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Division I recruit starred at Guilfoyle
By Buck Frank
bfrank@altoonamirror.com
Arguably the top returning boys basketball player in the area will not play his senior season in Pennsylvania.
Jude "Danny'' Haigh confirmed on Monday he has moved to Utah to finish his scholastic career after starring for three seasons at Bishop Guilfoyle Academy.
Haigh has enrolled at Green Canyon High School in Logan, Utah, where his father, Joe, the former Saint Francis University women's basketball coach, is in his first season as an assistant women's coach at Utah State University.
"I started thinking about (transferring) when my dad got the Utah State women's coaching job, and then we had a family reunion in early August out in Utah and was able to check out Utah and the high school,'' Jude said via text on Monday night. "A major part of the decision was to be able to live with my dad for a year before I go off to college and start my adult life. I haven't gotten to live with him or be around him ever since (he officially resigned at Saint Francis on Feb. 1, 2019).
Haigh was a two-time Altoona Mirror first-team all-star, helping lead BG to 70 victories over the last three seasons.
He was on pace to surpass his older brother Patrick as the all-time leading scorer in BG history. Patrick finished with 1,744 career points, and Jude scored 1,475 over his first three seasons.
"BG has been a great environment to be able to live and be a part ever since I moved there in seventh grade,'' Jude texted. "I met a lot of great families and friends that I still have a great connection with today, and they have helped me so much throughout my time at BG. Getting to play alongside my brother as a freshman and sophomore was an experience not many get to have and was a lot of fun.''
Jude, a 6-foot-6 shooter, has already received several offers from Division I colleges, including Saint Francis, Maine, Le Moyne, Stonehill, NJIT, Penn, Cornell and Army.
"I'm sad to see him go, more so as a kid than as a basketball player,'' BG second-year coach Ryan Lestochi said. "I could care less about how well he can shoot a basketball. He was an enjoyable kid to be around and was well-liked on the team.
"Obviously, on the basketball side, it's a big loss. To lose probably the best player in the area, that's tough to make up.''
BG, however, has a strong nucleus returning from a team that went 24-5 last year. Starters back for BG include Trevor Rehm, Hamilton Gates, Taurean Consiglio and Tyson Lestochi.
BG will again compete in Class 3A this year, according to Ryan Lestochi.
"I told our boys the goals haven't changed,'' Ryan Lestochi said. "I'm sad to see (Haigh) go. I hope it all works out for him. My staff and I are very fond of him as a kid first.''
Haigh comes from a basketball family. Joe was the head women's coach at SFU from 2012-2019 and was an assistant at Siena, Sacred Heart and Mount St. Mary's the last few seasons before landing the job at Utah State.
Jude's mother, Sherri, played basketball at Notre Dame, and older siblings Teresa and Patrick -- now at Mount St. Mary's -- are former Mirror players of the year.
"I want to thank (former BG) coach (Chris) Drenning for being one of the first people to believe in me and knew I was going to be a special player in seventh and eighth grade -- also coach Lestochi and every coach along the way that has helped,'' Jude texted. "I just want to thank everyone there that has helped me in some way, and I'm excited for a new journey to start out in Utah.''