NEWS DESK
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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE!
1. LuHi (22-2)
2. Amityville (27-2)
3. Hills East (23-4)
4. Uniondale (21-2)
5. St. Anthony's (19-8)
6. Garden City (22-1)
7. Chaminade (20-6)
8. Deer Park (20-3)
9. Bellport (20-2)
10. Floral Park (20-3)
11. Holy Trinity (17-8)
12. LWA (20-6)
13. Knox (25-3)
14. Sewanhaka (19-3)
15. Brentwood (16-7)
16. Baldwin (15-7)
FINAL 2017-18
SWEET 16
COACHES POLL
"THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT"
- Martin Luther King Jr.
OUR 2018 CHAMPIONS
NYSPHSAA/STATE
CLASS A: Amityville
NYSAIS/STATE
CLASS AA: LuHi
CLASS B: LWA
LONG ISLAND
CLASS AA: HHH East
CLASS A: Amityville
CLASS B: Center Moriches
CLASS C: Greenport
CLASS D: Bridgehampton
NSCHSAA: St. Anthony's
PSAA: Knox
NASSAU/Section 8
CLASS AA: Uniondale
CLASS A: Garden City
CLASS B: Malverne
CLASS C: East Rockaway
SUFFOLK/Section 11
OVERALL: Amityville
CLASS AA: HHH East
CLASS A: Amityville
CLASS B: Center Moriches
CLASS C: Greenport
CLASS D: Bridgehampton
3 MILLION VISITORS!
Kupchak Hornets GM
Former First Team All-Long Island player Mitch Kupchak from Brentwood has been hired as the new President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. He will lead the organization’s day-to-day basketball operations for Hornets owner and fellow Tar Heel Michael Jordan. “In every role and in every stop during his tenure in the NBA, Mitch Kupchak has brought the highest levels of success to his teams. He’s a proven winner,” Jordan said. “Having won championships as both a player and an executive, we have confidence that Mitch is the right person to lead our basketball operations, build a winning culture and bring sustained success to our organization, for our fans and for the city of Charlotte.” Kupchak returns to the state where he was ACC Player of the year while attending the University of North Carolina and has jersey #21 retired there in his honor. His longtime NBA career includes 10 NBA Championships - three as a player and seven as an executive with the Los Angeles Lakers.
COMMISSION ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The NCAA commissioned a report looking for solutions to the growing recruiting scandal hitting men's basketball, and the results have been released. MORE FULL REPORT
Related Stories: Sporting News,
Basketball Scandals
A little history added to coverage of the current scandals by the DAILY NEWS
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Key To LuHi
All New-York State sophomore forward Zed Key from Brentwood will enroll at Long Island Lutheran next fall as expected. The rebuilding Crusaders, who lost three starters to graduation, are off to a great start with the addition of Key, who already has several D1 offers! He joins All-NY State junior Tyson Etienne, AAU teammate and fellow All-Long Island sophomore Andre Curbelo, and Egyptian National Team member Essam Mostafa as leaders of next year's team. Despite the loss, Brentwood will remain a serious contender in Section 11, returning two more All-Long Island Sophomores in Bryce Harris and Kenny Lazo, one All-Long Island Freshman in Jordan Riley, and several capable players ready to challenge for starting roles, including 6'7 forward Alan Houston, the favorite to move into's Key's spot up front. We wish the best of luck to both teams! Wouldn't it be great for Long Island if they met in the New York State Federation Championship Game? It could happen!
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Coverage from the NYSPHSAA's Executive Committee meeting.
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The Knicks chose David Fizdale to be their new Head Coach!
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Two Long Islanders have been named to NJCAA National Junior College All-Star teams. They are:
Shane Gatling
Baldwin HS
Jalen Burgess
Elmont HS (Nassau CC)
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LONG ISLAND'S
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE!
The following Long Islanders will be playing college basketball for the first time this season or transferring to a new school:
Taliq Abdul-Rahim, VSN, Nassau CC
Isaiah Bien Aise, Westbury, New Paltz
Jamal Allen, Brentwood, Missouri-KC
Mike Almonacy, Brentwood, LIU Post
Nicholas Anthony, NHP, Nassau CC
Gino Basile/Islip/St. Joseph's
Connor Braat, Smithtown W, John Jay
Nigel Braithwaite, Westhampton, 5 Towns
Justin Brown, St. Mary's, Nassau CC
Andrew Buskey, LWA, Old Westbury
Greg Cassiano, East Islip, Cortland
Darius Celestin, Elmont, Nassau CC
Kashawn Charles, Wyandanch, E. Illinois
Bobby Connors, Chaminade, Hartwick
Chris Crespo, Smithtown W, Assumption
Julien Crittendon, Hills East, Oswego
Brian Dellecave, Pat-Med, Springfield
Patrick Dellecave, Pat-Med, Farmingdale
Boubacar Diakite, OSNA, St. John’s
Devonte Dixon, Floyd, LIU Post
Aronis Espinal, Oceanside, Nassau CC
Michael Gannon, Smithtown W, Geneseo
Anthorn Garrett, Oceanside, Farmingdale St
Shane Gatling, Baldwin, Colorado
Tavon Ginyard, Brentwood, Dominican
Julius Goddard, Amityville, Oneonta
Evan Goldberg,Wantagh, Queens
Seth Goumba, Connetquot, LIU Post
Tykei Greene, LuHi, Loyola-Chicago
Nicholas Guaglione, Commack, Chatham
Andrew Hampton, Huntington, Suffolk CC
Jon Harewood, St. Anthony’s, Gannon
Matthew Hirdt, Miller Place, St. Joseph's
Jordan Idaspe, Herricks, Cortland
Jordan Jackson, Baldwin, Delhi
David Krieg, Hampton Bays, Suffolk CC
Liam Kunkel, North Shore, LIU Post
Donatas Kupsas, LuHi, Weber State
Rony Lambre, Pat-Med, Five Towns
Carlos Lemus, Upper Room, SE CC
Benjamin LeStrange, Ward Mel, St. Joseph's
Savion Lewis, Hills East, Quinnipiac
Antonio Lopez, St. Anthony's, New Haven
Tyrone Lyons, St. Anthony’s, N.C. A&T
Kenny Mathurin, Hills East, Oneonta
Thomas McGuire, Comsewogue, Suffolk CC
Griffin McNally, Walt Whitman, Maritime
Dylan Morris-Gray, Cmswgue, S. Vermont
Billy Muller, North Babylon, Molloy
Joshua Nunez, Brentwood, Suffolk CC
Kendell Ogilvie LWA, IU Post
Victor Olawoye, Elmont, Gannon
Femi Olujobi, Brentwood, DePaul
Collins Onyeike, Valley Stream, NYIT
Frank Phelan, Floral Park, Molloy
Michael Picataggio, N Babylon, Suffolk CC
Josh Pismeny, Deer Park, Mt. St. Vincent
Frankie Policelli, LuHi, Dayton
Emmanuel Rancy, Longwood, Gwynedd
Mike Regan, St. Anthony’s, Maritime
Anthony Reilly, Oyster Bay, RPI
Jared Rhoden, Baldwin, Seton Hall
Jalen Ryan, Longwood, Farmingdale
Nah'Jel Sands, Mepham, LIU Post
Eric SanFilippo, Hauppauge, Oswego
Mike Snowden, Copiague, Old Westbury
Alex Sobel, Ward Melville, Middlebury
Noah Stevensen, Pat/Med, Suffolk CC
Isaiah Stone, Roosevelt, Herkimer CC
DeShawn Todman, Deer Park, Farmingdale
Ronald J. Walker, Copiague, Suffolk CC
Norman Wilson, Baldwin, Delhi
Elijah Wingfield, Southampton, Geneseo
Cam Wynter, Holy Trinity, Drexel
Darius Young, Westbury, Nassau CC
If you know someone who should be added to this list, LET US KNOW!
TEAM CAMP CHAMPION CHAMINADE
Hofstra Team Camp
One of the big high school events of the summer season, the annual Hofstra Team Camp, featured 16 high school teams from both Long Island and New York City this year, with each team playing a total of 6 games over three days. The results bode well for the NSCHSAA, whose teams took the top three spots at the camp. Camp Champion Chaminade emerged as an early league favorite and was never seriously challenged at the camp, while Holy Trinity, the other finalist, played excellent small ball and defended well throughout. St. Anthony’s, with a young and and talented squad, defeated a good Baldwin team for third place. Both teams need time to jell and will be much better once the season gets underway. Another good small ball squad, Northport, impressed, outlasting rival Commack for 5th place. Both will challenge in Sec 11 AA.
TEAMS PARTICIPATING
Baldwin
Bayside
Calhoun
Chaminade
Commack
Deer Park
Farmingdale
Holy Trinity
Island Trees
LWA
Manhasset
Massapequa
Northport
Oceanside
Smithtown West
St. Anthony's
BASKETBALL CAMP
AT STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
Grasso To D1 Bryant
St. Anthony’s grad Jared Grasso, who has earned a great reputation as a Tim Cluess assistant at Iona known for his recruiting skills and work ethic, was named the new head coach at Bryant University, a D1 program in the NEC. Hitting the ground running, he and his staff have been very aggressive so far in scouting Long Islanders for the program.
Cluess Signs Extension
Former St. Mary's, Suffolk Community College, and CW Post Head Coach Tim Cluess has signed a contract extension which will keep him as the head coach of the Iona Gaels through the 2025 season. Cleuss, who now has 21 consecutive winning seasons as a head coach at the high school and collegiate level and has accumulated a 567-203 career record, is fresh off another NCAA Tournament appearance with the Gaels, the 5th in his 8 year tenure at the D1 MAAC school. The team has won 20 or more games in each of his 8 seasons.
Seaford AAU Champs
The Seaford Heat, led by Portledge's Zaire Baines, who averaged 31.6 ppg as an 8th grader on varsity last season - defeated Wisconsin's Ray Allen Select 59-54 to win the AAU 14U D1 Championships held at Disney World in Orlando, Fl. The Heat were also Rumble In The Bronx Champions this season. AAU Nationals ROSTER:
Zaire Baines
Dante Brooks
Aaron Davis
Kyle Dowden
Jasean Elliott
Jorden Evelyn
Chancellor McKee
Michael McQuilton
Marquis Samuels
Peter Vorillas
Jared Weekly
The Beginning Of
The End Of AAU?
PART 1 IN A SERIES
A new proposal still in its formative stages could deal a serious blow to AAU and Sneaker Company Basketball as we know it, and might very well be the beginning of the end for both competing camps. USA Basketball, the NBA, and the NCAA are all taking steps to seize control of the sport at the youth level, and one of the key provisions of the proposal, reportedly being prepared by the NBCA for submission to the NCAA Commission that was set up to look into the big recruiting and corruption scandal that hit NCAA and Travel Team basketball this past fall, is to discontinue the July Live Period, forbidding D1 coaches from attending the big events that are held annually in Orlando, Las Vegas and other locations across the country. It often costs teams thousand of dollars to attend these July events, and if there is no prospect of playing in front of D1 coaches, many teams will undoubtedly elect to take advantage of far less expensive alternatives, putting many of these events out of business. It's not a complete prohibition, though. If the proposal is adopted, it looks like the April Live Period will be retained for now.
Bob Herzog Retires!
Our good friend from Newsday is hanging it up after 42 years! We have had the great pleasure of sharing the sidelines with him for the past 10, and enjoyed every minute of it! He will be sorely missed! STORY
Mateyko To Iona
Former Five Towns, Dowling, and St. Joseph's College Head Coach John Mateyko has been named Director of Basketball Operations at Iona.
Danny Green To Raptors
North Babylon native and former St. Mary's star Danny Green has been traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of a deal for Toronto's DeMar DeRozan. A fan favorite, Green enjoyed an 8 year career with San Antonio and was an important part of their 2014 NBA Championship team. Known as a lockdown defender, he established a single-season franchise record for threes with 191 in 2014-15. A SPURS FAN'S FAREWELL,
Pitino Returns To LI
Legendary St. Dominic grad Rick Pitino came back to Long Island to sign copies of his new book, “Pitino, My Story“, at the Book Review in Huntington, delivering a compelling speech to a crowd that braved thunderstorms to hear him speak, followed by a lengthy question and answer session. Coach Pitino asserted that he and athletic director Tom Jurich were dismissed by the University Of Louisville without a hearing of any kind, and that nothing has been released that shows that he knew anything about or was involved in any way with the $100,000 payment that Adidas made to a Louisville recruit for one simple reason: Because he was not aware of it or involved with it in any way, and the current investigation will ultimately confirm that. The book is a fascinating read and will give you a new perspective on the on-gong scandal, in addition to the other two scandals associated with him, and of course the highlights of an outstanding career that places him among college basketball's all-time great coaches. SIGNED COPIES of the book are available at THE BOOK REVIEW in Huntington.
Fewer Kids Playing Sports
Youth sports study: Declining participation, rising costs and unqualified coaches. STORY
Player News
BCANY All Tournament
Suffolk's Zed Key, from Brentwood, and Jarell White, from Bellport, both earned All-Tournament honors at the Basketball Coaches Association of New York's Summer Hoops Festival, and so did Nassau's Tavin Phillipe Pierre, who is from Baldwin.
Irish Pride Fuels Igiehon
Dixon To LIU Post
Devonte Dixon led Long Island in scoring his senior year at William Floyd High School, averaging 30.8 ppg, and will be bringing his talents to LIU Post this fall, joining D1 transfer Mike Almonacy from Brentwood and former Deer Park star Darien Jenkins in what should be a very potent backcourt for the Pioneers and Head Coach Erik Smiles. All three players were All-Long Island selections in high school.
Andre Curbelo Making Noise
LuHi's All-Long Island Sophomore and rising junior steps into a leadership role this coming season, and is preparing for it by posting another big travel season, leading his team to the Adidas Gauntlet Championship with 25 points, 9 rebound, and 5 assists.
Long, Braithwaite Excel
Chaminade's TJ Long and Sean Braithwaite from Center Moriches led their travel team to the Elite 8 of a Hoop Group Live Period event, with Long scoring 25pts and Braithwaite 17 in their Sweet 16 victory.
Machado Still Battling
Former St. Mary's star Scott Machado, now 28 and a veteran of overseas pro leagues, will be playing in the G League once again this season, hoping to live out his dream of an NBA career. Machado is an old school team first point guard that values assists more that baskets.
Basketball Royalty!
Long Island basketball royalty descended on Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset to help celebrate the amazing 50th anniversary of Gus Alfieri's highly acclaimed All American Basketball Camp. Coach Alfieri (left), began his career as a star player at St. John's University before going on to coach at St. Anthony's, where he led the program to state championships and national prominence. He is joined by two of his most accomplished proteges - current NBA Head Coach Ken Atkinson of the Brooklyn Nets (center), who played for Coach Alfieri in high school and was a camp regular before going on to a terrific career at Richmond and in overseas pro leagues, and Rich Wrase, most recently a scout for the NBA's Los Angles Lakers and also a former camper who starred at Half Hollow Hills High School before going on to coach Westhampton to a high school state championship and Suffolk Community College to two junior college national championships. Coach Atkinson, who credits Coach Alfieri with inspiring him to be a coach, delivered an outstanding presentation on finishing techniques to an eagar and appreciative group of campers, but the highlight of the day had to be the lunchtime gathering of former players and coaches, who along with Coach Alfieri, traded one fascinating war story after another about camp legends like Dr. J, Bobby Knight, Lou Carnesecca, Rollie Massimino, Jimmy Valvano, Mike Krzyzewski, Hubie Brown and others, and also about those memorable championship seasons at St. Anthony's and their historic games against LuHi, New York City and upstate powerhouses, and their Catholic League rivals. A truly unforgettable day!
Suffolk Falls In Semis
In a heartbreaker, Suffolk County fell 63-61 to eventual champion Buffalo in the Semifinals of the New York State Basketball Coaches Association Summer festival, falling on a putback with 2.5 seconds remaining. The Long Island squad led by 7 at the half. Suffolk finished pool play 3-1, tied for first place with Rochester, who they beat 83-82 in overtime to earn the top seed, while Buffalo was the 2 seed in the other pool behind Mid-Hudson. Suffolk had impressive performances from Brentwood’s Zed Key, who will play at LuHi next season, Deer Park’s Malik Edmead, and Brentwood’s Bryce Harris while picking up wins over an Adirondack team led by Joe Girard III, New York State’s all-time leading scorer, who was held to just 13 points, the defending champion - Central New York - and Rochester. Nassau County did not fare as well, going 1-3.
Hoops Festival
The 8th Annual Basketball Coaches Association Of New York Summer Hoops Festival, which matches up All-Star Teams from every region of the state, begins August 3rd in Johnson City, NY. This year's festival features Joe Girard III, who averaged over 50 points per game last season at Glens Falls High School to move past Lincoln High School's Lance Stephenson and into first place on New York State's all-time scoring list with 3306 career points, and he still has his senior season in front of him! Long Island sends two teams, but has not won the event since 2011, when they entered a combined Nassau/Suffolk team. This year's Long Island rosters:
NASSAU COUNTY
1 Justin Evelyn, Uniondale
2 Keaton Goldsby, Lawrence
3 Tavin Pierre Philippe, Baldwin
4 Joseph Hicks, Sewanhaka
5 Trayvon Alexander, Friends Academy
6 Tre Riggins, Baldwin
7 Robert Acevedo, Island Trees
8 Aaron Davis, Valley Stream South
9 Raymond Foster, Uniondale
10 Corey Powell, Valley Stream South
11 RJ Meyers-Turner, Uniondale
12 Darien Matthew, St. Dominic
SUFFOLK COUNTY
1 Jordan Mosley, East Islip
2 Jarell White, Bellport
3 Sean Walsh, Northport
4 Brendan Rivera, Smithtown West
5 Ray Graboski, Ward Melville
6 Malik Edmead, Deer Park
7 Jarenel Rancy, Longwood
8 Zed Key, LuHi
9 Bryce Harris, Brentwood
CYO Honors Bob McKillop
Chaminade and Hofstra grad Bob McKillop, who accumulated 86 wins as the head coach at Holy Trinity, 182 wins and 5 state championships as the Head Coach at LuHi, and well over 500 wins as the head coach at Davidson, will be honored for his outstanding career at the CYO of Long Island’s 25th Annual Golf Outing on Monday, September 17th at the Hempstead Golf and Country Club. MORE
SUMMER LEAGUES
Island Trees rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Oyster Bay 63-57 in the Championship Game of the 10th Annual Nassau County PAL/Town of Oyster Bay Varsity Summer League!
Oyster Bay's Khalil Williams had 24 points at the half to lead the Baymen to a 5 point advantage, but the Bulldog defense clamped down in the second half, allowing only 9 fourth quarter points, and Rob Ferrufino reentered the lineup after early foul trouble to energize their balanced attack.
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Westbury took the Coes Neck Summer League title, defeating Roosevelt 59-56 in OT. Westbury's Tyreik Frazier was MVP, finishing with 14 pts, 12 rebounds, and 12 blocks.
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The Nassau PAL/Town Of Oyster Bay Varsity Summer League Semifinals were played, and Island Trees advanced with a 51-45 victory over Hicksville. Anthony Ferrufino dominated inside & out, finishing with 15 points, and Rob Avcevedo added 10. Shane McBride led all scorers with 16 for Hicksville and Amaury Mateo had 12. In the other Semifinal, Oyster Bay rolled over East Meadow 63-39. Khalil Williams led the way with 19 points, Max Weinberg had 16, and Yahve Jean Baptiste 13. Kyle Nelson led East Meadow with 11.
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Baldwin picked up back to back summer championships, beating Elmont again, this time by a 56-54 score in the Baldwin Summer League final and Tavin Phillipe Pierre was MVP with 25 points.
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Baldwin took the Kennedy Park Summer League title 58-47 behind 36 points from MVP Rhyjon Blackwell.
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The Kennedy Park Semifinals resulted in the same finals matchup that we'll have in the Baldwin Summer League. Baldwin, which really looks like the team to beat in Nassau this coming season, rolled over Roosevelt, and in a terrific nightcap, Elmont edged Uniondale. Elmont looks like a serious contender too and the rebuilding Uniondale team shows great promise. The final is tonight (8/9) at 7:30 PM
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Class A teams dominated at the West Babylon Summer League, with John Glenn taking the title, beating Kings Park by 4 in the final.
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Both the Baldwin Summer League and the Kennedy Park Summer League are down to the semifinals. The Kennedy Park games are tonight (8/8), with Baldwin facing Roosevelt in a 6:30 pm semifinal, and Uniondale taking on Elmont at 7:30. At Baldwin, the host Bruins rolled over Malverne to advance to the championship game, while Elmont took a lead at the first half buzzer, built a second half lead and then held off Floral Park in the other semi.
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Some of Long Island's high school summer leagues are wrapping up, and the first one to report results is the St. Anthony's Summer League, with Northport capturing the title with a 47-44 win over the host Friars. Junior Sean Walsh led the way with 22 points and junior George Mansour added 12, while sophomore Pat Healy iced the win with two big free throws. The league was made up of teams from Bayport, Commack, Connetquot, Huntington, Hills East, Northport, Sachem North, and St. Anthony's. Results are also in from the Westbury Spring League, and once again, the hosts fell in the final, with Baldwin defeating the Green Dragons 36-25. In the Town Of Brookhaven Summer League, Longwood defeated Smithtown West 44-36 in the Large School Championship Game, while Mt Sinai defeated Miller Place 50-47 in the Small School Final. The Mustangs were led by game MVP Nick Hurowitz who scored a game high 23 points.
Great Coaches Clinic
Northport's Kenny Atkinson, the Head Coach of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, gave an outstanding lecture at the well attended high school coaches clinic held at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday 8/11. He covered multiple topics, accompanied by thorough game film demonstrations, and gave us all a glimpse of what it's like to break down game film in the NBA. Really enjoyed it! Pictured above, Coach Atkinson joins fellow members of the Northport basketball community, where he grew up. From right to left, his brother Steve, the Head Coach at Half Hollow Hills West, Ted Thomas, Editor of Long Island Basketball.com, Nets Coach Kenny Atkinson, one of 8 Atkinson brothers, Tom Fitzpatrick, the just retired head coach at Walt Whitman, Andrew D'Eloia, the Head Coach at Northport, and Ryan Fitzpatrick, Coach Fitzpatrick's son and an up and coming player in the Northport School District.
Long Island Falls In Quarters
This one’s on me. From day one, I’ve been telling the kids to go all out every minute of every game because our roster is so deep and talented and I can sub them out when they get tired without missing a beat, and we’ve been playing that way every game with great success, but after a good first half, we gave up a 15 point lead early in the second half and I decided to go with just 7 kids the rest of the way. Of course, the kids continued to play their hearts out and retook the lead, but at that pace, they eventually started to run out of gas. Even so, we still had a chance to pull it out, but I didn’t call time out quickly enough when we rebounded a missed free throw trailing by 2 with time running down. There would have been plenty of time to set up a play and go for either the tie or the win, but we ended up turning the ball over and fouling instead and it was over. It's a shame, because this team was special, and with a win, we would have gotten two missing starters - LuHi’s Zed Key and Chaminade’s Michael O’Connell - back for next weekends semifinals and had a real shot at going all the way. Tough lesson. Bryce Harris, who blossomed last season at Brentwood, was big time again in this one with 19 points, but I want to make special mention of my two team leaders - Baldwin’s Rhyjon Blackwell and Deer Park’s Malik Edmead - who both had 18 points and took on one highly rated guard after another in the 6 games we played, including this one, and outplayed them all. In a tournament filled with high major commits, there was no better backcourt. Longwood’s Jarnel Rancy was also a revelation. A gifted shot blocker, rebounder and defender, he was never outmatched, and the same can be said for Westbury’s Tyreik Frazier, who shares those gifts. Like I said, this one was on me. I will post a season wrap-up in days ahead.
Long Island Advances
Second seeded Team Long Island rolled to a spot in the quarterfinals yesterday behind 23 points from Deer Park's Malik Edmead and 17 from Baldwin's Rhyjon Blackwell and will play again today (Sunday) 12:45 at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens. Once again it was their defense that keyed Long Island's dominance, with Longwood's Jarnel Rancy controlling the boards and protecting the paint and Brentwood's Bryce Harris and Chaminade's Mike O'Connell contributing strong all-around games to lead a deep and talented roster that saw good contributions from everyone that played.
IS8 Playoffs Saturday!
The Nike/IS8 playoffs begin tomorrow (Saturday), and after going 4-0 in pool play, Team Long Island has a first round matchup at 12:30 at the IS8 main gym. If they advance, they play again Sunday 12:45 at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens.
Team Long Island Wins Pool
Team Long Island held on for a another big win, finishing 4-0 in pool play heading into next week's playoff round despite playing with a depleted frontcourt. Brentwood's Bryce Harris, who missed the first three games, stepped up big time, leading the way with 17 points, Baldwin's Rhyjon Blackwell had 14, Amityville's Divaahd Lucas was also a force, adding 13 and Deer Park's Malik Edmead had 10 points and both he and Blackwell did an excellent job on the defensive end against a highly rated backcourt. We will post playoff seedings and matchups as soon as they are released.
Tough Task For Long Island
Team Long Island has a tough task ahead - they are facing a showdown Saturday 9/29 at 10 am at the IS8 main gym for first place in their pool and for a high seed in next weekend's playoffs, and they will be without three of their starters. A win would make them 11-1 in IS8 pool play over the past year.
Long Island Improves To 3-0
Shorthanded, everybody stepped up for Team Long Island and they rolled to their third straight impressive victory at NIKE/IS8, with Deer Park's Malik Edmead leading the balanced attack with 17 points. Corey Jones from Calhoun and Divaahd Lucas from Amityville both had 8 point games, and John Glenn's Josh Fenner had 7 to pace an attack that saw all 11 players on hand put points on the board. To top it off, their team defense was once again outstanding, and with Jarnel Rancy from Longwood and Tyreik Frazier from Westbury dominating the paint and rejecting more shots than I could count - Long Island won going away. Pool play wraps up next Saturday 9/29 with a 10 am first place showdown at the IS8 main gym, and the playoffs begin the weekend of 10/6, with times, locations, and match-ups to be announced.
Two Game Sweep In Opener
Team Long Island’s blistering defense generated double digit turnovers in back to back games, carrying Long Island to two dominating wins on opening day at NIKE/IS8. Long Island also thoroughly controlled the boards in both games and had 6 different players record blocked shots. Deer Park’s Malik Edmead and Baldwin’s Rhyjon Blackwell led the defensive charge, thoroughly frustrating both of our opponents and disrupting their offenses with relentless aggressiveness and quickness, LuHi’s Zed Key was unstoppable, going for 30 points and big rebound and blocked shot numbers in the more competitive second game, often finishing with thunderous dunks to lead what was an otherwise beautifully balanced attack. Westbury’s Tyreik Frazier, an athletic rebounder and shot blocker, and Blackwell, who had a fist full of assists and steals, both added 10 points in game 2, Edmead, who ran the point with great skill, had 9 and big assist and steal numbers, and Chaminade’s Michael O’Connell, who always plays aggressively, but with his head up and under control, finished with 8, while Longwood’s Jarnel Rancy was a shot blocking and rebounding machine. Every player on the roster got minutes and played well. 9/8
ROSTER/GAMES 1 AND 2
Rhyjon Blackwell, Baldwin
Malik Edmead, Deer Park
Tyreik Frazier, Westbury
Zed Key, LuHi
Divaahd Lucas, Amityville
Michael O'Connell, Chaminade
Ty-Shon Pannell, Central Islip
Tavin Phillipe - Pierre, Baldwin
Pierce Prendergast, Bayport BP
Jarnel Rancy, Longwood
Tyler St. Furcy, LWA
Jarell White, Bellport
We have been blessed with a problem most coaches only dream of - having more great players on our roster than we can possible bring to a game. You will undoubtedly see some of those players in future recaps.
EDITORS NOTE: I want to thank the Long Island basketball community for their enthusiastic support of Team Long Island. Our long term goal is to unite the community and help bring about the next Golden Age of Long Island basketball, and its beginning to feel like that's right around the corner! Thanks everyone for your encouragement. The kids feel the love!
Alzheimer's Game
The 9th annual Alzheimers All-Star Basketball Classic will be held Saturday, October 20th, at Central Islip High School. The first Suffolk County tryout, for both boys and girls players, will be September 25th from 7-9 pm at SUSA in Hauppauge. In Nassau, the first boys tryout is October 1st, 6:30 pm at Chaminade High School, and for girls, its Sep 28th 5 pm at LuHi.
Incredible Day For Zed
LuHi's Zed Key had a dominant Saturday, leading Team Long Island to back to back opening day wins at NIKE/IS8, and then stealing the thunder from all the New York City kids by winning MVP honors at Carmelo Anthony's "City Is Mine" Tournament. Shown above with his favorite NBA Player and fellow Long Islander Tobias Harris, another IS8 veteran.
FALL TRAVEL TEAM
TRYOUTS POSTED!
Who's That With
Wally Bachman?
Section 8 Basketball Coordinator and long time Jericho High School Coach Wally Bachman, with 440 career victories and counting, will be inducted into the Nassau County Hall Of Fame on September 26th. He is pictured above with St. Doms grad Rick Pitino and Long Island Basketball.com Editor Ted Thomas. This year's induction class also includes basketball legends Larry Brown from Long Beach, the late Beaver Smith from South Side, Lisa Smith from Hempstead, and Ambrose Moran from Sewanhaka.
High School Team Camp
The Farmingdale State Team Camp took place Sunday, September 16th on campus, featuring boys high school varsity teams from Nassau, Suffolk, and New York City. We didn't get to see everyone play, but we were particularly impressed by Longwood, Connetquot, and St. Anthony's. TEAMS AND SCHEDULES
2018-19
Class/Conference/League
Assignments
Public schools move up and down in size, and shift from one conference/league to another every season. Here are
WHAT DOES VILLANOVA LOOK FOR IN A RECRUIT?
Former Hofstra Coach Jay Wright has taken Villanova to the top of the basketball world. What do he and his staff look for in the players they recruit? STORY
Maldonado Stands Out At LI Nets Open Tryouts
Valley Stream South's Diego Maldonado was one of a handful of prospects that stood out at the Long Island Nets open tryout held September 15th. Maldonado, who played professionaly in Puerto Rico last season, had good careers at both VSS and Queens College, but is best know for stunning everybody by winning both the Long Island three point shooting and dunk contests his senior year in high school. STORY
Wrase To Hornets
Legendary Long Island Coach Rich Wrase, who guided Westhampton HS to a New York Federation State Championship and Suffolk Community College to a pair of Junior College National Championships, has joined the staff of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets as a scout. Last season, after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, Coach Wrase guided Team Long Island to a semifinal run at the famous NIKE/IS8 Tournament, helping set the stage for what we believe is the beginning of the next Golden Age of Long Island basketball. We are all indebted to him for that and wish him the very best of luck with the Hornets.
NASSAU Top 40 All-Stars
Nassau County's best public school boys basketball players faced off at an All-Star Doubleheader this past Sunday, battling for the right to represent Section 8 in the Long Island Public School Preseason All-Star Game on 10/28. In the Future Stars Game, the White Team would repeatedly surge ahead, and the Blue Team would rally, but White pulled away down the stretch, ringing up an impressive 132 - 102 victory. Massapequa's Paul Buonaguro led the way with 22 points, Jaden Barwicki from Long Beach and Jack Fontanetta from Mepham both had 18, and Seaford's Manuel Montero finished with 15 while Brandon Goldberg from Wantagh led the Blue Team with 22, Volkan Levent from Port Washington had 19, and Brandon Weiss from Jericho 16. In the Senior Showcase, the White team led a more tightly contested match up almost all the way, with Adam Rodriguez from Sewanhaka leading their balanced attack with 19 points, Keaton Goldsby from Lawrence adding 18, and Lynbrook's Rylan Blondo 17. Baldwin's Tavin Pierre Philippe led all scorers with 23 for Blue, and Robert Acevedo from Island Trees finished with 16 .
The rosters were:
2 PM FUTURE STARS GAME
Blue Team
1 Brandon Weiss Jericho 11
8 Volkan Levent Port Washington 11
11 Cyriac Puthussery Syosset 11
18 Jackson Cronin Great Neck No 10
28 Greg Avery Island Trees 11
35 Anthony Arana Island Trees 10
36 Kamren Denhart Sewanhaka 9
46 Joe Busch Manhasset 11
60 Brandon Goldberg Wantagh 11
67 Eamon McGowan South Side 11
White Team
10 Mikell Henry Lawrence 10
16 Christopher Connors Island Tr 10
17 Jack Fontanetta Mepham 11
20 Jaden Barwicki Long Beach 11
23 Paul Buonaguro Massapequa 11
25 Manuel Montero Seaford 11
40 Isiah Barnes Elmont 11
44 David Sabzehroo Great Neck S 11
47 Ralph Amitrano Oceanside 11
58 Dimitri Garrett Oceanside 11
3:30 PM ELITE SENIORS GAME
Blue Team
12 Dwight Levy Baldwin 12
15 Tavin Pierre Philippe Baldwin 12
22 Joseph Hicks Sewanhaka 12
24 Chris Levins East Rockaway 12
26 Jayson Delgado Floral Park 12
29 Michael Parnell W Hempstead 12
41 Chris Themelis Manhasset 12
55 Robert Acevedo Island Trees 12
56 Jahiveil Glenn Hempstead 12
57 Blake Hegerstrom Plainedge 12
White Team
2 Keaton Goldsby Lawrence 12
19 Joseph Deblasio Oyster Bay 12
21 Adam Rodriguez Sewanhaka 12
27 Corey Jones Calhoun 12
30 Rylan Blondo Lynbrook 12
42 Thomas Santella Manhasset 12
43 John Mastando Manhasset 12
45 Michael DeSantis Plainedge 12
54 Clyde Riggins Baldwin 12
59 James Montgomery Lynbrook 12
61 Khalil Williams Oyster Bay 12
Kennedy MAAC Great
Northport’s Sean Kennedy, the former St. Dominic star, European pro and most accomplished member of one of those great Long Island basketball families, has been added to the MAAC Honor Roll - a list of the conference's all-time greatest players and coaches. Sean was First Team All-MAAC after both his junior and senior seasons at Marist, and as a senior, was also named CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Most Valuable Player, First Team NABC All-District, and Second Team All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. At St. Doms, he led the Bayhawks to back to back CHSAA State Championships.
Kenny Jones To HOF!
Former All-New York State player Kenny Jones from Wyandach, who went on to star at Kentucky State University, earning MVP awards and All-Conference and All-American honors before moving on to a very successful pro career overseas, has been inducted into the Kentuck State Hall Of Fame. A prolific scorer and rebounder, Kenny has made his mark at every stop of his career, and in the storied history of Long Island basketball, earned a spot as one of our best. He is currently playing in the NBL of Canada for the Cape Breton Highlanders.
Crafton G League Coach
Baldwin's Jason Crafton, who graduated from Upper Room HS, has been named to the coaching staff of the Philadelphia 76er's G League affiliate.
LIU Post Cuts D2 Hoops
Beginning with the 2019-20 season, LIU Post will no longer field a D2 basketball team and is consolidating all of its D2 programs with LIU Brooklyn's D1 programs, making the combined programs D1 in all sports. The school will honor current scholarship athletes, including those who do not make 2019-20 rosters, and athletes will be able to transfer to new schools without penalty.
Playing Time
Article I enjoyed STORY
Most Loved Colleges
One of the most important but overlooked considerations when choosing a college is, will you be happy there? Here is a list of the colleges that are most loved by their students. STORY
VERY SAD NEWS
Our friend Artie Woods, a terrific guy and an outstanding basketball official, has passed away well before his time. The former President of IAABO Board 127 in Suffolk County, he was a wise, warm, and easy going guy with an infectious smile and a great outlook on life, and always a pleasure to work with and be with. We do not have any details on what happened yet, but we know visitation will be Monday, Oct 1st at Moloney Funeral Home, 840 Wheeler Rd. (RT 111) in Hauppauge, NY from 2-4 pm and from 7-9 pm. The service will begin Tue Oct 2nd at 11 am again at Moloney Funeral Home.
Alzheimer's Games
Nassau dominated this year!
Nassau Boys 83 Suffolk Boys 63
MVP: Michael O'Connell/Chaminade
O'Connell rallied Nassau from an early 9 point deficit and finished with a game high 23 points.
Nassau Girls 68 Suffolk Girls 60
MVP: Celeste Taylor/Lutheran
Taylor won her third straight MVP trophy, finishing with 28 points to lead Nassau to the wire to wire win that was not as close as the final score..
Manning To LSU
Former Bridgehampton and Lutheran star Charles Manning Jr. has committed to LSU. He is currently at Florida Southwestern State JUCO. The All-New York State player led his 2015 Killer Bees squad to a New York State Championship!
Stony Brook Picked 4th
Vermont was the conference coaches pick as the favorite to win the America East Men's Basketball Championship, while Stony Brook was tied for 4th along with Long Island's Will Brown and his Albany team. MORE
G League Opener!
The Nets open their 2018-2019 season at home, taking on Westchester November 3rd at the Nassau Coliseum.
Nets Camp Roster
Brooklyn's G League team announced its training camp roster in preparation for the 2018-19 season and unfortunately, their are no Long Island players on it. ROSTER
LWA'S Igiehon Commits
Aidan Igiehon, an athletic forward from Ireland that plays for LWA, has decided to play his college ball at Louisville.
HS Players In G League
Top high school players that don't want to go to college can make $125,00 a season in the G League starting next year! MORE
NCAA Initial-Eligibility
The NCAA Eligibility Center has developed an intensive free online NCAA Initial-Eligibility Course which will familiarize you with the Division I and II academic requirements, as well as the Eligibility Center’s registration and certification processes required for college-bound student-athletes. MORE
CAA Media Day
Long Island's Bill Coen and his Northeastern team were chosen as favorites by the conference coaches at the CAA's Media Day, while Hofstra was picked to finish third. Hofstra's Justin Wright-Foreman was named preseason Player of the Year and preseason All-CAA First Team, while teammate Eli Pemberton was chosen 2nd Team..
Joe Lores To HOF
Joe Lores, who coached East Rockaway from 1982-2017 and had two Long Island Championship teams, will be inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of New York's Hall of Fame on March 24th up in Glens Falls.
Nassau/Suffolk Public School All-Star Game
Suffolk County bounced back decisively from their surprisingly one sided Alzheimer's game defeat, sweeping both the Future Stars and Elite Seniors games of the Long Island Preseason Public School All-Star Doubleheader. Bellport star Jarell White led the way in the Seniors Game, erupting for 41 points to hold off a Nassau rally, and he got help from Kings Park's Brendan Kehoe, who added 21 while Commack's Spencer Malloy and Mattituck's Xavier Allen combined for 33 points to lead a second half Suffolk run that blew open a close Future Stars Game. Lynbrook's Rylan Blondo was very impressive for Nassau in the Seniors Game, finishing with 27 points from the point guard spot, and Floral Park's Jayson Delgado was right behind him with 26
COMPLETE COVERAGE
TRYOUTS BEGIN!!
High school tryouts are underway and continue all this week across Long Island. If you want to catch the eye of the coach, hustle from start to finish,
box out on every shot, set good screens, move the ball through the air, get back on defense, dive after loose balls, and take high percentage shots. If you do all of the above well, you can have a bad shooting day and still make the team, and if you shoot well too, you're a lock. Best of luck to everyone!
Kevin Little 16 In Debut
Wyandach's Kevin Little, who played at OSNA and started his college career at Maine, scored 16 points, handed out 3 assists, and made 2 steals in his first game for D1 Tennessee-Martin. 11/6
Long Island's D1 Players
Jamal Allen/Brentwood/Missouri-KC
Kashawn Charles/Wyand./E. Illinois
Chris Coalmon/LuHi/Robert Morris
Justin Cole/Rockville Ctr/St. John's
Boubacar Diakite/OSNA/Iona
Matt DiLuccio/Rockville C./Boston Coll
Mamadou Doucore/OSNA/Rutgers
Aaren Edmead/Deer Park/NC A&T
Omar El-Sheikh/Knox/Fairfield
Shane Gatling/Baldwin/Colorado
Tykei Greene/LuHi/Manhattan
Terry Harris/HHHW/NC A&T
Michael James/Malverne/Monmouth
Lukas Jarrett/Northport/Lafayette
Donatas Kupsas/LuHi/Weber State
Savion Lewis/HHHE/Quinnipiac
Kevin Little/Wyandanch/UT Martin
Tyrone Lyons/St. Anthony’s/NC A&T
KC Ndefo/Elmont/St. Peter's
Femi Olujobi/Brentwood/DePaul
Pauly Paulicap/Elmont/Manhattan
Frankie Policelli/LuHi/Dayton
Marvin Prochet/LuHi/Niagara
Kevin Little/Wyandanch/Tenn. Martin
Jared Rhoden/Baldwin/Seton Hall
Cheick Sy-Savane/OSNA/Gr. Canyon
Cam Wynter/Holy Trinity/Drexel
Malcolm Wynter/Harbflds/Davidson
UPSTATE/DOWNSTATE
One of the biggest and best showcases of the season is the annual Upstate - Downstate Challenge, which will be held December 1st at Uniondale HS this season. There will be a strong line-up of teams representing Long Island, led by defending State Champion Amityville, defending Catholic League Champion St. Anthony's, Section 8 Class AA powerhouse Baldwin, perennial Class A contender Elmont, and defending Section 8 Class AA Champion and host Uniondale. The challengers from upstate will be led by defending Section 9 Class AA Champion Pine Bush, defending NYSAIS Class A Champion Albany Academy, and traditionaly strong programs New Rochelle and White Plains from Section 1 and Christian Brothers Academy from Albany. See you there!
College Report
College basketball is underway and you can get local team
Stony Brook Takes Opener
The Seawovles came roaring back from a 22 - 0 defict to defeat George Washington in overtime! STORY 11/6
Big Stony Brook Road Win
Akwasi Yeboah had a game high 24 points and 11 rebounds, freshman Miles Latimer hit two big three pointers down the stretch, and the Seawolves collected an incredible 22 offensive rebounds in an 83-81 road victory over South Carolina, their first ever over an SEC team. STORY 11/9
Hofstra Pulls Away
The Pride dug themselves out of an early hole and rolled over the NEC's Mt. St. Mary 79-61 in front of a big home crowd. Justin Wright-Foreman led the way with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, Desure Buie added 18 points and 5 assists, and Eli Pemberton 18 poitns and 6 rebounds. STORY 11/9
PLAYER REPORT
North Babylon's Tyree Grimsley had 21 points and 8 rebounds to lead Suffolk CC to a win over Hostos in their opener..... Another North Babylon product, Billy Muller, had 15 points and 9 rebounds in Molloy's loss to Assumption..... Yet another North Babylon native, Devonte Green, had 15 points and 3 assists in Indiana's win over Chicago State..... Freshman Darius Young from Westbury had 17 points to lead Nassau CC over CCBC Dundalk.
Two Long Island Coaches Face Off!
Bob McKillop and his Davidson team (3-1) take on Bill Coen and his Northeastern team (2-2) today
(Sunday 6 PM). Northeastern and Davidson are expected to be two of the better teams in the CAA & A-10 this season. WATCH on ESPNU
Ravaged LIU Post Falls
When LIU announced they were consolidating their two sets of sports programs and would no longer play D2 basketball starting with the 2019-20 season, many of the LIU Post players left the team, so the Pioneers went into game 1 with just 7 players on their active roster. Those brave 7 took it on the chin, falling 74-43 to New Haven despite a game high 22 points from Alonzo Ortiz-Traylor. Freshman Kendell Ogilvie from LWA added 8 points and 8 rebounds and fellow freshman Liam Kunkle from North Shore had 7 points. 11 New Haven players made it into the scorebook, led by Hills West's Kian Dalyrimple, who had 12 points. Freeport's Elijah Bailey added 7. 11/14
Player Report
Kevin Little from Wyandanch had 18 points and 5 assists in U. Tennessee Martin's loss to Western Kentucky.... Baldwin's Shane Gatling started and had 12 points and 2 assists in Colorado's win over Drake....
Pride Fall On Road
Hofstra gave up a late 3 point lead for a tough 76-72 loss to Marshall of Conference USA. Justin Wright-Foreman had another big game, finishing with 34 points. STORY 11/11
Savion Lewis Will Redshirt
Hills East's New York State Mr. Basketball will redshirt his freshman year at Quinnipiac after it was discovered that an incomplete his sophomore year at Hills would prevent him from being eligible to play until January at the earliest. Rather than appeal and miss a significant number of games, he has decided to redshirt and have four full years of eligibility left. The NCAA requires student-athletes to take certain core classes every year of their high school careers, and the incomplete prevented him from meeting those requirements on time.
G League At Work
The Brooklyn Nets seem to have developed the ideal relationship with their Long Island G League affiliate. MORE
Top 5 Returning Scorers
Zaire Baines Portledge 31.6
Jarell White Bellport 25.1
Ahkee Anderson Greenport 23.0
Josh Fenner John Glenn 22.7
Malik Edmead Deer Park 21.4
Hofstra Stops NC A&T
North Carolina A&T from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which includes teams like Howard and Norfolk State, came to town with a Long Island coach - Amityville's Jay Joyner, and more Long Islanders on the roster than either Hofstra or Stony Brook. They have three former All-Long Island players in Deer Park's Aaren Edmead, Hills West's Terry Harris, and Tyrone Lyons from St. Anthony's, but despite the local talent, were still no match for the Pride, who pulled away for a convincing 92-72 victory. Justin Wright-Foreman led the way once again with 22 points and 7 assists, Eli Pemberton added 19 points, and Stafford Trueheart had 14. Harris led the Long Islanders with 10 points, Edmead had 9 and Lyons 5 for the rebuilding team that has 10 new players and had their leading scorer - Femi Olujobi from Brentwood - transfer to DePaul. I have to admit I was very conflicted coming into this game. I’m a big Hofstra fan, but both Edmead and Lyons played for me on Team Long Island and Harris and my son Ben played together in AAU. Edmead, an excellent defender, got his team off to a good start, draining a three from the top and bottling up Wright-Foreman to keep the game close. Harris showed excellent fundamentals, setting good screens, rebounding well, and scoring here and there, but the Aggies didn’t fully take advantage of Hofstra’s early struggles and once Wright-Foreman got going, they never really got back into it. Freshman Lyons showed his potential with a sweeping drive from the top through traffic and also blocked a few shots in limited playing time, but one of the three would have had to have a big scoring day to keep the Aggies in the game and that never materialized. I wouldn’t discount that from happening down the road. They are all capable, and once their rebuilding team gets more familiar with each other, they will all shine. 11/14 STORY
