The 2012 Full Court Press

Full-Court PRESS

2009 2012

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE VIRGINIA GAZETTE

On the move

Photo by John Harvey

2 Full-Court Press 2012

After 8 years in foster care Paul Fyffe is at home here

By John Harvey WILLIAMSBURG

aul Fyffe’s favorite subject in school is math, because he enjoys solving problems and understanding the logic behind them.

The Bruton High senior also understands some solutions aren’t as easy as simple arithmetic.

Fyffe was born and raised in New York City, along with his two brothers, the sons of Jamaican immigrants.

“My mother and father came to the U.S. to better their life and earn money,” Fyffe explained. “To immigrants, America is the land of opportunity and they come here to better their circumstances.”

But Paul’s family quickly fell on tough times. His dad left the family when he was 8 years old to return to Jamaica. His mother was diagnosed with a series of psychological issues and developed a drug problem.

“When I was with my mother, our relationship was good until she began to lose her mentality,” Fyffe said in a recent interview.

“I remember when my mother would take me and my brothers to the park and play on the swings as she sang to us.”

Then the problems started.

“My mother started to neglect us when she wasn’t taking her medication,” That brought Social Services into the picture. Case workers ruled Fyffe’s mother could no longer care for her three children, so the siblings were placed in foster care.

P

The plight of the Fyffe children is all too common.

According to a 2009 report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, more than 423,000 children are in foster care.

The majority of children left the system to be reunited with their parents or primary caretakers, and nearly half spent less than a year in the care of someone other than their family.

Paul Fyffe and his brothers spent eight years in foster care, five of them in New York.

Full-Court Paul Fyffe has found solace in athletics at Bruton.

PRESS “When I was 11, I was in three different homes,” he said. “I had food to eat and a place to stay, but I felt like I wasn’t a normal child.”

That’s when his aunt, Carmen Blair, a Williamsburg resident since 1993, decided to adopt Paul and his brothers.

“As a family, there was no hard or fast rule about adopting my nephews,” Blair said in an interview. “My sister is mentally ill and Paul and his brothers have been in and out of foster care all their lives. I had to put a stop to it. They

are family and that was the right decision.”

Turning decision into action was more time-consuming.

“The adoption process is very long,” Paul explained. “You have to be evaluated by the court so you can be cleared to adopt. You have to have references and go through lots of home checks by social workers and therapists.”

After three years of red tape, Fyffe, then 15, was adopted by his aunt and moved to Virginia. He lived with his aunt, his cousin and his grandmother.

The idyllic setting didn’t last. In late 2010, his grandmother died from cancer. More recently the family suffered another setback when Blair was laid off from her job.

Despite the hardships, Blair continues to find a way to support her family through a combination

of unemployment, child support and a monthly adoption stipend from the state of New York.

Fyffe praises Blair for keeping the family together.

“My aunt and I have a very strong relationship,” he said.

“I treat her like my actual mother because she treats me like a son.

I feel like she’s the only person who cared about me when I thought no one did.”

Fyffe has found solace at Bruton, both in academics and athletics. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and a member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America. He’s also a key contributor on the football, basketball and track teams.

“Paul is the kind of young man a coach loves to have on their team,” said track coach Mark Tompkins.

“He is a young man who has integrity and is willing to try any-

Full-Court Press 2012 3 thing. He is the type of athlete that can help lift the spirit of a team.”

Assistant football coach Eric Johnson agrees. “Paul is very unselfish and is a true team player. He is the kind of guy who would sacrifice his own playing time and accomplishments for the sake of someone else.”

Last fall Fyffe recovered a fumble late in a game against Grafton and scored Bruton’s only points in a loss. Instead of celebrating his first touchdown, Fyffe put the play in perspective.

“It means very little coming in a situation like this,” he said about a score had no chance to help his team win.

Fyffe hopes to continue his education next fall in college. He hopes to major in accounting and minor in economics, eventually opening up his own accounting firm.

“This experience has helped me to understand that nothing in life comes easy,”he said. “You have to learn everything. It’s made me humble and satisfied with every thing that I have. Every day, I thank God I’m alive.”

How It Works Teams vie for playoffs, but did you ever wonder which high school has the best individual basketball talent?

The Virginia Gazette is giving athletes an opportunity to prove who’s best with the 5th annual Full-Court Press basketball showcase.

This year’s event will be held Thursday, March 29 at Bruton High School. Gates open at 6 p.m. The competition begins an hour later.

The high school showcase will feature boys and girls basketball players from Bruton, Jamestown, Lafayette, Walsingham Academy, Warhill and Williamsburg Christian Academy in a hoops skills competition. Participants from Hampton Roads Academy, are also scheduled to

perform. The event parallels one put on by the NBA during all-star weekend.

Competition extends to boys and girls.

• Players have a minute to make threepoint shots from the arc.

• A two-ball shoot will team a boy and girl from the same school trying to score from designated spots on the floor in a minute.

• A slam dunk competition will be graded by a panel of judges.

Proceeds from the event will benefit a student in need who was selected from nominations by participating schools.

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-Custom Medals will be given to top 3 males and females in 5 year age groups after 9 and under through 70 & over in the 5K Run -Top 3 Finishers males and females in the 5K Walk will also be awarded a medal.

-Finisher Medals to all participants

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www.thecolonialsports.com/events Race Director: Jim Elder (757) 253-0277

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Boys Three-Point Shootout Competitors will have one minute to work their way around the three-point arc, shooting five times from five different stations on the court.

Each basket is worth one point, with the last ball in each rack, i.e. “the money ball”, worth two points.

The Top 2 shooters in the preliminary rounds will move on to the finals.

Lafayette High’s Colton St. Cyr captured last season’s title.

Here’s a look at this year’s contestants: Billy Barnes — The sophomore guard was a key long-ball threat for Walsingham Academy off the bench.

Da’Quan Braxton — Braxton was a streaky shooter from the outside for Warhill this season.

Corey Brown — Senior guard was an all-TCIS selection at Walsingham and an underrated outside threat.

Kai Brown — The sophomore guard was a vital scoring option off the bench for Bruton this year.

Marcus Carter — Carter was an all-district selection for Bruton and has plenty of offensive flair.

Jacary Crew — Crew was one of the top three-point shooters for Bruton High this season as a reserve.

Devonte Dedmon — Dedmon led Warhill in scoring this year and can score from anywhere on the floor.

Jake Duncan — The 6-foot-4 junior led Williamsburg Christian to its state title and is a streaky shooter.

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Michael Duncan — Duncan

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4 Full-Court Press 2012

is a solid outside shooter for Williamsburg Christian Academy.

Anthony Faltz — Faltz didn’t play school ball, but the Lafayette High product can shoot from distance.

Kenneth Fields — The junior forward from Jamestown has Colton St Cyr led Lafayette in scoring. a sweet touch from behind the arc.

John Fitchett — Fitchett was a do-everything performer for Lafayette this season as a scorer and defender.

Keenan Gasway — Gasway was another long-range weapon for Williamsburg Christian this year.

Jaquan Hayes — Hayes was a nice weapon off the bench for Lafayette High’s team.

Christian Kinney — The Lafayette High product is a good athlete with exceptional range.

Matthew Koehler — The Warhill forward is an underrated threepoint shooter.

Brandon LaRose — LaRose was an all-conference selection for Walsingham and a top marksmen.

Larry Legaspi — The Bruton High product led the junior varsity team in three-point shooting.

Leo Legaspi — The senior southpaw is a terrific spot-up shooter for Bruton.

Calvin Mitchell — The Lafayette High point guard was a solid outside threat for the Rams.

Tommy Peterkin — Peterkin emerged as a solid perimeter shooter for the Eagles this year.

Cole Pokorny — Did not play school ball, but is eager to challenge the best shooters in the area.

Deron Powers — The senior point guard led Williamsburg Christian to a state crown.

Cole Sanderson — A multisport standout, Sanderson can hang with the top shooters in the area.

Dylan Sheldon — Sheldon was a solid weapon off the bench for Warhill this year.

Colton St. Cyr — The senior led Lafayette in scoring and was the team’s top three-point threat.

Lonnie Swinton — The sophomore was instant offense from threepoint land for Bruton this winter.

Chris Tang — A versatile performer that led Hampton Roads Academy offensively.

Brian Williams — Williams was a solid role player for Williamsburg Christian Academy.

Dirk Williams Jr. — The Jamestown High product is a proven offensive talent.

Full-Court Press 2012 5

girls Three-Point Shootout Jacque Hecker — Jamestown High product emerged as the top three-point threat for her team.

Alexxis Jones — Lafayette High senior has good range and can score points in bunches.

Desiree Jones — The sophomore guard was a key long-ball threat for Walsingham Academy off the bench.

Samantha McLaughlin — McLaughlin was a solid three-point threat off the bench for the Eagles.

Alexis Petrin — Became the first player in Warhill history to score 1,000 points.

Tonika Pierce — Pierce was Williamsburg Christian’s most consistent long-range threat this year.

Jalynn Ponzo — The sophomore guard was a key long-ball threat for Walsingham Academy off the bench.

Amber Warner — Warner was a first-team, all-district selection as a senior for Bruton High.

Courtnie Williams — Williams had a breakout season for Jamestown this season.

Photo by John Harvey

Competitors will have one minute to work their way around the three-point arc, shooting five times from five different stations on the court.

Each basket is worth one point, with the last ball in each rack, i.e. “the money ball”, worth two points.

The Top 2 shooters through the preliminary round advance to the finals.

Last year’s champion was Hampton Roads Academy’s Caitlyn Unsworth.

Here’s a list of this year’s competitors: Ashley Barnes — Barnes was Walsingham Academy’s most consistent threat from the outside.

Indyah Brown — The Lafayette High freshman was one of the Bay Rivers top newcomers this year.

Keyana Brown — Metro and State Player of the Year for Williamsburg Christian Academy.

Krista Ferrell — Ferrell led Lafayette in three-pointers made and taken this season.

Amber Warner was an all-district pick.

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Two-ball championship The two-ball competition is a shooting contest with a male and female on the same team.

The teams get one ball and one minute to score as many points as possible.

Each team must shoot from every spot on the floor, or they will be assessed a 10-point penalty.

Players must alternate shots with the other player in charge of rebounding for their teammates. Each spot on the floor is awarded a different point value.

Jamestown’s Samantha McLaughlin and Keenan Gasway won last year’s competition.

The list of competitors include: Warhill’s Alexis Petrin & Daniel Green Williamsburg Christian Academy’s Tonika Pierce & Deron Powers Warhill’s Marcus Brooks & Melanie Heath Warhill’s Matthew Koehler & Malinka Walters Jamestown’s Courtnie Williams & Xavier Green Warhill’s Kayla Pierce & Devonte Dedmon Bruton’s Marcus Carter & Amber Warner Jamestown’s Aaliyah Lyttle & Kenneth Fields Walsingham Academy’s Sydney DeBlass & Corey Brown Bruton’s Alexis Calloway & Jacary Crew Lafayette’s Alexxis Jones & Colton St. Cyr Williamsburg Christian Academy’s Keyana Brown & Keenan Gasway Jamestown’s Jacque Hecker & Demetric Radcliffe Lafayette’s Indyah Brown & Alex Ashby

Two-ball scoring

9

Photo by Jim Agnew/williamsburg sportspics.com

6 Full-Court Press 2012

2011 Two-Ball Champs Samantha McLaughlin and Keenan Gasway.

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The above diagram indicates the locations from which players in the two-ball competition must shoot, and the points awarded.

Full-Court Press 2012 7

Each slam dunk competitor will get three opportunities to dunk in the first round.

Competitors will have 90 seconds to record a dunk.

Each dunk will receive a score from a panel of judges and competitors will be allotted one miss without penalty.

This year’s competition will be divided into three sections, with the highest scorer of each of the rounds moving on to the finals.

Lafayette’s Thomas Smith won last year’s event.

Here’s a list of this year’s competitors.

Marcus Brooks — Brooks was a solid contributor off the bench for Warhill this season.

He has good size and knows how to finish at the rim.

Corey Brown — Brown has been a model of consistency during his career at Walsingham Academy. But the senior does have some flair to his game and look for him to showcase that talent in the dunk contest.

Nathan Edwards — The Warhill High product is a bit of an unknown in this contest, but could quickly become a fan favorite.

Kenneth Fields — Fields is a solid playmaker for Jamestown. The junior standout could flourish on the big stage of the dunk contest.

John Fitchett — Fitchett emerged as a rising star for Lafayette this season. Look for the junior forward to raise some eyebrows in this event.

Dewayne Johnson — The 2010 slam dunk champion, Johnson was a runner-up last season and is eager to take back the crown. Johnson has the size, power and creativity to win the title Brandon LaRose — LaRose has always turned in good showing in this event, and now that he’s relatively healthy, he should be one to watch to take home the title.

Christian Kinney — Kinney flourished this season for Lafayette in indoor track, but his first love is basketball. Look for the

Photo by Jim Agnew/williamsburg sportspics.com

Slam Dunk Contest senior to be a factor in this year’s event.

Deron Powers — Powers has been the most decorated basketball player in greater Williamsburg for the last three seasons, capped by a state championship earlier this month. The senior would like nothing then to cap his career with a slam dunk title.

Jeff Smith — Smith gave Lafayette plenty of energy coming off the bench this season. Look for the senior guard to make a similar impact on this year’s dunk contest.

Thomas Smith — Smith made the most of his first slam dunk contest appearance, taking home top honors with his wide array of creative dunks. The Lafayette High product is back to defend his title this season.

Chris Tang — Tang was a finalist last season in his first contest appearance.

The Hampton Roads Academy standout has the power and leaping ability to be 2011 Slam Dunk Champ Thomas Smith. a contender for the crown.

Dirk Williams Jr. — The senior did

not play school-ball this season, but has quickly made a name for himself in pickup games and on the AAU circuit. Look for Williams to bring some excitement to this contest.

FULL COURT PRESS

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