After tour, Herrick eyes European play

The 6-foot-11, 260-pound forward from Duxbury hopes to make a return trip to Europe this fall, to carve out a pro basketball career.

The trip “was kind of a surprise,’’ said Herrick, in line to graduate from Wentworth Institute of Technology in August. He showcased his post game to coaches and scouts from England and France, and also made contact with teams from Germany and Switzerland.

“My next step is getting an agent and making sure I stay in shape. In my mind, I’ll be playing somewhere next year in Europe. I also received a list, from a representative of one of the better pro teams in Italy, of other team reps and agents who would be in touch.

“Hopefully the trip opened a few doors for me,’’ added Herrick, who opened more than a few eyes as a senior captain at Wentworth this winter. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Commonwealth Coast Conference after setting a program single-season record with 329 rebounds.

“If I’m going to be living in a European culture, it was a way to get my foot in the water.’’

Wentworth coach Tom Devitt feels Herrick will adapt well to playing overseas.

“He’s a worldly young man who appreciates culture and diversity and he has developed into the ultimate teammate,’’ said Devitt. “That outlook will make him an enormous asset to a good foreign club. Sam was a dominant player who prided himself on being unselfish offensively.’’

The US team won all three games in London — against a basketball academy team of former high school players from Europe who will eventually play college ball; the Westminster Abbey Basketball Club (a British Division 2 college team); and a European touring team.

Herrick, who averaged 11 points and 12 rebounds per game on the tour, said one highlight of the trip was watching President Obama enter Buckingham Palace.

“We toured Buckingham Palace, the House of Parliament, and took a boat ride on the Thames, but France was my favorite,’’ said Herrick. “We saw a lot of the Paris attractions, but what was most moving was our trip to a World War II cemetery in France where we spoke to a group of Marines on Memorial Day.’’

In France, the all-stars attended the French professional league semifinals, which featured three American players.

“We got to talk to them after the game,’’ said Herrick.

“One of them was Will Daniels, who starred at the University of Rhode Island and had some NBA looks and another, Lee Cummard, who played for Brigham Young. That was pretty cool because I played against Cummard when I was at Bryant University before I transferred to Wentworth.’’

Herrick led Wentworth to an 18-11 record this season and the program’s second appearance in the conference title game in five seasons , and to a second consecutive ECAC Division 3 tournament berth.

A two-time all-conference selection, Herrick averaged 13.9 points and 1.3 blocked shots per game this season. He was captain of Duxbury’s High’s Division 2 state championship team in 2006.

BC High wins at N.E. rowing final The Boston College High School varsity boys rowing team, reinstated four years ago, made great strides at the recent New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championship in Worcester.

The Eagles’ varsity-8 first boat captured first place in the petite finals with the help of junior coxswain Nick DelPrete of Rockland and classmates Connor Dilworth of South Weymouth, Dan Latu of Norton, and Matt Poles of Quincy. The boat’s time of 4:56 in the 1.5K sprint was the fifth fastest of the day, and only 11 seconds off the grand finals winner Phillips Academy of Andover.

“It’s humbling to be a competitive member of the NEIRA. These are the best schools and rowing programs in the country,’’ said BC High head coach Steve McKiernan, who rows for Boston’s Union Boat Club. “Last year we did not have the strength or skill to advance to a final, but I knew we were more competitive this year. Winning the petite final was a tremendous step for our program.’’

Here and there Bridgewater State University pitcher Jeff Puopolo (Brockton High) was named to the NCAA New England Regional (Division 3) all-tournament squad after allowing pair of earned runs and striking out 10 in 6-3 elimination round victory over Wheaton that enabled the Bears to reach the championship game. . . Dartmouth College defender Kelsey Johnson of Hingham (Thayer Academy) earned All-Northeast and All-Ivy League second team honors. Johnson started every game for the Ivy cochamps and had 33 ground balls, second-highest for the Big Green. . . Bowdoin College junior attack McKenna Teague of Cohasset (Notre Dame Academy) started at midfield for the women’s lacrosse team that went 18-4 and was runner-up to Gettysburg in the NCAA Division 3 finals. Teague had 18 goals, 11 assists, 27 ground balls, and 31 draw controls. Her teammates included sophomore defender Brooke Phinney of Dedham (Middlesex School) and freshman defender Erica Nangeroni (Westwood High). . . Inductees to the Massachusetts State Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame included John Heslin (Bridgewater-Raynham Regional), Lee Delaney (Walpole High), and Alan Howie (Abington High).

Marvin Pave can be reached at marvin.pave@rcn.com.