AG’s Peggues slated for unique summer program
Albert Gallatin's James Peggues (right) defends against Laurel Highlands' Bryce Laskey during a game this past season at Albert Gallatin High School.
Albert Gallatin's James Peggues (15) shoots from 3-point range against Laurel Highlands during a game this past season at Albert Gallatin High School.
Jonathan Guth | Herald-Standard
Albert Gallatin’s James Peggues (15) is guarded by Uniontown’s Billy DeShields and Isiah Melvin during the first half of their non-section game on Dec. 8 in the Fayette County Coaches Association Tip-Off Tournament at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
As Albert Gallatin senior-to-be James Peggues prepares for his upcoming and final basketball season with the Colonials, he is actively planning his summer activities, including more work on every phase of his game.
Plus, he will be devoting time to watching and perhaps re-watching popular movies Kangaroo Jack (2003) and Crocodile Dundee (1986).
“And practicing my Australian accent” Peggues laughed.
And when he returns to school in the fall, he will have a whopper of a story in answering that timeless question, “What did you do on your summer vacation?”
On July 16, Peggues will travel down under — yes, to Australia — as part of a Down Under Sports scholastic basketball team to compete in the Down Under Sports International Tournament in Australia against teams from the United States and Australia, noted Down Under Area Program Director Job Cyril and Recruiting Coordinator and Daniel Carolan, with Peggues’ return scheduled for July 25.
With the roster not yet finalized, Peggues is thus far the only Pennsylvania player on the 14-player list. Regarding how Peggues was selected for the entire Down Under program, which includes approximately 1,500 athletes representing all 50 states, Carolan explained that Down Under’s recruitment process is an on-going, year-long procedure, examining a player’s statistics, contribution to his/her team, information gleaned from local publications, and season summaries.
Cyril added that putting together teams in this annual mini-Olympics-like event includes boys and girls basketball, soccer, track, volleyball and wrestling, and is similar to collegiate recruiting programs.
In adding Peggues to the roster, Down Under, based in North Logan, Utah, examined his accomplishments and extended an invitation to the point guard, who was one of the Colonials’ scoring leaders last year.
“We had a video conference with him and he said yes,” Job noted.
Albert Gallatin coach Shea Fleenor has no doubt the experience will benefit the Colonials 6-foot shooting guard.
“He will be playing against better competition and this experience will better him as a player and person,” Fleenor noted. “Plus, this will be a lifelong experience for him, one he may never get otherwise. Few high school players have this opportunity of traveling to Australia to compete in a program such as this.”
Averaging 10 points per game with the Colonials this past season, Peggues was “our sixth man, by design,” Fleenor continued. “Coming off the bench, he gave us scoring and energy. He shoots well, has three-point range, and can shoot deep. He can actually shoot from inside 25 feet (incidentally, the high school three-point line is set at 19 feet, 9 inches). He is one of our better ball handlers and one of our top guys who is able to drive to the basket and make plays. He did a good job for us last season.”
After paying his dues with the ninth grade program, Peggues has spent the past two seasons with the varsity team, earning second team all-section honors this past season, when the Colonials went 12-11 overall and 7-5 in Section 1-AAAAA to make the playoffs, where they suffered a first-round loss to Moon.
“James has matured on the court and better understands the team concept,” Fleenor added. “He did a good job of becoming a teammate this past season and he finished the season in the starting lineup. We are looking for him to have a strong off-season. We will definitely be counting on him next year.”
Coaching Peggues’ team will be Justin Klein, a Physical Education teacher in North Dakota who has been with the Down Under program nine years. “Once we arrive in Australia, we will have three days of practice to prepare for a two-day tournament,” he said, regarding the ‘no tryout, by invitation only’ Down Under program. “But there will be opportunities for the athletes to sight see and meet a lot of different people, something they might never experience.”
Peggues, Cyril explained, will fly from Pittsburgh to Vancouver to Brisbane, Australia, with the final Vancouver-to-Brisbane leg a 12-hour flight. Athletes will be based on Australia’s Gold Coast, a surfer’s paradise, Cyril said, chuckling.
During their stay in the Land Down Under, athletes will be treated to a unique experience in a country they may never have the opportunity to visit. They will visit areas to view kangaroos, koalas, and watch a live native aboriginal show.
Until he was notified by Down Under and prior to the video conference, Peggues, selected as junior varsity MVP in the Ligonier Valley Christmas Tournament as a sophomore, had not heard about the program and had no inkling he was being considered. But shortly before the end of his Colonials regular season and right before the WPIAL playoffs commenced, he “received a letter informing me that I was selected for the program. The more I found out about it, I was definitely happy that I was considered and selected. I’m going to do this for my family, my community, my coaches, everyone who has supported me in my career.”
Peggues, who also plays on an AAU team in Uniontown, paused before completing the thought: “And for my dad for teaching me about the game and how to be a man,” adding that his father, Thomas Edward Peggues, passed away in 2017. “My best basketball memory was hitting a buzzer beater against Frazier in front of my dad. That was one of the last games my dad saw me play.”
At Albert Gallatin, Peggues notes his favorite classes include English and the school’s Television Class, where he is a member of the school’s television production program.
When his scholastic career ends, he plans to attend college and play basketball, with an eye toward a career in video production.
In this Down Under program, athletes must bear the burden of the approximately $4,500 in expenses, and Peggues and his mother, Gloria, have contacted various area organizations to help defray the cost of the trip.
That included a pepperoni rolls sale through Penn Craft Market and a popcorn sale.
“Also, we have been selling T-shirts for $25 and I am waiting for the tickets to get in and we will be putting them out into the community,” Gloria Peggues said. The $10 tickets will be for $1,000 in gift cards to various local stores and the ticket holder will have a chance to win with two three-digit numbers that will be drawn from the daily Pa. Lottery.
“We still have a little over $2,500.00 to raise to pay off the trip and then we will continue to fundraise for his gear and stuff,” Gloria Peggues said. “The trip has to be paid off on May 15. He will be traveling down there alone since I couldn’t afford to go with him. We like to thank everyone who has helped made this trip a reality.”
Additionally, Cyril added, if anyone wishes donate money directly to James, follow and share this link: https://downundersports.com/payment/FE9D-5253-A1AD.