tins219

SoCal High School & Prep Report

Wayne Tinsley Surfaces. . .
In Connecticut Of All Places--(February 19, 1998)

We earlier reported that Wayne Tinsley formerly of Eisenhower (Citrus Belt League, along with A.B. Miller, Colton, Fontana, Redlands and Rialto) was "missing" for some unknown reason. Frankly we don't remember when we reported that, but it must have been fairly recently in one of our Inland Empire articles.

Well, we've now figured out where Tinsley is. And we've gotten the information from a pretty good source, his current coach. Rather than paraphrase it, here's what Jeff Ruskin, Assistant Basketball Coach at the Salisbury School in Northwest Connecticut had to say:

Wayne Tinsley (6'-6" Jr SF), who you reported as missing for some unknown reason from the Eisenhower roster, is alive and doing well both on and off the court. He transfered to Salisbury (CT) School, a prep school in the northwest corner of Connecticut.

We are currently ranked 3rd in New England Class B with a 15-5 overall record. Tinsley is averaging 15.5 points per game (2nd on the team) and leads the Crimson Knights with 9.5 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. He recorded his season high of 24 points against Sheffield (MA) Berkshire School and their 6'-9" Maurice Sessoms (Wisconsin-bound).

Some the players he has already faced: 6'-10" Nick Vander Laan (Kent), 6'-11" Tim Faulkner (Williston Northhampton) and 6'-11" Ajou Deng, 6'-5" Schea Cotton, 6'-11" Shakar Gordon and 6'-4" Charles Cranford, all from St. Thomas More.

In the New England tournament, he will likely see Thayer (MA) Academy (5'-9"Courtney Eldridge, 6'-7" Q. Randall, 6'-8" Dale Taylor) and Tabor (MA) Academy (6'-9" Steve Patterson, 6'-5" Tony Brittain).

Equally important to us and his family is the fact that Tinsley's academics are back on the rise. He is a bright young man who let his school fall behind at Eisenhower. He is now doing solid work in a college prep curriculum.

Jeff Ruskin,
Assistant Basketball Coach
Salisbury School

Thanks Jeff. A lot of us out here in SoCal knew that the Prep School route brought some terrific players together, and it looks like Tinsley's right at home, and well on his way to becoming a qualifier at a D-I program. Be sure to keep us all posted on his recruiting and continued success on and off the court.