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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE!
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WINTER HOOPS FESTIVAL
We want to thank everybody for making our First Annual Winter Hoops Festival a tremendous success. We also want to apologize to all the teams that we could not accommodate this year and promise to double our capacity next year. This years champions were:
JV: Metro Youth Warriors
8th Grade: LI Roughryderz
7th Gr: Middletown's Finest
5th Gr: Lightning Wagner
Kings Of The Court
Our Kings Of The Court Tournament, a new event at the fantastic new Yes We Can Community Center in Westbury, was a great success! Sixteen teams battled from morning till night, and the following champions emerged:
Dr. J Documentary
If you missed the premiere of “The Doctor,” the excellent documentary about Long Island's greatest player, don’t worry, you can catch it again on NBA TV on these dates and times:
Wednesday — 6/12/2013 — 9:00 PM
Friday — 6/14/2013 — 9:00 PM
Saturday — 6/15/2013 — 5:30 PM
Saturday — 6/15/2013 — 11:00 PM
Sunday — 6/16/2013 — 2:00 AM
Sunday — 6/23/2013 — 10:00 PM
Hofstra Team Camp
Brentwood defeated St. John the Baptist to capture the Hofstra Team Camp Championship. Elmont and Holy Trinity also impressed.
Matthews Knicks Workout!
The Knicks have the 24th pick in this year's draft, and began their predraft workouts Wednesday with six players, including A.J. Matthews, a D3 All-American from Farmingdale State who led all of D3 in rebounding and double-doubles. Matthews has already worked out for the Nets! MORE
AAU District Champs
For the past 19 years, the New York Metropolitan District of the AAU has held its boys championships on what has become known as Championship Monday - the Monday of Memorial Day Weekend - and always at the historic Island Garden. All of the teams playing on Championship Monday have already earned bids to the AAU Nationals to be played later this summer, with the Champions listed below earning the #1 seed of the Metropolitan New York District:
11th Grade D1: Westchester Hawks
11th Grade D2: Minutemen/Smith
10th Grade D1: City Hoops
10th Grade D2: NY Gauchos
9th Grade D1: CM3 Sports
9th Grade D2: Lightning/Leighton
8th Grade D1: New Rens
8th Grade D2: New Heights Westch.
7th Grade D1: New Rens
7th Grade D2: Westchester Wildcats
6th Grade D1: New Rens
6th Grade D2: NY Watchmen
5th Grade D1: Gauchos/Swinton
5th Grade D2: OnPoint-Rens
4th Grade D1: Gauchos/Swinton
4th Grade D2: House of Sports
3rd Grade D1: NY Gauchos
3rd Grade D2: House of Sports
D3 results not all available yet
Fellus To Hofstra
Andrew Fellus, who was Honorable Mention All-New York State and had an outstanding career at Herricks, committed to Hofstra. Fellus has NBA range on his jumper, and finished second on Long Island in scoring at 25.8 ppg.
ASK THE REF!
When does the backcourt ten second count end? A) When the ballhandler releases the pass to the frontcourt? B) When the ball crosses the halfcourt line in the air? C) When the ball is caught or touched in the front court?
What do you think? Lets ASK THE REF!
Blackman To Niagara
Hills West's Emile Blackman will transfer to Niagara of the D1 MAAC next season. He will have to sit out a year per NCAA regulations.
All New York State
The following players were named All New York State by the New York State Sportswriters Association:
CLASS AA
FIRST TEAM
Luke Petrasek, Northport
Kentan Facey, LuHi
MORE CLASS AA
Chris Atkinson, LuHi
Aaron Cust, Uniondale
Eric Mack, Baldwin
Tim McKenzie, Central Islip
Dalique Mingo, Farmingdale
HONORABLE MENTION
Hunter Sabety, Oceanside
Andrew Fellus, Herricks
Aaron Edmead, Deer Park
Ryan Hickey, Smithtown West
Mical Ryan-Boyd, LuHi
CLASS A
Mark Gjonlekaj, Roslyn
Kavione Green, Amityville
Garrett Johnson, Jericho
Clifton Lyerly, Lawrence
Jon Patron, Harborfields
CLASS B
FIRST TEAM
Fernando Vazquez, Babylon
HONORABLE MENTION
Jake Carlock, Babylon
Brendan Laing, Babylon
Raymond Wardell, Babylon
CLASS C
Marco Masakayan, Stony Brook
HONORABLE MENTION
Tyler Abrahamsen, Stony Brook
Andy Daniel, Stony Brook
Kellan Sehring, Friends Academy
CLASS D
FIRST TEAM
Jason Hopson, Bridgehampton
ASK THE REF
After a brief post-season break, our most popular column is back!
Brady To Monmouth
Harborfields big man Chris Brady, who had originally committed to Longwood of the Big South Conference, has reconsidered after a coaching change at Longwood and decided to attend Monmouth of the MAC instead.
Editor's Inbox
OSNA’s Chis Obeka, the nation's leading shot blocker, finished his freshman season with a St. John's record 133 rejections, which shattered the single-season mark and already places him fourth in school history for career blocks...... LuHi’s Ash Yacoubou notified Villanova that he will transfer to another school for his junior season...... Hofstra Sophomore guard Taran Buie, an All-Long Island Collegiate selection, left the team for personal reasons prior to the hiring of new coach Joe Mihalich. Buie averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30 games this season.......
New Hofstra Coach!
Hofstra chose its new men's basketball coach, picking veteran Niagra Coach Joe Mihalich, who has guided the Purple Eagles to five postseason appearances since 2003-04. LEARN MORE
AAU Districts
The New York Metropolitan District Championships begin this coming weekend. Grades 8, 9 and 10 for Division l will be played at Island Garden and SUNY Old Westbury beginning this Friday and continuing through Sunday. The FINALS for each level will be played on Championship Monday, Memorial Day, May 27th.
FULL SCHEDULE
DIVISION l:
3RD GRADE MAY 3 -5 REGISTER
4TH GRADE - APRIL 5-7
5TH GRADE - APRIL 12-14
6TH GRADE - APRIL 19-21 REGISTER
7TH GRADE - APRIL 19-21
8TH GRADE - APRIL 5-7 @ REGISTER
9TH GRADE APRIL 5-7 REGISTER
10TH GRADE - APRIL 5-7 REGISTER
11TH GRADE - MAY 3-5 REGISTER
12TH GRADE - APRIL 26-28 REGISTER
DIVISION II:
3RD GRADE - MAY 3-5 REGISTER
4TH GRADE - MAY 10-12 REGISTER
5TH GRADE - MAY 3-5 REGISTER
6TH GRADE - MAY 10-12 REGISTER
7TH GRADE - MAY 3-5 REGISTER
8TH GRADE - MAY 10-12 REGISTER
9TH GRADE - MAY 3-5 REGISTER
10TH GRADE - MAY 3-5 REGISTER
11TH GRADE - MAY 17-19 REGISTER
DIVISION III:
4TH GRADE - MAY 17-19 REGISTER
5TH GRADE - MAY 17-19 REGISTER
6TH GRADE - MAY 17-19
7TH GRADE - MAY 17-19
8TH GRADE - MAY 17-19
9TH GRADE - MAY 17-19
10TH GRADE - MAY 24-26 REGISTER
11TH GRADE - MAY 24-26 REGISTER
THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES FOR EACH OF THESE TOURNAMENTS WILL BE PLAYED ON NY METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIP MONDAY, MAY 27th
2013 CYO CHAMPS!
8TH GRADE
A: St. Patrick, Smithtown
B: Holy Family
C: St. William
7TH GRADE
A: St. Joseph, Garden City
B: St. Dominic
C: St. Joseph, Hewlett
6TH GRADE
A: St. Aidan
B: St. Peter
C: St. Catherine
5TH GRADE
A: St. Peter
B: St. Dominic
C: St. Gerard
Deer Park HS
Spring League Champions
Most of the High School Spring Leagues have wrapped up, and results are coming in. In the West Babylon league, it was Deer Park taking the title, led by MVP Aaren Edmead. They beat Longwood in the final. In the Uniondale Spring League, Baldwin defeated Uniondale in the final.
Updated Colleges
Time to let us know if you will be playing basketball in college next year. Also let us know if you are transfering from one college to another: COLLEGE CHOICE
So far, we have:
Thomas Ahern/Chaminade/Stevens IT
Tawayne Anderson/LuHi/Merrimack
Nick Arnold/Commack/Vassar
Kewan Beebe/Glen Cove/New Paltz
Dashawn Benson/Uniondale/E. Wyoming JC
Ryan Boyd/LuHi/College Of St. Rose
Chris Brady/Harborfields/Monmouth
Marc Campbel/Elmont/Herkimer CC
Kyhiem Chaplin/Freeport/Queens College
Damon Coleman/Holy Trinity/Adelphi
Aaron Cust/Uniondale/St. Thomas Aquinas
Tyler Dechalus/Elmont/Herkimer CC
Brendan Devine/Wantagh/U. Sciences
Brian Ehrhardt/Chaminade/Dickinson
Kentan Facey/LuHi/UConn
Bryan Gellineau/Kellenberg/E Wyoming CC
Tyree Glascoe/West Hempstead/Cortland
Xavier Grier/Valley Stream Central/Wesley
Mike Guzzardi/Mt. Sinai/Dowling
Ryan Hickey/Smithtown West/Dowling
John Horowitz/Islip/Hawaii Pacific
Mat Hutchinson/Roosevelt/Cobleskill
Weldon Irvin/Hewlett/Farmingdale S.
Rome Jenkins/Deer Park/Concordia
Garrett Johnson/Jericho/Haverford
Carrel Joseph/Deer Park/Cortland
Charlie Joyner/SJB/Mt. St. Vincent
Thomas King/East Hampton/Hartwick
Dantre Langhorne/Greenport/Herkimer CC
Rokas Lapsys/LWA /Post U. Ct.
Andy Laurent/Amityville/Manhattanville
Jake Lundenberg/LWA/CCNY
Clifton Lyerly/Lawrence/ SUNY Brockport
Diego Maldonado/VSS/Queens
Brendan McDerby/So. Side/Maritime
Tim McKenzie/Central Islip/Lincoln U
Jerel McGary/Uniondale/Herkimer CC
Elijah McMillan/Baldwin/Tuskegee
Gerald Mitchell/South Side/Maritime
JJ Moore/Brentwood/Rutgers
Shaq Mosley/Uniondale/Mohawk Valley CC
Liam Murphy/Chaminade/Geneseo
Tighe Oberg/Islip/Lake Land JC
Stephon Odle/Longwood/SUNY OWB
Jordan Parks/Hempstead/NC Central
Jon Patron/Harborfields/Dowling
Luke Petrasek/Northport/Columbia
Tidell Pierre/Hempstead/Garden C. CC, KS
Isaiah Rowe/Holy Trinity/Farmingdale St
Hunter Sabety/Oceanside/Tufts
Eric Regenbogen/Wantagh/New Paltz
Joe Santarpia/Sachem East/New Paltz
Gregory Senate/Elmont/Wagner
Andrew Seniuk/MacArthur/New Paltz
Marcus Solomon/Hills West/Pace
Ryan Spadaford/South Side/Tufts
Dante Thompson/SJB/Lackawanna CC
Fernando Vazquez/Babylon/Hartwick
Andreas Vouliakis/Rocky Point/Herkimer
Khalil Wilson/Roosevelt/Cobleskill
Achraf Yacoubou/LuHi/Saint Louis
2013 ALL-LONG ISLAND
COLLEGIATE TEAMS
D1
Melsahn Basabe, Iowa
Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook
Taran Buie, Hofstra
Chavaughn Lewis, Marist
Stevie Mejia, Hofstra
JJ Moore, Pittsburgh
Chris Obekpa, St. John’s
Rod Odom, Vanderbilt
Tavon Sledge, Iona
Jameel Warney, Stony Brook
Lucas Woodhouse, Longwood
D2
Kirk Bailey, Mercy
Justin Brown, St. Thomas Aqu.
Tobin Carberry, LIU/CW Post
Darien Davis, Dowling
George Holmes, Queen College
Josh Malone, Dowling
John Petrucelli, Molloy
Kayvon Roberts, NYIT
Bradley Simpson, Adelphi
Malik Stith, Fairmont State
D3
Reed Buck, USMMA
Brett Cohen, Haverford
Donte Howell, Mt. St. Mary
AJ Matthews, Farmingdale St.
Rashawn McCarthy, OWB
Shamoy McIntosh, Plattsburgh
Kerel Mitchell, OWB
Tyrik Tucker, OWB
Hayden Ward, Cortland State
Jesse Winter, Cortland State
JC TO FOLLOW
College Highlights
Hills West’s Tavon Sledge scored 20 points for Iona in an NCAA Tournament game against Ohio State.......Lucas Woodhouse from Harborfields worked himself into the starting line-up at D1 Longwood University of the Big South Conference, averaging about 10 points and 10 assists per game over the final seven games for the Lancers...... Hempstead's Jordan Parks and his College of Central Florida teammates won the NJCAA Championship! Parks had 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in the championship game! ....... Herkimer Community College finished 32-4 and third at the NJCAA Nations led by Co-Captain Jonathan Feiler of Smithtown East, who was was named an All Region player and to the National All-Tournament Team, and by Jerome Floyd of Uniondale, who was named an All Region selection and Region 3 Tournament MVP. Other Long Island contributors to this terrific run were Anthony Lanieri of Port Jefferson and Caanan Campbell of Bridgehampton.......... Dowling College advanced to the ECC Championship Game behind 18 points and 7 rebounds from freshamn Evan Maxwell and 17 points from South Side's Leon Taylor........ Stony Brook capped off an outstanding 25-8 season with an invitation to the NIT, defeating UMass in their first round game before falling to Iowa...... LIU/CW Post's Tobin Carberry, the ECC Player of the Year, was named the Daktronics East Region Player of the Year.
LONG ISLAND'S
2013 CHAMPIONS
NY STATE CHAMPIONS
NYSAIS
Class AA: LuHi
NY STATE FINALISTS
FEDERATION
Class AA: LuHi
NYSPHSAA
Class B: Babylon
LONG ISLAND CHAMPS
NSCHSAA
Class A: Chaminade
NYSPHSAA
Class AA: Northport
Class A: Amityville
Class B: Babylon
Class C: Stony Brook
Class D: Bridgehampton
NYSAIS
Class AA: LuHi
Class C: LWA
NASSAU CHAMPIONS
Class AA: Baldwin
Class A: Jericho
Class B: Wheatley
Class C: Friends Academy
SUFFOLK CHAMPIONS
Overall: Amityville
Class AA: Northport
Class A: Amityville
Class B: Babylon
Class C: Stony Brook
Class D: Bridgehampton
2013 All Long Island
2013 Basketball Honor Roll
Long Island's best boys basketball players for the 2012-2013 season. HERE
VARSITY WEST
Freeport Ballers
2013 Spring Travel Team Championships
Team Long Island defeated Team F.O.E of Philadelphia, the NYC Vipers, and the Freeport Ballers to claim the Varsity A Division title at the Spring Championships, the first championship event of the 2013 travel season. In the Varsity/10 Division, Team Tsunami of Long Island took home the title, the Long Island Roughryderz were the 9th Grade Champions, Knulife from Brooklyn and Lightning/Campbell captured the two 8th crowns, Lightning/Busch prevailied in 7th Grade, the Long Island Storm in 6th, Bunky Read All-Stars in 5th, and the LI Roughryderz were 4th grade champions.
2013 Spring Tip-Off!
LongIslandBasketball.com's Spring Tip Off has become one of the major events of the early spring, filling three facilities and six courts. Champions were crowned in 10 divisions, and they were:
VARSITY EAST
Team Long Island
10TH GRADE
New Heights
JV9-10
Kendall Madison
8TH GRADE
M5 Elite
5TH GRADE
Great Neck Lightning
6TH GRADE EAST
Lightning/Mitchell
6TH GRADE WEST
Kendal Madison
7TH GRADE EAST
Lightning/Granville
7TH GRADE WEST
Great Neck Lightning
JV: The Long Island Roughryderz
8th Grade: Long Island Roughryderz
7th Grade: Hempstead Dons
6th Grade: Knulife
Congratulations to both the Roughryderz and the Bunky Reid All-Stars programs for strong showings in multiple divisions, and special thanks to Bunky Reid, who filled in at the last minute in the 6th grade division.
APRIL JAMFEST
The 5th Annual April Jamfest started off with a bang, with two of the top programs in the metro area facing off in the finals of two separate divisions, and Brooklyn's On Point Cyclones came out on top in both matchups, defeating Connecticut's East Coast Elite to capture Saturday's 6th and 7th grade championships. The Cyclones capped off their impressive performance by sweeping to the 4th grade title as well. Action resumes Sunday with titles decided in 6 more divisions!
APRIL JAMFEST DAY TWO
The out out town teams dominated day one of the 2013 April Jamfest, but Long Island reasserted itself on day two, led by a terrific showing from the Long Island Roughryderz program, who took home 9th and 8th grade championships, and by Team Elite and Game 7, who brought home the 6th and 5th grade crowns respectively. The out of town squads still had their moments, with NYC's rapidly emerging KnuLife program claiming 7th and 9th grade division titles. A full recap and photos coming soon!
Spadaford Will Transfer
Former South Side star Ryan Spadaford has decided to transfer from the Naval Academy to another school for his sophomore season.
Wizards EBA Champs!
The Wizards, Long Island's pro basketball team, won the 2012-2013 EBA Championship in thrilling fashion, first defeating the Westchester Dutchmen 101-92 behind behind 27 points and 7 assists from Hempstead's Aubin Scott and 20 points and 10 rebounds from Malverne's Anthony Cox, and then the next night taking a thriling 118-116 decision over the Harrisburg Horizon for the 2012-13 EBA Title. Scott and Cox once again led the way, with 29 and 25 points respectively. DETAILS
NBA Report
As the regular season draws to a close, we're happy to report that three LI players are in the starting line-ups of NBA teams, and another makes a significant contribution off the bench. We're very proud of all of them, but we might be most proud of Amityville's Mike James, who now starts for the Dallas Mavericks despite starting the season without a team. Initially signed to a 10 day contract, the 37 year old James moved into the starting lineup on March 6, and the Mavericks have gone 8-3 since then to get within two games of the Los Angeles Lakers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. James had a season high 17 points in a big win over Utah, and has handed out an average of 6 assists in the last 8 games. Next on the list is North Babylon's Danny Green, who is averaging 10.6 ppg for the San Antonio Spurs and has started every game for them as they have compiled the best record in the NBA. Green does a little bit of everything for the San Antonio, and does it well, filling the stat sheet while knocking down threes at a 44% clip and free throws at an 83% clip. Another rising star is Hills West's Tobias Harris, who is starting and averaging 16.3 ppg since being traded to the Orlando Magic 23 games ago. Harris is just in his second year, and played just one year of college ball, so the best is yet to come. Don't forget AJ Price, who is also from Amityville and scores 7.2 points and dishes out 3.7 assists off the bench for Washington. Price has overcome injuries and illnesses to establish himself as a bonafide NBA player, and in just his fourth season, has a bright future too.
Varsity 10 Champion Team Tsunami
Varsity A Champion Team Long Island
9th Grade Champion LI Roughryderz
8th Grade/Sat Champ LIL Campbell
6th Grade Champion LI Storm
7th Grade Champion LIL Busch
4th Grade Champion LI Roughryderz
5th Grade Champion Bunky Reid
VARSITY CHAMPION TEAM LI
In a great finish to a great Long Island travel season, two excellent Long Island teams rose to the occasion and dominated strong fields to win titles at the 2013 Northeastern Summer Championships! Team Long Island captured the Varsity crown in impressive fashion, winning all three of their games by double digits, and Lightning/Express was equally impressive in taking the 10th Grade crown. The tournament featured many outstanding performances from the first rate talent assembled, none greater than the incredible outburst by Holy Trinity's Billy Sixsmith, who plays for Lightning/Express. Sixsmith knocked down an amazing 13 three pointers in one game! New York City teams dominated the younger divisions, with the NYC Jazz
coming away with the 9th Grade Championship, and KnuLife with the 7th Grade title.
4th Grade Champion On Point Cyclones
5th Grade Champion Game 7
6th Grade A Champ On Point Cyclones
7th Grade A Champ On Point Cyclones
7th Grade B Champion KnuLife
9th Grade A Champion KnuLife
8th Grade Champion LI Roughryderz
9th Grade B Champion LI Roughryderz
6th Grade B Champ Team Elite
2013 APRIL JAMFEST CHAMPIONS!
Kendall Madison Takes Two
Kendall Madison came back from the Under Armour Best Of New York Tournament in Westchester with two championships, prevailing in both the 10th and 7th grade divisions.
NY AllStars Tops In Queens
The New Yorl Allstars, formerly know as Team Elite, won the 9th grade/15u Division at the Queens College Slam Dunk NYC Classic.
Kendall Madison 10th Gr Champions
Kendall Madison 7th Gr Champions
Lightning/Femminella Wins
Lightning/Femminella took the 11th grade crown at the Under Amour Best of NY Tournament in Westchester.
Team LI Falls In Final
Team Long Island advanced to the Silver Bracket Championship Game at the Big Shots NCAA Certified Tournment in DC, playing in their third championship game in as many tournaments, but fell 72-65 to the Cape Crusaders of Delaware in the final. St. Dom's Rick Pitino watched Team Long Island play in their semifinal win over the Metro City Players of DC
Lightning/Napolitano won the 11th grade division and the Long Island Panthers won both the 7th and 6th grade boys championships at the Think Pink Classic......... Congratulations to Tim McKenzie and Aaren Edmead for being listed among the top performers at the Providence Jamfest, one of the largest 7ournaments in the country. Both play for Team Long Island, who finished 4-1, losing to finalist Move Your Feet by 7 in the Sweet 16.
May Mayhem Champs
LongIslandBasketball.com's fourth Annual May Mayhem Tournament, held at the terrific new Yes We Can Community Center in Westbury, was a great event filled with exciting games and dramatic finishes! Most of the championship games went right down to the wire, with the New York All-Stars 15U team taking the 10th grade division, Port North the 9th, the Staten Island Musketeers champions in the 8th grade division, and Lightning Granville prevailing in 7th grade!
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM SOON!
7th Gr Champion Lightning/Granville
8th Grade Champion SI Musketeers
9th Grade Champion Port North Falcons
10th Grade Champion NY Allstars
2013
SUMMER SLAM
CHAMPIONS
We went from early morning to late at night non-stop on four courts, and the following champions emerged at the 2013 LongIslandBasketball.com Summer Slam:
11th Gr/Varsity Champs: T&D
10th Grade A/B: LI Heat
10th Grade B: Hoops 92
9th Grade A/B: NBAC
9th Grade B: Nassau Hornets
7th Grade A/B: M5 Elite
7th Grade B: Lightning/Eisler
6th Grade: LI Storm
LI's ALL-GYM RAT PLAYERS
17U
Kevin Little/OSNA
Curtis Jenkins/Farmingdale
Aaren Edmead/Deer Park
16U
Javin Barton/St. Mary's
Justin Fackler/Hills East
Jimmy Golaszewski/Holy Trinity
Elija Baily/LuHi
Golaszewski was also named All-Tournament at The Hall Of Fame Spring Classic
NY Metro Showdown Champs
17u-Hudson River Hornets
16u-RENS
15u-NYC Lightning
14u-Lightning Rothman
Top Players At Gym Rat
Dylan Balducci (Massapequa HS) and James Curley (Seaford HS) were selected as Honorable Mention ALL-GymRat at the Gym Rat Challenge in Albany for Long Island Lightning-Femminella.
NBAC Tourney Champs
Champions from this year's
NBAC Tournament:
9th Grade: North Babylon Bulldogs
8th Grade: North Babylon Bulldogs
7th Grade: Open Season Youth Corp
6th Grade: Suffolks Finest
5th Grade: The Watchmen
4th Grade: Panthers
Stony Brook Team Camp
One again, Steve Pikiell and his staff put together a terrific team camp. Deer Park opened some eyes by defeating St. John The Baptist in the Camp Championship Game. The Falcons graduated three key players, including both of their big men, and are playing a pressing-trapping style that gave everybody at the camp fits. Also impressive were William Floyd and Connetquot, and Northport attracted some attention, putting a very competitive team out on the floor despite graduating all but one starter and one key reserve from their Long Island Championship Team. Bayport BP had their moments, and look like a bonafide Class A contender this season.
Green 12pts In Spurs Win
Long Island's Danny Green had 12 points, including a big three pointer down the stretch in San Antonio's 92-88 win over Miami in game one of the NBA Finals. He also pulled down 5 rebounds. The road win is huge for the Spurs, who host games 3, 4, and 5 and are unbeaten at home in the playoffs.
NBA D League Tryouts
The NBA Development League, the official minor league of the National Basketball Association, will hold its annual National Tryout in New York on June 15 at Basketball City in Manhattan. Players wishing to participate must be at least 18-years-old and meet NBA D-League eligibility requirements. The application for the camp and the player waiver form can be downloaded from the league’s official website at
JJ Moore To Transfer
Brentwood's JJ Moore has decided to transfer from Pitt to Rutgers. STORY
Casey/Smiles On The Move
Two of Long Island’s best coaches - LIU Post coach Chris Casey and Farmingdale State coach Eric Smiles - are moving up the coaching ladder and have accepted new head coaching positions. Coach Casey took the head coaching job at Niagara, while coach Smiles is the new head coach at LIU Post!
Asher Grad Asst. At NC St.
Ben Asher, who played for Oyster Bay High School and Team Underrated, and was the undergrad Team Manager at West Virginia, will be a Grad Assistant @ North Carolina State next season.
Team Underrated Takes Title
Team Underrated won the 15U championship at the Riverbank State Park Tourney. Chris Kelly was named Tourney MVP!
Lightning/Busch Takes Cup
Long Island Lightning Busch, coached by Wally Bachman, went 4-0 and won the Westchester Cup played at the House of Sports and Hooperstown. This 7th grade team has won three tournaments this Spring.
2013 Alzheimer's
All-Star Game
The 2013 Alzheimer's All-Star Classic will take place Sunday, October 20th at Half Hollow Hills West High School in Dix Hills, NY. Long Island's best public, private, and catholic school players will face off in a Nassau/Suffolk showdown! Girls game at 3PM and Boys at 5:30PM
NASSAU BOY'S ALL-STARS
The players selected to the 2013 Nassau County Boys All-Star Team:
Chris Atkinson, LuHi
Elijah Bailey, LuHi
Chris Burkley, LuHi
Dwayne Daniel, Lawrence
Adrian Denner, Carey
Devonte Green, St. Mary’s
Curtis Jenkins, Farmingdale
Stephen Milhaven, St. Mary’s
Robyn Missa, LuHi
Imran Richie, Uniondale
Brandon Thomson, Holy Trinity
Eriq Williams, VSC
NASSAU GIRL'S ALL-STARS
Jordan Agustus, St Marys
Mei Lyn Bautista, St Marys
Boogie Brozoski, LuHi
Skye Burris, St Dominic
Alex Cantwell, North Shore
Lames El Gammal, Baldwin
McKayla Hernandez, St Marys
Kayla Hilaire, Floral Park
Katie Lavelle, LuHi
Alex Parlato, Wantagh
Nani Redford, LuHi
Caroline Robertson, North Shore
Sakara Hester Torres, Uniondale
SUFFOLK BOY'S ALL-STARS
The players selected to the 2013 Suffolk County Boys All-Star Team:
Jamel Allen, Brentwood
Michael Alston, Amityville
Quinton Bush, Bay Shore
Nigel Carter, Brentwood
Jerell Cowell, Newfield
Djibril Diallo, OSNA
Travis Dickerson, Amityville
Aaren Edmead, Deer Park
Shaundell Fishburne, Southampton
Tavon Ginyard, SJB
Terry Harris, Hills West
Jordan McRae, Hills East
Michael Nzei, OSNA
Mike Smith, Amityville
Damon Wilson, OSNA
SUFFOLK GIRL'S ALL-STARS
Natasha Almonacy, Brentwood
Katie Doherty, Sachem East
Alexia Douglas, Brentwood
Kathleen Everson, Sachem East
Heather Forster, Huntington
Caroline Gehring, Southold
Ihnacinse Grady, Copiague
Arella Guirantes, Bellport
Jayla Jones-Pack, St. Anthony’s
Makeda Nicholas, North Babylon
Chastity Taylor, St. Anthony’s
Shawna Thorton, Amityville
Kierstan West, Longwood
All-Star Tryouts
Tryouts for BOTH of the biggest All-Star Games of the year - The October 20th Alzheimer's All-Star Basketball Classic at Hills West HS and the October 27th Metro Classic at Achb. Molloy HS - will be held September 13th - 15th in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE THE DATES! The heavily scouted All-Star Classic matches up the best public, private, and catholic school players on Long Island in a Nassau/Suffolk showdown, and starting this year, will also provide the players for the Long Island Metro Classic teams in the annual war between Long Island and New York City's best! If you are one of the best players on Long Island, and want to dramaticly increase your exposure, this is a can't miss event!!
TRYOUT SCHEDULES
Suffolk Boys & Girls Tryouts
469 Fort Salonga Rd, Northport
9/13- 5:30 pm REGISTRATION
then 6:30-8:30
9/14- 11-1pm
9/15- 9:30-11:30am
Nassau Boys & Girls Tryouts
575 Merrick Ave, Westbury
9/13- 6pm REGISTRATION
then 7-9pm
9/14- 4-6pm
9/15- 3:30-5-30pm
Around The Net
Edmead Commits To Lowel
Deer Park's Aaren Edmead has commited to UMass/Lowel, a new D1 program that will play in the America East Conference along with Stony Brook.
Will Brown Gets Extension
Miller Place’s Will Brown got a 5 year contract extension at U Albany STORY
Larry Brown/SMU Update
Long Beach grad, former ABA All-Star, and Halll Of Fame Coach Larry Brown is entering his second season at SMU. Here is an UPDATE
Harris Has Battle To Start
Hills West's Tobias Harris will have to fight for a starting position with the Magic, despite his impressive performance with the team last season. STORY
Babylon Honors Green
Atkinson Was 76ers Finalist
Northport's Kenny Atkinson, who starred at St. Antnony's and Richmond and was an assistant with the Knicks before moving to the Atlanta Hawks, was one of the finalists for the Philadelphia 76ers Head Coaching job.
AJ Price Waits
Amityville's AJ Price, coming off his best NBA season so far, is still a free agent. MORE
Danny Green INTERVIEW
Tobias Harris INTERVIEW
Summer Leagues
Summer League Playoffs are underway. In the featured 4-5 matchup of the Baldwin Summer League quarterfinals, Valley Stream Central rallied from a 13 point 4th quarter deficit to nip Hempstead 55-54. Kevin Blocker led the comeback with two aggressive coast to coast baskets, and then after a steal by Blocker, Justin Ritter got the game winner on a tip-in. In other action, top seeded Lawrence continues to surprise and impress, rolling over a solid Roosevelt team, and third seed Massapequa looked formidable, blitzing shorthanded Floral Park. Host and two seed Baldwin also impressed, hammering a determined MacArthur team and looking like one of the favorites in Nassau AA once again this season. The semifinals will be Friday and the finals Monday 8/12.
Girls Power Shift?
Ted Oberg, who turned the SJB Girls Basketball Program into a perennial powerhouse, has accepted an offer to build a national program at Upper Room Christian School in Dix Hills. He will be replaced at SJB by Bruce Haller, the Girls Varsity Coach at Commack High School for the last 5 years, who led the Cougars to a 16-3 record last season and a spot in the Suffolk Class AA Semifinals.
McKillop USA Coach
Chaminade's Bob McKillop, the head coach at Davidson, has been pegged to be the Team USA head coach at the World University Games. Like Rockville Centre's Billy Donovan, who has been called apon to reverse a string of disappointing peformances by team USA's 19U team (they are 4-0 so far at the World Championships), McKillop is being counted on to bring back gold in an event the USA has won only once since 1999.
L.I. At Nike Elite
Nike's Elite 100 Camp, for top freshmen and sophomores, was held in St. Louis this year and OSNA's Kassoum Yakwe and St. Mary's Devonte Green both attended. LuHi Coach John Buck was invited to coach as well.
OSNA's Diallo MVP
OSNA's Cheick Diallo, a 6'9 sophomore, catapulted himself towards the top of the national player rankings by coming away with the MVP award at the prestigious National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp. MORE
More College Decisions
Jon Patron, who was the leading scorer on the 2012 Harborfields State Championship team and an All-New York State and All-Long Island player, will be attending Dowling...... Uniondale star Aaron Cust, who was All-New York State, All-Long Island, and MVP at the Alzheimer's Game, has decided to play basketball at St. Thomas Aquinas....... Jake Lundenberg, who had an outstanding career at Lawrence Woodmere Academy and was one of Long island's top three point shooters year after year, will play for CCNY next fall.
Nelson NBA Looks
Former Lawrence star and Morehouse all conference player Andrae Nelson has recently drawn interest and worked out for the Houston Rockets. He will be working out for the Orlando Magic in the near future as well.
Green Leads Spurs.
North Babylon native and St. Mary's grad Danny Green continued his outstanding play in the NBA Finals, leading San Antonio to a 113-77 rout of Miami with 7 three pointers and 27 points. The Spurs now lead the series 2-1, and host the next two games.
Going To Prep School
Add Deer Park's Keith Williams and Northport's Mike Milligan to the list of top Long Island players that have decided to go the prep school route. Williams is off to Coastal Academy and Milligan to La Jolla Prep in San Diego. They join Dalique Mingo, who is headed for Putnam Science, and Jeremy Arthur, who will play at Trinity-Pawling.
Donovan Tall USA Task
By Team USA standards, the 19U team, composed mostly of college players, has struggled in recent history, winning only two world championships going back to 1987. No other country has won more than one in that time frame, but expectations are always high for Team USA. Why only the modest succes? Some of the top players in the age group, this year Kentucky's Nerlens Noel for example, leave school early for the NBA Draft, while others are just starting their college careers and are hesitant to miss workouts with their new teams. That makes it a difficult task to put together an elite squad capable of beating the world’s best. Rockville Centre’s Billy Donovan, who coached the Florida Gators to two National Championships and the USA 18U team to a FIBA Americas gold medal last summer, has been given that responsibility. His roster is now set, and his coaching staff in place, and the team will make final preparations for a June 27th first round match-up with the Ivory Coast. Games will take place in the Czec Republic. ROSTER
Green Sets NBA Record
North Babylon's Danny Green set an NBA Finals record, knocking down 25 three pointers through 5 games in only 38 attempts - a 66% clip! Ray Allen held the old record of 22 in 7 games for the Celtics in the 2008 final against the Lakers. San Antonio now leads the series 3-2, but the next two games are in Miami.
Coaches Clinic Sunday
3d Athletics will be hosting its 3rd Annual 3d Athletics Coaches Clinic Sunday, September 22. King Rice, standout at North Carolina and now Head Men's Basketball Coach at Monmouth University, will discuss TOUGH MAN TO MAN DEFENSE, Tobin Anderson, Head Men's Basketball Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas College, will be discussing HALF COURT MOTION SETS, and Pat Kennedy, former Head Men's Basketball Coach at Florida State University, DePaul University, Towson University, and Iona College and now recently hired to take on the helm at Pace University, will have an OPEN Q&A and answer questions on any topic.
Fall Leagues
The Queens based Beacon Fall League was the first high profile league to get underway, and Long Island teams were 5-1 over the first week of action. On day one, Elmont rolled over Eagle Academy 63-41 behind the scoring and rebounding of Dominique Senat, the sharpshooting of Matthew Graham, and floor leadership of Tristian Brown, while Holy Trinity, Elmont's opponent in the Kennedy Park Summer League Championship Game, knocked off St. Edmund's Prep 58-40 behind a balanced attack led by Bill Sixsmith, Peter Aikens, and Jimmy Golasewski..... On day two, Deer Park rallied past Far Rockaway 46-36 behind 21 points from Aaren Edmead, and St. Mary's held off QHST 54-47 with Jesse Govan leading the way with 22 points and two North Babylon kids, Devonte Green and freshman transfer Chris Coalman adding 16 and 12 points respectively. Day three saw Valley Stream Central ..... The start of the IS8/Nike Fall League, scheduled for 9/14, has been pushed back a week.
MSG Varsity Pulls Plug
If you go to Cablevision Ch. 14, you will see MSG Varsity is gone. Fortunately, it will still continue as an online service, and 614, the on demand channel, will continue to operate. Sad to see, but it never really seemed economically viable without advertising or sponsorships.
New Coaches!
Time to start our list of new varsity coaches! If you are one or know of one, LET US KNOW! So far we have:
BOYS VARSITY
Ev Corwin, Greenport
Tom Femminella, Ward Melville
Bill McBrien, Longwood
Ryan McNeely, Mt. Sinai
Jason Mercurio, Cold Spring Harbor
Joel Sutherland, Comsewogue
GIRLS VARSITY
Ted Oberg, Upper Room
Adam Lievre, Shoreham WR
Hoops Trivia
When Paul Pierce was traded away by the Celtics, it got us wondering how many great players stayed with the same team their entire careers. It turns out, of the 50 players voted to the NBA's Best Players Of All-Time list, only 18 played for just one team! Interestingly though, 7 of the 18 played for the Celtics - more than any other team.
Coliseum Project News
The winning plans submitted by the developer of Brooklyn's Barclays Center for the renovation of the Nassau Coliseum are great news for the Long Island sports community if they end up getting the approval of the Nassau County Legislature and the Town Of Hempstead. MORE Not only will will Long Island have a new state of the art arena to host a long list of events, but the project also includes plans for an expanded Island Garden, doubling its current capacity and enabling it to host the kind of national events that haven't been held here in the past. To learn more, GO TO THEIR NEWS RELEASE
Warriors Waive Machado
The Golden State Warriors have waived St. Mary’s Scott Machado. Machado was originally signed as a free agent call-up from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBDL on April 7, 2013, and appeared briefly in five playoff games. He also appeared in six games with the Houston Rockets last season and spent significant time in the D-League, averaging 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game in 28 contests combined between Santa Cruz and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
BCANY Hoops Festival
The BCANY Hoops Festival was started to fill the void created from the cancelation of the Empire Games. At the Empire Games, a combined Long Island team participated, but Nassau and Suffolk have elected to enter separate teams at the Hoops Festival, with Nassau sending only a girls team. RESULTS:
PLAYOFFS
GIRLS SEMIFINALS
Hudson Valley 63 Nassau 57
BOYS SEMIFINALS
Adirondack 88 Suffolk 49
ROUND 4 (Girls Only)
Nassau Girls 70 Central 60
Suffolk Girls 66 Adirondack 59
ROUND 3
Nassau Girls 87 Adirondack 78
Suffolk Boys 88 Rochester 50
Rochester 62 Suffolk Girls 59
ROUND 2
Nassau Girls 76 Southern Tier 64
Hudson Valley 76 Suffolk Boys 64
Hudson Valley 78 Suffolk Girls 74
ROUND 1
Suffolk Boys 91 Buffalo 71
Nassau Girls 60 Mid Hudson 27
Buffalo 57 Suffolk Girls 50
College Updates
Three more college choices to report:
Rokas Lapsys from LWA has commited to Post University in Conneticut, Liam Murphy from Chaminade to SUNY - Geneseo, and Marcus Solomon from Hills West is headed to Pace University.
Editors Inbox
Rockville Centre's Billy Donovan got the USA 19U Team back on track, guiding them to a World Championship MORE..... Lawrence's Andrae Nelson, who starred at Morehouse College, was invited to play for the Orlando Magic Summer League Team...... Roslyn's George Beamon, Manhattan's leading scorer in 2011-2012, missed all but four of the Jasper's games last season - his senior season - with an ankle injury. The good news is he will return to the team next seaon after receiving a medical redshirt. Manhattan advanced to the MAAC tournament championship game without him, and returns four starters from that team, so watch out for them this season!......... Look for three Long Islanders to contribute for St. Francis NY next season. Upper Room's Matt Milk, William Floyd's Anthony White, and Westbury's Sheldon Hagigal all played significant roles in the Terriers recent exibition trip to Canada, and all three are expected to see a lot of court time next season......... College conference realignment has exploded in the past few years. HERE is a good reference to help you keep track of all the changes...... South Side's Ryan Spadaford is transfering from Navy to Tufts MORE
All-Star Dunk Video
There is a nice video from this years first annual Alzheimers All-Star Dunk contest, won by Diego Maldonado. Maldonado's winning dunk brought the crowd to its feet, and fans lined up for his autograph afterwards!
Prosper Prospers
Former SUNY Old Westbury star Lester Prosper has been finding success is his professional career, and is hoping for more. After playing overseas, he attended the NBA D-League national tryout, and was one of the few players to get widespread attention from the assembled coaches, and now he's being considered for spots on NBA Summer League teams! MORE
Matthews Knicks Invite!
Farmingdale State star AJ Matthews will get the chance to prove he can play at the next level on the Knicks Summer League team. MORE
Nassau Top 40 All-Stars
Players from Nassau County’s top public school programs dominated the 2013 Nassau Top 40 All-Star Doubleheader. Elmont’s Tristan Brown and Uniondale’s Shomarie Redd dazzled the crowd in a high scoring but tight, back and forth Game One - Brown with his pinpoint passing and Redd with his ability to put the ball in the basket. Baldwin’s Marvin Chartelain, Elmont’s Greg Rhone, and Valley Stream South’s Wiliam Knight combined for 46 points to carry their team to a convincing victory in Game Two, while Valley Stream South’s Dana King and Elmont’s Keith Tompkins starred for the losing side. Redd, who just transferred to the Knights, led all scorers in the doubleheader, finishing with 30 points. He and Long Island All-Star Imran Richie give Uniondale a 1-2 punch as good as any on Long Island. Carey’s Adrian Denner, a talented under the radar player with both an inside and outside game, finished with 22 points, and three very good youngsters rounded out the leading scorers, VSS’s King with 17 and Lawrence’s Sam Robinson and South Side’s Alex Sorenson with 16 each. Next up, the Nassau Coaches will select ten players from the doubleheader to represent Nassau County in their annual battle with Suffolk County. That will take place in early November.
Nassau Top 40!
The players for the 2013 Nassau Top 40 All-Star Doubleheader have been chosen. GO TO ROSTERS. The doubleheader will be held Sunday, 10/6 at the Town Of Oyster Bay/PAL Athletic Center in Hicksville. Game times are 2 and 3:45 PM.
Around The Net
STORY on Florida Gators Coach Billy Donovan from Rockville Centre..... Amityville's AJ Price is still unsigned, but has recent interest from T-Wolves and considerable interest from overseas..... St. Mary's Scott Machado was added to the Utah Jazz training camp roster ..... Brentwood's JJ Moore received a waiver and will be able to play at Rutgers this season after transferring from Pitt......
Nassau Top 100!
Nassau County Top 100 Camp is being held at SUNY Old Westbury on Friday, 9/27 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm and on Sunday 9/29 from 1:00 pm to 4:00pm. This camp is for Nassau County public school players only, and is being run by the NCBCA. The registration fee is $60. High school players should see their coach for further info. From this camp, top 40 All-Star game rosters will be selected and then a final roster of ten players will be chosen to take on the Suffolk top 10.
Leading Returning Scorers!
Caelen McCabe, Smithtown C. 22.6
Terry Harris, Hills West, 22.3
Jonathan Grimsley, VS Central 21.1
Dylan Balducci, Massapequa, 20.8
Jessie Govan, St. Mary's, 20.7
Fall Coaching Course
There will be a coaching fundamentals course held on consecutive Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset. Dates are October 15-16 and October 22-23 from 7 pm to 9:30 pm. This outstanding program, put together by championship coach Gus Alfieri, will help coaches at all levels teach fundamentals more effectively. Coach Alfieri will be assisted by another legendary Long Island coach, Rich Wrase, and by other accomplished teachers of the game! MORE
Summer Leagues
Bunky Reid Summer League
The Bunky Reid All-Stars picked up a 71-70 win over the NYC Jazz to win the 17U chip at the Bunky Reid Summer League. Players of the game were Andre Walker with 22 points, Tim Quashie with 13 points, and Justin Wright with 10 points.
NorthSport Summer League
North Shore picked up their second summer league title of the season, beating Hauppauge in the semifinal and Full Court Press in the final.
Island Garden Summer League
Adrian Denner and Dylan DeMeo led a balanced attack in Carey's semifinal win over Lightning/Leighton. They will take on FE Hoops/Cohen, a come from behind winner over Salvation Army
Huntington Summer League
Hills East rolled past John Glenn for the Huntington Summer League Championship. Jordan McRae and Mike Simon were co-MVPs. East overpowered Huntington in their semifinal, while Glenn snuck by Walt Whitman.
Baldwin Summer League
Host Baldwin moved out to a double digit lead and held it most of the way, beating Lawrence in the Championship Game. Jared Bradford picked up MVP honors for the Bruins, who advanced to the final with a win over Massapequa, while Lawrence got by Valley Stream Central.
West Babylon Summer League
Amityville defeated Deer Park in the final of the West Babylon Summer League, led by Player Of The Game Mike Alston. They advanced to the final with a semifinal win over Lindenhurst, while Deer Park defeated Connetquot. Amityville also won the Westbury Spring League, where Mike Smith and Travis Dickerson were co-MVPs.
Kennedy Park Summer League
Holy Trinity defeated Elmont in the championship game of the Kennedy Park Summer League in Hempstead. Holy Trinity advanced to the final by rocking Hempstead in theirs semifinal, sparked by the aggressive play of Jimmy Golaszewski. Elmont held off Valley Stream Central in their semifinal behind the scoring and leadership of Tristan Brown
Hicksville PAL Summer League
North Shore won the championship of the 23 team Hicksville Summer League, out battling Garden City for the title. North Shore stopped Friends Academy and Garden City turned back Carle Place in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. North Shore also won the Spring League
LI National Champs
Three Long Island girls were part of USA Basketball's National 3 on 3 Championship team! They were Iesha Walker (Copiague HS, South Carolina) Kaitlin Oberg (St. John the Baptist, Baylor/Furman), and Gabby Gibson (Copiague, Assumption), and they took home the title along with Ashley Bruner (South Carolina). Walker was named tournament MVP.
Cutbacks At MSG Varsity
Hope it's not as bad as it sounds, but The New York State Sportswriters Association published a report
that Cablevision-owned MSG Varsity had a "major purge" of broadcast operations, selling off news trucks and laying off employees. Sounds like it will effect other regions most. MORE
Tim Casey 3 on 3
The champions at this year's
Tim Casey Memorial 3 on 3 Tournament were:
OPEN DIVISION
THE ROCKETS
Keith Anderson
Lawrence Combs
Ross Ragonesi
HIGH SCHOOL
WILLIAM FLOYD
Devonte Dixon
Tristan Deboe
Shane O'Donohue
Brian Samuelson
Our first major tournament of the 2013-2014 season featured two terrific championship games, 6 overtime contests, and an impressive first time program, the Hilltoppers from New Jersey, who returned home after claiming both the 8th and 7th grade titles. Every game was close in the featured varsity division, with OSYC, made of up players from Upper Room, taking the crown over a surprising Ward Melville squad. The All City Panthers came from behind to defeat the Long Island Roughryderz in an exciting JV final, while the Hilltoppers dominated the 8th and 7th grade divisions - particularly the 7th, where they were never seriously challenged, rolling over a solid Long Island Storm team in the final. The 8th graders were impressive too in a stronger division, with OSYC, a program on the rise, finishing second. CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTOS LATER
Around The Net
Maldonado Dunk On ESPN
Valley Steam South's Diego Maldonado, who will be playing at Queens College this season, stunned the crowd and judges at the Alzheimer's All-Star Slam Dunk Contest with his winning dunk, and when ESPN saw it, they made it one of their Plays Of The Day! SEE VIDEO Amazingly, Diego also won the Three Point Shooting Contest!
Vinny Decerbo Passes Away
Former Southampton College and Patchogue High School basketball coach Vinny DeCerbo passed away at the age of 68. MORE He was a really good guy and a good coach and will be sorely missed!
Bulls Invite James
Amityvile's Mike James has been invited to the Chicago Bulls Training Camp MORE
Editors Inbox
Registration for the North Babylon Intramural League has opened. Boys grades K to 8 and girls grades K to 9. Visit our website for all the details at www.nbacbasketball.com or Contact Charles Klages at 631 833 0331..... Joel Sutherland is the new boys varsity coach at Comsewogue..... Hicksvilles Pablo Segura will be playing at Medgar Evers ..... Islip's Tighe Oberg is attending Lake Land College, a D1 Junior College in Illinois..... Ryan McNeely has accepted the boys varsity basketball job at Mt Sinai HS after coaching the varsity at Centereach HS for the past 11 years..... St. Anthony's Steven Pandales will be playing for Nassau Community College in the fall..... LuHi's Darnell Gray will be attending The Kent School in Conneticut for a prep year ..... Tom Femminella is the new boys varsity coach at Ward Melville MORE..... St. Francis of NY knows where to find talent! Deer Park's Aaren Edmead got his second D1 offer from the Terriers, who already have Long Islanders Anthony White, Sheldon Hagigal, and Matt Milk on the roster! ...... Uniondale's Shaq Mosley is going to Mohawk Valley Community College..... Dantre Langhorne from Greenport will attend Herkimer CC this fall. He was at Queen City Prep and played a year at D1 JUCO Miami Dade..... Islip's John Horowitz has transferred to Hawaii Pacific..... Former NBA All-Star Wally Sczerbiak, who played for Cold Spring Harbor, will speak at the NorthSport Boys Basketball Camp in Northport the week of Aug 26-30..... Hempstead star Tidell Pierre will be playing for Garden City CC, a D1 JUCO in Kansas this season...... Kyhiem Chaplin from Freeport will be playing at Queens College..... Deer Park's Aaren Edmead got his first D1 offer, and it's from UMass/Lowel, who is stepping up fron D2 and into the America East Conference....... 2012 Uniondale High School grad Dashawn Benson signed with D1 JUCO Eastern Wyoming Community College, where he will join Kellenberg grad Bryan Gellineau..... 2011 SJB grad Dante Smallwood-Thompson signed with D2 Lackawanna CC in Pennsylvania
Travel Team Updates
AAU Nationals Report
Over the years, most Long Island teams have played in Division 2 at the AAU Nationals, but three Long Island 11th grade teams stepped up and entered the AAU Division 1 Championships this year, and all three showed a large national audience of college coaches and scouts that Long Island players and teams can play with anybody. Team Long Island had the most success, advancing out of their pool and into the championship round before losing a heartbreaker to Florida Elite, who went on to the Elite 8 before falling. Kendall Madison also showed they belonged, losing two very tough games in pool play, as did Lightning/Femminilla, who also suffered two hard fought losses in pool play.
Las Vegas Update
The Black Mambas had another good run out west, advancing to the consolation bracket semifinals in the 10th grade division of the Adidas Super 64 Tournament before falling to Team Loaded of Virginia. At the Las Vegas Classic, Team Underrated 17U also made it to the semifinals of the consolation bracket, falling to the Reach Legends from Michigan.
AAU Nationals Update
The national travel season wraps up this weekend, highlighted by the AAU D1 Nationals at Disney World in Orlando. Pool play has been completed in both the 11th and 10th grade divisions, and four Metropolitan District teams have advanced to the championship round, including one from Long Island. In the 11th Grade division, Team Long Island will be joined by the Riverside Hawks, The City, and the Brooklyn Ballers. Surprisingly, no team from the district advanced in the 10th Grade Division. In already completed D2 action, two district teams placed in 11th Grade, with the Newburgh Zion Lions finishing 3rd, and the Minutemen 7th. No district teams placed in 10th.
TU Falls In Vegas Quarters
Team Underrated 17U won their pool at Las Vegas Live, and then won their first two elimination games against teams from Canada and Illinois before falling in the quarterfinals to the Emerald City Pioneers from the state of Washington.
Mambas Fall in Cali Final
The Black Mambas 16U advanced to the championship game of the of the Double Pump Summer Tip Off in Anaheim Ca. before falling to the Oakland Warriors by 5 in the final.
Heat JamFest Champions
HS - Brentwood HS
9th - Hoop Dreams
7th - NBAC
5th - NBAC
KMP Jamfest Champions
17U - Kendall Madison
15U - Kendall Madison
14U - NBAC
12U - LI Storm
10TH GR CHAMP LIL/EXPRESS
9TH GR CHAMP NYC JAZZ
7TH GR CHAMP KNULIFE
SUPER LEAGUE!
| ||||
2013 Suffolk BCANY Team
WB Summer and Bunky Reid Spring League Champion Amityville
LL Cool J Summer League JV Champion LI Ballerz
NorthSport 4th/5th Summer League Champion Team Green
Varsity Champion OSYC
JV Champion All City Panthers
8th Gr Champ Hilltopper Heat
7th Gr Champ Hilltopper Heat
BACK TO SCHOOL
SHOWDOWN
LongIslandBasketball.com's
Ira Levine Passes Away
It's always sad to report the passing of a member of the basketball community, but particularly difficult when that person is liked and respected by everyone, as Ira Levine was. He was a terrific official - in baseball and football too - and an even better person. We will all miss him. He died Monday at the age of 62 after a short battle with cancer.
Fall Lightning Tryouts!
The Lightning, the largest AAU program in the country with 245 teams throughout the Northeast, will now be holding FALL TRYOUTS at its Island Garden, NorthSport, and LI Sportsplex locations! DETAILS
Nassau All-Star Team
The following players have been selected to represent Nassau County at the 2013 Long Island Public School All-Star Game. There will be 12 roster players and one alternate. The alternate will be designated at a later date. The All-Star Team is:
Balducci, Dylan/Massapequa
Bodden, Carlos/Sewanhaka
Brown, Tristan/Elmont
Burke, Jack/Farmingdale
Chartelain, Marvin/Baldwin
Colson, Paul/Baldwin
Davy, Darren/West Hempstead
Denner, Adrian/Carey
Redd, Shomari/Uniondale
Rhone, Greg/Elmont
Richardson, Miking/Baldwin
Tompkins, Keith/Elmont
Zafron, Cody/East Meadow
Brentwood HS Tourney
Two of the top boys varsity teams on Long Island went 4-0 in pool play and met in the championship game of the Brentwood High School Preseason Tournament, with Deer Park defeating the hosts in a tight contest behind the play of Aaren Edmead.
Manhattan Over Pride
Hofstra held Roslyn's George Beamon to just 6 points, but the Jaspers rallied past the Pride for a 66-59 victory. STORY
Belmont Stops Hofstra
The truth is, we were all worried that Hofstra might not be competitive this year, but Coach Mihalich has done a great job and they've been in every game except Louisville so far. No sin in that. The problem now is holding onto leads, and the Pride gave up another one, falling to Belmont 85-75. STORY
Spiders Top Pride In OT
Hofstra gave up an 11 point second half lead and fell on the road at Richmond. STORY
Hofstra Adds Big Man
Hofstra added 6'10 forward/center Andre Walker from Clarksburg, Maryland to their 2014 recruiting class. STORY
Louisville Over Hofstra
Pride Hammer FDU
Hofstra evened their record at 1-1 with an 80-58 thrashing of FDU, rolling to 50 first half points. Jamall Robinson led a balanced attack with 15. LuHi's Jordan Allen had 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. STORY
Hofstra Drops Opener
The Pride gave up a 9 point halftime lead, falling 88-84 to Monmouth. Harborfields' Chris Brady had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block in his college debut for Monmouth, while LuHi's Jordan Allen had 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks for Hofstra. STORY
LI Hoops Trivia
At least one Long Island boys team has played for a State Championship every year since 1996.
LI Metro Sweep!
Both the Long Island Boys and Girls teams rallied to defeat their New York City counterparts at the 10th Annual Metro Classic All-Star Game, with the boys winning 119-118 and the girls 88-82. Devonte Green led all scorers in the boys game with 23 points, MVP Mike Nzei had 20, Kobie Eubanks had 18, and Aaren Edmead finished with 13. For the girls, MVP Arella Guirantes had 20 points, Boogie Brozoski had 19, and Chastity Taylor 16.
Upstate/Downstate
The Upstate/Downstate Challenge has quickly become one of the top events on December's calender, and will be held on December 14th this year at Uniondale HS. The line-up is:
12:00 PM Burke Catholic vs Amityville
2:00 PM New Rochelle vs LuHi
4:00 PM Mt St. Michael vs South Side
6:00 PM Middletown vs Baldwin
8:00 PM Kingston vs Uniondale
Stunning Transfers
We reported earlier that two star catholic league players - Jessie Govan from St. Mary's and Nigel Carter from St. Anthony's - had transferred to new schools in the last week, and we have subsequently learned that two more good players have left St. Anthony's - Anfernee Casimir, who joined Carter at Brentwood, and Leland Williams, who has enrolled at Amityville! Wow! The St. Mary's big man mysteriously left a team loaded with young talent that might have contended for state championships for years to come, while Carter and Casimir also left a team loaded with talent, but transferred to an even more highly regarded Brentwood program that will also add recuperating star forward Femi Olujobi to a line-up that has been dominant all summer and fall. Williams bolsters an excellent Amityville line-up that is expected to get little competition in Suffolk Class A this season and will be a strong contender to go upstate once again. Despite the blows, both St. Mary's and St. Anthony's remain NSCHSAA contenders, a tribute to their programs.
AROUND THE NET
College Report
Manhattan College senior George Beamon from Roslyn was named to the All-MAAC Preseason men's basketball First Team …… Junior Chavaughn Lewis from St. Mary’s and the Marist men’s basketball team has been named to the All-MAAC Preseason Second Team…. East Meadow’s All County forward Joe Campay has made the team at Molloy College as a walk-on.
Girls All-Star Recap
Missed free throws helped decide the exciting first game of the 2013 Alzheimer’s All-Star Basketball Classic, allowing the Suffolk Girls All-Star Team to dramatically come from behind in the final seconds to defeat Nassau 62-61. St. Mary’s Jordan Agustus gave Nassau the early lead, completing a three point play, but it remained close in the early going and it was a tie game after a fast break basket by Wantagh's Alex Parlato with 12:10 to play in the first half. Back to back jumpers by Alex Cantwell from North Shore put Nassau back on top, but Longwood's Kiersten West nailed a three pointer from the left wing to cut it to 15-14, and North Babylon's Makeda Nicholas drilled one from the right wing to give Suffolk a 17-15 lead at the 9:42 mark. It was 22-15 Suffolk after Chastity Taylor from St. Anthony's knocked down a three pointer from the right wing, 25-17 after another three by Nicholas, and then Huntington's Heather Forster banked one off the glass for a 9 point Suffolk lead, but Nassau reeled off 10 straight points to close out the half, 4 by LuHi's Katie Lavelle, and took a 1 point lead into the locker room on two free throws by St. Mary's Mei Lyn Bautista. LuHi's Boogie Brozoski stole the ball and scored to open the second half and give Nassau a three point lead, but Nicholas knocked down another three to tie it. Nassau answered right back on Lavelle’s three point play, but a three point play by Bellport's Arella Guirantes, and then her three pointer from left wing put Suffolk back on top. It was 45-39 Suffolk after Southold's Caroline Gehring cut to the basket from the weak side, got the pass and scored, and it became a 7 point game after Guirantes knocked down a three off and inbound play, but a jump hook by Agustus and a basket from underneath by Lavelle cut it to 50-47. Suffolk rebuilt their lead, going up 7 with 3:04 to play after a Guirantes foul line jumper, but a drive by Lavelle and a fast break basket by Bautista cut it to 59-56 with 1:52 showing. Cantwell’s jumper from the right wing made it a 1 point game with 1:22 to go, and after a Suffolk free throw, Augustus drove and tied it at 60 with 24 seconds on the game clock to set up the dramatic ending. Suffolk turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and drew a technical foul call with 13 seconds to play, giving Nassau the opportunity to ice the game, but dodged a bullet when Nassau went 1-4 from the line in the closing seconds to take a slim 1 point lead. That opened the door for Nicholas, who went hard to the basket and scored the game winner.
Lightning Expand East
After a very successful expansion into Suffolk County, the Lightning program is continuing to push eastward with its move into the Long Island Sportsplex in Sayville. The new program will be under the direction of Suffolk Lightning Director Rob Pavinelli. MORE
Boys All-Star Recap
After a great girl’s game set the stage, the Alzheimer’s All-Star Basketball Classic boys took the court and delivered another classic, with Suffolk County holding on for a dramatic 82-81 victory. It looked like it might not be a contest as the first half unfolded, with Our Savior New American players Damon Wilson and Michael Nzei leading Suffolk to a quick 8-2 advantage, but Nassau settled in, and Devonte Green’s three point play brought the western Long Islanders back within one. Green blocked a shot and raced down court for an emphatic dunk to give Nassau a 9-8 lead, but it was short-lived, with Suffolk moving back in front on two free throws by Hills West’s Terry Harris. Harris then added a three from the baseline and a coast to coast basket to put Suffolk up 18-11, and SJB’s Tavon Ginyard hit a short pull-up jumper from the baseline to make it 31-21 at the 3:01 mark of the half. It began to look like Eastern Long Island was taking control when Southampton’s Shaundell Fishburne knocked down a 3 pointer from the left wing and added a free throw moments later for a 16 point lead, but Valley Stream Central’s Eriq Williams sparked Nassau with a driving reverse layup in traffic, and then he drew a foul once again in traffic, going 1-2 from the line, and St. Mary’s Stephen Milhaven rebounded the miss and scored to make it a 38-27 game at halftime. Holy Trinity’s Brandon Thompson opened the second half scoring, cutting the Suffolk lead to single digits, but a turnaround jumper by Harris from just inside the foul line made it 42-29 Suffolk, and then his three pointer from the top made it 45-31. A putback by Hills East’s Jordan McCray pushed the lead to 17 with 16:53 to play, but a beautiful give and go basket by Green and then his incredible four point play on a fall away jumper from the baseline seemed to get Nassau back into it. Suffolk responded though, with Amityville’s Mike Smith scoring on a putback and Harris scoring on the break to make it a 16 point game. Dwayne Daniel’s teardrop from the lane began the Nassau comeback in earnest, and then LuHi’s Elijah Bailey knocked down a three and his LuHi teammate, Chris Atkinson, stole the ball and found another teammate, Chris Burkley, for a driving basket to cut the defict to 9 with 13:41 to play. Bailey scored again, turning a mad scramble for the ball into a three point play, and then a three pointer by Burkley and Nassau was within 4. It would be a dogfight the rest of the way. Farmingdale’s Curtis Jenkins tied it with a three pointer from the left baseline at the 10:52 mark, and then he drew a foul on a putback attempt and went 1 for 2 from the line to put Nassau on top, but neither team could take control and the teams traded baskets and free throws right down to the 6:15 mark, when Nzei’s big tip-in gave Suffolk a 5 point cushion, and then his second tip-in and a Harris free throw put Suffolk up 8 with 4:31 left. Nassau answered with a three pointer from the top by Atkinson, Daniel’s three from the baseline, and two free throws by Williams that made it a one point game as the clock dipped under the three minute mark. Daniel then drained a jumper from the left wing to give Nassau a 77-76 lead, but Smith recaptured it with a foul line jumper off an inbound play. Green’s two big free throws put Nassau back on top with 2:07 remaining, but the lead changed hands again on Wilson’s baseline drive. Green knocked down two more clutch free throws with 11 seconds left to make it 81-80 Nassau, but Harris drew a foul going hard to the basket with 6 seconds to play and calmly knocked down both free throws for the win. The two Long Island blue-bloods led all scorers: MVP Terry Harris, brother of the NBA’s Tobias Harris, had a game high 22, and Devonte Green, brother of the NBA’s Danny Green, had 21. Shaundell Fishburne was the only other double digit scorer with 12. Girls recap, box scores, and photos to follow.
EDITOR'S INBOX
KJ Lee, who is from Huntington, committed to Marist..... Northport's Matt Smith will be playing for D1 Binghampton this season....... Uniondale's Jamiu Oladimeji is currently attending the College of St. Joseph, an NAIA Division 1 school, on a basketball scholarship..... TJ Dunn and Nick Petrucelli from Hicksville will both be doing a post-grad year at Thomasville Prep, while OSNA's Kevin Little is at Each One Teach One...... Dalton Prendergast from Bayport has transferred to Westminster Prep and has reclassified as a junior.
SUMMER PHOTOS
All-Star Classics!
The 2013 Alzheimer’s All-Star Basketball Classic was just that - a classic! Both games were filled with talented players, played in front of big crowds, and came right down to the wire! You really couldn't ask for more! In the end, it was a Suffolk County sweep, with the boy’s winning 82-81 on two dramatic free throws by MVP Terry Harris from Hills West, while the girls gave up the lead with 13 seconds left before MVP Makeda Nicholas from North Babylon drove to the basket and scored for an exciting 62-61 victory.
PHOTOS LATER TODAY!!.
FALL HOOPS FESTIVAL
VARSITY CHAMPION NJ PANTHERS
The objective of our tournament series has always been to bring out of town teams here to Long Island, but the success we've had doing it spelled trouble for our local teams in our most recent event, with the visitors sweeping all of the featured divisions at the 2013 Long Island Fall Hoops Festival. It was the first time that no Long Island team claimed a championship in our 5 years of running tournaments. Competition was fierce in the varsity division, with lots of very close and hard fought games, and the Panthers from New Jersey emerged as champions, coming from behind to defeat a good Bristol Ballers team from Connecticut in the final. Ward Melville, who continues to impress, took home third place with a win over Brentwood. The All City Panthers repeated as JV Champions, defeating the NYC Blue Devils in the final, while the Hilltopper Heat from New Jersey played a memorable double overtime game with NYC’s Knulife on their way to the 9th Grade Championship. A much improved Shooting Stars team took third. The 8th grade title went to the impressive Knulife program, who defeated the LI Saints in the final. A very good CYO team from the St. James program finished third.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
VARSITY DIVISION
Michael Almonacy - Brentwood HS, NY
Rashaan Spencer - Mt. Olive HS, NJ
Frankie Rios - Newton HS, NJ
Gabe Brown- Ward Melville HS, NY
Jake Collins - Bristol Central HS, CT
JV DIVISION
Jordan Morgan - Nazareth HS, NY
Jaheam Cornwall-Francis Lewis, NY
Tahiyr Vines - Cardozo HS, NY
Justina Paura - Connetquot HS, NY
Dwayne Amos - Boys & Girls HS, NY
9TH GRADE DIVISION
Gabriel Johnson - St. Peter's HS, NJ
Yvens Monflury - Am. History HS, NJ
Amenra Reid - Valley Str. Mem. HS, NY
Marquiece Smith- Springfield G. HS NY
8TH GRADE DIVISION
Giovanni Cordero - IS 211, NY
Jalen David - Frost MS, NY
Dural Pinnock - IS 211, NY
Pierre Joseph - IS 68, NY
John Soren - IS 238, NY
Brendan Martin - Ward Melville MS
9TH GR. CHAMP HILLTOPPER HEAT
8th GR. CHAMPION KNULIFE
JV CHAMP ALL CITY PANTHERS
Nassau Defeats Suffolk!
Nassau County gave up an early lead, but rallied to defeat Suffolk 113-104 at the 2013 Long Island Public School All-Star Game. Baldwin’s Miking Richardson drained a three pointer and Carey’s Adrian Denner knocked down a jump hook from the lane to get Nassau off to a good start, and then Elmont’s Tristan Brown sliced through the defense and scored to make it 14-7 Nassau with 4:25 gone in the first half. It was 22-12 Nassau after Baldwin’s Marvin Chartelain knocked down a three from the top, and a fast break basket by West Hempstead’s Darren Davy made it a 14 point game, but Suffolk responded with 6 straight points on free throws by Southampton’s Shaundell Fishburne and Westhampton’s Devonte Dixon and a putback by Sachem East’s Jesse Condon. Chris McCollough from Harborfields nailed a baseline three pointer to cut the Suffolk deficit to 32-27, but Nassau responded and Chartelain’s three from the left foul line extended put them up 40-30 with 4:35 to play in the half. Suffolk answered with a 10 point run, featuring a left elbow jumper by Floyd’s Brian Samuelson and a nice putback by Smithtown East’s Ryan Ingarozza, and it was 40 all with 2:34 showing. Another putback by Ingarozza gave Suffolk their first lead at 45-44 with 1:05 to play, and after an exchange of baskets, it remained a one point game at halftime.
Suffolk began to build a lead as the second half got underway, with a three by Fishburne putting them up 51-46, and then a putback by Scott Artis from Bellport and a fast break basket by Condon gave them a 9 point advantage in the early going. Back to back three pointers by Artis and Suffolk was up 67-54 and threatening to pull away, but Richardson kept Nassau within striking distance, draining a three from the right wing, and then a drive by Brown and a three pointer by Uniondale’s Shomari Redd and Nassau was back in it with 14:25 to play. Another three by Redd cut Nassau’s deficit to 4 at the 12:47 mark, a jumper by Davy from just outside the lane made it a 3 point game, and then Redd tied it with a three from the top. After a Suffolk free throw, Baldwin’s Paul Colson put Nassau back on top 85-83 with a three from the deep left wing, and Brown’s fast break basket and Chartelain’s three from the right wing made it 100-93 Nassau with 4:45 remaining. Suffolk closed the gap to 3 on a fast break basket by Terrence Thomas with 2:43 to play, but Redd drained another big three to make it 105-99 Nassau with 2:05 left. Suffolk began to foul, but three straight 1 out of 2s from the line went unanswered and Nassau was in good shape, and then Brown removed all doubt with a fast break basket with 40 seconds on the clock to make it 110-99. Miking Richardsen led Nassau with 23 points, Shomari Redd had 21, Marvin Chartelain finished with 19, Darren Davy 14 points, and Tristan Brown 9 points and 10 assists. Shaundell Fishburne led Suffolk with 22 points, Jesse Condon had 15, Devonte Dixon 14, and Ryan Ingarozza 11. PHOTOS LATER
Dr. J In Town!
Roosevelt's Julius Erving, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, is back home on Long Island this week for some special events. He was signing copies of his new autobiography at the Book Revue bookstore in Huntington on Monday, where he warmly and patiently signed book after book for a legion of his fans, and Thursday, he will be back in Roosevelt, where they are renaming a street in his honor!
Editor's Inbox
Lightning Girls Tryouts Saturday! Lightning Boys 8th Grade tryouts Saturday! MORE ..... There will be a fundraising Boys Basketball Skills Clinic on Sunday, November 10th at Ward Melville HS in East Setauket DETAILS….. Long Island’s Ramel Anderson and his College of Saint Joseph Fighting Saints from Vermont will be making a rare appearance in the Metro Area, taking on Indiana University East Nov. 24th at the Brooklyn Skydome FLYER…
St. Francis Nips Wolves
St. Francis, NY has a very competitive team this season, and features three Long Islanders that get regular minutes. They showed once again they are a team to be reckoned with, breakng Stony Brook's home winning streak. GO TO STORY
Westbury's Sheldon Hagigal finished with 10 points for St. Francis, while Port Washington's Ahmad Walker had 8 for Stony Brook.
Stony Brook in 3 OT!
Emerging star Jameel Warney had a monster game, finishing with 32 points and 21 rebounds in Stony Brook's epic triple overtime 104-102 win over Detroit. STORY
Toledo Trips Seawolves
Stony Brook played in the 2K Sports Classic in Detroit, and fell to Toledo 103-99. Anthony Jackson led Stony Brook with 36 points and Port Washington’s Ahmad Walker had 9 points and 4 rebounds. STORY
Indiana Over SB
The day will soon come when Stony Brook will go on the road against an elite basketball program and come home with a win. That day is not here quite yet. The Seawolves went out to Hoosier Country to take on Indiana of the Big 10, and were competitive most of the way before falling 90-74. STORY
Stony Brook Stops NE
The Seawolves improved to 3-0 on the season with a 73-66 win over Bill Coen's defending regular season CAA Champion Northeastern team. Jameel Warney led a balanced attack with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Port Washington's Ahmad Walker had 6 points and 7 rebounds. STORY
Stony Brook Cruises
Stony Brook improved to 2-0 with an 81-65 win over Haverford. Anthony Jackson led the way with 24 points. South Side's Bret Cohen led Haverford with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. STORY
Seawolves Rock Marist
Stony Brook kicked off their much anticipated season with a convincing 71-55 win over Marist. Anthony Jackson led the Seawolves with 22 points and Jameel Varney added 16 points and 13 rebounds. St. Dom's Ahmad Walker chipped in 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Former St. Mary's star Chavaughn Lewis finished with 14 for Marist. STORY
Ask The Ref
You know the basketball season is here when we start posting new editions of this popular column! Time to kick off the 2013-14 season with ASK THE REF!
NBDL Draft
Four Long Island players were taken in the NBDL Draft. Stony Brook's Muhammad El-Amin was taken by the Los Angeles D-Fenders, SUNY Old Westbury's Lester Prosper by the Maine Red Claws, and both Hofstra's Mike Moore and Lawrence's Andrae Nelson by the Erie Bayhawks.
There was a great turnout for the ceremony to rename Nassau Rd. after Roosevelt HS great Julius Erving, despite the rain. Erving rewarded his loyal fans and the media throng with a moving speech. The Doctor acknowledged old friends, led the crowd in singing the Roosevelt school song, and promised to become more involved in building and rebuilding his former hometown before he unveiled the new sign at the corner of Nassau and Pleasant. It was a great day for all involved, from the politicians gathered to the little children that recited the Pledge of Allegiance, all there to express their affection for a beloved local hero and all-time great.
LuHi Crushes QHSC
The Queens High School of Teaching led 21-17 after one quarter, but Devonte Green, Losini Kamara, and Chris Burkley led a second quarter rally that put the Crusaders in front 48-30 at the half, and then Marvin Prochet and Robyn Missa led the charge that blew it open in the third quarter and carried them to a resounding 97-54 victory. Chris Atkinson did a great job running the offense and scoring when he had to, and picked up the MVP trophy as a result. The win gave Long Island teams a 3-1 victory over NYC at the showcase held in LuHi's gym. 12/8
St. Mary's Rocks Far Rock
St. Mary’s is another team everyone is wondering about. They were expected to be one of the best teams in the state this season, but during the off-season, their two highest profile players transferred out. Fortunately for Gaels fans, Steve Milhaven is still there and appears to be healthy, and Patrick Jackson is still there too, and the Gaels also have some talented freshmen in 6’6 Chris Coalman and 6’11 Nicholas Richards, both of whom look capable of stepping up into big roles. The bad news is they are freshmen, and will undoubtedly have some growing pains, and there also isn’t much depth. Against Far Rockaway, Milhaven made it clear that this is his team now, leading them to a convincing 69-48 win with 36 points and 11 rebounds, including a one man second half run that turned a close game into a comfortable win. Jackson added 13 points and 9 assists.
12/8
Amityville In OT!
In a classic December match-up, two teams that would normally not meet until deep into the playoffs faced off in a barn burner, with 3rd ranked Amityville coming from behind to defeat 2nd ranked Brentwood 81-78 in overtime. Brentwood got off to a great start once again, just as they had against St. John The Baptist, with back to back three pointers by sophomore sensation Mike Almonacy giving giving them a 20-8 lead, but Amityville was not about to be blow out in their own gym, with back to back putbacks by Elijah Rogers and Phil McCloud and a three pointer by Sean Walters from the left wing leading a 7-2 Amityville run to close out the first quarter. Brentwood began to rebuild their lead as the second quarter got underway, with Almonacy scoring back to back, but Amityville countered with a 3 by Walters and a baseline jumper by Mike Smith, part of a 12-3 run capped off by Travis Dickerson’s 3 point play that tied the game at 31. Ali Mableton's coast to coast basket put Brentwood back on top, and a putback by Kameron Works and Almonacy’s drive through the defense gave them a 38-33 lead, but Leland Williams’ basket from underneath just before the buzzer made it a 3 point game at halftime. Mableton opened the second half with a putback for a 40-35 Brentwood lead, but an off balance leaner by Dickerson and a right wing three pointer by Smith tied it. Again, Brentwood started to rebuild their lead, going up 54-44 on a three pointer by Allen from the top. Vincent Smythe’s drive and pull-up jumper made it 56-44 with 2:54 left in the quarter, but Amityville responded with another run, ignited by Dickerson’s drive and capped off by a three pointer by Smith that made it a 5 point game at the end of three quarters. Smythe opened the fourth with a three pointer from the right baseline, and Casimir stole the ball and scored to give Brentwood a 10 point lead, but back to back three pointers by Smith cut it to 66-63. Smythe dunked on a beautifully executed press break and Almonacy scored from underneath to bump the lead back to 7 with 3:30 remaining, but Smith kept it close with a fast break basket. Allen knocked down two free throws shooting 1 and 1 with 2:20 left and the lead was 7 again, but Amityville started to close in, scoring on a drive by Dickerson and a three pointer by Smith that sent the full house into a frenzy. The roar continued as McCloud went to the line with 1:32 remaining and knocked down both free throws to tie it, and then Dickerson’s three pointer from the right wing put the Warriors up by 3 with 23 seconds to play. Brentwood missed their first attempt at the basket in the final seconds, and a mad scramble ensued. The ball ended up in the hands of Almonacy, who dramatically drained a three pointer from the top to tie the game and send it into overtime. Amityville struck first in OT, with Smith scoring a fast break basket, and after a Brentwood free throw, his drive made it 79-76 Warriors. Almonacy cut it to 1 with a fast break basket off a turnover with a minute to play, but the Indians couldn’t find the basket down the stretch, and a free throw by Malcolm Mathis with 27 seconds left and another by Dickerson with 17 seconds left gave Amityville a 3 point win. 12/6
Titans Crush Holy Cross
Holy Trinity has struggled against teams from the city in recent years, but it looks like this years team might be different. The fourth ranked Titans jumped out in front right from the start and rolled to a 76-40 win over Holy Cross. Jimmy Golaszewski led the way with 28 points and Jack Sixsmith added 16. 12/4
Massapequa Over Danes
The Hjemly team from Denmark had some talented players and were well coached, but Massapequa would be a tough matchup for anybody, and the Chiefs rolled to a 74-56 victory. Massapequa used a balanced attack to build a 20-5 first quarter lead, and then Dylan Balducci errupted for 5 second quarter three pointers and they cruised home from there. 12/4
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ASK THE REF!
Interesting batch of questions in this edition! Do you have a question about a call or rule? All you have to do is
Editor's Inbox
Hills East defeated Brentwood in the NorthSport Fall League Championship Game..... Saint Agnes 7 won the CYO Fall High School Tyro League.....
PRESEASON
ALL LONG ISLAND
Chris Atkinson, LuHi
Tristan Brown, Elmont
Dwayne Daniel, Lawrence
Devonte Dixon, Westhmptn
Aaren Edmead, Deer Park
Tavon Ginyard, SJB
Devonte Green, LuHi
Terry Harris, Hills West
Femi Olujobi, Brentwood
Kyle Williams, SJB
Olujobi To Oakland
Brentwood star Femi Olujobi has committed to Oakland of the D1 Horizon League. The 6'6 Olojobi was an All-Long Island Second Team selection as a junior.
D1 Player Update #3
Roslyn’s George Beamon had 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals in Manhattan’s win over Illinois State….. CI’s Rod Odom had 17 points and 5 rebounds in Vanderbilt’s loss to Providence, while Dix Hills’ Tyler Harris had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks for Providence in the win. Odom also had 9 points and 6 rebounds in Vandy's loss to Butler..... St. Mary’s Chavaughn Lewis had 13 points and 5 rebounds in Marist’s loss to Maryland….. LuHi’s Shaun Lawton had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists in Maine’s loss to NJIT….. Bay Shore’s Malik Jackson had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in Bethune-Cookman’s loss to Florida international….. Floyd’s Anthony White had 10 points and 4 rebounds in St. Francis, NY’s loss to Syracuse….. Brentwood’s JJ Moore had 10 points and 5 rebounds in a Rutgers loss to Drexel and 8 points and 5 rebounds in a win over Canisius….. Northport’s Luke Petrasek had 10 points in Columbia’s loss to Portland and 7 points and 3 rebounds in their win over North Texas ….. OSNA’s Chris Obekpa had 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 blocks in a St. John’s win over Bucknell and 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 blocks in a win over Monmouth..... Harborfields’ Lucas Woodhouse had 5 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals in Longwood’s loss to Brown….
Recruiting Change
The NCAA has changed the 2014 men’s basketball recruiting calendar, eliminating one of the live periods this spring. At first, they were going to move one of the two April live periods to May because of Easter and standardized test date conflicts this year, but the Board of Directors decided to eliminate any May dates now and going forward. The calendar will return to normal next year and every year that Easter and standardized test conflicts don’t occur.
Around The Net
North Babylon’s Danny Green and teammate Tony Parker NBA’s best backcourt? STORY….. Hills West’s Tobias Harris has been out of Orlando’s lineup awhile now with a bad ankle sprain, but is back practicing with the team now and will hopefully be back soon….. OSNA’s Damon Wilson committed to Pitt……
Myles New Tiger Coach
Former Hempstead star, All-Long Island player, and honor role student Lateef Myles is the new Hempstead Boys Varsity Basketball Coach, replacing the legendary Ted Adams. Adams is Nassau County’s all-time winingest coach with 517 career victories, and guided Hempstead to three New York State Championships.
D1 Player Update #2
Roslyn’s George Beamon had 28 points and 6 rebounds in Manhattan’s win over Columbia. Northport’s Luke Petrasek had 6 points and 4 rebounds for Columbia….. St. Mary’s Chavaughn Lewis had 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in Marist’s loss to St. Joseph’s….. LuHi’s Shaun Lawton had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in Maine’s loss to George Washington….. Dix Hill’s Tyler Harris had 21 points and 7 rebounds in Providence‘s win over Brown….. Central Islip’s Rod Odom had 20 points in Vanderbilt’s win over Lipscomb and 19 in their win over Georgia St…… Bay Shore’s Marcus Damas had 17 points in Towson’s win over Morgan state and 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals in their win over Temple….. Glen Cove’s Melsahn Basabe had 12 points and 7 rebounds in Iowa’s win over Maryland-Eastern Shore….. Brentwood’s JJ Moore had 10 points in a Rutgers win over Yale….. Harborfields’ Lucas Woodhouse had 7 points and 7 assists in Longwood’s win over TCU….. OSNA’s Chris Obekpa had 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in St. John’s win over Wagner….. LuHi’s Kentan Facey had 7 rebounds in UConn’s win over Detroit….. Harborfields’ Chris Brady had 4 points and 6 rebounds in Monmouth’s loss to Penn….. Anthony White of Floyd started, then quickly sprained his ankle in St. Francis huge upset at defending ACC champ Miami. Anthony
had 2 points and 2 assists in 10 minutes.
ASK THE REF
GOING OUT ON A LIMB!
D1 Player Update #1
Roslyn’s George Beamon had 24 points and 8 rebounds in Manhattan’s 2OT win over LaSalle….. Brentwood’s JJ Moore had 17 points and 11 rebounds in his debut for Rutgers, a win over Florida A&M….. St. Mary's Chavaughn Lewis had 13 points in Marist's loss to Elon..... LuHi's Shaun Lawton had 12 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals in Maine's win over Fisher..... Bay Shore’s Marcus Damas had 10 points in Towson’s win over Navy….. Lucas Woodhouse from Harborfields had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in Longwood’s loss to South Carolina….. Glen Cove’s Melsahn Basabe had 8 points and 6 rebounds in Iowa’s win over NC Wilmington and 7 points and 9 rebounds in their win over Nebraska-Omaha……. Bay Shore’s Malik Jackson had 8 points and 7 rebounds in Bethune-Cookman’s win over Trinity Baptist….. Northport’s Luke Petrasek had 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in Columbia‘s win over Maryland-Eastern Shore….. Dix Hills’ Tyler Harris had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in his debut with Providence, a win over Boston College ……. Hempstead’s Jordan Parks had 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block in North Carolina Central’s loss to Cincinnati…..
Battle Of Levittown!
The battle for bragging rights in Levittown went to MacArther once again this year, with the Generals registering a 59-41 win over Division. The games have been one sided recently, and although MacArther raced out to an 8-0 lead in this one behind a three pointer and a steal and basket by Tom McAndrew, Division stayed within striking distance most of the way. Kyle McLoughlin's three pointer from the left wing and a low post basket by Zack Cronin made it a 2 point game late in the first quarter, but McAndrew responded with a 3 from the top and Greg Baumstein converted a 3 point play and it was 16-8 Generals at the first quarter buzzer. A putback by Joe Tracey cut it to 18-11 as the clock dipped under the 6 minute mark in the second quarter, but MacArthur answered with 7 straight points on a hook shot by Baumstein, a three by Brian Perez from left wing, and a fast break basket by Greg Schachter and they led 27-13 with 2:56 to play in the half. Four straight free throws by Nick Spitalieare and the lead was down to 10, but Ryan Cunningham's three pointer just before the buzzer made it 32-19 at intermission. Varela's drive from the left wing cut it to 32-23 early in the third quarter, but MacArthur refused to let Division back into it and began to take control on a steal and basket by Tom Melendez and a steal a tough fall away jumper by McAndrew that gave them a 13 point lead with 4:50 to play in the quarter. A baseline three pointer by McAndrew, a fast break basket by Jared Wolfe off a turnover, and a basket by Paul DeMartino from underneath made it 44-25. Tracey and McLaughlin cut it to 44-29 with free throws just before the quarter ended. Jack Wall opened the fouth quarter with a fast break basket for MacArthur, and Division never seriously challenged the rest of the way. 12/4
Tu Holloway Update
After a great college career, Hempstead's Tu Holloway is playing overseas and waiting for an opportunity to play in the NBA. VIDEO
SJB Stumbles
St. John The Baptist came into the season ranked 6th in the Preseason Sweet 16, but lost their opener 81-73 to Class AA Thurgood Marshall of the PSAL. Preseason All-Long Island selection Tavon Ginyard had a career high 46 points, including a school record 23 made free throws, and led a second half rally that cut a 16 point deficit to 4, but the Cougars couldn't quite close the gap. SJB was missing starter Bryan Sinclair, and Preseason All-Long Island selection Kyle Williams spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble. 11/30
Ward Melville Falls To QHST
Two Class AA programs on the rise met in an early season intersectional contest, with the Queens High School Of Teaching holding off Ward Melville 56-53 at Ward Melville. In typical New York City style, QHST applied the pressure early, and Ward Melville struggled with it, falling into a 29-16 hole mid way through the second quarter, but the Patriots began to settle in as the half wound down, and a three pointer by Brandon Hart from straight on cut the deficit to 6 with 2:20 to play. It was 32-27 QHST at the half. Michael O’Leary opened the second half with a three pointer from the right foul line extended, and Daniel Isaac’s three from the left wing made it 39-30 Queens with 5:42 to go in the third quarter, but Ward Melville reeled off three straight baskets - a jumper by Hart, a basket from underneath by Gabe Brown, and a fast break basket by Andre Audige off a loose ball, and it was a 3 point game at the 4:10 mark. Back to back baskets by Brown, the second on a well executed pick and roll play, cut it to 42-40, and a putback by Russell Winters with 1:54 left in the quarter made it a 1 point game, but O’Leary nailed a three with time running down and it was 46-42 QHST with three quarters in the books. Brandon Anderson opened the final quarter with a fast break basket off a turnover, and Supandeep Sing’s beautiful drive from the left wing made it 50-42 Tigers in the early going, but 4 straight points by Phil Carballeira, 2 on a nice running hook shot, and a three point play by Winters and the Patriots were back within 1 with 4:51 to play. Isaac answered with a three from the baseline to make it 53-49, and the Tigers had opportunities to pad their lead the next two times down the court, but missed four straight free throws to keep Ward Melville within striking distance with 3:05 on the clock. The Patriots took advantage, with Winters scoring back to back baskets to tie it at 53 as the clock dipped under one minute, but Sonny Okorie came through for QHST with what turned out to be game winning free throws at the 40 second mark. Ward Melville had two clean looks at the basket as the clock ran down, but neither shot would fall and QHST held on for a 56-53 victory. Sing finished with a game high 17 points for QHST, and Isaac added 12. Winters led Ward Melville with 16. 12/2
8th Grade/Sun Champion KnuLife
St. Anthony's Beats Carey
With the unexpected loss of two projected starters, there were a lot of questions about this year's St. Anthony's team, but it looks like the Friars will be contenders once again this season after they pulled away from a good Carey team for a 51- 40 victory in their opener. Carey is in Nassau Class A this season, and will also be a contender, returning a balanced squad led by Long Island All-Star Adrian Denner, and the two teams went toe to toe in the early going, with freshman Chris Kelly giving the Friars a 10-7 lead at the first quarter buzzer on a putback and a free throw. CJ Backman made it 14-8 St. Anthony’s with a basket from underneath, but Andrew Ris kept it close with a three pointer from the top. Mike Reinertsen was fouled on a three point attempt and knocked down all three free throws to bump the Friar lead back to 6, and a three pointer by Trey Kinard made it 22-13 with just under two minutes to play in the half, but Denner answered with a three from the top, Kieran Murchie looped to the basket and scored, and Denner knocked down another three from straight on and it was a 1 point game with 29 seconds remaining. Reinertsen knocked down two more free throws in the final seconds to make it 24-21 St. Anthony’s at the half. Denner opened the second half with an elbow jumper, and then his steal and three point play gave Carey a 26-24 lead, but Kinard responded with a three and the teams exchanged baskets and the lead until Bachman’s spinning hook shot put the Friars up 31-28 with less than 4 minutes left in the third quarter, and then Kelly knocked down a three from the left baseline to put them up by 6. A baseline drive by Kinnard made it 40-30 St. Anthony’s with 40 seconds left, but a Ris jumper from the right wing cut the margin to 8 as the quarter ended. The Friars started to take command as the fourth quarter got underway. Kinnard opened the quarter with a three pointer from the left baseline, and then Bachman put back a miss and knocked down a spinning hook shot from the lane to make it 47-32 St. Anthony’s. Denner tried to keep the Colts alive, following his missed three point attempt with a putback, but Kelly answered with a jumper from the top. A Denner three cut it to 49-40, but with only 1:15 remaining, Carey needed baskets and stops and got neither. Joe Licciardi’s fast break basket off a turnover made it 51-40 and that’s the way it ended. As for the questions about the backcourt, Licciardi ran the point for the Friars most of the way and did an excellent job, Kinard and Reinertsen played well too in starting roles, and Kelly is an emerging star off the bench. Depth might be a problem, but it looks like St. Anthony’s is in good shape. 12/3
Brentwood Rocks SJB
The much anticipated match-up between #2 Brentwood and #6 St. John The Baptist in the first round of Amityville’s annual tournament had an unanticipated result. Brentwood dominated SJB from start to finish, rolling to a 66-50 victory that was not as close as the final score would indicate. It was Brentwood’s defense that was the real story, completely smothering the Cougars. Brentwood wasted no time, delivering a first round knock-out punch on a pull-up jumper by Mike Almonacy, two free throws by Vincent Smythe, a three by Almonacy from the right wing, a fast break basket by Jamel Allen, a pull-up jumper by Anfernee Casimir, and a fast break basket by Ali Mableton for a 13-0 lead. The stunned Cougars never really recovered. The lead was 26-9 after Allen’s three pointer from straight on, 33-13 after Almonacy’s three point play with 5:44 to play in the first half, and 40-18 after an alley-oop dunk by Allen with 2:25 left. There was a glimmer of hope for St. John’s after a three point play by Kyle Williams and a fast break basket by Tavon Ginyard brought the Cougars back within 16, but Brenwood scored the first three baskets of the third quarter on a putback by Allen, a fast break basket by Almonacy, and a tip in by Smythe and the lead was back to 22. Brentwood cruised home from there. They will take on the hosts, #3 ranked Amityville, in the championship game Friday at 7PM. 12/5
St. Anthony's Nips Elmont
It was a hard fought, back and forth game, but St. Anthony's passed another test, beating 9th ranked Elmont 56-54 on their home court. Elmont jumped in front at the start, with preseason All-Long selection Tristan Brown scoring on a steal and fastbreak basket, and a Keven Chambers steal and dunk made it 6-3 Spartans, but whenever Elmont looked like they were going to build a lead, the Friars responded, and Chris Kelly’s three pointer finally put them on top 12-11. The Spartans then regained the lead on another drive by Brown, and were up 15-12 at the first quarter buzzer on a fastbreak basket by Brett Walker. Kelly tied it at 15 with a fall away jumper with 5:17 to go in the half, and 5 straight point by Jarred Marrow - a baseline three pointer and fast break basket, and it was 20-15 Friars with 4 minutes to play, but neither team could seize the momentum, and it was 25-21 St. Anthony’s at the half. Brown opened up the second half with a fast break basket after spending much of the second quarter on the bench in foul trouble, but the teams traded baskets until the 4:40 mark, when Brown tied it on another drive in heavy traffic. Kelly answered with a putback for the Friars, but a three pointer by Greg Rhone from the right wing gave Elmont a 33-32 lead with 2:36 left in the quarter, and a putback by Brown made it 38-35 Spartans with 1:19 remaining. Will Lantier scored from underneath to bring St. Anthony’s back within 1, and a putback by Kinnard gave them a 1 point lead as time ran down, but it was 39 all at the third quarter buzzer after a free throw by Brown finished the scoring. Matthew Graham scored on the break to give Elmont the lead as the fourth quarter got underway, and the back and forth action continued, with two free throws by Joe Licciardi and a jumper by Kelly putting the Friars in front, and a three by Graham from the deep left wing regaining the lead for the Spartans. Kinnard answered with a three from the baseline as the clock dipped under the 5 minute mark, but two free throws by Brown and a runner by Graham and it was 48-46 Elmont. Mike Reinertsen’s big three pointer from the top put St. Anthony’s up 52-50 with 2:18 to play, and then his rebound and driving basket proved to be the game winner, giving the Friars a 56-52 lead with 25 seconds on the clock. Brown put back a missed three point attempt to make it a 2 point game, but it was too little too late. 12/5 PHOTO AND STATS LATER
Holy Trinity At Buzzer
I was really looking forward to seeing #4 Holy Trinity for the first time this season, but I arrived late and when I walked in, they were tied with Wadleigh at 54 with just 1:27 to play. Scanning the book, it had been a tight, back and forth game throughout, and Brandon Thompson was now at the line shooting 1 and 1 looking to give the Titans the lead. He did, knocking down both pressure packed free throws, but Wadleigh countered with a drive from the right wing to knot it up at 56 with 40 seconds left. Holy Trinity regained possession with 5.7 seconds on the clock and called time, and coming out of the time out, they crisply worked the ball around to Peter Alkins on the right baseline, and he buried a three pointer at the buzzer for the dramatic 59-56 win. 12/8
Hills East Stops West
In a classic rivalry game, 12th ranked Hills East defeated 13th ranked Hills West 70-63 in front of a packed gym at Half Hollow Hills East High school. It was the first time East had won the match-up since the 2008 - 2009 season, when Tobias and Tyler Harris spent the year LuHi. West was determined to show they were still the better team, jumping out to a 9-3 lead on a three pointer and fast break basket by Ross Greenfield, but a tip in and then a three pointer by Jordan McRae and Hills East was up 11-9 with 3:14 to go in the opening quarter. Greenfield wouldn't relinquish the lead without a fight, drilling another three to put West up 12-11, but McRae dunked off an inbound play, Simon stole the ball and scored, and McRae tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to make it 17-12 East after one. Mike Simon opened the second quarter with two free throws, and then he nailed a three pointer from the left baseline off an inbound play to make it 22-12 East, but the Thunderbirds could not add to the lead, and as the half wound down, Greenfield snuck in behind the defense and scored and Alex Benitez drained a three pointer from the wing to make it 30-25 at intermission. Justin Leonard opened the third quarter with two free throws, Greenfield scored on a putback, and Terry Harris added a free throw to tie the game at 30 all, and then Greenfield put the Colts on top with a fast break basket, but East responded with another run, with Justin Fackler knocking down a short jumper, Grant Rosenberg hitting two free throws and a jumper, and McRae converting a three point play to make it 39-32 Thunderbirds with 3:55 remaining in the quarter. D’Nathan Knox’s basket added to the lead, putting East up 52-41, but West edged back into it, drawing within 6 after two free throws by Jamal Starling. Simon hit a fall away three to push the lead to 59-50, and his steal and basket and then two free throws made it 66-54 East, but Erol Parker’s three pointer from the right baseline with one minute to play kept West’s hopes alive. Two free throws by Simon gave East an 11 point lead with 40 seconds left, and they held on from there despite some shaky free throw shooting down the stretch. 12/7
Amityville Falls
#3 Amityville led most of the way, but could never break loose, and South Shore, NYC's 4th ranked team according to NYC Basketball.com, rallied down the stretch for a 78-71 win. You have to give Coach Agostino credit for putting together a first rate non-league schedule for his Class A Warriors, facing their second straight Class AA heavyweight in as many days, and they came out unintimidated by the towering Vikings, going up 13-8 on Travis Dickerson’s elbow jumper, and then a drive by Mike Smith and Dickerson’s second elbow jumper made it 21-14 with 1:26 to play in the opening quarter. Back to back baskets by Doudmy St. Hilaire narrowed the margin, but Leland Williams knocked down two free throws to give the Warriors a 23-18 lead as the first quarter came to a close. Elijah Rogers opened the second quarter with a three pointer from the left baseline to give Amityville an 8 point lead, but once again they couldn’t build on it, and the Vikings whittled it down to 28-27 on a drive down the right side of the lane and then two free throws by Shakur Spencer. Phil McCloud kept the Warriors on top with a putback, and it was 30-27 Amityville at the half. Devyn Wilson drove from the right wing and looped one in from the lane to bring South Shore back within 1 as the third quarter got underway, and St. Hilaire got to a loose ball, scored, drew the foul, and knocked down the free throw to put the Vikings up 32-30, but Smith’s drive down the right baseline, a free throw by Dickerson, and a fast break basket by Williams and Amityville was back on top 35-32. South Shore retook the lead on a three by Wilson from the right baseline and a fast break basket by Tavid McIntosh, and went up 41-37 on a nice basket cut by Spencer, but a fast break basket by Williams and a three pointer by Sean Walters from the baseline made it 42-41 Warriors. The duel continued until Smith’s three pointer and Hubbard’s three point play put the Warriors up by 8 with 2:04 left in the quarter, but two free throws by Cori Johnson and a steal and basket by Wilson cut the margin to 56-52 with three quarters in the books. Ryan Preston scored off an inbound play to bring the Vikings within 2 as the fourth quarter got underway, but Malcolm Mathis answered with a short drive in heavy traffic. The teams traded baskets and free throws, but Amityville continued to hold onto the lead until McIntosh knocked down two free throws to tie it with 4:40 remaining, and then Tyrone Johnson’s coast to coast runner with 3:52 left put South Shore on top. The Amityville shooters had gone cold and South Shore was dominating the boards, with Preston scoring from underneath, and McIntosh putting back a missed shot to give the Vikings a 6 point lead with 2:40 left. Mathis made it a 4 point game with two free throws to keep the outcome in doubt, but after back to back turnovers, Johnson put the first nail in the coffin, burying a three from the right wing to make it 74-67 South Shore at the 1:52 mark. Dickersons two free throws cut the margin to 5, and it was Amityville ball with 1:39 to play after a charging call, with Mathis drawing a foul and cutting it to 74-71 with two more free throws, but the Warriors would not score the rest of the way, turning it over twice, and two free throws and Preston’s emphatic dunk iced it. 12/8
SWEET 16
12/08/2013
1 LuHi
2 Amityville
3 Holy Trinity
4 Brentwood
5 Baldwin
6 Deer Park 7 Uniondale
8 Hills East
9 St. Mary's
10 SJB
11 St. Anthony's
12 Chaminade
13 Elmont
14 Lawrence
15 Hills West
16 Farmingdale
Westbury defeated East Meadow HS 57 to 51 in the finals of the Coaches vs Cancer tournament. The tournament was held in honor of coach Martin " Bunky " Reid, who passed away from cancer in 1993. The Green Dragons were led by Jonathan Dean, who scored 18 points, and Shakel Cafield, who scored 16. Both players were named to the all Tournament team. Westbury outscored East Meadow 22 to 14 in the fourth quarter to earn the comeback win. 12/6
