Open Gym Report: Cathedral High School

Cathedral is the home of many state championship in multiple sports.  The banners eagerly greet you and adorn the gym.  But it’s been 23 years since the Irish won a state title in boys basketball.  Could this be the year?  With a talented, experienced team returning, this may be their best chance in years.

Cathedral is well loaded this year from the top of the class to the bottom.  It starts at the point guard position. Tayshawn Comer is back in his fourth year as the starting point guard to lead the Irish attack.

“We have a team full of veterans this year, have a great schedule and we are looking to be ready to play”, says Comer, who is rated as one of the Top 30 point guards in the nation on ESPN for his class.  Top 40 nationally ranked forward  Xavier Booker has earned offers from the likes of Indiana, Purdue, Kansas State, Ohio State and Notre Dame.  The 6’11” junior also has a a 7’6″ wing span.  I witnessed what may have been one of his best games last month where he did it all on the floor – scored in the paint with ease, lead the break with his handle and finished and popped plenty of 3s.  ” I’m working on my lateral quickness and my handle, and I feel like we have a good chance to win state this year”, he says. There is no ceiling for his potential.

But it nowhere near stops there.  Jaxon Edwards could be the best player in this group in time.  The senior wing has committed to Murray State and is a tough defender and slasher.  6’5″ junior Jake Davis is a returning starter.  You had better not leave him open.  He shot 40% from the 3-point line last year as a starter and lit the match early for the Irish in the City championship game last year with two big 3s in the 1st quarter to help lead them to the title.  Players who will also contribute this year are senior Jaiden Malichi, juniors Sincere Germany and ______ and sophomore Anthony Fields.  Fields didn’t play last year due to injury.  He stood out the most to me during open gym and looks like he could be a factor in some games.

You get the picture: add in freshman Deric Cannady, LeBron Gough and Albren Johnson, who could very well contribute even this year to a veteran squad and the Irish could be tough to beat for a very long time.

Head coach Jason Delany takes his open gyms seriously.  A very well thought out work-out plan greets me on my chair as I sit down.  He’s in a full sweat early in the morning and he leads his squad through drills.  “You can’t go at that speed against the schedule we play”, he tells his team.  “We have got to go harder right now if we want to finish where we need to be”.

And the Irish go hard.  Efficient.  Veterans Comer and Davis are giving the younger players work.  But the younger players like Fields and Cannady make plays and score as well.  The whole team encourages the good, especially from the young players.

If Cathedral doesn’t win the state title, it won’t be because they weren’t prepared.  And I like their chances to make it downtown for the title game.