While it is merely his third favorite sport in which he excelled at Newburyport High for four years, Joe Clancy's level of play in basketball earned him an invitation to the fifth annual Agganis Classic last night at Lynn English High.

The basketball game was the second of three all-star games Clancy was invited to this summer, with baseball having been played on Sunday and football scheduled for tomorrow at Manning Field in Lynn (7 p.m).

"It's definitely an honor (to be asked to play in three Agganis games)," Clancy said. "These games are all filled with great athletes from around the area. To be asked to play is really a privilege."

Clancy, who holds at least one record in every sport he competed in at Newburyport, is not planning to play basketball at a higher level. He is headed off to Merrimack this fall to fulfill a football scholarship, with hopes to try out for, and join, the baseball team in the spring.

"I'm not planning on playing basketball in college," he said. "(That) will probably be my last organized basketball game so that's what I (was) most looking forward to about playing. I love basketball, but I like football and baseball more. Basketball has been a great way to help me stay in shape and also give me some structure (throughout high school)."

Newburyport baseball coach Bill Pettingell said he believes playing multiple sports was important for Clancy throughout high school, as it is for any developing athlete.

"Today, too many coaches put pressure on kids and want them to just focus on their sport," Pettingell said. "Joe's football and basketball coaches and I were able to coordinate his workouts pretty well. As he moves from sport to sport, I don't know if I've seen a kid adjust as readily as he has."

Clancy said that having dealt with three separate varsity coaches for the last four years has helped him not only become a better athlete, but also gain an appreciation of different styles of coaching and become a better person because of their influences.

"You have different coaches in high school," he said. "It kind of teaches you about different coaching styles. You learn a lot of different ways to approach sports. They're all good tools to help you not only in sports but also other aspect other aspects of life. It's a real advantage."

Many have viewed Clancy as being on a higher level than the competition throughout high school. Although his records certainly support that notion, he said he does not expect the transition to college athletics to come without challenges.

"In high school, the skill level's good, not great," he explained. "With Division 2 football, like Merrimack, all the kids were the best players on their high school teams. It's going to be a huge step skill-wise. They were all in the same position I was. Everyone's going to play some place after high school to challenge themselves, and it's going to be tough, but I'm looking forward to it."