Leading off today: The Daily News in New York City reported this morning on the fallout from the decision by administrators at
Our Saviour Lutheran to abruptly de-emphasize its boys basketball program.
In the last two weeks, Will Harrison transferred out to Wadleigh, Devon Hunter selected Urban Assembly and Winston Graham opted for Mount Vernon. That happened after OSL fired coach Oswald Cross on Sept. 18 and replaced him with Gary Smith, the former associate AD at CCNY.
Cross had coached for three seasons and had started piecing together a high-profile schedule, including two games against Oak Hill Academy and future NBA No. 2 draft pick Kevin Durant in 2005. His official budget from the school -- $2,000 -- was modest but supplemented by donations and fund-raisers to allow for travel to tournaments in Virginia and California.
The beginning of the end for Cross came when parents of some players started receiving unexpected monthly tuition bills for $550. They has expected some or all of the cost to be covered by donors that Cross and admissions director Rev. Paul Sauer had lined up.
"In years past, I had worked on trying to find sponsors for kids," Sauer told the newspaper. "That was not in my official capacity at the school. It was made clear to Oz that there would be no tuition help this year."
"I was paying my half and a sponsor was supposed to pay the other half," said Regina Hunter, the mother of Davon. "I didn't realize we were that far behind until we started getting the bills, so I don't know what happened with the sponsor."
Jasper-Troupsburg mourns: Three of the four victims of the fatal weekend crash in Canisteo has ties to Jasper-Troupsburg's athletic program.
Pronounced dead were: Jered Fry, 15; David Cady, 17; Tiara O'Dell, 17; and Joey Lubberts, 21.
Fry was on the soccer and wrestling teams and O'Dell was on the girls soccer team and was a cheerleader. Lubberts was a 2005 J-T graduate who had played soccer and wrestled.
Section 6 champ uncrowned: The Iroquois football team
