April, 2006

4/30/06 Tony Vails had a game high 15 in a low scoring affair as Starret City easily bested the Brooklyn Queens Warriors 61-37 in the first game at IS8 this morning. In the second game the BC Eagles were led by lefty junior forward, Justin Rutty who had 28 points in their 90-69 victory over FYA. The earlier game results and rosters are now on the IS8 Spring Classic, 2006 page.

4/30/06 NJ Hoops: 'The Central Jersey Hawks scored at the buzzer to defeat the Newark Rams 44 - 42 to move on to the championship game of the NJ State 16 & Under AAU Tournament.'

4/29/06 Minister Kevin C. Brown: 'Soaring Eagles Elite 16U out of Cherry Hill, NJ coached by Darryl Gladden of Living Faith Christian Academy has gone undefeated in their pool at the King James Shooting Stars Classic. In their first game they defeated the Neo Ballers from Akron 72-54. They were led by the strong shooting of 6’5 sophomore Scott Forrest who showed range and the ability to score off the bounce. Karron McKenzie a 6’3 2008 SG and Jonathan Edwards a 6’8 top 60 ranked WG in the class of 2008 also gave strong efforts. Joshua Thomas a 5’11 PG and Darren Stribling a 5’11 PG both showed poise against the athletic guards of the Neo Ballers. KJ Brown a 5’9 2009 PG played up and showed a developing floor game knocking down a couple of sweet mid range jumpers.

The Soaring Eagles also knocked off the highly touted Westchester Hawks 16U team 74-72 after being down as many as 15 in the final quarter. The hot hand and aggression of Scott Forrest proved to be too much as the Soaring Eagles guards made the Hawks pay for staying in the press. Darren Stribling and Karron McKenzie came up with big plays on the defensive end to clinch the win down the stretch. The Eagles move on to bracket play tomorrow at 5:20PM as they look to impress coaches at the King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, OH.

The Soaring Eagles are now 10-3 over the spring open period after going 4-1 at the Prolific Sports Elite Invitational, 3-0 at the Providence Jam Fest in RI, and 1-2 playing in the 17U bracket at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest last weekend.'

4/29/06 Thanks to Coach Kevin Hamilton the New York Jaguars profile is now on the team page.

4/29/06 Jim Fox: 'The AAU District Championships (Regionals) were held for the 10, 11, 14 and 16 year old Division l teams from April 21 to 23. The results were as follows: 10U Semi-Finalists - Riverside Church, Long Island Lightning Hoop Dreams, NY Gauchos and Long Island Lightning McNeal; 11U Semi-Finals - Long Island Lightning McNeal defeated New York Gauchos Mitchell, S. Carter Elite downed New York Gauchos Green; 14U Semi-Finals - S. Carter Elite over Unique All Stars, New York Gauchos defeated Hersh; 16U Semi-Finals - Westchester Hawks Rizzo over Westchester Hawks Volpe, Metro Hawks downed New Heights.

The finals of these tournaments will be played on AAU Championship Monday, May 29th at the Island Garden. The semi-finals for the 10U will be held at a still to be determined date in two weeks.

This was again a great weekend of basketball with a total of 50 teams competing at the highest level of AAU. Most of the teams that reached the semi-final round have qualified to participate in the AAU National Championships this summer as a result of their success this weekend. It would not at all be surprising to see one or more of these qualifiers from the New York Metropolitan District capture a national championship.

AAU District Championship play continues next weekend with the 9U Division. The following weekend will see the 17U Division l tournament and several Division ll qualifiers take place. For information, call me at 516-292-4956.'

4/29/06 NY Insider: Rumble in the Bronx, June 9-11.

4/29/06 Journal News: Clarkstown North's Brett Harvey heading to Loyola (Md.)

4/29/06 NY Insider: Jamel Ferguson Is Wide Open.

4/29/06 Coach Carlton Screen (Flatbush Youth Association) FYA's12U, 14U, and 16U teams played in the Sullivan Eagles basketball shootout tournament 2006 this past weekend. This was by far the best road trip in our 15 year history, we combined 17 wins and just 1 loss, winning 2 out of 3 championships, the only loss coming in the 16U championship game. The young players really had a good learning experience. Our 16U team really had a rough time, playing back to back games, with injuries, but they never gave up.

The outstanding players were 12U Alpha Diallo, Montel Brown and Devante Heath - 14U Omari Trebuse, Francis Yenko and Kevin Rameau - 16U Pedro Zungie, Trevon Hamlet, James Youance and Kenny Carter.'

4/29/06 Hasani Stewart: 'This past weekend the Juice Allstars 17 and Under Elite team competed in the 12th annual Houston Kingwood Classic. This was a great event we opened up pool play with a 78-54 victory over the Georgia Blazers that featured top 25 class of 2008 big man Xavier Gibson. Brandon Walters dominated the game from start to finish posting 23pts, 11 rebs, and 4 blks. Devon Peterson, Erving Walker and Lance Stephenson finished with 16, 12, and 10pts respectively. Lance also had 8 asts and 3 stls in the game as well. We dropped 62-61 decision against a good Team Texas program. Vincent Rogers led the way with 17 pts, 7rebs, and 2 blks, Erving Walker finished with 11 pts and 4asts, Brandon Walters finished with 10pts, 8rebs, and 2blks, Lance Stephenson finished with 11pts, 2stls, 5asts, and Devon Peterson finished with 8pts and 5rebs. Despite the loss we still won our pool, because earlier that day Team Texas lost by 9pts to the Georgia Blazers. In the first round of the playoffs we beat a very talented Team Georgia Elite program 72-48 Erving Walker finsihed with 15 pts, Brandon Walters 15pts and 10 rebs, Maurice McNeil finished with 14pts and 4rebs, Vincent Rogers finished with 11pts and 2blks and Lance Stephenson finished with 11pts, 6asts, and 3stls. We beat a very good Dallas Showtime team 56-55 Erving Walker led the way with 19pts (4-5 3pt), Devon Peterson finsihed with 14pts, 5rebs, 3ast, and 2stls (including the game winning 3pt fg with with 2 seconds left on the clock and us down 53-55), Lance Stephenson finished with 10pts, 7rebs, 4asts, 2stls, and 1blk, Brandon Walters and Vincent Rogers finsihed with 8 and 7pts respectively. In the sweet 16 we lost a hard fought game against a very talented TMAC Allstars team which featured top 25 2008 prospects BJ Holmes, Jacovan Brown, and 6-8 Cameroon native Steve Tchiengang. Devon Peterson exploded for 24pts on 9-14 shooting (2-4 3pts, and 6-9 FT), Erving Walker continued his stellar play with a 14pts and 3ast performance, Lance Stephenson and Brandon Walters struggled with foul trouble throughout the game finishing with 9 and 6pts respectfully. However Kevin Menner picked up the slack with 13pts, and 7rebs and Vincent Rogers finished with 11pts and 5rebs. For a team that was missing their starting backcourt of Malcolm Grant and Wayne Turner (Jordan Regional game) and a key reserve big man in Wayne Allison, this was a very strong performance in a high level event that featured many highly talented players and programs throughout nation and the world (tournament also had 7 international programs).' 4/28/06 Coach Carlton Screen (Flatbush Youth Association): 'The FYA/SLAM Summer Invitational Basketball Tournament 2006 will begin on Saturday June 24th and end Sunday August 13th, at Bildersee Park, Flatlands Avenue and East 81st Brooklyn, N.Y.(Canarsie Area) Divisions:11U, 13U, 15U, 17U (cut off date 8/1/06) games are played on weekends between 9am - 6pm, 1st& 2nd place, mvp, sportsmanship awards - Uniforms - Please feel free to call 718 434 0127 or 718 666 6534 e-mail fya1@earthlink.net.'

4/28/06 Anthony Nicodemo: 'Westchester Elite Basketball presents the 2006 Spring Hardwood Classic I this weekend. All games will take place on 9 courts throughout Westchester County. Some of the top programs in the tri-state area will compete including: Westchester Hawks, Long Island Lightning, Rockland Rockets, Staten Island Lightning, NY Ravens, Manhassett All-Stars and BC Eagles, just to name a few. This year's event is our biggest yet with close to 100 teams participating and is a sell out for he 3rd straight year. Go to www.westchesterelite.com for a complete schedule.'

4/28/06 Spring IS8 has the following 45 teams: Mideast 1. Playaz Club (seniors) 2. Primetime 3. Patriots 4. Keep Your Dreams Alive 5. Next Level  Southwest 6. New Heights 7. Playaz Club (sophomores) 8. B C Eagles 9. Flatbush Youth Association 10. Harlems Pride  North 11. Team Odom 12. Student Athlete Broncos 13. 80 Park 14. Jackson 15. B'ballers  South 16. Panthers 17. Metro Hawks (B) 18. The Royal Family 19. Manhasset Allstars 20. Riverside Church  Northwest 21. Phili Ballers, 22. United Brooklyn 23. Conneticut (B) 24. JYO. 25. Mount Vernon  West 26. Playaz Club (juniors) 27. Long Island Lightning 28. Albany - Capitol District 29. New York City Finest 30. Team Odom B East 31. Conneticut (seniors) 32. Metro Hawks 33. Playazs Club (freshmen) 34. New York Elite 35. Queens Blackhawks  Southeast 36. Juice Allstars 37. Shooting Stars 38. Gauchos 39. Panthers (b) 40. Aneesas Sports  Midwest 41. Bingo Allstars 42. Starret City 43. Brooklyn Queens Warriors 44. Team Underrated 45. Suffolk County.

The remaining schedule, rosters and results should be on the IS8 Spring Classic, 2006 page by this weekend.

4/28/06 Times Ledger: Rob Thomas gets first taste of Garden.

4/28/06 NJ Hoops: The post-season All Stars games concluded in high style Thursday night at Perth Amboy High School with the Greater Middlesex Conference Senior All Star game.

4/28/06 Coach Billy Lovett: The New York Gauchos 16U Team participated in the Kingwood Classic the past weekend. The team played well finishing 5- 2. On our road to the semi-finals we defeated Carolina Crush, Arizona Premier, Houston Select and Houston Heat. In the quarter finals we defeated Metro Hawks by forfeit. Since Metro is also a New York Team we tried to wait, but they showed up to the game an hour late. Good luck to them and I'm sure we will see them in the next tournament! Our second loss came in the semi-finals, although we battled, the Carolina Raptors earned the victory (60-66). Congratulations to our team they all played well! Darryl "Truck" Bryant and Durand Scott could not be contained, they filled the basket and gave us the offense we needed to reach the semis, while Devin and Kimba Walker gave us balance with great defense. Devin had a block party averaging 6 blocks pg and Kimba never shies away from locking down his opponent.

Next event: The Gauchos (14 through 17 Under) will be participate in the King James Tournament in Akron OH this weekend.'

4/28/06 NY Hoops: Edgar Sosa Caps Tumultuous Year On High Note.

4/27/06 Dorian J Albritton: 'LI Dingle, congratulations on winning the 12u Kingwood Classic title in Texas. This team is a pure example of loyalty and perseverance. I live in Charlotte NC but I am from NYC and my son played with a lot of these kids in another program. It is good to see that this team for the most part has stuck together and learned the game. My son's team recently played them in Richmond and it was good to see the parents and the kids. This is a dominant team make no mistake this team should win the AAU national chip. They are a class organization with class players, coaches and parents. This may be the template in the future for AAU teams.'

4/27/06 Thanks to Coach Kevin Hamilton the New York Jaguars profile is now on the team page.

Please send your team data - administrators' and coaches' names, rosters, schedules, tournaments and contact info - to nycnjhoops@aol.com. Include it with any email concerning team tryouts or tournaments.

4/27/06 NorthJersey: Prep star to decide among RU, Duke, Florida on Tuesday - Lance Thomas.

4/27/06 Coach Carlton Screen (Flatbush Youth Association): 'We are returning from our best road trip in FYA history of 15 years of community basketball. We played in The Sullivan Eagles Basketball Shootout 2006. Our 12 and under team went undefeated in 6 games in 2 days, the 14 and under team also went undefeated in 6 games, and the 16 and under team won 5 games and lost in the championship game.'

4/26/06 Coach William Mayers Sr: 'The Elmcor Invitational Indoor Summer Classic .The tournament will have 7 division boys 11&under $275,13& under $325,15& under $375.,17& under $425, 19 & under $500 ,College and Unlimited division $800 tournament. Full uniforms will be given out tournament will start June17st. 2006 1st.coach's meeting will be held on may18th. 2006 @ 7:00pm @ elmcor coach’s second meeting will June 1st 2006 @ 7:00pm final payments should be made first come first serve. All club teams are welcome for more information you can contact Coach Bruce Harris @ 917-417-8610, Coach Gill Summers @ 917-975-4900, Coach L. Wilson @ 917-294-5512, Greg Coles @ 646 208-2613 or Elmcor @ 718 651-0096 ext.238 or@ elmcor.1@juno.com.'

4/26/06 Rudy King: The first annual "Real Ballers Classic" for 7th / 8th Grade Young Men will be tipping off in Brooklyn, New York this summer @ Commodore Barry Park located in downtown Brooklyn (Flushing Ave. / Navy St. / Park Ave.) The Classic will feature: (10) 7th grade teams & (10) 8th grade teams and will run July 10 - August 26. Some of the areas top teams have already committed to participating, the fees are very, very reasonable, flexible schedules, game stats, quality awards, full game gear, plus all teams qualify for the playoffs. Don't just hear about it. Get in it & win it! Visit www.rbclive.com for more information and to register your team.'

4/26/06 Coach Foskey: 'Take it to the Hole Summer League is accepting teams for this summer. The tournament will be held at Lefferts Playground- Sterling Street Brooklyn NY, tournament starts 7/5/06. Juniors- 15 & Under (not 16y until August 1, 2006) Intermediate- 17 & Under (not 18 until August 1, 2006) Seniors- 19 & Under (not 20y until after August 1, 2006) Divisions & league fees: 15U-$200.00 17U-$225.00 19U-$350.00 Team fees include referee fees for the entire tournament and team uniforms (tops and shorts). There will be 8 teams maximum in each division, space is limited and it is 1st come 1st serve. Uniforms will be issued when league fees are paid in full. Teams interested please contact me @718-913-5768 or 718-778-2392 or email:fosked@aol.com.'

4/26/06 Globe Institute: Jamual Warren Joins UC Basketball Class

4/26/06 Thanks to Rob Moses the Queens Blackhawks profile is now on the team page.

4/26/06 The Basketball Beat AAU Top 25 Teams for the week of April 26 includes # 4. Metro Hawks, #12. Playaz Basketball Club, # 13. Juice All-Stars and # 25. Team Next.

4/26/06 NY Post: Manhattan sized job for Barry Rhorrsen.

4/26/06 NorthJersey: College teams benefit from NBA's age rule.

4/26/06 Coach Dre', Team Underrated : 'A special congratulations goes out to Josh Marshall on his announcement to sign a Division I scholarship to attend Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are adding a 6'6 "Bruce Bowen" type of player who can play multiple positions. This was a huge accomplishment for a well deserving student-athlete, and I wish him all the success.'

4/25/06 NJ Hoops: St. Benedict's Twice as Good.

4/25/06 Glenn Thomas, Bishop Ford: 'I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate my friend Barry Rhorrsen on his appointment to the position of Head Coach at Manhattan College. I've known Barry since I was a sixth grader growing up in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn and all the way through high school and in college at Saint Francis (NY). Barry has always been a hard worker and will do a great job for the Jaspers for he brings a lot of knowledge and plenty of enthusiasm to the game. It's great to see a NYC coach especially a Brooklyn guy do well. I wish him the best of luck and good fortune.'

4/25/06 Thanks to Patrick Grady the Brooklyn Patriots profile is now on the team page.

Please send your team data - administrators' and coaches' names, rosters, schedules, tournaments and contact info - to nycnjhoops@aol.com. Include it with any email concerning team tryouts or tournaments.

4/25/06 The Basketball Beat High School Elite Players includes # 6. Sammardo Sammuels – St. Benedict Prep, Newark, NJ (Class of 2008), # 8. Lance Stephenson – Abraham Lincoln HS, Brooklyn, NY (Class of 2009) and # 14. Corey Stokes – St. Benedict Prep, Newark, NJ (Class of 2007).

4/25/06 Tippy McTernan: 'An estimated 100 coaches from states as distant as California, Arizona and Texas were at City College on Saturday for the 10th Annual Big Apple Sports College Exposure 2006. There was an event-record 120 players participating in an expanded format of scrimmages on four courts surrounding the famed hardwood of Nat Holman gymnasium, which is scheduled to be renovated this summer.

The following were the top performers as selected by the coaches in attendance: Mike Johnson, a 6-0 guard; Robert Shaw, a 6-4 guard; Bernard Cherry, a 6-6 forward; Kwame Are, a 6-8 forward; Paul Harper, a 6-6 forward; Donny Lyons, a 6-2 guard; John Holland, a 6-5 guard; Iquan Wiggins, a 6-0 guard; Eric Dunbar, a 6-2 guard; Jermaine Abraham, a 6-6 forward; Jamel Potts, a 6-4 guard; Gerald Rasberry, a 6-7 forward; and Paulo DaCruz, a 6-7 forward.

For the first time, the event also included a three-point contest with the following winners: Carlton Mitchell, Darryl Massey, B.J. McDowell, Chris Baltz, Lateef Willis, Dante Menter, Angelo LaRoche, John Holland, Mingus Murray and Jeffrey Raposo. Mike Johnson, who attended Sheepshead Bay HS and graduated from Pacific HS in 2005, became this year’s first reported signing when he inked a national letter-of-intent with Howard (TX), the Region V champions this season who finished 35-2 and took fifth place at the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson (KS).

For more info and to order a DVD of the event: www.eteamz.com/bigapplesports.'

4/25/06 Patrick Grady: 'This past weekend the Brooklyn Patriots 12u team played in The Steven Siller Memorial Event hosted by the Staten Island Stingrays. On Saturday we opened up with wins over Stingrays (Gold) and South Shore Warriors. In the opening game we were lead by Marvin Centeno and Patrick O’Grady. O’Grady was a force in the paint, he posted a double-double in every game of the tournament. O’Grady had 12pts and 13 rebounds in the first game and Centeno chipped in 13pts in the win. The second game was a very tough win for us over a much bigger South Shore Warriors team. The game was back & forth in the first half and early in the 2nd half SSW had opened up a 10 point lead, 23 – 13. After that it was all Patriots.. once again we were lead by Patrick O’Grady, he had 10pts & 15 rebounds. We got a big lift off the bench from Matt O’Neil (12pts) and an even bigger lift from Chris Newman. Newman finished with 8 points and 12 rebounds.

On Sunday we opened up with a tough win over Stingrays (Blue). We held off a late Stingrays rally to win 43- 40. Marvin Centeno led the way on the offensive end (16pts) and O’Grady was again a force on the backboards with 13 rebounds. Jaquer McFadden chipped in with 8 pts and 10 rebounds after missing Saturday’s action. The championship game was a reality check for the young Patriots team. We lost to a very strong NY Skyriders team 62 – 20. While the score was a lopsided loss we were very proud of how the boys played because they were completely overmatched against a powerhouse AAU team..

We would like to say thank you to Mike Neely and all the Stingray staff for running an excellent event that benefits and even better cause.'

4/25/06 Abdu Torrance: 'The LIL-Dingle 12U, 16U, and 17U teams traveled to Houston for the Kingwood Classic. The 12U team won 82-39 over Houston Inner City Cougars .Leading the way were Kyle Anderson 12 pts 12 assists, Emmanuel Brown 30 pts 17 rebounds, and Miles Davis 20 pts 12 reb. Nkerewum Okoro chipped in with 14 pts and 6 blocks. The Dingle team went on to run the table by defeating the Hollywood Bucaneers, Kansas Players, Houston Hoops in Semifinals, and New Orleans Panthers in the Final. The New Orleans Panthers defeated a tough Team Texas team in semis who finished 6th in the country last year. Congratulations coaches Darryl Washington and Orville Boswell and the 12U Dingle team.'

4/24/06 Thanks to Rodrick C. Bussey the Brooklyn-Queens Warriors (Scholars Through Sports Foundation) profile is now on the team page.

4/24/06 Rodrick C. Bussey - Brooklyn-Queens Warriors(Scholars Through Sports Foundation) 'This past weekend, my 17 and under team won the Sullivan Eagles Shootout in Liberty, NY. After losing the first game to the Rockland Rockets(white), we won four straight games against the Rockland Rockets(red), B.C. Eagles, Orange County Elite and Southern Tier Rage. It was a total team effort! Robert Gutierrez (Adams), Khalid Cooper (Lincoln), Mike Dziewit (Wadleigh), Walter Williams (Lincoln), Gary Stone (Erasmus), Idiris Alaka (Park West), Reslyn Lassegue (Lincoln), Lou Pluviose (Banneker) and Jamal Lovell (Grady) were the players that participated in the tournament.'

4/24/06 Coach Glen Steinberg: The New York Warriors just returned from the Hospice Tournament up in Pennsylvania. We won the tournament beating a local combined AAU team called Briarman in the championship. Playing particularly well in the tournament were Jason Desimone (playing up) who hit some big shots for us on offense, played solid defense, and almost equaled his last final game performance of 35 points. Joey Wood did an all-around good job for us and helped us on the boards. Eric O'Hora and Louis Cipriano (both from Pennsylvania) also played hard for us this weekend.'

4/23/06 Daily News: Edgar Sosa satisfied with final show.  Jamine Peterson shows potential.

4/23/06 NY Post: Ex-hoop stars still chase dream.

4/23/06 Journal News: Mount Vernon's Jonathan Mitchell proves he's worthy at Jordan Classic.

4/23/06 Rivals: 'Kingwood Classic - Saturday. Samardo Samuels (2008) – Roy Williams, Norm Roberts and a host of assistant coaches watched the 6-foot-8 Jamaican native go to work against the South Carolina Celtics. Samuels is a big load down low and muscled his way to 20 hard fought points. He's a big kid but has quick springs off the floor and a big, long frame to boot. Coaches from Miami, Kansas, Florida State, Texas, Villanova and Connecticut were also watching him.' 

4/22/06 NY Insider: Metro Players - Edgar Sosa (Louisville), Curtis Kelly (UConn) and Duke-bound Brian Zoubek - In Jordan Classic Top Game.

4/22/06 Queens Courier: High School Basketball Year In Review.

4/22/06 Phil Beras, Asst Varsity Coach Gompers: 'Olando Minott is a player who should be added to the Class of 2008 rising stars list. He plays in the PSAL Bronx East Division at Samuel Gompers. He led his team in scoring. He is currently working on become a B student in the classroom. His biggest upside is his attitude of wanting to improve.'

4/22/06 Coach Sly Johnson: 'Congratulations to the Manhasset ALLSTARS 15.U Team for winning the championship game in the 5th Annual Western Suffolk League at Amityville. They defeated a very talented and well coached North Babylon team for the 'chip. Excellent job by our coaching staff  Hector Henry, Lamont Eddins, Douglas Irby and players: Jerome Chan, Eric Ptak, Nat Vaughn, Kason Parker, Jared Rosenberg, Anthony Lewis, Danny DiVietri, Arton Haliti, Mike Campbell, Brendan Levine, Jeremy Gurewitz, Rodney Jackson.'

4/21/06 Tippy McTernan: 'The 120 participants have been selected for the 10th Big Apple Sports College Exposure 2006, to be held on Saturday April 21 at CCNY's Nat Holman gym. Several dozen college coaches from around the country have already arrived to evaluate these top uncommitted players from across the city, Westchester and Long Island, as well as several surrounding states. For more information on this and other exposure events, check the Big Apple Sports website at www.eteamz.com/bigapplesports.'

4/21/06 Thanks to Rodney Wescott the FillySol Basketball Club profile is now on the team page.

Please send your team data - administrators' and coaches' names, rosters, schedules, tournaments and contact info - to nycnjhoops@aol.com. Include it with any email concerning team tryouts or tournaments.

4/21/06 Daily News: Garden goodbye for Edgar Sosa & Curtis Kelly.

4/21/06 NY Post: Rice's dynamic duo bows out in Classic.

4/21/06 TimesLedger 2006 CHSAA Boys All-Queens basketball teams and the 2006 PSAL Boys All-Queens Basketball teams.

4/21/06 NJ Hoops: Showcase Game Concludes Top 100. Two forward prospects lead teams in Showcase Game.

4/21/06 Coach Hassan Bilal: 'Two players from my 16U team participated in the Hoop Group's Top 100 Invitational Camp that was held April 19, 20 at Seton Hall University for Metro area kids. The two players - 5'9" JoJo Swift (Boy's & Girl's H.S.) and 6'6" Shakeem King (Gorton H.S./Yonkers) - performed extremely well, playing with and against mostly juniors and seniors. In 4 games played JoJo averaged 18pts. He scored a high of 25 pts. Thursday (4/20) playing against a good team that was led by R.J. Hall (PG-Bloomfield Tech). He also went for 22pts. Wed. (4/19) against a team that included high scoring frosh Tamir Jackson (G-St. Benidict's). In that game he was scoring at will, at one point the coach called for a triple team in order to try and stifle him. JoJo opened a lot of eyes, he's definitely one of the most underrated soph's in the metro area. Shakeem on the other hand showed off his awesome athletic ability. He displayed an uncanny ability to control his body and finish in the paint - even in traffic. He also made the crowd and college coaches that were in attendence ooh and ahh several times with monterous dunks on the break and with people in his face! Keep up the good work fellas!'

4/20/06 Metro Hoops: Charlie Weber Easter Classic Recap - NYC & Jersey Teams Represent Well.

4/20/06 Jim Fox: 'The deadline to participate in the 17U AAU New York Metropolitan District Boys Basketball Championship Tournament (Regionals) is April 24th. The tournament will be held from May 5 to 7th. We realize that some students will be taking the SAT Exam that weekend but the tournament will not begin its Saturday schedule until 2:00 PM or after. The 17U Regionals consistently attracts many of the strongest teams in the area. It also provides the top finishers with an opportunity to compete in the National AAU Championship Tournament that is held at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida from July 26 to August 1. The AAU Nationals are held during the "Live Period" for Division l college coaches and literally hundreds of coaches attend this tournament each year. In order to participate in the AAU Regionals, each club and every player must be registered with the AAU. This can be done on line at www.aausports.org. Age eligibility requirements are as follows; a player must be born on or after 9/1/88. Also, under the grade exception rule, a player who currently is in the 11th grade, may be born on or after 9/1/87. A properly executed Grade Exception Form must be signed by a school administrator where the player currently attends. Players who are in the 12th grade (unless they are born on or after 9/1/88) may not participate. Players who plan to attend prep school may not participate unless they have written permission from Boo Williams, the national director. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Registration forms can be found at www.longislandlightning.com. For further information, please contact me at 516-292-4956 or email at jimfox@islandgarden.com.

4/20/06 Rob Moses, Queens Blackhawks:In an effort to get our guys ready for the summer tournaments, our 16u team is looking for scrimmages. We have a few open dates in May and early June. We can travel to you if need be! You can contact me @ cell: (646) 372-8455 or email: QueensBlackhawks@aol.com.'

4/20/06 Thanks to Coach Jimmy Salmon the Playaz Basketball Club profile is now on the team page.

4/20/06 TimesLedger: Big Apple provides exposure to unsigned seniors.

4/20/06 Bob Cerrato: 'Coaches for boys 15 - Anybody who is available this Sunday April 23 to compete in a round robin tournament ( 2 games guaranteed $125 ) starting at 3pm at Hoop Heaven in Whippany,NJ. please contact Justin Cerrato at 973-714-4889 or email him at JustinCerrato@gmail.com.'

4/19/06 Thanks to Coach Hassan Bilal the Ct. Flame profile is now on the team page.

4/19/06 NY Post: Larry Davis regrets choice of NC State.

4/19/06 Basketball Beat: The Show - Samardo Samuels.

4/19/06 Reginald Murray (Deputy Director): Sports Oriented Nurturing (S.O.N.): 'Youth Partnership's Brooklyn Rams Basketball Program will be holding tryouts for boys ages 10-16 years old on Wednesday, April 19th and Friday, April 21st at 9:00am SHARP at Bildersee Beacon I.S. 68, 956 East 82nd Street, between Flatlands Avenue and Avenue J. Everyone attending (including parents) must bring a photo ID, passport or birth certificate to enter the building. No one will be allowed in the building without ID. Please make every effort to leave cell phones and jewelry at home. Go to the Brooklyn Rams website at www.eteamz.com.brooklynrams for specific tryout information. Or, feel free to contact me via e-mail at brooklynrams@hotmail.com.

4/19/06 Nestor Grant, Commissioner: 'The Gun Hill Basketball Classic located in the Bronx is looking for teams in our youth divisions: Super Biddy,Biddy,Junior and Senior .Information can be found on the league site www.gunhillbasketball.com. Start date is June 10.'

4/18/06 Coach Dre', Team Underratred: 'Our 15u team is looking for scrimmages on April 20th, April 24th (our facility, the Wyandanch Youth Center), April 25th, or April 27th . We can travel to you, contact Coach Dewey at 631-926-8595.'

4/18/06 Coach Dre', Team Underrated : 'A special congratulations goes out to Edmund "Scotty" McRae on his announcement to sign a Division I scholarship to attend St. Peters College. This is a great fit for Scotty and St. Peters College. St. Peters is getting a 6'8 wing that has a tremondous upside and should have a great career in the MAAC Conference.'

4/18/06 Thanks to Coach Lawrence Pollard the Team Hersh profile is now on the team page.

4/18/06 Rob Rizzo: 'The Westchester Hawks U16 Select travelled to Orlando this past weekend and captured their 3rd tournament championship of the spring at the Disney Easter Classic. The Hawks went 7 - 0 defeating the Georgia Stars by 2 pts in a great semi-final and Florida United by 7 pts in the chip. Sean Kilpatrick (White Plains HS) was spectacular in the semi going for 26 points. Kevin Jones (Mt. Vernon HS) and Mookie Jones (Peekskill HS) dominated around the basket and showed great perimeter skills against opposing bigs all tourney long. Ra'shad James (White Plains HS) provided a huge lift defensively off the bench. Tyshawn Taylor (St. Anthony's HS) and RJ Hall (Bloomfield Tech) broke opposing defenses down at will, while Ketema Brooks (Mt. Vernon HS) hit huge free throws down the stretch of the championship game to secure the title.'

4/18/06 Coach Hassan Bilal: This past weekend the CT Flame 16U team went 3-1 at the Charlie Weber Invitational in Washington, DC. Our only loss came in a hard fought double OT game, where several questionable calls made the difference in the game. Since we lost that game in pool play we were not able to play in the championship rounds, which was unfortunate because I felt that we had a team that was strong enough to win the tournament. We had a well balanced attack, led by our versitale guards Louie Larizza (Portchester H.S.), Joseph "JoJo" Swift (Boy's & Girl's H.S.) and Hakeem Williams (St. Joseph's, NJ) - who was on fire from the perimeter all weekend. We had strong inside play from Dejan Korac (Trinity Catholic, CT) and 6'6" Shakeem King (Gorton H.S./Yonkers) - who treated the crowd with a couple of thunderous dunks. Larry Grant and Worrel Clahar played lockdown defense, helping to create many turnovers, which led to fast break pts.'

4/18/06 NJ Hoops: Keon Lawrence Puts On Show. High scoring guard carries team into the Finals to give the Roadrunners an 88 - 86 win over the Sonny Hill Juniors in the semifinals of the Albert Donofrio Classic.

4/18/06 Bobby Rahn: B.C. Eagles would like to recognize and congratulate Don Bosco Prep and our own Pete Brown for committing and signing with UNC-Greensboro last week. Pete will be a great addition to this team. He brings hard word, dedication and a 6'8" frame to UNC-Greensboro. Pete has been a member of the B.C. family for three years and he has been a "huge" part in our success. He is one of nine players from last year's 17 and Under team that will be playing basketball at the collegiate level next season. From Les LaFrance, Greg Fall, Kevin Mann and the rest of the B.C. family great job Pete and good luck! We will be coming down to watch you play against Coach K and his Blue Devils next season.

4/18/06 Dave Carter: 'Congratulations to all of the NYC metro area senior student-athletes and coaches who helped to make the Big Apple Basketball H.S. Expo Scholarship Games a great event. Over 65 college coaches attended the event throughout day. Photos, rosters and details on the showcase can be seen at www.bigapplebasketball.com/hsexpo.html.'

4/17/06 Tippy McTernan: Week 4 results from the Funsport Junior Pros Tournament at the Navy Yard Boys Club.

4/17/06 NJ Hoops: Roadrunners Make Finals - 16 & Under squad has impressive weekend in DC.

4/17/06 Louisville Courier Journal: All boos aside, Classic goes to UK and friends - Black team featured U of L recruits Derrick Caracter and Edgar Sosa.

4/17/06 Newsday: 'C.W. Post is expected to introduce Tim Cluess as its men's basketball coach today. Cluess, who coached Suffolk CC-Brentwood to the Region XV title in his first season and spent 14 years building the St. Mary's High School program into a regional power, will replace former Pioneers coach Tom Galeazzi, who announced his retirement at the end of the just-concluded season after 24 years at the helm.'

4/17/06 Basketball Beat: The Prep School Migration

4/17/06 Jimmy Salmon: 'The Playaz Basketball Club is hosting The Blow Up! tournament June 2 thru June 4. The event is for 6th grade, 7th grade and 8th grade teams. Slots are limited to only 8 teams per grade division and we are unable to save spots for any teams.Our web site has a listing of teams who have already secured their spots.

Our summer event for high school teams, the Playaz Ball, is also filling up fast. Our web site www.playazbasketball.org also lists the teams who have already secured their spot as well. Again we are unable to save spots for anyone without a payment. We take teams on a first paid-first entered basis. Teams who pay prior to April 30, only have to pay $450.00 (We must have the payment - it can not be in the mail); after that date the fee goes up to $575.00. Remember this is a "Live Event" for college coaches to attend and evaluate our players.

Lastly, I recently lost my cell phone. I have replaced it but I've lost over 500 numbers. Please call me asap so I can recoup your contact info. Good luck with your teams and programs the rest of the season. Teams who didn't get shirts in the Spring Fling should contact me asap as well @ 973-207-4346.'

4/15/06 Tippy McTernan: Week 3 results from the Funsport Junior Pros Tournament at the Navy Yard Boys Club.

4/15/06 Sam (Smoove) Wilson, Vice President SMWYG: ' I am sorry to inform everyone that show me what you got will be postponed until the summer of 2007. Unfortunately Coach Jake Edwards was involved in a tragic accident where his house was burned down and he lost everything, but his family was safe. All contacts have been lost in the fire, please resend contact info to shomebball@optonline.net.'

4/14/06 Thanks to Coach Glen Steinberg the Warriors' profile is now on the team page.

4/14/06 Daily News: Kashif Pratt leans to Seton Hall.

4/14/06 NY Post: Kashif Pratt sold on Gonzo.

4/14/06 Vinny Kabus: Niko Scott's college commitment to Columbia University.

4/13/06 CSTV: University of Nevada Inks Tyrone Hanson to National Letter of Intent -- 6-6, 185-pound small forward out of Bridgton Academy in Maine to join Wolf Pack next fall.

4/13/06 Joe Leone with a different slant on the NY Post Devin Ebanks' story.

4/13/06 Jersey Journal: Mike Orock makes choice.

4/13/06 Thanks to Coach Sly Johnson the Manhasset All Stars profile is now on the team page.

4/13/06 NJO: Boys basketball recruit list.

4/13/06 NY Post: Prepping at the Wheelchair Classic.

4/13/06 Craighton Barry: 'The NY Post should be ashamed of itself for running the story about Devin Ebanks with a negative slant toward the young man . Last time I checked he is still a minor. Having such a headline was totally inappropriate. The fact that this kid is a blue chip recruit from this area should not make him a target for public scrutiny. This issue should have been handled in-house. The sensationalism in the headline inferred some sort of expose' when in fact the article was full of finger pointing and innuendo. FYI, NY Post; these young people have enough stress in there lives. They do not need you to magnify the negativity that already exists. I do not know this kid but based on the article it did not seem like he did something bad enough for it to make it into the paper with such a bad smell. A simple little blurb would have been sufficient. Good luck to Devin and his family!'

4/13/06 NY Insider: Terrence Parkes Picks MEAC Program.

4/12/06 NorthJersey: Coaching shuffle tough on recruits.

4/12/06 Thanks to coach Dre' (Andre Edwards) the Team Underrated profile is now on the team page.

4/12/06 NJO: Basketball recruits living in limbo.

4/12/06 NY Insider: LIU Lands Underrated Point Guard - Jaytornah Wisseh from Benjamin Banneker Academy.

4/12/06 NY Insider: Reports from New York area newspapers about the prep scene. There's news on Devin Ebanks, Mike Harris, Brett Harvey, Dan Werner, Lester Hunte, Tyrell Thompson and Greg Nero.

4/12/06 Breakdown: Top 25 Summer Teams In US includes #3 Playaz Basketball, #5 Juice, #7 Long Island Lightning and #17 Metro Hawks.

4/12/06 Journal News: New Rochelle's Terrence Parkes commits to Delaware State.

4/11/06 Nathan Blue: 'I'm proud to present the 1st Annual Real Scout/NY Panthers Summer Classic. St. John's University's brand new Taffner Fieldhouse is part of a  $23million dollar renovation. Age brackets : 17's (Seniors) $475 and 16's (Juniors) $425. There is a $25 discount for total fees given by April 28th. All fees mailed to: Nathan Blue, 35-40, 101st, Corona, NY, 11368. For more info visit www.nypanthersbasketball.com or all me at 646 642 2865. All questions should be answered on the site.'

4/11/06 Coach Gary Charles: 'Congratulation to former New York Panther (www.nypanthersbasketball.com) Joakim Noah for winning the NCAA championship this year. Joakim is the 4th former Panther (Charlie Villanueava - Uconn, Khalid El-Amin - UConn and Drew Nicholas - Maryland) who have been blessed to win the championship. It's a tremondous feeling to to be at the game and watch one of yours get it done. I was also happy to be able to share those feelings with Tyone Green in Indianapolis as he was so instumental in this young man life and directing him toward the Panthers.'

4/11/06 Basketball Beat: The Basketball Beat AAU Top 25 Preseason Rankings for 2006.

4/11/06 Thanks to coach Joseph Stein Jr. the Central Jersey Hawks profile is now on the team page.

Please send your team data - administrators' and coaches' names, rosters, schedules, tournaments and contact info - to nycnjhoops@aol.com. Include it with any email concerning team tryouts or tournaments.

4/11/06 NY Post: Bishop Loughlin give Devin Ebanks the boot.

4/11/06 Daily News: PSAL keeps looking to supe up hoops.

4/11/06 NJ Hoops: Championship Game Results -- NJ State 15 & Under AAU Tournament decided Sunday.

4/11/06 Bruce Bishop: 'Summer Basketball Tournament: Baseline to Baseline Basketball Classic 2006 takes place June 25 - July 23, at St. Albans Park in Queens, NY. Boys and Girls junior high age 11-13 and high school age 14-17. Check out www.bbishopcampnyc.org/ for more information or call me 917-224-5987.'

4/11/06 Coach Jake Edwards: 'Show Me What You Got summer basketball league is now accepting applications for this upcoming summer league. For info and applications you can log on to www.showmebball.com or call 718-954-4827.'

4/10/06 Jim Fox: 'The AAU District Division l Championships (Regionals) were held at the Island Garden from April 7-9 for the 12U, 13U and 15U clubs. It was a tremendous weekend of basketball with truly outstanding talent and excellent sportsmanship. The results were as follows: 12U semifinals - Long Island Lightning defeated Westchester Hawks 64-43, NY Gauchos over S. Carter Elite 55-49. 13U semifinals - Team Next bested NY Gauchos 87-53, New Heights defeated S.Carter Elite 72-70.  15U quarterfinals - Westchester Hawks over Team Next, Lightning Dingle defeated S.I. Stingrays 70-42, Rising Stars downed New Heights 73-59 and NY Gauchos topped Rockland Rockets 69-50.

For complete tournament results including pool play, check www.islandgarden.com later this week. All of these winners have qualified to participate in AAU National Championships to be held this summer. The finals for both the 12 and 13U Divisions as well as the semi-finals and finals for the 15U will be played on AAU Championship Monday which is Memorial Day, May 29 at the Island Garden.

There is still time to register for the 10,11, 14 and 16 U Division l District Championships which will be held from April 21-23. Entry Deadline is April 14. Contact me at 516-292-4956 or jimfox@islandgarden.com.'

4/10/06 Journal News: Lester Hunte leads Upstate team in all-star game.

4/10/06 Anthony Nicodemo: 'The BCANY Senior Game took place on Sunday at Briarcliff HS. The upstate squad defeated the downstate squad, 121-79. Greg Nero (Red Hook/Fairfield) took home MVP honors scoring 24 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. Lester Hunte (Lincoln) dropped 22 points and recorded 8 rebounds in the victory. Tyrell Thompson (Kennedy Catholic) also scored 16 for the victors. Downstate was led by Josh Barnes's (Bryant) 15 points and 9 rebounds. Laurence Jocaliaeur (Holy Cross) chipped in 12 points. Fans enjoyed an athletic contest with some amazing dunks by both teams. Congratualtions to all players who participated.'

4/10/06 Jimmy Salmon: 'The Playaz Basketball Club along with Paterson Recreation is hosting the 2nd Annual "Just June" summer league for boys high school teams. The entry fee is $400.00 which includes the referee fees and there is an 8 game guarantee with all teams making the play-offs. League t-shirts will be given to all teams and awards will be given out at the end of the league. All games will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the month of June @ Don Bosco Tech HS located at 202 Union Blvd in Paterson, NJ .Game times will be either 4:30PM; 5:30PM; 6:30PM or 7:30PM beginning Thursday June 1st. For more info contact me @ 973-207-4346 or email at JSalmon@patcity.com. We will take the first 8 teams who pay in full.'

4/10/06 Phil Diasparra,Westchester Hawks 17u: 'Congratulations goes out to Terrence Parkes who played last year with the Hawks and has had a great year at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. He has just accepted a full basketball scholarship to play at D1 Delaware State. Terrence is a great young man, who is talented, very coachable and has a great work ethic. He will be very successful there on and off the court. Great job Terrence.'

4/10/06 Coach Eric 'Rock' Eisenberg: ' I want to take this chance to echo the thoughts of  legendary coach and leader, Ted Gustus when he praises Coach Duane "Tiny" Morton and Canarsie High School's Tommie Allen. While these guys have different styles and methods they both want what's best for their players. I can tell you from having coached against Tommie Allen for 13 years he is a true warrior who always stands up for his players and what he believes is right! While, like all of us in this crazy business, I sometimes do not get a chance to sing the praises of my collegues, Tommie Allen and his long time assistant Glen Forde are the truth. I also want to compliment Canarsie principal Mr. David Harris who, it seems, is at every game his teams play. He is always an example of what a young man or women can accomplish with talent, hard work and a passion for what you do!'

4/10/06 Thanks to coaches Phil Diasparra and Rob Rizzo the Westchester Hawks profile is now on the team page.

Please send your team data - administrators' and coaches' names, rosters, schedules, tournaments and contact info - to nycnjhoops@aol.com. Include it with any email concerning team tryouts or tournaments.

4/10/06 Coach Rob Rizzo: The Westchester Hawks U16 Select captured the 2006 Providence JamFest title this weekend at the Hoop Group's annual event. We went 7 - 0 defeating the Central Jersey Hawks in the semis and Connecticut Basketball Club in the chip. Everyone made big plays over the course of the weekend. Mookie Jones (Peekskill) was a unstoppable inside and outside, proving once again that he is one of the premier big game players in New York. Kevin Jones (Mt. Vernon) was a beast inside, dominating the boards on both ends. Sean Kilpatrick (White Plains), Tyshawn Taylor (St. Anthony's), and Ra'shad James (White Plains) were devasting in transition and Alberto Estwick (St. Anthony's) made big perimeter shots to keep defenses honest.

Let me take a moment to talk about our point gaurds. There are area soph point guards that get more hype, but RJ Hall (Bloomfield Tech) and Ketema Brooks (Mt. Vernon) cover well, know how to run a team, and will burn you if you ignore them. They keep all the "studs" happy and make their coach's job easy. We will be in Orlando, Florida this weekend for the Disney Easter Classic.'

4/10/06 PSAL.org: 10th Annual Big Apple Sports College Exposure games.

4/10/06 Tom (Tippy) McTernan: 'This is the final week for applications for the 10th Annual Big Apple Sports College Exposure 2006, scheduled for Saturday, April 22nd at City College from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Most of the guard spots have been filled but there are still several openings for frontcourt players. As another update, we have already received confirmations from coaches from most of the New York City programs, as well as from schools in California, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma and Georgia. For more information on this and other recruiting events around the New York area that weekend, check our website at www.eteamz.com/bigapplesports or call Bryan Griffith at (347) 564-4938.'

4/10/06 Craighton Barry: 'Like most of you, I was in shock when I got the news about our young brother Julius Hodge. I am sure that we all will agree that this young man has been nothing but a class act and our prayers go out to him and his family. In an effort to show our love. I am asking that you send an inspirational card or note to the following address to let him know that the Tri-State Area is in his corner. (You do not have to know him personally to show your love) If you have had the pleasure of watching this young man play; I am sure you will agree that he is one of the most passionate competitors in NYC basketball history.  (Denver Nuggets, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver Co., 90204 C/O Julius Hodge).'

4/10/06 Rob Moses: ''The Queens Blackhawks are holding tryouts for our 16u/17u Summer basketball team. We are looking for dedicated and committed players with a competitive edge. All players must be between the ages of 15-17 and can not turn 18 in 2006. You must bring a copy of your birth certificate in order to try out. Tryouts will be held on Saturday April 29th 11:00 am at Roy Wilkins Park. For more nfo contact me @ QueensBlackhawks@aol.com or visit our web site www.Eteamz.com/QueensBlackhawks.'

4/9/06 NY Insider: Six NY-NJ Players At 2006 Roundball Classic -- Derrick Caracter, Earl Clark, Paul Harris, Eugene Harvey, Curtis Kelly and Lance Thomas.

4/9/06 NY Post: The Island game-- the Long Island Catholic League.

4/9/06 Jersey Journal: High & mighty Create's Jamar Haig soared far above the rest.

4/9/06 PSAL.org: Big Apple Basketball Scholarship Games will not include high school juniors.

4/9/06 All Metro Hoops Teams - Philly.

4/9/06 NJ Hoops: Surprise Athletics Does the Unexpected.

4/9/06 Bernie Mulligan: 'Last Thursday more than 100 Albany HS student-athletes gratefully received information and insights from Rich Kosik, Mr. BooksnBall. He tells high school athletes the truth: the road to success in life has to include making a personal game plan to get to a college that meets your needs. As I watched students and coaches come up to thank Rich for his quality presentation, it was clear his message should be heard by thousands more of the teenagers with whom we all work. ADs and coaches: bring Rich's presentation to your schools. Your students and staff will all benefit.

I also want to second the recent email praising Coach Pat Mangan's work at Frederick Douglass. His track record of getting kids into college - through  both hoops and academics - sets a standard for all of us trying to do the right thing.'

4/9/06 Rodrick C. Bussey, Brooklyn-Queens Warriors (Scholars Through Sports Foundation): ' My team started the 2006 AAU season on a positive note. Last night, we won the King of Crossover tournament at I.S. 302 in East New York, Brooklyn. We defeated Purple City 60 - 53 in the championship game. The Warriors were led by finals MVP Robert Gutierrez (John Adams). Eight other players contributed to the championship: Deveron Greaves (Grand Street Campus), Jamal Lovell (Grady), Khalid Cooper (Lincoln), Idiris Alaka (Park West), Walter Williams (Lincoln), Reslyn Lassegue (Lincoln), Lou Pluriose (Banneker) and Jomani Graham (Lincoln). I would like to thank the tournament director, Eric James, and his assistant, Ceasar, for running a good clean tournament.'

4/9/06 Glenn Thomas, Bishop Ford: ' On Friday night April 7th, there was a surprise retirement party for Coach Bill Aberer of LaSalle Academy. Coach Aberer had a stellar coaching career at LaSalle winning two city championships and had the opportunity to coach two future NBA players in Ron Artest and Shammgod Wells. Many coaches, referees, family, and friends of Coach Aberer were there to honor a man with a distinguished coaching career. The CHSAA will miss Bill for he brought professionalism, class, and integrity to the game that we all have come to love.

I for one won't miss his diamond press and 3-2 zone but for sure will miss the camaraderie which makes the CHSAA "A" division very special. LaSalle will still have the honor and privilege of having Bill remain teaching at the school. Best of luck Bill as you start a new chapter in your life. You deserve it! All the best! You will be missed.'

4/9/06 Coach Craig Persiani: 'Congtratulations to Middle School 135 on winning the Bronx Middle School Championship 48 - 33 over M.S. 127. Led by 6' 5" Devon Collier who is the top player in the Bronx (yes he is better than Steve Whittingham), M.S. 135 compiled a 14 - 3 overall record. Devon, who is headed to All Hallows scored 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds had 6 assists and blocked 5 shots in the championship game. The sky is the limit for Devon who at 6'5" can play anywhere on the court from the 1 to the 5. He also has a great attitude, personality and desire to win. He will compete for playing time with All Hallows next year. Congratulations to him and the rest of the champions at M.S. 135. You are the best in the Bronx!'

4/8/06 Ardist (Butch) Brown (Love2Ref:): FDA coach Pat Mangan & CHSAA, PSAL season.

4/8/06 Anthony Nicodemo: 'The BCANY Senior game will be played this Sunday at Briarcliff HS located in Westchester County. game time is scheduled for 2:00PM. The upstate team will represent Section One North while the downstate team will be comprised of kids from New York City and Long Island. The upstate team will feature Brett Harvey (Clarkstown North/Manhattan), Tyrell Thompson (Kennedy Catholic), Lester Hunte (Lincoln), Greg Nero (Red Hook/Fairfield), Calvin Betts (Rush Henrietta High School/Univ of Buffalo) and several other talented players. The squad will be coached by me and Chris Drosoplous (Briarcliff). The downstate team will feature Brendan Barile (Horace Mann), Kevin Voelkel (Collegiate) and many other NYC and Long Island players. The team will be coached by MCClancy's Don Kent. The game will benefit Coaches vs Cancer and promises to be a great afternoon of hoops. For more info email me at westchestersbest@hotmail.com.'

4/8/06 Reginald Murray (Brooklyn Rams): 'Angelo Laroche (Grady H.S.) is the recipient of the 3rd Annual Dave DeBusschere Student Athlete Award for excelling in both the classroom and on the basketball court and was honored at Madison Square Garden during the April 7th Knicks-Pacers game. Our coaches and staff are proud of this young man who, in the face of diversity over the past few years, has had the resiliency to maintain his high academic standards. Angelo will be graduating 5th in his senior class with a 93 average.'

4/8/06 Reginald Murray (Brooklyn Rams): 'The coaches' packet for the 8th Annual Necelina McDonald Memorial Foundation's Invitational Spring Classic is now available on the tournament website, www.eteamz.com/nmmf. The tournament takes place May 1-7, 2006 at South Shore High School and J.H.S. 275 in Brooklyn, New York. Registration fee is $375.00 per team. For more information, contact Rob McDonald at 917-533-7465 or send an e-mail to nmmfbasketball@hotmail.com. 4/7/06 All Metro Hoops Teams - NYC.

4/7/06 Journal News: Upstate vs. Downstate set for Saturday at Briarcliff.

4/7/06 Coach Ted Gustus: CHSAA, PSAL season.

4/7/06 Jim Fox: 'The AAU Super Regionals for the 14U, 16U and 17U age groups were held at the Island Garden from March 31 to April 2. A total of 29 teams from Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York participated in this nationally sponsored event that offered the champions and runner-ups an automatic bid to the AAU National Championships to be held later this summer.

The results were as follows: 17U - First Place - Westchester Hawks, Second Place - Long Island Lightning - Sheehy, Third Place - Manhasset All Stars, Fourth Place - Long Island Lightning - Vallins/Cento

16U - First Place - Westchester Hawks, Second Place - Long Island Lightning - Sanders/Katz, Third Place - Long Island Lightning - Harkins, Fourth Place - Ct. Flame.

14U - First Place - Hersh, Second Place - Westchester Hawks, Third Place - Long Island Lightning - Ford, Fourth Place - Long Island Lightning - Eichinger

AAU District Championship play (Regionals) begins this week with the 12,13 and 15U Division l. Play continues the weekend of April 21-23 for the 10,11.14 and 16U also in Division l. Registration for those tournaments will close April 11th. This tournament is open only to AAU registered clubs in the New York Metropolitan region. Call me at 516-292-4956 for further information.'

4/6/06 NY Post: NYAC enshrines coach Jack Curran.

4/6/06 Metro Hoops: All Metro Hoops Teams - New Jersey.

4/6/06 NorthJersey: Rashad  Bishop, Kimani Barrett, Corey Raji earn All-State. And 2006 All-state boys basketball.

4/5/06 Phil Diasparra: 'Westchester Hawks 17u won the Super Regionals at the Island Garden this past weekend qualifying them for Nationals in Orlando. The team went 5-0 against some good teams. Tyrell Thompson (JFK), Marvin Billups (Monroe Woodbury), Corey Orgias (Monroe Woodbury), Ken Horton (Ossining HS), Spencer Smith (White Plains), Jon Hood (Panas), Robbie Coggins (Danbury HS), Franco Foti (JJay CR), Lamont Lans (Spring Valley) and Matt Rose (Spring Valley) all did a good job in a great team effort. Jim Fox did a great job again. This weekend we are at the JamFest in RI.'

4/5/06 Lloyd Desvigne (Holy Cross): 'The Wheelchair Charities Basketball Classic will start on Monday April 10. The stars from Manhattan will meet the stars from Brooklyn. The girls at 6:00pm and followed by the boys at 7:30pm. Tuesday April 11 will have Queens facing off against the Bronx. (girls at 6:00pm - boys at 7:30pm). The consolation games will be played on April 12 and the championship games (Madison Square Garden - MSG telecast) will take place on April 13. These games are played to support the patients at Goldwater Hospital.'

4/5/06 BOOKSNBALL: 'The 4th Annual Big Apple Basketball High School Expo has now been approved for Division I coaches to attend. Big Apple Basketball is proud to announce this event has been approved by the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), representing the New York State Public High  School Athletic Association. Because of the additional coaches and exposure, Big Apple Basketball will also host a top 20 uncommitted juniors showcase in conjunction with the top 40 unsigned seniors showcase. The event will take place on Saturday, April 15 at Baruch College.

Tryouts for all unsigned seniors and uncommitted juniors will take place on Saturday, April 8 at Baruch College (seniors 10am-12pm, juniors 12pm - 2pm) and on Sunday, April 9 at Xavier High School in Manhattan (seniors 10am-11:30am, juniors 11:30am-1pm). Tryouts begin promptly! All student-athletes should arrive 30 minutes prior to start time and must bring a copy of high school transcript. All participants will be chosen based upon their academic achievements, and basketball tryouts. This event is free of charge and open to seniors & juniors in NYC, Long Island, Westchester, Southern Connecticut and North Jersey. Complete details on tryouts, the showcase and event approval  can be found at www.bigapplebasketball.com/hsexpo.html or call 718-575-3342.'

4/5/06 Coach Joe Conefry, Assistant Coach at Columbia University: 'Columbia University Men’s Basketball is offering three camps this summer. Two weeks of the Joe Jones Summer Basketball Camp, Week 1 (July 24th to July 27th) and Week 2 (July 31st to August 3rd), are offered to boy’s and girl’s ages 7 to 18. The Columbia Basketball Elite Prospect Camp is being help from June 23rd through the 25th. Anyone interested in attending the camps or receiving information regarding the camps should contact me at 212-854-0024 or email at jdc2126@columbia.edu.'

4/5/06 NJO: 2006 all-stars.

4/5/06 Metro Hoops: Spring Fling 17U Top Performers and All Tournament Team. Spring Fling 16U Top Performers and All Tournament Team.

4/5/06 Coach Herman Johnson – Northern Burlington RHS: 'Congratulations to Jimmy Salmon and the Playaz Basketball Club for an outstanding AAU event. The competition was fierce, the games competitive and the event well organized. Everybody that was somebody in high school basketball was there including the top talent evaluators. Much thanks to FDU for providing the facility. Fans (and there were many) were able to watch 4 games at once and there was not a bad seat in the house. Refreshments were sold and everyone conducted themselves respectfully. I had my 2 young sons with me and they had the opportunity to interact with tomorrow’s stars. Many of them even signed autographs for my kids that marveled at their talents. As a former player, current coach and parent, I felt fortunate to be involved and in attendance at such a nice event. Nice job Jimmy, members of the Playaz Basketball Club and the young players that worked the event. You have all set an example for how a Top AAU event should be run. 'The 2006 Playaz Basketball Club's Spring Fling – Worth the price of admission.'

4/4/06 Coach Hassan Bilal: 'At the Island Garden Sunday morning the CT Flame 16U team won a hard fought quarter-final game against the Junior Celtics. We were down by 10 pts. with 4 mins. remaining, but the team managed to keep its composure and finish strong. We were led by DeJan Korac (12pts.),  JoJo Swift (11pts.), David Zaitz (10pts.), and 6'6" Shakeem King (10pts.). Next in the semi-finals we faced LI lightning (Katz). It was a close game throughout the first half, in the third quarter our "strongman" (6'3"  DeJan Korac) went down hurt. After that we ran out of gas. Shakeem King (16pts.) played well in the loss. LI Lightning (Katz) is a good team, with 2  standout big men. The Lightning ended up losing in the chip to the Westchester  Hawks. I'd like to commend Jim Fox and the Island Garden staff for running a great tournament!'

4/4/06 St Johns Basketball: Sophomore guard Cedric Jackson to transfer from St. John's. Second-year player averaged 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds as a sophomore.

4/4/06 Rob Kurzinsky, Director of Basketball Operations at Columbia University: 'The Columbia University basketball staff would like to invite any interested basketball players, between the ages of 7 and 17, to attend the Tyler Ugolyn MVP’s of Character Basketball Clinic on Saturday May 6th. The clinic is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Levien Gymnasium on the campus of Columbia University. Lunch is included. The clinic is named in honor of former Columbia basketball player Tyler Ugolyn. Tyler lost his life in the World Trade Center tragedy on September 11, 2001. If you would like to attend please contact me with the names and ages of the interested participants (212-854-3103 or rk2279@columbia.edu).'

4/4/06 Anthony Nicodemo: 'The BCANY Annual Up-State/ Down-State games will be played this Sunday April 9 at Briarcliff HS in Westchester. The noon game will feature the girls while the boys game will be played at 2:00 PM. The upstate teams will feature players from Section 1 North while the downstate team will have players from NYC and Long Island. Rosters will be confirmed this week and a later posting will announce the players. This is a great day of basketball that will benifit Coaches vs Cancer.'

4/4/06 Jimmy Salmon: 'The 2006 Playaz Basketball Club's Spring Fling is now complete. Running a 2 weekend tournament with 112 teams is not easy and yes we made a few mistakes. Our area has some of the best players, coaches and teams in the country and we all proved that the past 2 weekends. Congratulations to the Phase II champions: 12 & under NY Skyriders; 16 & under Metro Hawks and 17 & under Playaz Basketball Club. Continue to check our web site www.playazbasketball.org for our 2006 Calendar of events. We are currently accepting registrations to our other 3 tournaments. Please keep in mind that we take teams on a first paid-first entered basis. Good luck with your programs this year. We appreciate all the teams that entered and hope you look forward to entering the 2007 Spring Fling next year.'

4/4/06 Jason Curry: 'Big Apple Basketball will be holding its second round of tryouts for the upcoming High School Expo Scholarship Games. Tryouts will be on Saturday, April 8 at Baruch College and Sunday, April 9 at Xavier High School in Manhattan. Tryouts both days will be 10am-1pm. Participants should arrive at 9:30 and must bring a copy of their high school transcript. Big Apple Basketball will select the top 40 unsigned seniors to participate in the showcase on Saturday, April 15 at Baruch College. Seniors in NYC, Long Island, Westchester, and North Jersey are eligible for the showcase. All student-athletes will be chosen based upon their academic achievements and basketball tryouts. For all information, visit www.bigapplebasketball.com/hsexpo.html or call 718-575-3342.'

4/4/06 Shawn McCray: 'Applications are available for the very competitive 8th Annual Zoo Crew Summer League held in Newark, NJ. Games are only played on the weekends. We will accommodate traveling AAU teams. Some of the top AAU teams and player's in Northern, NJ participated last year..

Four NJ All-Staters participated in the league in the last summer as Desean Butler (Bloomfield Tech), state's leading scorer Keon Lawrence (Weequahic), Kimmani Barrett (Paterson Catholic), and Anthony Nelson (Plainfield). Also, the NJ Tournament of Champions finals had past participants of the league as LJ McGhee and Charles Miller (Linden) and Al-Tarik Wagner (St. Patrick's). Ten of the fifteen All-Essex County player's participated in the league Desean Butler (Bloomfield Tech) and Corey Chandler (Newark Eastside) won the Championship together last summer, Keon Lawrence (Weequahic) team lost in the semi's, Marquise Moore (Newark Central) lost in the finals, Joseph Ellis (Science), Cecil Stinson (Montclair), Rashon Dwight and Dante Rollins (Bloomfield Tech), Ashton Gibbs (Seton Hall Prep.) and Da'shon Barrino (Shabazz).

For an application email me at sxnewark@aol.com. The high school, 8th grade, and 12-u divisions was at capacity last summer, 20 teams in each division. We also offer a boy's 10-u, Girl's Highschool, and a Men's College Division ages 18-24.'

4/4/06 Coach Ted Gustus: 'Coach Tommie Allen and Coach Khalid Green are having their final try-outs for the Brooklyn team competing in the annual Wheelchair Classsic. The try-outs will be held on Wednesnday, April 5, 2006 at 4 P.M. at the PAL Brownsville Beacon Center @ J.H.S. 275 located at 985 Rockaway Avenue between Hegamen Avenue and Linden Blvd. Juniors and seniors are invited to attend the practice. Also, the Brooklyn team will be taking their traditional visit to Goldwater Memorial Hospital on Thursday, April 6, 2006. The selected team is scheduled to arrive at the hospital to meet the Wheelchair Founder/President Mr. Hank Carter at 5 P.M. All players must visit the hospital in order to participate in the Wheelchair Classic Games.'

4/4/06 Bobby Rahn: 'On behalf of the B.C. Eagles I wanted to thank Jim Salmon and the rest of the Playaz family for hosting a great event. This past weekend's Spring Fling was awesome. There was great competition from all over the country and I had a blast. We went 0-3 in our pool which consisted of the Metro Hawks, Team Philly MJC and the Ct. Basketball Club. We lost all three games by a combined point total of 15. It was a nice weekend and a great way to kick off the AAU Season. Quillar Marion led the way for B.C. averaging 14 points per game. Jeff "Stretch" Ryan also put together a nice weekend averaging 12 points a game. Curtis Dieudonne and Andre "Banks" McGriff also picked up some of the slack and had a strong three games. Thanks for the great experience and we will see you guys at the Playaz Ball in July. Good luck on the rest of your season!'

4/3/06 Coach Dre', Team Underrated: Our 14-under recorded their 2nd victory in as many games in the Almighty Force. We were victorious versus NYC Panthers by the score of 45-23. We were led by Marques Charlton 14 points 3 steals and 1 assist, Saheem King 6 points, 3 rebounds, and Earl Hudson 7 points. Next up is Bunky Reid All-Stars.'

4/3/06 The current High Hoops' team page is for high school teams, but I'll start changing it to AAU team profiles soon. Please send your team data - administrators' and coaches' names, rosters, schedules, tournaments and contact info - to nycnjhoops@aol.com. Include it with any email concerning team tryouts or tournaments.

4/3/06 Daily News: Jeffrey Noel beats adversity with class.

4/3/06 NY Post: CTK'S Larry Davis may balk at NC State.

4/3/06 Coach Billy Turnage: The Metro Hawks 16 & under team kicked off the start of their AAU season by winning the Playaz Spring Fling out in New Jersey this past weekend.

4/3/06 Rob Rizzo: 'This weekend the Westchester Hawks U16 Select won an AAU Super Regional at the Island Garden in West Hempstead. The Hawks went 6 - 0 on their way to the title. Against a well-coached Long Island Lightning (Katz) team in the chip, Sean Kilpatrick (White Plains H.S.) led the way with 26 points. Mookie Jones (Peekskill H.S.) went for 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyshawn Taylor (St. Anthony's - Jersey City) dropped 14. Alberto Estwick (St. Anthony's), Elliot Watson (Peekskill H.S.), and Ketema Brooks (Mt. Vernon H.S.) made big plays at both ends of the floor all weekend long. Next weekend the Hawks will be in Rhode Island for the Providence Jam Fest.'

4/3/06 Tom McTernan: 'The 10th Annual Big Apple Sports College Exposure 2006 will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2006 at City College, at 138th Street and Convent Avenue in New York. Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the first games scheduled to tip-off at 11:00 a.m. This event is limited to 120 participants and is invitation-only, with no charge for the accepted participants. All participants must be graduating high school seniors, high school graduates, GED recipients, or older students with junor college eligiblity. The 2005 event was witnessed by more than 65 coaches and scouts from schools and scouting services across the country, including Texas, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Maryland and Florida. All those who wish to be considered for the 2006 College Exposure Games must fill out the registration form from our website (http://www.eteamz.com/bigapplesports) and mail it to the address noted at the bottom of the form.

College Coaches interested in attending this event should e-mail me (tmcternan@hotmail.com) or call Bryan Griffith at (347) 564-4938.'

4/3/06 Howard Gutman: 'The New Jersey Panthers Blue team won the March 25th -26 TriState Sports tournament Chester, PA by going 4-0 last weekend.'

4/2/06 NJO: Player of the Year: CBA's Dan Werner. Team of the Year: St. Patrick's. Coach of the Year: Linden's Phil Colicchio. Final Top 20.

4/2/06 NJHoops: The annual Al Carino South Jersey All Star Games were held Saturday at Rutgers University in Camden.

4/2/06 NJHoops: Player of the Year - Brian Zoubek.

4/2/06 NY Insider: LI. Lightning, Corey Fisher Win Buzzer Beater. Nick Murphy Is Worth A Look - had a solid day yesterday at the Spring Fling in New Jersey.

4/2/06 Rich Kosik/Booksnball: 'Jason Curry and his merry band of "guys who care" are putting on their annual free "Top 40 Unsigned HS Senior Scholarship Games" on Saturday, April 15, 2006 at Baruch College. The details on the event and try-outs can be found at Big Apple Basketball Scholarship Games. All of us in the HS hoops community can make this event the success it should be for the benefit of the participants by spreading the word to all of our college contacts and make sure the it gets the great turnout of college coaches it deserves.'

4/2/06 Lloyd Desvigne (Holy Cross HS): 'South Shore HS (6565 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11236) will present the 8th annual Neclina McDonald Memorial Foundation Spring Classic. This Tournament will run from May 1st thru May 7th. There will be four age groups: 13years, 15, 17 and 19years. Players must be that age or younger for the entire tournament. Last year 35 teams participated in three age groups with teams from Florida, Boston, Maryland, and the local city power clubs (Metro Hawks, Starrett City). Interested teams should contact Rob McDonald at (917) 533- 7465.'

4/2/06 Journal News: Con Ed Scholar-Athlete award -- Mount Vernon's Jonathan Mitchell