IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004

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IS8 -- address is 108 167th St. Jamaica, Queens just off  Merrick Blvd on 167 St and 108th Avenue. For more information contact Pete Edwards @ 718-297-3951 or 917-692-9835.'

10/25/04 John P Miciotta: Playaz Club wins IS8 title with help from “Friars Club” -- Playaz Club’s “Black Team” rallied from a 13-2 start, pulled ahead in the early stages of the third quarter and then used clutch free throw shooting to earn a tough 89-76 win over Philly USA yesterday. The nucleus of their fine team got some reinforcement from a pair of St. Anthony’s Friars that gave them an extra boost for a championship run.

Philly raced to its early advantage thanks to a soft 2-2-1 press which thanks to Philly’s length and hustle made it difficult for the Playaz point men Marquise Johnson and Derek Mercer to see over and throw over.  The offense for Philly came from the tournament’s Player of the Year Stefon Jackson, who made shots both from mid range and from deep, hit to drives and even looked comfortable posting up Mercer.

As the first quarter wound down and the second quarter began the Playaz found help from one of Mercer’s teammates at St. Anthony’s High.  Hard working forward Barney Anderson scored 6 of his 8 points in the opening half. It began when he put home a lay-up on a nice slip pass from Mercer; he scored another hoop on a post move and a third basket on an offensive rebound for a score.  The points, plus good work on the defensive board helped the Playaz find their bearings kept them within 7 points, and set the stage for his team to finish their work.

A basket by Dionte Christmas just as the second quarter ended moved the lead from 5 to 7 for Philly.  But the Playaz came out of the locker room ready to make a decisive move.  Mercer and Ryan Ayers opened the half with a pair of treys, and then Ayers took the ball from the right wing and made a quick powerful drive that gave the Playaz a lead. Following the lead of Anderson, Mercer and Ayers, Brandon Costner picked up his energy as well.  He made a long trey following Ayers basket, but more importantly he rebounded, scored inside and helped the Playaz guards get more room to operate.   

Mercer took full advantage on his way to a game MVP award.  He hit two treys during the decisive rally, and made a tough drive down the left side where he not only scored but he drew Maurice Thomas’ fourth foul.  Thomas had struggled in the final following Saturday’s fine performance but Philly needed his presence defensively and to help provide additional scoring help for Jackson . Without him in the middle, Philly had difficulty containing Costner. And fellow front-liner Gerald Inman also contributed with two important baskets as Philly tried to rally in the early stages of the fourth quarter.  From there, while many contributed to the Playaz cause, Mercer was their shows star.  He managed the clock with poise and confidence.  He, along with Ayers, made free throws, and his teammates responded to his hustle and energy.

Jimmy Salmon’s Playaz Club finally broke through after coming close last year.  He and the young guys can take pride in the performance of both their teams.  While I’m sure Coach Salmon is indeed proud I suspect somewhere Coach Hurley Sr. is too.  Both Anderson and especially Mercer provided the kind of poise and defensive intensity that St. Anthony’s has been built on. Their arrival for the playoffs may well have provided the final piece to a championship puzzle .'

10/25/04 NY Hoops: Playaz Black Redeem Saturday’s Loss.

10/25/04 NY Hoops: Philly USA gets inside Playaz Gold. Dominates the Paint in Victory.

10/24/04 Philly USA began their IS8 championship quest with a 13-2 run and a 29-20 first quarter lead thanks to a zone press which confused the Playaz early. But Philly took the press off to begin the second quarter and the Playaz adjusted to it later in the period to take a 50-49 lead at the 5:26 mark in the third period. They never looked back winning 89-76. Derrick Mercer, the 5-9 St Anthony point guard, got a well deserved championship MVP for the Playaz while Stefon (I asked him how he spelled his first name) Jackson got the game Sportsmanship award and the IS8 season MVP trophy.

The IS8 All Tournament first team was Andray Blacht, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Victor Morris and Antonio Pena. The second team was Levance Fields, Jonathan Mitchell, Eugene Harvey, Gerald Henderson and Ryan Ayers. The third team was Derrick Caracter, Marvin Roberts, Dionte Christmas, Chris Bethel and Doug Wiggins.

Derrick Mercer with his championship game trophy.	Marquise Johnson, the other Playaz point guard.	The Master of IS8, Pete Edwards.	Stefon Jackson with his Sportsmanship trophy.	Jordan Costner taking in the IS8 action.

Earlier stories at bottom of page. 

Rosters:

1. Mount Vernon, -- coach Bob Cimino, Jonathan Mitchell 6-7, Chris Lowe 6' 3",  Johnathan Smith, 5' 11" Michael Coburn, 6' 2" Al Brown, 6' 2" Chinyelu Browne, 6' 1" David Clark, 6-8 George Barrows

2. New York City Heat, -- Shahee Martin, Vernon Teel, Miguel Marriaga, Milan Prodonovic, Altariq Wagner, Daquan Cook, Darwin Lynch, Tyrone Cook, Terrence Moore, D Gladstone, Chris Austire, Kalid McDonald. 

3. St. Marys, Danny Green Rashad Green, Tyson Johnson, Tyrone Hanson, Gilbert Montalvo, Eves Mbala  6'6", Tom Nolan 6-1, Rudy Fuentes 6-0, Aleek Pauline

4. B'ballers, coach Johnnie Mathis, Preston Pena 5'10" , Jacymiel Concepcion 5'6", Joshua Ferreras 5'8, Gabriel Hernandez 5'8, Anthony Nieves 6'2, Dwanye Bagley 6'3, Amuary Fermin 6'1, Antonio Ramos, 6-3 Dwight Hardy, 6-7 Gerald Rasberry. 6-2 Stephen Malcom

5. Amityville High School, Ryan Frazer, Mark Johnson, Brian Carter, Sam Duncan, Ray Jones, Ray Gadser

6. Playaz club (black), -- coach Jimmy Salmon, Brandon Costner,  Ryan Ayers, Alvin Munafaya, Terrel Williams, Paul Scotland, Chris Andrews, Horace McCluster, Marquise Johnson, Derrick Mercer. 

7. LPAC, -- coach Ruben Tavares, Luis Figueroa 6'5, Steve Pickens 5'6, Soloman Jones 6'2,  Andre Jouw, Darren David, Owen Brow.

8. Team Underrated, -- Coach Dre', Shavar Burch 6'6 (Upper Room), Sadraac Numa 5'9 (Upper Room), Melvin Clarida 6'5 (Springfield Gardens), Humzah Hakim 6'5 (Wyandanch), Maurice Charlton 5'9 (St. Johns The Baptist), Trevis Craig 6'4 (Springfield Gardens), Edy Toussaint (Holy Cross), Darwin Lynch (Martin Van Buren), and DJ Fields (Notre Dame Prep).

9. New York Elite, Bougari Konate, Jimmy O'Sullivan, Nate Brunfield, Rio Pitt, Paye Kaba, Chris Rodgers, Kareem Brown, Chris Cassidy.

10. Ahead of the Game, Kaye Ayeni,  Mark Manning,  Norron McDonald, Chris Kirkland, Calvin Morrison, Jerrel Hayes, Jaytorneh Wisseh.

11. Metro Hawks, -- coaches Kenny Pretlow and Artie Cox.  Tyrell Biggs, Chris Martin, Akeem Gooding, Geoff Rizk. Larry Davis, Robert Hampton, Steven Woods, Laurence Jolicoeur, Lance Furtato, Brian McKenzie

12. Rock Steady, --  Jabari Edwards, Eugene Harvey, Jamel Peterson, Malcolm Grant, Rob Mitchell, Kevin Anderson

13. St. Dominic, -- 6'2 Bobby Kiernan, Brian Sheehy, Greg Spatola, Sean Kennedy, Jim McEnroe, 6'5 Brandon Serrano, 6'5 Keith Fuchs, TJ Carey, TJ Thomas, Austin Pearson

14. Running Rebels, -- Mike Marin, Ryan Eisner, Jimmy Basil, George Kunckle, Kenny Kelly, Patrick Hazel

15. Chaminade Flyers, -- Mike Fisher, Ryan Owens, Andrew Beinert, Chas Fisher, James Towney, Rob Daly

16. Gauchos, -- Curtis Kelly, Kashief Pratt, Edgar Sosa, Terrell McKenzie, Antonio Pena, Dereck Dennis, Austin Wallace, Eli Whitehead, Javon Moses

17. Playaz club (gold), -- coach Jimmy Salmon, Kimani Barrett, Jerrell Williams. Hasim Bailey,  Luis Guzman, JR Inman, Wayne Ellington, Gerald Henderson, Q'arran Calhoun, Hasim Bailey

18. JYO, -- James Peters, Matt Robinson, Sean Crawford, Vic Morris, Cameron Tyler, Theo Davis, Wes Frederique, Troy Manus.

19. Chase the Game, coach Joe Walsh, Chris Kirkland, Chris DeLaRosa, Darryl Crawford, Mark Lake, Mike Davis

20. Woodmere Academy, -- 6-5 Tyrone Nash, 6-1 Chris Lareaa, 5-10 Ron (RJ) Rutledge Jr. and 5-10 Jakor Riddick, Edmund McRae, Josh Marshall

21. Juice All Stars, -- coach Dwayne (Tiny) Morton, Brandon Walters, Jamal Jackson, Nick Leon, Phil Jones, Vance Kelly, Vincent Flowers,

22. St. Raymonds, -- coach Artie Green, 6-4 Ricky Torres, 6-5 Shawn Hilliard, 6-0 Charles Vasser and 6-3 Chris Bethel, John Gener, Rick Jackson, Joey Amelio, Craig Colds, B Cherry

23. Shooting Stars, -- Timmy Ambrosia, Josh Frazier, Brian Elisma, Ryan Pearson, Antoine Gibson, Bruce Chong, John Garcia, Andray Blatch, Javon Parris, Tyvon Williams

24. Suffolk County,   Adam Parzych, Nick Cirisi, Chris Johnson, Carl Green, Kevin Vosilla, Carson Nickoff, William Green

25. St. George's Church - Melvin Peartt, Will Etheridge, Kareem Williams, Paul Foster, Robert Perryman, Christian Ehigator, Terrance Howard

26. Phili - USA - Ballers, -- Shaun Saab, Stephan Jackson, Kilid Hartwell, Keechen Myers, Tasheed Carr, Maurice Thomas, Amir Ryan.

27. Dyckman,  -- Steven Polanco 6'2", TJ McGann 6'2", Darren Townes 6'6", Kendal Uribe 5'11", Adris DeLeon 6'0", Jaffi Mays, Kevin Gibbs,

28. Fairfield County -- Robbie Sisca, Brendan Sullivan, Marcus Mann, Mike Timble, Matt Hill, Chris Skrelja

29. FUBU, -- Thomas Evan, Malachi Peay, Anthony, Akeem, D Lewis

30. Queens Cobras, -- Tony Martin, Albert Handy, Jason Lamarre, Brandon Harris, Donnie Daul.

31. Bingo's All Stars, -- coach JR Rodriguez,  Terrell Elliston, Devon Baker, Michael Glover, Herbie Allen, Josh Spivey, Kanau Gordon, Darren Townes, Joe Edwards

32. Rhode Island Breakers - John Kale, Rakim Sanders. 

33. Starrett City, -- Jamel White, Brian McMickle, James Gilmore, Thomas Manzani, Levance Fields, Saquon Stone, Calvin Rhoden, Miguel Soares, Kavon Lynch, Steven Jackson, Kevin Weeks

34. Knights, -- coach Loyd Desvigne.Mike Johnson, Hickman Simmons, Gordon McKenzie, Anthony Clarke, Wayne Turner, Damani Corbin, Joe Vines

35. NYC Finest, -- coach Roberto Diaz. Daniel Desir, Brandon Lawley, Derek Williams, Nick Jones, Lonnell Jones, Kevin Paradise, Gregory Dwyer, Charles Jenkins, Melvin Clarida, Oshmar Planes.

36. Panthers, coach Gary Charles, Kaheem Seawright, Eric Wallace, Andrew Bynum, Earl Clark, Devon Ebanks, Derrick Caracter, Rob Thomas, Lance Stephenson, James Bryant, Christian Morris

37. Real Scout, -- coach Nathan Blue, Codi Oliver, William Harris, Phillip Murphy, Malcolm Pope, Shomari Spears, 

38. Keep Your Dreams Alive, -- Coach Ron Dennis 1) Brian Lassiter 5'9" Bayshore H.S. Senior, 2) Akeem Vanderhorst 6'4" Bayshore H.S. Senior, 3) Richard Thomas 6'4" St John Prep H.S. Senior, 4) Jelanie Winfield 6'4" St John Prep H.S. Senior, 5) Chris Williams 6'3" St John Prep H.S. Senior, 6) Justin Burrell 6'7" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Senior , 7) Eric Pegueros 6'4" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Junior, 8) Phil Ductan 5'8" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Junior, 9) Shane Dunelly 5'9" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Senior, 10) Lanval Gordon 6'0" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Senior, 11) Mike Singleton 6'6" Samuel Gompers H.S. Senior, 12) Ricky Lopez 6'4" Samuel Gompers H.S. Junior.

39. Team Next, -- Erving Walker, Lenny McNeil, Brandon Romain, Chris Wright, Marques Grant, David Imes, Donald Gabriel

40. Pro-bound -- Colin Ardin, Brian Gilbert, Steve Burtt, Ronald Buck.

Earlier Stories:

10/24/04 NJ Hoops: Playaz Black advance.

10/24/04 John P Miciotta: Semi-Final Saturday at IS8    A pair of tough and physical semi final games produced the first “all visitors” final in recent memory, which will be played tomorrow at noon at IS8.  The first game saw Philly USA move to a 13 point advantage early in the third period and then hold on to beat Playaz Gold (the team comprised mainly of underclassmen) 92-86.  In game two Playaz Black (mostly seniors) beat a young and talented Gauchos team, which had cut a 13 point deficit to 3 before the balance and experience of the Playaz helped them secure the win.

The game between Philly and Playaz Gold featured arguably the two best players in this year’s tournament, and they wasted little time asserting themselves.  Stephan Jackson of Philly got the scoring started with two pull up jumpers and two nice drives.  He helped his team surge to an early lead, but Wayne Ellington, who took a bit longer getting started for the Playaz responded as the period drew to a close.  On his team’s final two possessions he hit a long trey, and then after rebounding a long miss by Dionte Christmas he alertly flipped a pass over his shoulder to a breaking Nick Vier for the lay-up that tied the game at 19.

Christmas bounced back nicely from that long miss, and along with Jackson on the perimeter and with help from Kahlil Hartwell inside, led Philly on a late second early third quarter spurt that saw them move to a 13 point advantage.  Christmas hit two baseline shots, found Hartwell on the box for a hoop, helped Jackson and point guard Aaron Meyers handle the ball against pressure and put an exclamation point on the rally with a deep trey from the left wing.  Philly also got important baskets from wing Amir Ryan and reserve pointman Mike Scott, who were outstanding during Philly’s regular season weekends as well. And at that point the Playaz took a needed time out to get things back on track.

They returned to the floor having made two important adjustments.  First 6’6” Kimani Barrett was assigned to guard Jackson without the ball, and while he did not always keep him from getting it, he did use his length and quickness to force Jacks on into tough shots.  That combined with an outstanding effort from Luis Guzman brought the Playaz back.  Not only did Guzman do a great job on the defensive end with pressure on the ball and several steals. But he did exactly what a point guard should do and got his team’s two main scorers involved. The Playaz caught and passed Philly as the third stanza closed when Guzman fed Ellington for two tough baseline drives, and then found him again for an open trey.  He missed that shot but it was slammed home by high rising Gerald Henderson.  It gave the Playaz a lead and brought the over flow crowd to its feet.

Just as the Playaz regrouped with the help of a coaching adjustment, Philly had one of its own and went to it as the final period began.  They got the ball to Jackson early, cleared out the middle for him and turned their best player loose. Barrett, who as mentioned guarded him well without the ball, suddenly had trouble guarding him one on one.  Repeatedly Jackson got to the hoop, forcing the defense to help.  He scored many of his game high 26 points down the stretch and in doing so overcame a poor shooting game from the field by connecting on 14 of 14 from the free throw line. He also created chances for his teammates to get offensive rebounds and Maurice Thomas took the most advantage, scoring 8 of his 19 in the final period including one really nice reverse lay-up along the baseline. Jackson ’s clutch free throw shooting and Thomas’ tough play inside helped Philly earn a tough win.  But make no mistake, the young and talented Playaz took it right at the more experienced Philly team and showed a toughness that will help them as a team, and individually in the future.

The day’s second game saw the Playaz Black team surge to an early lead behind their perimeter trio of Derek Mercer, Marquise Johnson and Ryan Ayers.  Johnson and Mercer, who are both point guards, moved the ball smartly with crisp passes and quick drives to the hoop.  Mercer, who Pete Edwards calls “the little battleship” as a tribute to his toughness, goes into the lane fearlessly and never seems to get caught where he can’t make a play.  In today’s game Johnson and Ayers complemented him with outside shooting and Ayers also lent a big hand on the boards after teammate Brandon Costner was saddled with two early fouls.  The Playaz moved the lead out to 13 in the second quarter before the Gauchos regrouped.  Antonio Pena recovered from a slow first period, and did a nice job adjusting to the Playaz length inside.  Terrell McKenzie also got going from long range and the ‘chos cut it to three before the Playaz were able to put the game away. 

Today’s results mean that in tomorrow’s final the two experienced teams will go at it for the championship. Both teams bring size, depth, and outstanding intensity to the table.  For the Playaz the key may well be finding a way to contain Stephan Jackson’s penetration and scoring. For Philly they will have to deal with to quick tough and small guards and while their big guys are talented they may have a difficult time containing Brandon Costner if he can avoid the foul problems he had this afternoon.  The action starts at noon and while the two teams may be visitors there’s no better basketball being played tomorrow in the city than on Pete Edwards’ great stage at IS8.

10/23/04 It will be Philly USA vs. the Playaz Black for the IS8 Fall championship tomorrow at 12:00 as Philly USA topped the Playaz Gold 92-86 behind Stephan Jackson (26), Dante Christmas (20), Maurice Thomas (19) and Kilid Hartwell (10). Wayne Ellington had a game high for the Playaz Gold while Gerald Henderson, Luis Guzman and Kimani Barrett chipped in with 17, 15 and 11. Philly was relentless on the offensive boards and that was the difference in the game.

In the second game the Gauchos trailed 43-30 at the half but got it to 56-53 with less than three minutes to play before a final Playaz Black blitz gave them the win. Ryan Ayers had a high of 17 for the Playaz and three of them - JR Inman, Marquise Johnson and Derrick Mercer - had 10 each. Antonio Pena (21) and Terrell McKenzie (13) were best for the 'chos. The Playaz Brandon Costner had two fouls in the game's first minute and was held to three. They'll need his contribution in tomorrow's championship game.

10/22/04 InsideHoops: IS8 AAU Basketball.

10/18/04 Chuck Vance: 'The Arthur Challemor Memorial Coaches Award -- This proposed award is a memorial to Arthur "Big Artie" Challenor. It is directed to the coach who has given his utmost to his community and student athletes. The award is directed to the coach who doesn't look for rewards and continues teaching good sportsmanship, honor, and integrity of the game. He also teaches that a free higher education is our goal and that to be prepared for that goal by being a disciplined student athlete. The pursuit of God, family, and education are values that are more important than a crossover and a sweet jump shot in attaining the prize of a free higher education. Without those values it is as hard to sustain a fulfilled life and career, as it is a 5-point lead with 3 minutes left on the clock. Icons of the IS 8 family, Pete Edwards, "Mr B" and Tom Konchalski will determine the coach to be awarded. The award is to be sponsored by Lamar Odom's Kathy's Kids Foundation and the Royal Ivey's foundation Bistate Python Oilers and presented at the IS 8 Fall and Spring High School Classic Championships.'

10/17/04 Rich Adams: 'Playaz Red and Black, Philly and Gauchos advance to semis.'

10/17/04 NY Hoops: All 6 games of Super Saturday at IS8.

10/17/04 John P Miciotta: Saturday at IS8 - 'The first 4 games of the “Saturday Sextet” of games at IS8 were full of the kind of playoff intensity that Pete Edwards’ great tournaments are noted for.  In each game there was outstanding individual talent on display, but the hustle and effort is always what makes these games and this tournament.

The opener between Starrett City and Playaz Club Gold featured a matchup between two of our region’s top prospects.  Xaverian point guard Levance Fields, playing for Starrett City , and junior Wayne Ellington of the Playaz did not disappoint. In fact, they each scored 25 points, and did so in their own distinctive styles.  For Levance, that means hard charging and relentless, with drives in traffic at times, and using the dribble to force defenders to back down and give him room for a patented trey.  For Ellington, it means an almost gliding and effortless style. He’s so long his quickness is deceptive and he plays with very little flair, preferring instead to be smooth and efficient.

Levance got his team started quickly with five quick points and Starrett held that advantage through much of the game. Fields’ efforts were augmented by Xaverian teammate Saiquan Stone, who flashed both his play making skill and his ability to score in traffic.  In the late stages of the third and early stages of the fourth quarter Starrett got a nice lift from Ruben Guilluidex who scored eight of his twelve points during that span.

Ellington had lots of  support also, including a game high 26 point effort from Q'arren Calhoun, who made three clutch spot up jumpers in the game’s late stages, as well as doing his usual good work on the boards. Calhoun’s shooting along with a tough lefty tip in by Kimanni Barrett gave the Playaz a lead late in the third period.  From there the game sea-sawed back and forth until the final moments, when Ellington hit two clutch jumpers, found Gerald Henderson for a basket, and then, as Starrett overplayed passing lanes to get the ball back, he found Luis Guzman cutting in for a layup to ice an 83-78 win.

Game 2 saw St. Mary’s battle down to the wire against a deeper and bigger Panthers team.  Their effort despite losing 83-82 is even more impressive when one considers that they did it without their star Danny Green, who was reportedly at North Carolina ’s midnight madness.  Several St. Mary’s players proved their mettle against one of IS8’s traditional powers, showing great ability to scouts and fans alike. Point guard Aleek Pauline played and shot the ball with more confidence and poise than in the past.  The stocky 5’10” guard may draw looks from low majors if he continues to improve. Both Rashad Green and Tyson Johnson battled fearlessly inside against stronger players, while slight but heady playmaker Gilbert Montalvo made two long treys during a fourth quarter rally which brought the Gaels back from a double digit deficit.

The Panthers had strong games from Kaheem Seawright, who scored inside both posting up and facing up.  Flushing High’s Vernon Teel had 16 including a tough drive from the right wing that stopped a St. Mary’s run, while James Bryant was solid again, scoring when needed but making certain his teammates were involved.

Game 3 was, for much of the game a “battle of the big men” between Playaz Club Black and Shooting Stars. The biggest of those men, 6’11” Andray  Blatche, was awesome.  He simply did everything. He scored inside, knocked down treys, passed well and protected the basket beautifully, blocking and changing many shots. For New Jersey Brandon Costner played very well against Blatche and Brentwood ’s John Garcia, scoring 21 points including a pretty spinning right handed finish for the 6’8” lefty. Ultimately though the difference in the game for Playaz Black was its backcourt, where Derrick Mercer played with his usual fearlessness scoring 15 points of his own.  When he fouled out in the fourth period with his team down five, baskets by Ryan Ayers and St. Anthony’s reserve David Bullock (who by the way tied the game at 40 at the half with a tough off balance scoop shot) tied the game at 75.  Bullock then nearly won  the game when he banked in a desperation trey as Pete Edwards counted down the final seconds.  Fans rushed the court but the officials waved off the hoop and  the two teams played overtime. From there Ayers connected on two jumpers, and then combined with Marquise Johnson to hit free throws and ice the win.

Game 4 saw Rock Steady race to an early lead thanks largely to the ball handling and passing wizardry of St. Benedict’s Eugene Harvey, who simply sees everything.  In the early going he found hot-shooting Malcolm Grant for treys, center Jabari Edwards for short jumpers, and hard working forward Jaimie Peterson for layups in transition.

Harvey ’s foul problems, would nearly give JYO the opening it needed to steal a win.  He picked up 3 fouls early and the problems his team had handling the ball in his absence caused Rock Steady’s coach to put him back in perhaps before he might have liked.  Harvey, who had shown good judgment with his passes all game showed poor judgment in picking up the final two fouls that caused his exit from the game early in the fourth stanza.  Both were charging fouls, one may have been questionable, but Eugene should have never come close to having the referee make those calls.  As the point guard he needed to be aware of time and score, his own foul problems, and the fact that his team needs him out there since he’s the only true point man they have. To their credit, his teammates survived and advanced to Sunday’s quarter finals.  While their effort can hardly be called an artistic success it was effective as Grant, Lablase Anderson and Delroy James all made key plays, while Edwards made four of five free throws down the stretch to secure an 84-80 win.  For JYO the guard trio of Cameron Tyler, Sean Crawford and Vic Morris each had fine games in defeat while Theo Davis struggled with the physical play inside scoring just 8 points.

Sunday’s quarter final action begins at 10am.  Fans who attend the games are in for a treat as all 8 teams feature outstanding talent but, as Pete often says, they “know where they’re at” which means they’ll go at each other with everything they have.'

10/16/04 The last three IS8 game scores are courtesy of Derek Maddrey: Rock Steady takes JYO 84-80, Juice squeezes past Bingo All Stars 80-77 and Philly bests Elite 84-74. Only the seeded Knights fail to advance to tomorrow's games where the matchups are Rock Steady vs. Playaz Black @ 10:00, Playaz Gold vs. Panthers @11:30, Philli vs, Juice @ 1:00 and Mount Vernon vs. the Gauchos @ 2:30. 

The first three games are finished at IS8 as the Playaz Gold outlasted Starrett City 83-78, the Panthers hung on to edge St Mary 83-82 and Playaz Black needed overtime to top the Shooting Stars. In that game Stars' 6-11 center, Andray Blatche put on a show scoring a game high 33 points including hitting three of four treys he attempted in the first quarter alone. When the Playaz point guard Derrick Mercer (15) fouled out with a few minutes to go and his team down by five, it looked grim for the Playaz. But they tied the game at 75 and then stole the ball at midcourt. As Pete Edwards counted down to 2, 1, game over, Dave Bullock launched a shot that banked in and the Playaz and their fans mobbed the court before learning that the refs had ruled time expired. No matter. Marquise Johnson (18 and he ably took over the point when Derrick went out) and Ryan Ayers (20) were a combined eight for eight in OT to lock down the 95-84 win. Brandon Costner had a team high 21 for the Playaz and his inside presence, offensively and defensively, along with the early foul trouble for the Elite's John Garcia (12)  were too much even for the talented Mr Blachte to overcome. 

In the Panthers game St. Mary was playing without their star Danny Green, who was attending Midnight Madness at North Carolina (excuses, excuses) and the Playaz were without Eric Wallace (the North Carolina soph. was home - also at Midnight Madness for all I know), Derrick Caracter (taking SAT), Earl Clark (taking PSAT), Rob Thomas (academic priorities) and Andrew Bynum (don't know - more Midnight Madness, perhaps?). St Mary trailed by eight after three but made a furious push at the end to make it close. Rashad Green (21), Tyson Johnson (20) and Aleek Pauline (22) did quite well without Danny, while Kaheem Seawright (22 for the new Rhode Island commit), James Bryant (21), Vernon Teel (16) and Dwight Burke (10 for East Carolina's recent commit) made up for their missing starters. Before the game, Lance Stephenson's father made it official - eighth grader Lance, who played serious minutes for the Panthers, will be attending Bishop Loughlin next year. 

In the first Playaz game Q'arren Calhoun (game high 26) and Wayne Ellington (25) were too much for Levance Fields (25 and as always an impressive performance), Saiquon Stone (15) and Ruben Guilluidex (12). 

Andray Blachte	Gerald Henderson	Hassim Bailey	Keith McAllister
Marvin Roberts	Lance Stephenson and his father.		Q'arran Calhoun
Rashad Green	Tim Ambrosia	Wayne Ellington	Antonio Cannon Sr.

10/15/04 John P Miciotta: Thursday at IS8. Thursday night’s action at IS8 saw New York Elite and the Bingo All-Stars surge to big second half leads and then hold on for tough wins against the B’ballers and the Metro Hawks.

In the opener the Elite used a balanced “inside-outside” attack to earn a 70-64 win. Wing players Niko Scott and Bougari Konate got them going early with outstanding perimeter shooting, while junior Daye Kabba did a nice job at the point in addition to showing off his own scoring touch.  The lead grew to as many as 13 points several times during the game but as Pete Edwards said the young guys from Kennedy would not go away. Seniors Stephen Malcom and Amaury Fermin helped the B’ballers stay close with fine outside shooting and promising junior Gerald Rasberry did some nice work inside as well.  The 6’7” Raspberry used his length and quickness to battle the Elite’s 6’7” wide body James Tchana, and twice got off the floor quickly for two momentum changing blocks that lead to transition hoops that cut the deficit to seven in the final stanza. 

According to John F. Kennedy’s roster at PSAL.org Raspberry was inactive last season.  If he can play a full season as a junior for Coach Mathis, he may well emerge as a D-I prospect.  He has good length and quickness off his feet, goes after the ball and runs hard.  When he gets the ball in the close he does rush and does not always finish plays he should.  That’s something that could change with experience.  The more he plays, the better he will get.

Despite a strong effort by the B’ballers the Elite was able to make enough plays down the stretch to earn a tough win.  Konate had a strong all-around game, showing off his usually reliable outside shot as well as improved slashing and rebounding ability.  Tchana, Rio Britt and Christ the King soph Chris Abney all had strong games, contributing key baskets and helping the Elite get second chances that helped them maintain their early advantage.

The nightcap, between the Bingo All-Stars and the Metro Hawks was, of course, a game between two teams who know each other very well since both programs are “spin-offs” if you will of the former Riverside Church program.  They went at it tooth and nail in a game that was sloppy, but played at full blast from start to finish.  Bingo got out fast as Michael Glover, Herbie Allen and Devon Baker got them started early.  The Metro Hawks started slowly thanks in part to early foul trouble for Larry Davis.  They had great difficulty handling the ball in part thanks to Davis ’ absence but also thanks to a nice adjustment made by Bingo coach JR Rodriguez.  He used 6’6” forward Darren Townes, as a kind of “point man” in his teams pressure defense, and he pursued the ball very aggressively, using surprising quickness and long arms to create traps and many steals for his teammates.  Bingo took an 8-point lead into half time and then burst out of the locker room with great energy and bumped the lead to 17.  Townes had a steal and a dunk, Glover made a long two, and Baker hit a tough drive in the stretch and Dermon Player needed an early time out to help the Hawks regroup.

The Hawks rallied behind Davis and Stephen Wood on the perimeter and Tyrell Biggs on the inside.  The Hawks also countered Bingo’s pressure with pressure of their own and made a big run at the end of the third and early stages of the fourth quarter which cut the deficit to six.  Bingo got key baskets from several players to keep the Hawks at bay.  Joe Edwards made three key shots and Brian Williams, a 6’8” 300lb post player who Pete Edwards kept referring to as “Big Baby” (perhaps because of his physical resemblance to McDonald’s All American and current LSU player Glen “Big Baby Davis) came up with two key hoops of his own.  In their final push as the clock ran down the Hawks got it to one before a steal and dunk by Glover gave Bingo some breathing room.  On their final possession the Hawks looked for Davis but the active defense which had been the hallmark of this win for this 82-79 win came through again and deflected the pass.

The Elite and Bingo return to action in Saturday’s six game extravaganza, which is annually one of the best days ever for local hoops fans.  Get there early, you won’t want to miss any of the action .'

10/15/04 NY Hoops: Bingo steals one from Metro Hawks. 

10/14/04 Pete Edwards: 'St Marys won the second game Tuesday night. JYO and the Shooting Stars won last night.' 

Web note:  NY Elite, B'Ballers play at 6:30 and  Metro Hawks, Bingo at 8:00 for the right to play Philli and Juice on Saturday at 5:00 and 3:30.  The other second round matchups are now set: Friday evening it's St Rays, Mount Vernon at 6:30 and Gauchos Knights at 8:00. The earlier Saturday games are Playaz Red, Starrett City at 9:30, St Marys, Panthers at 11:00, Playaz Black, Shooting Stars at 12:30 and Rock Steady, JYO at 2:00. The four Sunday game starts ar 10:00 through 2:30. 

10/14/04 NY Hoops: Vic, in the nick of time. 

10/13/04 Coach Ron Dennis of K.Y.D.A. 'Now that our season is over at the I.S. 8 High School preseason basketball classic, I'd like to reflect on some of the players at K.Y.D.A. who are considered hidden gems. Hidden gems are lesser known players that are solid in the classroom and solid on the basketball court but are not household names. One of the players considered high on the hidden gems list is Bayshore H.S. senior 6'5" Akeem Vanderhorst. Akeem is a warrior. A player that many college coaches and scouts know less about and a player that matches up nicely among the top ranked players in the metro area. Vanderhorst is a quiet young player who brings his lunch box and hard hat to each and every game. He led Bayshore H.S. to become the 2003-04 Suffolk County Champs. 

Another hidden gem worthy of mention is St John Prep 6'4"Senior shooting guard Richard Thomas. His ability to score, defend against smaller, fast guards and his ability to rebound makes Richard a player that you can count on every game. You won't find Richard on your list of ranked players but he gets up and plays well against many of them when he is matched up against them. Richard helped SJP achieve a 17-2 record in the C.H.S.A.A. class A div and runner-up to LaSalle Academy in the Championship game. 

Our Savior Lutheran 5'8" senior Shane Dunnelly's quickness, clutch shooting, ability to see the floor and his on ball defense make him tops as a hidden gem. Shane would make many college coach looking for a N.Y.C. point guard happy. This kid can really play the game.'

Brian McMickle, 6-0 Starrett City guard	Thomas Manzano, 6-3 Starrett City wing	Gill Montalvo, 5-9 St Mary's point guard	Tyrone Hanson, 6-5 St Mary's senior forward	Edy Tousaint, 6-2 Team Underrated freshman wing

10/12/04 Starrett City had an easy time of it this evening at IS8 against St Dominic running to a 59-29 halftime lead and never letting it get under 20 in the second half. Final score 96-76, as Levance Fields (30), Thomas Manzano (14), Brian McMickle (14) and Saiquon Stone (10) led the charge. TJ Thomas (18), Brandon Serrano (14), James McEnroe (11), Chris Lopiano (10) and Brandon May (10) each got to double digits.

In the second game St Mary led Team Underrated 22-13 after one. 

10/12/04 John P Miciotta: Sunday at IS8 -- The final day of the regular season saw the Panthers complete a 4-game 2-day regular season sweep and win a first round bye with a tough win over Real Scout and a victory in the night cap over Pro Bound.

After Chaminade squeaked past the Runnin Rebels on a buzzer beating three pointer by Andre Beinert, the B’ballers and New York City Heat squared off to determine the winner of the third playoff spot in their division.  The Bronxites from John F. Kennedy High raced to an early lead that they never relinquished.  The back court of senior  Amaury Fermin and junior Dwight Hardy was the difference.  They moved the ball well, took and made good shots, and established a comfortable pace.  Hardy’s play was especially good when one considers that he has yet to play a varsity game for Kennedy.  According to last season’s roster he stayed and played on Kennedy’s JV. roster as a soph.

Hardy may have had the quietest 35 in IS8 history.  And that “quiet” was a tribute to how well he played.  He scored 35 without taking a single bad shot.  He scored from middle distance, from long range and on the drive.  And most of all he handled the ball with the poise and confidence of a varsity veteran.  He and Fermin are not one of the city’s more heralded back courts but they should be.  And PSAL teams should beware.  Kennedy will be tough to reckon with as Fermin, Hardy and senior Stephen Malcom will form an outstanding perimeter trio.  For the Heat, junior Daquan Cook had a fine game using his quickness under the basket.  The reed thin 6’6’ lefty can score inside and is a fine competitor who is a solid mid major prospect now who could attract high major interest if he keeps improving. Loughlin  junior Shameer Williams contributed 15 and showed an improved shooting touch.

Game 3 between Real Scout and the Panthers proved to be the day’s most interesting, thanks to the back and forth pace and the outstanding effort Real Scout gave holding their own against a team that was so much bigger.  The Panthers appeared to assume command early thanks to tough work inside by Derrick Caracter and  Kaheem Seawright.  The lead grew quickly but that’s when Salvator Patricio heated up, hitting several tough treys with  from all different angles .  Real Scout’s other guards did not shoot the ball well but  both Codi Oliver and Malcolm Pope did do a fine job finding Patricio and Shomari Spears with quick passes that led to good looks.  Patricio  kept Real Scout close in the first half and Spears, who had been a tremendous inside force in previous games, stepped outside to make four of six treys.  Real Scout found themselves down by just 2 as the fourth quarter began.  From there, outstanding play by Seawright, Caracter and Eric Wallace sealed the victory for the Panthers.

The two remaining games were easy wins for Fairfield and the Panthers.  Fairfield featured fine prospects in senior Brandon Sullivan and junior Kevin Wiggins.  Wiggins, a 5’11” point man from East Hartford High has great quickness and unusual poise.   He has the look of a high major prospect.'

10/12/04 The two seeds, St Raymond and the Gauchos, struggled but won tonight against the three seeds at IS8.  St Rays needed a four minute overtime to finally take a valiant KYDA 84-78 behind Chris Bethel (game high 26), Quentan Redfern (13) and Charles Vasser (9). Ricky Torres hurt his ankle in the second quarter after scoring 12 points. He didn't return but is expected back on Friday against Mount Vernon. Rich Thomas and Shane Donnelly led KYDA with 25 and 21 point efforts while Chris Williams chipped in 10.

The Gauchos' Curtis Kelly missed tonight's action attending to academics so Antonio Pena (25), Edgar Sosa (26), Terrell (TMac) McKenzie (21) and Austin Wallace (9) picked up the slack as the 'chos barely won 90-86.  FUBU's  quartet of Evan Thomas (19 for the 6-2 Campus Magnet junior guard), Akeem Bennett (17), Rashad Stearns (16) and Malachi Peay (15) almost pulled off the upset.  

 

Chris Bethel, St Raymond 6-5 senior forward	Joey Amelio, St Raymond 6-0 senior point guard	Terrell McKenzie, Gauchos junior guard	Evan Thomas, FUBU junior guard

10/10/04 IS8 playoff schedule: Top bracket first round: Monday 6:30 St Raymond, KYDA, 8:00 Gauchos, FUBU. Wednesday 6:30 Fairfield County, JYO, 8:00 Real Scout, Shooting Stars.

Bottom bracket first round: Tuesday 6:30 Starrett City, St Dominic, 8:00 St Mary, Team Underrated. Thursday 6:30 NY Elite, B'Ballers, 8:00 Metro Hawks, Bingo.

Top bracket sweet sixteen: Friday 6:30 Mount Vernon vs. St Raymond, 8:00 Knights vs. Gauchos,  Saturday 12:30 Playaz Black vs. Real Scout, Shooting Stars winner and 2:00 Rock Steady vs. Fairfield County, JYO winner.

Bottom bracket sweet sixteen: Saturday 9:30 Playaz Red vs. Starrett City, St Dominic winner, 11:00 Panthers vs. St Mary, Team Underrated winner, 3:30 Juice vs. Metro Hawks, Bingo and 5:00 Philli vs. NY Elite, B'Ballers winner.

There are four elite eight games on Sunday, 10/17 at 10:00, 11:30, 1:00 and 2:30. The final four teams will meet on Saturday 10/23 at 12:00 and 1:30 with the championship the following day at 12:00. 

 

Andrew Bynum, 7-0 Panthers senior center	Amaury Fermin, B'Ballers 6-1 senior point guard	Anthony (Ant) Meyers at the scorebook, mike in hand	Eric Wallace, 6-6 Panthers sophomore wing
Daquan Cook, 6-6 NYC Heat junior forward	Dwight Hardy, 6-2 B'Ballers junior wing	Codi Oliver, 6-0 Real Scout senior point guard	Khalel McDonald, 6-0 NYC Heat senior guard
Marcus Matthews, 6-1 Real Scout sophomore guard	Phil Murphy, 6-5 senior Real Scout wing	Salvator Patricio, 6-1 Real Scout senior guard	Patrick Hazel. 6-6 Running Rebel forward

10/10/04 The Chaminade, Running Rebels first game at IS8 had playoff implications as Chaminade's Andre Beinert (23) hit a corner trey to give his team the 61-60 win creating a three way tie along with St Dominic in the Southeast division. Unfortunately for Chaminade, St Dominic won the tie breaker to make it to the first round. Matt Hauser and Mike Hauser had 18 and 11 for Chaminade, while Mike Marin (21) and Patrick Hazel (15) were high for Running Rebel.

The B'Ballers (coach Johnnie Mathis' JFK school team) scorched the Heat to beat them out for a third place spot in the Mideast division behind Mt. Vernon and St Mary. Junior star Dwight Hardy dropped a game high 35 as Stephen Malcolm and Amaury Fermin chipped in 16 and 14.  The Heat got balanced but not enough scoring from Shameer Williams (15), Tyree Corbell (14), Khalel McDonald (10) and Daquan Cook (9). 

Coach Gary Charles, 6-7 point guard Earl Clark and 6-6 wing Rob Thomas were all no shows for the Panthers game against Real Scout as St Joseph's 7-0 center, Andrew Bynum took Thomas' place in the starting lineup with Derrick Caracter, James Bryant, Kaheem Seawright and Eric Wallace. Real Scout was within 2 after three quarters at 66-64, but were worn down losing 94-73 as Derrick Caracter led his team with 28 points. Kaheem Seawright had 20, many in the decisive fourth quarter while Eric Wallace (11) and James Bryant (10) played well.  Salvator Patricio had a game high 29, though more of those came in the first half. Shomari Spears (22) was solid in the paint and hit 4 of 6 treys and Will Harris had a disappointing 10. 

10/10/04 Coach Nathan Blue, Real Scout: 'Maybe you wrote down the wrong score from a different book. But we won 79 to 70. Will Harris had 28, Shamari Spears had 23, and Salvador Patricio had 14.' 

10/9/04 Coach Tiny Morton: 'Hey Juice All Stars are a number one seed not St George.'

Coach Kenny Pretlow: 'St George's Church forfeited to Shooting Stars. They are out of the playoffs, giving us juice 1st place, St Raymond's 2nd and Shooting Stars 3rd.'

10/10/04 John P Miciotta: Due to a pair of forfeited games  by  St. George and Team Next and a late arrival by LPAC, we only got to see “a game and three quarters” if you will.  With this in mind I’d like to recap the two games briefly and then talk about a couple of teams who have been surprises in this seasons games and could spring some upsets should they hold on to playoff spots after the regular season ends tomorrow.

Saturday’s second game saw a late arriving LPAC team begin the game with a 16-0 deficit.  Team Underrated used fine outside shooting by Upper Room’s Shavar Burch and Springfield Gardens ’ Melvin Clarida to maintain the advantage.   They were aided by St. John’s Prep’s heady point guard Maurice Charlton, who navigated LPAC’s pressure defense and found the two long and lean lefties for open shots.  LPAC rallied to within single digits twice as they received another strong game from Luis Rodriguez but each time Clarida and Burch made key baskets off feeds from Charlton to salt away the victory.

The day's final game featured the Panthers and Keep Your Dream Alive.  The Panthers, as they always do, came loaded for bear, and to their credit, the collection of individual talent played very well as a team.  Derrick Caracter from the post, and Earl Clark from the perimeter each made an impact on the game with their passing as well as their scoring. And they combined on two pretty give and goes that ended with Caracter feeding a cutting Clark for baskets.  One was a spectacular dunk while the other was a nice finish for a basket and a foul. Junior point guard James Bryant was particularly impressive for the Panthers; showing his usual scoring touch while also demonstrating that he’s becoming a more complete point guard.  He made several nice passes on drives, and did a much better job recognizing breakdowns in extended pressure defense and finding teammates for easy hoops.

Although they were out-sized by a considerable margin, KYDA used its quickness to hold its own.  Gompers' senior Mike Singleton and Bayshore’s Akeem Vanderhorst competed well against the Panthers size, while Chris Williams and Shane Donnelly provided the spark from outside.  Donnelly hit several tough jumpers to keep KYDA within striking distance while Williams showed improved playmaking and decision making skill.  KYDA also got a strong game from St. John’s Prep’s Richard Thomas in defeat.  He rebounded well, drove the ball to the basket and even made a couple of jumpers.  He needs to get stronger but his length, good instincts and driving ability make the 6’4” lefty worthy of division one interest.

Every year at IS8 there are the traditional powers such as the Panthers, Playaz, Metro Hawks, Philly Ballers and Juice who come in with lots of talent.  But there are also one or two teams every year who come without a lot of well known players but who manage to win by playing well together and being unselfish. My  nominees for this year's “dark horses” if you will are Real Scout and Bingo All-Stars .  To his credit Nate Blue has created a nice mix of experienced hands such as Marcus Cox, Codi Oliver and Phil Murphy and talented young guys such as soph, Malcolm Pope and junior, Shomari Spears of Blair Academy.  If they have Will Harris (who did not play last week but played today and will play tomorrow) he can give them an additional presence on the boards and an additional outside shooter.  That plus the chemistry and unselfishness the others have developed could propel them to a playoff upset or two.

Bingo does not have the mix of youth and experience but they have a group of guys who play within the team concept and one player, Herbie Allen, who can make plays and shots when it gets to “winning time” in end game situations. Kanau Gordon and Michael Glover provide punch inside while Joe Edwards has proven to be a reliable second scoring option on the perimeter.

The traditional powers and “dark horses” provide the ingredients for another exciting playoff round at IS8. And as always, it’s the place to be for hoops fans in and around New York City.'

10/9/04 It's Panthers' weekend at IS8; they got a forfeit from Team Next and a hard earned 93-79 win over Keep Your Dream Alive today. They will play Real Scout and ProBound at 12:30 and 3:30 tomorrow. They are loaded and look to be their bracket's number one team, guaranteeing a first round bye.  The other seven number one seeds are Mount Vernon, Playaz Black, Rock Steady, Playaz Red, St George, Phili USA Ballers and the Knights. There will be two first round games at 6:30 and 8:00 from Monday through Thursday next week and the second round will be for two Friday night games and six Saturday games. There will be four games next Sunday to decide the final four on Saturday, the 23rd. The championship game is scheduled for noon on Sunday, October 24. 

In the day's first game Real Scout topped ProBound 55-46. Then LPAC got lost coming to IS8 from Brooklyn and arrived late for their match against Team Underrated. They were penalized by beginning the game in the second quarter down by sixteen and ended up losing by fourteen to a final score of 72-58. TU wins the third slot in the East division and will play this week in the first round. 

Each of the next to games were forfeited - by Team Next to the Panthers and by the Shooting Stars to St George's Church.  For Team Next, a team of all freshmen, it was their second forfeit, which Pete Edwards called a 'category six' - they're unlikely to be invited back again. The second forfeit was even stranger since it guaranteed St George a # 1 seed and dropped the Shooting Stars out of the playoffs.

The day's final game was worth the wait.  The Panthers started 6-7 point guard Earl Clark, 6-6 Rob Thomas, 6-7 Kareem Seawright, 6-7 Eric Wallace (he's a North Carolina sophomore sensation) and 6-9 center Derrick Caracter.  They brought 6-3 eighth grader Lance Stephenson, 5-9 point guard James Bryant and 6-7 Bishop Loughlin forward Devon Ebanks. Clark and Caracter left at the half with the Panthers up 35-27, but Wallace (25), Thomas (19), Bryant (16) and Stephenson (11) had enough for the win. Meanwhile, KYDA has a solid team led by guards Shane Donnelly (19), Chris Williams (11) and forwards Richard Thomas (16) and Akeem Vanderhorst (10). 

 

Akeem Vanderhorst. KYDA	Chris Williams, KYDA	Brett Wilson, Panthers	Earl Clark, Panthers
Kareem Seawright, Panthers	Robert Thomas, Panthers	Richard Thomas, KYDA	Malcolm Pope, Real Scout
Ricky Torres, St Raymond	Shavar Burch, TeamUnderrated	Shane Donnelly, KYDA	Will Harris, Real Scout

9/30/04 NY Hoops: Two Tight Games at I.S.8.

9/28/04 John P Miciotta: The Weekend at IS8.

9/28/04 New Jersey Insider: Jimmy Salmon's Playaz Program Makes Impact

9/27/04 Coach Ruben Tavarez: 'Two weeks ago LPAC played against the NY Elite Team in IS8. When the re-cap of the game was placed on the site, it said that Owen  Brow scored 25 points for LPAC. This is an error, because Quinlan Brown is living in Virginia. I received a call last night and I was accused of using someone else under Quinlan Brown's name, which is not true. The team player that scored the 25 points was Owen Brow from Morris High School. Please make this correction, as the family of Quinlan Brown were concerned due to fact the Quinlan Brown no longer living in New York. I would like it to be known that I do not and would not use these type of tactics to win.'

Friday 9/24 games: Jaffi Mays had 17 points to lead the Dyckman to a 64-54 win over the Queens Cobras in the first game. In the nightcap the Shooting Stars handled Suffolk as Andre Blatche (21), Samardo Samuels (18), Tyvon Williams (17) and Javon Parris (14) each got to double digits. 

Thursday 9/23 games: Mount Vernon trounced Amityville 77-44 behind Mike Coburn (15), Jonathan Mitchell (16), Chris Lowe (12) and John Smith (11).  Only Mark Johnson got to double figures with 20 for Amityville. St Raymond's duo of Chris Bethel and Ricky Torres got 29 and 25 to best St George who got a team high 14 points from Paul Foster.

Wednesday 9/22 games: The Knights surprised Starrett City 85-80 with Damani Corbin (21), Joe Vines (20), Wayne Turner (13), Mike Johnson (16) and Anthony Clarke (9) outgunning Levance Fields (23) and Kavon Lytch (13). KYDA won against Team Next. 

Tuesday 9/21 games: The Metro Hawks easily handled St Dominic in the first game with Larry Davis (16), Lance Furtato (15), Brian McMickle (13), Chris Martin (9) and Steven Woods (9) all contributing. TJ Carey was best for Dom's with 17 points. 

Monday 9/20 games: St Mary bested the B'Ballers 82-58 as Rashad Green (26), Tyrone Hanson (20) and Aleek Pauline (15) were high for the Gaels. In the later game the Knights topped NYC Finest 89-67 behind Anthony Clarke (21), Wayne Turner (18) and Joe Vines (13). 

9/27/04 NY Hoops: Wayne Ellington, Playaz Too Much for Gauchos.

 

Terrel Williams	Antonio Pena	Luis Guzman	Jerrel Williams

9/26/04 Both Playaz clubs, black and gold, won their first games this morning at IS8 as the black team led wire to wire against Team Underrated and the gold gored the Gauchos 95-74. In the day's first game Rock Steady easily took Chaminade 79-59. 

Rock Steady's trio of Malcolm Grant (24), Jamel Peterson (18) and point guard, Eugene Harvey (11) were too much for Chaminade as only Ryan Owens (24) and Chris Fisher (9) scored much for Chaminade. 

The Playaz are one of the organizations that often field two teams at IS8 - usually an senior and underclassmen team. Not this year. Both black and gold teams have a mix of seniors and underclassmen, who are so talented that they may end up playing one another for the championship. Team Underrated trailed by only seven, 44-37 at the half before a 26-12 third quarter sealed the deal. Sophomore Paul Scotland led the Playaz with a game high  26, and got help from Terrel Williams (20), Notre Dame bound Ryan Ayers (19) and North Carolina State commit Brandon Costner (13). Maurice Charleton (22), Shavar Burch (14) and Melvin Clarida (9) were high for TU. 

The gym was packed for the third game, Gauchos vs. Playaz, but Rice junior, 6-9 lefty Curtis Kelly was run out in the first quarter with two techs. The Playaz led 49-39 at the half, 79-59 after three and ran away with the game. Junior two guard Wayne Ellington led the Playaz with 28 points, Gerald Henderson had 21, Luis Guzman 15 and Q'uarran Calhoun 11. Antonio Pena (game high 31) looked great for the 'chos and much improved Edgar Sosa had 21. 

9/25/04 NY Hoops: JYO comes up short against Playaz

9/25/04 NY Hoops: Chris Bethel Commits Then Drops 29 at IS8.

 

9/23/04 Coach Ron Dennis of Keep Youth Dreams Alive: 'Rosters is Brian Lassiter 5'9" Bayshore H.S. Senior,  Akeem Vanderhorst 6'4" Bayshore H.S. Senior, Richard Thomas 6'4" St John Prep H.S. Senior,  Jelanie Winfield 6'4" St John Prep H.S. Senior, Chris Williams 6'3" St John Prep H.S. Senior, Justin Burrell 6'7" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Senior , Eric Pegueros 6'4" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Junior, Phil Ductan 5'8" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Junior, Shane Dunelly 5'9" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Senior, Lanval Gordon 6'0" Our Saviour Lutheran H.S. Senior, Mike Singleton 6'6" Samuel Gompers H.S. Senior, Ricky Lopez 6'4" Samuel Gompers H.S. Junior.

9/20/04 Coach Ron Dennis of Keep Youth Dreams Alive: 'K.Y.D.A. won its first game at in the back to school classic at I.S. 8. We were matched against a very athletic team in our bracket called Pro-Bound. We see-sawed the lead in the 1st quarter until the point guards of K.Y.D.A. stepped up. Chris Williams of St John Prep, Brian Lassiter of Bayshore H.S. and Shane Donnelly of Our Saviour Lutheran each added a different look to the team giving us the balance need to withstand Pro-Bound pressure defense. Our inside play from Akeem Vanderhorst of Bayshore H.S., Jelanie Winfield of St John Prep and the acrobatic moves around the hoop by 6'4" S.G. Richard Thomas proved to be too much as we won this contest by double figures. It was nice to get this win after losing so many good players from last year.'

9/20/04 Saturday 9/18 games: JYO took Woodmere Academy 81-60 in the first game as Cameron Tyler (22) and Vic Morris (17) led JYO. Ron (RJ) Rutledge and Edmund McRae had 19 and 11 for Woodmere. New York Elite topped LPAC 76-59 as their trio of Bougari Konate (21), Nate Brunfield (20) and Rio Pitt (18) bested LPAC's duo of Owen Brow (game high 25) and Luis Figuero (15). Keep Your Dreams Alive beat Pro-bound in the day's third game, Real Scout topped Team Next in the fourth.and Mt Vernon topped St Mary's. Fairfield County bested Dyckman 72-68.

Friday 9/17: The Gauchos eked out a 93-92 win over JYO as Edgar Sosa had a game high 33 and Jerrell McKenzie dropped 19. Cameron Tyler, Vic Morris and Sean Crawford had  31, 35 and 10 for JYO. In the second game Starrett City trounced the Bingo All Stars 100-76. Jamel White (20), Steve Jackson (18), Lavance Fields (17), Thomas Manzani (15) and Miguel Soares (14) led the Starrett charge while Joe Edwards (16), Darren Townes (12) and Herbie Allen (13) were high for Bingo's.

Thurday 9/16 results: Suffolk County topped St Raymond as Carson Nickoff (18) and Adam Parzych (16) overcame a 30 point effort from Rickey Torres. Then Thomas Evan (29), Anthony (17), Akeem (12) and D Lewis (12) led FUBU to a 72-68 win over Dyckman which got 26, 16 and 12 from Adris DeLeon, TJ McGann and Jaffi Mays.

Wednesday 9/15 B'ballers is mainly Kennedy, Bronx players and they beat Amityville 57-53 in the first game. Emiliano K (22), Gabriel Hernandex (11) and Amaury Fermin were best for JFK, while Ryan Frazer (10) and Mark Johnson (6) were high for Amityville. Team Underrated hung on for a 65-61 victory over Ahead of the Game. Shavar Burch (12), Maurice Charlton (12), Edy Toussant (8) and Corey Morris (8) scored for AOTG.

Tuesday 9/14 games: The Playaz Gold is their younger team, but the easily defeated Woodmere Academy 80-44 as Jerrell Williams (17) Luis Guzman ((16), Romar Pernell (17), Kimani Barrett (12) and Nick Vier (9) each chipped in. Ron Rutledge Jr, Tyrone Nash and Edmund McRae were best for Woodmere with 19, 9 and 11.

Monday 9/13 results. In the first game of the season the youngest team, Team Next lost to Pro-bound 57-51 as Colin Ardin paced the winners with 10 points and TN's Erving Walker had a game high 13. Juice easily handled the Shooting Stars in the second game, winning 81-54 as Jamel Jackson (20), Brandon Walters (17), Derrick Echols (13), Kevin Mennes (9) and Kevin White (8) all made contributions. The Shooting Stars Tim Ambrosi had 14 for his team.

9/19/04 The first three of five scheduled games at IS8 today are in the book. St Dominic more than doubled Chaminade 74-35 behind Jim McEnroe (15), TJ Carey (13), Austin Pearson (8), Brandon Serrano (7) and TJ Thomas (6). The Knights (aka Holy Cross Crusaders) outlasted the Bingo All Stars 77-72 as Damani Corbin (22), Wayne Turner (16) and point guard Mike Johnson (10, he's pictured) despite 20 and 19 point efforts from Bingo's Devon Baker and Herbie Allen.  Chase the Game (aka All Hallows) stayed close to the Gauchos in the first half but the 'chos ran away from them in the second half for an easy 71-56 win. Antonio Pena (20), Edgar Sosa (18) and Curtis Kelly (12) were high for the Gauchos while Mark Lake (13), Darryl Crawford (13) and Chris DeLaRosa 12) were tops for CTG.

9/15/04 NY Hoops: Uneven Battles on the Second Day of I.S.8.

9/14/04 NY Hoops: IS8 Fall Classic Tips Off.

Mideast 1. Mount Vernon, 2. New York City Heat, 3. St. Marys, 4. B'ballers, 5. Amityville High School,

East 6. Playaz club (Red), 7. LPAC, 8. Team Underrated, 9. New York Elite, 10. Ahead of the Game,

Southeast 11. Metro Hawks, 12. Rock Steady, 13. St. Dominics High School, 14. Running Rebels, 15. Chaminade Flyers,

Midwest 16. Gauchos, 17. Playaz club (gold), 18. JYO, 19. Chase the Game, 20. Woodmere Academy,

West 21. Juice Allstars, 22. St. Raymonds, 23. Shooting Stars, 24. Suffolk County, 25. Hard Knocks

Southwest 26. Phili - USA - Ballers, 27. Dyckman, 28. Fairfield County, 29. FUBU, 30. Queens Cobras,

North 31. Bingo's Allstars, 32. 32. Rhode Island Breakers, 33. Starrett City, 34. Knights, 35. NYC Finest,

South 36. Panthers, 37. Real Scout, 38. Keep Your Dreams Alive, 39. Team Next, 40. Pro-bound

Saturday and Sunday start times are 9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 2:00, 3:30, 5:00 and (when required) 6:30.  Weeknight starts are 6:30 and 8:00.

 

IS8 Tip-off Fall Classic, 2004 Regular Season

Day	Date	1	2	3	4	5	6		Day	Date	1	2	3	4	5
Mon	9/13	39-40	21-23	-	-	-	-		Mon	9/27	19-20	24-25	-	-	-
Tues	9/14	17-20	11-14	-	-	-	-		Tue	9/28	1-4	12-14	-	-	-
Wed	9/15	4-5	8-10	-	-	-	-		Wed	9/29	3-5	31-35	-	-	-
Thu	9/16	22-24	27-29	-	-	-	-		Thu	9/30	21-22	16-20	-	-	-
Fri	9/17	16-18	31-33	-	-	-	-		Fri	10/1	2-3	11-12	-	-	-
Sat	9/18	18-20	7-9	38-40	37-39	1-3	27-28		Sat	10/2	8-9	31-32	26-28	32-34	26-29
Sun	9/19	13-15	31-34	16-19	33-35	21-24	7-10		Sun	10/3	11-15	37-38	26-27	21-25	26-30
Mon	9/20	3-4	34-35	-	-	-	-		Tues	10/5	23-25	7-8	-	-	-
Tue	9/21	11-13	29-30	-	-	-	-		Wed	10/6	13-14	9-10	-	-	-
Wed	9/22	38-39	33-34	-	-	-	-		Thu	10/7	22-23	18-19	-	-	-
Thu	9/23	1-5	22-25	-	-	-	-		Fri	10/8	12-13	1-2	-	-	-
Fri	9/24	27-30	23-24	-	-	-	-		Sat	10/9	37-40	7-8	36-39	23-25	36-38
Sat	9/25	2-5	32-33	6-7	32-35	17-18	6-9		Sun	10/10	14-15	2-4	36-37	28-30	36-40
Sun	9/26	12-15	6-8	16-17	6-10	17-19	28-29		-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Playoffs begin on Monday, 10/11 with the top 3 teams in each pool.

8/4/04 Pete Edwards: 'We are starting to put together the IS8 Tip-off Classic 2004 which will begin on or about Thursday, September 9,2004. If you are interested you can contact me at 718-297-3951 or on the cell at 917-692-9835.'