Laurel Product Finds Basketball Home At Wingate

Chase Smith, when he played basketball for the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, was teammates with Wesley Dunning, who played this past college season for Division I Hampton. Another standout player at the time was Andre Dawkins, who eventually moved to Virginia, Smith said, and was a member of powerhouse Duke this past season.

Smith, a former Laurel resident, felt he also had the ability to play at the Division I level after he averaged more than 17 points per game as a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt. But after looking at opportunities at Division I Howard and other schools, Smith decided to attend Division II Wingate, near Charlotte.

Smith made visits to Wingate in North Carolina, Bloomfield in New Jersey and Wheeling Jesuit in West Virginia before deciding on Wingate.

"They had a lot of winning tradition, which I was used to coming from Roosevelt," Smith told Patch. "They had a nice campus to go along with the basketball program. They had my major and they are close to Charlotte. I wanted to get away a lit bit" from home.

"I wanted to go Division I and I knew I was a Division I caliber player but I would rather be an important piece on a Division II team than just another player on a Division I team," he continued. "It really didn't matter to me coming out of high school."

Smith, who is majoring in sports management with a minor in communications, just completed his junior year and he was named the top defensive player for Wingate. He played in 28 games, with 25 starts, and averaged 23.8 minutes and 7.4 points per game, which was fifth on a team that was 19-10 overall.

Smith, who had 27 steals and 36 assists, was the only player on the team from Maryland.

Smith attended Martin Luther King Middle School in Beltsville before his family moved to Upper Marlboro prior to his freshman year at Roosevelt.

Although he's not at the Division I level, Smith would like to play pro basketball, perhaps overseas, after his senior year at Wingate.

Former Wingate player Lorinza Harrington played in the NBA and has played in Poland this season while former Wingate standout Sean Barnette has played in France this season. Eddie Basden, who played at Roosevelt, played in the NBA and overseas.

"I feel as long as you can play the scouts are going to find you. If the opportunity presents itself I would like to play overseas," said Smith, who may also consider coaching or law school.

Wingate plays in the South Atlantic Conference. "A team from our conference won the region this year and went to the Elite Eight," he said.

When he was a freshman Wingate played Barton, which won the Division II national title in 2009. This summer, Smith has an internship in Largo with a company that trains pro athletes. Among the athletes they work with is Torrey Smith, who was drafted by the Ravens out of the University of Maryland.

Laurel High track in state meet

Joel Roberson was third in the state track and field meet in the 400-meter dash in a time of 49.32 last weekend in Baltimore while Laurel High teammate Kalane Abbey was third in the girls 200-meters in a time of 57.11.

Laurel's Michael McCoy was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles and 800-meter run. The Laurel boys, without standout L'Zerek Chapman (injury), were third in the 4 x 400 relay after the Spartans won that event last year. The team was made up of Roberson, Jonte Miles, Chuka Elue and McCoy this time.

The Laurel girls 4 x 400 consisted of Karen Vital, Abbey, Oluweseun Olojo and Megan Brown. Vital and Brown were freshmen this season and Olojo was a sophomore. Seniors in the program were McCoy, Chapman, Elue and Abbey, among others. Abbey is being recruited by Maryland, Baltimore County and Chapman and McCoy are attracting attention from college programs, according to Laurel coach Kennon Broadhurst.

The Laurel track team was the last spring squad at the school to finish its season. That means Laurel track was the last team to compete under the direction of long-time athletic director Terry Parfitt, who will end his tenure later this month.

Laurel grad in national track meet

Jibri Victorian, a 2009 graduate of Laurel High, has qualified for the Division I NCAA track and field meet that will be held next week at Drake University in Iowa. The sophomore at Coppin State is among the top 25 in the country in the 400-meter hurdles and began outdoor track as a junior at Laurel High after attending his first two years of high school in Virginia.

Victorian told Patch on Thursday that he will leave for Iowa on Monday and compete at the national meet on Wednesday.

Laurel High Baseball Players Aim for College Level

Travis Butler, a Laurel senior this season, plans to play baseball at Prince George's Community College.

Anthony Nicome plans to play at Tiffin University in Ohio, according to head coach Bryan Harris.