from Mark McKinney at the High Point Enterprise(www.hpe.com)
THOMASVILLE —If the New Hope Christian Academy girls basketball team desired, it could alter the title of a popular classic TV show and make it its own.
“Have Team, Will Travel.”
Actually, the Phoenix would need to add two more words to make that moniker truly accurate.
“And win.”
New Hope has seen lots of our great nation so far this season en route to a sterling 21-1 record. The academy with approximately 100 students based in Thomasville owns five wins in Atlanta, three wins in Jacksonville, Fla., as well as victories in Richmond, Va., Charlottesville, Va., Amelia Court House, Va. and several cities across N.C.
“We log lots of miles in vans and buses,” New Hope head coach Delaney Rudd says with a chuckle. “All that time traveling together has helped the girls get to know each other better and it’s been a big help in building chemistry and team unity.”
Rudd, in his second season at the NHCA helm, starred at Wake Forest from 1981-85 and enjoyed a 15-year pro career with stints with the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers as well as three CBA teams and two squads in France.
He likes what he sees from his Phoenix.
CLICK HERE to read all from Mark McKinney at the High Point Enterprise….
This appears to be the wave of the future. This high school seems to function like an AAU team. They travel all over the country to play high school ball. Delaney is a very good coach and this does get exposure for these girls. I wouldn’t want this for my child, but it is probably good for the really driven kid. Hopefully, this school is good academically as well.
Like you say, Delaney does a real good job and it is hard to knock what he is doing over there…..He has kept it going for a good while now…
I do like his younger daughter’s name, Lucky Rudd…
Hey Tom to each it own but the team is no where near an AAU team just a High School team full of great talent. Why would you finish a nice compliment with questioning the academics
hey tom, i had written a very long relpy to the comment about our school basketball program and academics, but after I through about it, our record and girls performance speaks louder than words . AS for tom, a little education , for coach Rudd,no reply is necessary because his career speaks for itself.Second we have girls in the SEC, BIG EAST, Atlantic 10 and counting . Our current class , yes Tom has a Big East signee, yes not a verbal but a big East signee ! So what were you saying ABOUT ACADEMICS ,SAT scores, or grades and Beta club . Cant hear you , and before i forget I think it takes talent to play on the New Hope Christian Academy Lady Phoenix Basketball Team . Hey tom does the 20+ wins give you a problem . Maybe you can ask your kids school to scrimmage us one sat ok . Before i forget im a Marine Corp veteran and i do believe in america and free speech so go ahead and level your baseless attacks. IF you are interested i will be glad to sit with you at one of our games and bring you up to date on new hope christian academy.Remember the president having a beer with that police officer in the rose garden, lets do it ok !!
I didn’t see anything disparaging. I said he was a very good coach. He obviously knows what he is doing. I also said it was a good place for kids who are extremely driven about basketball. My daughter is in college now and basketball was not her passion. That is why I wouldn’t put her in a program like that. You have to love the game to be willing to do all of the travel and still keep up with the academic side of things. I am not putting that school down at all. I am just saying that it is different and we probably will see more schools like it in the future. I was not attacking the school at all.