Laurel High School
- Thread starter Yappi
- Start date
Auggie
Well-known member
I can tell you a lot about Laurel.
They have kind of taken over where Hathaway Brown left off but they are going about this in a completely different manner than what Barlow did over on North Park. Where as Hathawy Brown is the more "cool girls" all girl Prep School in CLE Laurel is the more "artsy" all girl Prep School and actually they try to down play sports. Their gym is a classic all girls gym with 10 rows of bleachers on only one side of the court and back in the day they took pride in a beautiful cluster of ferns that were set up in a corner of the gym. It's a landlocked school in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Shaker so when they wanted to upgrade their athletic facilities they had to use land donated about 30 minutes due east in Geauga County and they made a conscious decision to not include a new gym. While the Admin likes when things are going well for their athletic teams they actually spend very little $s on the program and actively discourage coaches to build up power house programs, they would openly scoff at their academic rival HB because of the way Barlow went about building his program. Also, when it comes to tuition any scholarship $s are tied into a strict need based formula and if the family doesn't like it then they can go elsewhere.
So why is the above important? Because I have no idea how Tim McMahon is building this thing up with the lack of resources and support that he has other than a girl gets a great Prep School education. But then again a girl from Akron could also go to Old Trail School or WRA in Summit County and get a similar education closer to home. He did luck into a nice situation to start his career at Laurel where an alumna's daughter was just starting out and a good big; she meshed in with some athletes from the local catholic grade schools and they had a nice run. Maybe he is out there working the AAU circuit and talking to parents in a aggressive manner but that is something that Head of School, Ann Klotz, would never knowingly approve. FYI, Laurel has never won an OHSAA team state title of any type so if they make a run it would be the first OHSAA State Title.
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ROCKETBOOSTER
Member
The old Midpark coach from last year supposedly sent his daughter there this year also. They have been working the AAU circuit pretty well so they are getting a good core of girls in there and as you know you only need a few great ones and a solid supporting cast these days to make deep runs.
eastisbest
Well-known member
They scheduled us, Toledo Waite back when we were good, had Natasha Howard. I've NO idea how that came about. My impression of the school is the same as you're saying. Buried unpretentiously into a neighborhood, I watched the team bus go by twice before I realized they were using GPS instead of their eyes and I had to have someone at the school call the coach and tell them to stop. NOTHING in that building was locked. I walked all through it on a weekend. Man they had no idea the sticky hands they were letting run loose. But I was a good boy. Just fascinated with all the wealth. I've still intention to visit that nearby Jewish Museum.
He did but it was an academically based decision much more so than athletics. I'm not denying that both were involved, but she is a very smart young lady with Ivy League aspirations and Laurel gives her a better shot at realizing those goals.
Auggie
Well-known member
Maybe Alex Cade playing for Yale helped the cause?
I know a lot about the school and the athletic department, full disclosure I had a daughter that went there and was involved in an Olympic sport, but to be honest with you I knew very little about this hoops team until I saw this thread. Up until the Alex Cade era teams they were a total non factor and then all of a sudden 5 of the best Freshmen in NEO decide to get together and play at a school that Fawn Liebowitz would have attended?!? Knowing the folks that run the shop at Laurel there is no way they would put up with anything that would sully the Laurel "Brand". Additionally unlike HB & Gilmour they have minimum ICE scores needed to gain admissions and it is a high bar. What next, Akron Buchtel will develop state championship level hockey program?
northwest07
Well-known member
They play Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame at the Classic in the Country on Saturday, January 18th at 6 PM.
Yappi
Go Buckeyes
I believe this would fall under the "don't ask, don't tell" directive of High School sports.
Technically, it would probably be illegal if the OHSAA wanted to pursue it but I don't believe the OHSAA would ever investigate this unless it was public knowledge and an egregious violation of the rule.
Gbulldog
Well-known member
Thanks!...Thats basically what i thought also.
Yappi
Go Buckeyes
I've talked to a few people over the years privately on here who admit it's a dirty little secret at their school (not mentioning schools). There really is nothing that can be done about it unless it is someone tied to the school and it is a big name athlete coming to the school. Even with both of those happening, it is still very low probability anyone would even look into it.
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Auggie
Well-known member
Technically yes but almost all private schools, regardless of how the need is awarded, want the parents to pay something so they have "skin in the game". This is an important concept as it forces the parents to keep an eye on their kids so they are not wasting their $s.
By the way I would be shocked if this is the case with the current Laurel Freshmen class, it goes against their style. Now one thing Laurel does do when giving a tuition award based on need is they ask the student to allow them to share their name with high $ donors so they can track and feel good about their donations, when they see a student that is from an underprivileged background uses these $s to succeed it makes their privileged self's feel that much better. Again athletics is actually deemphasized at Laurel and while I do not have any intel on how these 5 great Frosh ended up at this school, I am guessing dubious financial incentives is not one of the reasons.
Auggie
Well-known member
Some updates on this team:
- Laurel is currently ranked #1 by cleveland.com and just beat down the #4 team, Magnificat, 85-61.
- Competed in the Classic in the Country, played the #1 Ohio Div I team tough in a 62-57 loss.
- Ranked #6 in the latest AP Poll
- Nice column on the Thierry Twins, (father played for the Browns): https://www.cleveland.com/highschoo...lineage-of-an-athletically-gifted-family.html
- Laurel is currently ranked #1 by cleveland.com and just beat down the #4 team, Magnificat, 85-61.
- Competed in the Classic in the Country, played the #1 Ohio Div I team tough in a 62-57 loss.
- Ranked #6 in the latest AP Poll
- Nice column on the Thierry Twins, (father played for the Browns): https://www.cleveland.com/highschoo...lineage-of-an-athletically-gifted-family.html
Are you saying their starting 5 are all freshmen?
ConcernedCoach
Member
1 senior, 2 juniors, 2 freshmen start.... players 6-8 are also freshmen
Gbulldog
Well-known member
Loaded ...Did hear rumors that a freshman starter (Mari) might transfer...Not sure how valid...regardless, loaded for a few years
Auggie
Well-known member
Cleveland.com story: https://www.cleveland.com/highschoo...122-25-record-over-six-years-with-gators.html
“It became evident that there were philosophical differences in the direction of the program.”
As I called out earlier in the thread a powerhouse sports program is not Laurel's style, I am guessing Coach was itching to turn this thing into the new HB and the Admin had other ideas. I would expect the coach and the star Frosh class to move over to another program. Does ISA have a girls program? Maybe WRA?
“It became evident that there were philosophical differences in the direction of the program.”
As I called out earlier in the thread a powerhouse sports program is not Laurel's style, I am guessing Coach was itching to turn this thing into the new HB and the Admin had other ideas. I would expect the coach and the star Frosh class to move over to another program. Does ISA have a girls program? Maybe WRA?
NEOsportsfan09
Active member
It wouldn't shock me if no one transfers out of Laurel and they hire from within the program.
You're way off here Auggie... just saying... he's gone because he lost the faith of the very people you're talking about.