November 2004

11/30/04 Paul Brown, Director NY Gauchos: 'The coaches meeting for the 2004-2005 Gauchos Roundball Winter Classic will be on Wednesday, December 8th, 2004 at 7pm at the Gauchos Gym. This winter we will only have four divisions: 8,10,12 and 14 & under with only eight teams per division. Play will start the week of December 27th, 2004 and will continue every following weekend. Teams already confirmed: Gauchos, Metro Hawks (10,12 14's), Rise Panthers, Bingo All-Stars, Westchester Hawks (12's only), Mt. Vernon/Yonkers (10 &12's). We still have a couple of open slots in the 8's, 10's and 14's. Note: Age cut-off Jan 1st, 2005 (a player cannot turn 9, 11, 13 or 15 before this date). For further information please call Tarin Gonzalez at the Gauchos Gym 718 665-6952.'

11/30/04 Coach Steve Furtado: 'I would like to proudly say all of the players in the Pro-Bound Basketball program are being recruted by Div1 and Div 2 schools. Hard work does pay off! High D1 Collin Adams 6'4 guard, swingman defensive specialist and stopper Martin Luther HS PSAA player of the year as a junior averaged 27 points, 18rebounds, D1-D2, Ramone Clemente 6'6 high riser rebounder pure scorer, D1-D2 Paul aka Dex Becote 5'10 pure point guard one of the best in the country, unbeliveable handle great shooter and creator floor general, D2 Troy Marcus 6'5 strong strong strong D1's would be looking but he is underexposed, Brandon Culbreuth 6'4 combo swingman, great shooter, very athletic and great court sense, another underexposed player, Myles Nicolas 6'5 Van Buren HS varsity true two guard, excellent defender great shooter very intelligent player, D-2 Troy Phillips, Bayside HS varsity, 5'8 great shooter great defender, smart player, Justin Allen 6-3 greatest role player in the city, fills in 1-5, Jason Plenty, Van Buren varsity, game just like AI Allen Iverson! Chris Sinnott good shooter, smart player, Mike Locasio, Brian Gilbert, Trevor Marshand underclassmen getting info. Hard work does pay off. By the way none of thesse student athletes are ranked. I really wonder about those lists.'

11/30/04 Jeremy Treatman: 'This is updated Dec 27-30 event at Widener University in Chester, Pa. Dec 27 St Dominics (NY) Lincoln (NY) @ 4, Rice Episcopal Academy @ 6 and Chester Haddonfield @ 8. Dec 28 Lincoln NY Paterson Catholic @ 4, Germantown Academy Haddonfield @ 6, Episcopal Chester @ 8. Dec 30 Rice Paterson Catholic @ 4, Prep Charter Lincoln NY @ 6 and Haddonfield Chester @ 8.'

11/30/04 Thanks to assistant coaches Rudy King and Chuck Vance the Bishop Loughlin team profile is now on the team page and we have them ranked as the number thirteen team in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/30/04 Newsday: Adams handles August Martin and other PSAL. scores.

11/30/04 Rich Kosik: 'Twenty years and still going! Doc Nicelli's adidas-Gobbler Snowflake Classic Basketball Tournament is 16 strong this year. It gives hoops fans a preview of many schools who will be PSAL playoff participants by years end. The action starts on Friday, December 3rd with a double header at F.I.T. (27th Street between 7th & 8th Ave.). The first game starts at 6:30 with Bayside vs Jefferson, followed by Long Island City vs Automotive. Sunday, December 5th will be a hoops feast for fans of good competitive H.S. basketball. You will be treated to six games starting at 12:45 p.m. with Enviro Studies vs Math, Sci. & Engineering, the 2nd game will match Bronx Science vs Brooklyn's H.S. of Telecommunications. The 3rd game will start at 3:15 p.m with Midwood of Brooklyn facing Gerge Washington of Manhattan. This will be followed by up and coming Thurgood Marshall vs. annual PSAL contender Benjamin Benneker. The 5:45 p.m. game will have always strong South Shore of Brooklyn vs an always competitive Norman Thomas team. The nitecap will have Bronx sleeper Jane Adams vs. the surprising Global Studies team who were 24-4 in league play over the past two seasons. The action will pick up again on Saturday, December 11 at 3 p.m with the winners vying for divison championships on Sunday, December 12 starting at 2:30 p.m. Admission at the door is $7.00. Call Doc Nicelli at 718 392-4527 for additional information.'

11/30/04 Rodrick C. Bussey Brooklyn-Queens Warriors(Scholars Through Sports Foundation): 'One of my players, Dominick Goj, a 6'3" 10th grader from Bronx Science, was named his team's MVP at the Campus Magnet Classic at York College. Dominick and the rest of his Bronx Science teammates competed hard, but came up short against a steady and athletic Campus Magnet team. Dominick is a hard working young man in the classroom and on the court.'

11/29/04 This site gets a little less than 3,000 visitors daily, so we should be over the 4 million mark in a few days. Keep visiting.

11/29/04 Coach Carlton Screen (FYA): 'The first annual tTurkey Hoops Basketball Tournament 2k4 was a tremendous spirt builder for our program members. The players that played in the finals all received awards for their accomplishments. As a coach, it was a great feeling to see some of the young players getting after the ball and shooting in the right basket.The outstanding players from 10U division were Alpha Diallo (MVP) and Mathew Ortiz (Sportsmanship), 13U division Anthony Leslie (MVP) and Delroy Thomas (Sportsmanship), 16U division Jamal Ward (MVP) and James Youance (Sportsmanship). Thanks to all the parents, sponsors, and referee's for their support.'

11/29/04 Thanks to coach Ron Naclerio the Cardozo team profile is now on the team page and we have them ranked as the number six team in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/29/04 NY Hoops: Early Impressions.

11/29/04 Vincent Davis: 'Pro Style 2K 5 "Winter League" basketball begins in January. Invitations are being mailed. Pro Style 2K 5 "Winter League"games are scheduled for weekend play and feature invited teams and organizations for boys, girls and young adults from New York City's five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester County, Rockland County, New Jersey and Connecticut. There are no house teams. Pro Style 2K 5 "Winter League" games will be played at Bronx Regional High School, 1010 Reverend James Polite Avenue, Bronx and West Side High School, 140 West 102nd Street, Manhattan. Game sites are subject to change, but not without sufficient notice. Additional and comparable game sites will be used if necessary, to accommodate our participants. 13 available Pro Style divisions -- Super Eights (8 and under), Super 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). For more information, call us at: (718) 654-1440 E-Mail / I.M. us at: PRO STYLE 2K 5@aol.com. Website is www.eteamz.com/prostyle. Founder and Executive Director: Vincent Davis. Web Administrator: Charmaine Washington.'

11/28/04 The Benjamin Banneker team profile is now on the team page. I'll usually be randomly adding a team profile each day until Sunday December 12th. when I'll publish the profiles for the top two teams in the region. 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.

11/28/04 Bernie Mulligan: 'A great night of hoops upstate at Albany HS. Kingston beats host Albany in a 62-60 championship nailbiter. Kingston senior Andrew Williams was tournament MVP with 17 points Saturday and 20 Friday. Fellow senior Andrew Downey had 8 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in the championship game. Albany junior David Yates was the Albany MVP with 19 points and 4 rebounds in the title game.  Murry Bergtraum and Berkshire Academy played a terrific third place game  with Berkshire coming out on top, 58-46. Berkshire senior John Lott was team MVP with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Bergtraum junior Neil St Hill was their MVP with 18 points and 10 rebounds Saturday night.'

11/27/04 Metro Hoops: Battle of The Bridge Recap - 6th Graders, plus 7th and 8th Grade.

11/27/04 Coach Dre' (Team Underrated): 'Melvin Clarida is a player that should be mentioned more going into this 2004-05 season. He is a 6'5 senior shooting-guard that is arguably one the best shooters in the PSAL and is also a good on the ball defender. Last year Melvin led his team in scoring, and this year Melvin is looking to advance his Springfield team far into the playoffs. Melvin had a good summer, playing out on the circuit at various tournaments and receiving some strong interest.'

11/27/04 The Lawrenceville Prep team profile is now on the team page. There are at least seventeen more profiles as follows: All Hallows, Bay Shore. Benjamin Banneker, Bishop Ford, Bishop Loughlin, Boys & Girls, Cardozo, Christ the King, Grand Street Campus, JFK NJ, Lenape, Linden, McClancy, Newark Eastside, St Anthony, St Dominic and St Patrick. I'll usually be randomly adding a team profile each day until Sunday December 12th. when I'll publish the profiles for the top two teams in the region. 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.

11/27/04 Daily News: Storm cloud still hovers. SJU punishes itself for cash scandal.

11/27/04 Coach Wee Francis: 'The Thanksgiving feast started early for Tavon Sledge. The 12 year old point guard started his feast with an all-star performance in Brooklyn where he received MVP honors in the Funsport Junior Pros tournament where Team Next defeated I. S.323 in the championship game. Then the following day he represented NY's 6th grade team in the Battle of the Bridges, NY vs. NJ. Once again he received MVP honors and carrying NY to a victory on his 27 points performance. Tavon is definitely the best biddy guard in the tri-state area.

11/27/04 Bernie Mulligan: 'Albany HS and Kingston HS will meet for the second year in a row in the finals of the Albany Booster Club's Corning Cup tournament at AHS on Saturday night. Both teams had decisive wins in the first round. Kingston, behind Andrew William's 19 points, defeated Murry Bergtraum 88 -  45. Junior Neil St. Hill had 18 for Bergtraum. Albany defeated Berkshire Academy 75 - 45. David Yates had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Albany, David Graham had 15 for Berkshire.'

11/26/04 Andre Owes: 'Saturday's schedule is on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

11/26/04 The Raritan Rockets team profile is now on the team page and we have them ranked at number fifteen in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/25/04 The Holy Cross team profile is now on the team page and we have them ranked at number eighteen in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/25/04 Metro Hoops: Top sophs. # 1 Corey Fisher, # 2 Jeff Robinson, # 3. Corey Stokes, # 4. Zach Rosen and # 5. Alray Blackmon. 

11/25/04 Ian O'Connor: 'Just wanted to let you know I have a book coming out soon that tracks Sebastian Telfair's journey from Lincoln High to the NBA draft lottery. It's titled, "The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High Stakes Business of High School Ball," and it's on pre-order sale at a discount price ($16.77) on amazon.com.'

11/25/04 Galen Smith: 'Metro Hoops will be holding tryouts on Saturday, November 27th for individual players grades (4th-8th) seeking to play in competitive winter league. Piscataway Metro Hoops Basketball Association is hosting a select basketball league for teams in the Northern and Central Jersey area. Tryouts will be conducted at Rutgers University (Livingston Recreation Center) in Piscataway. 7th and 8th graders start at 4:00 pm and 4-6th Grade tryouts start at 5:00 pm. For additional information call (732) 339-1215 or go to www.metrohoops.com.

Metro Hoops is seeking 4th grade teams to play in Winter league. Metro Hoops Basketball Association is hosting a select basketball league for teams in the Northern and Central Jersey area. We are looking for a 3-4 4th-Grade teams to fill out our 4th Grade Division. This year we have the top AAU and travel teams in the state competing in multiple divisions (grades 4-8) competing in our winter league. Teams will be accepted on a first come basis and it is recommended that you sign up as quickly as possible. League play will begin the weekend of December 3rd. The league will conclude on February 20th. The majority of the games will be played on Friday Evenings, Saturdays between 10-5 PM and all day on Sundays. There will be some weeknight and earlier Saturday games. We will attempt to accommodate special scheduling requests, although we cannot guarantee complete compliance. League application or for information go to www.metrohoops.com.'

11/24/04 Coach Carlton Screen(FYA): 'We are having our first Turkey Hoops basketball tournament 2k4. All games are being played at Erasmus Hall High School. The age groups are as follows 10U, 13U, and 16U all teams are made up from our program. Last night was the first games played and it was a terrific start. There will be games tonight from 6 - 9pm and Friday 12 - 6pm. I want to wish everyone in the basketball world a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and let there be peace. FYA'S 11U team played at halftime of the Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks game last night. It was a great experience for our young people, they got a chance of a lifetime to see the pro players up close. They were able to sneak a few pictures of their special players and dream of maybe one day they will be playing on the court, for a college or pro team.'

11/24/04 psal.org: Tip Off Classic results.

11/24/04 Abdu-Allah Torrence: 'Thurgood Marshall Academy presents Brown versus the Board HS Classic sponsored by Black Butta. It is an invitational HS tournament that will be held on Jan. 28th to 30th at the Harlem Police Athletic League located at 119th St. and Manhattan Ave. The cost will be $250.00 which will include quality competition, a gift bag (tourney shirt, NCAA info, history on the Brown vs. the Board of Education decision) for each player, manager and coach, bags for the champions, taped games and a banquet for all student-athletes the night before the tournament kicks off. The banquet will include guest speakers from college institutions to inform student-athletes on the new changes with NCAA eligibility, life after basketball and recruitment. We still have spots for the tournament the deadline for all paperwork is Jan 7th 2005. Right now we have confirmations from UPA, Wadliegh, St. Agnes, City College HS, Evander, TMA, and hopefully Rice B. We are shooting for 16 team tournament with a 4 team girls division. So don’t wait! For more information you can contact Tournament Director Abdu-Allah Torrence at 212 283-8055 ext 6050 cell 347 680 9539, or tmacademy@hotmail.com or assistant Tournament Director Darryl Jones at 917 939 6851 or bbuttaNY@aol.com.'

11/24/04 There will be over fifty team profiles for this site by next month and thirty-nine people have contributed to them. On the day before Thanksgiving I'll thank those contributors again. They are coach Wayne Crawford, Reginald Kearney, coach Will Stasiuk, Pete Goyco, coach Nick Mariniello, coach Cheez Ezenekwe, coach Ron Naclerio, coach Bob Oliva, coach John McCaffrey, coach Kevin Pigott, coach Mario Beras, Kareem Coprew, Ben Langione, coach Corey Lowery, coach Roberto Diaz, coach Jim Ring, coach Bill Lange, coach Dwayne (Tiny) Morton, coach Anthony Tavares, Terence (T-bone) Johnson, coach Dennis T. Terry, coach Louis Xifaras, coach Dwayne Murray, coach Bill Murphy, Eric Jaklitsch, coach Brett Wilson, coach Chris Potash, coach Bill McNally, coach Tom Sampogna, coach Kevin Cullen, coach Rob Pavinelli, coach Tim Cluess, coach Oliver Antigua, coach Abdu-Allah Torrence, coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg, coach Tony Bergeron, coach Jack Alesi, John P. Miciotta and Keith Mason.

11/24/04 Thanks to coach Wayne Crawford and coach Will Stasiuk the Art & Design and Automotive team profiles are now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/23/04 Metro Hoops: Top sophs. # 6. Idris Hilliard 6’5 forward (Hun), # 7. Miles Beatty 6’2 guard (St. Anthony), # 8. Corey Chandler 6’2 guard ( Newark Eastside), # 9. Derrick Price 6’0 guard ( Burlington City), # 10. Anthony Nelson 6’2 guard (Plainfield).  

11/23/04 Nathan Blue: 'I loved the preview from the NY Daily News today. Honestly I'd say it's one of the better previews they've come out with. But it just really seems as though people are trying to make Kevin White look like a bad kid. The kid is talented, obviously so talented that people talk about his situation every time you mention Lincoln High School now. But, why isn't he ever mentioned as a good basketball player too? If he's not that good.....then what's all the fuss? What White did was expose our public school system. He played by the rules as did Eugene Lawerence. "You can transfer and play without sitting out."

Salvador Patricio who transfered from Bryant HS in Queens avg 30ppg a game as a junior said this summer, "If I go to public school next year I'm going to Lincoln! " Everybody wants to win and go to college. Coach Morton as well as some other coaches in the PSAL can provide both. But give White his due; he's a good kid, who used the system that was in place.'

11/23/04 Newsday: 'NYC Boys Preseason rankings -- 1. Christ the King - Don't expect a slow start this season because the Royals are loaded. 2. St. Raymond's - Ricky Torres on the outside and Chris Bethel on the inside will be a lethal combination. 3. Xaverian - Levance Fields leads an experienced team that fell just short of the CHSAA state title last season. 4. Cardozo - Vic Morris, Theo Davis and Drew Gladstone make an impressive trio. 5. Rice - Edgar Sosa, Taskico Brown and Curtis Kelly should keep Rice in the championship mix. 6. Lincoln - Nyan Boateng and Kevin White lead a team that will still also be in the title mix. 7. Bishop Loughlin - Herbie Allen and Darius Gabriel are tough to stop. 8. Banneker - Anthony Stukes, along with new addition Mike Davis, makes Banneker a strong contender. 9. Wings - Andre Tarver and Rasheem Jenkins could form the PSAL's top backcourt. 10. Holy Cross - Four three-year starters returning makes Holy Cross a nice sleeper pick.'

11/23/04 Lonnie Webb: 'Congratulations go out to Dexter Gray of Mt. Vernon, now playing and starting for St. John's University, for earning Big East Rookie of the Week honors.'

11/23/04 The Rice team profile is now on the team page and we have them ranked as the number eleven team in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/23/04 Daily News: High School Hoops Preview --  Junior achievement. Something special about metro area class of 2006. PSAL -- With this system, kids pick their own schools. True teammates, Marques Johnson and Qa'rraan Calhoun.  Repeat performances - Rob Thomas.  Texas two-step for Theo Davis. The dog ate my transfer...  Who are these guys? Jabari Edwards 6-9 center, Poly Prep, Kyle McAlarney 6-2 guard, Moore Catholic and Doug Elwell 6-5 forward, Farrell.  The 10 Jersey players to watch -- Tyrell Biggs, Don Bosco Prep, 6-8 senior, Andrew Bynum, St. Joseph's, 6-11 senior, Qa'Rraan Calhoun, Raritan, 6-9 senior, Derrick Caracter, St. Patrick's, 6-9 junior, Corey Fisher, St. Patrick's, 5-11 sophomore, Jaron Griffin, Manchester, 6-6 senior, Eugene Harvey, St. Benedict's Prep, 5-11 junior, J.R. Inman, St. Joseph's, 6-8 senior, Sean McCurdy, St. Anthony,6-1 senior, Lance Thomas, St. Benedict's Prep, 6-9 junior.

11/23/04 Newsday: St. Raymond's will turn to its senior leadership.

11/23/04 Newsday: Preseason Boys All City team -- Theo Davis, Ricky Torres, Kyle McAlarney, Curtis Kelly and Vic Morris.  Top 20 boys basketball players are Herbie Allen, Chris Bethel, Mike Davis, Nyan Boateng, Darian David, Larry Davis, Doug Elwell, Levance Fields, Mike Glover, Akeem Gooding, Malcolm Grant, Jabari Henley-Edwards, Rasheem Jenkins, Laurence Jolicoeur, Hickmon Simmons, Edgar Sosa, Saiquon Stone, Andre Tarver, Vernon Teel and Kevin White.

11/23/04 NY Post: Free agents transfer power to Banneker.

11/23/04 Vincent Davis: 'Congratulations to Jeff Rivera for his appointment as assistant junior varsity coach and varsity physical trainer for basketball at Saint Mary's High School - Manhasset, New York and to Pro-Style alumnus Ron Moore for his appointment as head coach of women's basketball at York College - Queens, New York and to long time Pro Style friend and alumnus Greg Wilson for his appointment as junior varsity head coach of men's basketball at Blessed Sacrement High School - New Rochelle, New York.'

11/23/04 Andre Owes: 'Saturday results are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

11/23/04 Coach Dre Team Underrated: 'Congratulations goes out to Shavar Burch who will be attending Heritage Christian Academy in Houston, Texas. No matter how much it cost, hard work does pay off.'

11/22/04 National Prep Basketball Poll - Preseason includes # 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony  Coach Bob Hurley has 826 wins. # 9. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 26-3 Forward Brandon Costner headed to N.C. State. # 13. Mount Vernon, N.Y. 27-3 Chicago Bulls rookie Ben Gordon an alum,  # 16. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond's 23-8 must replace four Division I players.

Northeast Region: # 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (30-0), # 2. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep (26-3), # 3. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (27-3), # 4. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond's (23-8), # 5. Fort Washington, Pa., Germantown Academy (24-8), # 6. Chester, Pa. (27-7), # 7. Merion, Pa., Episcopal (22-6), # 8. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King (17-7), # 9. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's (15-11) and # 10. Waterbury, Conn. Crosby (26-1).

11/22/04 NY Hoops: Vic Morris Saves Cardozo.

11/22/04 Newsday: Lincoln preview -- Can they keep dynasty going?

11/22/04 Terence T-Bone Johnson: 'They came, they saw, they won. The Top 6th, 7th and 8th graders from New York all came to win their games after trailing at the half Sunday at Paterson Catholic. The gym was filled with people from NY and NJ waiting, watching and wondering who was going to claim the Bridge. In the 6th grade game, NY players Tavon Sledge (27 pts), Shaquille Stokes (26 pts) and Deshawn Suber (17 pts) led the way for NY who pulled away from the NJ team at the end to win 73-65. New Jersey was led by Miles Mack (16 pts), Miles Davis (who I might add just turned eleven 4 days ago) 15 pts and MVP of the event Derrick Gordon (14 pts 18 rebs). The 7th grade game started out slow with both teams struggling from the field but quickly got a spark from Steve Whittingham. The scoring guard from the city ended up scoring 22 pts in the contest. NJ was led by Aaron Goodwin with 12 pts. After the 7th grade, that's when the anticipation started. Team New York was all ready to take the floor for its 8th grade game vs NJ and it was about 8 minutes on the clock before the start. Mousey was there ready to coach the city boys, legendary AAU coach in NJ Brian Crawford was drawing up plays on the clipboard, and I myself was eating a beef hotdog (which I have not had in about 10 years) and out of the blue, the crowd started talking loud, DJ stopped the music, and someone was signing autograph's by the door. No, it was not Tim Thomas (Paterson's finest), or Starbury (Brooklyn's finest), it was him, it was the next. The MC simply said,, "Lance Stephenson has entered the building!". The buzz this created was something I have not seen since Lebron James was cleared to play at the Prime-Time 2 years ago. It was no need for introductions in this one. Lance Stephenson, Durant Scott, NYC, Tamir Jackson, Ken Ortiz, Anthony Baskeville, Terez Strickland, Parris Bennett NJ. Lets get ready to rumble! Lance showed everyone in attendance why he's the best 8th grader in the nation, but NJ was not backing down. St.Benedict's 8th grader Tamir Jackson stripped Stephenson two times in a row for buckets, but that only got Lance more heated. He finished with 30 pts and 11 rebs. NJ was led by Ken Ortiz with 18 pts. Parris Bennett added 10 pts and 7 rebs. Thanks to Sam White and John James for putting this game together.'

11/22/04 Thanks to coach Tim Cluess the St Mary team profile is now on the team page and we have them ranked as the number four team in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/22/04 Newsday: Call him anything you like, but Cardozo's Ron Naclerio is a winner.

11/21/04 Rodrick C. Bussey Brooklyn-Queens Warriors(Scholars Through Sports Foundation): 'One of my former players, Michael Dodd, is doing a good job at Rockland Community College. Rob Kursinsky, head coach at RCC, continues to do an excellent job developing and leading his players at Rockland. Jamel Moye (NY Tech) and Johnny Carter (SUNY Plattsburgh) are two of my former players that did well under Coach Kursinsky's leadership and continues to do well at their respective universities. Michael's potential is limitless! He has to continue to work hard academically and listen to Coach Kursinsky.'

11/21/04 Thanks to coach Dwayne Tiny Morton the Lincoln team profile is now on the team page. I've promised him that if his Railsplitters again make it to the Garden, I'll remind everyone that I didn't have them in the Top 21. I've also included the Grady profile with Lincoln's. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks. 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.

11/21/04 Coach Eric Rock Eisenberg: 'Last night at the 10th annual Jerry Gold Classic we defeated a determined Richmond Hill team. Coach Brian Sutton had his guys ready to play and they outplayed and outcoached us most of the night. We needed a miracle 3pt buzzer beater from our 6' 9" center Alanzo George to survive regulation and force overtime. At the start of the game we were not ready to play and I had to pull our starters after 3 minutes. Our 2nd unit of Brandin Kemp, Floyd Thorne, Fred Antoine, Antonio Alphonso and Mike Brown really saved the day for us. As the game went on all of our players raised their level and tried to match the effort of Richmond Hill. Senior guards Ryan Sandy and Gary Harris came back from 3 weak quarters of play to help lead us to a 72-64 overtime win on a night when we could have gotten beaten at home. Jimmi Noel and Rashad Baldwin also played key roles down the stretch of this ugly but exciting early season game.'

11/21/04 NY Hoops: Tilden banks on George. The 10th Annual Jerry Gold Memorial Classic -- Tilden 72 Richmond Hill 64.

11/20/04 Metro Hoops: Top Sophmores #15-11.

11/20/04 Coach Rich Nattis: 'Last night, Long Island Elite competed in the Turkey Classic. We did very well and ended up in the finals. In the closing seconds we lost by 2 points to a well rounded Probound Elite team coached by Stephen Furtado. We were led by Mike Nattis 5'5 2008 (35 points for the tournament), Ryan Dillon 6'1 2009 (39 points for the tournament), Evan Eisner 5'2 2009(11 points for the tournament and 11 assists), Ricky Buckshaw 6'9 2008 (20 rebounds and 10 points) and Andrew Greenblat 5'6 2008 (16 points 10 assists).'

11/20/04 Thanks to assistant coach Tom Sampogna the Port Chester 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.

11/20/04 Andre Calloway: Emmanuel Smith is a real sleeper. He is only 5'0 but he can knock down the three and penetrate at will. He plays alongside Lamont (MoMo) Jones in school play and CYO. They both attend St. Charles. He is currently playing for Team Roc. Watch out for him he should be added to the class of 2009.'

11/20/04 North Jersey: When passions collide, a family is in conflict -- Chaz Cervino, 5-10 DePaul sophomore -- basketball or football?

11/19/04 Coach Wendell Saunders: 'The "A" B" For Real Invitational Classic will be held this weekend, Saturday, November 20, 2004 and Sunday, November 21, 2004. Because of conflicts, the event will be held at Benjamin Banneker and not at Polytechnic University. The first game on Saturday will begin at 10:00 am and the last game at 5:30 pm. On Sunday, the first game will begin at 9:00 am and the last game at 6:00 pm. The A-divisional teams will consist of Thurgood Marshall, James Monroe, Wadleigh, Banneker, Susan McKinney (B-division Champions) Morris (B-division Champions finalist), Paul Robeson, South Shore, Midwood, and Park West. The B-divisional teams will consist of Health Profession, ENYFamily Academy, Landmark, HS of Lab Museum, Julia Richmond, and Global Studies. On Saturday, A-divisional teams will go against the B-divisional teams, while on Sunday, interdivision play will occur with some potential post-season match-ups. Price of the event will be $6.00 at the door. I would like to apologize to the coaches and student athletes for the inconvience. I would also like to thank the Athletic Director at Polytechnic University for her support.'

11/19/04 Paul Brown, Director NY Gauchos: 'On behalf of the Gauchos players, coaches, staff, parents and fans I would like to sincerely thank Coach Jim Calhoun and Coach Andre Lafluer of the UConn Huskies for their time and energy at our coaches clinic last Saturday. Without question there is a method to his madness. Unlike his demeanor on television Coach Calhoun was calm and relaxed. He answered coaches' questions thoroughly. He openly talked his system, his plan, his strategy. Then he demonstrated it plain and simple. He said "We attack and we keep attacking. Rebound, push, look to score, secondary break, five second drill. Simple!" It will be fun watching UCONN defend their 2004 NCAA National Championship and from the Gauchos we wish them good luck.. So I hope all the coaches who attended were able to learn something that will help them this coming season and thank you for attending.  Remember, our goal is to increase the basketball IQ of players, coaches and parents. To that effort, we will continue to have coaching clinics at the Gauchos Gym. Next up will be Coach Bobby Gonzalez and Coach Steve Massiello from the Manhattan Jaspers.'

11/19/04 Metro Hoops Top freshmen -- # 1. Ashton Gibbs (Seton Hall Prep), # 2. Travon Woodall ( St. Anthony), # 3. Michael Rosario (St. Anthony), # 4. Andre Birdsong (Rancocas Valley) and # 5. Dave Johnson Jr. (Lakewood Prep).

11/19/04 Coach Ruben Tavarez: 'There are still available spots in the Latino Cup Classic, we have 4 biddy spots open and 3 midget spots open. That would complete the 12 team division. Tournament starts Nov 29, if anyone is interested in joining please call me at 718-681-2361 ext. 142 or email me at rtavarez@lpacministries.com.  The league fee is $150. for the biddy division and $200 for the midgets. This is a two game elimination tournament and the games will be held at the LPAC center which is located at 170th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx.'

11/19/04  Thanks to coach Corey Lowery the Hillside 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.

11/19/04 Andre Owes: 'Schedule for Saturday 11/20 is on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

11/18/04 Metro Hoops: Top NJ. freshmen -- # 6. Jerrel Lewis ( Rahway ), # 7. Quentral Jones ( Newark Science), # 8. Desmond Wade (Linden), # 9. Jameel Grace ( Seton Hall Prep) and # 10. Jamie Shumate ( St. Patricks).

11/18/04 John Koegel: 'Hofstra has received letters of intent from five New York area players: Dane Johnson 6-8 (Brooklyn, NY/Robeson HS), Greg "Playstation" Johnson 6-0 (Harlem, NY/Holderness (NH) School), Vic Morris 5-11 (Queens, NY/Cardozo HS), Sal Patricio 6-2 (Queens, NY/Florida Prep Academy) and Greg Washington 6-9 (Islip, NY/Central Islip/Florida Air Academy). Here's the news release.'

11/18/04 Dr. Leslie Dreifus (718-377-6363): 'I am a sports chiropractor for 22 years in Brooklyn and I have been taking care of many PSAL athletes for their sports injuries. Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg listed me on his 11/14/04 posting on your web site for treating one of his athletes. Our goal is to return your athlete to competition as soon as possible, without compromising their health.'

11/18/04  Thanks to coach Kevin Pigott and coach Kevin Cullen the Fordham Prep and Regis team profiles are 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.

11/18/04 Philly.com: Harry Sheehy, athletic director at Williams College -- he sheds light on the excesses of youth sports.

11/18/04 Insiders: Marques Johnson Headed to Boston University.

11/18/04 NJ Hoops: Top Stars Headed to CSG Prep School Showcase this weekend in Voorhees NJ.

11/18/04 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A: 'Martin Van Buren H.S. gets the w in its first official game. The Vee-Bees led by their little bigman 5' 8" p.g. Jason Plenty got off to a slow start against Hillcrest H.S. The score was tied 6-6 at the end of the 1st quarter and 27-19 at halftime. Van Buren upped the tempo in this contest with their press. 6' 2" sr forward Anthony Soares led the pact with five steals and a power dunk in the third quarter. 6' 3" swingman Myles Nicholas and 6' 2" Michael Brown poured in 10 pts apiece to break the game open. Jason (Little-Bigman) Plenty displayed precision passes and good leadership as he led the team with 8pts 10 assist 4 steals. Van Buren went on to win this contest 55-33.'

11/18/04 Coach Kenny McCloud: 'I am the JV coach at Wyandanch High School on Long Island looking for some scrimmage games for my team. If anyone is interested, please call me at 516-849-1026.'

11/17/04 NY Hoops: Herbie Allen Injures Ankle.

11/17/04 The Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children (SFIC) Boys Basketball Festival will be @ Yanitelli Center, St. Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ on Saturday, January 8, 2005. Tentative times, subject to television: 12:00 noon St. Benedict’s Prep vs. St. Joseph’s HS, Metuchen, 1:45 St. Patrick’s HS vs. Paramus Catholic HS and 3:30 St Anthony HS vs. CBA.

11/17/04 Bernie Mulligan: 'Corning Cup tournament at Albany HS -- Thanksgiving Friday and Saturday the Albany HS Booster Club will host a four team tournament, featuring Albany HS, Kingston, Berkshire and the PSAL's Murry Bergtraum squad. This is a strong balanced field: Kingston won the 2003 tourney over Albany, Berkshire was the 2004 Section Two "B" runner-up,  Albany is a perennial area power and Bergtraum returns a strong, veteran  squad. Bergtraum faces Berkshire at 6.00 Friday night, AHS vs Kingston at 7.30.  Saturday night's consolation game is at 6.00, championship at 7.30. Bergtraum follows the footsteps of Automotive and Hunter High, who played in the '03 tourney, and McClancy from Queens will participate in the 2005 tourney.'

11/17/04 Team profiles - there will be about 50 of them by next month. Many coaches and assistant coaches contribute to those profiles. Some coaches don't. If I don't specifically thank a coach or assistant coach for the profile, e.g. Haddonfield below, I didn't create the profile with the coach's help. Even if I did get a coach's help, these profiles should not be taken as gospel and fixed. Rosters and schedules change - usually faster than I can track. If you have a concern about your team, the coach or athletic director is the first and primary resource.

11/17/04 The Haddonfield Bulldogs team profile is now on the team page and they're rated as the number nineteen team in our 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.

11/17/04 USA Today Super 25 boys' basketball rankings includes # 3. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (30-0), # 4. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (27-3), # 11. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (16-10), # 22. Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (26-3) and # 23. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (17-10).

11/17/04 Journal News: Mount Vernon ranked fourth in nation by USA Today.

11/17/04 psal.org: PSAL basketball is back!

11/17/04 NJ Hoops: NJ Teams part of Prep Showcase this coming weekend in Voorhees, NJ.

11/16/04  Thanks to assistant coach Mario Beras the Frederick Douglass Academy team profile is now on the team page and they're rated as the number ten team in our 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.

11/16/04 Metro Hoops: Our Time To Shine -- Corey Stokes (St. Benedicts), Dasean Butler (Bloomfield Tech), Miles Beatty (St. Anthony) and Kenneth Watson (Hillside).

11/15/04 Assistant Coach Joe Vendetti:.'The 2004 Hilliard Tournament (12/27 & 12/28), one of the oldest HS tournaments in the US is in dire need of a 4th team. Canyon Del Oro from Tucson AZ backed out because of a coaching change, leaving the field in Schenectady NY at three (Schenectady-Host, William Floyd, Niskayuna). This is the same tournament that Power Memorial would play in every year. Past teams include Newburgh, Mount St. Michaels, Holy Cross, Xavier to name a few. Hotels & food provided by host. All games are played at the Pat Riley Center which seats 2800. Please e-mail me at jvendett@nycap.rr.com or jvendetti@msn.com if you are interested.'

11/15/04 Terence tbone Johnson: 'The Battle for the Bridge is scheduled for this Sunday, November 21st at Paterson Catholic HS in Paterson NJ. The games will put the top 6th. 7th and 8th graders from NYC vs NJ. The first game will be the 6th graders and the start time is 3pm. The games are organized and funded by Sam White and John James. Players confirmed to play include NYC 6th. grade Corey Edwards, Shaquille Stokes,Tavon Sledge, 7th graders Devontay Grace, Steve Whittingham and Dayday Wiggins 8th. graders Lance Stephenson, Lamont Jones, Durant Scott. NJ players are 6th grade Miles Davis, Miles Mack, Kyle Anderson, Sterling Gibbs, Derrick Gordon, Chase Plummer 7th graders Jayson Jones, Terence Nelson, Shakill Thomas (Tim Thomas' nephew) and 8th grade Dexter Strickland, Tamir Jackson, Ken Ortiz, Justin Crossgrill, Parris Bennett, Anthony Baskerville. The NY 8th grade team will be coached by Mouse from Terror Squad. That 8th grade game will be worth the admission.as it will have four of the top 8th graders in the country in Lance, Dexter, Tamir and Lamont. For additional information or if a player from New Jersey feels they should be in this event, contact Sam "E" White 973-445-2092. Admission is $7 for adults $5 for students.'

11/15/04 Booksnball: 'Coaches who have NYC Middle School student-athletes in their programs or on teams: this week is open school week in the NYC Public Schools (5th-8th grade, one nite & one afternoon). Check with your players to find out when his school is having their parent/teacher meeting and ask if you could join the parent. This is especailly important for the kids you know may be having some academic difficulty or who come from a single parent home where the mother may need extra assistance. It can only help! If not now, then when? If not you, then who? Keep their passes sharp & their pencils even sharper!'

11/15/04 Steve Furtado: 'The all new Jamaica PAL is hosting a Turkey Classic Basketball Tournament on Friday November 19th and Saturday November 20. Age groups are as follows: 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, 17 and under. 3 game guarantee. IABBO refs and good competition, only a few spots left. Tournament fee is $60, that's right only $60 ( no forfeits allowed, if you can't make the commitment for 2 days don't play!). $$$ must be in by coaches meeting Wednesday November 17, 6:30pm at the PAL center. No exceptions, mandatory attendence! More info Coach Ira 646-662-8335 or Coach Steve 718-216-9178.'

11/15/04 The Seton Hall Prep team profile is now on the team page and they are ranked as the seventh best team in our 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.

11/15/04 Metro Hoops: Top 5 Dynamic Duo’s in the State of NJ.

11/15/04 John Koegel: 'I understand that Arnold Hershkowitz passed away (don't know when). He was a fixture at many high school and college basketball games in the New York area. I didn't know him, but he was someone any hoops fan would recognize. Hofstra has dedicated the last page in their 2004-05 media guide to him.'

11/15/04 Coach Jack Ringel: 'Hirsch, as everyone called him was a fixture at HS basketball games for the past 30 years. He died last winter leaving those who knew this highly misunderstood man still grieving. He was a father figure and mentor for so many student-athletes who played their basketball in NYC. I, myself, was counseled many a night by Hisch in regards to life and basketball. Hofstra is doing a wonderful testimony to this true NYC legend and icon.'

11/15/04 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'Here are the match-ups for the 10th annual Jerry Gold Memorial Classic to be held at Tilden H. S. on Friday Nov. 19th 2004: 4:30 PM New Utrecht vs Boys and Girls, 6pm Tilden vs Richmond Hill and 7:30 PM, South Shore vs St Edmund Prep. Admission is $5 at the door.'

11/14/04 Thanks to coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg and assistant coach Roberto Diaz the Tilden and John Browne team profiles are 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.

11/14/04 Andre Owes: 'Yesterday's second Saturday results are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

11/14/04 DJ Brown: 'Bob Kronisch Classic - The last game of the day at Tilden was well worth the wait. It looked to be a blowout early but it turned into a slugfest. McKinney, always scrappy, couldn't outlast an equally aggressive Sheepshead Bay. Look for both of these teams come playoff time.

Meanwhile, the fun and education of the weekend was Jim Calhoun (UConn) at the Gauchos Gym. He talked about philosophy and went over some options on an offensive set. Two quotes stick out, "Do a couple of things, and do them well" and "know your limitations". There was also an update on A.J. Price. He is doing well and might be back as early as December. The attendance was fair and as always Gametape.com was there so you can get a copy.'

11/14/04 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg; 'In our Bob Kronisch Classic game we won 75-60 over FDR where we opened a 24 point 3rd quater lead only to have the never say die FDR Cougars roar back to make it some fun in a hectic 4th quarter. Point guard Ryan Sandy was the game MVP with 17 points and 11 assists.Gary Harris added 13 points, Jimmi Noel had 10 points and 8 rebounds and Rashad Baldwin had 12 points and 2 blocks. Super soph Alanzo George who returned from an ankle injury thanks to great care from Dr. Leslie Dreifus had 10 points and 11 rebounds in a limited role.'

11/13/04 Thanks to coach Nick Mariniello and coach John McCaffrey the Bloomfield Tech and Deer Park team profiles are 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.

11/13/04 NJ Hoops: John Garcia inks letter to Seton Hall.

11/13/04 Newsday: Vernon Teel's 45 points leads Flushing.

11/12/04 Tarin Gonzalez: 'Gauchos Roundball Winter Classic -- only 4 divisions -- 8 & Under 10 & Under 12 & Under 14 & Under. Cut off is January 1st, 2005. We will accept only the first eight teams per division. One pool – each team will play each other once for 7 game regular season. Top 4 teams advance to playoff round. Play will start week of Monday, December 27th. $200.00 ( 8 & Under), $275.00 (10 & Under), $300.00 (12 & Under) and $325.00 (14 & Under). Please call 718-665-6952 for further information. We will have a tip-off exhibition game for every team. (This game will not count against your record). Please make money orders payable to: Teamwork Foundation Inc. (No personal checks will be accepted).'

11/12/04 LFBALL: 'Just wanted to give everyone an update from Russell Shular concerning the free SAT prep program he has in place.'

11/12/04 Pau Matthews: 'I am a coach at Newburgh Free Academy. Brandon Brock signed with St. Peter's yesterday.'

11/12/04 Jared Rice: 'Ball Firm Inc. is hosting the first annual Basketball City Shootout. This one day event will be held at Iona College, on January 22, 2005 and will feature numerous future NBA players as well as over 20 Division I recruits. The schedule for the day is: Moore Catholic v. Iona Prep, (Girls) Ursuline v. Mount Vernon, White Plains v. Frederick Douglas Academy, Cardoza v. St. Raymond, New Rochelle v. Skyline (C.J.Miles), Mount Zion (Brandon Rush) v.Gulf Shores (Gerald Green) and St. Mary's v. Denham Springs (Tasmin Mitchell).For more information, log on to www.ballfirminc.com.'

11/12/04 Jeff Goodman: 'We're hoping to find either a prep or high school team for the inaugural CSG National Prep Showcase that wants to play one game, Sunday, Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. in front of plenty of colleges coaches. We need a team that has a few legitimate D-1 players. The event is located in Voorhees, N.J. (15 min. from Philadelphia) and the game will be against Massanutten Military Academy. This event will have more than 100 college coaches in attendance and at least a dozen NBA scouts as well. Please e-mail me at jngoodman@aol.com as soon as possible if you are interested.'

11/12/04 Thanks to coach Abdu-Allah Torrence the Thurgood Marshall Academy 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.

11/12/04 Metro Hoops: New Jersey's Dynamic Duos.

11/12/04 DelmarvaNow: Local holiday basketball tournament - Slam Dunk to the Beach - canceled.

11/12/04 NJ Hoops: Slam Dunk is Amiss.

11/11/04 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'The match-ups for the second Annual Bob Kronisch Memorial Classic which will be played on Friday, November 12th at Tilden High School are 4:30 PM Canarsie vs. New Utrecht, 6 PM Tilden vs FR and 7:30 PM Sheepshead Bay vs. Susan McKinney. Admission is $5 at the door.'

11/11/04 USA Today: Super 25 boys players includes Andray Blatche, Derrick Caracter and Greg Paulus.

11/11/04 Thanks to coach Bill Murphy the New Rochelle 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.

11/11/04 John P Miciotta: Second Annual Tom Crotty Memorial Classic at St. John's University in Jamaica Queens on January 30th 2005.

11/11/04 NY Post: Vernon Goodridge could opt for Missisippi State.

11/11/04 Metro Hoops: Southern Hospitality.

11/11/04 There are tournaments added to the calendar page for the next three months. Remember that when you change the month to January, you need to change the year to 2005.

11/10/04 PSAL.org: 2004 Tip Off Classic on 11/20 at Lehman College.

11/10/04 Maxwell “Bingo” Cole: 'Bingo’s All Stars announces the Bingo & Wee All Stars Classic which will start on January 8th 2005 and will run every weekend through April 2nd 2005. The games will be played at CIS219 @ 3630 Third Avenue in the Bronx, just southwest of Crotona Park. This tournament will have five divisions and the entry fees are as follows: 8 and under - $275., 10 and under - $300., 12 and under - $325., 13 and under - $350., 14 and under - $375.   There is a five game guarantee   A coaches meeting will be held on Friday December 17th at 6:30PM. For more information you can contact the tournament directors: Maxwell Cole – 646-208-4146, William “Wee” Francis – 646-269-2977 or visit www.bingosallstars.com.'

11/10/04 Shawn McCray: 'Zoo Crew Basketball Program based in Newark are looking for games for our 10-u, 12-u, and 13-u teams. We will travel. Looking for games between 11/11/04 and 11/23/04 or on Saturday's and Sunday's after those dates. Call Shawn at 973-449-7324 or email zoocrew67@blackplanet.com.'

11/10/04 Thanks to Eric Jaklitsch and JV coach Brett Wilson the Our Savior New American team profile is now on the team page where they are rated as the number eight team in the region. It's the fifteenth profile with thirty-four more to go including All Hallows, Art & Design, Automotive, Benjamin Banneker, Bishop Ford, Bishop Loughlin, Bloomfield Tech, Cardozo, Christ the King, Deer Park, Fordham Prep, Frederick Douglas Academy, Grady, Haddonfield, Hillside, Holy Cross, John Bowne, JFK NJ, Lawrenceville Prep, Lenape, Lincoln, Linden, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Raritan, Regis, Rice, Seton Hall Prep, St Anthony, St Dominic, St Mary, St Patrick, Tilden, Thurgood Marshall.

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.

11/10/04 Andre Owes: 'The first Saturday results are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page

11/10/04 NY Post: Telfair's heart still at Lincoln.  

11/10/04 Daily News: Telfair home for a minute.

11/10/04 Coach Bruce Harris: 'Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities Inc. presents Elmcor Ironmen holiday festival tournament. Tournament commences December 26th thru December 31. Tournament entries deadline is November 30, 2004. Coaches meeting is November 19 at 6:30 PM. Entry fees for all teams are $300 with no ref fees, no special age requests and bring your own uniforms. The age groups are boys 10-12,12-14 and 15-17. All games will be played at Elmcor, 33-16 108th St. Corona, NY. For more info call 718-651-0096 ext 245 or 220. Cell: 917 975-4900.'

11/9/04 NY Hoops: The Fall That Was.

11/9/04 The Hoopstown Top 25 national high school rankings include # 3. St. Anthony, # 6. Xaverian, # 10. St. Patrick, # 14. Mount Vernon, # 17. Seton Hall Prep, # 21. St. Mary and # 24. Christ The King.

11/9/04 Andre Owes: 'The first week of the Brower Park "Shoot Hoops Not Guns" basketball tournament was a good one. This winter we are only doing 13 & u and 15 & u. Some of our major teams include Starrett City (aka. stars of the city) Anessa's Sport, Ice Tea and Brownsville Ballers. The tournament runs every Saturday from 11-06-04 until 01-08-05. All games are played at I. S. 271 located at Fulton Street and Saratoga Avenue in Brooklyn. Our past student athletes include: Kaimondre Owes, Lavance Fields, Mike Davis, Chris Lowery, Gary Ervin, Gary Forbes, Ramel Bradley, Chris Taft, Eugene Lawrence and Saquan Stone. Admission is free, so come check out Brooklyn's up and coming future stars.'

11/9/04 Coach Crawford & Coach Shea: 'Rice High School's JV and Varsity "B" teams are still looking for games and scrimmages to complete their schedule, CHSAA or PSAL. If anyone is interested please call 212-369-4100 ext.26 (Crawford J.V) ext 52 (Shea "B").'

11/9/04 Rob Engemann: 'The Hoop Group and D-TRAINED proudly present a comprehensive Pre-Season Conditioning Basketball Clinic. This will be run by Daryl Smith of  D-TRAINED at Rebounds Basketball Facility in Neptune, NJ on Saturday and  Sunday November 13th and 14th. The girls session will be from 9am - 12pm and the boys session will be from 1pm - 4pm. This basketball strength, speed and skills clinic is open to male and female basketball players between the ages of 14-18. Space is limited so please call 732-897-3196. Prizes will be awarded to the fastest, strongest and most skilled players in attendance. Admission includes T-shirt, food, gift bag, and pro-style draft analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your game. It's relatively cheap at $100 for two days and 6 hours of  training. Being in shape for the season and picking up tips to better yourself  athletically should be priceless if you are serious about playing HS basketball.'

11/9/04 Thanks to coach Oliver Antigua the St Raymond Ravens team profile is now on the team page where they are rated as the number 21 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.

11/9/04 Rob Engemann (Rebounds Basketball Facility www.rebounds1.com, The Hoop Group www.hoopgroup.com, RobE@rebounds1.com, 908-309-4494): 'I would like to extend a special thank you to all 27 teams that participated in this past weekends Rebounds Fall Tip-Off Classic and also to Adam Chiappano, High School Event Director for The Hoop Group, who ran a great event this past weekend. Adam did a great job with matching the teams up for games and in turn had a plethora of good games that went down to the wire. Everyone in attendance could notice and feel the competitive atmosphere and the playoff-type intensity that the teams were playing with. The following is the All-Tournament Team for the Fall Tip-Off Classic: Nick Smith 6’6 Sr Colonia HS, George Muller 6’1 Jr. Ridgewood HS, Brian Baker 6’0 Soph. Colts Neck HS, Robbie Jackson 6’11 Sr. Aberdeen (MD) HS, JR Inman 6’8 Sr. St. Joe’s Montvale HS, Mark Crumble 5’10 Sr Atlantic City HS, Frank Turner 5’9 Jr. Atlantic City HS, Ed Keyes 6’6 Sr Atlantic City, Jovan Robinson 6’4 Jr. Boston College HS (MA), Remy Cofield 6’3 Soph. Roxbury Latin HS(MA), Andrew Bynum 7’0 Sr. St. Joe’s Metuchen, Sean Baptiste 6’3 Jr St. Joe’s Metuchen, Chad Barnes 5’11 Sr. University-Newark, Ryan Mailen 6’2 Sr. Bishop Hannan (PA), Casey Mack 6’0 Sr. Woodbridge HS, Dan Werner 6’7 Jr. CBA (NJ) HS, Mike Buxton 6'0 Sr. Toms River East HS and AJ Rudowicz 6’6 Jr. Monroe HS.'

11/9/04 Robert White: 'NYHoops Sports will be hosting the Team Roc/NYHoops.com Tip Off Classic on sunday December 5th at Baruch College. Game and times will be: 12noon Wings Academy vs St.Dominics, 2pm Rice vs Lincoln, 4pm Christ the King vs St. Mary's and at 6pm FDA vs Bishop Loughlin. For more info or media request please call (718) 907-0740. This event will be sold out so please arrive early.'

11/8/04 Dwayne Murray: 'The Mt. Vernon Junior Knights 7th and 8th grade boys basketball teams are looking for out of schedule games to complete their fall/winter schedules. If you're interested, please e-mail for the 7th grade, Coach Keith Cheverko at kchev@advbc.com, and for the 8th grade, Coach Dwayne "Coach D" Murray at Dwayneemc@aol.com. We also hold our own 6th, 7th and 8th grade boys tournament in February. Please indicate if your team is interested in playing in our tournament in your e-mail. The Junior Knights are the proud feeder system to the 2004 New York State and Federation Champions Mt. Vernon Knights HS basketball team.'

11/8/04 Thanks to coach Danny Hurley the St. Benedict team profile is now on the team page and we have them fanked as the third 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.

11/8/04 Anthony Nicodemo: ''Westchester's Best Fall League championship results are on the Westchester's Best Fall League page.'

11/7/04 The Blair Academy 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.

11/7/04 InsideHoops: Apple vs. Empire Showcase Games.

11/7/04 Paul Brown, NY Gauchos: 'On Saturday, November 13th, 2004 at 2:30pm the Gauchos will host a Coaches clinic, featuring the 2004 NCAA Champion UConn Huskies Men's Basketball Head Coach Jim Calhoun. Coach Calhoun will break down the "UConn System" from preseason workouts to the Big East season to NCAA Tournament selection. Admission for college coaches is $25.00; HS coaches $10.00 and for any and all AAU coaches admission is free. All coaches will receive a free Nike playbook/clipboard. Coach Calhoun rarely does clinics, so this should be a treat.

Note: Recruitable HS players cannot attend this event. Also on Saturday, 11/13 at 1.30pm former Gaucho and Minnesota Gopher guard Eric "Pooh" Harris will conduct a Skills Development Clinic for all players, for all ages, for free. So come out let's have some fun and let's learn together.  Location: Gauchos Gymnasium, 478 Gerard Avenue Bronx, NY 10451. Telephone: 718 665-6952 Fax: 718 401-8582.'

11/7/04 Louis Xifaras, McClancy assistant varsity basketball coach: 'Attention all 8th grade parents, students, and student athletes. Saturday, November 13, 2004 is the TACHS exam. This stands for Test For Admission into Catholic High Schools. It was formerly called the CO-OP exam. This test is the way to gain access into Catholic High Schools. The website for more information is www.tachsinfo.com. You can find all the information about the test and the schools involved. Good results on this test can lead to academic scholarships. All 8th grade parents and students who are interested in attending a Catholic High School for the 2005-2006 school year should visit this website. Remember, you can't be a good student of the game if your not a good student in the classroom first.'

11/7/04 Coach Bob Starkman: 'Basil Leslie and Nick Flagg started their college career on a high note. Broward Community College was down 52points with .03 seconds on the clock, Basil Leslie (Grady HS) drilled a 3 and connected for the game winner. Leslie finished with 20 points (6-7) from the 3. Nick Flagg (Cardozo HS) provided some spark on both ends of the court while scoring 16 points down the stretch. Broward CC defeated Polk CC 78-77.'  

11/5/04 Rob Engemann: 'This weekend, November 6 & 7, 2004 at REBOUNDS Basketball Facility (Neptune,NJ) The Hoop Group is holding their Fall Tip-Off Classic, a pre-season high school team event. The following schools are going to be represented: St. Joe's Metuchen, St. Joe's Montvale, Atlantic City, Toms River East, Woodbridge, Marlboro, Colts Neck, Belleville, Monsignor Donovan, Academy Charter, Wall, Christian Brothers Academy, Colonia, South Brunswick, Ridgewood, St. Mary's Elizabeth, Morristown Beard, Monroe Twp, St. John Vianney, Marist, Queen of Peace, Trenton Central, and University (Newark) all from NJ. Out of state teams include: players from the Metro Boston/Lena Park AAU Program, Allentown Catholic (PA), Bishop Hannan (PA), and Aberdeen H.S. (MD). Coaches packets will be $15 and will include addresses and phone number for each player. Any questions do not hesitate to call, I apologize for the short notice and hope to see you this weekend. Schedule link: www.hoopgroup.com/HSTeams/Metro/boys.asp and directions to REBOUNDS are also on that site (the address is: 1930 Bldg. #3 Heck Ave, Neptune, NJ 07753)'

11/5/04 Thanks to junior point guard Ben Langione the Hastings 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.

11/5/04 Metro Hoops: New Jersey Players Worth The Price of Admission - Part 2.

11/5/04 ScoutHoops: 2006 Pre-Season Top 50 Prospects includes # 3 Derrick Caracter, # 7 Wayne Ellington, # 11 Lance Thomas, # 14 Gerald Henderson, # 25 Paul Harris, # 32 Earl Clark, # 34 Brian Zoubek and # 50 Rob Thomas.

11/5/04 Galen Smith: 'The Metro Hoops Skill Development Camp starts next weekend (November 13th -14th) Our Skill Development is great for players who are trying to get ready for the upcoming High School basketball season. The Skill Development camps are a series of four (4) intense two-hour skill development sessions held over a two-week period. These sessions are for the basketball player who is serious about improving and willing to work hard at it! For additional information go to Metrohoops Skills Development Camp.

11/5/04 Anthony Nicodemo: ''Westchester's Best Fall League will wrap-up on Sunday Night at Pace University in Pleasantville. The schedule is on the Westchester's Best Fall League page.'

11/5/04 NorthJersey: 'Passaic Tech senior center Hashim Bailey is close to making a verbal commitment to the University of South Florida, but won't say anything until "his father talks to a few other sources to see what is going on," according to Bulldogs coach Ron Austin. Bailey, a 6-foot-10 first-team All-North Jersey and All-Passaic County standout, also has been in contact with assistant coaches from St. John's, Memphis and Clemson. However, he is only a partial qualifier now. He has a strong enough GPA, but needs to pull up his SAT slightly when he takes the test Saturday.

"We're listing South Florida pretty high," said Austin, who also talked about prep school as an option. "They would like for him to make a verbal commitment at the most. That's nothing etched in stone. He has gotten all kinds of letters from majors to mid-majors. They keep coming in every week."

Bailey, who averaged 18 points, a County-best 14.9 rebounds and 4.5 blocks, is also in the running for the McDonald's All-American Game. The participants will be selected in February.'

11/5/04 Jeffrey Attard: 'King of the Hill is proud to announce it's first Winter Classic. After a successful summer league, we are hoping for our winter league to be even better. We are looking for 8th grade boys, 6th grade boys and 5th grade girls teams to participate from all over the New York area. The league will be located at I.S. 5 located at 50 - 40 Jacobus St. in Elmhurst N.Y. League fee is $ 150 plus ref fees. T-shirts and trophies will be given out. If you are interested please call Jeffrey at 347 - 865 - 1026 or email jef210@aol.com.'

11/4/04 Marlon Bottoms: 'The Hempstead Salvation Army Basketball team will be holding tryouts for its traveling team starting Thursday November 11th, 2004 at the Hempstead Salvation Army located at 65 Atlantic Ave. in Hempstead. Tryouts will begin at 9:30 am. The team was the 2003 Biddy Basketball National Champions and is coached by the legendary Don Ryan and Marlon Bottoms. The Sal team has existed for over 42 years. Boys 11-12 (13 after September 1) are eligible to play. In the last three years the team has traveled to Orlando, Fl., New Orleans, Montreal Canada, Las Vegas, Massachusetts and just finished a 15 day trip in Helsinki, Finland. Anyone interested contact Marlon at (516) 298-3987. Report cards will be closely monitored.'

11/4/04 Thanks to Reginald Kearney the Atlantic City 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.

11/4/04 NY Post: Telfair lives a dream.

11/4/04 Jeff Goodman: 'Here's the link to the web site, and in particular the schedule, for the CSG National Prep Showcase - which features 18 of the top prep programs in the nation from Nov. 19-21 in Voorhees, N.J.'

11/4/04 Bruce Harris: 'Elmcor is having tryouts for their 12 and under, 14 and under and 17 under boys basketball teams on November 15,16 and 17 at 6:30 PM to be held at Elmcor Gymnasium 33-16 108th St. Corona, NY. For info call 718-651-0096 ext 238.'

11/4/04 Paul Vigoda: 'I have two players for you to at least consider for your class of 2009 (8th graders) which I know is taken lightly. I coach at Ryan M.S. 216 in Queens and for the L.I. Lightning 17U. The two players are Stephon Hodges, 5'9 small forward and Ashir Nelson, 5'2 point guard. As a 7th grader Stephon netted 22 per game. In Ryan's two blowout victories this year he went for 22 and 29 pts, 7 steals in an average of 17 minutes per. He can has handle like a point guard, can rebound like a center and has some of the best footwork I've seen at any level. Ashir is a 93 average student with similar smarts on the court. He runs an offense and a press like a poised veteran, averaging 10 pts, 7 asst and 6 steals per game. He also traveled this summer with the Panthers AAU 13U. Both are getting interest from local HS coaches. Stephon is hands down the best player in District 26 and probably Region 3 in the Queens NY. He is undecided on an AAU team thus far but I expect he will be highly touted.'

11/3/04 Coach Atkins: 'The Boys' Club of New York of New York will be hosting our Future Stars Jamboree on January 14^th and 15^th. We are currently looking for two Junior Varsity High School or Junior Boarding School teams to participate in the event. The Jamboree will take place at the Marion McMahon Abbe Clubhouse located at 133-01 41^ST Road, Flushing, NY. The 6 team event already includes The Cardigan Mountain School, Harriman Hawks, Jefferson Park and the Abbe Panthers. For more information please call me at 646-302-8039 or email me satkins@bcny.org.

11/3/04 Stephen Furtado: 'Probound Basketball Inc. invites all girls AAU, non-AAU, school, PAL, CYO and neighborhood teams to the Girls Do It Better Hardwood Classic starting Saturday, December 4th (all games on weekends) at IS72 and IS59 gyms in Jamaica Queens NY. 14 and Under $400, 12 and Under $375. At least 4 games plus playoffs. Free sneakers to champs, big trophies, reversible uniforms, MVP awards, All tournament teams, All-Star Game, certified officials. Register early, limited spots filling up fast! More info and registration (718)-216-9178.'

11/3/04 Jeremy Treatman: 'Scholastic Play-by-Play Network is looking for 2 teams it would like to add to a preliminary game on January 9th, 2005 at LIU-Brooklyn University at 1:00. The game will precede Lincoln, Cardozo and should have an electric atmosphere in a beautiful, college setting. Even if your school is booked on games, you can move a game to play as part of this doubleheader. Please call 215 668 1501 or email jt@scholasticpbpnetwork.com immediately.'

11/3/04 Thanks to coach Tony Bergeron the Wings Academy team profile is now on the team page and they are ranked twentieth in our 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.

11/3/04 John P Miciotta: Additions and updates for the Class of 2005.

11/3/04 TarHeel Radar: The Golden Dozen of 2006 includes # 4 Wayne Ellington, # 5 Derrick Caracter, # 10 Curtis Kelly and # 12 Lance Thomas.

11/3/04 Metro Hoops New Jersey Players Worth The Price of Admission - Part 1.

11/3/04 Steve Servold: The History of New York City High School Basketball.

11/3/04 Journal News: Tournament schedule expands.

11/2/04  Metro Hoops Basketball Association will be hosting select Boys Basketball Tournaments on a year-round basis. The tournaments are competitive, well-organized and draw teams from all over the Metropolitan area. Teams will be accepted on a first come basis and it is recommended that you sign up as quickly as possible. Check out 2004-2005 Metro Hoops Tournament Schedule

11/2/04 Anthony Nicodemo: We have added another game to our HS event in January. St Raymond's will now play Port Chester. For players to watch and updates go to www.westchesterelite.com.

11/2/04 Booksnball: 'LFBALL gets it and has always had the heart to step up and speak out. Hopefully Russell Shuler's e-mail  yesincusa@aol.com   is jammed as your read this, with high school and community coaches reaching out to him to get their kids into the last few seats for the free SAT Prep class.

What can be done if the seats are filled? Stop trying to be part of the solution? Never! Don't do it! Be the coach that inspires their players to be the kind of student-athlete who makes things happen for themselves. They must realize that they are in charge of creating their own academic, as well as athletic success. Coach Dre gave everyone a great "heads up" recommendation about a month ago about what I've come to believe is the best free SAT/ACT Prep site available to all High School student-athletes at www.number2.com..

It's totally free & can be extremely helpful to everyone trying to get kids ready for the SAT or ACT ! Also check out all the great academic links posted on the links page of this site. In many ways we all care about this "game" and the kids that play it. We want them all to succeed and we can be part of the solution if we attempt to speak up more about academic responsibility, point kids toward helpful resources and make a commitment to show your kids that you expect them to do as well in the classroom as they do playing for you! If not us, then who? If not now, then when?'

11/2/04 The Paterson Catholic team profile is now on the team page and they are ranked twelfth in our 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.

11/2/04 LFBALL: 'Many folks including coaches always talk the talk about education first. Now is the time to walk the walk. YES Inc. has a free SAT Prep program scheduled for once a week from November 9th 2004 until January 20th, 2005. This free program will take place at Martin Luther King HS which is located in midtown Manhattan.

Because this program only has approximately 14 seats left for young men playing varsity basketball in the 5 boroughs, it is crucial to touch base with Mr. Russell Shular at YESINCUSA@AOL as soon as possible. Russell is a well known educational advocate for student athletes in NYC, the East coast, and now is even involved in other countries. It would be a shame not to have your top notch HS player being recruited not take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity. Rich K always reminds us how important it is to study. Now is the time to step up and get your kids involved if they are not already in a program.

Lastly, I now look forward to enjoying this HS season. Something I was not able to do last year. I love HS basketball. But I hate when kids forget the importance of education.' 

11/1/04 Coach Corey Lowery: 'Hillside High School is looking for one more team to complete our 8 team Christmas tournament. So far the teams are Hillside, Lawrenceville Prep, Bloomfield Tech, Hun, Staten Island Tech, Snyder and Bayonne. The dates for the tournament are December 27, 28, & 30. If interested contact coach Corey Lowery @ 732 433-3128 or clowery@hillsidek12.org.'

11/1/04 MetroHoops: The Eddie Griffin Challenge recap. 

11/1/04 Bob Cerrato, (973-615-7332 - mobile), bobcerrato@usa.net: 'The Hoop Heaven Turkey Shoot tournament will be held on November 20 and 21st. Boys & girls teams ages 10, 11,12,13,14,15,16,17 & 18 are welcome to participate in all events. All games are played at Hoop Heaven, 125 Algonquin Parkway, Whippany,NJ 07981. The tournament fee is $350 per team. 3 games are guaranteed. A 4th game (crossover championship ) will be played in all divisions of eight or more teams.  To register, go to www.hoopheaven.com/Registration.htm.'

11/1/04 Thanks to coach Bill McNally the Poly Prep 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.

11/1/04 Pete Edwards: 'The IS8/Nike Winter League will begin the Jan 6th or 13th. Anyone that is interested should contact Peter Edwards @ 718-297-3951 or 917-692-9835. Biddies 12 & under DOB-1993 entry fee $250, $25 ref fee. Midgets 14 & under DOB-1991 entry fee $275, $30 ref fee. Juniors 16 & under DOB-1989 entry fee $325, $40 ref fee.' 

11/1/04 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Semi-final results from yesterday are on the Westchester's Best Fall League page.'

11/1/04 Stephen Furtado: 'Pro-Bound will be having tryouts for their 14 under 17 under Elite Showcase and Select travel teams Friday November 5, Tuesday November 9, and Friday November 12 at the all new PAL center on Guy R Brewer Blvd from 6 to 9 PM. More info at 718 216 9178.'

11/1/04 Stephen Furtado: 'Congratulations to the Pro-Bound 17 and under Elite Team for winning the 19 and under division in the All Mighty Force Tournament. Thanks go out to the staff, the refs, the spectators and the other teams. Pro-Bound Elite players are tournament MVP Troy Marcus, Paul Becote, Ramone Clemente, Collin Adams, Brandon Culbreth, Steve Brevitt, Trevor Marshand, Troy Phillips, Justin Allen, Miles Nicolas and Avery Jackson. Thank you coaching staff, family and friends.'