Flanders, Turco, White receive major college accolades

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

Three former Cape May County high school basketball stars have received major accolades at the college level.

Wildwood High School graduate Kyion Flanders of the Division III Richard Stockton University men’s basketball team has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Wildwood Catholic graduate Gabby Turco of the Division II St. Anselm College women’s basketball team has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year. And Wildwood Catholic graduate Jahlil White of the Division I Temple University men’s basketball team was recently named the Big 5 Player of the Week.

Flanders, a senior who has one more season of eligibility remaining, helped Stockton win the NJAC title with a victory over Rowan University last weekend. Stockton (24-4) will compete in the NCAA Division III Tournament on its home floor on Friday against Wilson College.

Flanders, who played and started in 27 of the Ospreys’ 28 games so far this season, was also named to the NJAC’s first all-star team. He is averaging 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals for game. He also regularly draws the defensive assignment of guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player and helped Stockton rank second in the NJAC in scoring defense (68.9 ppg) and first in scoring margin (+11.6). Flanders has earned a reputation as being one of the NJAC’s best at drawing charges on the defensive end.

Flanders is a 2018 graduate of Wildwood, where he finished his career with more than 2,000 career points.

Turco earned Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year honors and a third team NE10 all-star selection after averaging 15.7 points per game for St. Anselm during her debut season, which came a year late after St. Anselm did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also third in league play in free-throw percentage (82.0 percent), fourth in field goals made (159), eighth in field-goal percentage (42.4) and ninth in free throws made (73).

Turco was named the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week seven times this season. Her 439 points scored are the second-best by a rookie in St. Anselm women’s basketball history.

St. Anselm recently finished the season at 15-13 overall, 10-9 in NE10 games.

Turco is a 2020 graduate of Wildwood Catholic, where she finished her career with more than 1,000 career points.

White, a 6-7 freshman, was named the Big 5 Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 27. He averaged 15.0 points and 8.5 rebounds over two games for the Owls.

White tied his career high to date with 17 points to go with five rebounds in a 78-64 loss at Memphis before posting his second career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a 75-70 home win over Tulane on Sunday.

For the season, White is averaging 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds and is second on the team in both steals with 29 and blocked shots with 18.

Temple (16-10 overall, 9-6 American Athletic Conference) next plays Thursday at 14^th-ranked Houston at 7 p.m. The game is set to air live on ESPN2.

White is a 2020 graduate of Wildwood Catholic, where he scored more than 1,000 career points and led the Crusaders to three straight Cape-Atlantic League titles and the 2020 South Jersey Non-Public B title.