| Athletes Worth Watching |
Profiles by Pat O'Malley
Photos by Larry French
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PAUL BUCKNOR
Arundel High School
Football, Basketball & Outdoor Track
Bucknor is a senior leader on the Wildcats’ boys’ basketball team and one could say he is their “chairman of the boards.” The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has been averaging 11 rebounds per game for Arundel this winter, as they approach the stretch run this month. “Paul is very intelligent, not just in the classroom, but basketball-wise,” said Tim Poole, Arundel’s second-year coach. “He does a great job on the boards for us. And he is well respected around school and is part of our mentoring program.” Bucknor, whose parents, Vonley and Paulla are natives of Jamaica, is a freshman mentor, tutor, and peer counselor at Arundel while playing three sports and maintaining a 3.3 grade-point average. With a score of 1,560 on his SAT, Bucknor is ranked 88th in his senior class of 464. Football was a first time venture for Bucknor this past fall, but basketball has been a four-year sport for him, as has his throwing the shot put and discus. The Washington, D.C. native who grew up in Silver Spring, was second in the county and regional tournaments in the shot and discus last year and fifth in the states. With interests in computer science and business management, Bucknor is considering Hood College and Kings College. “I want to play basketball in college, or possibly track,” said Bucknor, whose hero is Michael Jordan. “I want to own a business, maybe in the sports field.”
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JESS WILSON
Severn School
Basketball & Gymnastics
Wilson is very diversified, talented and confident as one of Severn School’s prized student/athletes. A basketball standout for the Admirals, the young lady is a born leader. “Jess is a captain because of her truly outstanding leadership qualities,” said Severn girls’ coach Chuck Miller. “She is very important to our team.” Wilson, who started concentrating on hoops in ninth grade at Severn to enhance college opportunities, relishes her role as team captain. “Mr. Miller always comes to me for things involving the team,” said Wilson, a senior forward. “He knows a lot and has helped to enhance the skills that my father (Jesse, All-County player at Glen Burnie in 1984) taught me as my coach while playing in middle school. Mr. Miller counts on me for team things, like problems between the girls, if they’re ready for the game, and to know the plays. Our other captain, Megan Nock, deserves a lot of credit too. We have a really young team, but they cooperate.” Wilson, who also participates in club gymnastics, is president of the school’s Multicultural Alliance, and is a member of the chorus, step club, and spirit captains. She carries a 3.3 grade-point-average and is interested in Washington College and Hampton College to study business management and play basketball. “As part of the Multicultural Alliance, we work with Sara’s House for community service projects,” said Wilson, who has traveled widely with her mother, Sandra, and father. The Wilsons successfully bid on government contracts for their Janitorial Service company, Rest Com, and travel to the Carolinas, New London, and Connecticut, and in the summer to the islands. “I’ll be going to Italy as part of the Italian Exchange later this year. I want to own my own sports agency. Last year, I got the Scouting Award on my basketball team because I knew everything about the players we played against.”
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KATIE MCDERMOTT
Broadneck High school
Basketball
A model student/athlete with a perfect 4.0 grade-point-average, ranking No. 76 in her senior class of 530, McDermott is a senior leader on the Bruins’ girls’ basketball team and has also played lacrosse. In addition, she is involved in several other activities while overcoming the death of her father, Joe, who passed away because of a brain hemorrhage in October. “Katie is an outstanding young lady,” said Diane Casey, who is in her fifth season as the Bruins’ girls’ basketball coach. “She is one of our key seniors and a player I count on.” McDermott is a member of the National Honor Society, the AVID tutoring program at Broadneck, and volunteers at the SPCA animal shelter and with special-need kids. “In the AVID program, I work with students to help them get a jump start on college and it’s a way to get involved in the school and help kids who may not be doing so well and motivate them,” said McDermott. She is leaning toward Salisbury University to major in education. “I want to do something with education, but I’m not sure if I definitely want to be a teacher,” said McDermott, whose two older sisters had played basketball at Archbishop Spalding. “I like working with kids and work at a daycare. Anything that involves kids, I like. I babysat a lot when I was younger growing up. I have a lot of cousins and have always kind of been the one in charge.” McDermott’s mom, Gail, works with mentally disabled children.
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JOSH MORGAN-GREEN
St. Mary’s High school
Basketball
Morgan-Green has been averaging about 20 points a game for the much-improved Saints this season, in their quest of winning the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference after going 15-14 a year ago. “We’ve put in a lot of hard work in practice,” said the Saints’ 5-foot-11 junior go-to player. “We have three senior captains in Mike Shriner, Josh Hartman and Don Lozzi who have shown good team leadership.” Morgan-Green says the Saints’ offense under second-year coach Brian Konik is more of a run-and-gun style, much to the players’ delight. The offense has allowed Morgan-Green to create more scoring opportunities and he has produced, as evidenced by his leading the Saints to the Southern-Harwood Holiday Tournament title, scoring 28 points in the final game and taking MVP honors. Also, an MIAA B Conference Player of the Week several times this season, Morgan-Green, a two-year starter after transferring from Bowie High where he played as a freshman, is confident the Saints can make a run in the MIAA B Conference. “We’re right there with the top teams,” said Morgan-Green, who has aspirations of playing in college, like his older brother, Marques Green, who played at Colgate and his father, Sherwin Green, who played at William & Mary. Morgan-Green is ranked 99th in his senior class of 175 with a 2.9 grade-point-average, writes for the school newspaper, the Crabnet, and does missions work in D.C. feeding the homeless and missions work in Jamaica. His mom, Sherri Morgan-Johnson, is a nurse and his father is an Investigative analyst, a career Josh may pursue.
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