The boarding school that draws its students from all over the world really does have a tightly-knit community feel to it. St. Andrew’s School of Middletown takes all types and backgrounds, and they all seem to exist in harmony when so far from home.
This year’s varsity boys basketball squad includes players from six states, and British Columbia. “It’s true that the kids here are all from different places, but they also live together seven days a week for the entire school year,” said first-year head coach Terrell Meyers, a Townsend resident who seems to fit in well with the school’s personality.
The St. Andrew’s kids don’t all think alike, deal with life from perspectives drawn from their diverse backgrounds, and that’s accepted. Meyers, a former star player at St. Joseph’s University and longtime professional in Europe, was drawn to the campus for the collective personality of the students, not their jumping or shooting ability.
“At a school like St. Andrew’s you don’t have any offcourt issues,” Meyers said, noting he attended a similiar boarding school – St. Thomas More Prep (Ct.) – in his transition from high school to college.
“It’s the place I wanted to be because I can just coach. I don’t have to be their mentor or father, I can just be their coach. The support system here is built in to help kids succeed, and the kids put in a lot of effort to do just that.”
Mixed in with the worldwide roster are two local products who start – sophomore point guard Jake Myers and junior frontcourter Sean Crowley. They grew up playing sports in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend leagues, and said they missed competing with former teammates at Appoquinimink and Middletown high schools.
“Sports-wise it would be great to playing with my friends, but then I consider the education I’m getting at St. Andrew’s, which is second to none,” said Crowley, who stands 6-foot-6 and also plays football and rows for the crew team. “The decision to come here was made with the thought of where I’ll be in 10 years.”
There are sports advantages as well. Myers is a realist, and knows he wouldn’t be running the varsity basketball offense if he were attended Appoquinimink High School. He’s also a baseball and football athlete, with no shortage of playing time available.
“In that sense, playing here is a great opportunity,” Myers said. “Ultimately, you’re still learning to be a good teammate and experience high school athletics whether it’s here or someplace else.”
One season removed from winning just one game, St. Andrew’s began the 2009-10 campaign with a 3-7 record that included victories over Bohemia Manor, Tower Hill and Mount Pleasant. Crowley scored 16 points in the Tower Hill victory, and has been a rebounding force, too.
The Saints are seemingly in good shape for the future, since the starting lineup also includes 5-10 sophomores Jawhar Kimbrough and Khary Dennis and 6-8 junior Tennis Whiting. Coming off the bench is 6-2 sophomore Ike Amakiri.
Meyers is assisted by David Miller on the varsity squad, with Cody Shay handling the junior varsity. He was an assistant at Dover High last winter, working with former Middletown High head coach Stephen Wilson. Meyers also has extensive AAU coaching experience, and has administered youth basketball camps for years.
Now his big goal is to get the St. Andrew’s Saints to play smart basketball.
“I want to teach the kids how to make the right basketball play, whether it be passing to the right spot, setting a proper screen or boxing out correctly,” Meyers said. “As a head coach, you’d like to have players who represent your ideals on the court.”
HOMETOWNS
Here are the hometown’s of this year’s St. Andrew’s School varsity basketball players:
Sean Crowley, Middletown
Jawhar Kimbrough, Burlington, N.J.
Jake Myers, Middletown
Ike Amakiri, Union, N.J.
Carter Lovejoy, New Canaan, Conn.
James Simons, Nanaimo, British Columbia
Jerome Wright, Bronx, N.J.
Khary Dennis, Burlington, N.J.
Henry Mellon, Greensboro, N.C.
Dee Simons, Nanaimo, British, Columbia
Whiting Tennis, Seattle, Wash.
John MacIntosh, Chestertown, Md.
