St James Academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never choose st James over a wcac school for any of my kids. Kids from all of them go d1 to power 5 (or 4…), they get a normal high school experience, and receive excellent mentorship from the coaches and administration. Sure there might be some soft spots in the lineups that means curated academy lineups will beat them, but you’re making a deal with the devil if you send your kid there imo.

You are clearly a good parent. Those who send their children to be coached by Overton at SJA, not so much.

[Anonymous]

The SJA HS boys basketball coach is Book Richardson, he was a convicted felon, but Biden pardoned him. Walt Webb is running the post-grad team and the middle school program, which is really his twins, kids he knows and the owner's son. They only had a few outside kids enroll in the MS program. This is very different than Gillion and Bethel Academy.

Webb's twins are officially 7th graders, however I am pretty sure they are older than 12 years old. For some reason, the taller twin made the varsity or JV team.

$35,000 is a lot of money to pay for Daddy ball and a free online public school.

There is another MS coach who is Webb's buddy that has a son at SJA. Again, they brought on people they knew as SJA didn't bring in many other/outside kids from grades 5-8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SJA HS boys basketball coach is Book Richardson, he was a convicted felon, but Biden pardoned him. Walt Webb is running the post-grad team and the middle school program, which is really his twins, kids he knows and the owner's son. They only had a few outside kids enroll in the MS program. This is very different than Gillion and Bethel Academy.

Webb's twins are officially 7th graders, however I am pretty sure they are older than 12 years old. For some reason, the taller twin made the varsity or JV team.

$35,000 is a lot of money to pay for Daddy ball and a free online public school.

There is another MS coach who is Webb's buddy that has a son at SJA. Again, they brought on people they knew as SJA didn't bring in many other/outside kids from grades 5-8.

In fairness, what he did is now perfectly legal through college Booster clubs.

It's the same reason why Reggie Bush had his Heisman reinstated...it was stripped for doing something that is now perfectly legal under NCAA rules.

I believe that's how things work in general...if you are jailed for say Marijuana possession in a state and they now make it legal, then they release you from jail, right? Or usually the governor will pardon a bunch of folks that are imprisoned under a law that is overturned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SJA HS boys basketball coach is Book Richardson, he was a convicted felon, but Biden pardoned him. Walt Webb is running the post-grad team and the middle school program, which is really his twins, kids he knows and the owner's son. They only had a few outside kids enroll in the MS program. This is very different than Gillion and Bethel Academy.

Webb's twins are officially 7th graders, however I am pretty sure they are older than 12 years old. For some reason, the taller twin made the varsity or JV team.

$35,000 is a lot of money to pay for Daddy ball and a free online public school.

There is another MS coach who is Webb's buddy that has a son at SJA. Again, they brought on people they knew as SJA didn't bring in many other/outside kids from grades 5-8.

Webb has con artist ways, but is also a basketball coach with years of legitimate experience, which is how he gets away with the daddyball.

One of the 8th graders Webb brought in has been ranked number 1 in the country and somewhere within the top ten players in the country for his age group for years. He has always used his basketball connections to surround his twin sons with the best talent he could find and when he can’t find talent the right age, he has cheated and used older kids, and this is something he’s been doing atleast since the twins were 4 years old.

The twins are old enough to be 9th graders but are 7th graders so they should be good playing with 7th grade competition. Their father will make sure the taller one is the point guard and primary ball handler. He will try not to bring in anyone better and if he does, they won’t get much playing time at that position.

Wont surprise me if Webb doesn’t work out over there. If he’s coaching post grad in addition to middle school, he will try to have his middle school sons working out with the post grad team for sure. Will also try to sneak them into any unsanctioned games if he can get away with it. And the tall one will be the point guard on that post grad team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coach is a convicted felon?

If that's true, it makes the parents sound like the parent of every child actor who was treated horrifically. As long as the kid has a chance at getting famous, the parents don't care what horrible situation the kid is in.

Awful.

It's exactly like that. I saw the info sessions last spring...so, so predatory towards families who are hungry (maybe even desperate) for the quick cash that an NIL deal could bring. And to the PP saying it's like European football academies, I'd like to see a comparison of the number of adults playing soccer professionally worldwide versus American football. And while we're at it, let's compare the catastrophic injury rates between the two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SJA HS boys basketball coach is Book Richardson, he was a convicted felon, but Biden pardoned him. Walt Webb is running the post-grad team and the middle school program, which is really his twins, kids he knows and the owner's son. They only had a few outside kids enroll in the MS program. This is very different than Gillion and Bethel Academy.

Webb's twins are officially 7th graders, however I am pretty sure they are older than 12 years old. For some reason, the taller twin made the varsity or JV team.

$35,000 is a lot of money to pay for Daddy ball and a free online public school.

There is another MS coach who is Webb's buddy that has a son at SJA. Again, they brought on people they knew as SJA didn't bring in many other/outside kids from grades 5-8.

Gillion and Bethel middle school basketball teams won’t be as good as Saint James’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coach is a convicted felon?

If that's true, it makes the parents sound like the parent of every child actor who was treated horrifically. As long as the kid has a chance at getting famous, the parents don't care what horrible situation the kid is in.

Awful.

It's exactly like that. I saw the info sessions last spring...so, so predatory towards families who are hungry (maybe even desperate) for the quick cash that an NIL deal could bring. And to the PP saying it's like European football academies, I'd like to see a comparison of the number of adults playing soccer professionally worldwide versus American football. And while we're at it, let's compare the catastrophic injury rates between the two.

Why?

Bethesda Soccer Club also has started an academy using the same group as St James. Does it somehow make Bethesda Soccer Club more valid? It’s the exact same virtual model.

St James offers basketball and other sports. It’s not just football.

[Anonymous]

The issue is 99.9% of the kids at STJ won’t turn pro. They’ve convinced their parents that by going there they will, but for nearly all of them college is where it will end and they would have gotten there with or without the STJ.

[Anonymous]

Only person benefitting is Overton and his 150k plus salary that the non revenue sports families at the STJ are paying for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The issue is 99.9% of the kids at STJ won’t turn pro. They’ve convinced their parents that by going there they will, but for nearly all of them college is where it will end and they would have gotten there with or without the STJ.

I think d1 college sports is the main goal, however and I don’t like to say this about high school kids, but there are a couple kids on the football team that have NFL potential if they stay healthy, on the right track, and continue to excel, but it’s even a long shot for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only person benefitting is Overton and his 150k plus salary that the non revenue sports families at the STJ are paying for.

Who thinks Overton’s team will have the #1 spot in tomorrow’s Washington Post rankings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only person benefitting is Overton and his 150k plus salary that the non revenue sports families at the STJ are paying for.

Who thinks Overton’s team will have the #1 spot in tomorrow’s Washington Post rankings?

The post released their rankings a couple hours ago. St James is number 2 behind Dematha, which is impressive since they haven’t been ranked at all yet this season nor even gotten any honorable mention.

[Anonymous]

LOL! When you have adult men on your roster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL! When you have adult men on your roster.

Are you talking about the WCAC schools where 75% or more PF their roster has reclassified twice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coach is a convicted felon?

If that's true, it makes the parents sound like the parent of every child actor who was treated horrifically. As long as the kid has a chance at getting famous, the parents don't care what horrible situation the kid is in.

Awful.

It's exactly like that. I saw the info sessions last spring...so, so predatory towards families who are hungry (maybe even desperate) for the quick cash that an NIL deal could bring. And to the PP saying it's like European football academies, I'd like to see a comparison of the number of adults playing soccer professionally worldwide versus American football. And while we're at it, let's compare the catastrophic injury rates between the two.

Why?

Bethesda Soccer Club also has started an academy using the same group as St James. Does it somehow make Bethesda Soccer Club more valid? It’s the exact same virtual model.

St James offers basketball and other sports. It’s not just football.

It’s not for everyone. Some kids just don’t have the physical talent to make it and it’s okay. They are the to give it their best and get in the best situation to pursue their dreams.
But if you know you will play division 1 sports in college it’s a good place. Just make sure your kid gets the tools academically to make it through college.