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The Demons basketball program is known for producing athletes who are skilled, poised...and, most importantly, athletes who always play with heart.
Many Damascus student/athletes have taken their game to the next level and are making an impact at the high school level.
Currently, Katie Kelly, Kate Pfeil, Sky Marte, Olivia Meyer, Kathleen Murphy, Alexis Pfeil, Dan Koop, Jordan Meyer, Mike Gombita and John Gillow are all starring on the high school hardwood.
It’s not chance that makes Damascus basketball players fierce competitors...
They Start Young
Five years ago, volunteer coach Richie Ryan started the Damascus youth intramural program, and it has been flooded with interested all-stars-to-be from kindergarten to 6th grade.
The 2011-2012 youth basketball program concluded Saturday January 28th.
This year’s program had an enrollment of approximately 90 children. Leading the way this winter was a volunteer team of Doug Murphy, Tom Cummings, Vanessa DeGori, Mike Gombita and his son, Mike, and Greg Adams.
The program ran each Saturday for 10 weeks from 10:00am to 1:00pm in the Damascus gym, with a basic skill curriculum catering to younger athletes at specific grade levels.
Children learned dribbling maneuvers, shooting form, passing styles, and defensive footwork, and they applied these skills in competitive scrimmages.
The seasons yielded obvious improvement in abilities and a new, excited appreciation for the game of basketball.
Tournament Time
Jim Rutledge and Brad Myers, 7th and 8th grade boys and girls basketball coaches, are thankful for the young basketball start their athletes receive at Damascus, especially when they are gearing up the middle school teams for the annual Damascus Invitational Basketball Tournament.
This year’s tourney will be held February 13th and 15th at the Damascus School gymnasium. Teams from Damascus, Preston, Forest City, Honesdale and Western Wayne will be battling on the court for the coveted first place trophies.
Action starts Monday night, February 13th at 3:30pm when the Western Wayne girls take on the Honesdale Lady Hornets. At 4:30, the Western Wayne Wildcat boys will take on Forest City.
The Damascus 7th and 8th grade girls’ competition starts at 5:30 when they take on school rivals, the Preston Pirates. The Preston boys will also compete at 6:30, when they try their luck against the home favorite, Damascus 7th and 8th grade boys’ team.
By the Numbers
Both the 7th and 8th grade boys’ and girls’ teams had a respectable first half of their season and are looking to light up the scoreboard in the second half of the season.
The Demons basketball program is known for producing athletes who are skilled, poised...and, most importantly, athletes who always play with heart.
Many Damascus student/athletes have taken their game to the next level and are making an impact at the high school level.
Currently, Katie Kelly, Kate Pfeil, Sky Marte, Olivia Meyer, Kathleen Murphy, Alexis Pfeil, Dan Koop, Jordan Meyer, Mike Gombita and John Gillow are all starring on the high school hardwood.
It’s not chance that makes Damascus basketball players fierce competitors...
They Start Young
Five years ago, volunteer coach Richie Ryan started the Damascus youth intramural program, and it has been flooded with interested all-stars-to-be from kindergarten to 6th grade.
The 2011-2012 youth basketball program concluded Saturday January 28th.
This year’s program had an enrollment of approximately 90 children. Leading the way this winter was a volunteer team of Doug Murphy, Tom Cummings, Vanessa DeGori, Mike Gombita and his son, Mike, and Greg Adams.
The program ran each Saturday for 10 weeks from 10:00am to 1:00pm in the Damascus gym, with a basic skill curriculum catering to younger athletes at specific grade levels.
Children learned dribbling maneuvers, shooting form, passing styles, and defensive footwork, and they applied these skills in competitive scrimmages.
The seasons yielded obvious improvement in abilities and a new, excited appreciation for the game of basketball.
Tournament Time
Jim Rutledge and Brad Myers, 7th and 8th grade boys and girls basketball coaches, are thankful for the young basketball start their athletes receive at Damascus, especially when they are gearing up the middle school teams for the annual Damascus Invitational Basketball Tournament.
This year’s tourney will be held February 13th and 15th at the Damascus School gymnasium. Teams from Damascus, Preston, Forest City, Honesdale and Western Wayne will be battling on the court for the coveted first place trophies.
Action starts Monday night, February 13th at 3:30pm when the Western Wayne girls take on the Honesdale Lady Hornets. At 4:30, the Western Wayne Wildcat boys will take on Forest City.
The Damascus 7th and 8th grade girls’ competition starts at 5:30 when they take on school rivals, the Preston Pirates. The Preston boys will also compete at 6:30, when they try their luck against the home favorite, Damascus 7th and 8th grade boys’ team.
By the Numbers
Both the 7th and 8th grade boys’ and girls’ teams had a respectable first half of their season and are looking to light up the scoreboard in the second half of the season.
For the girls, Coach Brad Myers has nothing but praise for his young team, as they are comprised mostly of 7th graders.
“I’ve really enjoyed these girls. They are constantly having fun, working hard and trying to improve,” he said.
Coach Myers has looked to Janie Murphy, 8th grade point guard, and Sierra Rutledge, 7th grade forward, to make an offensive impact on the court this season. Janie and Sierra are #1 and #2 in scoring on this year’s team, respectively.
Coach Myers is happy to report: “Janie is our team leader on both sides of the ball. Her hustle and desire to win is a great example to our younger players, and she has a bright future ahead of her.
Sierra rebounds well and also looks to score. I’m excited to watch her continued growth as a player.”
The Damascus girls are very focused on doing well in this year’s tournament.
“Our tournament is a great way to end the season,” says Coach Myers. “The gym is packed and we get to play against some very good competition. We open against a quality Preston team again this year, so we know we have our work cut out for us.”
On the Damascus boys’ side, veteran coach and Wayne County Sports Hall of Famer, Jim Rutledge, is just as pleased with his young squad.
“I have an experienced team this season with a tremendous amount of 8th grade leadership. They are fun to coach and watch,” he said.
Coach Rutledge has depended on three main players this season in Justin Jay in the paint, and Adam Kelly and Sam Kraft on the perimeter.
All three boys are 8th graders and team leaders in points and rebounds.
All smiles, Coach Rutledge says: “Justin’s a double threat on the court as he can score inside and outside. Sam is a great addition to the 8th grade line-up, and Adam is probably one of the best all around players we’ve had at Damascus.”
“We are looking to take first place in the tournament this year,” Coach Rutledge indicates. “We will be competitive and know that we will have to work hard to earn the trophy. It’s looking to be a great tournament.”
The Damascus basketball programs would like to thank all of the volunteers, fans and families for their support. They hope to see you at the tournament!
