January 2005

1/31/05 National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 10 includes # 1. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's 15-0 routed NYC Catholic power Xaverian # 3. Queens, N.Y., Christ the King 16-1 beat No. 5 Rice in overtime, # 5. New York, N.Y., Rice 16-1 led by 6-8 junior standout Curtis Kelly, # 14. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony 12-1 two-time Prep Poll champ 23, # 17. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 13-1 guards headed to Yale and Harvard, # 20. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's 12-2 both losses to ranked teams.

1/31/05 USA Today Super 25 boys' basketball rankings lists # 2. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (13-1), # 5. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (15-0), # 6. Christ the King, Queens, N.Y. (17-1), # 9. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (15-1), # 22. Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (13-1) and # 23. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (12-2).

1/31/05 Metro Hoops: Tom Crotty Memorial Recap.

1/31/05 Coach Anderson, Upper Room Christian School: 'We had a team pull out on us. We are looking for one game around the 25th of February. If anyone is interested please contact me @ coachma34@hotmail.com or @ 631-774-9474.'

1/31/05 Daily News: Rice rebounds, routs St. Ray's. And Gaels show force.

1/31/05 NY Post: Edgar Sosa, Rice bounce back.

1/31/05 Newsday: Bloomfield Tech 62, Cardozo 56. Judges doomed by sluggish play.

1/31/05 Journal News: Mount Vernon bounces back, beats St. Patrick's 69-56.

1/31/05 Tom Crotty Memorial Classic Evening Coverage - McClancy and Rice win early games. And Evening coverage.

1/31/05 Alinda Angerville, Executive Director: 'Weekend scores on the Bingo & Wee All Star Classic Basketball Tournament, 2005 page.

1/30/05 Daily Star Online: High school boys basketball rankings from the New York State Sports Writers’ Association, as of Jan. 23. Class AA headed by  1. St. Mary-8-CHSAA 13-0, 2. Rice-NYC 13-0, 3. Niagara Falls-6 14-0, 4. Rochester East-5 14-0, 5. Christ the King-NYC 14-1.

1/30/05 Newsday: St Raymond 72, St Francis Prep 62. Ravens leash scrappy Terriers.

1/30/05 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A. 'St John Prep went on the road and outlasted Lasalle Academy 52-51. This victory improved SJP record to 13 win and 1 loss in conference play and 18 wins and 1 loss over all. Last night's contest was for first place in the C.H.S.A.A. A South Conference, the first of two meetings for both teams, and the first meeting since last season's C.H.S.A.A. Championship game held at Iona College. Lasalle Academy went on to upset St John Prep as they were crowned City Champs. SJP senior forward Jelanie Winfield (17pts & 10 rebounds) hit two free-throws late in the contest to give the Red-Storm a one point lead and victory. SJP forward Richard Thomas finished with16 pts & 8 rebounds. The game ended up being a defensive contest for SJP as they held on to a one point lead in the last few seconds of a road game.'

1/30/05 FairfieldStag: Forward Mamadou Diakhate Transfers To Fairfield University. Comes Via Eastern Kentucky University.

1/30/05 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'I wanted to let everyone know that a great New York City High School teaching and coaching career is coming to an end on Monday Jan. 31st 2005. Coach Ron Vernon, the hard working, long time ex coach of New Utrecht High School is retiring from the New York City Dept. of Education on Monday. My players and I have been blessed with Ron's help this year at Tilden H.S.as our associate head coach. Ron's tireless work with our players on and off the court was a joy to watch and be around. His work ethic and effort are a model for all of us who think we work hard at our jobs. While we did not have a lot of success on the court this year at Tilden all the young players who worked with this "Master" Coach are better off now and will be even better in the future! This Monday Ron will serve as the Head Coach for the Tilden "Blue Devils" as we take on Mike Perazzo and his hard working East New York Transit Tech team at Tilden. Game time is at 4:30 PM. Anyone who wants to say good-bye to Ron can do so on Monday at the game, you never know we might even take him out afterwards? '

1/30/05 Alinda Angerville, Executive Director: 'Busy weekend news on the Bingo & Wee All Star Classic Basketball Tournament, 2005 page.

1/29/05 John P Miciotta: Rice @ CK recap.

1/29/05 John Malone (Section1Guy): 'Ck beats Rice 69-68 in OT.

1/29/05 Daily News: Rice cooked in a minute, falls in OT.

1/29/05 Newsday: Christ the King 69, Rice 68. Gutty win for injured Christ the King.

1/29/05 Metro Hoops: Lawrenceville Avoids Hun’s Hat Trick.

1/28/05 Coach Gary Charles: 'Congratulation to Danny Green for being selected as a Roundball All American (www.originalroundballclassic.com). The game has featured such stars as Moses Malone, Albert King, Shaq, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Steph, Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, and of course LeBron. Having had the privilege to coach and be part of this young man life, I cannot think of a more deserving person. Like his personality, he has quietly helped his high school become one of the top teams in the country while still maintaining excellence in the class room. Danny will go down as one of the all time great Panther's player, but better yet, he will go down as an all-time great young man.'

1/28/05 Raymond Kostyack: 'The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless basketball Classic, cancelled on 1-22 for snow, has been rescheduled for Sun. 2-6-05 at the Dunn arena, Elizabeth NJ. Teams and times have changed. New teams & times: 12:00- Elizabeth HS vs St. Anthony's-Jersey City, 1:45 - St Patricks vs Lincoln (Brkln) and 3:30 - St.Mary's vs Roselle Catholic.  For ticket info & directions, see: theelizabethcoalition.org.'

1/28/05 Alinda Angerville, Executive Director: 'This weekend at the Bingo & Wee All Stars Tournament – NYC Youthline will be present on Saturday January 29th. Youthline is an information and support service for young people, parents, service providers and community members. Youthline employs 16 to 14 year old “Listners” who are trained and supervised by adult professionals to provide anonymous information and support to callers. With a database of community resources for over 6,000 agencies and a geographical mapping system – they can match programs and services to an individuals neighborhood. They also provide workshops on youth/teen issues such as: teen relationship abuse, sexually transmitted infections, teen pregnancy, peer pressure, conflict mediation, family communication, substance abuse and youth violence. We will also be giving out Livestrong Bracelets - from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to the early birds who arrive for the first game schedule for Saturday morning at 10AM. See you there!'

1/28/05 Coach Boyle: 'The St. Pat's - Camden Wilson game will be played on Saturday, January 29 at 2:00 PM, at Camden Wilson high school. The venue has changed a number of times, and the time has been moved up from 8:00 PM.'

1/28/05 Journal News: New Rochelle defeats Mount Vernon 65-52.

1/28/05 NY Post: Corey Fisher's Bronx game stands out in Jersey.

1/28/05 Newsday: All-star game candidates.

1/27/05 Jim Fox: 'The 2005 AAU Boys Regional Championship dates have been announced for all age groups at both Division I and Division II levels. A full listing is available at www.nymetropolitanaau.com or by contacting Jim Fox @ 516-292-4956. All participants must be members of AAU. Top finishers qualify for the prestigious and highly competitive AAU National Championship Tournaments. Last year, 46 teams from our New York Association went on to compete in these national events.'

1/27/05 Travis.Berry: 'We are hosting our 13th Annual Tournament Riverbank State Park Invitational High, at the world famous Riverbank State Park located at 679 Riverside Drive in Manhattan, New York. It will be an eight (8) team tournament that will be divided into two divisions, Governors Division and Commissioners Division a minimum of two games. Games will be played on Saturday, December 11th & Sunday, December 12th, 2005 Game times 12 p.m. 2 pm., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Trophies and other awards will be given out for the winners in various categories. In the past, the Invitational Classic has hosted some of the most talented high school basketball teams and players in the country. Our entry fee is $300.00 dollars per-team and includes lunch or dinner for all participants during the two day event. All teams must submit a confirmation letter before June 26, 2005. Anyone interested in the Invitational Classic, please feel free to call or email: (212) 694-3637 Randy.McGhee@oprhp.state.ny.us or Travis.Berry@oprhp.state.ny.us.'

1/26/05 Hoops USA Consensus top teams include # 1. St. Mary's - Manhasset, NY, # 2. Rice - Manhattan, NY, # 3. Christ The King - Middle Village, NY, # 6. St. Anthony - Jersey City, NJ, # 8. St. Patrick - Elizabeth, NJ, # 18. Seton Hall Prep - West Orange, NJ, # 31. Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon, NY and # 50. St. Augustine - Richland, NJ.

1/26/05 Metro Hoops Top Ten lists 1. St. Patrick’s 10-1, 2. St. Anthony’s 9-1, 3. Seton Hall Prep 11-1, 4. St Augustine Prep 11-0, 5. Haddonfield 9-1, 6. Raritan 11-2, 7. Atlantic City 11-0, 8. Linden 12-1, 9. Paterson Catholic 8-3 and 10. Bloomfield Tech 11-2.

1/26/05 Metro Hoops: Final Quarter Featuring Chris Smith of Lakewood. And Feature Games of the Week.

1/26/05 NJ Hoops Super Six is # 1. St. Patrick's (10 - 1), # 2. St. Benedict's (15 - 1), # 3. St. Anthony's (10 - 1), # 4. Seton Hall Prep (11 - 1), # 5. Haddonfield (9 - 1) and # 6. Raritan (12 - 2).

1/26/05 Star Ledger Top 20 headed by # 1-St. Anthony (10-1), # 2-Seton Hall Prep (11-1), # 3-St. Patrick’s (10-1), # 4-St. Augustine (12-0) and # 5-Haddonfield (9-1).

1/25/05 MSG top 10 # 1. St. Mary's, LI (13-0), # 2. Rice, NY (13-0), # 3. Christ the King, NY (14-1), # 4. St. Anthony, NJ (10-1), # 5. St. Patrick's, NJ (10-1), # 6. Lincoln, NY (19-1), # 7. Seton Hall Prep, NJ (11-1), # 8. Paterson Catholic, NJ (7-3), # 9. Mt. Vernon, NY (11-2) and # 10. St. Raymond, NY (10-4).

1/25/05 NJ.com: Seton Hall Prep gains the No. 1 seed for Essex County Tournament.

1/25/05 NY Post: CK'S Chris Martin rebounds, gets game back in gear.

1/25/05 'This is Kevin Parrom of 2009. I am just informing you that I am going to St. Rays H.S. next year.'

1/24/05 National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 9 includes # 1. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's 13-0 owns two Top 15 wins, # 3. Queens, N.Y., Christ the King 14-1 only loss to No. 1 St. Mary's, # 5. New York, N.Y., Rice 12-0 only team to beat PSAL power Brooklyn Lincoln, # 13. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's 10-1 only loss to No. 1 St. Mary's, # 18. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 11-1 G Andrew Pusar eclipsed 1,000 career points and # 23. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony 10-1 beat regionally ranked Dallas Lincoln.

Northeast Region 1. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's (13-0), 2. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (14-0), 3. Queens, N.Y., Christ the King (14-1), 4. New York, N.Y., Rice (12-0), 5. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's (10-1), 6. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep (11-1), 7. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (10-1), 8. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (11-2), 9. Philadelphia, Pa., Neumann-Goretti (15-0) and 10. Merion, Pa., Episcopal (15-2).

1/24/05 USA Today Super 25 boys' basketball rankings lists # 2. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (13-0), # 3. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (10-1), # 6. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (13-0), # 9. Christ the King, Queens, N.Y. (15-1), # 15. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (10-1), # 23. Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (11-1) and # 24. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (11-2).

1/24/05 Metro Hoops Players of the week senior- Chad Barnes guard (University High), junior- Kimmani “Big Game” Barrett forward (Paterson Catholic), sophomore- Dashon Barrino guard (Shabazz) and freshman- Jerelle Louis guard (Rahway).

1/24/05 Coach Laffin, Poughkeepsie HS: 'NY high schools are going to be starting January Regents Exams this week. This puts a limit on games. I am recommending that all student-athletes go to www.regentsprep.org . The website is put together by the Oswego School District. It is a tremendous review site for Social Studies, Math A, Science and English. It allows a student to answer practice questions and review outlines. Good luck on exams!'

1/24/05 Jeff Rivera asst. coach: 'St.Marys boys varsity basketball team is looking for 1 game to fill their schedule. Any school interested can call me at 347-538-2658 or asst. coach Maurice Barbera at 516-523-9034.'

1/24/05 Coach Tiny Morton: 'Lincoln boys varsity basketball team is looking for 1 game against any top rated school in the tri-state area. Willing to travel and would like to play during the 2nd or third week of February. For Info. Please contact coach Morton at juiceallstars@aol.com.'

1/24/05 Newsday: Kyle McAlarney - 'Lack of respect' motivates him.

1/24/05 Daily News: Two sports, one decision, New Rochelle's Geoff McDermott to pick.

1/24/05 Coach Tom Sampogna: 'The Port Chester Rams may boast a 16-0 record, a #1 NY State Class A ranking and have two big wins (White Plains and St. Ray's) under their belts this year, but more impressive is their 5 starters averaging double digits for points. For all the rumors that there is no harmony on the PC bench, they seem to be rolling along quite fine. PG Melvin Calhoun continues to be the catalyst for the Rams and the numbers looks like this: PG Melvin Calhoun 15.4, PF Greg Avila 13.0, 2G Todd Fraser 12.3, SF Jeremy Thomas 11.9 and C Mohamed Lo 11.4. Even more impressive is that 4 out of the 5 starters average a legitmate double-double. Calhoun is at 15.4ppg/11.2apg/4.4spg, Avila is at 13.0ppg/9.9rpg, Thomas is at 11.9/12.2rpg and Lo is at 11.4ppg/10.7rpg/4.3bpg. Calhoun, Thomas and Lo are at the top of the stats leaders in the state. This is something to be said about a team people think is just a group of individuals. Only four games left in the regular season, catch the Rams while you can before the sectionals start.'

1/24/05 Coach Dre' Team Underrated: 'Melvin Clarida and Charles Jenkins won their first divisional title in over 16 years for Springfield Gardens High School on Friday, January 21st against Martin Van Buren. Melvin had 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Charles added 17 points and 9 assists. Congratulations goes out to this very underrated duo and stay tuned for more.'

1/23/05 Alinda Angerville, Executive Director: 'Wee & Bingo’s All – Stars Classic Scores for the Weekend of January 15th on the Bingo & Wee All Star Classic Basketball Tournament, 2005 page.

1/23/05 Daily New: Stephen McKoy takes charge for FDA.  And Chris Bethel helps St. Ray's survive. Web note: CHSAA games scheduled for today have been postponed because of the snow.

1/23/05 Journal News: White Plains falls to Frederick Douglass.

1/23/05 NY Post: Chris Bethel stands tall(er) vs. Cardozo.

1/23/05 Metro Hoops Mid-Season Honors.

1/23/05 Rickey Smith (BigQueensScout): 'Coach Tyrone Hester and the Morris Brown Warriors have now joined up with Coach Rob Diaz and the NYC Finest basketball team. They have a team in i.s 8 together that are 2-0. They have defeated 80 Park and the Gauchos. Both teams will be playing under one team name NYC Finest. No information on what players from Morris Brown are playing with NYC Finest at this moment.'

1/22/05 Joshua Stewart: 'I recommend adding a link: testprepreview.com to your website. It has online practice tests for a variety of tests for no charge.'

1/22/05 Ralph J .Napolitano: 'I'm the executive directory of Jay's World Childhood Cancer Foundation Inc. We are a totally not for profit organization and 95% of all money we raise goes directly to children with cancer. We are hosting our 11 annual Top-gun 3 vs 3 basketball tournament on April 9 & 10, 2005. We have always had a good tournament with the help of many Long Islanders. In 1993 our son was diagnosed with cancer, Jason had leukemia, he is great now, 25 and healthy, thank God. We have been assisting children and their families for 10 years and we hope to continue to do so for the next ten years. Our website is jaysworld.org.'

1/22/05 Louis Xifaras, assistant varsity coach: 'Monsignor McClancy pulled out a tremendous victory on Friday when we beat LaSalle Academy 71-70 with no time left on the clock. With 3 seconds left, Dexter DeJesus fouled a LaSalle player. He hit the 2nd of the 2 shots. After a timeout, coach Don Kent pulled off a great play with Terrence Howard inbounding the ball to Evans Pyrrhon, who found junior phenom Stephen Wood. "Sticks" was fouled with no time left on the clock, and confidently sunk both free throws to win it. Stephen played an all around excellent game in front of a packed house which included the St. John's University staff. He finished with 26 points. Also to note, our junior point guard Evans Pyrrhon, who is extremely underrated, finished with 15 points and a career high 10 assists. We now are in 2nd place in the CHSAA 'A' South Division at 8-3, looking up to St. John's Prep, who only has 1 loss. The last game of the season could be for first place on Friday, February 11th at 7:30pm at Monsignor McClancy hosting St. John's Prep. Furthermore, Stephen Wood is still being under recruited. This kid is going to make some big time noise in college. So far, Fordham University and St. John's University are among the schools showing the most interest. On Saturday, January 29th at 8pm, Monsignor McClancy will have their annual alumni night. Nazareth will be this year's opponent. The next day, Sunday January 30th, Monsignor McClancy will open up play at St. John's University in the 2nd annual Tom Crotty Classic at 9am, hoping to avenge an earlier loss to Bishop Ford.'

1/22/05 Metro Hoops: Showdown Saturday Looms.

1/22/05 Metro Hoops: MLK Classic Recap - 6th Grade Division.

1/22/05 Daily News: Players back ousted Columbus coach, Steve Simon.

1/22/05 Newsday: The PSAL has begun an investigation into the actions of former Columbus boys basketball coach Steve Simon.

1/22/05 NY Post: Columbus names a new coach - Roberto Perez.

1/22/05 Jared Rice: The Basketball City Shootout is going to take place today no matter what. The weather will not affect the day's events. Log on to www.ballfirminc.com for updates.

1/22/05 Journal News: Basketball City Shootout: Organizers determined to play today despite threat of snow

1/22/05 Dennis Kazimir: 'Game time change -.Due to the inclimate weather scheduled for Saturday evening, the Hoop Group has moved the St. Anthony vs. Don Bosco Prep game to 5:00pm tonight, Saturday January 22, 2005, as part of their Challenge Series. Tickets are $5 for adults & $3 for students. The game will be played at Stevens Institute in Hoboken, NJ.'

1/22/05 NorthJersey: DB-St. Anthony will start earlier.

1/21/05 NJ.com: St. Joseph's wins; Sean Baptiste, Andrew Bynum excel.

1/20/05 Dennis Kazimir: 'The Hoop Group will be hosting the St. Anthony vs. Don Bosco Prep game this Saturday January 22, 2005, as part of their Challenge Series. The game is at 7:30 pm, doors will open at 6:45 pm. Tickets are $5 for adults & $3 for students. The game will be played at Stevens Institute in Hoboken, NJ. Parking will be available on campus. Contact kaz@hoopgroup.com for directions, if needed. Media passes can be obtained by sending a request to the above e-mail address.'

1/20/05 Eric Jaklitsch: 'Our Savior New American which is fresh off their third straight Flyin to the Hoop championship will host Gulf Shores Academy from Texas with Gerald Green, (rated #1 in the country by Rivals.com) tomorrow. The game will start at 7:30 pm at Our Savior New American in Centereach, NY. On  Sunday at 1:30 PM they will host Mount Zion Christian Academy from North Carolina, which will feature Brandon Rush (rated #4 in the country).' .

1/20/05 Coach Ed Dechent: 'Mike Pollard is having a great year he averages 20.1 points and 284 points for the whole year they have 4 games left against Nyack, Sleepy Hallow, Bryam Hills and Tappen Zee.Yonkers is 2-14. Mike had 26 against Port Chester and 38 against Sacred Heart earlier in the year and he also has a couple of 30 point games. He could possibly make all county he's # 8 in the county in scoring and # 3 in his division.'

1/20/05 Metro Hoops: Final Quarter featuring Frank Turner - Atlantic City High School.

1/20/05 NY Post: Kyle McAlarney makes Moore the merrier.

1/20/05 Sun Herald: Sal Patricio, Florida Prep dump Bradenton Christian.

1/20/05 MSG: Two in, two out in this week's Top-10.

1/19/05 Chris Phillips: 'Just to let you know that Ring Ayeul,  the7'5" blocking machine from the Sudan has arrived in the USA and will be in Our Savior New American this Friday. It's been quite a journey for this young man from the war torn country of the Sudan to the refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya and finally arriving in the USA. He is also a victim of the war as he has lost both parents. I want to give special thanks to Commander Acueil, Deng Leek, Pastor Ron Stelzer, Bob Bass, Eric Jaklitsch, Brian Cooperman and Robin Reid. Without this group's effort this young man would not be afforded the chance for a good Christian education in a safe environment. I also would like to thank the host family that never says no when it comes to helping people, Marsha and Bill Schmidt. At this time when basketball and the USA has gotten black eye after black eye at home and in the international community here is a feel good story for everyone to enjoy.'

1/19/05 Newsday: FDA will pass first. Coach Pat Mangan requires players to have an 80 average and shoot for college.

1/19/05 Daily News: Christ the King survives scare from Levnce Fields, Xaverian.  Malcolm Grant back to help lift Robeson.

1/19/05 NY Post: Malcom Grant's return lifts Robeson.

1/19/05 NY Hoops: Top 15 Teams Week 7.

1/19/05 NY Hoops: Gaels escape Paterson Catholic behind Green brothers.

1/19/05 NJ Hoops Super Six has 1. St. Patrick's (10 - 1), 2. St. Benedict's (15 - 1), 3. St. Anthony's (9 - 1), 4. Seton Hall Prep (9 - 1), 5. Haddonfield (8 - 1) and 6. Raritan (10 - 2).

1/19/05 NJ.com Top 20 headed by 1-St. Anthony (9-1), 2-Seton Hall Prep (9-1), 3-St. Patrick’s (9-1), 4-St. Augustine (10-0) and 5-Haddonfield (7-1).

1/19/05 NJ.com: A milestone night at Seton Hall Prep. Coach Bob Farrell reaches 600th career victory.

1/19/05 Coach Paul Suber: 'The Team Next 6th anf 7th grade teams opened-ip the new year with a bang by winning in both divisions at the MartinLuther King Day Classic sponsered by Adidas in Asbury Park, NJ. The 6th grade team went 4-0 defeating some very good teams (Bayshore, Cory Erving (B), NJ Fliers, Cory Erving (A) and getting some excellent work over the weekend especially in the championship game vs. Virginia Pride the #6 ranked team in the country. Team Next 6th grade team won a come from behind game 64-63. Shaquille Stokes was M.V.P. with 27 pts. there were great performances by Tavon Sledge, DaShawn Suber, Jermaine Saunders, Mark Phillips, Akil Stokes and Cori Edwards. There was one really special effort by Cori Edwards against the NJ FLiers where he just missed a quadtriple double (double figures in points, rebounds, assists, steals) by 2 pts, because he finished with 8 pts, 17 rebounds, 11 steals and 13 assists. The 7th grade Team Next team won the championship game 75-48 over the Unique All-Stars in a one-sided affair. Davontay Grace was M.V.P. woth 17 pys, 10 rebs, JaVaughn Pinkston 16 pts, 9 rebs, 3blks, Steve Whittingham 14 pts, 7 assists, 8 rebs, 4 stls, DeShaun Wiggins 14 pts, 9 rebs, 5 stls, and Tavon Sledge's excellent point guard game (9 pts, 13 assists, 6 steals) lead the charge to victory. aaron Brown, Joey Imuzai and Fatty McMillan gave great contributions throughout the tournament, it was a total team effort.'

1/19/05 Josh Smith: 'This spring the Metro Hoops Basketball Association will be hosting 3 major invitational boys’ tournaments. Our events will provide top flight competition and exposure for the teams that participate. March 11th-13th – Battle of the Best Tournament, featuring many of the top 11u-14u teams in the tri-state area (only 16 teams per age division). March 28th-30th – Spring AAU Challenge – this unique tournament matches up the top 15u-17u AAU programs (8 teams per age division) in the metro area to see who’s best! May 27th-29th – Memorial Day Invitational – This event will showcase many of the top young teams (10U-15u) on the east coast at Rutgers University in Piscataway over the Memorial Day weekend. Click here for additional information: Metro Hoops Spring Invitational Tournaments or call Josh Smith at (732) 339-1215.'

1/19/05 Coach Dre: 'Congratulations goes out to the St. John University basketball team and Coach Roberts. I have been a die hard Redmen fan for a number of years, and it is great to see the team doing well. Being able to play in the best arena in the world should encourage our top student-athletes to stay home and play ball at St. Johns. This program is on the rise again if you have not taken notice. Good win over Top 20 University of Pittsburgh.'

1/18/05 Metro Hoops: MLK Classic Recap - 9th Grade Division Championship -- Dwayne “Truck” Bryant and Jordan Theodore.

1/18/05 Coach Rich Nattis - Long Island Elite: 'On Sunday the 14u/15u Long Island Elite took on Team Real Scout at IS8 in the Juniors bracket. The game was up and down with some exciting threes and dunks. Real Scout ended up handing us our first loss of the season. Our 16u team is very athletic and quick. They won 57-51. Mike Nattis 5'5 had 14 points and 4 assist. Andrew Greenblat put in 10 points with a few assists, Ryan Dillon 6'2 added 9 points and 10 rebounds and Ian Hnatvian 6'6 and Kyle Sheriten 6'0 added 9 each. Due to early foul trouble Ricky Buckshaw 6'9 only scored 6 points.We look foward to our next game at I.S.8 against the Bingos Allstars.'

1/18/05 Republican: St. Anthony hangs on.

1/18/05 St. Patrick's Stays on Top - Metrohoops Top 10 are 1. St. Patrick’s (10-1), 2. St. Anthony (9-1), 3. Seton Hall Prep (9-1), 4. St. Augustine Prep (10-0), 5. Haddonfield (7-1), 6. Raritan (10-2), 7. Atlantic City (10-0), 8. Linden (10-1), 9. Bloomfield Tech (10-2) and 10. Paterson Catholic (7-3).

1/18/05 National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 8 includes # 2. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's 12-0 narrowly beat N.J.-ranked Paterson Catholic, # 5. Queens, N.Y., Christ the King 12-1 owns two Top 25 wins, # 6. New York, N.Y., Rice 11-0 defeated regionally ranked Mount Vernon, # 13. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's 10-1 coach Kevin Boyle over 300 wins in 15 years and # 19. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 9-1 G Andrew Pusar will play at Harvard.

Northeast Region 1. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's (12-0), 2. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (11-0), 3. Queens, N.Y., Christ the King (12-1), 4. New York, N.Y., Rice (11-0), 5. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's (10-1), 6. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep (9-1), 7. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (9-1), 8. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (10-2), 9. Philadelphia, Pa., Neumann-Goretti (13-0) and 10. Merion, Pa., Episcopal (14-2).

1/18/05 USA Today Super 25 boys' basketball rankings lists # 3. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (11-0), # 4. St. Anthony, Jersey City (9-1), # 7. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (11-0), # 11. Christ the King, Queens, N.Y. (13-1), # 17. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (10-1), # 23. Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (9-1) and # 24. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (10-2).

1/18/05 Hoops USA: 1. St. Mary's - Manhasset, NY, 3. Rice - Manhattan, NY, 4. Christ The King - Middle Village, NY, 6. St. Patrick - Elizabeth, NJ, 7. St. Anthony - Jersey City, NJ, 16. Seton Hall Prep - West Orange, NJ, 40. Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon, NY and 50. St. Augustine - Richland, NJ.

1/18/05 NJ.com: Irvington hands Linden its first loss.

1/18/05 Coach Sly Johnson: 'St. Mary's 62, Paterson Catholic (N.J.) 60. Danny Green made two free throws with nine seconds left to give St. Mary's the lead at 62-60 in the Big Apple Classic Invitational at Baruch College in Manhattan. Tournament MVP Tyson Johnson had 16 points, eight rebounds. Aleek Pauline added 12 points.'

1/18/05 Newsday: Cardozo 77, Xaverian 73. Work suits Judges.

1/18/05 NY Hoops: Curtis Kelly, Raiders Make Statement. And Wings wins one on the big stage.

1/18/05 Reginald Murray (Deputy Director, Brooklyn Rams Basketball): 'On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I went with a few of my players to see the film "Coach Carter". I would highly recommend this film to every coach. Players need to see it as well. But it starts with the coaches at every level. And in light of the new NCAA rule that will hold colleges accountable for graduating their student-athletes, the film is timely. After seeing the film, all coaches will recognize players, school administrators, and player's parents within their own environments. But it starts with the coach. All of us. If we send the proper message and stand by our values, the young men that entrust their lives, in a sense, to us, will have brighter futures and a sense of pride. And with that, anything is possible.'

1/18/05 Antonio Cannon Sr: 'The 12u T.K. Allstars were handed their second loss in as many games at the IS8 winter competition on Sunday morning. In yet another exciting game that went right down to the wire N.Y. Select escaped with an 38-35 victory, behind the outstanding offensive performance from their manchild Manny Brown, who finished with 22 pts and countless rebounds. Donate Agnew finished with 10 assists for T.K., Joshua Heyliger led T.K. in scoring with 13 pts, Tyler Seidman 10 pts., 9 coming on three pointers, Denzel Dulin chipped in 10 pts. in the losing effort. Great effort by the entire team!'

1/18/05 Jared Rice: 'Ball Firm Inc. is presenting the first annual Basketball City Shootout at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY. This event will take place on Saturday, January 22, 2005. This will be a High School Tournament featuring the top players in the country and over 30 Division 1 players. Some of the top players that will be participating are: Gerald Green from Gulf Shores Academy (TX)- #1 player in the country, Brandon Rush from Mt. Zion Academy (NC)- #2 player in the country, C.J.Miles from Skyline High School (TX)- #4 player in the country, Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (LA)- #6 player in the country, Danny Green from St. Mary's- Top 50 in the country, Kyle McAlarney from Moore Catholic- Top 100 in the country, Ricky Torres from St. Raymond- Top 100 in the country. Plus many others. The schedule is as follows: 11:00 Iona Prep v. Moore Catholic, 12:30 Ursuline v. Mt. Vernon, 2:00 White Plains v. Frederick Douglas Academy, 3:30 St. Raymond v. Cardoza, 5:00 New Rochelle v. Skyline (TX), 7:00 Mt. Zion (NC) v. Gulf Shores (TX), 8:30 St. Marys v. Denham Springs (LA). Log on to www.ballfirminc.com for more information and tickets.'

1/18/05 Nick Blatchford: 'New Heights and BasketBall City present the second annual BasketBall City Classic, four great weekends of basketball tournaments at New York’s premier facility. The first weekend is a little more than a month away, and spots are filling up quickly. The schedule is as follows:  February 19-20  5th / 11-U, 6th / 12-U, 7th / 13-U and 8th / 14-U. April 9-11  7th / 13-U, 9th / 15-U. May 20-22  10th / 16-U and 11th / 17-U. May 28-29 girls 9th / 15-U, girls 10th / 16-U and girls 11th / 17-U Contact Craig Alfano at (212) 924-4040 ext. 106 or Craig@BasketballCity.com. Register online at BasketballCity.com.'

1/18/05 Coach Bob Larson: 'Rockland County was well represented in 8th grade tournaments over the holiday weekend. On Sunday St. Francis of West Nyack defeated St. Margaret's of Pearl River in the Father Murphy Invitational at St. Margaret's of Riverdale (Bronx). St. Francis fought back from a 14 point deficit by hitting 8 three point shots by Zachary Larson and Doug Conway to win 52 - 50. Robert Ferreira and Matt Grossbard of St. Margaret's and Kevin McCahey of St. Francis made the All-Tournament team. Coach Pat Woods did an excellent job of running this 18th annual tournament. Doug Conway of St. Francis was the Tournament MVP. On Monday St. Francis won the St. Matthew's Mid-Winter Basketball Tournament by defeating St. Anthony's of Nanuet 47 - 34. Another excellent job by Coach Tunney Maher at this tournament that included teams from the NYC area, Philadelphia and Boston.'

1/17/05 John P Miciotta: Sixth annual Martin Luther King Basketball Challenge at L.I.U.

1/17/05 Daily News: Curtis Kelly & Rice look Super at Garden. And FDA approves OT win.

1/17/05 Journal News: Mount Vernon falls to Rice, 64-55.

1/17/05 NY Post: Curtis Kelly in comfort zone as Rice stays red hot.

1/17/05 Newsday: FDA ekes out win in OT 65-63 against East Boston yesterday in the Big Apple Invitational at Baruch College.

1/17/05 Newsday: Our Savior still struggling. A year after van crash that killed basketball player, survivors still struggle with its physical and emotional aftermath.

1/17/05 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A: 'Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. of the Bronx went into Brooklyn and outlasted a talented Canarsie H.S. team. Super sophomore Nathaniel Lester of Canarsie poured in 26 pts in the second half to keep this contest close but O.S.L. got a balanced effort from their starters to get the victory. O.S.L S.G.  Larry Garcia (pictured right) led with 26pts on 5-7 shooting from the 3 point line. 6' 7" M.V.P. winner Justin Burrell got off to a slow start but warmed up with some spectacular dunks in the second half to finish with 19pts and 10 rebounds, Nick Murphy finished with 11pts & 11 rebounds.

 Shane Dunelly add 11 pts 10 assist 4 steals and tough on ball defense. Freshman P.G. Ivey Fisher hit three big 3 point shots and directed his team like a poised veteran. Fisher finished with 11 points and 12 assist. The final score in this contest was 92 O.S.L. 81 Canarsie in the 6th Annual Martin Luther King Brooklyn Challenge.'

1/16/05 Bernie Mulligan: 'NYC teams won two out of three on the final day of the Jimmy V at LaSalle in Troy,NY. Molloy lost the championship final 69-64 to West Genesee from Syracuse area. LaSalle NYC beat Troy LaSalle 56-44 for third place and Bronx Monroe beat Albany suburb Ballston Spa by a point for fifth place. George Kunkel from Molloy, Evaris Obas from LaSalle and Darian David from Monroe were named to all-tournament team.'

1/16/05 Metro Hoops: Battle On The Boardwalk Recap -- St. Benedicts Prep, Atlantic City and #1 St. Patrick’s win.

1/16/05 NJ Hoops: Freedom Fighters Results.

1/16/05 Journal News: Mount Vernon looks to prove itself.

1/16/05 Coach Elliot Rosado, Wiz Kids: 'The Wiz Kids 10 & under team had the pleasure of opening up the Bingo's & Wee All stars tournament against the Gauchos. The Gauchos pulled it off with a strong fourth quarter 35 to 30. Good luck to the Bingo's & Wee Allstars' staff as the tournament got off to a great start.'

1/16/05 BOOKSNBALL: 'Hats off to the PSAL for getting their PSAL playoff dates out to the public so early! PSAL Basketball Post Season Dates.'

1/16/05 BOOKSNBALL: 'I know High Hoops has never done movie reviews before, but let me just say that Coach Carter is worth talking about and a must see for all. Anyone working with student-athletes who are trying to be successful or need guidance in learning how to recognize their priorities and at the same time deal with their distractions will come away from this movie energized to motivate their players. Individual players will find this movie talking to their hearts and minds with the overwhelmingly positive message of think and take responsibility for your actions which will decide whether you are successful or not. I saw this movie with long time NYC hoops participant (All City HS player, original Rucker League participant, educator and referee) Earnie Morris who also came away raving about the "realness" of the movie & the ideas, situations and emotions it touches on. We both felt it's a must see and hope that everyone who sees it can come away feeling better about what each individual can contribute to making New York and New Jersey High School hoops the success it can be for all on & off the court. Here are the links to the real Coach Carter's web site, About the Coach - Bio and to the web site for the movie Coach Carter. When taking 6th -9th graders you might want to preview the background info on the film and characters.These web sites will help you do that.

1/16/05 Coach Bill Turnage Jr. 'The Bi-State Pythons won the Island Garden Holiday Tournament for 9/10 graders. Congratulations Leroy Anderson, Evion Gordon, Maurice Hughley, Darwin Lynch, Cory White, Amir Turnage, Manny Scott, Edy Toussaint and Chris Abney.'

1/16/05 Bernie Mulligan: 'Friday night in Troy: West Genesee 55, LaSalle NYC 42. Molloy 73, James Monroe 59. Saturday: Monroe vs NYC LaSalle, Molloy vs Ballston Spa, Troy LaSalle vs West Genesee.'

1/15/05 North Jersey Sports: Paramus Catholic fights off Passaic comeback.

1/15/05 NY Hoops: Player Rankings.

1/15/05 Newsday: Flushing's Vernon Teel on a tear, nets 49 and 16 rebounds in a 76-69 win over Bowne. And Lincoln's Nyan Boateng gets to play.

1/15/05 Jim Burke: 'Our 11th annual IHM March Madness basketball tournament this year is being sponsored by The Hoop Group and Pocono Invitational Basketball Camp. The cost is $250 per team with a three game guarantee. Site is the Nazareth Center at IHM in Scotch Plains, NJ. Tournament starts 2/19 and should end on 3/23. There will be partial scholarships to the Pocono Invitational Camp provided by the Hoop Group to all tournament team members and MVP's. Also, the Hoop Group will provide a clipboard for each head coach. We expect to have a photographer at the games to take action shots or team/individual photos for purchase by parents. If you have any questions, please call Jim Burke at 732-388-2121 ext. 19 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays or at 908-233-3358 after 5:00 p.m. or on weekends. Or e-mail Burke2009@aol.com.'

1/14/05 Metro Hoops: Trenton pushes #1 St. Patrick’s. And Battle On The Boardwalk Preview.

1/14/05 NorthJersey: Shooting for the top - Paterson Catholic.

1/14/05 NY Post: Lincoln wide receiver, Nyan Boateng, to announce decision.

1/14/05 Newsday: Banneker forfeits 7.

1/14/05 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A: 'The Vee-Bees of Martin Van Buren played its toughest home game of the season versus the Bulldogs of Campus Magnet. This game lived up to all expectations. Martin Van Buren drew blood first with a 12-11 first quarter lead. Campus Magnet struck back by leading 24-20 at intermission. The Bulldogs went on to take a ten point lead in the third quarter before MVB fought back. Senior forward Anthony Soares scored 10pts and Jason Plenty added 10pts more to keep the Vee Bees close. C.M. 6' 2" PG Evan Thomas, 6' 5" S.F. Rondu Stevens, 6' 6" P.F. Josiah Peay and 5' 10" S.G. Ramses Powell supplied the punch that kept Van Burens crowd on edge. Van Buren 6' 3" S.F. Troy Hernandez hit probably the biggest 3 point shot of his high school career with less than 30 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. Hernandez' shot gave MVB a 2 point lead as the Vee Bees never looked back. Campus Magnet missed a layup to tie the game with under twenty seconds to go as Jason Plenty grabbed his fifth rebound of the game. The game ball goes to reserve guard Michael Brown for his defense and hustle as he was matched up with a very tough Evan Thomas of CM. Martin Van Buren went on to win this contest 50-46 and a chance to move on and face Springfield Gardens H.S. for the Queens IIIA conference crown. Jason Plenty finished with 16 pts 5 assist & 5 rebounds 6' 3" S.G.Anwar Boling provided the offense in the 1st half finished with 14pts and 6' 2" P.F. Anthony Soares had 10pts & 7 rebounds.'

1/13/05 Teams and schedules are on the IS8 Winter Classic, 2005 page.

1/13/05 Sean Atkins, Education Program associate & Academic All-Stars head coach: 'This weekend The Boys' Club of New York will host the 2nd Annual Future Stars Jamboree at Abbe Clubhouse in Flushing, Queens (133-01 41st Road). The event will feature 13, 14, and 15 year old from AAU, BCNY and junior boarding school teams. The tournament continues to grow as The Boys' Club of New York looks to place young men in boarding schools. If you have any questions please give me a call @ 646-302-8039. On Friday January 14th @ 5:00 Harriman vs. Team Roc, @ 6:15 Jefferson Park vs. Cardigan Mountain, @ 7:30 Abbe vs New Heights. Saturday January 15th @ 10:00 New York Select vs. Cardigan Mountain, @ 11:30 Team Roc vs. Jefferson Park, @ 12:45 Cardigan Mountain vs. Abbe, @ 2:00 Harriman vs. New Heights. Email: satkins@admin.bcny.org.'

1/13/05 Metro Hoops: Trenton's Marcus Keith visits with old friends vs. St. Patrick’s.

1/13/05 psal.org: The Nike HS Basketball "Super 6" is back at Madison Square Garden.

1/13/05 NY Hoops: South Shore Vikings Hand Robeson Eagles 1st League Setback.

1/13/05 NY Post: Banneker star ineligible --  Gerell Haynes.

1/13/05 Coach Rick Swillinger: 'Walton High School defeated DeWitt Clinton High School today 74-72 in a hotly contested battle for second place in the Bronx West. Coach Bob Finkelstein's Governors played their hearts out and the final score was indicative of how close the game was. The main reason I am writing this is to let the local basketball scene know about my senior captain Nicardo "Teddy" Ellis. He has played for me since he was a freshman. Today he exploded for 41 points and really stepped up in the fourth quarter (17 points, 8-10 free throws) to help the Wildcats come back from a nine point deficit. His three-plus years point total now stands at 1, 521. The last time I checked the PSAL website he was second in the city in both ppg and rpg (25 and 12.5). Teddy, a legitimate 6'4'', is a loyal, reliable, unselfish person. He is a non-qualifier right now but will be taking the SAT again in December. I hope some college coaches see this posting because they are really "missing the boat" on a great basketball player and young man.'

1/12/05 Jim Fox: 'Long Island Lightning AAU Tryouts will take place on January 17, 2005 for 10-14 U (grades 4-8) at the Island Garden. Full information on our web site www.longislandlightning.com or call 516-292-4956.'

1/12/05 Metro Hoops: Point Taken - Top Young Freshman Guards. The Final Quarter, Featuring Ashton Gibbs.

1/12/05 NJ.com: Top 20 headed by 1-St. Anthony (7-1), 2-Seton Hall Prep (7-1),  3-St. Patrick’s (8-1),  4-St. Augustine (7-0) and 5-Raritan (9-0).

1/12/05 NJ.com: Barney Anderson propels No. 1 St. Anthony past No. 5 Raritan.

1/12/05 NJ Hoops Super Six 1. St. Patrick's (8 - 1), 2. St. Benedict's (11 - 1), 3. St. Anthony's (8 - 1), 4. Seton Hall Prep (7 - 1), 5. Haddonfield (6 - 1) and 6. Raritan (8 - 1).

1/12/05 Daily News: Rice heats up late, rallies past Xaverian.

1/12/05 NY Post: 'Veteran', Kashif Pratt, rallies Rice Raiders.

1/12/05 NY Hoops: Raiders Stay Unbeaten.  And PSAL top ten.

1/12/05 Newsday: St. Raymond 83, Holy Cross 77. St. Ray's pulls together. Without suspended shooting guard, Ricky Torres, Bethel, Vasser and Redfern step up to help Ravens slip past Holy Cross

1/12/05 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A: 'St John Prep H.S. went back to the basics after losing their first game of the season to Cardinal Hayes H.S. The Johnnies went back to the first and second options. The first option, 6' 4" Richard Thomas produced 26 pts and a dozen rebounds followed by the second option, 6' 2" P.G. Chris Williams, the M.V.P. of the Monsignor King tourney who complemented Thomas with 16 pts and 10 assists as the Red Storm regrouped before running away from Bishop Ford to push their record to 13 wins &1 loss. SJP knows that in conference play that there are no easy games and that all teams step up their efforts against the Red Storm. Losing to a talented Cardinal Hayes H.S. team enabled SJP to refocus on their 2005 season.'

1/12/05 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A: 'Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. in the Bronx is loaded with talented players who won't show up in many scouting polls or rankings among the city's best. However there is one player in particular who is worthy to be called a hidden gem. Larry Garcia is a 5'10" junior at O.S.L. What makes Larry stand out are his numbers. Garcia recently made 47 jumpshots out 90 shots taken beyond the 3 point line and is averaging 19ppg. What also makes Larry stand out is his ability to shoot well in big games. Larry Garcia will not appear in any of the rankings in the class of 2006 but if a coach on the collegiate level is looking for a good shooter check out a game at Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. or speak to

1/11/05 Metro Hoops Top Ten includes 1. St. Patrick’s 8-1, 2. St. Anthony’s 7-1, 3. Seton Hall Prep 7-1, 4. Raritan 9-0, 5. St Augustine Prep 6-0, 6. Linden 8-0, 7. Paterson Catholic 5-2, 8. Haddonfield 6-1, 9. Atlantic City 7-0 and 10. Bloomfield Tech 8-2.

1/11/05 BOOKSNBALL: 'This latest announcement from the NCAA will change how high school student-athletes, their parents and coaches will look at colleges who are recruiting them. Colleges who are not graduating their student-athletes at an acceptable percentage will end up losing scholarships to offer to high school recruits. This should have the long term effect of colleges doing a better job in motivating and monitoring their student-athletes to make meaningful progress toward graduating from their college. It will also enable high school student-athletes and their parents to make a more informed decision about what college their son or daughter should sign a letter of intent with. Will academic responsiblity now become the responsibility it should have always been with students and all coaches? Do we have a choice?'  ESPN- NCAA passes landmark academic reform plan.

1/11/05 Coach Rudy King: 'On Sunday, January 16, the Brooklyn Bridge - High Energy - Forest City Ratner Companies present the 6th Annual MLK High School Basketball Challenge @Long Island University - Brooklyn Campus - 1 University Plaza. 12noon - Canarsie (PSAL) vs. Our Saviour Lutheran (PSAA), 2pm - St. Dominic's (L.I.) vs. All Hallows (PSAL), and 4pm - Bishop Loughlin (CHSAA) vs. Roberson (PSAL). Admission: $5.00.'

1/11/05 Newsday: Christ the King 64, Holy Cross 54. CK comes up big in third.

1/11/05 NY Hoops: Lincoln blitzes Cardozo at LIU. And Royals Sweeps Knights.

1/11/05 NorthJersey: Standing tall inside -- Alvin Mofunanya.

1/11/05 Metro Hoops: 'Drummond Carries Bloomfield Tech Over Rahway. 6’10 Junior Casiem Drummond scored 26 point, grabbed 10 rebounds and had three blocks as Bloomfield Tech got the best of Rahway High School 52-43 yesterday at the Playaz New Years Jump Off in Teaneck. Highly touted junior Earl Clark led Rahway with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks.'

1/11/05 Frank McCree: '5'4"Anthony "Cheese " Vega of Liberty Academy Charter School is the best elementary school point guard I have been affiliated with since I coached Tyrone Barley at Mt. Vernon School in Newark in 1996. This year Liberty Academy is playing in Bob Hurley's Jersey Armory League where he has caught the eye of most of the areas' leading coaches. Cheese wants to attend St. Anthony or Marist. Meanwhile, .6'4" LACS grad Brandon Chisholm is on the Marist freshmen team.'

1/10/05 John P Miciotta: Holy Cross @ CK.

1/10/05 Prep Nation Basketball Poll - Week 7 includes # 2. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's 10-0 led by North Carolina recruit G Danny Green, # 7. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King 10-1 beat two state-ranked foes last week, # 11. New York, N.Y., Rice 9-0 NCAA scoring champ Keydren Clark of St. Peter's an alum, # 21. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 7-1 only loss to No. 10 East Hall and # 23. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's 8-1 boosted by return of superstar junior F Derrick Caracter.

Northeast Region 1. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's (10-0), 2. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (10-0), 3. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King (10-1), 4. New York, N.Y., Rice (9-0), 5. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep (7-1), 6. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's (8-1), 7. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (10-1), 8. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (7-1), 9. Merion, Pa., Episcopal (12-1) and 10. Philadelphia, Pa., Neumann-Goretti (12-0).

1/10/05 USA Today's Super 25 boys' basketball rankings lists # 4. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (9-0). Previous: 5. Result: Beat St. Francis (Fresh Meadows) 65-33, Paterson (N.J.) Catholic 59-54 and Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn) 78-62. # 6. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (7-1). Previous: 7. Result: Beat Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft) 40-37 in the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children Basketball Festival. Also beat Life Center (Burlington) 61-36. # 9. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (9-0). Previous: 10. Result: Beat St. Dominic's (Oyster Bay) 77-56 and St. John the Baptist (West Islip) 92-65. # 11. Christ the King, Queens, N.Y. (10-1). Previous: 11. Result: Beat Xaverian (Brooklyn) 59-56 and Holy Cross (Queens) 64-54.  # 18. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (8-1). Previous: 18. Result: Beat St. Benedict's Prep (Newark) 53-44, Paramus Catholic 76-62 and Blair Academy (Blairstown) 76-64. and # 20. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (9-1). Previous: 20. Result: Beat New Rochelle 73-61 Gorton (Yonkers) 91-30 and Saunders (Yonkers) 103-33.

Regional rankings -- East: 1. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (9-0), 2. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (7-1), 3. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (9-0), 4. Christ the King, Queens, N.Y. (10-1), 5. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (11-1), 6. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (10-0), 7. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (12-0), 8. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (8-1), 9. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (9-1), 10. Montrose Christian, Rockville, Md. (12-1).

1/10/05 Hoops USA: Regular school rating has # 1 - St. Mary's - Manhasset, NY 10-0, # 5 - St. Anthony - Jersey City, NJ 7-1, # 7 - Christ The King - Middle Village, NY 10-1, # 8 - Rice - Manhattan, NY 9-0, # 9 - Seton Hall Prep - West Orange, NJ 7-1 and  # 11 - St. Patrick - Elizabeth, NJ 8-1.

1/10/05 MSG Network: St. Mary's remains atop this week's hoops poll with Rice right behind. # 1. St. Mary's, LI (9-0), # 2. Rice, NY (9-0), # 3. Christ the King, NY (10-1), # 4. St. Anthony, NJ (7-1), # 5. St. Patrick's, NJ (7-1), # 6. Mt. Vernon, NY (9-1), # 7. Lincoln, NY (15-1), # 8. Xaverian, NY (8-2), # 9. Seton Hall Prep, NJ (7-1) and # 10. Holy Cross, NY (12-2).

1/10/05 Dennis Gregory: 'South Bergen area fans will be treated to an exciting doubleheader of boys basketball while supporting a worthy cause as the 2nd Annual Tim Finnerty Classic returns to Felician College this Sunday, January 16. The doubleheader tips off at 6:30 pm when the Golden Griffins of Queen of Peace play host to the Rutherford Bulldogs. Action continues in the nightcap at the Vikings of North Arlington put their undefeated record on the line versus the Rutherford St. Mary Gaels.

Doors open at 5:30 pm, with fan admission priced at $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for students/senior citizens. Proceeds from the event go to the "Fund for Finn" which has sponsored numerous projects to benefit area communities and school's. Some of their recent projects can be found on their website at www.fundforfinn.org. A recent project was the renaming of the basketball court at Queen of Peace, the "Tim Finnerty Court". Tim Finnerty, a long time Rutherford resident who graduated from Queen of Peace High School in 1986, died tragically in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. For more information on this event, please call (201) 672-9588.'

1/10/05 Coach Jimmy Salmon: 'The Playaz Basketball Club is sponsoring an 8 team - 8 game, 7th and 8th grade league beginning the weekend of January 22, 2005. Games will be played at the Hoopzone on Route 4 in Englewood, NJ. Many of the top club programs in the area have already committed ( Playaz, Gauchos, Metro Hawks, Team Philly). Entry fee for the league is $275.00 and teams must bring $25.00 per game for the officials. Tem mesh reversibles will be given to each team and games will be either Saturdays at 5 or 6PM or Sundays at 2 or 3PM. For more info, contact Jimmy Salmon @ 973-207-4346 or email at JimmySalmon67@aol.com. All teams will make the playoffs and awards will be given at the conclusion of the league in March.'

1/10/05 Coach Ted Gustus: 'Congratulations to Canarsie High School as they clinched a playoff spot by defeating South Shore High School 79-71. As I mentioned, Canarsie is not a one man team, despite Nathaniel Lester only scoring 10 points, Canarsie was led by 6-5 senior Omar Robinson with 27 points (4 three pointers). However, it was the great play of the backcourt, juniors Ryan Suttan (9 points, 5 steals and excellent defense) and Carl Munerlyn, Jr. (12 points and 3 steals). In addition, 6-8 junior center Pianki Hutchinson scored 12 points, 15 rebounds and 5 block shots. Canarsie is now in second place with a 7-3 league won-lost record.'

1/10/05 Antonio Cannon, Sr. 'The T.K.Allstar 12u team opened up their winter season at IS8 on Saturday. The N.Y. Skyridders defeated us 28-27 in an exciting game from start to finish. T.K. lead most of the way, until the Skyriders made their run with 7 unanswered points to end the third period. T.K. would answer making a run of our own with 2:30 left in the contest. With seconds left on the clock Derrick Watson was fouled, and given a chance to tie the contest, but failed to convert the back end of of a 1 and 1 situation. Denzel Dulin rebounded the missed free throw but failed to convert the put back with time expiring.

The team is competing in the West bracket of the competition facing N.Y. Select on Sun. 1/16 @ 9:30, Gauchos on Sun. 1/23 @10:15am, Impact on Sat. 1/29 @11:00am. The Roster: Rashawn Rhoden, Jarrett Mustafa, J.R. Pringley, Jordan Parker, Cheyenne Nettleton, Derek Watson, Denzel Dulin.'

1/10/05 Daily News: Lincoln overrules Cardozo.

1/10/05 NY Post: Lincoln logs easy victory over Judges.

1/10/05 Newsday: Undefeated Rice tops Loughlin.

'Josh Rudin's three-pointer with six seconds left gave Jericho a 66-63 win over host Malverne yesterday in boys basketball at the Martin Luther King Classic. Marc Flynn scored all 14 of his points in the second half. Gregg Lott had 23 points for Malverne.

St. Dominic 66, Grady (Brooklyn) 63: Brian Sheehy made 3 of 4 foul shots in the final 1:30 to give host St. Dominic the lead in the Dan Trant Classic.'

1/10/05 NJ Hoops: Upset at New Year's Jump Off - Teaneck over South Plainfield 62 - 57.

1/9/05 Andre Owes: Championship results are on the Shoot Hoops Not Guns page.

1/9/05 Ricky Smith (BigQueensScout): 'The NYC Ballers are now looking for players and coaches for our 1st ever travel reams. Kids ages 10u, 12u, 14u, 16u and 18u. All tournaments will be payed for in full and all travel cost by NYCBallers Inc. All players interested in playing and all coaches interested in coaching one of our teams please email me at Bigqueensscout@yahoo.com for more information. All members will get free Nike gear and will play in all major tournaments.

The Queens Showdown Classic will start on Feb 12 2005 in Queens NY. We are still looking for teams to take part in our tournament age groups 13u 15u 17u and 19u. All age groups are just $20.00 a Team. All players will get awards and all teams will get full uniforms with your team name on them. Some teams that have signed up or have been invited are Queens Blackhawks, Metro Hawks, LI Elete, LI Aces, Rosedale Trailblazers, T.K All-Stars, Juice All-stars, Pro bound, New Heights Warriors, Bi State Pythons, Far Lin 4 Life, Morris Brown Warriors, NYC Finest. If interested please email me at Bigqueensscout@yahoo.com.'

1/9/05 Anthony Nicodemo: 'The Westchester Elite Basketball Winter Hardwood Classic took place on Saturday and featured 6 games of great basketball. For complete game summaries and photos go to www.westchesterelite.com/. The site will be updated on Sunday evening. New Rochelle 46, FDA 37. MOP- Geoff McDermott 18 points, 14 rebounds.  Pearl River 65, Kennedy Catholic 57. MOP- Joe Mistrulli 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 8 steals, 8-8 FT's. Port Chester 62, St. Raymond's 57. MOP- Greg Avila 13 points, 12 rebounds. Lakeland 65, Panas 47. MOP- Nick Ar-Bab 17 points, 4 assists. Mater Dei 60, Simon Gratz 46. MOP- Taylor King 26 points, 11 rebounds. Pleasantville 57, Briarcliff 42. William Garbarini MOP- Mike Bramswig 17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists.'

1/9/05 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'I want to praise Coach Jack Alesi and his outstanding Xaverian High School team. Last night we were given the opportunity to play at Xaverian where we lost 59-37 to this great team, after trailing 19-17 at the half. However if anyone ever asks me how to spell first class I will spell it "Jack Alesi" Coach Alesi did what very few of today's coaches would have done. He played his entire team in the first half and gave our players a chance to feel as if we were in a tight game. This experience will help our team grow and hopefully gave the Xaverian backups the chance they wanted so they could shine. I really appreciated this class move by a man I consider a giant among coaches.'

1/9/05 Metro Hoops: Scholarship Festival Tripleheader Recap.

1/9/05 NJO: No. 1 St. Anthony downs No. 14 CBA. Prevails despite not having Mercer for game.

1/9/05 NJO Top 20: Headed by # 1-St. Anthony (5-1). Its 33-game winning streak was snapped in San Diego, but it won its next two behind junior guard David Bullock and senior point guard Derrick Mercer. # 2-Seton Hall Prep (6-1). Andrew Pusar scored 30 points in a victory over West Ashley, S.C., and Alex Wujciak had 19 in a loss to East Hall, Ga., as each reached career highs at the Red Cross-Rotary Roundball Classic in Charleston, S.C. # 3-St. Patrick’s (5-1). The Union County team has already displayed depth in the paint with Andre Davis, Yannick Formbornono and Tyrone Cook. And 6-9 transfer Derrick Caracter hasn’t played a minute yet.

1/9/05 NJ Hoops: St. Anthony's holds on.

1/9/05 Courier Post Online: He's a winner `beyond basketball'. Middle Township coach Tom Feraco closes in on 500th win.

1/9/05 Metro Hoops: Mike Henderson’s 35 muzzle Shabazz Bulldogs.

1/9/05 Journal News: Hardwood Classic: Port Chester defeats St. Raymond's. And New Rochelle defeats Frederick Douglass 46-37.

1/9/05 NY Hoops: Lincoln holds off Banneker in OT.

1/8/05 Metro Hoops: Scholarship Festival Tripleheader Preview.

1/8/05 NJ Hoops: Scholarship Tripleheader has Great Lineup.

1/8/05 Daily Star Online: High school boys basketball rankings from the New York State Sports Writers’ Association. Class AA 1. St. Mary 7-0, 2. Rice 6-0, 3. Niagara Falls 9-0, 4. Rochester East 10-0, 5. Christ the King 7-1.

1/8/05 NY Post: Jamel Jackson's trey lifts 'splitters.  

1/8/05 Newsday: Hayes outlasts SJP.

1/7/05 "The Twins" Gauchos: 'Congratulations to Jessie Sapp, currently at National Christian Academy and his family on his commitment to attend Georgetown University. Jessie is having a solid season thus far averaging 26 ppg. and 6 boards. He'll be playing the same position that Allen Iverson played when he was at Georgetown. Big shoes to fill? We're sure he's up for the challenge. That means the three "Gaucho Guards" that we coached for the past few years will be playing against each other in the Big East Conference for the next 4 years. Levance Fields at Pittsburgh, Weyinmi Efejuku at Providence and Jessie Sapp at Georgetown. More importantly, those young men will obtain a college education that will open the doors of success and remain with them for the rest of their lives. Needless to say we are very proud of each one of them.  It shows once again how the "Gaucho Guards" have made an impact on New York City Basketball.'

1/7/05 BOOKSNBALL: 'I'm hoping that the film Coach Carter is the winner it's touted to be and that many youth league and high school coaches will find it worthy of taking their players to see. Hopefully parents will find it a worthwhile family activity to do also. Here are some informational links that I think you may find useful and could possibly result in some comp tickets. The first contains the bio of the "real" Coach Carter About the Coach and the second one is about the movie itself, Coach Carter.  Enjoy & good luck on your high school finals!'

1/7/05 Metro Hoops: Caracter and St Patrick’s win Round 1.

1/7/05 NJ.com: Caracter, Gonzalez pace St. Patrick's.

1/7/05 NJ Hoops: Caracter's Return Sparks St. Pat's.

1/7/05 NorthJersey: Tyrell Biggs looms large for Don Bosco.

1/7/05 Philly.com: A coach's powerful message. Ken Carter is unyielding and unorthodox and very successful. His story is now a movie.

1/7/05 Newsday: Slippery with tradition. Holiday tournament at Monsignor King Hall played on a floor that's short on traction but long on hoops history.

1/7/05 PSAL.org:  Winter Wonderland Basketball Weekend.

1/7/05 Newsday: UConn's AJ Price must sit out year.

1/7/05 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: 'First I want to echo the words of  legandary leader and coach, Ted Gustus, Canarsie High School and Nathaniel Lester are for real! They work hard at all times and share the ball. They always make the extra pass and are the best shooting team I have seen in a while. It was great to see so many people at the game who care about and work to improve the lives of our young people. It was also great to see Canarsie coach Tommie Allen in the "House". Tommie looks great after a heart attack scare in the fall. Also long time Canarsie aide, Glen Forde and Rob Phelps did a top flight job with their group. I have had the chance to glimpse life on the wrong side of the scoreboard this year quite often, however with young coaches like Midwood's Vic Gjecia , Canarsie's Rob Phelps and Jefferson's Lawrence Pollard I feel our game is in very good hands. I can only hope that we at Tilden can rise to the challenge of our super tough league in the future.We will be back!'

1/6/05 Metro Hoops: Let's get ready to rumble (St. Patrick’s vs. St. Benedicts Preview).

1/6/05 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Westchester Elite Basketball present the Winter Hardwood Classic this Saturday at Pace University in Pleasantville, NY. Games will begin at noon as some of the area's best teams will compete against each other. Tickets will be available at the door. The National game will feature Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) currently ranked 13 in USA Today playing Simon Gratz out of Phildelphia. The complete schedule is listed below. Go to www.westchesterelite.com for team and player info.  12:00 FDA vs New Rochelle, 1:30 Pearl River vs Kennedy Catholic, 3:00 St. Raymond's vs Port Chester, 5:45 Lakeland vs Walter Panas, 7:15 Mater Dei vs Simon Gratz and 8:45 Briarcliff vs Pleasantville.'

1/6/05 Coach Tony Bergeron: 'Andre Tarver, 6-2 junior, eclipsed the 1,000 point mark yesterday in a win over Lehman HS. Tarver's backcourt mate 5-10 junior, Rasheem Jenkins, became Wings all-time leading scorer in the same game scoring 14 points surpassing Garfield Johns (1180 points). Congratulations to both excellent student-athletes!'

1/6/05 Andre Ambrose: 'Eastern States Basketball Assosciation and Brooklyn Hoops present the 1st Annual Jr. high school winter league -four divisions (4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and 7th+ 8th grades), each team plays 10 regular season games + playoffs. Each team will also play on the same day and the same time each week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). All games to be played at the Brooklyn Hoops Basketball Complex in East Flatbush Brooklyn. Action starts January 25th. There are limited spots still available. Contact Andre Ambrose 917-548-1754 or Bklynhoops@aol.com for more info.'

1/6/05 Coach Ted Gustus: 'Canarsie defeated Tilden yesterday, and once again, sophomore sensation Nathaniel Lester scored 34 points, scoring 18 points in the third quarter. Again, Nathaniel demonstrated his ability to score many ways, three point shots, dunks, midrange pull-ups and put backs. Nathaniel is far from a one man show, as 6-5 senior Omar Robinson scored 17 points. Omar is averaging close to 20 points this season. Congratulations to coaches Robert Phelps and Glen Forde as they are doing a great job in leading Canarsie to a 6-1 record in the last 7 games. Oh, it was great seeing some of my oldtime friends and colleagues at the game, Rock Eisenberg (my favorite sideline coach, I love his interaction with his kids, winning or losing, he is the best!) Ron Vernon, academic leader for athletes, Rich Kosik, coach Carlton Screen, Sr. founder of the best development programs (FYA), coach Andre Ambrose (Brooklyn Hoops) and Dave Harris (former star at Wingate H.S. and now principal at Canarsie High School).'

1/6/05 Journal News: Mount Vernon defeats New Rochelle 73-61.

1/6/05 John Malone (Section1Guy): 'Mt. Vernon extended their dominance in section 1 with a fairly easy 73-61 win over New Rochelle. Mt. Vernon led by as many as 22 and coasted late especially when Mike Coburn fouled out. Well played game, very entertaining. Everyone from Mt. Vernon played well, and they shot over 50% from the floor, in fact every single starter shot 50% or better. Lowe had 10, Coburn 14, Smith 15 (5-7 threes), Hutchinson 10, Mitchell 16. The 6'5 frosh Kevin Jones had 5 points and 7 rebounds.

New R's McDermott had 15 points and 10 rebounds, but had 5 turnovers and shot 5-14. Parkes had 16 points, but wasn't great either. The difference was the guard play. New Rochelle had over 18 turnovers, and their guards didn't start scoring until the game was into the 15+ differential area. New Rochelle was in the game early on when they were down 17-14 after the first. They stayed in it with great offensive rebounding by Parkes and McDermott, but turnovers hurt them in the second quarter when Mt. Vernon outscored them 21-12. Coburn and Lowe had 13 assists combined.

I think Mt. Vernon looked like they are ready to defend their public school crown today. Niagara Falls should be the only competition. East High, Schnectady, and Newburgh can't compete with them.'

1/6/05 Coach Jimmy Salmon: 'The Playaz Basketball Club is hosting the 2005 New Year's Jump Off this coming Sunday January 9, 2005 at Teaneck HS. The triple-header begins at 1PM with Englewood HS who features 6-8 inch Alvin Mufunanya taking on Westwood HS which is led by super soph 6-6 Corey Raji. The 2:30PM game features Rahway HS led by 6-8 point guard Earl Clark taking on NJ State power Bloomfield Tech. The final game of the day is the 4PM contest. Teaneck HS, fresh off their Christmas tourney championship, takes on NJ top ten ranked South Plainfield HS and Marquis Jones. Doors open at 12:30 PM. Don't miss the action!'

1/6/05 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A: 'The Vee-Bees of Martin Van Buren H.S. have been getting lots of leadership from their 5' 8" point guard. Jason Plenty. Jason is fun to watch as he disects pressure defenses after pressure defenses. Plenty is beginning to see his leadership payoff. Today Martin Van Buren out worked Far Rockaway H.S. behind Jason's fast paced play. He sees the floor, distributes the ball and dives on the floor for loose balls which is becoming contagious for his teammates. Jason's 10 pts, 9assists and 8 rebounds is just the beginning. His teammates, Anthony Soares (16pts, 10 rebs), Albert Sims (11 pts, 5 rebs), Troy Hernandez (10pts and 7rebs) almost feel guilty for not finishing the passes that leads to easy scoring opportunities. Martin Van-Buren defeated Far Rockaway H.S. 73-52 to rebound from a tough loss on the road to Manhattan Center. The Vee-Bees finished second in the 7th annual Junius Kellog Memorial Classic held at Manhattan Center H.S. The Rams of Manhattan Center 14-1 held a 13 pt 4th quater lead until Van-Buren staged a 12-1 run to knot the game 62-62 with 1:00 remaining in the game. Jason scored nine points during the run at Manhattan Ctr refusing to let his teammates quit in this contest. Van-Buren lost the game but gained valuable game experience and confidence to compete through-out the season. Jason Plenty is a hidden bem.'

1/6/05 Andre Edwards , Team Underrated: 'Shavar Burch of Upper Room Christian now at Heritage Christian Prep in Texas has been tearing the state up with his performances. Shavar has emerged as a starter and is now rated the 21st best player in the state of Texas in the class of 2005 according to Texas Roundball. Heritage Christian is playing the 4th toughest schedule in the country. Shavar is a humble kid that continues to get better. Shavar is now getting strong interest from Division I programs. Hard work does pay off. '

1/6/05 Newsday: Lincoln 82, Grady 67. Rails set cruise control. Defensive pressure, three-point shooting spark third-quarter run after White's first-half foul trouble.

1/5/05 John P Miciotta: CK @ Xaverian, varsity and frosh.

1/5/05 Daily News: Kevin White lifts Lincoln. 11 assists lead second-half surge.

1/5/05 NY Post: Kevin White propels Lincoln.

1/5/05 NYHoops: Lincoln makes their point. And Royals Survive Big Night from Levance Fields.

1/5/05 Metro Hoops: Out of state losses sting New Jersey Top Ten.

1/5/05 NJ Hoops Super 6 1. St. Benedict's (10 - 0), 2. St. Anthony's (4 - 1), 3. St. Patrick's (5 - 1), 4. Seton Hall Prep (6 - 1), 5. Haddonfield (3 - 1) and 6. Hun (8 - 1).

1/4/05 Jason Curry: 'The 2nd Annual Big Apple Basketball H.S. Invitational - Sunday, January 16, 2005 at Baruch College (corner of E. 24th St. & Lexington Ave.) 12pm – Amityville vs. McKinney, 2pm – East Boston High vs. Frederick Douglass Academy, 4pm – Uniondale vs. Benjamin Banneker and 6pm - Paterson Catholic vs. St. Mary's. St. Mary's - #1 ranked team in NY State featuring North Carolina signee, Danny Green. Frederick Douglass Academy - top ranked team in PSAL. Paterson Catholic - Top 5 team in NJ. Benjamin Banneker - top-three ranked team in PSAL. East Boston High - #1 ranked team in Massachusetts. Uniondale - led by University of Rhode Island signee, Kaheim Seawright. Amityville - perennial Long Island power. McKinney - 2004 PSAL 'B' City Champs.

"There will be a lot of tournaments in the metropolitan area during the M.L.K. weekend and this will be one of the very best," said high school basketball scouting guru, Tom Konchalski. "This tournament features the best team (St. Mary’s) and the best senior (St. Mary’s guard Danny Green) in the area, along with outstanding teams from New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Boston. This is going to be more than just a city showcase."

Kids under 5 - free, children under 12 - $3, students w/ school ID - $5, general admission - $8. For more info. visit www.bigapplebasketball.com, e-mail: staff@bigapplebasketball.com or call Jason Curry at (718)575-3342.'

1/4/05 USA Today: Super 25 boys' basketball rankings lists # 5. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (7-0). Previous: 23. Result: Won Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu, beating Xaverian (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 62-42 in championship game. # 7. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (5-1). Previous: 1. Result: Finished third at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego, beating Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 57-48. # 10. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (7-0). Previous: Not ranked. Result: Won Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., beating Ridgeway (Memphis) 51-45 in final. # 11. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (8-1). Previous: Not ranked. Result: Won Academy National Invitational's National Division in Houston, beating No. 12 Westchester (Los Angeles) 49-41 in final. # 18. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (5-1). Previous: 10. Result: Finished third at Beach Ball Classic, beating Miami (Fla.) Senior 58-46, after losing to No. 10 St. Mary's in semifinals. # 20. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (5-1). Previous: 5. Result: Finished fifth at Beach Ball Classic, beating Frederick Douglas Academy (Manhattan, N.Y.) 62-60.  Dropped out: No. 22 Seton Hall Prep (West Orange) lost to East Hall (Gainesville, Ga.) 76-73.

Boys basketball regional rankings East: 1. Rice, Manhattan, N.Y. (7-0), 2. St. Anthony, Jersey City. N.J. (5-1), 3. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (9-0), 4. St. Mary's, Manhasset, N.Y. (7-0), 5. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (8-1), 6. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (8-1), 7. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (9-0), 8. St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J. (5-1), 9. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (5-1) and 10. Montrose Christian, Rockville, Md. (11-1).

1/4/05 Courier Post: St. Augustine holds off Holy Spirit.

1/4/05 Newsday: Boys hoops power poll.

1/4/05 Paul Brown, Gauchos: 'For a basketball fan this has to be a special time of the year. College basketball teams are ready to get into the meat of their conference schedules. CHSAA and PSAL teams are also ready to get rolling, but for a grassroots NYC guy the start of the winter tournament season tops them all. You have the Gauchos Winter Roundball Classic , I.S. 8, Pro-Style 2K5, Bingo's All-Star Classic and many other smaller community and CYO leagues. These are the tournaments that make our kids in NYC the best in the nation. From super-eights to super-biddies to biddies to midgets, this is where they learn to play the game they love. So take a break from the big boys, set your alarm clock, grab some coffee and get out a see some of NYC real future stars.'

1/3/05 National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 6 includes # 2. Manhasset, N.Y., St. Mary's 8-0 won Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 23  # 8. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King 7-1 won Academy National Invitational in Houston, # 12. New York, N.Y., Rice 6-0 Houston Rockets G Andre Barrett an alum,  # 22. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep 6-1 runner-up at Red Cross-Rotary Roundball Classic in Charleston, S.C. and # 23. Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick's 6-1 only loss to No. 2 St. Mary's.

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

1/3/05 Metro Hoops: Casiem Drummond Lifts Bloomfield Tech.

1/3/05 BOOKSNBALL: 'Classroom doors are opening this week and the sounds of packed gyms are sure to follow as the high schools of NY and NJ return to action on the hardwood this week. Here are some great games to try to see. The annual battle for Coney Island bragging rights tips off Tuesday.as the Grady Falcons walk the two blocks over to Lincoln H.S. and battle for first place in their PSAL Division. This always must be seen to believe rivalry may set a record for intensity as Kevin White (Grady transfer) suits up for the first time for Lincoln. It is sometimes mission impossible to get into to see this classic rivalry, but worth the effort. The line will form early for this 4 p.m. game. You can catch your breath after this one, stop for a Nathan's hot dog and then venture over to BayRidge and catch a great match up between CHSAA powers Christ The King at Xavarian, starting at 7:30.

The "word" from Coach Ted Gustus (he never exaggerates!) has me staying in Brooklyn on Thursday to catch a PSAL Divisional match up between the Robert Phelps coached Canarsie Chiefs with sophomore "manchild" 6'-5 Nathaniel Lester who is averaging 36 ppg over his last five games vs the always tough Dukes of Tilden H.S. coached by "Rock" Eisenberg. Fans living or working in Manhattan don't have to travel to see what all the noise is annually over Brooklyn's PSAL Hoop teams. The PSAL Boy's Basketball Midwinter Classic is bringing them to you on Friday, January 7 at Hunter College (68 St at Lexington Ave.) with two great games. At 5 p.m. Midwood High School, fresh off of it's great showing at the Monsignor King Tourney, will take on the Kings of Dr. Susan S.. McKinney who are 4-1 and looking to make a name for themselves this season. At 7 p.m. you'll see a battle for Brooklyn and city bragging rights as Benjamin Banneker with highly touted Anthony Stukes and Pittsburg recruit, 6'9" Mike Davis, will face the Lincoln Railsplitters, winners of three consecutive PSAL City Crowns. Wow, what a way to start off the New Year! For more info on games check out PSAL.org and nychsaa.org. They'll provide you with individual high school schedules and helpful information.

PS- Finals and Regents coming up in two weeks-make sure you take care of business off the court as well as on it! Happy New Year!'

1/3/05 Coach Carlton Screen (FYA): 'FYA 13th Annual Christmas Basketball Tournament 2004 -- It was a great basketball week for all the teams, that participated in the holiday tournament.We had some of the top players in the city playing for the Juice All-Stars, New York Boys Club, Unique All-Stars, New York Select, BQE Kings, Riverside Church, Trail Blazers, United Brooklyn, Elite Sharks, just to name a few. It was a short, but powerful tournament. We got a lot of teams calling, but too late. The 11U division was won by NY.Select by the score of 39 - 21 MVP M. Ballard. 13U was won by Unique All-Stars, by the score of 43 - 30 MVP Daniel Banks, Sportsmanship award Isaiah Morton. 15U was won by Juice All-Stars by the score of  70 - 53. In this championship it took a great effort by Lance Stephenson to defeat a 14 year old team. MVP Quasim Pugh, Sportsmanship Keenan Williams. 17U division was won by FYA by the score of 57 - 53 MVP award Marsdon Hinds. May all coaches in the metropolitan area have a happy and healthy New Year.'

1/3/05 Coach Abdu Torrence, Thurgood Marshall Academy: 'The tournament field is set. To kick off black history month we are conducting The Brown Versus The Board HS Classic at the Harlem PAL. We have three pools of four teams. Each pool is set up to be very competitive. In the Red Pool we have TMA, Bread & Roses, Evander Childs and Our Savior Lutheran. In the Black Pool we have Wadliegh, McKinney, MLK and Rice. In the Green Pool we have HSMSE, Blessed Sacrament, United Lab Museum and Park West. The tournament will be held January 29th and 30th at the Harlem PAL located on 119th St. and Manhattan Ave. On Saturday first game starts at 1PM to and last game starts at 7:15PM. Championship Sunday games start at 10AM. Weekend passes are only $8.00 for both days. For more info you can reach me at 212 283 8055 ext. 6050 or tmacademy@hotmail.com.'

1/3/05 NJ.com: St. Benedict's turns back Long Island foe, Our Savior New American. And talk about a mismatch! St. Anthony rolls, 66-24 over Union Hill. It's all Casiem Drummond: Center lifts Bloomfield Tech.

1/3/05 Philly.com: Brian Zoubek showing he can play with region's big kids as well.

1/3/05 Newsday: 'Akeem Gooding had 18 points to lead Christ the King to a 72-56 win over South Shore in a CHSAA-PSAL crossover game. Chris Martin and Larry Davis each had 17 points for Christ the King (8-1).'

1/3/05 Jeff Rivera Asst. Coach St. Marys: 'The Beach Ball Classic Final won by St. Marys will be played on Monday Jan.3rd at 8pm on the MSG network. This was a great game and even greater tournament the people down in Myrtle Beach were great and this truly was a first class event. It was an honor to participate, let alone win the championship. If there is a tournament that is run better than this one I would like to see it.'

1/2/05 Daily News: No missing the Boat. Lincoln star - Nyan Boateng - healthy for All-American Bowl.

1/2/05 Journal News: Mount Vernon using road trips for improvement.

1/2/05 Thanks to coach George Diaz, the Taft 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.

1/2/05 Coach Bob Larson: 'Rockland County was well represented at the Iona Prep Holiday Tournament. In the 8th Grade division the top 3 spots were claimed by Rockland County teams. St. Joseph's of Spring Valley won the championship game with a shot at the buzzer over St. Gregory's of Stony Point. St. Francis of West Nyack claimed the 3rd place trophy. The All-Tournament team included Nick Delango and Ryan Donahue of St. Gregory's, and Kevin McCahey of St. Francis - all of whom are teammates on the Rockland Heat AAU team in the spring/summer. The St. Francis teamed witnessed the superlative effort by the Red Storm of St. John's over NC State to finish off 2004. Congratulations to Coach Roberts, his staff, and team on a great effort. It was a fine example of the success a team can enjoy through hard work, team work, and enthusiasism. Happy Holidays to all our friends in hoops!'

1/1/05 John P Miciotta: Msgr King tourney.

1/1/05 There are 36 pictures of just some of the people woh contribute to High Hoops and the region's basketball scene.

1/1/05 NY Post: Countrywide props for CHSAA.

1/1/05 Newsday: Hakeem Gooding paces Christ the King in Houston. And St. John's Prep 62, Midwood 56. Red Storm wins King tourney. Flexing for national pollsters -- Christ the King, Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and St Raymond.

1/1/05 Philly.com: Haddonfield tops Chester in OT. The Bulldogs' 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek was too much for the Clippers, scoring 25 points.

1/1/05 Coach Bill Murphy: 'This past week New Rochelle captured the Rim Rockers Classic in Midwood, Long Island at the Longwood H.S. Our first game we played against Heampstead and beat them 73-50 with 6'5" senior Terrence Parkes leading the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds and 6'6" senior Geoff McDermott adding a triple double with 23 points 10 rebounds and 10 assists. In the second game they played Lower Merion out of Pennsylvania which is Kobe Bryant's alma mater. We handily defeated them 76-51 with Terrence again leading the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds and Geoff adding in 20 points 9 assist and 7 rebounds. In the third and final championship game they played against the two time defending Maryland state champs out of Fort Washington. In this battle with Friendly H.S., the Huguenots came out storming with energy and never let up taking the game 95-51 but this team was not a cupcake team trust me on that. Geoff exploded with 31 points 8 rebounds and 7 assist while Terrence added 14 points 11 rebounds and 8 assists 5'11" Junior PG Anthony Gill had stellar play with 11 points 10 assist and no turnovers. Geoff took home MVP honors with his overall performance in the championship game and his 74 tournament points (25ppg) and Terrence recieved all tournament with his 63 tournament points (21ppg). Upcoming game against Mount Vernon January 5th.'

1/1/05 Coach Paul Suber: 'The Team Next 6th & 7th grade teams both won the Islnd Garden Holiday Christmas Tournament. The 6th grade team featured 3 of the top guards in NY - Tavon Sledge, Shaquille Stokes and Corey Edwards. It was a seesaw battle in the beginning with the L.I. Lightning (Dingle) team that featured their lineup of all-star guards in Miles Davis, Terrell Gist, Da'Shawn Suber and Kareem Canty. At one point 3rd quarter it was tied 36-36 and then "the storm came" Team Next turned up the heat lead by Tavon Sledge and Shaq Stokes and went on a 19 to 4 run that opened up the game and lead to a 67-47 Team Next win. Tavon Sledge was M.V.P. with 28 pts. Shaq Stokes 21 pts. and Corey Edwards 13 pts. for the winners. Da'Shawn Suber led the L.I. Lightning with 16 pts. The 7th grade game was a one-sided blow-out with Team Next beating the L.I. Lightning 79-25. Davontay Grace was M.V.P. with 19 pts. 14 rebs. 3 blks. Steve Whittingham led all scorers with 24 pts. 6 stls. 9 assts. Tavon Sledge doing double duty (both age groups) had 22 pts. 5 rebs. 6 assts. and DeShaun Wiggins had 16 pts. 10 rebs. 5 stls. Aaron Brown, Joey Imuzai, Milton Williams, Devon McMillan and Anthony "Face" Givens also gave great contributions throughout the tournament. I would like to thank all my guys on finishing up the year on great note with 4 tournament wins in a row (Fun Sports Nike Tournament in Brooklyn, Billy Clarke Tournament, Teaneck Christmas Tourney, and the Island Garden Holiday Tournament) and having a great overall year going 89-9 in tournament play winning numerous tournaments such as I.S.8, Baltimore Stars Tourney, Spring Fling, Kingwood Classic in Texas, Metropolitan Regionals, Team Next Tourney, Unique Tourney, Ron Artest Tourney and Kips Bay.  Looking forward to another great year in 2005. Everyone in the basketball community have a Happy New Year and God bless. '

1/1/05 Louis Xifaras, Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School: 'All the holiday attention has been given to the top area teams, however McClancy also made some big noise this holiday season. Traveling down to the Frank Spencer National Holiday Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we were the only NYC team set to take on some of the best teams in the country. Desite a packed house in the new Wake Forest University arena, we upset the host team, RJ Reynolds High School, N.C., who is a top 30 Nationally Ranked team, 73-66. Stephen Wood, who is extremely underrated, had 22 points and solidified himself as one of the elite juniors in the country. RJ Reynolds is known to be one of the top teams in that area and is the regular host for the holiday tournament. Two years ago, the MVP of the Frank Spencer National was Wake Forest's own Chris Paul. In the semi-final game, Stephen was sidelined with a fever and we were not able to match up with Gaffney High School from South Carolina, and were upended 96-55. Junior Terrence Howard led the way with 14 points. In the third place game, we faced Glenn High School from North Carolina, which was led by one of the best sophomores in the country, Eric Wallace. Eric was up in the city this fall for the IS 8 Playoffs playing with the Panthers and surely displayed why he is so highly touted. Look for this kid to make some serious noise. We lost to Glenn 67-62 in a great game. Stephen Wood led the way with 22 and the sharp shooting of Dexter DeJesus kept us in the game. He finished with 19, and shot well the entire tournament. Also playing well was senior Matt McDevitt and senior Matt Robinson, who finished in the top 5 in assists in the tournament. We are now 8-3 overall and 4-1 in league play in the CHSAA 'A' South. Our next game is Tuesday against rival St. Johns Prep, at SJP at 4:15 PM for rights to first place in the league.'

1/1/05 Torrel Harris, Coach Unique All-Stars: 'Earlier today the Unique All-Star's 12 and under AAU Team, ranked 22nd in the country defeated the 13 and under Juice All-Star Team team. In a very competitive game with a final score of 43-30 the Unique All-Stars won the championship game of the FYA tournament at the Flatbush YMCA in Brooklyn. My team was very patient with the ball the entire game. and were determined and relentless in our half court press. Unique was led by MVP Daniel Banks 10 points 9 steals, Tobias Harris 15 points, 2 steals, 5 assist, 8 rebounds, Paul Bilbo 15 block shots 15 rebounds, Harold McBride 12points, 3steals, and Kyhiem Hall 10 rebounds and 5 block shots.'

1/1/05 Coach Eric "Rock" Eisenberg: 'Kudos to John Browning and the "King" Tournament staff for a job well done as usual. This year I thought the games were great, the crowds were enthusiastic and the players, coaches and yes the officials were all at their best each night. All and all it was a nice celebration of high school basketball capped by the great Jim Gatto winning the championship with his fine St. John's Prep team.'  Web note: More stories on Monsignor King Tournament, 2004 page.

1/1/05 Pictured on the right are from left to right are Jelanie Winfield, Chris Williams Richard Thomas & Richard Jean Baptiste. Coach Ron Dennis, Keep Your Dreams Alive: 'It is an extreme pleasure to coach the young men from St. Johns Prep. The Red-Storm leave it on the court night after night and are vastly under recruited.

6' 2" senior point guard Chris Williams, M.V.P. of the Monsignor King Basketball Tourney is a very good decision maker with the basketball and it is nice to know that he has help. 6' 4" S.G. Richard Thomas is a solid clutch performer as is 6' 5" Jelanie Winfield. Jelanie can remind you of Tim Duncan, he is a very smart player that runs the floor well and shoot the ball of the glass especially late in most contest (Jelanie is also a very good passer). The unsung hero of the Monsignor King Tourney has to go to Richard Jean Baptiste. Bap, as he is called, does all the dirty work that is often overlooked. He was asked to guard one of the toughest shooters in the city, Notre Dame bound Kyle McAlarney and the next night he shot the ball from three point range extremely well against a very talented Bishop Loughlin Team. All coaches from mid-level D1 programs and D2 programs should seriously consider these young men as they get it done on the court. SJP. is currently ten and 0 this season and these guys are solid at school. Please contact Coach Jim Gatto at SJP. or me at CoachRdj@yahoo.com.'