They all come back to play pick-up games whenever they’re home. Whether they play in the NCAA, NBA, or in Europe, it doesn’t matter. They play because they have a common bond: Turner-Carroll High School.

By the end of the 2003 school year it was gone, though. The school that produced Pittsburgh’s Julius Page and Ed Turner – closed. Not even the likes of Jamie Dixon or Jim Boeheim could save it. The school with so much high school basketball prestige closed because of financial problems. In its last year, Turner had less than 100 students.

Turner-Carroll High School, a private Catholic school that was located in Buffalo, holds a place in the hearts of many coaches in the area because of its reputation of turning out premier basketball players.

‘It’s an area where we recruit,’ Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon said. ‘I think kids up there tend to want to play in the Big East.’

On June 17, 2003, to honor the school, Dixon and five other Division I coaches attended a gala to celebrate the history of Turner High. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim was unable to make the event, but gave the keynote speech, which was played over a loud speaker.

Turner head basketball coach Favri Ansari was well known by many NCAA coaches because of his prestigious career.

‘Coach Favri knows a lot of people, both players and coaches,’ former Turner captain and current Cornell guard Ka’ron Barnes said. ‘They were there to support him and support the school that they get the players from. It was a good thing for them to come out.’

The Pittsburgh basketball program took advantage of its knowledge of Turner by recruiting Page, a senior guard and Turner, a freshman guard from the western New York powerhouse.

Page has proven himself in his four years at Pitt (26-3, 12-3 Big East) starting in all 29 games this season and averaging 12.1 points per game. Page played with a similar style in high school.

‘(Page) did everything that you could do,’ Barnes said. ‘Everybody tried to key in on him, but there wasn’t much that they could do. He’s one of the best players I’ve seen.’

Turner hasn’t played as much as Page, since he’s a freshman, but Dixon says he has potential.

‘He’s got a lot of talent,’ Dixon said. ‘He’s athletic, very skilled, and he’s getting stronger in a couple of different areas that we work on with him.’

At Turner-Carroll, Turner was an All-State selection, a member of the All-Catholic first team and a second team All-Western New York player. In his two years playing at the varsity level Turner led his team to a combined 40-9 record.

‘He’s kinda quiet, but he’s like a silent assassin, especially on the court,’ Barnes said of Turner. ‘He can do some damage out there.’

Barnes never got to play with Turner since Turner transferred to the school after Barnes left, but the two frequently return to Buffalo to play pick-up games with alumni who still remember the school and its basketball history. Former players like Malik Campbell, who played for Syracuse from 1998-99, and other college and professional stars get involved in games that Barnes called ‘pretty intense.’

All former Turner players, including Page and Turner, were upset when they heard the news about the school closing.

‘Everyone was hurt and sad, wishing they could do something about it,’ Barnes said, ‘but there was just so much money, such a deficit that nobody could do anything about it.’

Welsh: Stay or leave?

Since Mike Jarvis was fired, St. John’s head coach Kevin Clark has led the struggling Red Storm. Next year, the university hopes to hire a new coach who can earn the school the respect it once had.

According to ESPN.com’s Andy Katz, St. John’s (6-19, 1-13) is looking at Providence head coach Tim Welsh and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt. Both Welsh and Hewitt, though, plan to stay put at their current jobs.

Welsh told ESPN.com that Providence (20-6, 11-4) had approached him about extending his contract which ends in four years, and that he has no intention of leaving the Friars.

Francis return unlikely

It looks as if Notre Dame sophomore forward Torin Francis will not be rejoining the Irish for the rest of the season.

Francis has missed the past five games for the Fighting Irish (14-11, 7-7) because of a lower back injury. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said that if Francis’ situation doesn’t improve, he might have to undergo surgery.

‘I’d say if he were ever to rejoin us this year,’ Brey said, ‘it would be one of those all-time miracles.’

Prior to the injury, Francis was Notre Dame’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer.

This and that

Providence senior forward Maris Laksa left the school last week to play professional basketball in Slovenia. Laksa said his decision was fueled by the fact that he received little playing time for the Friars. …This weekend Connecticut, Providence and Pittsburgh clinched first-round byes in the Big East tournament. The fourth spot will likely go to either Syracuse or Seton Hall. …Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor strengthened his Wooden Award resum in Monday’s 89-67 win over Seton Hall with a team-leading 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Published on March 2, 2004 at 12:00 pm