200301

1/31/03 North.Jersey: Bergen Catholic merits top seed in the Bergen County Jamboree after beating Hackensack 60 - 44.

1/31/03 Inquirer: Camden Catholic downs Camden. Eric and Nick Cangelosi combined for 41 points in the victory.

1/31/03 NJO: Senior forward Alex Buzbee collected 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds as Seton Hall Prep, No. 4 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, used a fourth-quarter rally to overtake Columbia, 58-51, last night in Maplewood.

1/31/03 School Sports: National Boys’ Basketball Top 25 has # 15. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) – (13-3) *15 St. Pat’s posted an impressive 74-63 win over former nationally ranked St. Benedict’s. Freshman phenom Derrick Caracter is really starting to come on for this squad. # 16. St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.) – (13-3) *16 St. Ray’s is back to being the No. 1 team in New York City, but that will be tested later this week when the team faces former nationally ranked Christ the King.

1/30/03 NY Times: Star Treatment Begins Early for Brooklyn Schoolboy, Sebastian Telfair.

1/30/03 Robert White, www.NyHoops.com: 'We have the CHSAA Standings as of 1/29/03 on our site, thanks to Burt Beagle.

1/30/03 NJO: Charlie Villanueva had a game-high 21 points to lead Blair past Hill, 72-42, yesterday in Blairstown.

Freshman Casiem Drummond scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Bloomfield Tech, No. 15 in the Star-Ledger Top 20, to a 80-61 victory over Hudson Catholic last night in Jersey City.

Nick Shaw had no idea that he had just scored 73 points. He was too busy trying to deal with the disappointment.

1/30/03 Coach Anwar Gladden, South Shore Lady Vikings: 'We recently won the Brooklyn "B" IV division title. South Shore won the PSAL "B" city title in 2000-2001. We have always had a strong program and the success will continue as we continue to work hard. Despite this hard work and the winning tradition that South Shore has had in recent years, we were not selected to participate in the Brooklyn Championship this weekend. I have 10 strong minded females who will look to gain the respect of the city come playoff time.

Next season we will be looking to move into the "A" division and gain greater exposure for the program. But in the meantime can you share our success with the tri-state area and anyone interested in girls hoops?'

1/29/03 iHigh.com National Boys Basketball Poll includes # 12. St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.) – (13-3) *13 Results: Beat St. Francis Prep, 55-49. Next: Jan. 31 at Christ the King; Feb. 4 at Holy Cross; Feb. 7 vs. Xaverian; Feb. 8 vs. Lanier (Pa.) at the Prime Time Shootout (N.J.); Feb. 11 at St. Francis Prep; Feb. 14 vs. All Hallows Notes: First-year coach Oliver Antigua has done a good job thus far, especially after losing senior floor leader Daon Merritt (broken foot) a couple weeks ago. Losses: Mater Dei (Calif.); St. Patrick (N.J.); White Station (Tenn.) # 13. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) – (13-3) *14 Results: Pounded McCorristin, 82-44; Beat St. Benedict’s (N.J.), 74-63. Next: Feb. 6 vs. Bergen Catholic at the Prime Time Shootout; Feb. 9 vs. Rice (N.Y.) Notes: Underrated senior Jason Patterson scorched Dan Hurley’s St. Benedict’s club for 25 points while freshman Derrick Caracter added 15 in the win. Caracter added 18 points and 11 boards in the victory over McCorristin. Losses: Oak Hill (Va.); Rice (N.Y.); Life Center (N.J.) # 21. St. Anthony’s (Jersey City, N.J.) – (10-2) *23 Results: Beat Morris Catholic, 65-44. Next: Feb. 7 vs. Reynolds (N.C.) at the Prime Time Shootout; Feb. 9 vs. Lincoln (N.Y.) Notes: Terrance Roberts (Syracuse) scored 20 points in the win over Morris Catholic. # 25. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) – (14-3) *11 Results: Lost to St. Patrick (N.J.), 74-63; Beat Blair Academy, 75-68. Next: Jan. 28 at Shabazz; Feb. 1 vs. Penn Charter (Pa.) at Temple University; Feb. 2 vs. Douglas Academy at the Battle of the Bay (Atlantic City, N.J.); Feb. 8 vs. Reynolds (N.C.) in the Prime Time Shootout (N.J); Feb. 8 vs. Reynolds at the Prime Time Shootout Notes: Senior guard Artie Bowers (UMass) scored 20 and junior Alex Galindo had 18 points in the win over Blair. Junior forward Stanley Branch added 16 in the big win, but both Branch and Galindo only managed two points in the loss to St. Pat’s. Bowers and J.R. Smith each had 18 in the setback. Losses: Hun (N.J.); Our Savior (N.Y.); St. Patrick (N.J.) On the Fence: Life Center (N.J.) – (20-5); Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) – (20-3); Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) – (13-5); Our Savior New American (22-5). Dropped Out: No. 16 Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) – (13-3). Results: Lost to Rice, 68-65. Next: Jan. 28 vs. Xaverian; Jan. 31 vs. St. Raymond’s; Feb. 9 vs. Christian Brothers in the Prime Time Shootout (N.J.); Feb. 11 at All Hallows; Feb. 14 at Xaverian; Feb. 18 at Rice Notes: Senior guard Japhet McNeil scored 19 points, but it wasn’t enough as CK suffered the mild upset to Rice. Loss: Bishop O’Connell (Va.); St. Andrew’s (R.I.); Rice.'

1/29/03 NJO: Larry Leverett hit a basket and a free throw in the final 23 seconds of overtime to lead Elizabeth to a 62-61 upset over Newark East Side, No. 9 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, yesterday in Elizabeth.

1/29/03 Daily News: CK's three stars wow recruiters. Before the season began, Japhet McNeill, Brian Williams and Mitchell Beauford were not at the top of most college's recruiting lists. You can bet they are now.

Newsday's Top 10 City Boys Basketball Teams -- 1. St. Raymond's (13-3), 2. Lincoln (20-3), 3. Rice (13-5), 4. Christ the King (14-3), 5. Molloy (12-6), 6. Xaverian (13-5), 7. Banneker (18-4), 8. Cardozo (19-5), 9. St. Francis Prep (12-6), 10. Boys & Girls (16-6).

1/29/03 NY Post: Defections Can't Stop Red Storm -- St. John's Prep 55 - Fordham Prep 46.

1/28/03 USA Today Super 25 boys basketball rankings has # 9. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (13-3). Previous: 10. Beat the state's top-ranked prep school St. Benedict's Prep (Newark) 74-63 in the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless Classic. Also beat Lincoln (Jersey City) 72-44 and McCorristin (Trenton) 82-44. # 15. St. Raymond, Bronx, N.Y. (13-3). Previous: 16. Beat St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows) 55-49. # 16. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (13-3). Previous: 13. Dropped its second straight game, losing to then-No. 25 Rice (Manhattan) 68-65. # 19. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (10-2). Previous: 19. Beat Morris Catholic (Denville) for its fifth consecutive victory. # 20. Rice, New York, N.Y. (13-5). Previous: 25. Beat league rivals then-No. 13 Christ the King (Middle Village) 68-65 and Holy Cross (Flushing) 67-56.

Marques Alston scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half and also claimed nine rebounds as Neptune, No. 7 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, extended its winning streak to seven games with a 63-39 triumph over Monmouth Regional yesterday in Neptune.

1/28/03 NJ Hoops: The remach of the game of the year, St. Patrick's vs. Blair will be this Saturday as part of the Hoop Group's Lehigh Valley Jam Fest.

1/27/03 National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 9 includes #11. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick (13-3), downed No. 24 St. Benedict's, 74-63, #19. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond (13-3), N.C. State super soph Julius Hodge played here, #24. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's (14-3), downed prep-school power Blair Academy, 75-68.

Northeast: #1. Rochester, N.Y., McQuaid, 15-0, #2. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick, 13-3, #3. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond, 13-3, #4. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's, 14-3, #5. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony, 10-2, #6. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King, 13-3, #7. Brooklyn, N.Y., Lincoln, 20-3, #8. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep, 11-2, #9. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's, 14-1 and #10. Philadelphia, Cardinal Dougherty, 15-2.

1/27/03 Dwayne "Coach D" Murray: 'Coach Bob Cimmino of the Mt. Vernon Knights varsity basketball team is looking to schedule scrimmages to get ready for the upcoming playoffs. We are looking for teams within the competitive level of Rice, Lincoln, St. Anthony's, St. Raymond's, etc. We are willing travel. Please contact me, Dwayne "Coach D" Murray at Dwayneemc@aol.com, or call me at 914-699-5256 if interested.'

1/27/03 NJO: Freshman Derrick Caracter scored 18 points and took down 11 rebounds as St. Patricks, No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, pinned an 82-44 setback on McCorristin yesterday in Trenton.

1/27/03 Newsday: Cameron Tyler's 27 Points Lift Cardozo. And John Ager's 26 Points Pace St. Mary's.

1/26/03 Courier Post-Online: Life Center Academy may be the best high school boys' basketball team in New Jersey that no one knows about. Actually, the Warriors might just be the best team in the state - period.

1/26/03 Rich Kosik: 'Edgewater edges Brooklyn Lincoln -- Spoke to a buddy who was at the game & he said refs had the home whistles going. The 33 foul shots for Edgewater backs him up.'

Orlando Sentinel: Edgewater edges Brooklyn Lincoln. Sebastian Telfair poured in 28 points, but when his off-balance 3-pointer ricocheted off the rim with 2.4 seconds remaining, Edgewater escaped with a 75-72 victory over Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln on Saturday night in the final game of the Bright Futures Shootout at UCF.

Alex Buzbee and Pat McCrossan scored nine points apiece in the first half, sparking Seton Hall Prep, No. 4 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, to an 18-point lead on its way to an 80-57 victory over Elizabeth in the opening game of the Coalition to House the Homeless Classic last night at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth.

Seton Hall Preps best players didnt just step up in a big game last night, they also did a lot of stepping in....the self-sacrificing nature of its starters -- especially point guard Shayle Keating (pictured) -- led to several offensive foul calls on Elizabeth and a widespread case of foul trouble for the home team.

St. Anthony 65, Morris Catholic 44: Terrence Roberts had eight of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter and Marcus Williams added all of his eight points when No. 2 St. Anthony used a 23-10 advantage to open a 55-33 lead in Denville.

Eugene Harris scored a career-high 25 points and Marques Alston added 19 points and 12 rebounds when Neptune, No. 7 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, defeated Raritan, 68-55, last night in Neptune.

Playing two sports in college will mean that Jesse Holley will be physically taxed almost every month of the year. He'll have hard decisions to make constantly.

Mitchel Brown scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds and James Giles scored 13 points and had 14 rebounds and five blocks to lead Franklin, No. 14 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, past Somerville, 54-47, yesterday in Franklin.

Dave McSwain scored 25 points and Calvin ONeil added 17 to lead Newark East Side, No. 9 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, to a 63-55 victory over Union yesterday in Union.

1/26/03 NJ Hoops #2 team overall and #1 team in the NJSIAA St. Patrick's came up big tonight with an outstanding team effort to beat #4 St. Benedict's 74 - 63.

Seton Hall Prep clicking on all cylinders cruised past Elizabeth 80 - 57 in the first game of the Homeless Classic doubleheader.

1/26/03 Daily News: Will Scott -- Some healthy numbers, Docs' son sets Collegiate's scoring record/

1/26/03 Louis Xifaras: 'Queens RimRockers open up their 16 and under schedule at I.S. 8 today at 3PM against the Manhasset All-Stars.'

1/25/03 Love2Ref: 'I attended the services for Guy Hughes on Friday morning and upon entering the St. James Presbyterian Church I had no idea that I would be in the company of some of the greatest men's and women's basketball players that ever laced up their shoes in New York City. Not only were there past legends in attendance, there were also numerous coaches from the AAU, high school, and collegiate programs in attendance. Even though it was cold outside, it was a warmth of love for Guy Hughes inside. Sure there were a lot of tears running down the faces of many people, but a lot of them were tears of joy! There was a period during the service where anyone who wished to acknowledge Guy Hughes had the opportunity to share a few words. There was a line so long that everyone did not get a chance to express themselves about Guy Hughes because they had to continue with the program. One of the more notable persons who shared some kind words were playground legend Pee Wee Kirkland. I only knew Guy Hughes for a short time but after attending his service and hearing all of the great things that were said from those who knew him and loved him, I have never felt so proud to say, that I knew Guy Hughes.'

1/25/03 Hoop Vision Long Isand boys and girls AAU tryout. Boys divisions: 12's and 13's on Saturday, February 22nd and Saturday, March 1st. Tryout locations: Wyandanch high school and the Wyandanch youth center. Girls divisions: 12's, 14's, and 16's Saturday, February 22nd , Sunday, February 23rd, and March 1st. Tryout locations: Wyandanch high school and Wyandanch youth center. For times and more information call: Michael Grant 1-888-700-0418, Faye Thomas 631-398-0657, Tanya Crawford 631-922-4632, and Deborah Haynes 631-807-3087.

1/25/03 Pro Style acknowledges the passing of Guy Hughes. Our condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP, Guy.

1/25/03 Peter Benoit: 'Xaverian defeated Bishop Loughlin 58-53. Chris Taft had 25 points for Xaverian. Kojo Mensah led Loughlin with 19 points. Loughlin which had a lead of 23-6 in the first half fell to 1-6 in the CHSAA. Xaverian improved to 5-1 in the CHSAA.'

1/24/03 NorthJersey.com: BC wears out Don Bosco -- Bergen Catholic desperately wanted to run. Don Bosco needed to stay patient.

1/24/03 Bryan Griffith, N.I.K.E.-1 Big Apple Sports: 'Kaimondre Owes; 6'2" 175lbs, the senior guard at Cardinal Hayes HS (Bronx) is one of the reasons that Cardinal Hayes stands at 6-1 atop the Catholic "B" North Division. Kaimondre has been doing this since last season. This year he is averaging 23ppg, 7apg as well as 7rpg. These stats should grant him some attention as one of the top seniors in the city. His performances have not gone unnoticed, Kaimondre has peaked the interest of some fine Div I schools. Kaimondre is the epitome of the term "student-athlete" as he has a consistent B+ average in his 4 years at Cardinal Hayes also topping 900 on the SAT on his 1st attempt. Kaimondre's game is on display at St. John's Rec playing for N.I.K.E.-1 in the 2003 Millenium Tournament.'

1/24/03 NJO: St. Benedicts roared to a 75-68 victory in a battle of the states top prep teams at St. Benedicts.

Quinn Johnson erupted for a career-high 25 points, 14 in the first quarter, to help Linden, No. 16 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, build a substantial lead on its way to a 69-47 victory over Plainfield yesterday in Linden.

1/24/03 Newsday: Lincoln Outruns Grady as Spike Lee gets to see Sebastian Telfair's game.

1/24/03 Daily News: Lincoln puts on show for Spike. Railsplitters rout rival Grady.

1/24/03 NY Post: Wadleigh 73 - Justice 70 as Depleted Tigers Salvage Victory.

1/23/03 Coach Tony Bergeron, Wings Academy: 'Wings finished up the regular season as PSAL Bronx B division champs with a 16-2 conference record. I would also like to congratulate Garfield Johns on scoring his 1000th point tonite vs. Morris HS. Garfield is averaging 26 points per game this season and has really improved his overall game since the summer. Garfield will probably take the prep route next year but has not closed the door on JUCO either. Wherever he ends up Division 1 coaches will follow because he has become a big time shooter and scorer and has learned to play a nice brand of man-to-man defense as well.'

1/23/03 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'Here is a quick update on our 61-56 victory over ENY Transit Tech on 1/23/03. All City candidate Nathaniel Sudlow led Tilden with his second consecutive triple double with 30 points 11 assists and 12 rebounds.Capt John King came up with 13 points and 8 boards and Andre King had 10 points and 22 rebounds to pace Tilden.It was a tight game in which we led from start to finish and held off every challenge from this disciplined and well coached team. I am sorry that we will miss the playoffs by one game but the teams in our division are all tough! Good luck to them all in the playoffs.'

1/23/03 Coach Kevin Pigott: 'Here are the standings for the NYC CHSAA B League as of January 23: North -- 1) Cardinal Hayes (6-1), 2) Fordham Prep (5-2), 3) Mount St. Michael (5-3), 4) Iona Prep (3-3), 5) Archbishop Stepinac (2-7), 6) Cardinal Spellman (1-8). South -- 1) St. Edmund's (6-2), 2) St. John's Prep (6-2), 3) LaSalle (9-4), 4) Xavier (4-5), 5) Nazareth (2-6), 6) Bishop Ford (1-7).'

1/23/03 Journal News: 'Mount Vernon 102, Roosevelt 52: At Mount Vernon, Keith Benjamin had 16 of his game-high 28 points in the second quarter as the 13-0 Knights scored at least 100 points for the sixth time this season. They are averaging 99.9 points per game. Dexter Gray had nine points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots and Bryan Browne added eight points, seven assists and three steals for the host. Francisco Aramboles and Joel Norwood each had 15 points for Roosevelt.'

1/23/03 Newsday: Ineligible Boys Cause Wadleigh to Forfeit All of its League Games.

1/23/03 Bryan Griffith, NIKE-1 Basketball Program Inc: 'N.I.K.E.-1 Basketball Team is participating in the NYC Parks and Recreation 2003 Millenium Bsaketball Tournamet being held at St Johns Recreation Center 1251 Prospect Place, Brooklyn NY. In its first two games NIKE-1 won convincingly over St Johns Rec and Sunset Park by the scores of 78-65 and 96-63 respectively. Playing for NIKE-1 are super JUCO recruit Travis Billy (averaging 39ppg) and the young "phenom" Rashid Isler. In addition are South Shore Varsity members Anderson Labase, Lennox Grootfaam, Oyedika Chuke and Trevor Breland (unknown star point). Please check out the site www.eteamz.com/nike1basketballteam.'

1/22/03 Student Sports FAB 50 rankings includes # 11. St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.) 9-3. After sealing its No. 1 ranking among state association schools, St. Patrick's suffered its first instate setback in a 61-54 loss to Life Center, a prep school not eligible for the FAB 50. Earlier in the week, St.Patrick's defeated state power Newark East Side, 78-51. # 16. St. Raymond's (Bronx, N.Y.) 12-3. St. Raymond's settled for a runnerup finish at the Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo., where it lost to White Station (Tenn.), 61-51, in the final. In the semifinals, St. Raymond's defeated Westbury Christian (Texas), 88-79 behind Louie McCoskey's 22 points. # 17. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 17-1, Lincoln continues to roll through the PSAL, averaging over 102 points during three wins last week. Included was a 107-point outing with junior superstar guard Sebastian Telfair on the bench, 'resting' for the next game. Lincoln will be tested with a meeting vs. St. Anthony (N.J.) at the Prime Time Shootout in February. # 24. Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 13-2. Japhet McNeil and Mitchell Beauford made a compelling case to be considered the best backcourt in New York as they combined for 38 points in a 65-57 victory over Archbishop Molloy, also led by a pair of talented guards. Christ the King lost to St. Andrew's (R.I.), 68-57 in the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass. # 25. St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) 13-1. The Gray Bees advanced to Monday night's championship of the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational in Dayton, Ohio, with a 85-69 semifinal victory over Heritage Christian (Texas). # 38. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 8-2. The Friars watched a 16-point halftime lead almost get erased before hanging on for a 48-41 victory over Monmouth. St. Anthony is ranked No. 2 among non-prep league schools in New Jersey.

1/22/03 Allison Davis, Teaneck Youth Basketball: 'There's still room in all Girls' divisions for Teaneck Youth Basketball's 5th Annual Presidents' Week Tournament: The divisions are 14U (7/8th grade), 12U (7th grade), 11U (6th grade), 10U (5th grade. The age cutoff date is 9/1/02. There is a two games elimination. Fee is $175 per team with discounts for multiple teams. We are located four miles west from the George Washington Bridge in Teaneck, New Jersey. Please contact teaneckyouthbball@hotmail.com or 201-837-9718.

1/22/03 The IS8 Biddy and Midget teams with their schedule is now on the IS8 Nike Winter League, 2003 page. I'll post the junior teams and schedule soon along with results from the first two weeks.

1/22/03 John P Miciotta: 'Watching on ESPN 2 this evening I saw something that will no doubt make all New York City High School basketball fans smile. Even though Virginia lost at Va. Tech it was wonderful to see the return to action of former St. Raymond's point guard Majestic Mapp for the Cavaliers. After a fine freshman season in '99-'00, he has missed the last two seasons with knee injuries that required three surgeries and no doubt many hours of difficult rehab. According to ESPN. com this was his second appearence in a game, and when he came in the broadcasters knew his minutes would be limited. In those limited minutes though Majestic played with typical confidence and poise, making two nice "drive and dish" plays to Elton Brown. Brown finished one and had the pass go off his hands on the other. Also typical of Majestic, he has done an outstanding job keeping up with his studies being named to the ACC's academic honor roll according to Virginiasports.com. Just by getting back to play Majestic Mapp has shown the heart of a champion, and I'm sure I speak for everyone connected with basketball in our region when I say his effort is an inspiration to us and when I offer him a heartfelt congratulations and welcome back.'

1/22/03 NJO: Boys Basketball Top 20 -- 1-St. Patrick's (10-3), 2-St. Anthony's (8-2), 3-Paterson Catholic (7-1), 4-Seton Hall Prep (9-2), 5-Bergen Catholic (7-3), 6-Camden Catholic (9-1), 7-Neptune (9-2), 8-St. Augustine (7-1), 9-Newark East Side (9-2), 10-Lenape (9-0) .

11-Don Bosco Prep (7-3), 12-Winslow T. (9-1), 13-Englewood (10-0), 14-Franklin (9-1), 15-Bloomfield T (7-1), 16-DePaul (10-0), 17-Hackensack (9-0), 18-Linden (9-2), 19-Roselle (8-1) and 20-Haddonfield (9-0).

1/21/03 Dayton Daily News: Flyin’ to the Hoop Tournament MVP Juan Diego Palacios sparks Our Savior New American over St Benedict 65 - 45. Colombian big man paves way with 24-point effort.

1/21/03 Louis Xifaras: Saturday, January 25th is Alumni Night at McClancy. At 8pm, McClancy will take on Holy Cross.

1/21/03 NorthJersey: Paterson Catholic proves a point. High school stars, powers draw crowd to Paterson. Karl Anderson and Danny Falcon had 18 points apiece, as Don Bosco raced to a big lead and was able to hold off Bloomfield Tech, 60-51 Monday at Kennedy High School.

1/21/03 NJ Hoops #3 team Paterson Catholic held off Lincoln of NY and All American jr. Sebastian Telfair 68 - 64 before a capacity crowd tonight at the Freedom Fighters Challenge at Kennedy High School in Paterson. And Don Bosco Prep gets big win.

1/21/03 USA Today: Super 25 boys basketball rankings includes # 10. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (8-3) Previous: 3. Beat Morristown 75-43 and East Side (Newark) 78-51. Lost to Life Center (Burlington) 61-54. # 13. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (13-2) Previous: 12. Lost to St. Andrew’s (Barrington, R.I.) 68-57 in the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass. Beat Archbishop Molloy 65-57. # 16. St. Raymond, Bronx, N.Y. (12-3) Previous: 15. Lost to then-No. 21 White Station (Memphis) 61-51 in Bass Pro TOC final. Beat No. 16-Rice (Manhattan) 68-62, Archbishop Molloy (Briarwood) 72-65, improving to 4-0 in league play. # 19. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (8-2) Previous: 19. Beat Monmouth Regional (Eatontown) 49-41 and Lincoln (Jersey City) 73-42. # 25. Rice, New York, N.Y. (11-5) Previous: 16. Lost to then-No. 6 McQuaid (Rochester, N.Y.) 69-63 in McDonald’s Classic. Lost to then-No. 15 St. Raymond (Bronx) 68-62 and beat Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn) 75-70.

1/21/03 MSG Top Ten: 1 - St. Patrick, NJ (10-3), 2 - St. Raymond, NY (12-3), 3 - Christ the King, NY (13-2), 4 - St. Anthony, NJ (8-2), 5 - St. Mary’s, LI (11-1), 6 - Lincoln, NY (18-1), 7 - Mt. Vernon, NY (12-0), 8 - Seton Hall Prep, NJ (9-2), 9 - Paterson Catholic, NJ (7-1), 10 - Xaverian, NY (9-4).

1/21/03 PSAL.org: PSAL Borough Championships -- Preps teams for the playoffs.

1/21/03 Newsday: Tim Cluess Back With Gaels. Coach returns after meeting with principal.

1/21/03 Newsday: Sundiata Gaines had 36 points en route to tournament MVP honors as Molloy topped previously unbeaten Edgewater (Fla.), 81-70, in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational in Springfield, Mass., yesterday.

1/21/03 Lonnie Webb: To PrepNation -- I see you still don't think Mt. Vernon belongs in your Northeast Top 10. How can you keep them out? Was it the 2 close 3 point wins this past weekend in the "Jimmy V Tourney"? Are you keeping them out because of the margin of victory? The fact remains that, yes, they were tested in the tournament by those two teams. They were, for the first time this season, forced to compete for the entire 4 quarters and they past that test with flying colors. It just goes to show that they will step up to the level of competition. I was at the games and saw other players step up particularly senior guard Ernie Brown. This is the type of team Mt. Vernon is. No one expects Ernie to carry the team or have the games he had up in Troy, however, he came up big especially in the championship game. Give them they're due respect ! They belong in your Northeast Top 10 and after all is said and done I'm sure they will be. Mt. Vernon remains undefeated with 12 wins. The tradition of excellent hoops at Mt. Vernon continues....'

1/20/03 Newsday: 'St. Mary's 66, Frederick Douglas (Manhattan) 33: Tim Cluess returned as St. Mary's coach five days after resigning over a conflict with the school prinicpal Kevin McBride. And his players responded with a strong defensive effort against Frederick Douglas (13-7) in a non-league game at Molloy College. St. Mary's (12-1) turned a 5-0 deficit into a 17-9 edge. Tim Wall hit three three-pointers and finished with 17 points while teammate Mamadou Diakhate added 16 points.'

1/20/03 PrepNation: National Prep Basketball Poll for Week of January 20 lsits # 11. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's (13-1), advanced to final of the Flyin' to the Hoop tourney in Dayton, Ohio. # 12. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick (9-3) , dropped game to New Jersey prep-school power Burlington Life Center, # 22. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond (12-3) , defeated by White Station in Bass Pro tourney final.

Northeast -- 1. Rochester, N.Y., McQuaid, 15-0, 2. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's, 13-1, 3. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick, 9-3, 4. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond, 12-3, 5. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King, 13-2, 6. Brooklyn, N.Y., Lincoln, 17-1, 7. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony, 8-2, 8. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's, 11-1, 9. Philadelphia, Cardinal Dougherty, 14-2, 10. Philadelphia, Simon Gratz, 12-2.

1/20/03 Louis Xifaras: Queens RimRockers Basketball, Inc. want sto acknowledge Mario Chabau for his hard work and dedication over the past year. Last year Mario was in the 8th grade, playing in local tournaments and was out of shape. He worked hard and had a passion for the game. Long practice hours during the summer and strong dedication to cardiovascular excercise helped him get into playing shape. This high school season as a freshman at Park West, Mario made the varsity team and earned a starting spot. Keep an eye out on this kid for the future. He will be another big name player in the PSAL. Mario will next be playing for the Queens RimRockers in I.S. 8 16u junior division this winter. For more information on the Queens RimRockers and for the new "2002 All-QRR Teams," log onto www.QueensRimRockers.com.'

1/20/03 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'I wanted to take this chance to say after playing against some of New York City's best public school teams FDA, Cardozo, Banneker, Boys and Girls,Walton, T Roosevelt, Canarsie and JFK no team I have seen has played as smartly as Grady High School did on Sunday against Paul Robeson in the High Energy Martin Luther KingJr classic,at LIU. Grady took apart a very good Robeson team and did it quickly and with the poise which Jack Ringel teams always seem to have. Jack and his staff lead by top asst. Jake Edwards have always gotten their team to play well when the playoffs were in sight. Believe me I know, they beat my Tilden teams in two PSAL semi final games in the past. What I am saying is watch out for Grady and I wish I could see Thursdays game against a great Lincoln team.'

1/20/03 NorthJersey: For Paterson Catholic, Sebastian Telfair not a big deal. Freedom Fighter Hoop Challenge -- Today's basketball extravaganza will help injured Paterson Catholic grad.

1/20/03 NJO: J.R. Smith poured in 14 of his season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, including 3-pointers on three successive possessions, to lead St. Benedicts Prep to an 85-69 triumph over Heritage Christian of Texas in the semifinal round of the Flyin To The Hoop Invitational yesterday in Dayton, Ohio.

1/20/03 Dayton Daily News: 'Our Savior New American (N.Y.) 48, Archbishop Spalding (Md.) 45: Juan Diego Palacios scored 18 points and Our Savior withstood a frigid 0-6 FT touch in the final :30 to advance to today's National Bracket championship final against St. Benedict's. Valparaiso-bound Oumar Sylla added 15 points.

• Bishop Loughlin (N.Y.) 76, Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute 59: Loughlin unloaded a second-half blitz to take Sunday's National Bracket consolation opener. Kojo Mensah provided most of the damage, scoring 22 points to go with seven rebounds. Courtney Johnson added 17 points, Andrew Wright 15 and Adedkun Olanrewaju 14.'

1/20/03 Springfield News-Leader: White Station adds third title 61-51 over fellow three-time T of C champ St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.).

1/20/03 Padre4ever: 'Mt. Vernon held on for another close win! The Knights were led again by their underrated big man, Dexter Gray, and nipped the host Cadets 70-67 in the finals of the Jimmy V. Classic in Troy. These near misses upstate should help them down the road when they face quality teams in the near future!'

1/20/03 Journal News: Mount Vernon 70, La Salle 67: In the championship game of the Jimmy V. Tournament in Troy, Dexter Gray, the tournament MVP, had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Jonathan Mitchell aded 12 points.

1/19/03 Kentucky.com: Juan Diego Palacios scored 27 points as Our Savior New American (N.Y.) beat Lexington Catholic 68-46 last night in the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.

1/19/03 Dayton Daily News: 'Saint Benedict's 70, Bishop Loughlin 43: J.R. Smith scored 13 points to go with 13 rebounds in leading a balanced attack in the nightcap. Art Bowers added 12 points and Alex Galindo and Stanley Branch each added 11 apiece to pace Newark, N.J.'s finest (13-1).

Guard Kojo Mensah led Loughlin of Brooklyn, N.Y., with 17 points. Andrew Wright added 11.'

1/19/03 CLJSchneider: 'Can't agree more with Edward McEntee regarding St. Mary's Coach Tim Cluess. Principal Kevin McBride needs to resign effective immediately. Do you think Frank Morris was ever told by his principal to tell his St. Agnes players to keep the score down in the 70's and 80's? When St. Anthony's in 1986 (with Tom Greis and Kenny Aktinson) was beating the St. Mary's team I played on by 50 points, do you think Gus Alferi was told to take it easy on us? Did the principal at Our Saviour Lutheran ever tell George Booker to keep the score down? Can you see Jack Curran listening to the principal of Molloy telling him to keep the score close? Absurd. Call St. Mary's at 516-627-2711 and ask to speak to Kevin McBride to voice your displeasure. At the least he needs to beg Tim Cluess to return immediately. At most he needs to step down before the St. Mary's Wall Steet Alumni contingent decides to stop writing checks....'

1/19/03 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'I would like to thank Khalid Green and Keith Lewis for inviting us to the High Energy Martin Luther King Jr. Classsic at L.I.U.on Sunday Jan. 19th 2003.We were able to beat a tough J.F.K. team coached by one of New York City's best guys Johnny Mathis 49-43. My team and I Ienjoyed playing in this fine event very much. Andre King was named the games MVP with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Thanks to "Super Stat' man Bert Beagle for all his help.'

1/19/03 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'I just wanted to take this chance to thank Rich Kosik for coming to Tilden High School on Friday to give over 60 of our student -athletes a seminar on life and sports. Rich has always been one of the "Good Guys"in our city and is always looking to help out "Kids" in any way he can. So on behalf of all of us Thansks Rich AKA "Books and Balls". You are the best!

Also congratulations to Coach Tommy Allen and his Canarsie Chiefs who came over to Tilden H.S. and beat us 53 -50 in a hard fought Brooklyn battle. The Chiefs erased a 7 point Tilden lead in the last 4 miniutes to pull out the victory for Coach Allen and keep Canarsie in 3rd place in New York's toughest Division. I also want to praise the officials in this game, Rob White and Antonio Brimmer who worked hard and well and gave both teams a great game.'

1/19/03 Edward McEntee: 'I am very disappointed in what I have recently read in the newspapers regarding Tim Cluess. What gives Kevin McBride the right to tell a team how much they should win by? All of the players on St.Mary's deserve and opportunity to play and score points. Most of these reserves will never play competitively again. And you do not want them to play hard. That is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. If St.Anthony's cannot field a competitive team they should forfeit the game. Please explain to me why the principal of a school is telling a basketball team before the game not to win by too much. I think the wrong person resigned. The principal of your school should apologize to all high school athletes in the United States. As a former player at St.Mary's I would have never played a game against a team if they were going to take it easy on us. That shows a tremendous amount of disrespect to the opposing teams and to your own team. I along with many alumni from St.Mary's are extremely disappointed in the action of the St.Mary's administration. I have had the opportunity to go to a number of St.Mary's games over the last 10 years. Besides the talent of the team the way the students carried themselves on and off the court was a source of pride. Tim Cluess has run a class program over the last 10 years. I would expect your administration to issue a formal apology.'

1/19/03 NorthJersey: 'Teaneck's Willie Irick is at his best despite tragedy. Three days after his mother's death, Irick took the court for Teaneck against Paramus on Tuesday and scored 17 points, which put him over 1,000 points for his career. Saturday, in an emotional and intense game against rival Paramus Catholic, Irick was even more resilient.'

1/19/03 NJO: Blair 84, Lawrenceville 69: Luol Deng and Charlie Villanueva combined for 50 points, 20 in the first quarter, to power once-beaten Blair in Blairstown.

St. Benedicts Prep 70, Bishop Loughlin 43: J.R. Smith accounted for 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead four scorers in double figures for St. Benedicts Prep in the first round of the Flyin To The Hoop Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.

DePaul 88, Bayley-Ellard 49: DePaul extended its undefeated streak to 10 games as Max Schaffer scored 19 points in Madison.

1/19/03 Coach Oliver Antigua: 'St. Raymond HS defeated Westbury Christian tonight 88-79. The Ravens jump out to a 13 point lead and never looked back. Once again displaying why the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions is one of the most exciting tourneys in the country a record 9,000 fans watched the action. The Ravens were led by Louie McCroskey 22 pts 6 rebs and 6 assist showing again why he is the most versitle player in NYC. Brian Laing continues his dominating performance with a 22 pt, 5 reb effort and Gavin Grant also played great with 20 pts and 7 rebs. Wesley Wicks had his best game as a varsity player playing major minutes and running the show. The Ravens are now 12-2 and play White Station in the championship game Sunday night.'

1/19/03 Daily News: Chasing the city's top eighth grader -- Malcolm Pope Jr. already a hot prospect.

1/19/03 Padre4ever: 'Mount Vernon was lucky to escape (82-79) with a hard fought win over a well coached Shenendehowa (Sec. 2) team in the Jimmy V. Classic in Troy, NY. Shen missed a wide open "3" in the last seconds that would have sent the game into overtime. The Knights couldn't deal with Shen's backcourt of Bayly and Pizzi. Shen was clearly out-matched athletically, but played a great game with excellent ball movement and tremendous outside shooting. The key for Mt. Vernon was clearly the play of their big kid (no not the 9th grade sensation Mitchell) #24. He probably had 12 offensive rebounds and converted half of them into easy buckets for the Knights. Shen is a good team in Section 2, but definitely not the best. Maybe this close game will help them to respect all opponents and not to take anyone lightly!? Mt. Vernon will be plaing the host school LaSalle tomorrow night. They should win, but LaSalle has some talent (Pelliter & Evans) that could provide an upset.'

1/19/03 Journal News: 'Mount Vernon 82, Shenendahowa 79: In the first round of the Jimmy V. Tournament at LaSalle Institute in Troy, Jonathan Mitchell and Ernie Brown scored 19 points each to lead Mount Vernon, which won by its slimmest margin this season. Brennan Bayly scored 36 points for Shenendahowa.'

1/18/03 John P Miciotta: 'Christ the King used a 23-6 second quarter spurt to propel them to a 65-57 win at Molloy last night. The game, and that second quarter in particular, was a tour de force for the Royals' back court of Japhet McNeil and Mitchell Beauford.

1/18/03 Newsday: CK Guards -- Japhet McNeil and Mitchell Beauford -- Prove Point.

1/18/03 Coach Oliver Antigua: 'St.Raymond's defeated Desmet, St Louis 62-60 in front of 8,800 spectators. St. Rays played without Daon Merritt (broken foot) and Tariq Atkins (stomach virus). Brian Laing continues to play at a high level leading the Ravens with 24 pts on 11-14 shooting. Louie McCrosky 20 pts and Gavin Grant 10 pts 7 rebs played a great overall game. The Ravens play Westbury Christian in the semifinals tonight at 9:30 at SMSU.'

1/18/03 Steve Finamore: 'New York City is so lucky to have a person of Rock Eisenberg's passion, love, and talent for handling today's youth. I met Rock a long time ago, when I was playing pick-up basketball at Manhattan Beach (do they still run there)? I'll tell you what I remember about him that stuck with me forever.

As the game was getting heated (no pun intended) there was a big crowd gathered around the court. As in most pick-up games, an argument broke out between two players. They were both going at each other like a baseball manager and an umpire; face to face. Rock gets between the two as a peacemaker and takes both guys in a headlock; one in each arm. It was classic. He told both guys to calm down, and sure enough they did. The game went out without another incident. Rock was truly the man of the day.

All kids who come in contact with Rock should absorb everything he has to say about life and basketball. He's one of the best!'

1/17/03 Newsday: 'Tim Cluess, who turned St. Mary’s into a boys basketball power, abruptly resigned as coach Wednesday, but would not disclose why he left the CHSAA program. Cluess, 43, left open the possibility of his return, but added no one from the school has contacted him since he resigned. “I don’t know what’s going to happen at this point,’’ he said this afternoon. St. Mary’s (9-1, 3-0) plays host Kellenberg at 7:30 tonight.

A source within the school said Cluess was upset with a letter he received Wednesday from principal Kevin McBride. One of the issues in the letter, the source said, was the margin of victory in a Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA game Tuesday against St. Anthony’s. St. Mary’s, winner of five straight league titles, opened a 53-13 halftime lead en route to a 93-25 win over St. Anthony’s. “It should have been handled face-to-face,’’ said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It was a letter in the mail box instead.’’

St. Mary’s did not practice Wednesday, and Cluess said he informed athletic director Brother Kenneth Robert of his decision then. Cluess owns a 199-83 record in 11 seasons and has won two of the last three state Federation Class B titles. “I love being with those kids,’’ said Cluess, who also runs basketball clinics, summer camps and leagues at the school. “It’s my whole life outside my family.’’

1/17/03 Springfield News-Leader: No easy games as prep powers open T of C. which three-time champion St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.)

1/17/03 NJO: Miles Orman led a balanced attack with 18 points, 12 in the first half when Bergen Catholic, No. 5 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, jumped to an 18-point lead on the way to a 77-44 victory over Passaic last night in Oradell.

DePaul 77, Bayonne 54: John Kelly's triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks led three players scoring in double figures for undefeated DePaul (9-0) in Wayne.

1/17/03 Journal News: Chasing his dream: North Rockland senior, Ra Chase, eager to get to the County Center.

1/17/03 Louis Xifaras: 'Diego Aguiar, 2002 Queens Player of the Year from Bryant High School, is currently attending Shores Christian Academy Prep School.'

1/17/03 Newsday: Marc Shabat drove to the basket and scored with three seconds left to give Forest Hills a 60-58 boys basketball win over Flushing yesterday.

1/16/03 Coach Victor Hall: 'Despite being doubled and tripled teamed, Jamaal Womack gave his all and led Our Saviour Lutheran with 30 points and 8 rebounds in a 74-58 defeat at Berkeley-Carroll on Wednesday, January 15. Adam Maldonado chipped in with 16 points for OSL.'

1/16/03 NJO: Stanley Branch had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead St. Benedicts to a 71-63 victory over Lawrenceville yesterday in Newark.

Dashawn Dwight had 17 points and teammate Caisem Drummond added 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead Bloomfield Tech to an 80-65 victory over Ferris yesterday in West Caldwell.

NJO Boys Basketball Top 20: 1-St. Patrick's (8-2), 2-St. Anthony's (6-2), 3-Paterson Catholic (5-1), 4-Seton Hall Prep (7-2), 5-Bergen Catholic (5-3), 6-Camden Catholic (6-1), 7-Neptune (6-2), 8-Newark East Side (7-1), 9-St. Augustine (5-1), 10-Winslow T. (8-0), 11-Roselle (7-0), 12-Don Bosco Prep (4-3), 13-Lenape (7-0), 14-Englewood (8-0), 15-New Brunswick (6-0), 16-Franklin (7-1), 17-Bloomfield T (4-1), 18-Monmouth Regional (6-2), 19-DePaul (7-0) and 20-Hackensack (7-0).

1/16/03 NorthJersey: Paterson Catholic senior center Darryl Watkins' name has popped up again in court hearings this week, with the appeals court hearing the NJSIAA's case that Watkins transferred for athletic advantage today, but on his recruiting front the word is mum.

1/16/03 NY Post: Canarsie Coach, Tom Allen, Protests Tech-nical Knockout.

1/16/03 Newsday: Transit Tech Edges Canarsie As Corey McFarlane's FTs Decide It.

1/16/03 Newsday: Top 10 City Boys Basketball Teams -- 1. St. Raymond's (10-2), 2. Lincoln (17-1), 3. Christ the King (12-1), 4. Rice (10-4), 5. Molloy (8-5), 6. Cardozo (15-2), 7. Xaverian (8-4), 8. St. Francis Prep (11-2), 9. Banneker (15-4) and 10. All Hallows (7-6).

1/16/03 Coach Bob Starkman: 'I just read the write-up on Rock. I have known Rock since the summer of 1974, he is one of a kind. Rock will give a kid the shirt off his back and do anything to help someone. His good deeds usually go unnoticed, in my personal friendship and coaching experience I owe it to him and Ron Naclerio. I have been the men's coach at Broward Community last season and this season. Both Rock and Ron who have been my life long friends have been instrumental in making Broward one of the top teams in the State of Florida. Their personal support and the players they send me, have made life easier down here in Florida. There is not enough money in the world to repay them for what they have done and meant to basketball in New York!'

1/15/03 StudentSports.com Updated Fab 50 Boys Basketball Rankings include # 3. St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.) 8-2 (4) Mike Nardi put to rest the NJSIAA vs. Prep School argument, at least for now. Nardi scored 22 points as St. Patrick's held off previously unbeaten Blair Academy, 70-68. St. Patrick's earlier defeated Hun, another prep school power which uses fifth-year players and not eligible for the FAB 50. Duke-bound Blair Academy senior Luol Deng scored game-high 32 points vs. St.Patrick's. # 9. St. Raymond's (Bronx, N.Y.) 9-2 (11) St. Raymond's won twice last week but suffered one big loss--guard Daon Merritt, a Richmond recruit, is out with a broken foot and may miss the rest of season, including showdown with Rice this week for No. 1 in the state. Last week, the Ravens defeated Holy Cross and Archbishop Molloy. # 16. Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 12-1 (24) Christ The King defeated Bishop Loughlin and All Hallows last week and moves in front of Rice, which fell to All Hallows. Japhet McNeil continues to impress, scoring 25 and 26 points, respectively, in the two wins. # 17. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 14-1 (23) Lincoln, led by arguably the nation's No. 1 junior, Sebastian Telfair, reached the century scoring mark for the fourth time this season as the Railsplitters exploded for 107 points vs. James Madison. # 24. Rice (New York, N.Y.) 9-3 (3) Rice, which impressed in two of the nation's top holiday tournaments, suffered back-to-back losses last week, losing to Xaverian and All Hallows. To make matters worse, the team lost star Russell Robinson to injury. Rice faces ranked St. Raymond's this week for bragging rights in New York City. # 25. St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) 10-1 (25) St. Benedict's poses an interesting situation. The school is not eligible for the state rankings since it plays in a Prep School League against schools with fifth-year players, but the Gray Bees are eligible to be considered for the Fab 50 rankings. The team split a pair of games last week against teams with fifth-year players, losing to Hun Schol and defeating Berkshire (N.Y.). # 40. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 6-2 (nr) The Friars return to the rankings following a compelling 63-46 win over previously-ranked Minnetonka (Minn.) Hopkins at the Hoops Group Challenge Series. Terrence Roberts led the way with 14 points.

1/15/03 NJ Hoops: #1 team St. Patrick's lost to Life Center Academy 61 - 54 at the RexPlex in Elizabeth.

1/15/03 NJO: Rafael DaSilva and Darryl Gladden scored eight points apiece in the fourth quarter as they rallied Life Center of Burlington to a 61-54 victory over St. Patricks, No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, last night at the Rex Plex in Elizabeth.

Don Bosco Prep 74, Paterson Kennedy 35: Danny Falcon scored 10 of his 16 points in the first quarter as Don Bosco Prep jumped to a 25-2 lead in Ramsey.

1/15/03 NorthJersey: Can't miss kid -- Rutherford junior swing guard, Jon Guzman.

Newsday's Top 10 City Boys Basketball Teams: 1. St. Raymond's (10-2), 2. Lincoln (17-1), 3. Christ the King (12-1), 4. Rice (10-4), 5. Molloy (8-5), 6. Cardozo (15-2), 7. Xaverian (8-4), 8. St. Francis Prep (11-2), 9. Banneker (15-4), 10. All Hallows (7-6).

1/15/03 Pdiddy9682: 'Loughlin, defeated All Hallows 71-66. Kojo Mensah, the CHSAA's leading scorer had 25, while Ronald Ramon had 19 for All Hallows.'.

1/15/03 J. Salamanca: 'On Saturday, I watched Banneker vs Cardozo HS, I was very impressed by two individuals. Cameron Tyler showed why he is one of the best guards in New York City scoring 25 points and leading his team when they needed big baskets. Tyler didn't have to score all the time but instead set up his teammates Nick Flagg and Skyler Khaleel for two easy baskets. Tyler could be a steal wherever he decides to go next year. In my opinion watching Cardozo for the last 10 years I think Cameron is probably the best finisher Cardozo has ever had. Gary Forbes on the other hand was amazing, 6'6 big man with a soft touch from outside was hitting everything, he looked very comfortable shooting, he is definitely one of the top 5 players in NYC this year.'

1/15/03 Coach Victor Hall: 'On Friday, January 10, Adam Maldonado scored 16 points as Our Savour Lutheran defeated Kew Forest 77-64. David Williamson struggled offensively but did a nice job on both boards. Our Saviour's record now stands at 6 wins - 2 losses.'

1/15/03 Coach Tom Sampogna: 'Allan Ray -- As a personal family friend and coach in the local area at Westchester Community College, it has been a pleasure to watch this young kid grow up and become a great person as well as a great ball player. Although he missed most of last year he has become even better by dedicating himself for hours and hours in the gym and weightroom to become the next great Big East guard. He will follow in the footsteps of Ben Gordon and change the game with both his athleticism and his skills at both guard positions. At 6'2 at 190 lbs, he can do it all.

This summer he dedicated himself to me and my personal workout sessions twice a week and sometimes more than that. He worked on foot speed, strength and conditioning as well as skill work. He embraced the heavyball training workout and it has paid off. He came up during the spring a workout out with the guys when he didn't need to. He dominated this summer in the IS8, Rucker and other tourneys. He can attack the rim like a bigman or shoot the deep jumper ala Ray Allen. He has the complete package. Allan Ray, for all bias aside, will graduate from Nova, and make his mark in the professionals. There is something special about a kid who comes to you and has nothing to prove to you or himself except to get better. Humility is rare in a ball player and people today should take note. Nova will be tough this year and will be even better as their youth continues to grow each year.

Allan has proven thus far he has the makings to be a star in the Big East as well as in life, lets sit back and watch one of the nation's best kept secrets grow and make us proud.'

1/15/03 Coach Antonio Cannon: 'IS8 got underway on Saturday, the T.K. Allstars are in the 17 team 16 Junior Division. We got off to a good start by defeating the Huntington Roadurnners. Our next game will be on Thursday against the Gauchos at 6:30pm.'

1/14/03 USA Today Super 25 boys basketball rankings includes # 3. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (6-2). Previous: 4. Beat Blair Academy (Blairstown) 70-68 and Morristown (N.J.)-Beard 85-52. # 12. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (12-1). Previous: 17. Beat St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows) 76-59 and Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn) 73-56. # 15. St. Raymond, Bronx, N.Y. (9-2). Previous: 19. Beat Archbishop Molloy (Briarwood) 72-65. # 16. Rice, New York, N.Y. (9-3). Previous: 3. Lost twice, to Xaverian (Brooklyn) 78-70 and All Hallows (Bronx) 70-63. # 19. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (6-2). Previous: 25. Beat Neptune 63-49 and Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 63-46 in the Hoop Group Challenge Series.

1/14/03 NorthJersey: Exceeding expectations -- Passaic's hard work is paying off; road test at BC looms.

Hun 73, New Church 51: Nathan Fritsch scored nine points in the second quarter and Patrick Dwyer dropped in eight to stake Hun to a 49-31 advantage in Princeton.

1/14/03 MSG Top 10 Tri-State Boy's Basketball Poll Week Two is headed by 1 - St. Patrick, NJ (8-2), 2 - St. Raymond, NY (9-2), 3 - Christ the King, NY (12-1), 4 - St. Anthony, NJ (6-2) and 5 - St. Mary’s, LI (8-1)

1/14/03 Newsday: David Myers scored four of his 10 points in overtime and had 12 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Martin Luther King to an 81-80 win over Norman Thomas in boys basketball yesterday.

1/14/03 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'After reading Ted Gustus' post on the film Antwone Fisher my assistant coach Anthony Burke and I took our team to see this moving and enlightening film and we all came away as better people for the experience. There were a lot of tears shed and a lot of hearts touched by the life and struggles of this brave and talented young man. If anyone knows how to reach Antwone I would like to get our team to meet him and invite him to speak at Tilden High School if possible.'

1/14/03 Prep Nation: 'Yep, we know about Bob Hurley. The Associated Press likes us to make the poll as much "non-insider" as possible. In other words, interesting to the broadest audience possible ... The fact is, outside of high school basketball fanatics, more people across the country know who Bobby Hurley is than know who Bob Hurley is. '

1/13/03 National Prep Basketball Poll for Week of January 13 includes # 3. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick (8-2), beat prep-school power Blair Academy, # 8. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond (9-2) , star PG Daon Merritt out for season with broken foot, # 17. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's (10-1), coach Danny Hurley brother of former Duke star Bobby Hurley and # 25. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King (12-1), only loss to No. 19 Bishop O'Connell. Northeast -- 1. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick, 8-2, 2. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond, 9-2, 3. Rochester, N.Y., McQuaid, 12-0, 4. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's, 10-1, 5. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King, 12-1, 6. New York, Rice, 10-3, 7. Brooklyn, N.Y., Lincoln, 15-1, 8. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony, 6-2, 9. Mount Vernon, N.Y., 9-0, 10. Philadelphia, Simon Gratz, 10-1. Web note: Interesting way to identify Danny Hurley! Hopefully Prep Nation knows about daddy.

1/13/03 Coach Rob Anderson: 'Class of 2007, Top 25 Showcase Games to be held in Pleasantville, NJ May 10, 2003. ( No Charge ) Scouting & media services will attend. Interested players/coaches, contact Rob Anderson, Healthy Cities Basketball Program at ( 609 ) 407-1401. Please leave name & phone number. A strength & conditioning session will be conducted prior to the evaluation games.'

1/13/03 Coach Reggie Murray: 'The day after Christmas I saw the film "Antwone Fisher" and was immediately moved. The following Monday I took 6 kids from my program to see the movie. And they enjoyed the film. Afterwards we had a discussion about the film and they enjoyed the discussion. They enjoyed me picking their brains to see if they understood what certain things meant and why certain things happened. Now they want me to rent similar movies with moral messages to see if they can figure out those as well. As an AAU coach (or HS coach) it's our responsibility to help the young men we work with become well-rounded, productive members of society. Not just good basketball players. That involves spending quality, non-basketball related time with them as well. There was life before basketball for all of us and we have to make sure that there is life after basketball for the young men that trust and respect us.'

1/13/03 Pdiddy9682: 'On Sunday, Rice defeated Loughlin, 75-70. Russell Robinson played and scored 10 points. He hit two big three pointers on back to back possessions with to give Rice a two point lead in the 4th. Apparently he is still injured as he ran gingerly and didn't go to the basket throughout the game.'

1/13/03 Coach Will Stasiuk: 'The PSAL regular season comes to an end on Saturday Jan. 25th. Thus far only 4 of the 39 playoff berths in the PSAL 'A' League have been secured. You can follow along daily as we update PSAL 'A' league playoff races at www.psalhoops.com.'

1/13/03 NJO: J.R. Smith sank seven 3-pointers in scoring 27 points and Art Bowers added 24 in a return to his hometown of Wilmington, Del., as St. Benedicts Prep handed Sanford an 84-54 setback yesterday.

1/13/03 Robert White, www.NyHoops.com: 'We have coverage and photos from the PSAL Winter classic these past 2 weekends.'

1/13/03 PrepStars Top 20 National Prep Poll has # 1. Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) (12-1) *1 Results: Lost to St. Patrick (N.J.), 70-68; Beat Laurinburg (N.C.), 85-67; Defeated Nansemond River (Va.), 72-62; Pounded Northern Durham (N.C.), 83-53; Defeated Worcester Academy (Mass.), 64-53; Defeated Lawrenceville, 76-55; Beat Redemption Christian, 74-59; Beat West Nottingham (Md.), 70-56; Defeated Trinity Pawling, 62-49. Next: Jan. 11 vs. Millbrook High at Cameron Indoor Stadium (N.C.); Jan. 15 at Hun; Jan. 18 vs. Lawrenceville; Jan. 22 at Peddie; Jan. 23 at St. Benedict’s Notes: Senior Loul Deng (Duke) is averaging 22.5 points and 10.3 boards per game while fellow senior forward Charlie Villanueva (Illinois) is putting up 16.8 points per contest. Deng won the MVP at the NYC Boys Club Tournament and also at the GlaxoSmithKline Tourney. He also scored 31 points in the loss to St. Pat’s, but Villanueva was held to 11.

# 11. Trinity Pawling (Pawling, N.Y.) (7-2) *17 Results: Pounded Canterbury, 84-34; Beat Redemption, 71-61; Edged Lawrenceville, 68-62; Lost to Worcester, 58-50; Beat Redemption, 68-44; Defeated Salisbury, 81-66; Beat Kingswood-Oxford, 76-64; Cruised past Gunnery, 67-43; Lost to Blair, 62-49. Next: Jan. 11 vs. Kent; Jan. 15 vs. Avon Notes: Chris Turner and 6-8, 200-pound senior Dante Milligan (Pittsburgh) both made the all-tournament team as TP took third place at the NYC Boys Club tournament. Turner scored 18 and Milligan added 15 in the win over Gunnery while Milligan scored all 18 of his points in the second half in an early-season loss to Blair.

# 13. Hun School (Princeton, N.J.) (7-3) *NR Results: Defeated Peddie, 67-60; Beat St. Benedict’s (N.J.), 62-54; Lost to St. Patrick (N.J.), 72-65; Beat Hamilton, 67-42, to win the Hamilton Classic; Defeated Hightstown, 67-46; Lost to Blair (N.J.), 68-49; Lost to Lawrenceville, 68-66; Beat Peddie, 68-53; Defeated Solebury, 71-35. Next: Jan. 11 vs. Mercersburg Academy; Jan. 13 vs. Academy of New Church; Jan. 15 vs. Blair Notes: Post-grad Billy May and 6-6 junior Noah Savage each scored 21 points in the victory over previously unbeaten St. Benedict’s, which at the time held the No. 2 spot in the national high school poll. Junior guard Mingus Murray scored 22 in the win over Hightstown.

# 14. Lawrenceville (Lawrenceville, N.J.) (8-3) *NR Results: Crushed Granville Charter, 81-31; Beat Woodberry Forest, 75-60; Lost to Trinity-Pawling, 68-63; Edged Northfield Mt. Hermon, 78-77; Lost to Blair, 76-55; Beat Edison, 71-46; Edged Peddie, 70-69; Beat Hun, 69-66; Pounded Valley Forge Military Academy, 98-42; Beat Pennington, 93-57; Lost to Friends Central (Pa.), 92-87. Next: Jan. 9 at West Point Prep; Jan. 11 vs. Peddie; Jan. 15 at St. Benedict’s Prep; Jan. 18 at Blair Notes: Senior Mykhael Lattimore scored 24 points and junior David Whitehurst, who is averaging 17 points per game, added 17 in a win over Woodbury Forest. Whitehust was the MVP of the Peddie Tournament and Robert Jones was on the all-tournament team. Senior forward Aaaron Washington is averaging 10 points and 8 boards per contest and sophomore guard Craig Moore is averaging 10 points and 7 assists per game.

1/12/03 Journal News: Coach John Volpe earns 500th win, Second-winningest coach in section history has his eye in first place

1/12/03 Coach Kevin Pigott: 'A well-earned congrats to veteran coach John Volpe of Sacred Heart in Yonkers (CHSAA Division III), as he joined an elite group today. Sacred Heart defeated Blessed Sacrament thus putting Coach Volpe in the 500-win club.'

1/12/03 NJO: Mingus Murray hit three 3-pointers and posted a game-high 24 points for Hun in Princeton. Patrick Dwyer added 10 points as Hun completed a 3-0 week that included victories over St. Benedicts Prep and Peddie.

Senior guard Tony Wilson matched his season high with 28 points and sophomores Michael Henderson and Hafeez Brown combined for 35 points to propel Linden to an 89-57 upset over undefeated Newark East Side, No. 4 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, yesterday in Linden.

Luol Deng hopes it was just a glimpse of things to come. The Blair guard/forward, who will play for Duke next season, scored 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting and collected 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals to lead Blair to a 77-60 victory over Raleigh Millbrook at the Hoop Groups Challenge Series last night in Deng's first game at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium.

St. Anthony easily handled Hopkins of Minnesota, 63-46 at the Hoop Groups Challenge Series. Hopkins, featuring All-America center Kris Humphries, entered the game ranked No. 13 in the nation.

1/12/03 NJ Hoops: Bergen Catholic came back in the second half to beat previously unbeaten Clifton 63 - 51 at Bergen Catholic.

1/12/03 Keith Mason: 'On Friday a game that wasn't reported on by any of the newspapers, Rice took a trip to All Hallows, in more ways then one, as they fell to the Gaels by the score of 59-52. While the loss isn't good for Raiders, what happened during the game is much worse. Rice's star guard 6'2 Russell Robinson injured his back during the game, and there is no word if he will play in Sunday's game against Bishop Loughlin or Tuesday against St. Raymond. The loss of Robinson would be huge, as not only is he the team's best scorer, and one of the best scorers in the city, he is a lockdown defender. With Robinson Rice is one of the best teams in the nation, but without him they are just an average team, so they are hoping that it is nothing serious and he won't miss too much time.'

1/12/03 Reggie Murray: 'Rams' Player Update -- Barnaby Collins (Telecommunications) is quitely having a terrific season and is establishing himself as one of the PSAL's premier point guards. In Telecommuniations' 83-49 win over Ft. Hamilton, Barnaby was 2 assists shy of a quadruple double with 32 points, 10 steals, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. For the season, he's averaging over 20 points a game, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.'

1/12/03 J2NYCE4YA: 'The New Jersey Based Playaz Basketball Club (PBC) is hosting the First Annual Freedom Fighters Hoop Challenge. This event will coincide with the National Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. Each year proceeds from this event will go to The Fredrick H. La Garde Sr. Academy located in Paterson, NJ. The school will be the annual co- recipient with a different co-recipient each year. This years chosen recipient is James "Flea" Watson, a 19 year old Paterson Catholic graduate who was hours away from departing for his first year of college at Clark Atlanta on August 19, 2001. James was unfortunately involved in a near fatal car accident that has kept him in a coma ever since.

The game schedule for the day is as follows: 4:00 Paterson Eastside HS (Girls) vs Christ the King HS of Middle Village, NY, Eastside features New Jersey's number 1 Junior in 6-2 Essence Carson while CTK is again ranked number 1 in USA Today, 5:45 Don Bosco Prep HS (Ramsey, NJ) vs Bloomfield Tech (Bloomfield,NJ) DBP features 6-6 inch Tyrell Biggs along with 4 other Division 1 caliber players while Bloomfield Tech features the backcourt of 2 top 10 NJ stars, pg Courtney Nelson and 2G DeShawn Dwight, 7:30 Paterson Catholic HS (Paterson , NJ) vs Lincoln HS (Brooklyn , NY) PC has 2 of the top 50 seniors in America in 6-4 , Rutgers signee Marquis Webb and 7-0 Darryl Watkins while the young and talented Lincoln squad is led by super junior sensation , pg Sebastian Telfair. Games are at John F. Kennedy HS in Paterson , NJ. and Admission is $10.00. For more info contact the Paterson Division of Recreation at 973-321-1313 ext. 4 and ask for Hoop Challenge Info.'

1/12/03 Coach Bryan Griffith, N.I.K.E.-1 Basketball Program Inc Big Apple Sports Inc: 'In response to the commentary so eloquently described by Coach Gustus, regarding the way "some" coaches speak to their players. I must confess that I was one of those coaches who in the past have subscribed to that "Bobby Knight" approach to motivate kids (I say was because my former players listen to me now and say how much I've changed). I have always told my players that speaking to them in a manner sometimes laced with profanity was not with an intent to disrespect them but rather it was to be an exclaimation point to a discussion regarding what I would like them (or him) to accomplish (on the court). Coach Gustus has always been a coach and man that I've admired not only for his X & O strategy as a HS xoaching legend, standing up to various barriers that he faced as a young coach, but to be able to transcend his attitude to his players...an attitude of never quit, yet they played not out of fear, but of respect for the man. I envy that. I learned about changing my attitude when I was named the freshman coach at Nazareth Regional HS in 1995, and realized that my approach needed to be changed. I owe that transformation to Ted as he was the individual that suggested that I should be hired as the freshman coach, he saw in me the ability to teach and motivate, but he also saw that I needed to be in an environment that will help me realize that my attitude and approach needed to be changed. Ted teaches his players in many ways and he taught me also as a coach. This is a quote that he utilized and probably still does: "Your attitude determines your approach. Your approach determines whether you will succeed or fail".

1/11/03 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'As usual Coach Ted Gustus is ahead of the curve,his remarks about how we as teachers and coaches speak to our students and athletes are right on point. Coach Gustus always has been able to motivate his players to work hard and play tough without having to "curse" at them or belittle them in any way. A true teacher and coach is a person who raises the level of those around them and helps teach youngsters and adults alike to find positive ways to express themselves. My wife, Karin, has always been on me about my style of reaching my players and Ted has just reminded me to be even more aware of how a coach's words and deeds can help or hurt a student/athlete to develop and mature as a future leader and adult.'

1/11/03 John P Miciotta: 'Christ the King used consecutive offensive rebound baskets early in the fourth quarter to change the momentum, break open what had been a close game, to defeat a tough Bishop Loughlin team 73-56.'

1/11/03 Newsday: 'St. Raymond's Survives. Corey Simmons was thought of so highly that despite the presence of starting point guard and University of Richmond-bound Daon Merritt and two other Division I- level senior teammates, Simmons was voted by teammates to be St. Raymond's lone team captain before the season.'

1/11/03 NJO: Bashir Mason scored a season-high 23 points to lead five scorers in double figures and steer St. Benedicts Prep to a 95-61 victory over the Berkshire School yesterday in Berkshire, N.Y.

DePaul 84, Passaic Valley 38: DePaul senior guard Max Schaffer, headed to Princeton in the fall, scored a career-high 31 points to give him 1,002 for his career in Wayne.

1/10/03 Dennis.Fields: 'Our Savior New American Schedule Upcoming Games: January 25 1 p.m. at Life Center, February 1 6 p.m. Battle by the Bay vs. Neptune, February 9 2:45 p.m. (Home) vs. Notre Dame Academy, February 11, 7 p.m. at St. Anthony's Jersey City, February 19 7 p.m. at Oak Hill, March 14 8 p.m. (Home) vs. Redemption Christian.'

1/10/03 Newsday: Boys & Girls Offers Forfeit. And Transit Tech Stops Banneker 75 - 68.

1/10/03 NorthJersey: More than 15 months after a Superior Court judge declared basketball stars Darryl Watkins and Collin Bailey eligible to play for Paterson Catholic, the New Jersey Court of Appeals has set Wednesday as the day to hear the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's appeal to overturn the Superior Court's decision.

1/10/03 NJO: Travis Hogans and Ricky Wallace connected for 19 points apiece to propel unbeaten Franklin, No. 13 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, to a 62-48 victory over Hunterdon Central last night in Flemington.

1/10/03 Inquirer: Junior Rich Racobaldo chips in 9 to help Irish win. The football and baseball standout came off the bench to spark Camden Catholic's 69-59 win over Wilson.

1/9/03 Coach Ted Gustus: 'To fellow high school and AAU coaches who subscribe to "cursing out", directing "profanity" and "degrading" their student-athletes in order to motivate them to play better or win a game, you should go see Danzel Washington's movie: Antowne Fisher. The movie really is an eye opener for the environment that many young boys are growing up in. I know most of my coaching colleagues want to do right by their student athletes. They want to improve their students' quality of life. After seeing Antowne Fisher, it confirmed the importance of how I communicate with my players. Yes, some players may come from a home where they are cursed out, put down, degarded and abused, however, we have an opportunity to build them up, instill confidence, and upgrade their standard of living. One of my colleagues once asked me how do I get my teams to play hard without cursing them out and overusing profanity towards them. My answer was it is not easy, especially if the kids are only motivated by someone belittling them or calling them outside their names. However, it can be done, and it takes a great deal of time talking to the players. I explain to my players, if the only way I can get you to play hard is to use profanity and curse at you, then you will not be able to play on my team. If I ask you to do something in a respectful way, and you respond, then I will continue to ask you that way. Players must be re-conditioned to respond to people treating them with respect, kindness, and not "dissing them". For those colleagues that use the profantity tactics, please do not take this e-mail personally. Many of you have been successful for many years, however, the Autowne Fisher movie addresses the 21 century student athlete. As a teacher in the the NYC junior high school, I see so many students that are similar to Autowne Fisher. We, as coaches, teachers and motivators have an opportunity to upgrade these students standards, just by the way we communicate to them. After seeing the movie, feel free to make comments. Peace!'

1/9/03 NJO: St. Patrick's puts No. 1 ranking to the test, tops Blair 70 - 68.

Jason Wilson erupted for 24 points, 10 rebounds and six steals to propel Bloomfield Tech to an 84-58 victory over Bayonne yesterday in West Caldwell.

1/9/03 Student Sports FAB 50 boys basketball includes # 3. Rice (New York, N.Y.) 9-1 (2) During the holiday season, Rice split with St. Patrick's--beating their North Jersey rival for the City of Palms title before losing to them in the semifinals of the Nike Academy event in Texas. Rice has a showdown with ranked St. Raymond's on Jan. 14. # 4. St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.) 6-2 (1) St. Patrick's has a pair of runnerup holiday tournament finishes in two of the nation's top events--losing to No. 3 Rice in the City of Palms final in Florida and bowing to No. 2 Oak Hill at the Nike Academy event in Texas after avenging loss to Rice in the semifinals. Later, St. Patrick's returned home to defeat Hun School behind Mike Nardi's 32 points. # 11. St. Raymond's (Bronx, N.Y.) 7-2 (18) St. Raymond's routed DeMatha of Hyattsville, Md., to win its bracket at the GlaxoSmithKline Tournament in Raleigh, N.C.. The team's only losses were at the City of Palms event in Florida, where it bowed to FAB 50 teams St. Patrick's and Mater Dei. # 23. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 12-1 (28) Junior guard Sebastian Telfair scored 28 points during the team's easy victory over Vallejo (Calif.) in the Dream Classic in California. Earlier, Lincoln defeated a pair of Maryland teams -- Bullis and Oxon Hill -- at the Slam Dunk to the Beach event in Delaware. # 24. Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 10-1 (32) Japhet McNeil netted 26 points to lead Christ The King past All Hallows, 71-66, in overtime last weekend. The team's lone loss was to Bishop O'Connell at the Beach Ball Classic. # 25. St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) 8-0 (nr) Alex Galindo was named MVP after St. Benedict's edged Archbishop Spalding, 49-46 to capture the Slam Dunk to the Beach championship in Delaware. Earlier, the team defeated Lexington (Ky.) Catholic in the finals of the Great Florida Shootout.

1/9/03 Daily News: Kevin Gill, who has been credited with revitalizing the Public Schools Athletic League since he took control of it two years ago, is leaving the Department of Education next month after 35 years.

1/9/03 InsidersHoops: Pangos Dream Classic Report -- Thousands pack Pauley Pavilion to see LeBron James and St. Vincent-St. Mary's tackle Mater Dei. Plus, Sebastian Telfair hits the west coast.

1/8/03 Coach Victor Hall, Our Saviour Lutheran H.S: 'It really touched my heart to know that so many people still remembered what Mr. George Booker accomplished at Our Saviour Lutheran. When I walked into Our Saviour's gym for the first time eight years ago and saw all the championship banners, I realized the school had a tradition of being successful. After inquiring about them and hearing the name George Booker and viewing a picture of him, I knew this was the same George Booker who had run the Whitney M. Young Tournament in Manhattan years ago. He was a coaching legend around the city. I decided that he was the "blueprint' and I would try to copy his success. I finally met him in the fall of 1997 when he attended one of our home games. He tried to sneak in and not be noticed but that was impossible, too many teachers and school officials recognized him. I was surprised to hear that he had been keeping abreast of what the team had been doing. I don't remember whether or not we won but I remember the excitement of just having him there. That year, 1997-98 Our Saviour won the (PSAA) Private School Athletic Association championship. I created an award named after Mr. Booker called "The George Booker Achievement Award" which goes to the senior who shows leadership, does well academically and works hard throughout the season. On "Senior Day" which is when I honor all seniors on the team, I presented the first award to Tunde Adacola. The event was televised by a local cable station. Mr. Booker became a fixture at the home games. He attended every championship game we played. He was my friend as well as my mentor. When I needed advice on any subject., he was always there for me. I will forever cherish the times we spent together. My dream has been to have a George Booker Memorial Game during the High School season. We are now in negotiations with a local college and the project looks very positive for next year. When we finalize everything,we will invite teams who are interested in competing in this event.'

1/8/03 Coach Victor Hall: 'Jamaal "The Real Deal" Womack of Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. continues on his record setting pace in the PSAA (Private School Athletic Association). Despite having a terrible third quarter, he exploded for 60 points and led Our Saviour to an 87-71 victory on Tuesday, January 7. He also recorded 6 assist, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Five of his six assists led directly to three point field goals, three of his rebounds were on the offensive boards and all of his steals were pure hustle. Although they were outmatched size wise, David Williamson, a 6'2" rising eigth grader and Mujon Demiraj, a 6'2" senior held their own on the boards and did a very good job limiting the opposition to just one shot for most of the game. Troy Haddock, a ninth grader played the point under control and Adam Maldonado provided the long range bombing when needed. Our Saviour's record is now 5 wins vs 2 losses. Our next contest is at home on Friday, January 10th at 4:00pm.'

1/8/03 Hoops USA: We promised the Consensus Ratings by Tuesday. The Student Sports ratings were not received by that time and have not been included as yet. The ratings will change later today once those are included.

1/8/03 Newsday: Xaverian Derails Rice As Chris Taft Handles Shagari Alleyne.

Junior point guard Jamaal Womack scored a career-high 60 points for the Our Saviour Lutheran boys basketball team yesterday in an 86-71 win against St. Demetrios.

1/8/03 Gerard Davis, The Fieldston school: 'I also had the pleasure of playing versus that 1987 OSL squad. We were under direct instructions from our coach to play 4 corners as there was no shot clock back then. Despite our efforts we ended uplosing 112-32. Bernard-Hurd-Duck-Smith-Triado were awesome! They had it all; speed and strength and had fun playing.'

1/8/03 NJO: Hun 62, St. Benedicts Prep 54 - Noah Savage and Billy May scored 21 points apiece as Hun removed St. Benedicts Prep from the unbeaten ranks in Princeton.

Adrian Joseph scored 18 points, including 12 straight in a run that bridged the halves, in sending Bergen Catholic, No. 6 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, to a 71-43 victory over Paterson Kennedy last night in Paterson.

Jesse Holley and Jonathan Hart combined for 36 points and 13 steals to help Roselle, No. 12 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, rally for a 67-55 victory over Roselle Catholic yesterday at Roselle High.

1/7/03 Thanks to John Miciotta we now have a profile of All Hallows on the team page.

1/7/03 COACHROB61 South Jersey Scouting Report Class of 2003 -- Bruce Davenport on the class of 2003 page.

1/7/03 USA Today: Super 25 boys basketball rankings has # 3. Rice, New York, N.Y. (9-1). Previous: 16. Won the City of Palms Classic (Fort Myers, Fla.), beating then-No. 3 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 64-51. Beat then-No. 1 Rainier Beach (Seattle) 51-49 to finish third in the Academy National Invitational National Division. # 4. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (6-2). Previous: 3. Finished second at both the City of Palms Classic (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Academy National Invitational National Division. Beat then-No. 16 Rice (New York, N.Y.) 55-52 in Academy National semifinals. Lost to Rice 64-51 in City of Palms final. # 17. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (10-1). Previous: Not ranked. Finished third in the Beach Ball Classic, losing to then-No. 8 O’Connell 59-47 in semifinals. # 19. St. Raymond, Bronx, N.Y. (8-2). Previous: 12. Beat DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 64-48 to win the GlaxoSmithKline. Holiday Invitational B bracket in Raleigh, N.C. and # 25. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (4-2). Previous: 20. Won consolation bracket of the National Prep Classic National Division. Also beat Christian Brothers (Lincroft) 41-29.

1/7/03 MSG High School Basketball Top-10 -- 1 - St. Patrick, NJ (6-2), 2 - Rice, NY (10-1), 3 - St. Raymond, NY (7-2), 4 - Christ the King, NY (10-1), 5 - St. Mary’s, LI (5-1), 6- Lincoln, NY (13-1), 7- St. Anthony, NJ (4-2), 8- Molloy, NY (5-4), 9 - Paterson Catholic, NJ (3-1), 10 - Mt. Vernon, NY (7-0).

1/7/03 Journal News: Former Peekskill star Rashard Turner decided over the weekend that he will play at Kent State next season.

1/7/03 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'I wanted to thank Mel Goldstein and the PSAL staff for inviting Tilden H. S. to play in this years winter classic at Lehman College. It was a great experience for my players and we really enjoyed playing against coach Mark Morse and his fine team. Edwin Berrios and his teammates played with heart, poise and passion and pushed us to play just as hard. I hope. Edwin's knee injury is not serious and that Roosevelt continues on with their great season.Coach Morse is really a credit to the PSAL and his players would do well to listen to every word he says!'

1/7/03 Louis Xifaras, Director of Basketball Operations: Queens RimRockers Basketball, Inc. are holding tryouts Friday, January 10th at 6pm at I.S. 141 gym in Astoria, Queens. This tryout is only for the 16 and under I.S. 8 League beginning in mid-January. Only players born in the years of 1989, 1988, or 1987 will be allowed to enter the gym this day. You may not turn 17 years of age anytime during the year 2003. For more information or for gym directions, go to www.QueensRimRockers.com.

1/7/03 NJ Hoops: Homeless Classic updated schedule -- Saturday, 1/26/03 at the Dunn Center final game is 8:15 St. Patrick's vs. St. Benedict's.

1/6/03 PrepNation: National Prep Basketball Poll for Week of January 6 includes # 3. New York, Rice (9-1) , beat No. 9 Rainier Beach for third place at Academy National. # 4. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick (6-2) , losses are to No. 2 and No. 3 teams. # 7. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's (8-0) , won championship bracket at Slam Dunk to the Beach tourney in Lewes, Del. # 12. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond (7-2) , won title at GlaxoSmithKline tourney in Raleigh, N.C.

Northeast 1. New York, Rice, 9-1 2. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick, 6-2 3. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's, 8-0 4. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond, 7-2 5. Rochester, N.Y., McQuaid, 10-0 6. Philadelphia, Saint Joseph's Prep, 12-0 7. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King, 10-1 8. Brooklyn, N.Y., Lincoln, 12-1 9. Mount Vernon, N.Y., 7-0 10. Philadelphia, Cardinal Dougherty, 9-2

This is hardly the same St. Anthony team that captured the last two NJSIAA Tournament of Champions crowns as well as the esteem of basketball aficionados.

1/6/03 NorthJersey: Court smarts -- Max Schaffer, the DePaul point guard.

1/6/03 Daily News: Road show -- Lincoln hoops team tours Los Angeles in style.

1/6/03 Newsday: Japhet McNeil scored 26 points and shot 10-for-11 from the free-throw line as Christ the King downed All Hallows, 71-66.

1/5/03 Brooklyn Scout: 'Lost in the hoopla of the LeBron James game on ESPN2, Lincoln routed Vallejo (CA) 91-63 in the nitecap of the 9th annual Dream Classic quadrupleheader at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. While James had a subpar performance in St. Vincent-St. Mary's 64-58 victory over Mater Dei (CA) in the televised game, Sebastian Telfair stole the show with a solid all-around performance while outplaying fellow junior DeMarcus Nelson, who has given an early commitment to Duke.

When Telfair left with 2 minutes remaining in the third period, Lincoln was ahead 63-29 and Telfair had outscored the entire Vallejo team with 30 points, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Nelson finished with a game-high 37 points, but most of them came in the fourth quarter garbage time.

For Lincoln, Dominic Osei got most of his 11 points and 9 rebounds in the first half to help the Railsplitters take a commanding 41-21 halftime lead. Jamal Dart added 9 points and 6 rebounds, Stewart Graddick added 7 points and 6 assists, and Antonio Pena had 8 points and 5 rebounds, all in the second half.'

1/5/03 Coach Tony Bergeron, head basketball coach at the Wings Academy in the Bronx with more on prep basketball.

1/5/03 NJO: John Kelly helped DePaul build a 15-point first-quarter lead on its way to a 76-45 victory over Pequannock yesterday in Pequannock.

Jesse Holley scored 14 of his 21 points and Jonathan Hart added 11 of his 19 in the second half as they paced Roselles 67-53 comeback victory over Rahway yesterday in Rahway.

Dave McSwain's 33 points led three players scoring in double figures for Newark East Side in a 95-49 victory over Kearny yesterday in Kearny.

Seton Hall used smart, strong floor leadership from point guard Shayle Keating and rugged inside play from Alex Buzbee to build a 21-point lead after three quarters... . before it held on for a 63-49 victory.

St. Patricks 72, Hun 65: Mike Nardi scored a season-high 32 points and Jason Patterson and Robert Hines scored nine each for St. Patricks in Elizabeth.

Simon Gratz 56, Life Center 49: Life Center, which handed St. Anthony its first homecourt defeat in two years in its last outing, fell behind by 11 in the first quarter and never recovered in Burlington.

1/4/03 Jeff Ruskin, Dean of Students and an assistant basketball coach at Salisbury (CT) School: 'Back on Dec. 25, 2002, contributor "LFBALL" raised questions about the world of prep school basketball following the closing of Milford Academy.' More info here.

1/4/03 Inquirer: St. Augustine hands St. Joseph its first loss in 74-39 rout. Led by Anthony Farmer's 14 points and Jarrod Frazier's 15 rebounds, host St. Augustine gained the upper hand early. And south Jersey's Basketball Scoring Leaders.

1/4/03 Newsday: Shareefe Gilyard's three-pointer with 1:20 left snapped a tie at 67 and led host Longwood past Dunbar (Washington, D.C.), 73-69, in the second round of the Rim Rockers boys basketball Classic Friday night.

1/3/03 Troy Record: No Mayben's about it. Emmanuel "Tiki" Mayben's basketball career at Troy High is over.

1/3/03 Dennis.Fields: ' Flyin to the Hoop - January 18 - 20th. Our Savior New American and Bishop Loughlin will be participating.

1/3/03 Newsday: Urban Peace blew leads in regulation and overtime against Martin Luther King yesterday, but won in two overtimes, 72-71.

1/3/03 Coach Steven Hicks: 'I coach Basketball at Martin Luther High School in Queens. I spent many years playing against Coach Bookers' Our Saviour Lutheran teams. I graduated from Martin Luther, another Lutheran School. I had the privilege of knowing Mr. Booker as a coach and friend. I played at Div.II Concordia College, and he was a lot of the reason that I played there. My coach in my senior year was not good at the recruiting thing. Mr. Booker, even though a rival coach, helped me. He did not get the recognition of Rev. Ed Vischer of Long Island Lutheran in our Lutheran circles, but statewide, everyone knew coach Booker. We all miss him, he was a great man. As a member of the New York State Basketball CoachesAssociation, I am going to nominate him for the hall of fame. What he did at tiny OSL was just remarkable, and this comes from a rival player, and coach. From Frank White, Richie Pass, Scott, Arnold, Danny, etc. he was a father coach, disciplinarian, a friend. Thanks for bringing up his teams.'

1/3/03 Coach Mario Beras: 'The Hawkins Great 8 Challenge (At Columbia University ) is Sunday January 26th, 2003. 11:00 a.m. Cardozo vs. North Bergen (NJ), 1:00 p.m. Grady vs. St. Mary's (LI), 3:00 p.m. FDA vs. All Hallows, 5:00 p.m. Robeson vs. Gompers.'

1/3/03 PSAL.org: Bronx Winter Classic is @ Lehman College, Sunday, January 5, 2003 Theodore Roosevelt (Bronx East A) and Samuel Gompers (Bronx East A) defend borough bragging rights vs.Tilden (Brooklyn III-A) and Murry Bergtraum (Manhattan A).

1/3/03 Dwayne "Coach D" Murray: 'Mt. Vernon BasketballThe Mt. Vernon Knights Junior Varsity Squad is looking to add another 2 or 3 games to its schedule. If any teams are interested, please contact JV coach Brian Pritchett at 914-663-7871, or myself at Dwayneemc@aol.com. We are willing to travel.

In addition, one of the Mt. Vernon Knights feeder teams, the Mt. Vernon Junior Knights 7th grade team, is looking to add a couple of games to their schedule as well. The Junior Knights, formerly St. Ursula CYO Basketball Program, currently play in the Tri-County Basketball League which encompasses Westchester, Rockland, Orange County teams, as well as teams from Connecticut. Any coaches interested in setting up some out of league games for their schedule, or develop a healthy competitive relationship between programs for future schedules please contact me at Dwayneemc@aol.com. Or call 914-699-5256.'

1/2/03 James Brown: 'I am an alum of Our Saviour (please note the "u" in the spelling) and assisted under Coach Booker on his first state championship team in 1981. I was in the stands that night and still remember that game almost like it was yesterday. Kenny was only a sophomore but was already a legend in the making. That team also had Ralph James (Harvard), 6'10" Rob Werdann (St. John's), and another big kid whose name I don't remember, as well as legendary Coach Jack Curran. No one gave OSL a chance, but Arnold so frustrated Kenny and the rest of the Stanners, with his dazzling speed, deft ballhandling and pesky defense that David did indeed defeat Goliath. Arnold also had help from Jonathan Duck (Iona), Walter Hurd (Johnson C. Smith), and Steve Kearney (Northeastern), but he was clearly the star of Glens Falls that night.

I recall seeing Kenny on the pay phone at the hotel later that evening (this was pre-cell phone days), still wearing that bewildered look and telling the person on the other end "he's so fast." We all know that Kenny went on to break the NYS scoring record, star at Georgia Tech and then on to "the league" but it's nights like that one in 1997 that make high school sports great.

By the way, Arnold went on to a very nice career at SW Mo. St. and played for the Globetrotters for a number of years. Thanks for bringing back those memories, Coach.'

1/2/03 Padre4ever: 'Jon Duck (Iona) was also a great player on that O.S.L. team in '87. Note: Four years ago (under "players" 10/98) I made the claim that Schenectadys Willie Deane (BC/Purdue) and James Thomas (Texas) formed the best inside/outside tandem in the state that year. I got some pretty harsh e-mails from the "city," but now it looks like they actually do play some ball "upstate!" Keep your eye on McQuaid (Rochester) this year...they just won the Beach Ball which included some downstate powers. Tyler can play!'

1/2/03 PSAL.org: 'Queens Winter Classic @ Elmcor, Saturday, January 4, 2003.'

1/2/03 Joe Vendetti: 'Correction to Lonnie Webb's post on 1/1/03 -- It is Shenendehowa (Not Shenendoah), remember the school that won the NYSPHSAA Class "A" title in 1987 behind NYS MR. Basketball Greg Koubek who went on to be the 1st player to ever play in 4 final 4's with Duke. That same year they lost to Kenny Anderson's Molloy team in the Federation semi's. The next night Anderson's Molloy team was upset by 5'5" Arthur Bernard from the LI or PSAL rep. Please let me know the name of Bernard's team (for some reason LI Lutheran sticks in my head)?'

John P Miciotta: It was not LI Lutheran but rather Our Savior Lutheran, the team coached by the late and great George Booker in the Bronx. They did beat Molloy with 5'5" Arnold "A train" Bernard (who had previously been at Rice and Truman) leading the way. Two of their other key guys were Garfield Smith, who after juco went on to play at Maryland and Walter Hurd, who was one of the toughest guards around and became an NAIA all-american at Johnson C. Smith College. Another small but speedy guard, Danny Tirado, may have been on that club also. It was the only time I've ever seen Kenny Anderson put his head down and stop playing. A-Train was in his shorts and frustrated him.'

BOOKSNBALL: 'If its Arnold Bernard, I'm almost certain it was Our Savior Lutheran (Bx) coached by retired NYCPD officer George Booker. A real first class gentlemen who sadly passed away a few years ago.'

Coach Bob Oliva: 'It was Our Savior Lutheran. And his name was Arnold Bernard, not Arthur. He went to South West Missouri St. in Springfield, Mo.'

1/1/03 Lonnie Webb: 'FYI - Mount Vernon will be attending the "Jimmy V. Tournament" in Troy, New York at LaSalle Academy. Mt. Vernon will play Shenendoah 1/18/03 and either LaSalle or St. Peters for the championship on 1/19/03. Note: Shenendoah recently handed White Plains they're first lost of the season.'

1/1/03 Updated the calendar page for only 2003 events including this May's GymRat Challenge in upstate New York.

1/1/03 All Star Report: Despite being arguably outplayed for a majority of the game, Steve Smith’s Oak Hill Academy program came up big in crunch time, defeating St. Patrick’s (NJ) 62-59 to win the 2002 National Division of the Academy National Invitational held in Houston, Texas.

1/1/03 NJO: Seton Hall Prep allowed the last seven points of the game as Christ The King of New York rallied for a 56-52 victory in the third-place game of the Beach Ball Classic on Monday in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

1/1/03 Newsday: 'Gaels a Force. Coach Tim Cluess (pictured left with his star Mamadou Diakhate - photo by Richard Slattery) has built St. Mary’s into Island’s preeminent program. Boys basketball has been the life force at St. Mary's since coach Tim Cluess brought home the first of five straight Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA titles in March, 1998.'

Newsday: Nassau Boys: Uniondale Still Tops. Suffolk Boys: Amityville Still Tough. CHSAA Boys: Chaminade Flying to Top? Private School Boys: LI Lutheran's Mission: A Return to Glen Falls.

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