Aidan Scott: shoulder surgery and what he estimates to be five "bad" concussions. Colin Scott: fractured ankle, broken thumb (twice), broken wrist, broken nose and two recent knee surgeries. Split my lip, broke my nose, cut my eye. When Denver punched its first Final Four ticket in 2011, Colin was in Aidan's spot: relegated to the sidelines due to an early season meniscus tear in his left knee. Two weeks after that Denver loss, Aidan tallied three goals as Ridgefield High rallied from a five-score deficit and stunned Fairfield Prep 11-10 for the Class LL title. Tyler went on to play hockey at the University of New Hampshire while Colin -- an All-American who racked up 85 points as a senior -- chose a Denver program with some question marks: The Pioneers had never won an NCAA tournament game, let alone reached a Final Four. [...] Colin remained firm in his commitment, and Aidan followed because Colin taught me everything I know in lacrosse. When they were reunited in 2012, Colin was supposed to be healthy, fully recovered from the meniscus tear and ready to contribute to another Final Four run. Last weekend, with his family watching, Colin netted a pair of goals against North Carolina, the second of which cut the Tar Heels' lead to 11-10. Regular training with a running coach "worked wonders." [...] Colin Scott has a chance to play in it.

Harley Brown (New Canaan), D: 13 games, 6 starts, 11 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers Colin Scott (Ridgefield), Att: 17 games, 8 starts, 10 goals, 12 assists, 17 ground balls Case Matheis (Darien), Att: 19 games, 13 starts, 27 goals, 21 assists, 18 ground balls Charlie Payton (Greenwich), Mf: 5 games, 0 starts, 4 ground balls, 3-6 faceoffs

Shelton's Peter Jay of the University of New Haven baseball team has been selected as one of 11 national finalists for the Josh Willingham Award, which will be presented for the first time to the Most Valuable Player in Division II as decided by College Baseball Lineup and D2BaseballNews.com. University of Bridgeport sophomore catcher Tim Bickford of Wallingford has been selected to the 2013 Rawlings/ABCA America Baseball Coaches' Association NCAA Division II All-East Region second team in a vote of regional coaches. Graduated Fairfield women's lacrosse player Danielle Russo was announced as a recipient of a Community Awareness Award, announced by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association.

Sacred Heart had not played particularly well that night, and even though the Long Island University campus was only about an hour away from Fairfield, the loss to the Blackbirds was not a pleasant one. "Amongst coaches, here in New England in particular, obviously Sacred Heart doesn't get as much exposure, but he's been kind of a pillar," former UConn coach Jim Calhoun said a few years back about Bike. A little slice of heaven that night was Bike's way of trying to help pick the team back up after a tough loss, which is how his career ended in Brooklyn against St. Francis, N.Y., in March as the Pioneers missed the postseason for the third time in four years. Bike waited until mid-May though to announce he was leaving after 35 years with the program and allow assistant Anthony Latina to take the helm. Respect is something fellow coaches held Bike in the highest regard during his four-decade career. When Central Connecticut State came to the Pitt Center back in February, SHU sports information director Bill Peterson inquired with Central's Howie Dickenman if it would be all right to stop the game if senior Shane Gibson scored his 2,000th career point during it, which he didn't. The Pioneers suffered plenty of losses (499) over Bike's 35 years on the sidelines, especially in the early years at the NCAA Division I level. [...] the wins and losses are not the real way to judge Bike, who for all his success on the basketball court has always been a far better person off it, according to his colleagues and friends. When one friend was sent to prison after making some mistakes in his life, Bike went to visit him and routinely stayed in touch with him the entire time he was incarcerated. When a former coach and good friend, Alvin Clinkscales, needed to visit a doctor in New York City, Bike and his wife, Judi, made sure he got to his appointment safely in the big city, navigating the trip with the help from their GPS device. [...] Bike -- a high school star at Notre Dame-Bridgeport who went on to play baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization -- never wavered from his philosophy.

Trinity senior outfielder Alex Almeida of Bridgeport, a former Notre Dame-Fairfield star, was named to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball all-New England third team. University of New Haven saw its 2013 season come to an end Saturday with an 11-0 loss to top seed and Wilmington, the No. 8 team in the country, in the NCAA Division II East Region Championship hosted by Southern New Hampshire at Manchester, N.H. The Chargers finished 34-16. Ascenzia has received three postseason nods for 2013, also earning first-team All-East Coast Conference honors and second-team NCBWA Regional accolades.

Three area athletes from the University of New Haven women's team will compete in the NCAA Division II outdoor track and field championships in Pueblo, Colo., from May 23-25. Udaya and Derby's Briana Conyers will be part of the Chargers' 4x100-meter relay team, and West Haven's Monica Yanez joins Udaya as part of UNH's 4x400-meter relay team.

Just a few blocks from home, Minton often was found at the Boys Club playing ball growing up in Bridgeport during the 1950s. Legendary Harding coach Jim Kish was responsible for running the gym and turning out the lights. Perhaps the springboard for the dedication stemmed from a message Kish, who coached at the Boys Club, often repeated. Nobody seemed to buy that message more than Minton, who first peeked inside the walls at the Boys Club tagging along with his big brother, Wyatt. "Middle Street Boys Club, for some reason, a gentleman down there took a liking to me and gave me an opportunity I probably otherwise never would have had," said Minton, 71, who returns home Monday night to receive the Al Bike Outstanding Sportsmanship Award at the Greater Bridgeport Athletic Association (Old Timers) dinner at Testo's Ristorante on Madison Avenue. While Minton worked his way up from the 80-pounder team to the age 13-15 team that would win a state championship for Kish, the coach admired the boy's work ethic. Minton's drive carried over to Bridgeport Central High School, where he was an all-state basketball player for Ed Reilly in addition to playing baseball, holding several school offices, and playing a mean game of ping pong. The work ethic Minton polished at the Boys Club impressed his older teammates at Central when he made varsity for the first time his junior year. Next came Niagara, which promised minutes despite having signed two players for a crowded backcourt. [...] a friend, Dave Chittick, encouraged Minton to visit the College Of Wooster in Ohio. Minton found Wooster, Ohio, and coach Jim Ewers tossed him right on the floor with the varsity squad when he arrived. The only difference was that Minton made a giant leap on to a hardwood floor, earning the nickname "The Mint" for being a smooth ball-handler and playmaker. A stellar college career wrapped up for Minton in 1963, but basketball was only going to get better when he enlisted in the Air Force. Over the next six years, Minton would earn All-Air Force and All-Armed Forces recognition playing military ball, which included serving as player-coach in the final years. Budget cuts would keep the alternates home, which cost both players a chance to play for gold in Tokyo. Reggie Minton the coach didn't arrive until the late 1960s, when he was already assembling another squad in Colorado Springs, Colo., with wife, Evelyne, which eventually included two daughters and a son. Minton was active in U.S. Basketball during his coaching career, guiding the 1993 squad -- led by Carlos Rogers, Shawn Respert and Michael Finley -- to a gold medal at the World University Games in Buffalo, N.Y. Bob Huggins, Rod Barker and Jim Harrick were part of his staff. The dismissal led him to the National Association of Basketball Coaches, where Minton now serves as the deputy executive director.

New Haven baseball wins, Bridgeport baseball, Fairfield softball lose in conference finals The New Haven baseball team won the NE-10 tournament, while the Bridgeport baseball and Fairfield softball teams both lost in their league championship games Saturday afternoon. The Chargers (33-14) won their first ever NE-10 title and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Championship. Peter Jay, of Shelton, was named the championship's Most Valuable Player, pitching six scoreless innings in three appearances for the Chargers. In the second game, the Chargers fell behind 4-0 after the first inning, but scored six unanswered runs to pull away with a 6-4 win. Brendon Buckley had two hits, one RBI and two runs scored and Stephen Clout added two hits and one RBI to lead New Haven's offense. In the ECC baseball tournament at Brookhaven, N.Y., the fourth-seeded Purple Knights lost twice to top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas. Bridgeport (22-26) was held to only nine hits and committed six errors in the two games. John Ascenzia, of West Haven, had two hits and Mike Olszyk, of Hamden, doubled and drove in both runs, while Bryan Kondor, of Shelton, led the Purple Knights in the second game, driving in the team's only run with a RBI-double in a 9-1 defeat. Rae Ball (14-10) took the loss for Fairfield (29-11), allowing four earned runs on seven hits, while Kristen Filicia drove in the team's only run with a groundout in the fifth inning. Boisture had three hits, including two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.

Pace junior designated hitter James Pjura of Shelton was named first-team Northeast-10. Colby's Lindsey McKenna of Fairfield was named an All-American by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association.