Tryout For St. Andrew's Basketball Team Next Week

St. Andrew's youth basketball program is holding tryouts next week and is inviting your budding ballers to vie for a spot on the prestigious regional team.

Tryouts for the fifth and sixth team grade are scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1; 11 a.m. Saturday Nov. 5; and 1 p.m. Sunday Nov. 6 at St. Andrew School, 51 Wrights Road, Newtown, according to newly appointed head coach Adam Bowen.

Players can register for the tryouts online, Bowen said.

Players wishing to tryout must be a member of St. Andrew's parish, attend St. Andrew School, Bowen said. Players who go to another parish or school that doesn't have a team you can also play for St. Andrew, he said.

Bowen said tryouts will be held for the 5-6 grade regional team and expects 10 to 12 players to be chosen for the team. But, Bowen said players who do not make the regional teams will be put on parish teams that will play each other.

"Every kid has an opportunity to be a part of this," Bowen said of the team, which Bowen said won state championships in 2008 and 20011

New to the program this year, Bowen previously served as Council Rocks North's varsity assistant coach and head coach of the school's ninth grade team for four years, and spent three years as Council Rock South's assistant varsity coach and head coach of the junior varsity team. Bowen also has been an AAU basketball coach since 2008, where he had Villanova's National Championship MVP Ryan Arcidiacono as a player.

"My job is to help develop that passion for basketball and help mentor that now and down the road," Bowen said of taking over as St. Andrew's coaching position. "And helping them make sure we don’t lose core values or faith on and off the court, in the classroom, and in the community."

Bowen said Arcidiacono, who also played basketball on St. Andrew's state champion regional team in 2008 before attending Neshaminy High School and Villanova University then signing with the San Antonio Spurs, plans to come back to St. Andrews at some point to meet with the new class of players.

"The spirit and tradition of the program is unbelievable," Bowen said. "They want the program to be in the community, and the program does a lot of community service. It sends a good message."

Check out St. Andrew Catholic Youth Organization Mission Statement:

CYO Sports is one component of a parish’s comprehensive youth ministry program which enables the partnership of parents, coaches, priests, religious, teachers and adult leaders to manage and support a sports program that allows youth to grow in their relationship with God and come to better understand themselves and the Catholic Faith. Such a program:

• Employs healthy and enjoyable competition to promote the sharing of gospel values among athletes, parents, and coaches.
• Assists parish leadership in nourishing the emotional, spiritual, social and physical needs of young people.
• Encourages young people to appreciate the gifts they possess and challenges them to share these gifts with their community.
• Allows youth to witness the life of Christian discipleship in their coaches and adult leaders.
• Encourages youth to become responsible members of their faith community.

"I’ve seen a lot of kids that have come from St. Andrew go on to have great opportunities as high school players and college sometimes," Bowen said "I've personally witnessed it as a coach watching those games."

Bowen said St. Andrew basketball players have gone on to play at schools such as Council Rock North, Holy Ghost Prep, Archbishop Wood High School, St. Joseph's Prep, and Conwell-Eagan High School.

Images via Adam Bowen, Chilli Head, Flickr