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JOE DISARCINA |
Globe North Sports Notebook
DiSarcina, Barker inducted into hoop hall
Former Somerville High basketball and baseball standout Joe DiSarcina and Kelly Barker, who rewrote the record book at Billerica High and later at Bentley, were among the 2009 honorees inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame recently at Mohegan Sun.
DiSarcina was enshrined in the Ron Perry Category, for excellence in two sports, and Barker into the high school division.
DiSarcina was extremely proud to be associated with Perry “for a number of reasons, but in particular because I grew up and played in Somerville, where basketball and the name Perry were synonomous,’’ he said.
DiSarcina is now a resident of Winchester, where he coached girls’ basketball for 24 seasons.
“That made it extra special. I sat down with Ron Perry at the induction ceremony and we talked basketball, the heyday, when Somerville basketball was dominant. I played for Ron’s brother, Walter, who has since passed away.’’
At Somerville in the mid-1960s, DiSarcina captained both the basketball and baseball teams. He later excelled at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he set several hoop records, including assists in a game (15), season (167), and career (431). His single-game record still stands. An All-American shortstop, he led UMass to three Yankee Conference championships and into the 1969 College World Series, in which the Minutemen upset No. 1 Southern Illinois, 2-0. He was eventually drafted by the San Diego Padres, but his career was cut short by illness. He later returned to Somerville, where he coached the baseball team for 19 years, taught, and served as an admininistrator. He currently is principal and girls’ basketball coach at Matignon High.
The 62-year-old is now a member of three halls of fame: Somerville, UMass, and New England Basketball.
“I have strong emotional feelings towards the city of Somerville and UMass,’’ he said. “The coaches at UMass were very close to me. My dad passed away when I was a junior and Dick Berquist (baseball) and Jack Leaman (basketball) became very important to me.’’
Barker scored more than 1,400 points and hauled down 1,000-plus rebounds in four years (1993-1997) at Billerica. She was All-Merrimack Valley Conference selection four years and helped steer Billerica into three postseason tournaments. She had a strong career at Bentley and is the Falcons’ all-time leading scorer with 1,800 points and second in rebounds (1,120), free throws (490), free throw attempts (648), and three-point percentage (.429). She was the NE-10 Player of the Year and a Kodak All-America in 2000-’01, a season in which Bentley was 31-3.
“I was shocked when I found out I had been selected to go into the Hall of Fame in the high school division,’’ she said. “It is a great honor to be in the same Hall of Fame with some of my college teammates and with my coach (Barbara Stevens) and assistant coach (Ann McInerney).’’
After graduating from Bentley, Barker played pro basketball in the Netherlands, was head coach at Pine Manor for a year, and had assistant coaching stints at Bentley, Bryant, and AIC. She currently works in public safety at the Boston University Medical Center.
At Lesley, Fralick hits the century mark
Lesley University senior striker Jodi Fralick of Woburn joined a select group of women soccer players when she scored her 100th career goal in a 3-0 win over Bay Path College last weekend. Fralick found the back of the net with a right-foot blast in the 29th minute to become just the 15th player in NCAA Division 3 history to reach the century mark. Only 26 women in all divisions have scored 100 goals or more. Fralick, a strong contender to be named New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, has been a model of consistency throughout her career.Her 100th goal was her 29th of the season and comes on the heels of 27 last year and 22 in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons.
“It was an exciting moment to be sure,’’ said Fralick, “but I’m not sure if it’s really sunk in yet. Right now, it’s just another goal.’’
When she scored, she was mobbed by her teammates and each of them removed their game jerseys to reveal T-shirts bearing Fralick’s name and the number “100.’’ “I can’t think of anyone I would have wanted to share that moment with than with these teammates,’’ said Fralick. “My teammates and my family. They’re very special to me and have given me lots of support.’’ Fralick’s coach, Paul Vasconcelos, was elated. “No matter the division, 1, 2 or 3, what she did was very special,’’ he said. “Not only did she reach a milestone, but she put a little school like Lesley on the map on a national scale, and that can only help in our recruiting efforts.’’ Lesley finished the regular season 14-3-1 overall and 8-0 in NECC play.
Campus corner
St. John’s Prep grads Tim Prior of Georgetown, Sean Bishop of Danvers, and Hunter Clark of Boxford are all starters on the Bowdoin soccer team. Prior had five goals and four assists for 14 points, Bishop was 3-1-7 and Clark 1-1-3 after 15 games. Bowdoin was 11-3-1 overall and was scheduled to play Williams yesterday in the semifinals of the New England Small College Athletic Conference playoffs . . . . Seniors Meghan Ryan of Newburyport and Carrie Wolcott of Hamilton are co-captains of the No. 4 nationally-ranked Trinity field hockey team. Trinity ran through its first 13 games undefeated but fell to Amherst, 1-0, in the regular season finale. The Bantams beat Connecticut College, 2-1, in the NESCAC playoff quarterfinals and were scheduled to play NESCAC champion Bowdoin in yesterday’s semifinals . . . . Wheaton junior Ellen Van Faasen of Manchester was named to the All-New England Women’s and Men’s Conference tennis team after going 14-1 overall in doubles with sophomore Rosalyn Chesky of South Hadley.Ideas and information may be sent to JohnPVel@aol.com. 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
