronald Williams, and Denzel Walker, all get tutelage from Nick Myles (black), and Mark Karcher (former SFA standout and current assistant), during a timeout this year.

Leading that crew is 5’9” freshman Ronald ‘RJ’ Williams, a super quick pass first point guard that initially was scheduled to play junior varsity (in an effort to secure minutes), but whose early play has dictated inclusion on varsity. Equally important are sophomore Denzel Walker, who at around 6’0” will provide minutes at both point and shooting guard, plus fellow second year students Dante Holmes, and Wayne Sparrow – a 6’1” backcourt player who does everything fairly well and a 6’2” shooter, respectively.

In many ways, St. Frances’ toughness can be attributed to that of its coach, William Wells, a 28 year coaching veteran that has compiled 489 wins. Many, including Wells himself, have speculated that once the 500 victory plateau is reached, he’ll retire. One person actively campaigning against that possibility is St. Frances assistant coach, Nick Myles. “I’m encouraging him to stay” said Myles. “He’s a resource…when you have a legend coaching, he can stay as long as he wants to”

The team’s schedule, of course includes the National High School Hoops Festival, where they face Paul VI on Sunday, December 9th. Myles responded “I think it’s wonderful. I really like what Keith (Stevens, the event’s organizer) is doing” when asked to comment on the Festival. “There are a lot of talented teams there (playing), nationally and from DC/Baltimore”.

Other national level action St. Frances has scheduled are December battles with Simon Gratz (PA) in West Virginia, Neumann-Goretti (PA) at that school’s Philly gym, along with an entry in St. Benedictine’s Christmas Classic. During January, Wells and his crew take on Rice High School (NY) at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center.

Of course, the always tough Baltimore Catholic League beckons as well. Finishing 22-14 last year, Myles stated the team’s goals during 2007-2008 are to “win the BCL and MIAA (Maryland Independent Athletic Association)” titles.

Is the team poised to do so? “We’re ready” for the challenge, noted the assistant coach. “We are young, but we’re ready”.