The sound of basketballs zipping around the War Memorial gym competes with Jaydaan Correia’s constant stream of communication. “Let’s go!” he encourages repeatedly, yelling out tips to other players and generally narrating this Monday evening Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School’s boys’ basketball practice.
Itamar Fox, meanwhile, has been dubbed “the silent assassin” by the coaches. He attacks every drill like it’s the most important of his life. Key team members in different ways, the seniors have led the 9-2 Falcons to the 8th spot in the most recent MIAA Division 1 Boys Basketball Power Rankings.
“High character,” is how coach Geo Rodriguez described the duo. “Not too many kids can balance and like school as much as they like basketball — it’s usually one or the other. They take basketball as seriously as they take not only academics, but life.”
It isn’t just the coach who recognizes the duo’s outstanding leadership qualities and track records as student-athletes.
Correia and Fox recently learned of their status as Posse Scholars with full-tuition merit scholarships to Rutgers University. The Posse Foundation offers these scholarships in recognition of students with “extraordinary leadership potential” from diverse backgrounds in partnership with 65 colleges and universities across the country. Posse recruits students from more than 20 cities across the United States and offices in 10, including Boston. To date, Posse’s partner schools have awarded more than $2.45 billion in scholarships since the program’s inception in 1989.
Rutgers topped the list for both, who will go in undecided and looking to pursue wide-ranging academic interests.
Correia wants to study exercise science or something related to geography. He knew about Rutgers but discovered its top-tier research programs during the Posse process. Correia knows another Posse Scholar from CRLS who is a current Rutgers student.
“For me, [choosing Rutgers] was pretty similar,” said Fox, whose main academic interests include math and political science.
The foundation supports students beginning their senior year of high school with pre-collegiate training. They meet weekly with Posse peers and staff for two-hour workshops. In college, students visit with Posse staff four times per year, participate in weekly group mentorship sessions and biweekly in 1:1 mentorship. After graduation, Posse’s career program helps students find jobs or pursue further education.
Both Correia and Fox made sure to shout out their guidance counselor, Janani Nathan, who nominated them for the scholarship before either knew much about it. After an application and three interviews, they received official word in early December.
Correia made varsity as a freshman but spent most of his time watching and learning from the team’s veteran upperclassmen. He emerged as a Dual-County League All-Star as a sophomore, repeated the honor as a junior, and is poised for it again this season. Named captain this year, the 6-foot-4 senior averages 15 points and 9 rebounds per game, team bests.
“When it was his time, he blossomed,” Rodriguez said. “What he means to this program is a lot. It’s been beautiful to watch him learn and grow.”
Entering high school, Correia anticipated playing college basketball. While he had options to play below the Division 1 level in which Rutgers competes, the Posse Scholars program offered him what he thought was his best collegiate option. He knows current Rutgers player and Somerville native Bryce Dortch, whose family also has deep ties to Cambridge, and plans to try to walk on to play basketball. At the very least, he can dominate the intramural circuit.
“I realized [basketball] may not be all that’s there,” Correia said. “With my academic track record, I had the opportunity to go to different schools and study other things, so I guess I’m just experimenting with that.”
Fox made the varsity last year as a junior. He recently shifted from the sixth-man role to the Falcons starting lineup after an injury to classmate Morris Lichtenstein.
A four-year honor roll student and National Honors Society member, the 5-foot-10 guard plays with tenacity, especially as an on-ball defender. He leads the team with 5 assists and 3 steals per game. An improved jump shot rounded out his game. Usually a leader by example, Fox isn’t afraid to speak up when needed.
“He’s one of those types of players that not only knows his position, but he knows where everybody is supposed to be going,” Rodriguez said. “It’s lots of leading by example, but he’ll also get on guys when he has to, which is him coming out of his shell.”
With a few weeks before the state tournament, both players want to lead the Falcons on a long postseason run.
“I definitely believe that this team can win a state championship if we just keep doing what we’re doing, stay humble and put in the work,” Correia said.
A stronger
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