December 2004

12/31/04 Coach Harry Roth: 'Just returned from watching St. Mary's win the Beach Ball Classic 51-45. Congratulations to coach Cluess and his staff for a great job. Most people had St. Mary's a big underdog after watching Ridgeway play their 1st three games. Tournament MVP Danny Green had a huge final as he scored 24 points had 9 rebounds 2 blocks and 6 steals to take home the trophy. Tyson Johnson played all 32 minutes and Danny played 31, Aleek Pauline and Tyrone Hanson each logged 27 minutes for St. Mary's. Gil Montalvo made 5 of 6 free throws in the last 2 minutes to clinch the win for St. Mary's. Gil also won the award for Individual Hustle and Danny made all tournament team and tournament MVP. The Gaels D held 6-9 power forward Pierre Niles to only 10 points and 4 rebounds and that is the difference in St. Mary's winning the tournament. St. Mary's has to be considered one of the better teams in the country with this big win.'

12/31/04 Jack Vivinetto, a parishoner of St. Mary's Church (sent at 9:58 PM on 12/30): 'St. Mary's just won Beach Ball Classic beating Ridgeway of Tennesse 51-45. Danny Green was MVP.' .

12/31/04 Hoops USA: Academy National/Nike Classic - Houston, Texas. National Bracket Championship Game: Middle Village (NY) Christ The King 49, Los Angeles (CA) Westchester 41.

National Prep Classic - San Diego, California Semi Finals Spring Valley (CA) Steele Canyon 67, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony 65.

Red Cross/Rotary Roundball Clasic - Charleston, South Carolina Championship Game Gainesville (GA) East Hall 76, West Orange (NJ) Seton Hall Prep 73.

Beach Ball Classic - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Championship Game Manhasset (NY) St. Mary's 51, Memphis (TN) Ridgeway 45. Most Valuable Player - Danny Green - St. Mary. Third Place Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick 58, Miami (FL) Miami Senior 46.

Stop- DWI Classic - Binghamton, New York National Division Championship Game Bronx (NY) St. Raymond 60, Flushing (NY) Holy Cross 54. Most Valuable Player - Rich Jackson - St. Raymond.

Rim Rockers Classic - Middle Island, New York Championship Game New Rochelle (NY) High defeated Fort Washington (MD) Friendly. Most Valuable Player - Geoff McDermott - New Rochelle.

12/31/04 Mike Collins: 'Monsignor King Tournament -- The 3:45 consolation game had Madison beating New Utrecht 55 to 54, at 5:15 St. Francis Prep beat Moore Catholic 54 to 44 despite senior Kyle McAlarney scoring his 2000 th carreer point for Moore. At 7:00 Bishop Loughlin beat Poly Prep 60 to 45, and in the 9:00 championship game St. John's Prep defeated a game Midwood squad 62 to 56. The tournament MVP was Chris Williams of  St. John's Prep, the leading scorer was Kyle McAlarney of Moore Catholic who set a tournament record with 105 points in the three games. The all-tournament  team also included Jelani Winfield & Richard Thomas of St. John's Prep, Khaleef Allicott & Danny Cox of Midwood, Devon Ebanks of Bishop Loughlin & Peter Ajayi of Poly Prep. Congratulations to coach Gatto & his players & staff for winning the 2004 Monsignor King Tournament. Also tournament director John Browning would like to thank Newsday, the Brooklyn Skyline & MSG cable for thier coverage of the games.'

12/31/04 John Sce, Varsity Basketball Coach New Utrecht High School: 'I would like to take this opportunity to thank John Browning and his staff for another outstanding Msgr. King Tournament. The hospitality is great, the competition is excellent and the atmosphere outstanding for a local high school tournament. I look forward to seeing John and his staff again next year. Once again thanks for a job well done!'

12/31/04 Daily News: St. Ray's benchmark.

12/31/04 Newsday: Lincoln undefeated in Pennsylvania event.

12/31/04 Journal News: Slam Dunk Challenge, championship: White Plains defeats Peekskill 67-52.

12/31/04 Newsday: Consolation for Douglass at Beach Ball Classic.

12/31/04 Newsday: Miracle on 33rd Street. Johnnies upset N.C. State. Despite foul trouble, Epperson's suspension, Red Storm holds No. 17 N.C. State to 10 first-half points to win Holiday Festival, 63-45. Web note: I know it's not high school, but that game deserves at least one link from this site.

12/30/04 John P Miciotta: Msgr King tourney.

12/30/04 Rich Kosik: 'Another NYC PSAL H. S. Hoops team (see Midwood in Monsignor King tourney) acquitted itself very well over the Christmas holidays. Fredrick Douglas of Manhattan proved that it will be a team to be reckoned with in the battle for the PSAL Championship (March 13 at MSG). They defeated nationally ranked # 9 Dominquez H. S. of Compton, California 81 - 66 in the consolation game of the Beach Ball Classic. Hats off to coach Pat Mangan and his team! ( I always see Coach Mangan at pre & post season Hoops Clinics -- hint, hint to many of his PSAL colleagues).'

12/30/04 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A.'Yesterday St John Prep H.S. recorded their ninth win of the season by defeating Bishop Loughlin in a close contest 69-65. Bishop Loughlin staged a fourth quarter comeback with sharp outside shooting from 6' 8" sophmore Devin Ebanks and Darius Gabriel. St John Prep did not fold under pressure Richard Thomas got a clutch rebound and Antoine Gregg made a key pass to an open Chris Williams underneath the basket to seal the victory for the Red-Storm. Richard Jean-Baptist hit four clutch three point shots in the first half and Jelani Winfield passes to the open cutters enabled St Johns to gain its ninth win versus no defeats to propel The Red-Storm to the final game against Midwood H.S. in the championship game at 9:00 PM tonite at the Monsignor King H.S Basketball tounament.'

12/30/04 Paul Suber: 'The Team Next 12 and under team won the Teaneck Christmas Tournament last night in a hard fought battle. In the 1st hafl down by as many as 10pts they came back to beat The Teaneck Allstars 92-72. By winning the tournament, Team Next became a fhree-peat champion winning three years in a row.  There were some great performances in the game by Davontay Grace 25 pts, 11 rebs, Deshawn Wiggins 15 pts, 12rebs and 3 blks, Aaron Brown 11 pts, 7assts, Tavon Sledge 10 pts, 13 assts, 7stls, and tournament M.V.P (11 year old) Da'shawn Suber 30 pt (8 out of 11 3 pters). The sportsmanship award went to Teaneck's Kyheim Hall with16 pts.'

12/30/04 Myrtle Beach: Danny Green's game about substance. Gaels guard gets wins, not glory.

Thursday's Beach Ball games Consolation championship 5:15 p.m. St. Patrick vs. Miami Sr. and Championship # 7:45 p.m. St. Mary's vs. Ridgeway.

12/30/04 Mike Collins: 'Monsignor King Tournament -- The 5:30 cosolation game was won by Moore Catholic70 to 55 over Madison.The 7:15 semi-final was won by Midwood 47 to 42 over Poply Prep, & the 9:00 semi was won by  St. Johns Prep 69 to 65 over Bishop Loughlin. Tomorrow's games start at 3:30 with Madison vs. New Utrecht, 5:15 St. Francis Prep vs. Moore Catholic, 7:00 Poly Prep vs. Bishop Loughlin & at 9:00, the championship game with Midwood playing St.Johns.'

12/29/04 Metro Hoops: Two of NJ's finest fall at Play By Play Classic -- Pat Cat to Lincoln and Haddonfield to Germantown Academy.

12/29/04 Coach Ted Gustus: 'Recently, I sent an e-mail concerning sophomore sensation 6'5 Nathaniel Lester of Canarsie High School. Once again, I am informing the basketball community about this outstanding young sophomore. Over the holidays, Nathaniel scored 83 points in two games during a holiday basketball classic in Conneticut. The first game he helped Canarsie win by scoring 33 points. During the championship game, the next night, Nathaniel led Canarsie to another victory by scoring 50 points! Nathaniel averaged 24 points prior to the last 5 games. In the last 5 games, Nathaniel has averaged 36 points and Canarsie is 4-1 during this stretch, which includes beating league rivals, Boys & Girls and Midwood H.S. I will continue to keep the basketball community posted about this terrific student athlete.'

12/29/04 Coach Tom Sampogna: 'The holidays were in effect as Port Chester was sluggish until the 4th quarter against Woodlands and won 64-62. PC is now currently 9-0, but more impressive was pg Melvin Calhoun's 12 assists which put him at the 100 mark for the season. He is currently the #1 assist man in NY state. Calhoun finished off a rusty game for PC with 22 pts-12 asst -5 stls. Todd Fraser went for 16 pts and Jeremy Thomas went for 10pts-10rebs. Mohamed Lo finished up with 10 pts, but was ineffective because of foul trouble.Greg Avila was hampered by a thigh bruise and finished with 4 pts, 6 rebs Woodlands got strong play from Justin Dabney and Kurt Williams in the loss.'

12/29/04 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'Congratulations to Coach Todd Myles and the Paul Robeson Eagles for a job well done so far this season on and off the court. I am happy that junior point guard James Mills has made positive strides under the guidance of Todd, Larry Major and the Robeson "Family". Of course the best resource James has is his loving aunt Ms. Mattie Thomas who is always there for him in good times or bad. I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Years Holiday!'

12/29/04 Newsday: CK boys bring down nation's No. 4 team, Arlington Country Day School (Fla.), 47-45, yesterday at the Academy National Invitational tournament in Houston.

Lincoln 65, Paterson (N.J.) Catholic 60: Jemel Jackson had 21 points and Kevin White Jr. added 11 points and eight assists for Lincoln (10-1) at the Play-by-Play Classic in Pennsylvania.

12/29/04 Journal News: Mount Vernon falls in Beach Ball Classic.

12/29/04 Daily News: Nyan Boateng to give Lincoln a boost. And Ricky Torres' OT heroics lead St. Ray's to tourney win.

12/29/04 NYHoops: Top 15 Teams (Week 4 Dec 28-Jan 3 ).

12/29/04 Courier Post: Haddonfield will benefit from loss to Germantown Academy.

12/28/04 MyrtleBeach: Derrick Caracter's castmates carry on. St. Patrick star ineligible until Jan. 1.

12/28/04 Coach Chris DeSarno: 'The Archbishop Molloy freshmen basketball team is looking for any scrimages during the break with any other freshmen team not in its league. Also will scrimmage after the break from Jan. 3 - 5. Any coach interested please contact me at spotman@nyc.rr.com and leave your name, team, and phone number.'

12/28/04 Mike Collins: 'Monsignor King Tournament -- The results of the first round games were Midwood 61 St. Francis Prep 44, Poly Prep 71 New Utrecht 43, St. Johns Prep 77 Moore Catholic 66 and Bisop Loughlin 73 Madison 46. The semi-finals are on Wednesday with Midwood playing Poly Prep at 7 pm followed by Loughlin playing St. Johns Prep at 9 pm. The crowds have been good for the first two nights & it was good to see Jack Ringel formally of Grady, Todd Jamison of Nazareth, Rock Eisenberg of Tilden and representatives of Newsday & The Brooklyn Skyline showing support for this tournament. Thanks & hope to see you at the games.'

12/28/04 John P Miciotta: Msgr King tourney.

12/28/04 Newsday: Winning with basics -- St. Johns Prep 77, Moore Catholic 66.

12/28/04 Daily News: Holy Cross Knights get it going in holiday tourney.

12/28/04 Journal News: Slam Dunk Challenge at a glance.

12/27/04 National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 5 includes # 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony 2-0 led by Saint Joseph's-bound big man Ahmad Nivins, # 6. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 4-0 led by N.C. State recruit F Brandon Costner, # 10. Mount Vernon, N.Y. 4-0 top-ranked team in this week's Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., # 15. New York, N.Y., Rice 6-0 won Iolani Classic in Honolulu, # 24. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's 2-0 in-league winning streak at 32 games. .

Northeast Region 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (2-0), 2. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep (4-0), 3. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (8-0), 4. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (4-0), 5. New York, N.Y., Rice (6-0), 6. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's (4-0), 7. Merion, Pa., Episcopal (6-1), 8. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's (3-0), 9. Paterson, N.J., Paterson Catholic (3-0) and 10. Brooklyn, N.Y., Xaverian (6-1).

12/27/04 Carlos DeVarona: 'Saint Pat’s beats Frederick Douglass 71-65. Ty Cook 15 points and Andre Davis 14 pts, 9 rebounds lead the way. Steve McKoy Jr had 29 points, 9  rebounds for Douglass. Mount Vernon or Dominguez Compton (CA) possible next foe for St Pats.'

12/27/04 Coach Edwin De Los Santos (Mookie): 'We have forgotten about Emilijano Kinaj from Kennedy (8-0) who's averaging 19 pts and 6.5 apg and is ranked No. 13 as one of the top scorers in PSAL. Emilijano has been helping carry the scoring load with Amaury Fermin and Dwight Hardy for the past three seasons. Emilijano held his own this past weekend in the Riverbank State Park Invitational. This is a player we should be keeping our eye on over the next couple of months. Coach Mathis has done a great job with the team and should have a legitimate chance of making the championship game this season.'

12/27/04 Robert Holford: 'Hostos Community College will hosting the Caimans Christmas Classic this Wednesday, December 29  This an “Open-Age” Tournament which means no current High School Varsity or College players. We're looking for one more team to come.If anybody is seriously interested please contact me at 347-451-7612.'

12/27/04 Courier Post: Good guard play takes center stage in early going in South Jersey -- AC's Frank Turner and Mark Crumble, Camden Catholic's Anthony Matera, Schalick's Paul Gause.

12/27/04 Philly.com: Paul Gause made 10 of 16 shots from the field in a 28-point, eight-rebound game that powered Schalick to a 78-62 win over Burlington Township yesterday in the Boardwalk Classic's Bill Osborn Bracket at Wildwood.

12/27/04 NJ Hoops: Cranford holds on.

12/26/04 Daily Star Online: High school boys basketball rankings from the New York State Sports Writers’ Association, as of Dec. 19 includes 1. Mount Vernon 3-0, 2. St. Mary-CHSAA 2-0 and 3. Rice-NYC 2-0.

12/26/04 Carlos DeVarona: 'St Pats wins vs Socastee, South Carolina 65-49. Wagner, Cook and Rogers 5 assists each. Formbor-Nono 10 for 10 from the field in 17 minutes. Foul trouble: Andre Davis had 4 to’s on 11 minutes of play. Next game is Monday the 27th against the winner of Mann for South Carolina or Frederick Douglass from NY.'

12/26/04 Beach Ball 2004 Top Players Listed by National Ranking includes Danny Green, Derrick Caracter, Jon Mitchell, Mike Coburn and Corey Fisher.  Web note: He's listed at the Beach Ball site but I'm not sure if Caracter is eligible yet.

12/26/04 Metro Hoops: St. Benedicts on guard -- Eric Moore 6’2 senior, Eugene Harvey 6’1 junior, David Cubillan 6’1 junior, Mike Johnson 5’11 junior, Corey Stokes 6’4 sophomore, Terrill Holloway 5’11 freshman and Tamir Jackson 6’1 8th grader.

12/25/04 Coach Ron Naclerio: 'Happy holidays to all. Cardozo High School is looking for scrimmages Dec 28, 29 or 30 at Cardozo and additional scrimmages for other dates in December, January and February. Coaches can contact me on my cell phone at 502 500 3804.'

12/25/04 Metro Hoops: Who has Jimmie? - Generation next, Scotch Plains 8th grader Jimmie Burke.

12/25/04 NorthJersey: Ascendant star -- Ahmed Hassan, a 5-foot-11 sophomore shooting guard from Leonia.

12/25/04 NY Hoops: Ravens Rebound at Home. And Loughlin Grows up Fast.

12/25/04 Founder / Executive Director, 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 features 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. There are 13 available Pro Style divisions Super Eights (08 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 or e-Mail / I.M. us at: PRO STYLE 2K 5@aol.com. Web Address: www.eteamz.com/PROSTYLE. Web Administrator: Charmaine Washington.'

12/24/04 Newsday: Gaels prove to be in their own strata.

12/24/04 NY Post: Rice tops Xaverian at Hawaiian tourney.

12/23/04 Hoops USA: Nationwide Tournament Results.

12/23/04 New York Gauchos Gym Calendar - Tournaments.

12/23/04 HoopItUp Recruiting: Top Teams in NY Recap.

12/23/04 Coach Dre' Team Underrated: 'I am looking for scrimmages over the Christmas holiday for my junior high boys basketball team. If anyone is interested please contact me at 631-664-6751. We are located in Wyandanch, Long Island.'

12/23/04 Coach Carlton Screen (FYA): 'In our JrNBA/WNBA fall basketball tournament the TK Allstars won the 17U division championship on Tuesday night at Erasmus Hall High School. We want to thank coach Cannon for his great coaching job. His team is made up of some very talented players, who know how to play this game. In this division there were some very exciting games to watch, gamesthat went to the wire. I can't wait for the Christmas Tournament to start on Monday at the world famous Flatbush YMCA 718 666 6534.'

12/23/04 Joseph Sunderland reporting from Honolulu: 'Thought you might like to know these results from the championship game of the Iolani Prep Classic Basketball Tournament just completed in Honolulu, Hi. The championship game was between two NY teams, the Rice Raiders and Xaverian Clippers. The game was close throughout most of the game but in the end Rice pulled away with the inside scoring of 6'9" Curtis Kelly with 12 points and the great outside shooting of Taskico Brown who finished with 24 on the night. For the Clippers the leading scorer was Levance Fields with 17. Rice remains undefeated on the year and is now 6-0. Xaverian goes home with it's first loss of the season and has a week off before opening league play.'

12/23/04 Newsday: Miles add up for the elite travel teams.

12/23/04 NY Hoops: Wings wins battle for first place.

12/23/04 Journal News: Port Chester defeats Sleepy Hollow 64-59.

12/23/04 NJ Hoops Super Six 1. St. Anthony's (1 - 0), 2. St. Benedict's (5 - 0), 3. St. Patrick's (1 - 0), 4. Seton Hall Prep (3 - 0),  5. Haddonfield (1 - 0) and 6. Hun (6 - 1).

12/23/04 Courier Post: Paul Gause hits for 50 in victory

12/22/04 Coach Carlton Screen (FYA): Our 14U team played last night in the South Jamaica Center PAL Christmas basketball tournament. They came out shooting and playing hard on defense, as they are trained to do at FYA. They won by the score of 93 - 33. The high scorers for the game was Trevon Hamlet 20 pts 20 rebs, and 8 assists, Fred Antoine 33 pts. They will be playing on Thursday 12/23/04 at South Jamaica Center 116-25 Guy R. Brewer Blvd, Jamaica NY. at 7pm

We will have the same team in our 15U division Christmas Basketball Tournament at the Flatbush YMCA 1401 Flatbush Avenue - B41, B44, B49 Buses, #2 train to Flatbush  Please feel free to for information 718 434 0127 or 718 666 6534FYA and YMCA 718 469 8100 ask for Mr.Williams. Come out and watch some really good young players in the tournament.'

12/22/03 Coach Ted Gustus: 'Nathaniel Lester and Robert Phelps.

12/22/04 Metro Hoops: NJ Top Ten 1. St. Anthony, 2. Seton Hall Prep, 3. St. Patrick, 4. Raritan, 5. Paterson Catholic, 6. Linden, 7. St. Augustine, 8. CBA, 9. Haddonfield and 10. Atlantic City.

12/22/04 Metro Hoops: Under The Radar Juniors includes Kenny Watson 6’1 Guard (Hillside), Chris Smith 6’4 Guard (Lakewood), Mike Johnson 5’11 Guard (St. Benedicts Prep), Frank Turner 5’10 Guard (Atlantic City), Gemar Johnson 6’2 Guard (McCorriston) and Daquan Cook 6’7 Forward (St. Patricks).

12/22/04 Newsday: Coach Jim Gatto, the quiet man. St. John's Prep coach provides winning formula for 500 victories.

12/22/04 NY Hoops: PSAL top 10 1. FDA (4-0), 2. Banneker (6-0), 3. Lincoln (7-0), 4. Cardozo (7-0), 5. Wings (4-0), 6. Kennedy (8-0),  7. Grady (7-0), 8. Robeson (7-0), 9. Manhattan Center (6-0) and 10. Wadleigh (7-0).

12/22/04 NY Hoops: Top 15 Teams Week 3 1. St. Mary’s (2-0), 2. Rice (4-0), 3. Christ the King (3-1), 4. Mt. Vernon (3-0), 5. Xaverian (5-0), 6. New Rochelle (4-0), 7. Holy Cross (7-0), FDA (7-0), 9. Lincoln (8-1) and 10. St. Raymond (2-1).

12/22/04 psal.org: Judges Rule Over Bayside.

12/21/04 Metro Hoops: Coming out party for Mike Henderson, Kevin Owens, David Culliban, Desmond Wade, Terrell McKenzie, Miles Beatty and Ashton Gibbs.

12/21/04 Sean Atkins: 'BCNY Holiday Classic -- East All–Tournament Team: Andray Blatche South Kent (MVP), Rob Thomas South Kent, Shamari Spears Blair Academy, Brian Baudinet Blair Academy, Craig Moore Lawrenceville School and Skylar Khaleel, Colin McIntosh NMH. Championship game South Kent (89), Blair Academy (68). Third place game NMH (62), Lawrenceville (55).

West All–Tournament Team: Paul Rowe St. Marks (MVP), Tommy Hubbard St. Mark’s, Tim Edwards Brunswick, Kevin Decker Brunswick, Juan Graziano GDA and Matt Hall Wilbraham & Monson. Championship game St. Marks School (58), Brunswick (50).  Third place Wilbraham & Monson (77), GDA (68).'

12/21/04 Coach Oliver Antigua: 'Christian Brothers Holiday Classic @ St. Raymond H.S. 2151 St. Raymond Ave Bronx, NY on Wednesday , December 22: game 1 Bloomfield Tech, NJ vs St. Lukes, Ct 5:00, game 2 Bishop Loughlin vs Lasalle, Troy 6:30 and game 3 St. Raymond vs CBA, NJ 7:45.'

12/21/04 Coach Kevin Brown: 'New Jersey's top 8th graders -- Living Faith Christian Academy in Cherry Hill, NJ is off to a 6-0 start. They have won the St. Mary's Hall (Burlington, NJ) Holiday Tournament defeating Life Center and top 8th grader Jahseer Brunson in the championship 67-30. Len Hayes Jr. the #1 8th grader in South Jersey/Philadelphia was chosen to the All Tournament team along with his #17 ranked teammate KJ Brown. Living Faith is a Jr. High program featuring 3 ranked players in Hayes, Brown and Landrus Lewis. Top high school coaches are beginning to flock to these games. Living Faith will be hosting a Jr. High Tournament on February 18th and 19th. Many of the state's next stars will be playing. Three spots remain. Contact John Scanzano 856-665-5507 for information.'

12/21/04 Metro Hoops: Tip Off Classic Recap Day 2.

12/21/04 NorthJersey: Paramus Catholic learns hard way.

12/21/04 Newsday: Gordon McKenzie a 2-sport phenom, 'New York's Fastest' shines on track but dreams about hoops.

12/21/04 NY Hoops: Lions use Total Team Effort to Pay Back Gaels at Riverbank.

12/21/04 Journal News: Port Chester defeats Byram Hills 80-60.

12/20/04 National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 4 includes # 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony 1-0 standout G Sean McCurdy out with broken foot, # 7. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 2-0 starting guards are committed to Yale and Harvard, # 10. Mount Vernon, N.Y. 3-0 led by super soph G Michael Coburn, # 24. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's 2-0 led by North Carolina bound G Danny Green.

Northeast Region 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (1-0), 2. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep (2-0), 3. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (3-0), 4. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's (2-0), 5. Chester, Pa. (3-1), 6. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's (1-0), 7. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (5-0), 8. Merion, Pa., Episcopal (4-0), 9. Paterson, N.J., Paterson Catholic (2-0) and 10. Brooklyn, N.Y., Xaverian (2-0).

12/20/04 Coach Tony Bergeron, Wings Academy: 'We went 1-1 in Kentucky. On Friday night after a long bus trip we played #10 ranked (in Kentucky) Pendleton County HS. It was a grat game but we fell 86-78. Rasheem Jenkins put on a shooting display hitting on 9-13 from 3-point land and finishing with 35 -points. It was tough watching them go to the free throw line 24 times in the fourth quarter, I think it was our "welcome to Kentucky basketball"!

The next night we played the host Mason County HS in front of 2,500 people. They were working on a 28 game home win streak as well as two straight trips to the state championship game, winning one. We finally played like the Wings Academy everyone has expected to see winning 79-62 behind Rasheem Jenkins' 27 points (7 3-pointers). Andre Tarver had 17 and Andre Laird had 15 points and 11 boards. Wings is now 7-4 overall 4-0 in Bronx A East and plays Columbus @ Gaucho gym on Wednesday at 4:30.'

12/20/04 Daily News: For Khaleel, Sky's the limit.

12/20/04 Coach Carlton Screen (FYA): 'In the 14U division of The Fall Jr NBA/ Jr WNBA Basketball Tournament 2K4. The Visitation Hawks won the championship game against FYA Orange by the score of 49 - 43. The Hawks started out slowly in the first half, but got it together in the second half and took the lead late in the exciting ballgame. The MVP went to Jessie Moorehead and the sportsmanship award went to Trevon Hamlet. I would like to thank Coach Paul for the fine job he has done with the children from Red Hook area. We as coaches understand what each of us mean to these young atheletes. and we understand what each of us go through everyday in the hood.

FYA is hosting their 13th annual Christmas Basketball Tournament 2K4 at the world famos Flatbush YMCA 1401 Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, NY. starting Monday December 27th to December31st. from 10am - 4pm - team divisions 11U, 13U, 15U, 17U. Please feel free to call 718 666 6534 or 718 434 0127.'

12/20/04 NJO.com: Pusar, Costner, Andrews lead Seton. And Michael Henderson scores 38 as Linden rolls. Derrick Mercer's 11 in 4th key to St Anthony's season opening win.

12/20/04 Courier Post Online: Talented Atlantic City off to fast start this year.

12/20/04 Philly.com: Atlantic City looks formidable in early going. The Vikings, off to a 2-0 start, are gifted with a skilled backcourt and size across the front line.

12/20/04 NorthJersey: Gerald Inman takes it all in stride.

12/20/04  NJ Hoops: Best Committed Seniors Sunday at Tip-Off include Derrick Mercer, Ahmad Nivins, Barney Anderson, Sean McCurdy, Andrew Bynum, Chris Andrews, Andrew Pusar and Brandon Costner.

12/20/04 The class of 2005 page is now updated for expanded profiles and slightly revised rankings.

12/20/04 Daily News: Ricky Torres feels right at home. St. Ray's star picks SJU to remain with brother.

12/19/04 NJ.com: Boys basketball teams to watch. The 10 special players who'll make their point are point  1-Anthony Farmer, 2-Marquis Jones, 3-Derrick Mercer, 4-Marques Johnson, 5-Chad Barnes, 6-Eugene Harvey, 7-Chris Andrews, 8-Semaj Inge, 9-Corey Fisher, 10-Craig Moore. Others to watch Zach Rosen, Luis Guzman, Keon Lawrence, Corey Williams and Nick Vier.

Shooting guards 1-Jaron Griffin, 2-Sean McCurdy, 3-Paul Gause, 4-Earl Clark, 5-Andrew Pusar, 6-Terence Grier, 7-Kimmani Barrett, 8-Michael Henderson, 9-Chris Smith and 10-Porter Braswell. Others to watch Yahmeen Johnson, Tyrone Cook, Dashan Martin, Joseph Ellis and Darren Smith.

Small forwards 1-Lance Thomas, 2-Shamari Spears, 3-Lawrence Williams, 4-Dan Werner, 5-Jerrell Williams, 6-Terron Murray, 7-Desean Butler, 8-Nick Smith, 9-David Cherry, 10-Tyson Hartnett. Others to watch Nick Wilson, Justin Sofman, James Inge, Corey Stokes and Jermaine Smith.  

Power forwards 1-Tyrell Biggs, 2-Brandon Costner, 3-Gerald Inman, 4-Qa'rraan Calhoun, 5-Wellington Smith, 6-Barney Anderson, 7-Brian Connelly, 8-Terrell Williams, 9-Andre Davis and 10-Stanley Harris. Others to watch Antwan Brinson, Dave Smith, Jonathan Dixon, Matt Mullery and Kevin Payton.  

Centers 1-Derrick Caracter, 2-Andrew Bynum, 3-Ahmad Nivins, 4-Brian Zoubek, 5-Hashim Bailey, 6-Casiem Drummond, 7-Frank Tchuisi, 8-Dan Stonkus, 9-Hafeez Brown, 10-Kade Weston. Others to watch Allen Dean, Yannick Formbornono, Shawn Barlow, Hamidu Rahman and Ross Trampler.

12/19/04 Newsday: Rob Thomas says his school-to-school days are over.

12/19/04 NY Post: Rob Thomas prepares for a big decision.

12/19/04 Metro Hoops: Tip Off Classic Day one recap.

12/19/04 NJ Hoops: Best Performances by a Committed Senior at the Tip Off Classic -- JR Inman, Marques Johnson  and Ricky Torres.

12/19/04 Andre Owes: 'Final 4 results and pictures from yesterday are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

12/19/04 HoopItUpRecruiting: New Jersey High School Recap.

12/19/04 JDConkeroo: 'Kyle McAlarney of Moore HS went for 50 in a 69-64 OT loss to Monsignor Farrell on Friday night.'

12/19/04 Thanks to David Zuber the St. Joseph, Montvale team profile is now on the team page. 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.

12/19/04 Coach Will Stasiuk, Automotive: 'There was plenty of competitive basketball action at the P.A.L. / Game Over Pioneer Classic. This long-time annual event, which was started by Newtown HS years ago, has called JHS 275 in Brownsville its home for the past few years. The fans who attended were treated to some close ballgames. In the first game, Automotive edged Bryant 63 to 60 in an entertaining contest. The Pistons held the lead at the half, but Bryant edged ahead at the end of the third quarter, behind the strong play of junior flyer Tony Dennison (30 pts.) Bryant (11-3) led 52-49 with just over 3 minutes to go, when Auto (8-3) went on a 10-0 run to take control. Tramone Clark (16 pts / 6 steals) scored 5 points in a row to cap the run and give Auto the breathing room it needed. Eddie Hood (17 pts. / 7 assists) hit four free throws late to finish the job. Jovon Moses (13 pts / 10 reb) and Terry Brooks (12 pts / 13 reb) also had double figures for Auto.

The 2nd game proved to be a barn-burner as Springfield Gardens came from behind and won in double over-time over Long Island City 93 to 90. The win improved Springfield's record to (10-1) on the season. L.I.C. dropped to (13-2) despite a career effort by Silvio Marfe who hit 7 three-pointers in the loss. In the third game, Newtown, the tournament originators, defeated Richmond Hill 48-39, giving Pioneer Coach Pat Torney the win over the Lions who he had coached from the mid-eighties to mid-nineties. In the final contest of the day, Art & Design erased a deficit to come back and defeat John Bowne 55 to 52. Benjamin Williams led Art & Design with 25 points and 8 steals. Bowne was led by Michael Bruce's 28 points.'

12/19/04 Rodrick C. Bussey Brooklyn-Queens Warriors (Scholars Through Sports Foundation): 'Chris Richards, 11th grader fom Franklin K. Lane and Dominik Goj, 10th grader from Bronx Science, are doing very well for their respective teams. Chris is coming off 35 and 28 point games this past week in wins over Cleveland and Aviation. Chris is averaging about 20 ppg, 8 rpg and 6apg. Dominik is also scoring about 20 ppg. and is averaging about 11 rpg. Both players have the basketball aptitude and skills to continue to flourish for the rest of the season.'

12/19/04 Mike Collins: 'Monsignor King Christmas Tournament -- The dates and the pairings are 12/26, St. Francis Prep plays Midwood at 7:15, Poly Prep plays New Utrecht at 9:00 PM. On 12/27 St. Johns Prep plays Moore Catholic at 7:15, Madison plays Bishop Loughlin at 9:00 p.m. This year's field as always will showcase some of the best talent the CHSAA, PSAL, & the Private League have to offer. The games are played at St. Thomas Aquinas on Flatbush & Flatlands Ave. All teams will get to play three games. The semifinals are on 12/29 with cosolation game starting at 5:00 p.m. The finals are on 12/30 with consolation games starting at 3:30 p.m. Tournament director John Browning has put together an excellent group of teams and we look forward to seeing everyone at the games.'

12/19/04 Coach Paul Suber: 'The Team Next 13& Under basketbal team won The Billy Clarke Memorial Basketball Tournament at Elfaro Junior H.S. in Harlem, NY. Team Next beat Abyssinian Church by the score of 57-41. We were led by four double-figure scorers: Davontay Grace 13 pts, Lenny Toussaint 12 pts, Aaron Brown 10 pts, and M.V.P. Tavon Sledge's 18 pts. It was a total team effort. There were great defensive moments by Joey Imuzai, Milton Williams and Anthony "Face" Givens. Also two excellent players did not play in the championship game - Steve Whittingham (school tournament) and Trevor Clemmings (ankle injury). I would like to tell them "thank you" because they played in every game leading up to the championship.'

12/19/04 DJ Brown: 'Time has come and is here! For a long time I have spoken about seeing the games on the web. That time is here. I am introducing www.sportsvisions.net. All the games I have will be soon up and available there. You can log in and have access to view any game I have for 24 hours, then your access will expire. Due to some technical logistics (mine!) the game are being posted as we speak, therefore they all aren't there now, but they will be. I think you will find the fee reasonable and the experience unique to say the least. For those of us who haven't been to a lot of the gyms and venues in NYC, NJ and Phila., it will be a opportunity to see what it's like to be there. First up will be IS 8! So check it out.'

12/18/04 NorthJersey: Boys Basketball preview.

12/18/04 Metro Hoops: St. Augustines Escapes In OT.

12/18/04 NY Hoops: Vic Morris, Devon Epps combine for 59 as Cardozo pulls away from Jamaica.

12/18/04 Newsday: Robeson wins battle of unbeatens versus Midwood.

12/18/04 Thanks to Coach Tom Fraher the Mount St. Michael team profile is now on the team page. I'll add a few more profiles this week. 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.

12/17/04 Metro Hoops: Tip Off Classic Preview.

12/17/04 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 paper work is Jan 7th 2005. 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 asst. tournament director Darryl Jones at 917 939 6851 or bbuttany@aol.com. So far we have confirmations from Wadliegh HS, HS for Science and Math, Evander Childs HS, Susan McKinney HS, Blessed Sacrament (New Rochelle), St. Agnes, the Dwight School, TMA, and Urban Peace HS.'

12/17/04 NY Post:  Xaverian, Rice on a mission.  

12/17/04 Metro Hoops: Top New Jersey Juniors Part 3(#1-5).

12/17/04 NJ.com: St. Anthony not feeling pressure of being No.1 in nation.

12/17/04 NJ Hoops: Tip-Off games for theis weekend.

12/17/04 Andre Owes: 'Final 4 schedule for Saturday 12-18-04 -- 13&U 11:00 am Anessa's Sports vs Brownsville Ballers 11:45 am Team Starrett (Stars of the City) vs D&D Players.  15&U 12:30 PM Team Starrett (Stars of the City) vs Anessa's Sports 1:15 PM Brownsville Ballers vs Camba. Earlier results are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

12/17/04 Coach Carlton Screen (FYA): 'Our 10U Jrs.NBA/Jrs.WNBA basketball championship game was played last Saturday at MS2. The Panthers pressed the FYA team the entire game. The final score was 30 - 17 they were coached by Kat's assistant coach, he did a great job. The MVP award was given to Stewart Warren 12 pts and 10 rebs. Sportsmanship award was given to Abdulaye Diallo 6 pts and 4 steals.

FYA is hosting its 13th Annual Christmas Basketball Tournament, 11U teams, 13U teams,15U teams and 17U teams. Starting Monday December 27th thu 31st at the world famos Flatbush YMCA  games are played from 10am - 4pm. The tournament format is a 2 game loss elimination. Any more questions please feel free to call 718 666 6534 or 718 434 0127. *** there are only a few open spots***'

12/17/04 Mark Butler: 'Campus Magnet is undefeated and looking forward to the PSAL tournament.We expect to be city champions. Watch out for our J.V. team too. I'm on it.'

12/17/04 Terence "T-Bone" Johnson: '7'0 center, Andrew Bynum of St.Joseph HS and UConn signee is out for the season with a partially torn ligament in his knee. Reports are confirmed by his HS coach Mark Taylor. This is a major blow to the program as they are to be featured in as many as 5 games this year vs St.Benedicts, St.Patricks, St.Ants, a trip to NC (Christmas tournament) and their yearly battle vs Piscataway.

www.eteamz.com/watchungconference: The toughest conference in NJ and the official home of the MSU Skyliners basketball program.'

12/17/04 John Malone (Section1Guy): 'Mt. Vernon Wins Lethargic Game Against Scarsdale 78-58. Mike Coburn was excellent with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Jon Mitchell had 18 points and 13 rebounds, but didn't look sharp. Chris Lowe looked very good in front of a ton of scouts. He had 12 points, 7 assists, and 7 steals.

Scarsdale stayed in the game and kept Mt. Vernon's press at bay by breaking the traps with quick, crisp passing all game long and kept Mt. Vernon's transition points to a minimum. That's the key to staying in the game with MV. Don't dribble through the press. All 5 guys need to be involved. Scarsdale was led by a great shooting effort by Kyle Dudley who had 19 points on 8-11 shooting.'

12/17/04 Newsday: Terry Brooks' late free throws key Automotive's win.

12/17/04 Coach Bob Larson: 'The St.Joseph's (Montvale, N.J.) 8th Grade Tournament concluded last night with St. Gregory's of Stony Point, led by 6' 5" Kenny Click All Tournament and tournament MVP Nicky DeLango, defeating St. Josph's of Spring Valley. St. Francis of Assisi of West Nyack, led by tounament Best Player Kevin McCahey and All-Tournament recipient Doug Conway, won the consolation game for a clean sweep of the top 3 spots by Rockland County Teams. Other All Tournament selections from Rockland County included Matt Grossgard, Bobby Ferraro, Jordan  Gaspard, Kevin Sylvan, Keion Nuffleet and Steve Gaston. Congratulations to all the Rockland players for representing the county so well and thanks to Coach Doherty and staff for hosting a great tournament.'

12/16/04 Thanks to Humberto Corredor Jr, the Bayside High School team profile is now on the team page. I'll add a few more profiles this week. 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.

12/16/04 Newsday: PSAL closing the gap. Rivalry between city's two leagues gets a little more even as more players transfer from Catholic to public.

12/16/04 psal.org: PSAL boys basketball top 10 (12/14).

12/16/04 Rudy King, commissioner Right Bounce Basketball Showcase: 'Attention All High School, AAU, CYO and Recreation Coaches,-- Welcome to the 2nd Annual Right Bounce Basketball Showcase in New York City. The success of last year's event has allowed us to expand our invitations to: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. The Right Bounce Games will feature the best of the best rising 8th, 9th 10th grade boys and girls student athletes in our region competing head to head in three games June 3-5. Don't let your player miss out on this incredible opportunity. To nominate your player visit www.rightbounce.com to fill out nomination form. We will begin responding to all nominations in February. All players who competed last year are eligible to compete again if you meet the criteria.'

12/15/04 Metro Hoops: Gray Bees Survive Scare.  And Metrohoops Winter League Recap Week 2.

12/15/04 Jim Fox: 'The Seventh Annual Island Garden Holiday Basketball Festival will take place from December 26th through 31st. All teams in grades 4th to 10 are welcome. It will be a three game guarantee with at least one team from each pool advancing to a single elimination championship format. Deadline for entry is December 19th. Call 516-292-4956 or visit our website at www.islandgarden.com for details.'

12/15/04 NY Hoops: Darryl Crawford Shines in Gaels Win.

12/15/04 Thanks to Ed Dechent the Yonkers High School team profile is now on the team page. I'll add a few more profiles this week. 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.

12/15/04  NJ.com: St. Benedict's edges Hun in double-overtime classic.

12/15/04 NJ Hoops: Super Six are 1. St. Anthony's (0 - 0), 2. St. Benedict's (3 - 0), 3. St. Patrick's (0 - 0), 4. Seton Hall Prep (0 - 0), 5. Haddonfield (0 - 0). and 6. Hun (5 - 1).  And St Benedict, Hun Prep Double Overtime Thriller.

12/15/04 Philly.com: South Jersey preview -- Barlow and Farmer make St. Augustine tough to beat.

12/15/04 NY Hoops: Top 15 Teams Week 2 (Dec. 14th-20th).

12/15/04 John Malone (Section1Guy): 'The Port Chester Rams came back from a 12 point second half deficit to defeat the Pirates from Pearl River 53-49.'

12/14/04 Andre Owes: 'Saturday's results are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

12/14/04 Sean Atkins: 'On December 17th and 18th The Boys’ Club of New York (BCNY) will host one of the largest Prep School Basketball Tournaments in the country. The two-day tournament will take place at New York’s Basketball City (23rd Street & The West Side Highway) where fifteen schools from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York will gather for two-days of competitive play. The teams are divided into two divisions with each team playing a minimum of three games. The admission fee is $5 and free for children under the age of 6, the games start Friday at 1:30PM and games will be going on until 6PM. On Saturday consolations games start at 11AM with the championship of the B Division at 2PM and the A Division at 3:30PM.

This year the tournament will showcase the talents of Andray Blatche (South Kent School), Rob Thomas (South Kent School), Shamari Spears (Blair Academy), Chris Ludgate (Blair Academy), Craig Moore (Lawrenceville School), Colin McIntosh (Northfield Mount Hermon), Skyler Khaleel (Northfield Mount Hermon), Joe Wolfinger (Northfield Mount Hermon), Damian Marshall (Berkshire School) and Jarrett Mathis (Berkshire School).

The Holiday Classic is one of the premiere Prep School events that takes place in New York. For more information please contact Sean Atkins, Academic All-Star head coach at (212) 677-1108 ext. 152 or e-mail me at satkins@admin.bcny.org.'

12/14/04 USA Today Super 25 boys' basketball rankings lists # 1. St. Anthony, Jersey City (0-0),  Previous: 3. Result: Opens Sunday vs. South Plainfield. # 5. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (1-0). Previous: 4. Result: Beat Saunders (Yonkers) 104-32 in opener. Plays in Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., after Christmas. # 10. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (0-0). Previous: 11. Result: Opens Saturday vs. St. Joseph (Metuchen). # 22. Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (0-0). Previous: 22. Result: Opens Friday at Morris Knolls (Denville). # 23. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (2-0). Previous: Not ranked. Result: Beat Cardozo (Oakland Gardens) 66-39 in CHSSAA-PSAL Challenge.

Boys basketball regional rankings - East -- 1. St. Anthony, Jersey City (0-0), 2. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (1-0), 3. Montrose Christian, Rockville, Md. (3-0), 4. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (0-0), 5. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (4-0), 6. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (4-0), 7. Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (0-0), 8. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (2-0), 9. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (8-0). 10. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (2-0).

12/14/04 Hoops USA consensus rankings include 1. St. Anthony - Jersey City, NJ,  6. Seton Hall Prep - West Orange, NJ, 8. Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon, NY, 11. St. Patrick - Elizabeth, NJ, 16. St. Mary's - Manhasset, NY, 22. St. Raymonds - Bronx, NY, 34. Rice - Manhattan, NY.

12/14/04 Newsday: MVP Stephen Wood, McClancy rule hoops tournament.

12/14/04 NY Post: Kevin White's feeling good at Lincoln.

12/13/04 NY Hoops: Yes…I’m From New York.

12/13/04 PrepNation: National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 3 includes # 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony 0-0 led by Arkansas-bound G Sean McCurdy,  # 8. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 0-0 returns nine of its top 10 players,  # 11. Mount Vernon, N.Y. 1-0 won by 72 points to open season and # 15. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond's 2-0 led by St. John's-bound G Ricky Torres.

12/13/04 Newsday: St. Mary's 74, Simon Gratz 44. Next time, get here early!

12/13/04 psal.org: Banneker Gobbles Up South Shore.

12/13/04 LFBALL: 'Jim Gatto = class. What a great guy this coach has always been. Never had the ego that many others developed by having good players and good teams. All he did was run a quality program that turned out student athletes who went on to college and graduated. His teams years ago were the ones invited to the power tournaments nationally. Despite all of his success, he remained the same friendly approachable person off the court he was when he started out coaching. What a wonderful accomplishment for a great teacher!'

12/13/04 Daily News: Judges miss big guy. And Dad: Lincoln transfer was legit.

12/13/04 Newsday: Holy Cross 83, Boys & Girls 44. Knights do it with 'D'. Force 24 turnovers and get 28 points from Ogletree as Knights start the season 5-0 in PSAL-CHSAA game.

12/13/04 John Malone: 'Rice beat up on a Theo Davis-less Carodozo team 66-39 behind 19 points from Taskico Brown, 12 points and 5 assists from Edgar Sosa and 9 points and 18 rebounds from Curtis Kelly. Rice basically put the game away with one of their patented end of quarter runs in the first when they went 8-0 to end the first which was in the middle of a 17-0 run that spanned the middle of the 1st to middle of the 2nd quarters.

Archbishop Molloy smoked Bryant 70-44 behind at least 22 points from Milan Pradinovic who shot 6-7 from 3 point range.

All Hallows pulled away in the 4th quarter against Wings Academy to defeat the PSAL contender 66-51.

Holy Cross embarrassed a supposedly good Boys and Girls team 83-44 behind 29 points and 10 rebounds on 10-12 shooting from football star Kevin Ogletree (he had 23 in the 1st half). Boys and Girls as a team didn't pas Ogletree's scoring mark until 6 minutes to go in the game. B&G had 19 first half turnovers. Clovis Essis was okay when it counted early on because he had 11 of B&G's 15 points in the first half, but he wasn't enough and he finished as game high ahead of Ogletree who left in the 3rd when it was 64-22. Mike Johnson led Holy Cross with 8 assists.

And early this morning Bishop Ford defeated Susan McKinney 51-44 behind a great game from Jakori Thomas.'

12/13/04 NJ.com: Hun captures first PSIT title in 13 years. And Hun win over Big Red is Rizk-y business.

12/13/04 NJ Hoops: NJ team (Hun School) takes Peddie title.

12/13/04 Louis Xifaras, assistant varsity coach: 'Monsignor McClancy defeated Kellenberg 68-57 in the championship game of the 23rd annual Brother Arnold Tournament at McClancy High School. Tournament MVP Stephen "Sticks" Wood finished with 19 points. He had 102 points in the 3 game tournament. Also named to the All-Tournament team was Dexter DeJesus and Thomas Rowinski, both from McClancy. This was the 13th time in 23 years that McClancy has won the Annual Event. McClancy next plays Tuesday at home at 4pm vs Cardinal Hayes.'

12/13/04 Rich Kosik, aka Booksnball: 'The applause for Coach Jim Gatto should be echoing from gyms, school yards and dinner tables throughout New York City and beyond. A true class act just got his 500th win as a CHSAA high school coach in New York City. Anyone who has had a chance to spend 5 minutes with Jim recognized right away that this is "one great guy." His concern for his players, his knowledge of the game (basketball & life)! and the ability to communicate it, is something that not only won games and championships but changed countless lives for the better by preparing them for college. From his early days at Mater Christi (Now SJ Prep) coaching McDonald's All Americans (Ray Martin, Bernard Rencher, Vern Fleming) & all city players (John Taylor, Greg Coles, Roy Beekmen, Tony "Red" Bruin, Dwayne Johnson, Ram Fishburne,Taliek Brown to Bryan Dunston) and many more that benefited from his encyclopedic knowledge of the games fundamentals, should be busy this week reaching for the phone to congratulate him. I hope the folks that cover H. S. Hoops in our city also stop to acknowledge this great guy. (Daily News, N.Y.Post, Mike Quick at MSG & the folks at NY 1 should all be doing a story on Coach Gatto) Let the applause begin! Way to go coach.'

12/12/04 Darius Penikas (JV Coach, SJP): 'Congrats to St. John's Prep Coach James Gatto who won his 500th game today at the Elmcor Gold and Silver Classic with a 70-51 win over Jamaica High School! St. John's Prep was led by Richard Thomas who was the MVP of the game, and got strong contributions from Chris WIlliams, Richard Baptiste, Antoine Gregg and Jelani WInfield. SJP is now 3-0. The true MVP was, however, coach Gatto whose thirty-five plus years of teaching and coaching have made a tremendous positive impact on the lives of countless students, athletes as well as other coaches. Anyone who has had the pleasure to work with or meet coach Gatto knows about his amzazing basetball knowledege and the amount that he cares for his players. He is truly a coaching legend. Once again, congrats to great teacher, coach and person on reaching this coaching milestone!'

12/12/04 NY Hoops: Banneker tames charging Loughlin Lions. And Chris Martin leads Royals over the Grady Falcons 78-61.

12/12/04 The two best teams in the region are St Anthony and St Patrick. Ant is the reigning TOC winner with super coach Bob Hurley and the Celtics have the best junior (Derrick Caracter) and sophomore (Corey Fisher) combination and a proven coach in Kevin Boyle. I'm listing Patrick as number one and Anthony as number two on the team page, mainly on the strength of  the two other Celtic stars, junior point guard James Bryant and senior forward Andre Davis with a host of other talented players. 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.

12/12/04 NY Post: Lincoln wins in Kevin White debut.

12/12/04 Newsday: Frederick Douglass' press wins vs. Fordham Prep.

12/12/04 NY Hoops: Ravens Dispatch Stanners. And Wings rudely welcomes Morris to the A division.

12/12/04 Louis Xifaras, assistant varsity coach: 'There was an amazing performance at McClancy tonight. In the semifinal game, junior shooting guard Stephen Wood had a career high 50 points in a 106-105 victory over St. John the Baptist. You read it correctly, 50 points individually and 211 total points in a regulation game. McClancy advances to play Kellenberg in the championship game Sunday at 6:30pm. Kellenberg defeated Holy Trinity to reach the championship. In Consolation games, St. Francis Prep defeated St. Agnes and Liverpool from Syracuse defeated Cathedral Prep. St. Agnes plays Cathedral at 2pm in the 7th place game, followed by St. Francis Prep vs Liverpool at 3:30pm in the 5th place game. The 3rd place game is at 5pm with St. John the Baptist playing Holy Trinity followed bt the 6:30pm championship. For all the college coaches reading this, please come down to see all the action.'

12/11/04 Louis Xifaras, assistant varsity coach: 'Friday at McClancy High School was the tip-off for the 23rd Annual Brother Arnold Basketball Tournament. The crowd, which was a packed house, saw four great games. The first game had Kellenberg, LI defeating St. Agnes of NYC. The second game was an upset as Holy Trinity, LI defeated St. Francis Prep. The third game had St. John the Baptist come back from almost 20 points down and defeat a talented team from Syracuse, NY - Liverpool High School, who just got off the plane and may have been a little tired. In the last game, Monsignor McClancy beat Cathedral Prep 97-73. Stephen Wood led with 33 points, including 8 of 8 from 3 point land. "Sticks" really demonstrated an all around game, dishing the ball, blocking shots, and rebounding. Hopefully, some more colleges will get involved with him before it is too late. The second round is today, Saturday, December 11, 2004 starting at 3pm with St Agnes against St. Francis Prep, 4:30pm Liverpool, Syracuse vs Cathedral Prep, 6:00pm Semi-final game 1 Kellenberg vs Holy Trinity, and the feature game at 7:30pm is St. John the Baptist against Monsignor McClancy. Last night the crowd was fantastic, and hopefully we can match and even better the electricity tonight. Monsignor McClancy is located at 71-06 31 Street in East Elmhurst, Queens. Plenty of parking available.'

12/11/04 Thanks to coach Michael DeMarco and Harrison D. Sanford of NY Hoops the Sleepy Hollow (great logo) and Lawrence Woodmere team profiles are now on the team page. Tomorrow 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.

12/11/04 NY Post: Cardozo awaits Theo Davis.

12/11/04 Metro Hoops Top 25 Seniors # 1-5 # 5. QuaRaan Calhoun 6’7 Forward (Raritan). # 4. Jaron Griffin, # 3. Gerald “JR” Inman, 
# 2. Brandon Costner, # 1. Andrew Bynum.  

Metro Hoops Top 25 Seniors #6-10 # 10. Paul Gause 5’11 Guard (Shilack).  # 9. Ahmad Nivins 6’9 Forward (St. Anthony).  # 8. Semaj Inge 6’3 Guard (Woodrow Wilson).  # 7. Tyrell Biggs 6’8 Forward (Don Bosco Prep).. # 6. Anthony Farmer 6’3 Guard (St. Augustine). 

Metro Hoops: New Jersey Top Seniors - 15-11. # 15. Marques Johnson 5’10 Point Guard (Raritan), # 14. Derrick Mercer 5’8 Point Guard (St. Anthony), # 13. Sean McCurdy 6’2 Guard (St. Anthony), # 12. Terrence Grier 6’2 Guard (Cranford), # 11. Marquis Jones 6’3 Guard (South Plainfield).

Metro Hoops: New Jersey Top Seniors - 20-16.   # 20. Frank Tchusisi, # 19. Kevin Payton 6’5 Forward (Camden) Coach Turner is determined to return the Panthers to greatness and Payton will carry most of the load. Kevin's lack of size does not hinder him from getting it done inside. Payton also can hit the medium range jumper.  # 18. Andrew Pusar, # 17. Craig Moore, # 16.Chris Andrews. 

Metro Hoops: New Jersey Top Seniors - 21-25. # 25. Dan Stonkus  # 24. Mark Crumble 5’10 Guard (Atlantic City). Crumble loves to push the rock up the court, drive the lane and drop floaters over big men. Crumble has a decent jump shot and a quick first step. His play is vital if the Vikings want to achieve that illusive state crown.  # 23. Andre Davis # 22. Nick Wilson 6’4 Guard (Trenton Central). Wilson enters the season as the favorite for conference player of the year. Nick is a wing player the loves to shoot the three. Once Wilson gets in the open floor he shows the athleticism that had the Bowling Green coaches in awe. # 21. Barney Anderson.'

12/11/04 Anthony Nicodemo (914-299-1664, Westchestersbest@hotmail.com): 'Westchester Elite Basketball is proud to announce the inaugural Winter Hardwood Classic that will take place on Saturday January 8, 2005 at the Pace University Goldstein Athletic Center.'

12/10/04 OSC: Long Beach Jam's Lenny Cooke and Sheppard involved in car accide.

12/10/04 Thanks to coach Ed Gonzalez:the All Hallows team profile is now on the team page. On Sunday 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.

12/10/04 psal.org: TheoDavis on Cardozo's inactive roster.

12/10/04 Coach Oswald Cross: 'The Brighton High tournament in Boston was cancelled. Now Our saviour Lutheran is looking for one or two quality games or tounaments. Please call the AD Rich Warner or me at 718 792 5665 ex 31.'

12/9/04 Coach Tony Bergeron: 'Rasheem Jenkins needed 9 points going into yesterdays game vs. Gompers for 1000 career points. He had 9 at the half and finished with 16 points in Wings Academy's first league win. Congratulations to this outstanding junior point guard.'

12/9/04 Thanks to coach Oswald Cross the Our Savior Lutheran team profile is now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile or two each day next week until next Sunday 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.

12/9/04 Daily News: Garden hoops up Super Six -- will tip off anew on Jan. 16.

12/9/04 Newsday: Cardozo 99, Bowne 51: Vic Morris had 33 points, James Peters added 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Wes Frederique chipped in with 16 points as Cardozo (4-0, 3-0 Queens A-II) broke things open with a 58-point second half.

JFK 87, Walton 54: Amaury Fermin had 22 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, and Emilijano Kinaj added 20 points, including four three-pointers, for JFK (3-1, 3-0 Bronx A West).

12/9/04 NY Hoops: Keith Mason's Top 15 Teams Week 1 (Dec. 8th-14th).

.12/9/04 Hoops USA: 2004-2005 Consensus Ratings includes # 1. St. Anthony - Jersey City, NJ,  # 5. Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon, NY, # 6. Seton Hall Prep - West Orange, NJ, # 9. St. Patrick - Elizabeth, NJ, # 19. Christ The King - Middle Village, NY and ,  # 26. St. Raymonds - Bronx, NY.

12/8/04 Rich Kosik:Adidas-Gobbler-Snowflake results & upcoming games.

12/8/04 Thanks to Terence (T-bone) Johnson and coach Anthony Tavares the Newark Eastside team profile is now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile or two each day next week until next Sunday 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.

12/8/04 John P Miciotta: NYHoops Team Roc Classic Recap.

12/8/04 John P Miciotta: Saturday's Action at the IABBO Freshman Tourney.

12/8/04 Metro Hoops: New Jersey's Top 25 Seniors Part II (#20-16).  Preseason Top 10.

12/8/04 NY Hoops: Robeson takes nothing for Grant -ed.

12/8/04 NY Hoops: St. Mary's Topples Christ the King. Lions Outduel Themselves in Finale. Doms Flies Past Wings.

12/7/04 Nick Blatchford: 'New Heights presents the 2005 BasketBall City Classic, NYC’s biggest and best AAU Tournament, 4 great weekends. February 19-20 5th-6th grade & 7th-8th grade. April 9-11 8th grade/14U & 9th grade/15/U. May 20-22 10th grade/16U & 11th grade/17U. May 28-29 girls 15/U & high school open.  All Tournaments played at BasketBall City, New York’s premier basketball facility. For more information, contact Craig Alfano at (212) 924-4040 ext. 106 or Craig@BasketballCity.com, '

12/7/04 Vinny Kabus: 'Niko Scott at the time of his game Sunday was thought to have been suffering from the flu, but as it turned out it was his appendix which burst early this morning . He has gone through emergency surgery this morning and is now recovering at St. Vincents Hospital. He is expected to be hospitiaized from 3 to 7 days and miss up to 4 to 6 weeks of basketball.'   

12/7/04 Jimmy Salmon: 'The Playaz Basketball Club will host 4 AAU tournaments throughout the 2005 calendar year. The first event is the Spring Fling which will be held as always during the NCAA Final Four weekend (April 1-3). The main site for the Spring Fling is Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack,NJ.  Due to limited sites, this year there will only be sixteen slots in each high school level bracket:15u/9th grade, 16u/10th grade, 17u/11th grade. There will be 8 teams in the 3 elementary school brackets, 6th grade, 7th grade and 8th grade. Entry fee is $425 for the HS levels and $325 for the elementary levels. 

The second event is the Blow-up on June 11-13 also at FDU. for  3 levels: 6th grade, 7th grade and 8th grade. Entry fee is $325.00. Our third event is the Playaz Ball which is an NCAA certified event on Thursday July 14 and Friday July 15. Entry fee is $400.00 if received  on or before April 30th or - $550.00 after that. Our last tournament of the year will be titled The Next Phase and be held October 7- October 9 @ The Hoop Zone in Englewood, NJ for 15U and 16U teams. For more information contact Jimmy Salmon @973-207-4346. Please remember that all our events are open to anyone regardless of sneaker affiliation and are on a first paid, first entered basis.'

12/7/04 LFBALL: 'Just thought folks should know that Cliffy Clinkscale had 7 points, and 12 assists while only turning the ball over once in a DePaul victory last night. He did this in 20 minutes. Many folks forgot or gave up on this young man. Thankfully Clarence Jones of Queens never did. His hard work has paid off and hopefully other young men will realize they should never be discouraged and stay the course! Wonder if any local schools could have used Cliffy?'

12/7/04 Thanks to coach Ken Parham the Bay Shore team profile is now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile or two each day next week until next Sunday 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.

12/7/04 Daily News: Levance Fields picks Pitt over SJU.

12/7/04 Maxwell Cole: 'The coaches meeting for the Bingo & Wee All Stars Winter Classic has been moved up to December 15th @ 6:30PM. The meeting will be held at IS 219 located at 3630 Third Avenue in the Bronx (corner of 169th street). There are a few slots still available. To ensure a slot for your team contact the tournament director, Maxwell Cole @ 646-208-4146. Email: coachbingo@bingosallstars.com, '

12/7/04 Coach Elliot Rosado, Bronx Wiz Kids: 'Starting Saturday December 11th, we will start holding workouts for all 8th graders who plan on playing high school basketball next year. These workouts will consist of everything you have to look forward to when preparing to tryout or play. That is a lot of running drills, shooting drills, footwork and game situations. But most importantly the basics of the game. Always keep in mind that a good coach is not looking for the best player, he's looking for the right player. Workouts will be at Baychester Community Center, 1220 East 229th Street in the Bronx from 11:00am - 1:30 pm. For further info please call coach Elliot 646-423-9457 at anytime.'

12/7/04 Bob Cerrato: 'The dates for this years Hoop Heaven Holiday Hoopfest Tournament are December 26-30, 2004 and Jan. 2,2005. Games will start at 5pm on weeknights and 830am on weekends. Boys & girls teams in grades 3,4,5,6,7 and 8 are welcome to participate. Travel, CYO, YMCA, PAL and school teams are all welcome. All games are played at Hoop Heaven, 125 Algonquin Parkway, Whippany, NJ 07981. Jamboree format $250 per team. All teams play two guaranteed games. Four team pools will be established. In divisions of eight teams in the same grade, the winners of each four team pool will crossover and play a 3rd game.  Register at  www.hoopheaven.com/Registration.htm.'

12/7/04 Newsday: St. Mary 54, Christ the King 49. CK's sick feeling as Niko Scott tries to play through illness, but Royals fall to LI team.

12/7/04 NY Insider: St. Dominic's Rolls Past Wings Academy.  And Rice Pulls Away From Lincoln.

12/6/04 Metro Hoops: New Jersey Top Seniors - 21-25.

12/6/04 PrepNation: National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 2 includes # 1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony 0-0 two-time Prep Poll champ, # 9. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 0-0 Guard Andrew Pusar will play at Harvard, # 11. Mount Vernon, N.Y. 0-0 junior forward Jonathan Mitchell a starter since freshman year and # 15. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond's 1-0 defending New York Catholic champ.

12/6/04 Coach Carlton Screen (FYA): 'We are hosting our 13th Annual Christmas Basketball Tournament 2k4, at the world famous YMCA located at 1401 Flatbush Avenue near corner of Rogers Avenue and Farragut Road in Brooklyn, New York. It will be a double loss elimination format. Games will be played from Monday December 27th to Friday December 31st, times 10am - 3pm. Boys and girls, 11and under, boys 13 and under, boys 15and under, and boys 17and under. Trophies for 1st and 2nd place. All teams must submit a team roster before tournament begins, for security reasons. Anyone interested in keeping their teams together for the holiday, please feel free to call 718 434 0127 or 718 666 6534 at anytime. Thank you, and may everyone in the basketball world have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.'

12/6/04 Sean Atkins: 'On December 17th and 18th The Boys’ Club of New York (BCNY) will host one of the largest Prep School Basketball Tournaments in the country. The two-day tournament will take place at New York’s Basketball City (23rd Street & The West Side Highway) where fifteen schools from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York will gather for two days of competitive play. The teams are divided into two divisions with each team playing a minimum of three games. BCNY’s Holiday Classic has hosted some of the most talented high school basketball teams and players in the country. Last year The Lawrenceville School went on to post a 22-4 record on their way to capturing both the prestigious Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championship and the New Jersey Prep Class A State Championship. Blair Academy, the two-time defending BCNY. Holiday Classic Champions, had another great season finishing as the runner-up in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League.

Holiday Classic alumni Loul Deng (Blair Academy) and Dorell Wright (South Kent School) were drafted in the first round of the 2004 National Basketball Association Draft this summer, and these Holiday Classic alumni are poised to make major contributions this year Jarrett Jack (Georgia Tech), Craig Smith (Boston College), Carl Elliott (George Washington University), Rodney Epperson (St. John’s), Dante Milligan (Pittsburgh) and Joakim Noah (Florida).

This year’s the tournament will showcase the talents of Andray Blatche (South Kent School), Rob Thomas (South Kent School), Shamari Spears (Blair Academy), Chris Ludgate (Blair Academy), Craig Moore (Lawrenceville School), Colin McIntosh (Northfield Mount Hermon), Skyler Khaleel (Northfield Mount Hermon), Damian Marshall (Berkshire School) and Jarrett Mathis (Berkshire School). For more information please contact Sean Atkins, Academics All-Star Head Coach at (212) 677-1108 ext. 152 or e-mail me at satkins@admin.bcny.org.'

12/6/04 Thanks to Terence (t-bone) Johnson the Linden Tigers team profile is now on the team page where we have them ranked seventeenth in the region. I'll be randomly adding a team profile or two each day next week until next Sunday 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.

12/6/04 Newsday: Rice 81, Lincoln 64. Press rattles young guards. And St. Dom finds new scorers.

12/6/04 Daily News: Rice cooks on 'D' to beat Lincoln.

12/6/04 NY Post: Raiders lock up Lincoln.

12/05/04 Michael Moore: 'Michael Moore (Team Next) has been appointed regional director of addidas Jr. Phenom Camp by Joe Keller. The Jr. Phenom Camp is an “invitation only” camp where the most talented youths in the country are able to test their skills in an intense, competitive environment. Top college coaches and highly recognized skills instructors were in attendance at the first annual Jr. Phenom Camp in August/2004 as were representatives from the top scouting services in the country. As a result of the exposure provided by this year’s camp, many of the participants have received ‘letters of interest’ from a variety of college basketball programs. Arrangements are already being made for the second annual camp to be held August 11-14, 2005 in San Diego for sixth, seventh and eighth graders. More details about the camp can be found at www.adidasjrcamp.com.

The Jr. Phenom Camp brings Adidas’ 20-year history of conducting the Top High School Camp in the world to the junior high school level. This camp expands the substantial involvement Adidas’ already has with AAU basketball at this age group. The camp has also cemented Joe Keller’s position as a dominant force in talent development at this age level. In addition to serving as national director of adidas Jr. Phenom Camp, Joe heads the Team California basketball program which won the 13-and-under AAU national championship. “I am proud to be associated with Adidas and Joe Keller and enthusiastic about building a dynamic program in the New York region that matches the quality of the national program,” Michael Moore said.

One of Moore’s first tasks is to organize the Jr. Phenom Camp for the New York region to be held in September/2005. The purpose of the camp will be to identify New York area junior high school players who qualify to be invited to participate in the national camp as well as to nurture their academic, life and basketball skills. More information about the New York Regional adidas Jr. Phenom Camp will announced at a later date.

12/05/04 Michael Moore also announced that Team Next will host the Fourth New York Invitational Tournament over the weekend of May 20-22, 2005 in Westbury, New York for the 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U and 16U age groups. The tournament will once again offer an opportunity to prepare for AAU’s national championship by bringing some of the top boys basketball teams together to compete against each other. Prior years’ tournaments have attracted teams from the eastern seaboard and as far away as California. This year’s tournament is expected to have even wider appeal. The entrance fee is $400. If you would like more information please send an e-mail to teamnext14@yahoo.com". or call (917) 406-6801 or (516) 270-5413.

Akeem Gooding, 6-4 Christ the King senior forward.	Adam Walker, 6-8 Christ the King senior center.	Chris Martin, 6-0 Christ the King senior guard.	Damani Corbin, 6-1 FDA senior point guard.	Deyquan Nesbit, 5-11 FDA junior guard.
-	-	-	-	-
Shawn Hilliard, 6-5 Wings senior forward.	Khalif Staton, 6-2 Lincoln  freshman guard.	Nick Leon, 5-10 Lincoln junior guard.	Rasheem Jenkins, 5-10 Wings junior guard.	Ellison Pickering, 6-7 FDA senior center.

12/5/04 The Team Roc and NYHoops.com tourney featured eight impressive teams and four great games at Baruch today as St Dominic, Rice, St Mary and FDA were winners.

In the first game St Dom's coach Ron Pavinelli started his seniors guards, Sean Kennedy and Brian Sheehy with his three precocious sophomores, TJ Carey, TJ Thomas and Marques Deans. Carey had a game high 16 points, Dean was the game MVP with 10 points and 17 rebounds and Kennedy had 11 points as the Bayhawks won 51-42. Rasheem Jenkins led Wings with 14 while Andre Tarver had 10. But Shawn Hilliard was barely a factor, fouling out at 3:24 of the last quarter and sophomore star Josh Spivey sat out the game due to academics.

The Rice junior trio of MVP Edgar Sosa (20), Curtis Kelly (18) and Kashif Pratt (14 points and solid defense) with senior guard Taskico Brown (12) led Rice to a wire to wire 81-64 win. Lincoln's Nick Leon and Devon Peterson each had 18 but the Railsplitters were hindered playing without their stars, Nyan Boateng (still recovering from his football ankle injury), Jamel Jackson (academics) and Kevin White Jr.

St Mary blitzed Christ the King in the first half for a 23-12 lead and then hung on for a 54-49 win as MVP Danny Green (15), Tyson Johnson (13) and Tyrone Hansen (13) led the way. Larry Davis had a game high 21 and Chris Martin chipped in 10 for the Royals.

In the final game the FDA Lions also led wire to wire for a 75-61 prideful win against the Loughlin Lions playing without their star guard, Herbie Allen. Fittingly the game MVP was FDA senior Corey Lyons!

12/5/04 Thanks to coach Bob Oliva the Christ the King team profile is now on the team page where we have them ranked ninth in the region. .Each of the eight teams in today's Team Roc and NYHoops.com tourney are now profiled and six of them (Coach Morton would say it should be seven) are ranked in our top 21. I'll be randomly adding a team profile or two each day next week until next Sunday 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.

12/5/04 Newsday: Reboarding title train. Christ the King has been without a CHSAA championship since 1995, but a seasoned squad takes dead aim.

12/5/04 Jeremy Treatman: 'Philly/NYC Hoops Challenge sponsored by Scholastic Play by Play Network December 11 at St. Dominic's High School, Oyster Bay, LI.  Adults $7, students $5 with ID. 3:00 Chester-All Hallows, 4:45 Cheltenham-Lincoln, 6:30 Bartram-St. Dominic, 8:15 Simon Gratz-St. Mary's. Chester, former home of Jameer Nelson, has 5 Division I prospects including 6-9 center Ken Tribbett. Cheltenham features Rider signee Harris Mansell. Simon Gratz, former home to Rasheed Wallace and Aaron McKie, is tradionally Philly's best city team and is the defending Public League champions. For more info-1-800-319-0884. Tickets available at the door.

12/4/04 Thanks to coach Cheez Ezenekwe and Kareem Coprew the Boys & Girls and Grand Street Campus (love that Wolves' logo) team profiles are now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile or two 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.

12/4/04 Newsday: JFK's Amaury Fermin hits 40 mark back-to-back.

And big find needs some time -- 7-foot Bryant junior Jacek Ratajczak is getting a grasp of hoops, developing his game after a very late start.

12/4/04 Christina Canty: 'This past weekend for the Juice All Stars.'

12/4/04 Rich Kosik aka Booksnball: 'Friday observations on an early season CHSAA B match up in Brooklyn.'

12/4/04 Louis Xifaras: 'The semifinals and championships of the annual Freshmen IAABO Tournament are at McClancy High School this weekend. Games begin at 1PM on both days with four freshmen games each day. McClancy is located at 71-06 31 Avenue in East Elmhurst, Queens.'

12/3/04 Andre Owes: 'Saturday's schedule and standings are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

12/3/04 Thanks to coaches Peter Goyco and Louis Xifaras the Bishop Ford and Mnsgr McClancy team profiles are now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile or two 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.

12/3/04 Daily News: Ravens fly in opener with a 63-58 win over All Hallows.

12/3/04 Robert White (www.NYHoops.com); 'On Sunday December 5th at Baruch College Team Roc and NYHoops.com will hold their first annual Tipoff Classic. Here is the full schedule with previews: 12pm Wings vs. St. Dominic -- Wings Academy is a top 5 PSAL team, featuring Manhattan commit Andre Tarver and 5'11 Rasheem Jenkins who is capable of going of for 30 points at any time. St. Dominic is a young and talented team led by top sophomores 6'2 TJ Carey and 6'4 Markeys Deans.

2pm Rice vs. Lincoln -- Rice is one of the 3 best teams in NYC led by top 10 player nationally in the 06 class 6'9 Curtis Kelly, 6'1 Edgar Sosa and 6'3 Kashif Pratt. Lincoln is the 3 time defending PSAL champ and they are hoping to get good news from the Department of Education that point guards 6'1 Kevin White Jr. and sharp shooting 6'3 Jamel Jackson will be eligible for this game. If they do play it could be the best backcourt duo you see all day.

4pm Christ the King vs. St. Mary's Christ the King is without a doubt the best team in NYC with a deep talent pool led by seniors 6'4 Akeem Gooding, 6'2 Columbia commit Niko Scott, 6'8 Adam Walker, 6'1 Chris Martin, juniors 6'4 Larry Davis, 6'3 Rob Hampton and 5'8 Darren Duncan. St. Mary's is the best team in the state led by 6'5 UNC commit Danny Green along with a pair of Monmouth commits 6'6 Tyrone Hansen and 6'5 Tyson Johnson.

6pm Frederick Douglass Academy vs. Bishop Loughlin. FDA is a top 3 PSAL team and feature 5 seniors worthy of scholarships 6'4 Corey Lyons, 6'3 Steve McKoy 6'3 Ivan Rodriguez, 6'1 Damani Corbin and 5'11 Dayquan Nesbit. Loughlin will be led by talented sophomores 6’0 Darius Gabriel, 6’8 Christian Morris and 6’7 Devin Ebanks who averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds this past weekend in a tournament in Maryland .

In all this will be a great event featuring 8 of the top teams in the area, admission is $5 for students with ID and $8 for adults.'

12/3/04 Jason Curry: 'Big Apple Basketball, Inc. presents the 1st annual Public League vs. Catholic League Challenge, Saturday, December 11, 2004 at Pace University (NYC campus-across from City Hall & Brooklyn Bridge). Sunday, December 12, 2004 at Baruch College (corner of 24th St. & Lexington Ave.). Check out the action as both leagues compete for New York City high school basketball supremacy. Featuring 20 of NYC's top boys PSAL and CHSAA teams. Games for Saturday at Pace University (downtown NYC campus): 12pm – Manhattan Center vs. Nazareth, 1:45pm – Frederick Douglass Academy vs. Fordham Prep, 3:30pm – Columbus vs. Monsignor Farrell, 5:15pm – Benjamin Banneker vs. Bishop Loughlin, 7pm - Grady vs. Christ the King. Games for Sunday at Baruch College (corner of 24th St & Lexington Ave.): 12pm – Bishop Ford vs. McKinney, 1:45pm – Holy Cross vs. Boys and Girls, 3:30pm – All Hallows vs. Wings, 5:15pm – Molloy vs. Bryant, 7pm – Rice vs. Cardozo. For more info. visit www.bigapplebasketball.com or call me at (718)575-3342.'

12/2/04 Coach Walter Welsh: 'The third annual Nyhoops / NY Gauchos High School Girls Basketball Challenge will take place in New York City on Saturday, December 18, 2004. There will be 4 games on that day. The game match-ups are: 11:00am - JFK HS (Bronx) vs. Holy Trinity HS (L.I.), 1:00 pm - Ursuline Academy (Delaware) vs. Booker T. Washington HS (Tennessee), 3:00pm - St. John the Baptist HS (L.I.) vs. John Carroll HS (Washington, DC) and 5:00pm - Murry Bergtraum HS (NYC) vs. Theodore Roosevelt HS (Washington, DC).  The game site is located at: the Gauchos Gym, 478 Gerard Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451. Gym Phone #: 718-665-6952. Tournament director #: 6718-449-2715. Admission is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. All tickets have to be purchased at the door on the day of the event. Put this event on your calendar. We are looking forward to seeing you. Again, we hope to provide you with a great day of basketball.'

12/2/04 Thanks to coaches Rob Pavinelli and Darius Penikas the St Dominic and St John Prep team profiles are now on the team page. I'll 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.

12/2/04 Louis Xifaras, McClancy Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach: '23rd Annual Brother Arnold Memorial Tournament starts Friday, December 10. Game 1 - 4:00pm St. Agnes (NYC) vs Kellenberg, Game 2 - 5:45pm Holy Trinity (LI) vs St. Francis Prep, Game 3 - 7:15pm Liverpool HS (Syracuse) vs St. John the Baptist (LI), Game 4 - 8:45pm Cathedral Prep vs Monsignor McClancy. Saturday, December 11: 3:00pm losers of game 1 vs losers of game 2, 4:45pm losers of game 3 vs losers of game 4, 6:30pm winners of game 1 vs winners of game 2, 8:15pm winners of game 3 vs winners of game 4. Sunday, December 12: 2:00pm 7th place game, 3:45pm 5th place game, 5:30pm 3rd place game, 7:15pm championship game.'

12/2/04 NJ Hoops: New Year's High School Jump-Off January 9 at Paramus Catholic High School.

12/2/04 Coach Steve Furtato: 'The Jamaica Queens PAL is hosting a Chrismas Classic Basketball Tournament on December 20-23 2004. Age groups are 10 under, 12 under, 14 under and 18 under. Price is $60 per team! Manditory coaches meeting Wednesday Dec 8th 6:30 pm. Fee due at coaches meeting. For more info call coach Ira 646-662-8335 or coach Steve 718-216-9178.'

12/1/04 Coach Parisi: 'In a few weeks the IS 5 "King Of The Hill " winter season will begin. Feedback from our summer tourney made it clear that we gave the coaches and parents a place to enjoy themselves and where eveyone feels like family. Directors Frank Abreau and Jeff Attard know that bugets are tight which is why the fee is 150.00. All teams will play 7 to 8 games and receive tee shirts and the top two teams will bring home the awards. Bonus this winter will be our first All Star game. We still have room for a few more teams. If interested please call Jeff at 1-347-865-1026 or email at jef210@aol.com.'

12/1/04 Thanks to coaches Jim Ring and Bill Lange the Kennedy, Paterson and Lenape Regional team profiles are now on the team page. I'll be randomly adding a team profile each day for the next few weeks.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.

12/1/04 As always the calendar page automatically switches over at the beginning of the month and I've added a number of events to December and January. Remember to change the year to 2005 when trying to view January events.

12/1/04 Metro Hoops: Jersey sophomores under the radar - Darnell Davis, Jamal Edwards, Kyle Fitzgerald, Rashawn Dwight and Keith Jones.

12/1/04 NY Post: New look 'Splitters Keep rollin'.

12/1/04 Journal News: Preseason overview: Final Four on the move; leagues realign. And boys, girls games to watch.

12/1/04 Andre Owes: 'Saturday's results are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.'

12/1/04 Randy McGhee, Travis Berry: 'Riverbank State Park will host the 12th Annual High School Basketball Invitational Classic featuring eight nationally ranked boys' high school varsity basketball teams from the tri-state area. All games will be played at Riverbank State Park in New York City. This event previously has been a major success with participation averaging 4000 spectators and 200 players per tournament. It is a highly competitive event for top college-bound tri-state area players to showcase their talent to the media and college recruiters. Starting on December 18 & 19, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Schools that are participating in the Invitational High School Basketball Classic: Jamaica, Manhattan Center, St. Peters, Tilden, Bishop Loughlin, Kennedy, All Hallows and Boys & Girls High School.'