High School Summer Challenge, 2003 @ St. Raymond HS

7/19/03 John P Miciotta: ' I'd like, with our readers' kind permission to post my observations in team rather than game summaries. That will make it easier to organize information and observations made over three days.

St. Benedict's Prep Although they were challenged briefly by Xaverian and for a more extended period by All Hallows, there's little doubt that Danny Hurley will coach the finest sub college team in the nation this season. Frontcourt stalwarts J.R. Smith and Alex Galindo (pictured) are the headliners and the two 6'7" wing men kill opponents in different ways. Smith brings overwhelming brute force, quickness and energy. He, flies down the wing on the break, finishes everything with a dunk, and gets rebounds above the rim. Outside shooting is the only flaw in this sure fire big time prospect's game. Galindo's game is much more subtle, he's a terrific passer from a forward spot who will remind veteran New Jersey hoops watchers of Mike O'Koren's days at Hudson Catholic.

He's also as good a shooter as there is when he's not rushed and, the more you watch, the more his athleticism grows on you. He's long has very quick hands, covers ground with long strides, and has great timing. He almost never jumps the highest when going for rebounds but the ball seems to find its way into his hands.

The support players for the St. Benedict's aren't bad either. Delaware native Jawon Carter and Brooklyn native Eugene Harvey are a pair of speedy soph guards who come with great reputations and great ability but the sleeper in the back court rotation is senior Jon Ezeokoli who at 6'3" was the team's best clutch shooter in this tournament. Many of his baskets came when the Bees were not playing well and his long treys always seemed to give them a needed burst of energy. More then that. he's an aggressive defender with long arms and good enough feet to keep quick point guards in front of him and close out to shooters. He doesn't appear to have a strong body and that might keep high majors away but he's someone mid majors should work hard to get before word gets around how good he is. Also 6' Eric Moore will have to earn minutes as a junior but he's a solid prospect in his own right.

Coach Hurley has some good talent to choose from up front also. Junior Mark Aziz is 6'8" and has some face-up skills while Ismaila Traore, who's also a junior is 6'8" as well and can rebound and clog the middle. Frank Tchuisi is 6'10" and has great size and tools. He can run the floor but will need to gain experience and improve his hands. Truthfully being challenged a bit here will probably help them during the season because while they likely know they have greater talent than any team they'll face, they learned here they must play hard to win and as I suspect Coach Hurley will admit, experience can be the best teacher for players who sometimes need to be reminded how to compete.

St. Raymond  The Ravens were the only team here that could approximate the depth and talent of St. Benedict's and the Ravens had the whole arsenal present. Gavin Grant was ok despite struggling with his shot and Brian Laing played with his typical toughness. 6'8" senior Frank Elgar showed flashes of improvement with respect to both his skill and intensity. If he can become more consistent he will garner more minutes and recruiters will take greater notice. Most important for the Ravens however is that guys who will be needed to replace departed perimeter players Louie McCroskey and Tariq Atkins had some good moments. 5'11" seniors Dante Chisolm and Wesley Wicks did some nice things. Chisolm shot the ball and ran the team a bit better while Wicks displayed his trademark solid on ball defense. A pair of juniors up from last year's JV champs will compete with those guys for minutes. 6'0" junior Richard Jackson defended and shot well while fellow junior Rick Cadell displayed his fine outside stroke. Coach Oliver Antigua knows what he'll get from Grant and Laing but the work of the inexperienced seniors and juniors must have been encouraging as he looks ahead to the defense of the Ravens city title. The difficult task for the Ravens will not be replacing the skill of McCroskey but replacing his leadership.

Bloomfield Tech Their senior perimeter trio of Courtney Nelson, Dashaun Dwight and Jason Wilson are as good a trio as you'll see in high school basketball. Nelson is the most heralded of the group and was a great early verbal for Richmond. He's terrific off the dribble and can shoot. His decision making is still developing but together with former St. Ray's star Daon Merritt they will form one of the quickest backcourts in the A-10. Wilson has reportedly also verballed early to Quinipiac and he's a steal for the Bobcats because his athleticism will make him a terrific slasher and finisher in their motion offense. Rubbing off screens his quick and long first step will get him right to the basket. Dwight is the only one who's unsigned appears to be very underrated also. When he plays point, he finds people and delivers the ball on time and on target. When they move him off the ball, he reads screens well and has a quick and accurate shot. Those three guards plus outstanding 6'9" soph Casim Drummond form what should be the nucleus of a fine team, but they did not play well here mainly because their team defense allowed teams to spread them out and break them down. For them to be good against a tough schedule, that must be remedied.

Christ the King  The Royals were bitten by the free throw shooting bug in their second game and it cost them a win over the home standing Ravens. That said Coach Oliva can take some positives from the play of his charges. Brian Beckford and Chris Martin did not have great games but did ok as long as they played with poise. Other players such as senior Rob Flores and junior Ahmed Allen showed signs they may be able to add important depth to the Royals' mix. Flores shot the ball well and made good decisions with the ball while Allen used his girth and good hands to be a consistent factor on the glass. Junior Niko Scott shot well from mid range but perhaps because of the early hour (CK had the first game each of the three days) did not have his legs for his normally reliable three point shot. Soph Larry Davis fit in nicely with the varsity group with his defensive quickness, ability to get to the basket and make outside shots. Coach Oliva always does a nice job of finding out from year to year the best way for his team to play. One suspects that this year's Royals will be a good help defensive team and will be especially tough if they move the ball and take good shots. They did not do that here but my guess is that they're right where they should be...in July...and that things will improve as the roles are defined in practice.

Christopher Columbus Ken Kelley's charges likely got more out of this tournament than any team because they more than held their own against top flight programs and ended the week full of confidence. Senior Jesse Iyalekhue (6'7") showed that he deserves D-1 attention because of his great strength and willingness to compete on the glass. He's a low D-1 prospect now but if he can improve his hands and develop a second post move (now he only turns to one shoulder) his stock will rise. 

Senior Elvis Lora is a good shooter from the point position whose size (5'11") and playing style remind me of former Theodore Roosevelt star Ed Berrios. He teams with physical 6'3 junior Keniel Henry (pictured), who can get in the lane and use broad shoulders to create space in traffic. He sometimes drops his head when he drives and that keeps him from being an effective passer but his athleticism strength and desire make him an intriguing player to watch. 6'7" junior lefty Tim Zephyr has great wingspan and shot well at times. His effort needs to be more consistent. It will be interesting to see how their success here (two wins and a tough loss to CK) will help them during the season.

St. John's Prep Their outstanding play here included wins over Don Bosco, a Jersey "A" power and Queens neighbor Holy Cross. A quartet of seniors all did well. 6'7" senior Bryant Dunston (pictured middle) is similar to the aforementioned Iyalekhue in that he's a kid with a big body who can run the floor He hasn't mastered the intricacies of pivoting yet and that limits his effectiveness down low but he rebounds and plays hard. 5'8" Serge Clement (pictured right) didn't score much but was outstanding running the show. 6'3" Gary Graham (pictured left) is an outstanding shooter and that skill should draw him D-1 looks.

Jack Fultcher is long and most effective on the baseline. This quartet and veteran coach Jim Gatto are very capable of making a title run in the CHSAA's "B" League this season.

Holy Cross They opened play with an impressive win over an experienced and talented Bloomfield Tech team but struggled after that. Four junior guards Mike Johnson, Gordon Mckenzie, Anthony Clarke and Kevin Ogletree all played well. The Knights only size comes from 6'6" soph Lawrence Joliceur and though the reed thin youngster was a factor defensively, he wasn't ready to be a scorer. Johnson, who's 5'10" appears to be the best of the guards. He pushes the tempo, gets in the lane, shoots from mid range and defends. Clarke is the most complete scorer in the bunch. Look for the Knights to spring an upset or two in the CHSAA this year. Those guards are quick, and when they involve senior shooter Joe Conner, his long range accuracy can be an equalizer against teams that can out muscle them.

All Hallows  Like Holy Cross they battled a lack of size in their first two games. They got a noticeably trimmer and quicker Albert Forbes back for their last game against St. Benedict's and he helped them keep it close and play their best game against their toughest opponent. Terrell Elliston continued his transformation from undersized scoring guard to point guard with scoring skills and is getting better and better. Fellow junior guards Shane Denully, Brandon Nieves and Codi Oliver also played well. Up front the Gaels also got nice minutes from 6'5" junior Daryl Washington, whose size may become a key factor as the regular season progresses.

Rice  The Raiders were missing several key guys who were away with AAU teams so several of their games were played with a combination of Rice and All Hallows players that Kashif Pratt dubbed the Rice Gaels. Two Rice sophomores, Pratt and guard Edgar Sosa (pictured) stood out; Pratt because of his playmaking and unselfishness and Sosa because growth and improved strength have turned him from a good shooter into a great shooter. Plus, he now handles the ball with much more confidence against pressure. Rice is very deep at the point guard and wing spots so it's hard to gauge what kind of playing time they will get.  Make no mistake though, both are improving steadily and will be good prospects when they're seniors if they keep working.

Don Bosco They were without their inside bookends John Oates and Tyrell Biggs so they struggled to find an inside presence. 6'5" shooter Chris Rose was wonderful and soph Cornine Connor was had good moments also.

Xaverian  The Clippers do not have one outstanding player to match the talent of Gavin Grant or Brian Laing, but they showed that they may be the second deepest team in the city behind the St. Ray's. With 6-9 Mike Davis and JR Mitchell in Georgia with the Gauchos the Clips played St. Benedict's tough for a half in their only loss, and knocked off Don Bosco and St. Pat's. Clyde Chapman did his typical quietly effective work inside while James Furlong ran the floor much better than in the past. Terrence Portis was stellar in all three games. He not only made shots and defended but used better judgment with respect to shot selection. Saiquan Stone had intelligent all-around games, scoring from inside and out and helping on the boards when needed. With all the good things that happened to the Clippers, the best thing was the improved play of point guard Lavance Fields. He's made a complete return to good health from knee surgery that caused him to miss his freshman year and that plus improved judgment mean that he could be destined for big things in the future.'

7/18/03 Thursday's results:  Christ the King edged Rice 70 - 64, St Johns Prep bopped Holy Cross by 20, Columbus needed overtime to take St Francis Prep 64 - 62, St Benedict outlasted All Hallows 59 - 47 and Xaverian trounced St Pats 57 - 30.

Coaches Jim Calhoun and Mike Jarvis Jr. were in the gym for the St Benedicts' game checking out their stars, JR Smith (20) and Alex Galindo (11) but with six minutes to play the score was tied at 39 and the Gaels' guard Terrell Elliston (14) and center Albert Forbes (11) were threatening to steal the show. But St Benedicts closed with the 20 - 8 run capped by JR's thunderous dunk with a minute left to play. Danny Hurley's team will play St Raymond's next Valentine's Day (it won't be a love match) but they won't play his father's St Anthony's team this season or anytime in the future. The Ravens will meet St Anthony late next season before the New York or New Jersey playoff's begin.

Normally, St Patrick doesn't rebuild, they reload.  Not this summer.  They trailed Xaverian 29 - 21 at the half and with almost 12 minutes left in the game trailing 39 - 25 their assistant coach pulled his starters.  The senior backcourt of Desmond Sanders and Devon Moffatt will win some games for them but their brutal national schedule makes a winning season look unlikely at this time. Meanwhile the Clippers looked good with junior point guard Lavance Fields (8) running the show while senior wing Terrance Portis (14) and junior guard Saquan Stone (14) provided the offense. At 6-6 seniors Clyde Chapman and James Furlong added size and strength on the boards.

Over forty college coaches attended the Challenge, including Jim Calhoun (UConn), Tom Satran (Conn College), Randy Monroe (UMBC), Tom Parrotta (Hofstra), Barry Rohrsen (Pitt), Brian Nash (Seton Hall), Bob Leckie (Saint Peters), Herb Sendek (NC State), Gary DeCesare (Richmond), Mike Jarvis Jr. (St Johns), Steve Pikiell (GWU), Jop Scott (Caldwell), Steve Hayn, Bob Hurley (Stevens Inst.), David McLaughun (Stonehill), Louis Orr (Seton Hall), Matt Dillon (Niagra), John Cuffino (St Peters), Kevin Murphy (Manhattan), Ed Pinckney (Villanova), Jack Pceri (Bently), Jeff Ruland (Iona), Craig Holland (Iona), Ed Custodio (LIU), Scott Hicks (Loyola), Mike Kerr (Adelphi), Sean Grant (NYU), Garland Manchi (Rutgers), Ron Brown (FDU), Tom Sullivan (UMBC), Kevin Vulia (Sacred Heart), Bob Walsh (Providence), Rob O'Priscoll (Iona), Don Harnum (Rider), Chuck Martin (Drexel), Mark Carzuncth (Monmouth), Dave Carzuncth (Monmouth), Steve Seymore (Siena), Ross Buras (Fordham), Nick Macarchuk (Stony Brook), John Krikorian (Lafayette) and Fred Hill (Villanova).

7/17/03 It's been a busy week for the Bloomfield Tech team on the court at St Rays and two of their three star senior guards have made college commitments. Courtney Nelson (left) is headed for Richmond University in Virginia and Jason Wilson (right) will be going to Quinnipiac University to play for coach Joe DeSantis' Bobcats in Connecticut. Deshawn Dwight (center) is the highly rated Tech senior point guard.

7/16/03 NYHoops.com: Wednesday at St. Raymond's.

7/16/03 The first three games at St Rays were all competitive as the host Ravens overcame a one point halftime deficit to beat the Christ the King Royals 72 - 65, Rice took a struggling Bloomfield Tech team 70 - 66 and Columbus edged Holy Cross 72 - 66.  

Yesterday the Raven starters did fine and were aided by senior reserve guard Rich Jackson. Today their starters - Ricky Torres (19 on a lot of shots), Brian Laing (14), Gavin Grant (12), Wesley Wicks (8) and Frank Elger (4) - prospered while senior point guard Donte Chisolm came off that deep bench to add 8 points.  For the Royals only Chris Martin (game high 20) got to double digits, but Larry Davis (9), Brian Beckford (7), Joe DeLuca (7) and Ahmed Allen (6 all on in close ball fakes) each had their moments. CK's 6-7 junior center Adam Walker has been MIA for this tournament but he will be a factor during the regular season.

Bloomfield Tech has three senior guards in point guard Deshawn Dwight and wings Courtney Nelson and Jason Wilson. Each is a worthy D1 prospect. They have a poised and precocious 6-7 sophomore center in Casim Drummond, who ranks among the top ten sophomores in the region and that's not all. Their fifth starter is the capable, experienced 6-5 senior forward, Rich Laurent and the key reserves are 6-3 senior wing Lamarr Register, 6-4 forward Kelvin Brown and 6-3 swing sophomore Deshawn Butler. This team could rank about fifth in New Jersey next season with only St Ants, St Benedict and Seton Hall Prep obviously better. But they're bombing in da Bronx.  Today Rice arrived with five players - sophomore point guard Edgar Sosa (20), sophomore swing Kashief Pratt (9), forward Brian Henry (10) plus two All Hallows guards, Terrell Elliston (10) and Codi Oliver (21). Kash called them the 'Rice Gaels'. Codi and Terrell will play for All Hallows not Rice next season. Edgar, Kash and Brian will get considerable playing time but Russell Robinson, Arturo Dubois and Curtis Kelly will be the Raider stars while juniors Joseph Vines, Densel Barnes and Stephen Walker will challenge today's three for minutes. Meanwhile Bloomfield Tech gets the host Ravens tomorrow!

Columbus, the PSAL team from the Bronx, looked like the patsies before the tourney began, but they played the Royals tough yesterday and bested Holy Cross today. Their backcourt of senior Elvis Lora and junior Keniel Henry dominated while burly center Jessie Iyalekhue (14 points, including two crucial buckets late in the game) and wing shooters, lefty Tim Zehus and Jeff Povataj kept the floor spread. It was a dismal day for the Knights. Guards Kevin Ogaltree (21) and Gordan McKenzie (14) were high for the Cross but point guard Michael Johnson was held to 4, Joe Conner hit only one of two trey attempts and Laurence Jolicouer was saddled with foul trouble for most of the game.

7/16/03 In the last Tuesday game St Patrick held on to beat St John's Prep 57 - 52 as their senior guards Desmond Sanders and Devon Moffatt had 17 and 10 while junior forward Tyrone Cook added 10 more. The Prep got 13, 10 and 9 from Serge Clement, Jack Fulcher and Gary Graham.

7/16/03 John P Miciotta: 'Today's action at St. Raymond's saw several high school teams use this summer opportunity not only to garner good wins but to lay the groundwork for what may well be successful campaigns once the high school season begins in November.

Today's opener saw Christ the King handle a young and athletic Columbus team 61-45. While varsity holdovers Brian Beckford and Rob Flores led the scoring, several underclassmen showed they may be ready to assume key roles for the Royals. Ahmed Allen, Nico Scott and Hakeem Gooding, who were all part of the Royals' JV runners up last season each played solid minutes. Allen contributed just 6 points but was key in helping the Royals compete on the glass against an athletic Columbus team, while Scott also scored just six but had a nice floor game. A third underclassman, sophomore Larry Davis, also helped the Royals with his ability to get to the basket and create chances for his teammates. If he can adjust to the increased physical play at the varsity level, his poise and defensive ability will be a terrific asset to the Royals this season.

Columbus got strong games from a trio of players who could make Ken Kelley's team a factor in the PSAL this season. Senior Elvis Lora is a tough 5'10" guard who shoots well while fellow senior Jesse Iyalekhue (6'7") brings good size and quickness to the front court. Columbus' best player may well be junior Tim Zephur, who at 6'7" is a quick leaper with a quick first step. If his perimeter skill and overall offensive game continue to improve he will certainly be on the radar screens of many D-1 colleges next season.

Game 2 saw the day's big upset as Holy Cross knocked off Bloomfield Tech 84-81. Holy Cross' junior guard trio of Mike Johnson, Anthony Clarke and Gordon Mckenzie took it right too BT's more experienced trio of Courtney Nelson, DeShawn Dwight and Jason WIlson. Wilson and Dwight did have strong offensive games but the Knights succeeded in containing Nelson who was held under double figures. Two other keys to the Knights win were the way the Knights attacked BT's full court pressure and the play of soph Lawrence Jolicouer inside. Time and again Johnson. Mckenzie and Clarke got past Tech's full court press and while they took it inside often their best option proved to be senior Joe O'Connor who scored 25 points on 8 three point baskets. Nearly all of them were on shots created by penetration and a good feed from one of the Knights' speedy guards. Jolicouer, who appears to have grown to about 6'6" complemented their effort with a terrific defensive game. He held his own against fellow soph Casim Drummond, who outweighs him by at least 30 pounds. He used his outstanding quickness and timing to block several shots, change many others, and compete for rebounds.

St. Ray's used its superior size, quickness and depth to overwhelm All Hallows in game three. Brian Laing and Gavin Grant led the way for the Ravens but varsity rookie Richard Jackson also played well as did athletic senior Frank Elgar, who showed terrific raw ability in a limited role last season. He has now grown to 6'8" and according to reports is still just 16 years old. He is certainly a D-I athlete but how well he plays this season will determine the kind of looks he gets from colleges. All Hallows played without Albert Forbes, and Ron Ramon but got strong games from junior Terrell Elliston and improving junior Brandon Nieves.

What followed was a game between Rice and the kids from Columbus who had not left the gym. Lincoln was scheduled to play, never arrived and forfeited its place in the three day event. For Rice a pair of sophs showed that the Raiders' future has much more than Curtis Kelly. Kashif Pratt had a solid all around game while Edgar Sosa shot the ball extremely well.

Game 5 saw Xaverian rally from an 11 point first half deficit to beat Don Bosco. For the Clippers juniors Saiquan Stone and Lavance Fields led the way but they got key contributions from three seniors who did not see much time last season. Seniors James Furlong and Deon Mozzelle had strong games inside while Terrence Portis provided a huge lift scoring and defensively in the second half. It should be noted that the point guard position that the Clippers struggled with so much last year looks much better. Not only is Fields a year older and apparently wiser, but soph Brian McMichael appears ready to contribute. His defensive energy and ability to push the ball up were key to the winning second half run. For Don Bosco senior Chris Rose was terrific shooting the ball but with John Oates and Tyrell Biggs not present they had trouble finding an inside complement to Rose's outside shooting.

The final tilt I stayed for saw St. Benedict's overwhelm Loughlin. JR Smith and Alex Galindo were the stars as anyone who follows high school hoops in our region might expect but St. Benedict's is loaded with potential D-1 prospects. Sophs Eugene Harvey and Jawon Carter are a dynamic pair of speedy point men while added help up front comes from a trio of juniors 6'8" Mark Aziz 6'10" Frank Tchuisi and 6'7" Frank Traore.

Thanks to Oliver Antigua and the staff at St. Ray's for their assistance. This marks the third year of this event and it gets better every summer.'

7/15/03 In the first four games at St Ray's this afternoon, Christ the King easily outdistanced Columbus 61 - 45, Holy Cross ambushed Bloomfield Tech 84 - 81, St Rays rolled over All Hallows 80 - 58 and Lincoln forfeited to Rice. The afternoon's star was Holy Cross junior forward, Joe Conner with 25 points hitting his one free throw attempt and 8 for 8 on three point tries. The Knight's junior point guard Mike Johnson added 21, including some late free throw makes to hold off the BT charge. Tech was led by wing Jason Wilson (18), sophomore center Casiem Drummond (11), point guard Deshaun Dwight (10) but their star two guard, Courtney Nelson was held to 9. Holy Cross 6-7 sophomore center, Lawrence Jolicouer (pictured) had only four points but he was a factor inside defensively.

The Royals were led by senior Brian Beckford (15), Robert Flores (10), Ahmed Allen and Niko Scott (6 each).

The Ravens started the senior frontcourt of 6-8 center Frank Elgar (6 points and pictured), 6-6 Gavin Grant (14), 6-4 Brian Laing (17) with senior point guard Wesley Wicks ((5) and 6-3 junior Ricky Torres (14).  Junior guard Rich Jackson is up from last year's JV and he was best off a deep bench with 11 points.  All Hallows got 15 each from Terrell Elliston and Brandon Nieves while 6-5 junior Darryl Washington arrived late to give them some height. But the Gaels were missing Ronald Ramon, Albert Forbes and Jonathan Ruiz and that was too much to overcome.

7/14/03 Game schedule -- July 15 -- 12:30 CTK vs Columbus,  1:45 Bloomfield Tech vs Holy Cross,  3:00 St. Ray's vs All Hallows,  4:15 Rice vs Lincoln,  5:30 Xaverian vs Don Bosco Prep,  6:45 St Benedicts vs Bishop Loughlin and 8:00 St Patrick's vs St. John's Prep

July 16 -- 12:30 CTK vs St. Rays,  1:45 Bloomfield Tech vs Rice, 3:00 Holy Cross vs Columbus,  4:15 All Hallows vs Lincoln, 5:30 Don Bosco vs St. John's Prep,  6:45 St. Patrick's vs Bishop Loughlin and 8:00 St. Benedicts vs Xaverian

July17 -- 12:30 CTK vs Rice, 1:45 St. Rays vs Bloomfield Tech,  3:00 Lincoln vs Holy Cross,  4:15 St. John's Prep vs Columbus,  5:30 St. Benedicts vs All Hallows, 6:45 St. Patrictk's vs Xaverian,  and 8:00 Don Bosco vs Bishop Loughlin.

Directions from GW Bridge, take 95 N to Castle Hill Ave, make left at light, go straight to Parker St, make left, make left on Purdy Street. School is on right.