October 2004

10/31/04 The Empire rules. Their underclassmen won 101-95 and the seniors took their game 82-77 at the Apple vs. Empire Showcase Games. Melquan Bolding (19 for the Beacon high school MVP), Paul Harris (24) and Rob Thomas (21) were high for Empire while Corey Fisher (game high 27 for the St Patrick Sportsmanship award sophomore) and Austin Wallace (12 and a blocking presence inside) were tops for Apple.  MVP Andray Blachte (18), Tyson Johnson (16), Danny Green (16) Tiki Mayben (10) and Chris Lowe (10) got double digits for the senior Empire team, while Ricky Torres (14), Tyrell Biggs (12), Jessie Sapp (10),  Vernon Goodridge (8 for the Sportsmanship award winner, who was also tough in the paint), Niko Scott (8) and Chris Bethel (8) gave Team Apple balanced scoring, but not enough. 

Justin Rivers	Bougari Konate	Rice trio of Kashif Pratt, Curtis Kelly and Edger Sosa	Daye Kaba	Melquan Bolding
-	-	-	-	-
James Feldeine	Darius Gabriel	John Garcia	Alex Zampier	Jessie Sapp

10/31/04 Scout.com: Griffin Challenge: Shane Clark Saves Philly. Clark picks Maryland; named MVP.

10/31/04 DJ Brown: 'It was well worth the trip to New Brunswick to see the Eddie Griffin Challenge. Looking at this and IS 8, Phila basketball is not to be ignored. Wayne Ellington, with 3 in the first half and finishing with 32 and Gerald Henderson jumping out of the gym (what a alley oop!!!), Antonio Jardine and others are always going to be worth the trip. Gametape.com was there and will be at Apple vs Empire today.'

10/31/04 Last season the Mt Vernon Knights won the school's third Federation title as the best team in New York state. Teir team profile is now on the team page where we have them ranked as the fifth best team in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for more than the next month. If you have team info - last season's record, key players, key games in league or tournaments, promising freshmen and overall prospects - please send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

10/31/04 NJ Hoops: Philly star, Wayne Ellington, puts on show at Eddie Griffin.

10/31/04 If you get to today's Apple vs. Empire Showcase Games  a little before the 1:00 AM start of the first game and the John Jay gym is empty you probably forgot to set your clock back an hour. Don't get there too late. Organizers expect a big crowd.

10/31/04 Daily News: PSAL reviews transfer rules.

10/30/04 Thanks to coach Dennis Terry the Longwood team profile is now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for more than the next month. If you have team info - last season's record, key players, key games in league or tournaments, promising freshmen and overall prospects - please send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

10/30/04 NJ Hoops: Eddie Griffin Senior Stars

10/30/04 Daily News: Grady guard, Kevin White, gets transfer to Lincoln.

10/30/04 NY Post: Kevin White transfers to Lincoln.

10/30/04 Bingo All Stars: Spotlight on Fred Neal of the Gauchos the "OG" of NYC.

10/30/04 Street & Smith's Preseason Top 25 High School Boys Teams includes # 1. St. Anthony (Jersey City, NJ), # 3. Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, NY), # 9. Xaverian (Brooklyn, NY) and  # 13. Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, NJ).

10/29/04 The finalized rosters for Sunday's 1PM amd 3PM games at John Jay are on the Apple vs. Empire Showcase Games page.

10/29/04 Jimmy Salmon: 'Tomorrow's Eddie Griffin Challenge is on as scheduled, where it was schedule - on Rutgers University New Brunswick campus at the Barn on College Avenue. The triple header starts with the sophomore game at 3:00 PM, followed by a junior and senior game. Tickets are good for all three games and are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children 12 and under.'

10/29/04 The St Augustine Hermits from south Jersey are our # 12 team in the region: their team profile is now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a new profile each day for the next month plus. If you have team info - last season's record, key players, key games in league or tournaments, promising freshmen and overall prospects - please send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

10/29/04 NJ Hoops: Eddie Griffin Challenge location change?

10/29/04 RutgersFan: Eddie Griffin Challenge: The Show Will Go On.

10/29/04 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Semi-final match-ups for this Sunday on the Westchester's Best Fall League page.'

10/28/04 Sporting News: UConn freshman  AJ Price takes positive step.

10/28/04 Coach Lance Tejada: 'Lashard Duren makes St Johns roster.'

10/28/04 Coach Dana Dingle: 'The Long Island Lightning-Dingle Team is seeking boys whose grade as of September 2004 are: 11 and under/5th Grade- born on or after-September 01, 1993, Grade Exception: A player who is in the 5th grade and who was born on or after September 1, 1992. 12 and Under/6th Grade-born on or after-September 01, 1992. Grade Exception: A player who is in the 6th grade and who was born on or after September 01, 1991. Also will consider a: 7th Grader- born on or after-September 01, 1992. Date: Sunday October 31, also Saturday and Sundays starting November 6, through November 28 at Fordham University, 441 East Fordham Road in the Bronx. Time: 10:00-12:00 AM. For information and questions contact: me at (646) 773--4878 or email ddingle7@yahoo.com.'

10/28/04 The JFK, Bronx Knights team profile is now on the team page. It's the third of at least 39 team profiles that I'll be randomly adding each day for the next month plus. If you have team info - last season's record, key players, key games in league or tournaments, promising freshmen and overall prospects - please send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

10/28/04 Thanks to Tarin Gonzalez and the Gauchos staff the championship game results and awards are on Gauchos Roundball Classic, 2004 page. 

10/28/04 Frederick Neal: 'The Gauchos winter seniors 19 and under tryouts will be held on Saturday, October 30, 7-9:30 PM at the Gauchos gym, 478 Gerarad Avenue, Bronx (718)665-6952.'

10/28/04 The Hoopstown Top 25 Underclassmen includes # 4. Lance Stephenson, # 7. Derrick Caracter, # 8. Erving Walker, # 14. Curtis Kelley, # 16. Corey Fisher and # 20. Mike Coburn.

10/28/04 John P Miciotta: 'According to published reports Bob Leckie and his staff have received a second verbal commitment from a New York native prepping at St. Thomas More. In addition to former White Plains star Quentin Martin, the Peacocks have also landed 5'11" Long Island native Kevin Spann. Spann, who played previously for John Walsh at St. John the Baptist High is a heady floor general who distributes the ball, can make shots, and provides good pressure on the ball defensively. Congratulations to both Kevin and the staff at St. Peter's College for a job well done.'

10/28/04 Bob Paul: 'Chaminade freshman team is still looking for a couple of games and scrimmages to fill out its schedule. Any teams from Long Island and New York City, public or private, are encouraged to contact Bob Paul at Chaminade HS (516) 742-5555 ext 223 or by email hoops1130@optonline.net.'

10/27/04 Kristie Ackert: 'The Daily News is looking for high school schedules and rosters. Please email them to Kackert@edit.nydailynews.com before November 5th.'.

10/27/04 Coach Tom Sampogna: 'As an alumnus of White Plains HS, I am very proud of the way the basketball program has grown since I left, some 12 years ago. Coach Mayfield has done a tremendous job in turning around the program. Congratulations to Devon Austin and Quentin Martin on their commitments, Manhattan and St. Peter's respectively. Both are tremendous players and people aswell as they come from excellent family backgrounds. I know they will make their families, the WP Basketball Program and alumni proud. Good luck this year and in the future guys.'

10/27/04 Coach Ruben Tavarez: 'The LPAC Basketball Program is hosting the first Latino Cup Basketball Tournament to begin on Nov. 29th 2004. The tournament will feature two divisions...12 and under and 14 and under. The league fees are $150 for the biddy's division and $200 for the midget division. The event wil be held at LPAC, which is located 14 W. 170th Street, right off Jerome Avenue. The spots are filling up quickly. For more information call Coach Ruben Tavarez or Coach Victor Crespo at 718-681-2361 ext 142.'

10/27/04 Eddie Oliver: 'Coaches and Fans - My annual High School Basketball Tournament and Events Report is now ready. The thirty-four page report covers over one-hundred-fifty events with dates, sites, teams, players and all contact information. I recommend the Collegiate and Professional Edition and the $125 is more than worth the price. Other similar reports cost four times that amount. Mine is the best report of its kind in the country. This is not a big money maker for me. Subscriptions cover expenses and allows me to stay in touch with all the great basketball people I have met over the years. Purchase the report and then spread the good news. Info is at Tournament and Events Report page.'

10/27/04 Thanks to coach Chris Potash the Peddie team profile is now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next month. If you have team info - last season's record, key players, key games in league or tournaments, promising freshmen and overall prospects - please send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

10/27/04 NJ Hoops: Eddie Griffin Challenge has Sophomore Stars.

10/27/04 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'Two upcoming classics to be held at Tilden High School on Friday Nov. 12th and Friday Nov. 19th 2004. The first is the Bob Kronisch Memorial Classic. The games are 4:30 PM Canarsie vs New Utrecht, 6:00 PM Tilden vs FDR and the nightcap is 7:30 PM Sheepshead Bay vs Susan McKinney. Admission is $5 at the door. Our second classic is the Jerry Gold Memorial Classic. The games are. 4:30 PM Boys and Girls vs New Utrecht, 6: PM Tilden vs Richmond Hill and 7:30 PM South Shore vs St.Edmund Prep. Admission is also $5 at the door. Both of these events honor men who have done so much for the student/athletes of the PSAL.'

10/27/04 Dennis Gregory: 'Teams and schedules for the Pre-Season Metro Classic on Sunday, October 31 are on Pre-Season Metro Classic page.'

10/26/04 The Journal News: White Plains' Martin, Austin pick colleges.

10/26/04 Terence (t-bone) Johnson: 'This year St. Patrick of NJ has the toughest schedule, (Sorry Xaverian). St. Patrick plays St. Benedict twice, Cardoza, Oak Hill Academy, St. Raymond, Blair Academy, Hun, Lawrenceville Prep, Our Savior New American, Mt. Vernon, Rice, St. Joseph Metuchen, Burlington Life Center and a match-up with South West Gwinnett is still being worked out for ESPN2 (Louis Williams). I guess you have to play the best when you have Jeff Robinson, Derrick Caracter, Corey Fisher and Andre Davis on your squad.'

10/26/04 Coach Tom Fraher: 'Mount Saint Michael Varsity Basketball Team is looking for scrimmages on the following dates: Monday, November 22nd and Friday, November 26th. Home or away. Call me at 718-515-6400 (ext. 249).'

10/26/04 The AAU team profiles have been moved to the 2004 AAU team page. Thanks to coach Jack Alesi I've begun the high school team profiles with Xaverian, ranked as the # 16 team in the region. I'll try to add a new profile (top 21 or not) to the team page every day for the next month or so. If you have team info - last season's record, key players, key games in league or tournaments, promising freshmen and overall prospects - please send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com. Don't worry if the information isn't finalized. I can always update it.

10/26/04 Daily News: Wings Academy junior Andre Tarver chooses Jaspers.

10/26/04 NY Post: Grady gets good news on transfers.

10/26/04 Stephen Furtado: 'All 14 Under and 12 and under teams invited to the Books B4 Ball basketball tournament at the brand new South Jamaica PAL center on Guy R Brewer Blvd in Jamaica Queens (the new Mecca of Basketball). Brand new gym. $125 4 games plus playoffs. Starts November 11, weekday evenings and Saturdays. more info 718-216-9178.'

10/26/04 Stephen Furtado: 'Pro-Bound student athelete Basketball program is having tryouts for its Pro-Bound Elite,Pro-Bound Select, and Probound Shocase 14and Under and 17and Under Traveling teams. Tryouts are on Friday October 29 and Tuesday November 2nd from 6pm-8pm at the New South Jamaica PAL Center on Guy R. Brewer Blvd between Foch Blvd and 115av. Bring birth certificate and A-Game. For more info 718-216-9178.'

10/25/04 John P Miciotta: Playaz Club wins IS8 title with help from “Friars Club” on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/25/04 Coach Tony Bergeron, Wing's Academy: 'Andre Tarver 6-2 junior shooting guard from the Wing's Academy has verbally committed to Manhattan College. Congratulations to Coach Bobby Gonzalez, Steve Masiello and the rest of the hard working staff from Manhattan. Tarver plays his summer ball with the Bingo's All-Stars AAU program.'

10/25/04 Coach Agnew: 'Jersey Shore Haunted Hoops, Oct 22-24, 2004 -- In Boys 13U, the Long Island Lightning-Fisher team started the weekend losing a close game, 44-43 to the Jersey Coast Hurricanes, 2003 NJ State AAU 12U champions. The team came back on Sunday with a vengeance. They had a midmorning laugher 58-36 against a good Jackson Tar Heels team. Their final task was to defeat a Long Island Trotter team that they had defeated in 6 previous meeting. The Lightning-Fisher team handled them easily leading by as many as 15 points, they held of a late barrage of threes by the Trotters and a 45-36 victory.

This team is improved over last year its return players are led by Dante Agnew (6th grade), Hakeem Bilal Ali (6th grade), Kevin Bailey (6th grade), Reggie Balmir (7th grade), Melsahn Basabe (7th grade), Brendan Mills (7th grade), Tyler Seidman (6th grade). The newcomers who are expected to make considerable contributions are Diondre Aristilde (8th grade), Malik Batine (7th grade), Clayton Harry (7th grade), Justin Heron (7th grade), Lamard Herron (7th grade), Joshua Heyliger( 6th grade) '

10/25/04 NY Hoops: Playaz Black Redeem Saturday’s Loss.

10/25/04 Nick Blatchford: 'The New York Daily News presents the inaugural Apple vs. Empire Showcase Games to place on Sunday, October 31st at John Jay College (59th St and 10th Ave). The Underclassmen game will begin at 1pm and the Seniors game will begin at 3pm. Confirmed players for the Seniors game include Ricky Torres (St. John's), Chris Bethel (Fordham), Theo Davis, Saquion Stone, Vernon Goodridge, Cameron Lewis, Junior Bernal, LaVance Fields, Tiki Mayben (Syracuse), Danny Green (UNC), Tyson Johnson, Bougari Konate, Andray Blatche, John Garcia (Seton Hall), Kaheem Seawright, James Tchana, Chris Lowe and Terrell Biggs (Pitt). Confirmed players for the Underclassmen game include Eugene Harvey, Edgar Sosa, Larry Davis, Chris De La Rosa, Jabari Edwards, Curtis Kelly, Michael Glover, Austin Wallace, Corey Fisher, Paul Harris, Melquan Bolding, Talor Battle, Alex Zampier, Daye Kaba, Rashard Green, TJ Carey, Antonio Pena, and Devin Erwin. Tickets will be sold at the door; $7 for adults, $5 for students (w/ ID) and children under 12 are free. For more information, call 212.927.HOOP (4667).'

10/25/04 Daily News: Ex-Wings star - Gerald Carter - flying to Marist.

10/25/04 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Quarter-final Playoffs Results on the Westchester's Best Fall League page.'

10/24/04 Philly USA began their IS8 championship quest with a 13-2 run and a 29-20 first quarter lead thanks to a zone press which confused the Playaz early. But Philly took the press off to begin the second quarter and the Playaz adjusted to it later in the period to take a 50-49 lead at the 5:26 mark in the third period. They never looked back winning 89-76. Derrick Mercer, the 5-9 St Anthony point guard, got a well deserved championship MVP for the Playaz while Stefon (I asked him how he spelled his first name) Jackson got the game Sportsmanship award and the IS8 season MVP trophy.

The IS8 All Tournament first team was Andray Blachte, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Victor Morris and Antonio Pena. The second team was Levance Fields, Jonathan Mitchell, Eugene Harvey, Gerald Henderson and Ryan Ayers. The third team was Derrick Caracter, Marvin Roberts, Dionte Christmas, Chris Bethel and Doug Wiggins.

10/24/04 John P Miciotta: Semi-Final Saturday on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/24/04 NJ Hoops: Playaz Black advance.

10/24/04 Daily News: Cardozo's Theo Davis gives schools 2nd shot.

10/23/04 It will be Philly USA vs. the Playaz Black for the IS8 Fall championship tomorrow at 12:00 as Philly USA topped the Playaz Gold 92-86 behind Stefon Jackson (26), Dante Christmas (20), Maurice Thomas (19) and Kilid Hartwell (10). Wayne Ellington had a game high for the Playaz Gold while Gerald Henderson, Luis Guzman and Kimani Barrett chipped in with 17, 15 and 11. Philly was relentless on the offensive boards and that was the difference in the game.

In the second game the Gauchos trailed 43-30 at the half but got it to 56-53 with less than three minutes to play before a final Playaz Black blitz gave them the win. Ryan Ayers had a high of 17 for the Playaz and three of them - JR Inman, Marquise Johnson and Derrick Mercer - had 10 each. Antonio Pena (21) and Terrell McKenzie (13) were best for the 'chos. The Playaz Brandon Costner had two fouls in the game's first minute and was held to three. They'll need his contribution in tomorrow's championship game.

10/22/04 InsideHoops: IS8 AAU Basketball.

10/22/04 Richmond basketball: Spiders Cruise Through Cancun. Richmond posts dominating victories on pre-season trip. Daon Merritt has scored 48 points in two games.

10/22/04 Coach Nathan Blue: 'Former Rice HS player Weyimni Efejuku 6'4 guard has committed to Providence College. Efejuku now attends Brewster Academy in NH.'

10/22/04 Christopher Casey: 'St. John's University Coaching Clinic Saturday, October 30th at Alumni Hall in Queens. Clinic begins at 10am and runs to 4:30pm. Nike Notebook, and Coaching Polo for all Coaches. Cost is $35 in advance or $45 at the door. Clinic Schedule includes: Demonstration Panel of Area Championship High School Coaches including Oliver Antiqua from St. Raymond's, Tiny Morton from Lincoln, Bill Aberer from LaSalle Academy: Player Improvement Workouts, St. John's Practice, Demonstration of the High/Low Offense, Q&A with St. John's Head Coach Norm Roberts, Man to Man Defense Drills. For more information call the St. John's University Basketball Office at 718.990.6225.'

10/22/04 Coach Chris Potash: 'The Peddie School (Hightstown, NJ/Exit 8 NJ Turnpike) is looking for an 8th private school boys varsity basketball team to complete the field for our annual Invitational Tournament December 10-12. Two games guarantee. Committed for the 2004 tournament are Peddie, Hun School (NJ), Lawrenceville School (NJ), Solebury School (NJ), Valley Forge Military Academy (PA), NY Boys Club. For more info contact me ASAP via email cpotash@peddie.org or call 609-944-7770.'

10/21/04 Metro Hoops: Lance Thomas - a fresh new start.

10/21/04 Ray Barile, Head Boys Basketball Coach @ Horace Mann School (231 West 246 Street, Bronx  718-432-3818): The Sixth Annual Coaches vs. Cancer High School Basketball Classic will be held at Manhattan College on February 5th in conjunction with The American Cancer Society. The Classic features six schools from the Ivy League, three schools from the CHSAA, one school from Rockland County, and one from the ISAL and one school from ACIS. Last year's event raised over $20,000, and this year we hope to surpass that total. The schedule is as follows: Hackley vs Berkeley Carroll 10:30am, Dalton vs Trevor Day 12:15pm, Collegiate vs Xavier 2pm, Horace Mann vs Clarkstown North 3:45pm, Poly Prep vs All Hallows 5:15pm, Fieldston vs Mt. St. Michaels 7pm. All of the games will be highly competitive. Everyone who participated in this event is a winner, the only loser is cancer.'

10/21/04 'White Plains High School in Westchester County is looking for one more game to fill our JV schedule. Will play home or away. E -mail Coach Rob Rizzo at robrizzo@hotmail.com.'

10/21/04 IS8 semis are this Saturday with Playaz Gold meeting Philli USA at 12:00 and Playaz Black vs. the Gauchos at 1:30. The championship game is Sunday, 12:00 noon. Earlier stories are on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/21/04 Watchung Conference: Pre-Season preview.

10/21/04 John S. Burke, Brooklyn Woods Inc.810 Humboldt Street, Brooklyn, NY - 11222. (718-389-4945): 'In 1979 St. Agnes of Rockville Center won the Super 16 NY State Basketball tournament. Tracy Mills and Tim O'Brien were the guards, Doug Mills & Audie Matthews were the forwards and I was the center.

This was the 1st year the tournament was reinstated, (public, private and catholic schools) and the tournament was held in Syracuse instead of Glen Falls.

What made the run so improbable was the fact that Mt. Vernon brought back Rodney McCray and Wes Correa, Malverne High brought back Andre Hawkins and Carlton Johnson, St. Anthony's had Rich Simkus, Holy Trinity had Matt Dougherty, Mater Christi had "Red" Bruin and the Stags had a '6-1" center.

We played a continuous "fastbreak" style of ball; we ran on every possession, made basket or not. We would run fast breaks on free throws, out of bounds plays whatever the situation. We defeated all of the aforementioned teams that year on our way to the state championship scoring over 100 points per game (8 minute quarters). Frank Morris was our coach, he had us attempt at least 25 shots per quarter and press defensively; this created a frenetic pace and caused turnovers. St. Agnes went to Syracuse that year and defeated archrival Malverne in the preliminaries. St. Anthony beat Mt. Vernon which made us the state champions because we had already beaten St. Anthony twice during the Catholic league season. We beat Cuba High School - Olean, NY in the final 106-62 to earn the crown.

Doug Mills and I spoke recently about that year, and where we could find any footage. Unfortunately Tracy Mills, Tim O'Brien and Frank Morris have passed away and we lost contact with Audie Matthews. Tracy Mills lost a bout with heart disease, Tim O'Brien was killed in the 911 tragedy and I attended Frank Morris' funeral last year. If there is any footage anywhere please relay the information to me. We were just reflecting on that special season 25 years ago.'

10/21/04 Rich Kosik: 'The links page now contains academic links for student athletes.'

10/20/04 Rich Kosik aka Booksnball on sports and academics.

10/20/04 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Playoff Matchups on the Westchester's Best Fall League page.'

10/20/04 Metro Hoops: 2004-2005 Boys Winter Basketball League.

10/20/04 NY Post: Cliff Clinkscales - Making a name for himself.

10/20/04 Yahoo.Sports: Freshman guard, AJ Price, returns home to recuperate.

10/20/04 Daily News: Roberts grabs Red Storm reins & sounds alarm.

10/20/04 Journal News: Slam Dunk Challenge getting later start this year - December 28-20.

10/20/04 NY Hoops: Playaz get early jump on Rock Steady.

10/20/04 Coach Kevin Brown : 'Congratulations to the Cory Erving All Stars 14U for an outstanding performance in the St. Peter The Great Tournament in Windsor, NJ. The team claimed the championship going 6-0 over the two-week tournament (10/9 – 10/15) with outstanding performances from the entire roster. Special acknowledgement to Malik Wayns 2009 Leeds Middle School, Philadelphia and Leonard Hayes 2009 Living Faith Christian Academy, New Jersey for being chosen to the All Tournament team.  The top scorers for the tourney were: Len Hayes 11.5 ppg, Kenny Battle 10.2 ppg, Malik Wayns 9.8 ppg, KJ Brown 9.3 ppg, Henry Smith 6.8 ppg. The team was joined by Joey Gripper a national Hoop Scoop top 20 point guard in the class of 2011 who is a member of the Cory Erving All Stars 12U team.'

10/20/04 Robert Jones, Freshman Head Coach at St. Mary's H.S: 'We are looking for scrimmages and games againt other freshman teams in LI and NYC. The scrimmages can be against JV or freshman teams. The games we would to be against freshman teams only. We have 3 open spots for games and 9 for scrimmages. I can be reached at rob@southside-entertainment.com or 646-591-3293.'

10/20/04 Coach Faye Thomas: 'Hoop Connection 18+ Mens League Mania, League forming now. League starts in November. Game site: Charles A. Mulligan Elementary, East Suffolk Avenue, Central Islip. Games every Monday evening. Registration fee $250.00 per team (insurance, shirts, trophies included). Referee fees to be paid per game. For more information contact: Lorenzo Jenkins (516) 536-0766 or F. Annette Thomas (631) 920-7696.

10/19/04 Student Sports Fab 50 preseason basketball rankings includes six teams from our region (no preps, so no St Benedict or Our Savior New American, but skipping Cardozo was a mistake):

# 1. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 30-0. The Friars return four college-bound seniors from a 30-0 record team that finished No. 3 in the Fab 50. The four are third-year starting guards Derrick Mercer (5-8) and Sean McCurdy (6-1) plus forward Barney Anderson (6-5), the MVP of the New Jersey Tournament of Champions last season. Expected to make an impact is 6-9 Ahmad Nivins, who became eligible at mid-season after a transfer. Nivins is a St. Joseph's recruit. The Friars won national poll titles in 1989 and 1996 under 34-year coach Bob Hurley.

# 4. Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) 27-3. We were stoked to see Mount Vernon grad Denzel Washington showing off a t-shirt at one of the L.A. Lakers games that celebrated his former school¹s New York Federation Class AA state championship that was earned last March. The defending champs might be even better this season, so Denzel can keep those t-shirts handy. Mount Vernon returns three starters and a trio of key reserves. The Knight anchors are senior Chris Lowe (6- 2), junior Jonathan Mitchell (6-7) and sophomore Michael Coburn (6-0). Other vets are junior George Barrow (6-8) and seniors Johnathan Smith (6-3) and Chinny Brown (6-2). A touted sophomore to watch is 6-1 guard Jahrine Jones.

# 12. Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.) 26-3. The Pirates lost only one player from last season's squad and should contend for state honors. Brandon Costner, a 6-8 interior player and a Hot 100 national prospect, headlines the list. Others to watch include seniors Andrew Pusar (6-1), Darryl Harvey Jr. (6-1) and Chris Andrews (5-8) plus juniors Porter Braswell (6-0) and Alex Wujciak (6-2).

# 14. St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.) 15-11. Coach Kevin Boyle got an early Christmas gift when 6-9 junior Derrick Caracter decided to return to the Irish after spending last season at nearby Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. Caracter, one of the nation's top underclassmen, played for the Irish as a freshman and will be joining a veteran cast.

# 29. St. Mary's (Manhasset, N.Y.) 24-2. This New York contender has two highly-regarded starters back from last season's squad -- Danny Green (6-5), a North Carolina recruit, plus Tyson Johnson (6-5).

# 33. Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 18-10 (nr). Three senior veterans will lead this New York City and state contender. They are Chris Martin (6-0), Niko Scott (6-2) and Akeem Gooding (6-3).

# 47. Rice (New York, N.Y.) 22-6 (nr). The Raiders return two of the top juniors in New York City in 6-9 Curtis Kelly and 6-2 Edgar Sosa along with a veteran cast.

10/19/04 The team page is currently for AAU teams but I will be changing it to high school teams within the next few weeks for the top 21 teams and others. The top 21 will probaly come from the following alphabetical list: Bishop Loughlin, Blair Academy, Cardozo, Christ the King, Frederick Douglas Academy, Holy Cross, JFK Bronx, Lawrenceville Prep, Linden, Mt Vernon, New Rochelle,Our Savior New American, Paterson Catholic, Rice, Seton Hall Prep, St Anthony, St Augustine, St Benedict, St Mary, St Patrick, St Raymond, Wings Academy, Xaverian. If you have info on these teams or any others in the region send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

10/19/04 Anthony Nicodemo Week 6 Results on the Westchester's Best Fall League page.

10/19/04 CtNow: Price Leaves Hospital, Will Spend Time At Home.

10/18/04 Dianne Ralph: 'The Unique All-Stars will be holding tryouts October 23, 30, 2004 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm for boys 13 unders can't turn 14 until afther September 1, 2005. The Unique All-Star team is a national rank travel AAU Team that plays over 100 games a year against the best teams in the country. www.uniquesports.net. Tryouts will be held at St John Recreation Center, 1251 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, New York 11213. Phone is 718 771-2787.'

10/18/04 Chuck Vance: 'The Arthur Challemor Memorial Coaches Award -- This proposed award is a memorial to Arthur "Big Artie" Challenor. It is directed to the coach who has given his utmost to his community and student athletes. The award is directed to the coach who doesn't look for rewards and continues teaching good sportsmanship, honor, and integrity of the game. He also teaches that a free higher education is our goal and that to be prepared for that goal by being a disciplined student athlete. The pursuit of God, family, and education are values that are more important than a crossover and a sweet jump shot in attaining the prize of a free higher education. Without those values it is as hard to sustain a fulfilled life and career, as it is a 5-point lead with 3 minutes left on the clock. Icons of the IS 8 family, Pete Edwards, "Mr B" and Tom Konchalski will determine the coach to be awarded. The award is to be sponsored by Lamar Odom's Kathy's Kids Foundation and the Royal Ivey's foundation Bistate Python Oilers and presented at the IS 8 Fall and Spring High School Classic Championships.'

10/18/04 NY Post: Future a mystery for Derick Echols and Kevin White Jr.

10/18/04 Nick Blatchford: 'The inaugural "2004 Apple vs Empire Showcase Games" will take place on Sunday, October 31st at John Jay College (10th Ave and 59th Street). New York City's best high school basketball players will compete against the best from throughout the state of New York. The Underclassmen game will begin at 1pm and the Seniors game will begin at 3pm. Confirmed participants include Theo Davis (Cardozo/Texas), Ricky Torres (St. Raymond's/St. John's), Chris Bethel (St. Raymond's/Fordham), John Garcia (Brentwood/Seton Hall), Andray Blatche (South Kent/undecided), Vernon Goodridge (Phila Lutheran/undecided), Tiki Mayben (Troy/Syracuse), Danny Green (St. Mary's/UNC), Curtis Kelly (Rice/Top 10 Junior), Paul Harris (Niagra Falls/Top 10 Junior) and many more of New York's best! More information will follow. For questions, please call 212.927.HOOP (4667).'

10/18/04 Coach Kenny Pretlow: 'The Metro Hawks will be holding tryouts starting this week for ages 8-19 years old. The tryouts will be held at Westside High School on 140 West 102nd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue near the Douglas Houses Projects. The schedule is as follows Friday October 22 and 29 Super Biddies 10 and under. Saturday October 23 and 30 Biddies 12 and under 9:00am - 12pm Midgets 14 and under 12pm - 3pm Juniors 3pm - 6pm Sunday October 30 Super Biddies 10 and under 9:00am - 11:00am Seniors 19 and under 11:00am - 2:30pm. By train take the 1 train to 103rd Street walk one block to 102nd street , school is in the middle of the block.'

10/17/04 Rich Adams: 'Playaz Red and Black, Philly and Gauchos advance to semis.'

10/17/04 NY Hoops: All 6 games of Super Saturday at IS8.

10/17/04 Rodrick C. Bussey, Brooklyn-Queens Warriors (Scholars Through Sports Foundation): 'My team just completed the regular season at the Elmcor Pre-Season Fall Classic in Corona, Queens. We ended with a 3 win and 2 loss record. The playoffs will start the week of October 23rd. Chris Richards (11th grader - Franklin K. Lane) has played outstanding. Chris is averaging about 25 ppg over the last 2 games. Other players that have made positive contributions during the tournament were: Khalid Cooper (Lincoln), Jose Montero, Dominick Goj (Bronx Science), Michel Dziewit (Wadleigh), Danny Garcia (Graphic Arts) and Devon Garcia (Forest Hills). I would like to thank Coach Will and the entire Elmcor staff for organizing the tournament.'

10/17/04 John P Miciotta: Saturday at IS8.

10/17/04 Daily News: 'Playstation' picks Hofstra.

10/17/04 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'I wanted to let everyone know that 6' 8"" Tilden Soph. Alanzo George has had a great summer and fall season. Alanzo played for the Gauchos this summer and learned a great deal about AAU Basketball from Paul Brown and the Gauchos coaches. When he was not on the road with the "Chos" he worked his butt off at the Tilden High School Big Apple site with Coach Ron "The Secret Weapon "" Vernon and Brian Mullen. "Zo" Jimmi Noel, Ryan Sandy Rashad Baldwin and many others benefited from the great coaching and mentoring from Ron and Brian. These two men are as Tina Turner says "Simply the Best".

10/16/04 The last three IS8 game scores are courtesy of Derek Maddrey: Rock Steady takes JYO 84-80, Juice squeezes past Bingo All Stars 80-77 and Philly bests Elite 84-74. Only the seeded Knights fail to advance to tomorrow's games where the matchups are Rock Steady vs. Playaz Black @ 10:00, Playaz Gold vs. Panthers @11:30, Philli vs, Juice @ 1:00 and Mount Vernon vs. the Gauchos @ 2:30. 

The first three games are finished at IS8 as the Playaz Gold outlasted Starrett City 83-78, the Panthers hung on to edge St Mary 83-82 and Playaz Black needed overtime to top the Shooting Stars. In that game Elite's 6-11 center, Andray Blatche put on a show scoring a game high 33 points including hitting three of four treys he attempted in the first quarter alone. When the Playaz point guard Derrick Mercer (15) fouled out with a few minutes to go and his team down by five, it looked grim for the Playaz. But they tied the game at 75 and then stole the ball at midcourt. As Pete Edwards counted down to 2, 1, game over, Dave Bullock launched a shot that banked in and the Playaz and their fans mobbed the court before learning that the refs had ruled time expired. No matter. Marquise Johnson (18 and he ably took over the point when Derrick went out) and Ryan Ayers (20) were a combined eight for eight in OT to lock down the 95-84 win. Brandon Costner had a team high 21 for the Playaz and his inside presence, offensively and defensively, along with the early foul trouble for the Elite's John Garcia (12)  were too much even for the talented Mr Blachte to overcome. 

In the Panthers game St. Mary was playing without their star Danny Green, who was attending Midnight Madness at North Carolina (excuses, excuses) and the Playaz were without Eric Wallace (the North Carolina soph. was home - also at Midnight Madness for all I know), Derrick Caracter (taking SAT), Earl Clark (taking PSAT), Rob Thomas (academic priorities) and Andrew Bynum (don't know - more Midnight Madness, perhaps?). St Mary trailed by eight after three but made a furious push at the end to make it close. Rashad Green (21), Tyson Johnson (20) and Aleek Pauline (22) did quite well without Danny, while Kaheem Seawright (22 for the new Rhode Island commit), James Bryant (21), Vernon Teel (16) and Dwight Burke (10 for East Carolina's recent commit) made up for their missing starters. Before the game, Lance Stephenson's father made it official - eighth grader Lance, who played serious minutes for the Panthers, will be attending Bishop Loughlin next year. 

In the first Playaz game Q'arren Calhoun (game high 26) and Wayne Ellington (25) were too much for Levance Fields (25 and as always an impressive performance), Saiquon Stone (15) and Ruben Guilluidex (12). 

10/16/04 At the Gauchos Roundball the Gauchos Black (their 13's) took the Gauchos Orange (their 14's) 73-67 in triple overtime to advance to tomorrow's 14 under championship game. Durand Scott had an impressive game high 28 for Black, while Tevin Baskin had 12. Darryl Bryant and Jordan Theodore were high for Orange with 10 and 15. They'll play Team Next, a  winner over Greenburg today, in tomorrow's 3:00 PM championship game. Team Next will play Team ROC in the 12's at 1:30, while the 10's play at noon, the 16's at 4:30 and the high school championship is at 6:00 PM.. Admission is $2. 

10/16/04 Journal News: Tyrell Biggs says he'll play for Pittsburgh.

10/16/04 NY Hoops: Mitchell goes down but Coburn steps up at IS8 last night. 

10/15/04 At IS8 tonight's the Knight as the Mt. Vernon Knights begin the second round with a 6:30 game against St Raymond and the Knights (aka Holy Cross) meet the Gauchos at 8:00. There are six more second round games tomorrow with starting times every hour and a half from 9:30 through 5:00. Four Elite Eight games on Sunday starting at 10:00, 11:30, 1:00 and 2:30. 

John P Miciotta: Thursday at IS8. on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/15/04 Jimmy Salmon: 'The Playaz Basketball Club and the Paterson Division of Recreation are hosting the 3rd Annual Freedom Fighters Hoop Challenge, which is a high school basketball tournament that coincides with the annual Martin Luther King birthday national celebration. This year's event is a 2 day schedule with three games each day, Saturday, January 15th and Monday, January 17th, 2005. We are in need of a high school boys team to complete the schedule on Monday, January 17th. If there are any teams interested in taking this last slot, they should contact Jimmy Salmon @ 973-207-4346. The event is played at Paterson's John F. Kennedy High School which seats 2000 people. Expect a packed house.'

10/15/04 Jeremy Treatman: 'Dec 11 event-Philly-NY Challenge confirmed at St Dominic High School, Oyster Bay, LI. 3:00 Chester vs.All Hallows, 4:45 Cheltenham vs. Lincoln, 6:30 Bartram vs. St. Dominic and 8:00 Simon Gratz-St. Mary's. 

Also, the Scholastic Play-by-Play Network is seeking two varsity basketball teams to play in a college setting as part of a doubleheader on Jan 9th, 2005. Please call me at 215 668 1501 or email at jt@scholasticpbpnetwork.com.'

10/15/04 NY Hoops: Bingo steals one from Metro Hawks. 

10/15/04 Coach Jason Salamanca: 'The Boys Club of NY will be holding tryouts for their 16-under,14-under, and 12-under teams next week. The 16's will be on Monday the 18th at 6pm, 14's on Friday the 22nd at 6pm and 12's on Wednesday at 6pm. All tryouts will be held at the Abbe Clubhouse located on 41st Road between Main St and College Point Blvd. All boys must bring a copy of a physical either from their schools or from the boys club physicians. Anyone interested can call the Abbe Clubhouse at (718) 886-7386 ext.111 and you can speak to Earl Elliotte. BCNY plans to play in a few major tournaments out of state and in the area.'

10/15/04 Newsday: AJ Price out of ICU. Former Amityville star is improving, but will remain in hospital.

Douggie Wiggens, Fairfield County 6-0 junior point guard	Mike Trimboli, 6-0 Fairfield County guard	Gauchos midcourt banner.	Sean Smith, 6-4 Above & Beyond junior wing from Sweden

10/14/04 Fairfield County lost 37-31 to Above & Beyond during the Roundball regular season and lost by one to JYO at IS8 last night on a last second trey from Vic Morris. But they're in the Roundball high school semis this Saturday because they led wire to wire against A&B tonight winning 78-71 behind their backcourt stars Douggie Wiggens (27) and Mike Trimboli (18). Chris Young added 9 for FC. Above & Beyond is primarily St Anthony NJ players. Barney Anderson (18), Derrick Mercer (17) and Kamar Lebrow (13) were a step behind all night. The new player for the St Anthony Friars is Sean Smith, a 6-4 junior wing from Sweden. This weekend's schedule is on Gauchos Roundball Classic, 2004 page. 

10/14/04 There is only one high school game at the Gauchos Roundball tonight - Above & Beyond plays Fairfield County at 6:30. Bingo plays at IS 8 tonight so they played and beat the Playaz earlier this week 57-52 in a game that was tied at 50 with barely a minute left to play. Last night the Gauchos and Metro Hawks advanced to Saturday's semis with victories over the Rise Panthers (105-86) and NJ Roadrunners (69-54) respectively. Admission is $2. 

10/14/04 InsideHoops: Corey Fisher: The Next Telfair?

10/14/04  Jim Burke: 'The 2004 Tip-Off Classic at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scotch Plains, NJ. is in its 10th year of existence. We have five divisions for boys and girls - 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. Guaranty of three games. Cost is $250 per team.  Tournament starts November 1 and will run through the end of November. We welcome town, parish and school teams. No AAU teams permitted. This is a popular tournament (last year we had over 80 teams) so please register now. If you have any questions or need a registration form, please call Jim Burke at 732-388-2121 ext. 19 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays or at 908-233-3358 after 5:00 p.m. or on weekends. Or e-mail Burke2009@aol.com.'

10/14/04 Pete Edwards: 'St Mary's won the second game Tuesday night.  JYO and the Shooting Stars won last night.' 

Web note:  NY Elite, B'Ballers play at 6:30 and  Metro Hawks, Bingo at 8:00 for the right to play Philli and Juice on Saturday at 5:00 and 3:30.  The other second round matchups are now set: Friday evening it's St Rays, Mount Vernon at 6:30 and Gauchos Knights at 8:00. The earlier Saturday games are Playaz Red, Starrett City at 9:30, St Marys, Panthers at 11:00, Playaz Black, Shooting Stars at 12:30 and Rock Steady, JYO at 2:00. The four Sunday game starts ar 10:00 through 2:30. Earlier stories on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/14/04 NY Hoops: Vic, in the nick of time. 

10/14/04 Coach Wendell Saunders: 'Benjamin Banneker Academy will be having their 3rd Annual 'A'B For Real Basketball Classic on November 20 and 21 of 2004. The Classic will host 6 A divisional teams and 6 B-divisional teams. On the first day, an A-Divisional team will compete against a B-divisional team, and on the next day A vs A and B vs B. There are still a few slots open for B-divisional teams. If interested, contact Coach Saunders at saunderspe56@yahoo.com or 347-262-513. Also, our JV team and freshman team are seeking scrimmages and games against PSAL, CHSAA or any private schools. Any CHSAA school or private schools with a Varsity B team, we have started a B-club team and we would like to set up a scrimmage or game with you. Developmental teams in the PSAL B-Division are welcome to play our B-Team. Good luck in your quest for a championship.'

10/13/04 Coach Kevin Williams: 'I would like to wish AJ a speedy recovery. I had the pleasure of coaching him when he was younger and he was a joy to be around. Although I hadn't coached him in a few years he always spoke to me. I found that odd because most kids forget about people, but AJ seems to go out his way to speak to me. I have been praying for AJ and his family. Sometimes, we get caught up in the game and forget what life is really about. Let's remember that he is a young man that has his whole life ahead of him. AJ get well soon, I am looking forward to see you play college basketball.' 

10/13/04 Newsday: The rebuilding man. New Storm coach Norm Roberts relishes role of piecing together a basketball program that was torn asunder.

10/13/04 ESPN: Connecticut freshman guard A.J. Price remains in critical condition at Hartford Hospital more than a week after having a brain hemorrhage.

10/13/04 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A. 'Now that our season is over at the I.S. 8 High School preseason basketball classic, I'd like to reflect on some of the players at K.Y.D.A. who are considered hidden gems. Hidden gems are lesser known players that are solid in the classroom and solid on the basketball court but are not household names. One of the players considered high on the hidden gems list is Bayshore H.S. senior 6'5" Akeem Vanderhorst. Akeem is a warrior. A player that many college coaches and scouts know less about and a player that matches up nicely among the top ranked players in the metro area. Vanderhorst is a quiet young player who brings his lunch box and hard hat to each and every game. He led Bayshore H.S. to become the 2003-04 Suffolk County Champs. 

Another hidden gem worthy of mention is St John Prep 6'4"Senior shooting guard Richard Thomas. His ability to score, defend against smaller, fast guards and his ability to rebound makes Richard a player that you can count on every game. You won't find Richard on your list of ranked players but he gets up and plays well against many of them when he is matched up against them. Richard helped SJP achieve a 17-2 record in the C.H.S.A.A. class A div and runner-up to LaSalle Academy in the Championship game. 

Our Savior Lutheran 5'8" senior Shane Dunnelly's quickness, clutch shooting, ability to see the floor and his on ball defense make him tops as a hidden gem. Shane would make many college coach looking for a N.Y.C. point guard happy. This kid can really play the game.' Web note: Fairfield County vs. JYO at 6:30 and Real Scout vs. Shooting Stars at 8:00 tonight. Earlier stories on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

 

Brian McMickle, 6-0 Starrett City guard	Thomas Manzano, 6-3 Starrett City wing	Gill Montalvo, 5-9 St Mary's point guard	Tyrone Hanson, 6-5 St Mary's senior forward	Edy Tousaint, 6-2 Team Underrated freshman wing

10/12/04 Starrett City had an easy time of it this evening at IS8 against St Dominic running to a 59-29 halftime lead and never letting it get under 20 in the second half. Final score 96-76, as Levance Fields (30), Thomas Manzano (14), Brian McMickle (14) and Saiquon Stone (10) led the charge. TJ Thomas (18), Brandon Serrano (14), James McEnroe (11), Chris Lopiano (10) and Brandon May (10) each got to double digits. 

In the second game St Mary led Team Underrated 22-13 after one. More later after Sox, Yanks.

10/12/04 Coach Kevin Brown, Cory Erving All Stars 14U AAU team: 'I  would like to congratulate 2 of my players for being named among the nations best in the latest Hoop Scoop rankings for the class of 2009:  6'2 combo guard Leonard Hayes Jr. ranked #15 and 
6'4 forward Henry Smith ranked #54. Leonard attends Living Faith Christian Academy in Cherry Hill, NJ and Henry attends Turner Middle School in Philadelphia, Pa. Cory Erving 14U will be playing in the Pocono Invitational Thanksgiving Tournament in November at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa.'

10/12/04 The Gauchos Roundball playoffs are Wednesday through Sunday this week listed on Gauchos Roundball Classic, 2004 page. 

10/12/04 John P Miciotta: Sunday at IS8 on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/12/04 Hoops Recruiting: The High School Dilemma.

10/7/04 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Westchester's Best Fall League Week 5 Results.

10/12/04 Coach John McCaffrey: Tonight, at CW Post College, will be the 5th annual Long Island Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge, Suffolk vs. Nassau. Suffolk's team includes John Garcia and Alvin Vivican of Brentwood, Akeem Vanderhorst and Bryant Lassiter of defending county champion Bay Shore, Sam Duncan of Amityville, Adam Parzych of Lindenhurst, Nick Annacone of East Hampton, among others. Tonight's fundraiser begins at 7:00 and you will get to see a great game of basketball plus raise money for a great cause.' 

10/12/04 The two seeds, St Raymond and the Gauchos, struggled but won tonight against the three seeds at IS8.  St Rays needed a four minute overtime to finally take a valiant KYDA 84-78 behind Chris Bethel (game high 26), Quentan Redfern (13) and Charles Vasser (9). Ricky Torres hurt his ankle in the second quarter after scoring 12 points. He didn't return but is expected back on Friday against Mount Vernon. Rich Thomas and Shane Donnelly led KYDA with 25 and 21 point efforts while Chris Williams chipped in 10.

The Gauchos' Curtis Kelly missed tonight's action attending to academics so Antonio Pena (25), Edgar Sosa (26), Terrell (TMac) McKenzie (21) and Austin Wallace (9) picked up the slack as the 'chos barely won 90-86.  FUBU's  quartet of Evan Thomas (19 for the 6-2 Campus Magnet junior guard), Akeem Bennett (17), Rashad Stearns (16) and Malachi Peay (15) almost pulled off the upset.  

The remaining first round schedule is top bracket first round:  Wednesday 6:30 Fairfield County, JYO, 8:00 Real Scout, Shooting Stars.

Bottom bracket first round: Tuesday 6:30 Starrett City, St Dominic, 8:00 St Mary, Team Underrated. Thursday 6:30 NY Elite, B'Ballers, 8:00 Metro Hawks, Bingo.

 

Chris Bethel, St Raymond 6-5 senior forward	Joey Amelio, St Raymond 6-0 senior point guard	Terrell McKenzie, Gauchos junior guard	Evan Thomas, FUBU junior guard

10/11/04 Shawn McCray: 'The Zoo Crew Basketball program seniors captured the Columbus Day Classic this past weekend at Rebounds in Neptune, NJ. The Zoo finished 3-0 by knocking off NJ Hotshots 57-50, Central Western from Rochester NY 85-83 OT, and T.O.P. from Brooklyn 65-49 in the finals. The team provided an overall team effort as everyone contributed throughout the tournament. Charles Smith (Malcolm X. Shabazz) scored 20 points and pulled down 10 boards in the championship game. His teammate Saladine Collins (Shabazz) scored 11 points and handed out 4 assist, and Tyrone Pullins (Bloomfield High) recorded 3 steals in the win.

I would like to congadulate the player's who participated and they are all seniors. Christopher Lewis, Joaquinn Carroll and Berbard Pearson all attend Newark Central, Darrell Harvey (Seton Hall Prep.), Ramel Watson (University) and Ceif Pickett (Greenbrook Academy). Game summaries can be seen at etamz.com/zoocrewbasketball.'

10/11/04 Coach Sean Atkins: 'The Boys' Club of New York’s Academic All-Stars had its first round of  try-outs last week. We took 20 of the participants to our camp site for a weekend of basketball and conditioning. Over the next two weeks the training and competition will increase and we will be bringing a few more candidates to evaluate. We are still looking for a back to the basket center so if anyone you know anyone still interested in trying out, contact  me at 646-302-8039 or satkins@admin.bcny.org.'

10/11/04 Dennis Gregory, Metro Classic Director (dengreg@msn.com): 'Pre-Season Metro Classic, Sunday, October 31 from 9:00am - 6:00 pm at 110 Wood Street, Rutherford, NJ 07070. (201) 672-9588/fax: (201) 327-9302. Website is www.classicbasketball.net dengreg@msn.com.'  Web note: Info on Pre-Season Metro Classic page.

10/11/04 Daily News: Kevin White Jr.no longer attending August Martin.

10/10/04 Pictures and the playoff schedule are on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

The Chaminade, Running Rebels first game at IS8 had playoff implications as Chaminade's Andre Beinert (23) hit a corner trey to give his team the 61-60 win creating a three way tie along with St Dominic in the Southeast division. Unfortunately for Chaminade, St Dominic won the tie breaker to make it to the first round. Matt Hauser and Mike Hauser had 18 and 11 for Chaminade, while Mike Marin (21) and Patrick Hazel (15) were high for Running Rebel.

The B'Ballers (coach Johnnie Mathis' JFK school team) scorched the Heat to beat them out for a third place spot in the Mideast division behind Mt. Vernon and St Mary. Junior star Dwight Hardy dropped a game high 35 as Stephen Malcolm and Amaury Fermin chipped in 16 and 14.  The Heat got balanced but not enough scoring from Shameer Williams (15), Tyree Corbell (14), Khalel McDonald (10) and Daquan Cook (9).

Coach Gary Charles, 6-7 point guard Earl Clark and 6-6 wing Rob Thomas were all no shows for the Panthers game against Real Scout as St Joseph's 7-0 center, Andrew Bynum took Thomas' place in the starting lineup with Derrick Caracter, James Bryant, Kaheem Seawright and Eric Wallace. Real Scout was within 2 after three quarters at 66-64, but were worn down losing 94-73 as Derrick Caracter led his team with 28 points. Kaheem Seawright had 20, many in the decisive fourth quarter while Eric Wallace (11) and James Bryant (10) played well.  Salvator Patricio had a game high 29, though more of those came in the first half. Shomari Spears (22) was solid in the paint and hit 4 of 6 treys and Will Harris had a disappointing 10.

10/10/04 John P Miciotta: Saturday at IS8 and some general impressions on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/10/04 Coach Nathan Blue, Real Scout: 'Maybe you wrote down the wrong score from a different book. But we won 79 to 70. Will Harris had 28, Shamari Spears had 23, and Salvador Patricio had 14.'

10/10/04 NJO: State's best put on quite an all-star performance.

10/10/04 NJ Hoops: North juniors prevail 111 - 96 in the third game of Metro Hoops North/South Showdown this afternoon in Piscataway.

10/10/04 PSAL.org: 'Attention PSAL Basketball Coaches -- This year’s official start date to the PSAL Boys and Girls Basketball practice/tryouts has been moved to Monday, October 25, 2004. The original date of Monday, October 18, 2004 created multiple scheduling conflicts within the schools by overlapping with the fall sports season. Moving the start date will provide schools with an opportunity to have flexibility in concluding their season.'

10/10/04 Coach Ben Asher: 'The Long Island Aces are looking for 15U tournamaets or teams to scrimmage. Anyone that thinks they can be of assistance, please e-mail me at lihoops@yahoo.com.'

10/10/04 John Staley, Sr: 'I'm the new Director of Henry Street Settlement Operation Athlete a program that has been in operation since 1967. Operation Athlete was running a black College tour for all athlete around the city until 1999. Because of budget cuts the tour has not run in the last few years and that students just wanted to do the visits not really attend the schools. I have heard so many great stories and have received many call to start the trips south again. I'm asking you to post that Operation Athlete is looking for student/athletes who will commit to complete all the paper work that is need to do a trip of this size. We are looking for junior/senior high school boys or junior college transfers. A basketball tryout will be held 301 Henry Street on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan. Sunday, October 10, 12-4 pm or Sunday, October 17, 12-4pm. For more information call 212 254-3100 ex. 212 ask for John Staley or Kit Wingate College Bound Coach.'

10/9/04 Coach Tiny Morton: 'Hey Juice All Stars are a number one seed not St George.'  

Coach Kenny Pretlow: 'St George's Church forfeited to Shooting Stars. They are out of the playoffs, giving us, Juice 1st place, St Raymond's 2nd and Shooting Stars 3rd.'

10/9/04 It's Panthers' weekend at IS8; they got a forfeit from Team Next and a hard earned 93-79 win over Keep Your Dream Alive today. They will play Real Scout and ProBound at 12:30 and 3:30 tomorrow. They are loaded and look to be their bracket's number one team, guaranteeing a first round bye.  The other seven number one seeds are Mount Vernon, Playaz Black, Rock Steady, Playaz Red, St George, Phili USA Ballers and the Knights. There will be two first round games at 6:30 and 8:00 from Monday through Thursday next week and the second round will be for two Friday night games and six Saturday games. There will be four games next Sunday to decide the final four on Saturday, the 23rd. The championship game is scheduled for noon on Sunday, October 24. Game summaries and pictures are on the IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 page.

10/8/04 Shawn McCray: 'Zoo Crew Basketball presents 1st Annual Turkey Shootout November 26-28 2004. Grades 5-6 & 7-8. $300.00 fee each team will be guaranteed 3 games. First 12 teams will be accepted. The games will be played at United Community Center in Newark, NJ. For more information contact 973-449-7324.'

10/8/04 Shawn McCray: 'The Zoo Crew Basketball Program is looking for leagues or tournaments for ages 8,9, &10 year olds this upcoming fall season. Please contact me at 973-449-7324. The areas we are looking for is NJ or NY.'

10/8/04 Stephen Furtado: 'All boys and girls teams invited to the 4th annual winter ProBound Basketball Hardwood Classic held at IS 72 and IS 59 gym in Queens from Saturday Nov 6 to Sunday Dec 19 -- Sat evenings and Sunday afternoons. 14 under $250,12 under $225,10 under $200 plus ref fees. pool play. Big trophies and free sneakers for champs! $250 plus ref fees. All certified IABBO. Team shirts included. More info and registration (718)-216-9178. Deadline and coach's meeting Wednesday Oct. 27.'

10/8/04 Metro Hoops: 1st Annual Metro Hoops North/South Showdown set for Saturday, October 9th at Piscataway Vo-Tech.

10/8/04 Pictures and player capsules from last night are on the New York City Independent School Showcase, 2004 page.

10/8/04 NJO: NJSIAA slaps Derrick Caracter with a 15-day suspension,

10/8/04 Coach Ted Thomas: 'Got a chance to drop by The Fifth Annual Suffolk Basketball Doubleheader Challenge this past Wednesday at St. Joseph's College in Patchogue. Based on the players in attendance, it looks like Brentwood and Amityville will be the teams to beat again this year in Suffolk County. Guensdy Pauleman, Alvin Vivican and Xavier Brown of Brentwood impressed in game one, as did Mo Dickerson and Ray Jones of Amityville. I thought Jose Lopez of Patchogue - Medford was the best player on the floor however, showing excellent skills on both ends of the court and a good shooting touch. I only got to see part of game 2, but I was very impressed with Joe Prim of East Islip, who was all over the floor, Adam Parzych of Lindenhurst and Nick Annacone of East Hampton. John Garcia of Brentwood, who also played in game 2, is in a class by himself.'

10/8/04 Vinny Kabus: 'Congratulations to Niko Scott on his verbal commitment to Colombia Univ. Niko was fortunate enough to have offers and interest from many schools on all levels and could have played out his senior year to find the best one . But what would be the point? Niko knew the ultimate goal of any high school player should be to find the "right fit " . And what could be a better fit for Niko then to go to a school where he can play a lot right away play for a coach like Joe Jones and have the opportunity to get any Ivy League education . Niko can still live out his basketball dreams while providing himself with a great chance to be successful through education . Colombia has also received a commiment from another solid recruit in 6'9" Jason Miller from Ohio . 6"8" Cameron Lewis will visit this weekend Good luck to all.'

10/8/04 Hoop Recruiting: Top 20 H.S. prospects in the country includes # 9. John Garcia 6’9” PF Brentwood H.S. Brentwood, NY Class of 2005, # 11. Corey Fisher 5’10” PG St. Patrick’s H.S. Elizabeth, NJ Class of 2007, # 12. Derrick Caracter 6’9” PF St. Patrick’s H.S. Elizabeth, NJ Class of 2006, # 13. Antonio Pena 6’7” PF St. Thomas More H.S. Oakdale, CT Class of 2006,  # 14. Rob Thomas 6’6” SF St. Thomas More H.S. Oakdale, CT Class of 2006, # 15. Lance Stephenson 6’3” PG New York, NY Class of 2009, # 16. Elvis Lora 6’0” SG Christopher Columbus H.S. Bronx, NY Class of 2005 and # 17. Laurence Jolicoeur 6’8” C Holy Cross H.S. Flushing, NY Class of 2006.

10/7/04 Rosters and schedule are on the New York City Independent School Showcase, 2004 page.

10/7/04 Louis Xifaras , assistant varsity coach: 'Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School will be hosting the 8th annual CYO Boys and Girls Coaches clinic on Friday, October 8, 2004 at Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School. All CYO coaches are welcome free of charge. It will consist of a free clinic, notes, and social - food included. The guest speakers are Joe DeSantis - Head Coach of Quinnipiac College, Brenda Milano - Head Womens Coach of St. Francis College, and Mike Deane - Head Coach of Wagner College. The event begins at 7pm. Msgr. McClancy varsity players will be used during demonstrations of all three guest speakers. Msgr. McClancy is located at 71-06 31 Avenue in East Elmhurst, NY. For more information, you can call the school at 718-898-3800.'

10/7/04 'Be part of the Phoenixville Fall Classic. Play in the four team guaranteed brackets or select the number of games you wish. Pre - Season Warm Up call Cynthia Bearden @ 610-917-9209. See www.primetimehoops.com.'

10/7/04 Newsday: Former Amityville star AJ Price making steady improvement.

10/7/04 NJO: NJSIAA decision on Derrick Caracter is expected today

10/7/04 NJ Hoops: North - South Showdown this Saturday at Piscataway Vocational High School in Piscataway, New Jersey.

10/7/04 NJ Hoops: Eddie Griffin Challenge on October 30th @ Rutgers.

10/7/04 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Westchester's Best Fall League Week 4 Results.

10/7/04 Mark Parisi: 'King Of The Hill basketball championship at IS 5 was nothing less then spectacular as both teams, Queens Finest and Positive Direction Wildcats played their hearts out and left everything on the floor. Queens Finest raced out to a 10 point lead. PDW came right back to close within one at the half. Up until 3 minutes left in the game, it was a one point spread back and forth. Queens Finest back court duo Mark Parisi and Wilson Molina took the game over. Parisi hit a quick three and followed with a steal for a layup, then Molina made consecutive steals for baskets and put the game out of reach 50-38.Good game by Aaron Williams, Angel Rosario and Mamadou Sakho. I would like to thank Frank Abreu for letting me coach his team and winning the first of many King Of The Hill classics.'

10/7/04 Chris Sparks, Director: 'Eastern Invitational's Metro Top 100 is at Drew University October 13th and 14th. Registration begins at 4:15 on Wednesday. Space is limited to 120 players, grades 10,11 and 12. So far over 100 college coaches have attended the Top 100's. If you are interested please visit our website, www.hoopgroup.com or call us at 732-502-2255.'

10/7/04 Coach Tom Sampogna: 'The Port Chester HS Boys Varsity team is looking to finish up its 2004-05 schedule. We need two games either in a tournament or just two high quality games. Games can be away or at Port Chester. Port Chester is willing to play any NYC, Westchester, Ct. or NJ teams or tourneys. If anybody is interested please contact either the Head Coach, Jeff Charney at 914-939-7656 or me at 914-523-7213 or at tsampo42@aol.com.'

10/6/04 Coach Bill McNally: 'The New York City Independent School Showcase featuring the top private school prospects from New York City,Westchester and Long Island is Thursday night, October 7th at 6:30 at Horace Mann School, 231 West 246th Street, Bronx, New York 10471 (near Manhattan College). For further information email me at bmcnally@polyprep.org or call (718) 836-9800 x349 or Horace Mann Coach Ray Barile at (718) 432-3818.'

10/6/04 Coach Jack Ringel (Tel: 732-683-9300, Fax: 732-683-9301, www.jccwm.com): 'I will present a premier basketball clinic on 10/10/04 at Freehold Boro HS. Starting at 10AM, the clinic will feature Tom Pecora, Gary Waters, Jay Wright, and Joe Jones. Contact me at 732 683 9300 or jack@jccwm.com. for details.'

10/6/04 Michael McGrath: 'The Iona Prep Fathers’ Council seeks 100 boys’ teams between the 5th and 8th grades for its16th Annual Holiday Classic. The entry fee is $200 per team, the format is double elimination, and all games will be played between December 11 and 30. For more information, contact Michael McGrath at 718-817-5660 (work) or 914-576-5242 (home).'

10/6/04 Newsday: Former Amityville star AJ Price in critical condition. UConn guard had flu-like symptoms.

10/5/04 CtNow: Price In Critical Condition. UConn Guard Had Flu-Like Symptoms.

10/5/04 Greg Zampier: 'I noticed that Alexander Zampier from Columbia High School is ranked 128th in the nation and only 3 NY players are ranked higher yet does not appear on your web site. Here's a little history: Alexander is a 6’3” standout shooting guard from upstate NY (Columbia High School, East Greenbush, NY) . At present, Hoop Scoop ranks him at 128th in the country. Alexander played for Mike Jarvis, Jr. this summer on the New England PLAYAZ AAU (17’s) Team as a 15 year-old, is entering his junior year at Columbia. Alexander is an extremely agile athlete with outstanding range beyond the 3-point line has started on the varsity squad as a freshman and led the team in scoring these past 2 seasons. On the New England PLAYAZ team, he averaged 15 points a game and has already been offered a full athletic scholarship at our 2 local colleges, Siena College in Loudonville, NY and SUNY Albany. In addition, several notable colleges have expressed interest in Alexander including St. Joe’s, Yale, Georgetown, Boston College, Villanova, American University, Duke and North Carolina at Charlotte to name a few.

You may have seen him play this summer on the AAU circuit. Alexander is currently has a 91 GPA and will be taking his SAT's tests in the next few months.'  Web note: East Greenbush is just south of Albany.

10/5/04 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Westchester Elite Basketball's Fall Hardwood Classic took place this past weekend at Briracliff High School in Westchester County. Competition was great as close games were played over the weekend. The New York Pride took the 12 grade division, going 3-0 in pool play. The Pride were led by Scott Weisenfeld (Horace Greeley) and Nick Friedman (Trinity Pawling). In the 11th grade division, the Student Athlete Broncos defeated the Newburgh Zion Lions, 78-75. Malik Pendagrass led the Broncos with 24 points. The 10th grade division was won by the BC Eagles, 64-52 over the New York Pride. Melquan Bolding (Beacon) led the Eagles with 30 points. In the 9th grade division, Bingo's All-Stars took the NJ Hot Shots in a close contest. We would like to thank all teams for participating and congratulate all champions. For photos and results go to www.westchesterelite.com.'

10/5/04 Jim Fox: 'The Island Garden Super League is now accepting registration for teams and individuals for the season which begins October 30th and continues into March 2005. 12 game schedule plus playoffs. Three levels of competition at each grade level (3rd through high school). Call 516-292-4956 or visit www.islandgarden.com for details.'

10/5/04 Yeury Anziani, tourament director: 'We still have a few spots open for the NEBA 2004 Fall Challenge! October 9 & 10, 2004, Boys & Girls 10u-17u and open. Games will be played at Newark Academy in Livingston, New Jersey. 3 Games Guaranted Fee: $325. Flexible scheduling. Make checks payable and submit with roster to: North Eastern Basketball Association, P.O. Box 4122, Clifton, N.J. 07012. For further information (hotels, directions, etc.) feel free to contact N.E.B.A. @ (973) 777-3088.'

10/5/04 Rob Engemann, AAU Director: 'Rebounds is pleased to announce their fall tournament schedule. Rebounds, New Jersey's premier basketball facility, offers 3 exciting dates for quality AAU competition. With 4 NBA replica courts, Rebounds is easily accessible from the Garden State Parkway, Route 18, as well as Routes 33 and 35. Located in beautiful Central New Jersey Rebounds is just a short trip from New York , New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. Rebounds will offer 3 tournaments, 2 boys dates and 1 girls date. Each tournament will target the best teams in the tri-state area and beyond in order to create a competitive and intense basketball atmosphere. All of the tournaments will be held at Rebounds and be played over 2 days (Saturday & Sunday). Some of the past participants have been the NY Ravens, Atlanta Celtics, Panthers, Baltimore Select, DC Assault, Syracuse RAP, Central Jersey Hawks, Dajuan Wagner Rising Stars, Westchester Hawks, New Jersey All-Stars, Playaz Basketball Club, LI Lightning, CT Flame, Hunting Park Warriors, Jersey Shore Warriors, Team Kenny Anderson, Delaware Sharpshooters, Jersey Cyclones, Philly MJC, and North Jersey Hoops. Hopefully your program can be added to this elite list of the regions finest teams, who have taken part in the Rebounds Roundball Classic. We look forward to seeing you in the near future and good luck!

Boys Dates : Ages: October 9-10 ( Columbus Day Classic ) 15U (9th gr.), 16U (10th gr.), 17U/ Open, October 23-24 11U ( 5th gr.), 12U ( 6th gr.), 13U ( 7 th gr.), 14U ( 8th gr.)  Entry Fees Boys: 3 games guaranteed $375.00. Visit www.rebounds1.com for any other information.'

10/5/04 Peter Basel: 'I am the head boys basketball coach at Half Hollow Hills East HS. (Suffolk County, Long Island). I am looking for a JV coach for the upcoming season. For further info, call me at 516 603 7475. '

10/5/04 Daily News: CK guard, Niko Scott picks Columbia

10/5/04 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'Here is an update on former Tilden point guard junior James Mills. James was transferred from Tilden on Monday Oct. 4th 2004..I hope James ends up at Robeson where Coach Larry Major and former Coach Todd Myles can hopefully get him back on track. James is a talented young man who unfortunately could never get it together at Tilden off the court. I hope James grows up and fulfills his potential both in basketball and in life. One further note nobody at Robeson did anything wrong here. I asked Larry Major to try and help James where I had failed to reach him. This is not a recruiting story rather this is a last chance for this young man to" Do the Right Thing"

10/4/04 NJ Hoops: Big day for Caracter on Wednesday

10/4/04 Daily News: Next generation of Mase coming to St. John's.

10/4/04  Bruce Bishop: 'Coaches Seminar/Student Athlete Clinic on Sunday October 24, 2004 – 11am – 6pm. Located at: High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts and Sciences, 74-20 Commonwealth Blvd, Bellerose, NY 11426.  Refreshments served. Free Parking. All coaches invited to attend: CYO, and AAU, volunteer, JV, High School - all sports welcome. Learn valuable information to share with your colleagues and friends. You don’t have to be a coach to attend. A must for high school as well as up and coming student athletes. Student Athletes will perform instructional drills – so come prepared! Donation: $30.  Register online at www.bbishopcampnyc.org or call 877-905-0260.'

10/3/04 Ben Asher: 'I was looking over your class of 2008 page and I came across an error. David Johnson, (one of the top and most underrated players in New Jersey) is not going to St. Anthonys, he is attending Lakewood Prep in Howell NJ. Also, David will be playing with the gauchos from now on.'

10/3/04 Rodrick C. Bussey Brooklyn-Queens Warriors(Scholars Through Sports Foundation): 'Duran Velasquez (10th grader - Forest Hills) and Robert Gutierrez (10th grader - John Adams) participated in the Top 100 Exposure Clinic at Rebounds 1 in Neptune, NJ. Both players did a good job against the competition during the 4 games. I would like to thank my assistant coach, Julio Velasquez, for traveling with the two players to Neptune.'

10/3/04 Vincent Davis: 'Pro Style 2K 5 "Winter League" basketball begins on Saturday, January 8th. Invitation are being mailed now. Pro Style 2K 5 "Winter League" games are scheduled for weekend play and features invited teams and organizations for boys, girls and young adults from New York City's five (5) boroughs, Long Island, Westchester County, Rockland County, New Jersey and Connecticut. 13 Available Pro Style divisions: Super Eights (08 and under), Supr Biddy (10 and under), Biddy (12 and under), Midget 13's (13 and under), Midget 14's (14 and under), Junior (16 and under), Senior (19 and under), College (23 and under), Little Miss (10 and under), Young Miss (12 and under), Junior Miss (14 and under), Teen Miss (16 and under) and Senior Miss (18 and under). Note: Player must be the age of the division they're entering or younger on January 1st, 2005.'

10/3/04 Schedules are on the Gauchos Nike 2004 Roundball Classic page.

10/3/04 Eric Medved, President: 'The SLAM company's S.O.S. program (Save Our Sports) will be running the first ever Fall Invitational in conjunction with the New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics on October 15-16 in Albany, New York. Each player and coach will get tickets to the Nets/Celtics game at 7:30pm on October 16th and each team gets a 3-game guarantee tournament with the Championship games on the Pepsi Arena Floor. Spots are open in the 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade and 12th Grade Divisions. School teams and AAU teams are welcome. To register, contact Eric Medved at (518) HOOPJAM or e-mail coachmedved@aol.com. Entry is $400 per team, which includes everything including the tickets to the NBA game for every participant and coach.'

10/3/04 St. Mary's H.S. is looking for a freshman coach. Contact Tim Cluess at THOOPS4435@AOL.COM or call (516) 627-2711 x 3218.

10/2/04  Metro Hoops: Fast forward Rahway, here comes Earl Clark.

10/1/04 2004-05 ABQ Boys Preseason Overall National Top 25 includes # 5. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 30-0, # 6. St. Raymond's (Bronx, N.Y.) 23-8, # 13. Mount Vernon (N.Y.) 28-3 and # 17. Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.) 26-3.

10/1/04 Coach Maxwell "Bingo" Cole: 'I would like to congratulate Kamau Gordon of the Bingo's All-stars Senior team. He has just verbally committed to Niagara University. I would like to thank head coach Mihalich and asst. coach Dillion for recruiting Kamau. I know he will be a great addition to the Niagara Family.'

10/1/04 NJO: Friars' Barney Anderson declares intention. Verbally commits to Rider University.

10/1/04 NJO: Caracter case not personal, Scotch Plains-Fanwood principal insists

10/1/04 Journal News: Coach Bob Cimmino to receive McGuire award.

10/1/04 Daily News: Ex-coach, Jack Ringel, urging Kevin White to return to Grady.

10/1/04 NY Post: Whites defend transfer.

10/1/04 NY Hoops: Two Tight Games at I.S.8.

10/1/04 Coach Bernstein: 'SCBCA and the American Cancer Society to host Fifth Annual Suffolk Basketball Doubleheader Challenge and the Coaches vs Cancer Nassau-Suffolk Basketball Challenge.