A year ago, Jean Cajou knew

his role for Paul VI’s boys

basketball team: Come off

the bench and create instant

offense and use his quickness

to wreck havoc at the

defensive end.

He was a reserve guard, but

a crucial one for the Panthers,

who were the Virginia

Independent Schools

tournament runners-up.

That isn’t Cajou’s role

anymore. With the graduation

of All-Washington Catholic

Athletic Conference

performers Darryl Proctor,

also an All-Journal choice, and

Ryan Williams, Paul VI needs

Cajou and several of his

younger teammates to quickly

adjust to a higher level of

responsibility.

“Jean knows how much

more we’re expecting from

him,” said Paul VI coach Levi

Franklin. “We told him he’s a

veteran now and he’s expected

to be a leader.”

The 6-foot-3 Cajou has had

a strong summer, helping the

Panthers to a 12-1 record in

the We-R-One Summer

League and a 9-3 record at St.

Albans’ (D.C.) Ban the Brick

Summer League. He will

likely play shooting guard next

season, according to Franklin,

with 6-6 rising junior Danny

Sumner at small forward.

Both

players saw extensive playing

time off the bench last year

and Sumner participated in the

prestigious Five-Star Camp

this summer.

Add in rising sophomores

Calvin Mainor, who will push

rising seniors Anthony Brown

and Chris Cooks for point

guard duties, and Donald

Johnson, a promising transfer

from St. Anthony’s (N.J.), and

you have a young, but

exceptionally talented squad.

Johnson made seven 3-

pointers in a Ban the Brick

game against Spaulding (Md.)

last month. Rising senior 6-4

forward Art Dabney gives Paul

VI toughness underneath with

rising 6-5 junior center Ben

Miller stepping in at center.

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