When is it too early to pursue a potential high school athlete? It used to be that high school coaches wouldn’t dare to even talk to a prospective student until he or she reached eighth grade.
Well, apparently, the recruiting game has taken a new low level in Hudson County, with the latest revelations taking place in the softball wars. There have been at least four instances of contact being made to students as low as fifth grade, having these kids actually play and practice with the high school kids during the summer months.
One recent instance involved a talented North Bergen 12-year-old girl who was apparently asked to work out with the St. Dominic Academy summer league team. Another involves an 11-year-old in Bayonne, who has been playing with the Holy Family Academy summer program.
These are children, very impressionable children, that are being yanked back and forth between the town’s recreation program (and supposed feeder system to the public high school) and the powerful Parochial school programs.
North Bergen softball coach Tom Eagleson has been trying hard to keep the North Bergen players in North Bergen, but in recent years, has been losing some of the budding stars to neighboring High Tech. Now, it looks as if the local Parochial powers are reaching into North Bergen as well.
St. Dominic Academy head softball coach Dave Majewski denied all charges of recruiting the 12-year-old, who will remain anonymous for obvious reasons.
“In my opinion, during the summer, it’s not a St. Dominic Academy workout,” Majewski said. “It’s the Jersey City Ragin’ Cajuns, a summer ASA program not affiliated with the school. I think we’ve developed a good program over the years that other kids want to come and play for us during the summer. We have other kids from other towns. I always stay within the rules. If a parent brings a girl down to work out with us, that’s fine. But it’s not a St. Dominic thing. Once September 1 comes, it becomes a St. Dominic-sanctioned event, and then no one, other than the school’s students, work out with us.”
Majewski said that he never went out and recruited the North Bergen youngster and asked her to play for his summer league team.
“I never made first contact,” Majewski said. “An adult brought the girls down to work out with our summer league team. People want to make sure we’re following the rules. If it was an event sanctioned by St. Dominic, then I could understand. But it was not. Recruiting is a very hot topic, but I can assure you that I have never recruited a kid to come to our school. We have a great academic school and girls want to go there. It’s as simple as that.”
Majewski said that he even reaches out to other high school coaches to ask if those schools want their players to participate with the Ragin’ Cajuns during the summer months. “I ask the coaches if they have kids who want to play during the summer,” Majewski said. “Mercy Nunez [of Memorial, the 2004 Hudson Reporter Female Athlete of the Year] played for us. April Jacob [the standout High Tech pitcher] played for us. We’ve had kids from all over all the time. It’s nothing new. People want to go after you for doing a good job. We’re giving kids the opportunity to play during the summer. If it were from September through June, then that would be a problem. I don’t see it as a problem now.”
But apparently, there are people in North Bergen who believe otherwise…
There’s an ugly power struggle that has been percolating in Hoboken, with no easy end in sight. However, there are two losers in this battle – a dedicated soul named Dominic Lucignano and the kids of Hoboken.
Ever since Lucignano was seriously injured on duty as a Hoboken police officer seven years ago, he has headed the Mile Square City’s Police Activity League program, especially the town’s brilliant Pop Warner football program, one of the best feeder programs in Hudson County. Lucignano’s duties as a police officer included heading the PAL program.
However, Hoboken Police Chief Carmen LaBruno decided for some reason recently to elevate his son to the position of PAL Director and instructed Lucignano to return to active patrol duties.
Apparently, it stems from the fact that Lucignano is currently serving as an assistant football coach at St. Peter’s Prep. LaBruno is apparently thinking that if Lucignano is healthy enough to coach football at a rival school, then he should be healthy enough to work as a police officer on the beat again. To add insult to injury, when he was told he had to go back to active duty, Lucignano was assigned to 4-to-12 shift duty, which would have ended his football coaching days with the Prep.
In any case, it looks as if Lucignano will be forced to retire as a police officer, but he will no longer be involved with the PAL or the Pop Warner football program. Considering all of the great players who were once products of that program, it’s a gigantic loss to Hoboken and one that honestly doesn’t make an ounce of sense….
Willie Banks‘ comeback with the Newark Bears has been a complete disaster. The Jersey City native has surrendered a total of 15 earned runs in just two innings of work, giving him a whopping 67.50 earned run average. Last Tuesday night, Banks pitched to seven batters, retiring none, and five of them ended up scoring. It looks like the sad end to what was once a brilliant baseball career and it was so depressing to watch Banks as a mere shell of his former self.
What made it even more disappointing is that Tuesday night was Jersey City Firefighter Appreciation Night at Bears & Eagles Stadium, so there were approximately 500 people in attendance from Banks’ hometown. But to their credit, they were still cheering Willie to the bitter end, even after getting smacked around a little.
To Banks’ credit, he waved to the fans chanting his name as he walked off the mound. If it is the end for Banks, he’ll at least have those cheers to remember… — Jim Hague