Talk about living in the sunshine. Will Alston left earlier this week with his college basketball team to California. It will be the first trip to California for Alston, a Laurel High graduate who is a sophomore at Division I Jacksonville University in Florida.

But Alston, who helped lead Laurel to the state semifinals in 2008, is looking for more than just a good time and more nice weather out west. “I hope we can get a win,” said Alston, after his team began this season with a 87-61 loss at Florida State on Nov. 16. Last year the Dolphins lost by just one point to the ACC team.

Alston, a forward/center, had two points and four rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench against Florida State in the first game this season. JU played Nov. 24 at the University of California and then plays Nov. 27 at South Carolina.

Last season the 6-foot-7 Alston came off the bench in 32 games and averaged 8.3 minutes, 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. He had a season-high nine points in one game and played a season-high 18 minutes in two games.

“I worked really hard this summer and in pre-season to get better and get ready for the season,” said Alston, a sports management major with a minor in business marketing

Many pre-season publications picked the Dolphins to win the Atlantic Sun Conference this season. JU played in the NIT last season after losing to East Tennessee in the conference tourney.

JU head coach Cliff Warren grew up in Silver Spring and played in college at Mount St. Mary’s. Darryl Bruce, an assistant coach and graduate of DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, is a former coach at Bladensburg High and Towson University.

“One of the things he showed last year was he can score in the paint,” Bruce said of Alston. “He is pretty skilled. We want him to post up strong and give us a physical presence. He is coming along really well.”

Milade Lola-Charles (Laurel High) had seven points and five rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench for host Hampton in a 68-63 loss Nov. 17 to Iona. Chris Tolson, a Laurel High grad, had three points and one steal in 22 minutes off the bench for Hampton. Host Hampton lost, 63-52, Nov. 23 to VCU, which upset nationally-ranked Oklahoma in its previous game. Reserve Tolson had five points against VCU and Lola-Charles, who started, had two.

The Pirates play Howard on Dec. 5 in the Big Apple Classic in New York. Ryan Cook (Pallotti) is a sophomore at Chestnut Hill and Branden Washington (Pallotti) and Laurel resident Jamie Newton are on the men’s team at Washington Adventist University. Shane Brown of Columbia is also on the Washington Adventist roster.

Women’s college hoops

North Laurel resident Haliena Snowden (Seton Keough) had five points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes as a starter for Towson in a 79-42 loss Nov. 13 at West Virginia. Kandace Davis (Laurel High) had three rebounds in 14 minutes as a starter in the game. Both players are senior forwards.

Two 2009 graduates of Pallotti are freshmen with college basketball teams. Jackie Buckley plays for Division III Bridgewater (Va.) College and Maya Pollock is with Division II  West Virginia Wesleyan. Brittney Jackson (Laurel) is a junior at Bowie State.
McCarty in national tourney

Laurel resident Tiffany McCarty (St. John’s) had one shot on goal for Florida State in a 4-1 win against SE Louisiana Nov. 13 in the first round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament. FSU beat Cal, 3-0, on Nov. 15 in the second round as McCarty had one goal.

FSU hosted Texas A&M on Nov. 20 on won, 2-1, as McCarty got the assist on the game-winning goal, scored by Jessica Price. McCarty, a sophomore and the freshman of the year in the ACC last year, leads the team with 17 goals and has seven assists in the first 24 games this
year. FSU hosts Notre Dame on Nov. 27 in the quarterfinals.

College football

Wesley College in Delaware beat North Carolina Wesleyan on Nov. 21 in the first round of the Division III national football playoffs. The Wesley roster includes Matt Fridell (Pallotti). The University of Maryland will end its season Nov. 28 at home against Boston College. Charles Bankins, a North Laurel resident, is on the Terps coaching staff. Maryland lost Nov. 21 at Florida State. Bankins is a former assistant at Richmond, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation most of this season in Division I-AA.

Former Laurel resident Darryl Jones (St. John’s College High) was among the leaders in tackles this year for Northeastern football as a junior defensive back. The Huskies ended the season Nov. 21 at Rhode Island with a win, but the next day the school announced it was dropping the program immediately.

College volleyball

Carla Hill (Pallotti) of Lanham was a senior this fall for the women’s volleyball team at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Va.

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