Kimbrough said he left Loughlin for financial reasons. (Denis Gostev)
Add Bishop Loughlin to the list of CHSAA boys basketball teams ravaged by transfers to public schools over the last four years.
Loughlin seniors Travis Charles and Joel Angus have transferred to Lincoln and two-time defending city champion Boys & Girls, respectively, The Post has learned. The two were supposed to be the program’s linchpins, along with point guard Tyliek Kimbrough, who transferred to Boys High at the start of September.
St. Raymond, Xaverian and Bishop Ford have all been victimized by a similar trend recently.
“It needs to be noted that they got their start at our place and they were with us for three years,” Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez said. “We developed them and they’re on track to qualify for college.”
He added: “All I can worry about are the kids who are here. I like this group I have a lot. They’re working really hard.”
The three, who have Division I looks but no solid scholarship offers, all cited financial reasons for leaving. Charles’ father, Trevor Sr., said he has three children in college and the family couldn’t make the finances work. Angus’ mother, Latasha Haynie, said the same, that they were trying to work out a deal with the school, but the cost was too much for her to manage.
Lincoln and Boys & Girls are sponsored by Under Armour, which supplies free gear, such as sneakers, jersey and bags, to the basketball team.
Loughlin sophomore Khadeen Carrington said he is staying put and also said Kimbrough, Charles and Angus got along well with Gonzalez. He expected them all to return, until they were gone.
“I was kind of surprised,” Carrington said. “I came to school and Coach told me. I don’t know the reason.”
Carrington added: “Coach is kind of upset, but he told us … we have to work even harder since three of our best players left and they were all seniors. But we’re still good, we can make it far. We’re still talented.”
Trevor Charles Sr. said his son enrolled at Lincoln because it offered him the best opportunity academically and basketball-wise. Haynie said Boys & Girls was “a good school for [Angus] to go to.”
Rahme Anderson, who coaches Angus and Kimbrough at New Heights, said Angus only decided he wanted to leave when Charles and Kimbrough departed.
“Joel wanted to stay, but he didn’t want to be left alone,” said Anderson, a Loughlin alum and former coach of the freshman team. “I wish they would’ve stayed, but it’s about what’s best for each kid.”
Lincoln coach Dwayne (Tiny) Morton said the additions only strength both his club and Boys & Girls. Charles is a 6-foot-6 power forward who will team with Connecticut transfer Tafari Whittingham to form an athletic 1-2 punch in the paint. New Heights teammates Kimbrough and Angus, meanwhile, bolster the Kangaroos, who graduated four of five starters from last year’s team, but do return versatile forward Leroy (Truck) Fludd and junior guard Wesley Myers, in addition to a solid young nucleus.
“It’s like history — Catholic schools are losing these kids and they are picking the top public high schools,” Morton said.
Boys High coach Ruth Lovelace didn’t return voicemail messages seeking comment.
CHSAA president Ray Nash said the league is “disappointed” with the three students’ decision, but there is nothing they can do. Unlike the CHSAA, which forces student-athletes who transfer into the league to sit out an entire year, the PSAL’s transfer rule only refers to players that leave a school within its league.
“We’re very frustrated that it keeps happening,” Nash said. “We’ve talked off the record with people [from the PSAL] and expressed our opinion. It either falls on deaf ears or they can’t control their schools. It gets to be abusive after awhile.”
