High schools from the New Orleans area have sent many outstanding athletes around the country to play at the collegiate level. The Allstate Sugar Bowl will spotlight local stars playing away from the Crescent City throughout the spring of 2024.
MAY 17, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – Caleb Laird, William Carey baseball
Laird, a Kenner product and a graduate of Riverdale High School, has been a key player for the William Carey baseball team which punched its ticket to the NAIA World Series earlier this week. The Crusaders swept their NAIA National Tournament Opening Round games to earn their second straight World Series appearance. Laird, a senior who collected his 100th career hit on April 26, is hitting .327 on the year with 26 RBI and 23 runs scored. He was on fire in the NAIA opening round games, hitting .538 (7-for-13) with four runs and three RBI. Laird, who also played quarterback for the football team at Riverdale, was a two-year starter in baseball. He was an all-district pitcher and earned honorable mention all-state honors for Class 4A.
MAY 3, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – Camille Black, Millsaps softball
Black wrapped up her four-year career with the Millsaps softball team (NCAA Division III) last weekend. She played in 101 career games and started every game for the last two years (75 games). She celebrated her Senior Day on April 19 by registering a pair of hits, including a triple, and scoring a run in a Southern Athletic Association showdown with Hendrix. The third baseman from Metairie, La., is a graduate of Ursuline Academy where she was a five-year starter in softball. A two-time all-district selection, she helped the Lions to the state quarterfinals in 2017 and was a member of the National Honor Society. Her sister Madeline, also an Ursuline graduate, is a freshman on the Millsaps softball team.
APRIL 19, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – Stephen Klein, Tampa baseball
Klein has been a star for the Tampa baseball program which currently owns a 34-4 record and is ranked No. 1 in the nation (Division II). The grad student is hitting .370 (40-for-108) with 11 doubles and four home runs as well as 36 runs scored and 37 runs batted in in 32 games played. The first baseman, who's hitting .500 (10-for-20) in the last five games, leads the Spartans into a three-game series against Eckerd this weekend. The Metairie, La., product was a two-time all-state honoree who hit .494 as a senior at De La Salle High School in 2019. He played two years at Delgado, hitting .419 as a sophomore when he earned all-region recognition. He was a two-year standout at Samford before joining the Tampa squad for his final year of eligibility.
APRIL 5, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – Claire Sekinger, Southeastern softball
Sekinger has been a key part of the Southeastern (Fla.) softball program's 26-11 record so far this season. The junior pitcher has posted a 7-3 record with a 2.11 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 73 innings. On March 25, she tossed seven innings, striking out a career-best 11 while giving up no earned runs in a 6-3 victory over Florida Memorial. A graduate of St. Mary's Dominican in New Orleans, she keyed her team's 2019 LHSAA state championship run. She has been named all-conference as a freshman and sophomore for the Fire in the NAIA Sun Conference. Her cousin Lauren, also a Dominican grad, is a sophomore infielder for the Fire.
MARCH 22, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – DJ Burns, Youngstown State men's basketball
Burns, a graduate of Sophie B. Wright High, had a sensational senior season for the Penguins. The 6-7, 220-pounder earned Horizon League all-conference recognition after averaging 13.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game – the only player in the league to average a double-double. He also set the school-record for single-season rebounds with 335 as Youngstown posted a 22-10 overall record. Burns recorded 22 double-doubles on the season, including closing the year with 14 straight. In his final career game, he registered 17 points and 18 rebounds in the Horizon League quarterfinals. In 2018-19, he scored 18.4 points per game with 13.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game to lead Sophie B. Wright to a 35-4 record. He was named the Nola.com Metro Player of the Year and a Class 3A All-State Selection.
MARCH 8, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – Ra'Nae Tumblin, St. Thomas women's basketball
Tumblin started every game for the St. Thomas University (NAIA) women's basketball team this season, helping the Bobcats to The Sun Conference Semifinals. The junior averaged 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Her top performances include a 17-point effort against Fort Lauderdale and a 13-point, 10-rebound outing against Florida Memorial. The 5-6 guard starred at Booker T. Washington High, leading her team to the LHSAA Class 3A state championship in 2019-20. She had also keyed the squad's state semifinal run in 2018-19 while earning all-state, all-metro and all-district recognition.
FEBRUARY 23, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – Elijah Morgan, Citadel men's basketball
Morgan has been a critical player for The Citadel's men's basketball team for the past two seasons after transferring from Notre Dame. After playing in 32 games last year, he has started all 28 games in 2023-24 and is averaging 14.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting over 40-percent from three-point range. The 6-1 guard has scored in double figures 23 times and has recorded seven 20-point games including a career-best 29 in a Jan. 6 game against Samford. Morgan was a four-year letterman in basketball at Jesuit High School and led the Blue Jays to back-to-back state quarterfinal appearances. He was a three-time all-district selection and earned all-state honors as a senior (2018-19).
FEBRUARY 9, 2024 SPOTLIGHT – Kennedi Jackson, Charleston Southern women's basketball
Jackson, a 6-4 forward, has been a critical part of the Buccaneers lineup in 2023-24. She has started 19 of the team's 21 games and is second on the team in scoring (14.1 ppg) and rebounds (5.1 rpg). The redshirt senior recorded a career-best 27-point performance on Jan. 10 against Gardner-Webb and has five other 20-point games as well as a pair of double-doubles on the year. The Buccaneers are currently in fourth place in the Big South Conference. Jackson was a three-time all-metro selection at Ursuline Academy and helped the Lions to a pair of Louisiana state championships.
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