New York City & New Jersey High Hoops

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10/25/99  Newsday:  'Riverside Church Wins 8 Fall Classic. Behind tournament MVP Mike Boynton, the Riverside Church AAU team defeated the BQ Express, 78-66, to win the I.S. 8 Fall Classic. Boynton and fellow Bishop Loughlin senior guard Terrance Watkins led Riverside past a BQ Express team that featured the city's top three point guards, St. John's Prep's Taliek Brown, Christ the King's Omar Cook and Rice's Andre Barrett.

"It was a challenge to face all three of them at once," said Boynton, who has Boston College, UMass and South Carolina pursuing him. "But I have nothing to prove. I'm getting a scholarship just like them."  

10/24/99  10:00 pm.  Yanks up 7 - 0.  Pete Edward's answering machine:  'Jason McLeish is ok.'

10/24/99  It's Sunday and Sunday belongs to the Church.  They take BQ Express 79 - 66 for the IS8 Fall Classic championship.  The Express had the three amigos in Andre Barrett, Taliek Brown and Omar Cook but the Hawks had too many weapons.  Adrian Walton,  Kaisan Mims,  Mike Boynton,  Kyle Cuffe, Mark McCarroll,  Terrance Wakins,  Andre Sweet and Wendell Gibson scored 14, 13, 12, 10, 7, 7, 6 and 6 points. By contrast the Express played almost exclusively with their five starters: Omar Cook with 16,  Taliek Brown 16, Andre Barrett 13, Zack Williams 15 and Juma Allen 5.  For the Express, there was no rest for the weary.  Omar had a particularly forgettable game - he shot 2 for 11 on three pointers.  Mike Boynton, Mr Steady, was voted the game's MVP.  He played point for the Hawks and had only one turnover for the game.  The Express took and early lead at 19 - 15 at the end of one.  But the Church had a 23 - 4 run in the half to lead by 40 - 32.  They shot 7 for 14 on their three pointers.  

IS8 Fall Classic tournament teams:  first - Kyle Cuffe,  Zack Williams,  Taliek Brown, Terrance Watkins and  Mike Boynton;  second - Carl Lee,  Willie Shaw,  Andre Sweet,  Omar Cook and Andre Barrett;  third - Damion Frey,  OJ Sumpter,  Eric Ferguson,  Lee Church and Raheim Keith West.  

10/23/99  Surprise, surprise.  It will be Riverside Church and BQ Express in tomorrow's IS8 noontime final.  For the Church it will be their ninth consecutive Fall Classic final.  The Hawks starting center, Kyle Cuffe scored just one point in the game and his team won by 42.  Five teammates scored in double figures: Michael Boynton (18 - Pete Edwards has dubbed him Mr. Steady),  Adrian Walton (17 - again from Pete: 'he will hurt you'),  Terrance Wadkins (14),  Andre Sweet (12) and Kaisan Mims (10).  By contrast only three B'Ballers scored more than four points with Willie Shaw at 18,  JC Mathis 14 and Raymond Edwards 10.  This game was won on the perimter play both offensively and defensively.  The B'Ballers were frequently harrassed into turnovers trying to bring the ball into the offensive zone and the Hawks hit most of their three point attempts.  The tally was four treys each for Boynton and Walton,  two for Kaisan and one each from Wadkins, Tyquan Goode and Teddy Mumford.

In the second game Omar Cook was 0 for 4 on trey attempts in the first half and 3 for 3 in the second half to finish with 20 points.  Taliek Brown (more PE: 'the complete package') missed almost nothing for a game high 29 points as they won 86 - 63.  Andre Barrett was MIA and the Express had only seven players.  But Juma Allen,  Zack Williams and John Hemmingway had 12, 11 and 7 points for the winners.  Juma look slimmer and played very well.  It will be interesting to see if he can keep it up against the Church.

One disquieting note. Southside star point guard, Jason McLeish took an elbow to the face late in the first half.  Supposedly, he was momentarily unconscious.  He was taken out of the gym on a stretcher at halftime.  Hopefully, I can get an update on his condition at tomorrow's championship game.

10/22/99  Rich:  'B'ballers and Riverside Church at 12 noon on Saturday  --  The B'ballers defeated JYO by 35, 94-59 behind the efforts of Willie Shaw (25 points), Lashard Duren (16), and Victor Respaldo (15). Early in the third quarter, the B'ballers led 52-21 with the SJU-bound Shaw outscoring JYO with 23. JYO's Jeff McMillan and Karl Nickerson were in town from St. Thomas More but probably wished they had stayed in Oakdale, CT with coach Jere Quinn. In the nightcap, Riverside beat Brooklyn USA, 87-73. Kyle Cuffe and Terrance Watkins each scored 28 points. Andre Sweet added 12. Jason Rivera led Brooklyn USA with 20.'  Web note:  BQ Express vs Southside at 1:30. Final at high noon, Sunday.

10/21/99  Rich:  'IS8 results -- Tuesday night action: Brooklyn USA 74 Next Level All-Stars 72,  B'ballers 73 BRO All-Stars (Lincoln HS) 70,  Wednesday night action:  Elmcor 85 Panthers 78,  St. Francis Prep 60 Boys High 50,  Thursday night action:  BQ Express 97 Elmcor 93,  BQ Express leading scorers: Zach Williams 35, Taliek Brown 18, Andre Barrett 17, Omar Cook 15.  Elmcor leading scorers: Carl Lee 26, Daniel Artest 15, Carl Bolton 13, Charlie Villanueva 13.  Southside 95 St. Francis Prep 77.  Southside leading scorers: Jason McLeish 22, Anthony Giles 16, Cyril Staley 15.  SFP leading scorers: Kevin O'Connell 24, Rashard Bell 14, Steve Hartwig 10, Kevin Fitzgerald 10.

Peter Edwards, the IS 8 league commissioner, has assembled 24 teams for the classic. The breakdown by division is as follows:

EAST -  1. Riverside Church (5-0),  2. Paul King / Phili Hoops (0-5),  3. Elmcor (3-2),  4. Gauchos (2-3),  5. Boys & Girls (4-1),  6. N Y Skyriders (1-3).

WEST  -  7. B Q Express (5-0),   8. Huntington Roadrunners (2-3),   9. BRO AllStars (4-1),  10. Next Level AllStars (3-2),  11. Hoop Street Gang (0-5),  12. Bondsman (1-4).

NORTH - 13. Southside (4-1),  14. Mount Vernon (2-3),  15. Brooklyn USA (4-1),  16. Rebel (1-4),  17. B'Ballers (3-2),  18. LI Run & Gun (0-5).

SOUTH  -  19. LI Panthers (4-1),  20. JYO (5-0),  21. Early Warning (1-4),  22. Rise Above (2-3),  23. St. Francis (3-2),  24. LI Crusaders(0-5).

Regular Season:   Play began Friday, 9/17 and will end Sunday, 10/17 for a five week season.  Quadrupleheaders on Saturday and Sunday 9:30,  11:00,  12:30 and 2:00.  Doubleheaders on Thursday (7pm & 8:30pm games) and Friday (6:30pm & 8pm games).  Stormed out 9/16 games will be played on Wednesday, 10/6. Playoffs begin 10/19/99 for top three teams in each division.

Rosters:

1. Riverside Church:   Coach Ken Pretlow,  Kyle Cuffe,   Tyquan Goode,   Kaison Mims,  Darryl Boynton,   Ted Mumford,  Wendell Gibson,  Terrance Watkins,  Adrian Walton

2. Paul King / Phili Hoops:  Miles Davis,  Brian Wells,  Cole Pugh,  Orlando Biggers,  Justin James,  Saquin Gibbs.

3. Elmcor:  Coach Douglas James, Carl Bolton, Carl Lee, Daniel Artest,  Tony Cherry,  Charlie or Jaime - Newtown,  Dwayne Thompson

4. Gauchos:  Coach Bobby Holford,  Edmund Turkson,  Levi Levine,  Sheldon Faulkner,  Julius Hodge,  Marcel Moralez,  Roland Webber,  Kenneth Samuel,  David Sills.

5. Boys & Girls: Coach Wayne Cox,  Stephon Cox, Tommie Eddie, Lee Church,  Greg Jones,  Tremel Straker,  Donnel Hunt,  Abdul (Doo) Fall,  Kevin Baker,  Jamie Kilburn  

6. N Y Skyriders:  Coach Amir Sultan,  John Connor, Rashaun Banjo,  Carl Isadore,  Dudley Idadore,  Carl Benn.

7. B Q Express:  Coach Artie Cox,  Omar Cook, Taliek Brown, Andre Barrett, Zach Williams, Marcus Toney-el, Juma Allen   

8. Huntington Roadrunners:   Coach Dave Edwards, Corey Hinnant,  Bobby Sanders,  Matt Preston,  Will McLurkin,  John Danefield,  Julian Thomas,  Dave Bizgia.

9. BRO AllStars:  Eric King,  Aaron Lesane,  Eric Thompson,  John Quantara,  Jason McGray,  Tyrone Coleman,  Khary Wood

10. Next Level AllStars:  Coach Malcolm Williams Jr,  Wilbur Williams,  Roscoe Biggers,  John Polanco,  OJ Sumpter,  Raheem Louge,  Francisco Garcia, Ryan Rosado,  Robert Wright,  Sammy Mejia, Will Scott.      

11. Hoop Street Gang:  Coach Barry Knapp, Doug Johnson,  Sean O'Keefe,  Tremaine Stevens,  Jelanni Simmons,  Greg Parker,  Herman Perez,  Jeremy Bass,  Jordan Mullin.

12. Bondsman:  Coach Don Copeland and Coach Ron Lee, Janiel Ford,  Hank Rivers,  Paul (JP) Kobryn,  Donald Copeland,  Dwayne Lee,  Carmine Charles,  Charles Clark, Pete Cirriano,  Isaac  (Ike) Ross,  Mike Newcombe.

13. Southside: Coach Derrick Germany,  James (Pookie) Lambus,  Keith (Rah) West,  Lamont King,  Nigel Wyatte,  Janel Green,  Ian Johnston,  Kary Lowes,  Darryl Daighe,  Cyril Stanley,  Jason McLiesh,  Anthony Giles

14. Mount Vernon:  Coach Bob Cimmino, Ben Gordon, William Cherry,  John Boykin,  Greg Jenkins,  Lamont Harris,  Shelton Sampson,  Glen Wright,  John Belfor, Randy Brunson,  John Plenty,  Kevin Mitchell.    

15. Brooklyn USA:  Coach Tom (Tippy) McTiernan,  Cliffone Ault, Jason Rivera,  Isaiah Davis, Rhaim Acosta, Jerel Blassingame, Duane Reid, Muhammed Wilson,  Arnell Milton,  Darren Sykes,  Rashien Little.

16. Rebel:  Coach Robert (Rebel) Boyd, Robert Legister,  Mark Riley, Robert Villaneuva,  Michael Garrett,  Ron Yates,  Larry Parker,  Answan Neal,  Darryl Boykins,  Joshua Puello,  Chris Sands,  Jean Ortiz. 

17. B'Ballers:  JC Mathis,  Willie Shaw, Raymond Edwards,  Lashard Duren, Elvis Rivera,  Jerome Simmons,  Louis Garcia,  Carlos Gonzalez, Victor Respaldo

18. LI Run & Gun:  Coach John Apicella

19. LI Panthers:  Coach Gary Charles,  Lenny Cooke,  Lawrence Pruitt,  Curtis Sumpter,  Mike Sherrod,  Justice Howell,  Eric Ferguson,  Brian Raymonds.

20. JYO:  Coach Billy Medley,  Ryan Williams,  Steve Lowry,  Tremayne Singletary,  Jamel Williams,  Darryl Hill,  Craig Boynton,  Shabar Ewing,  Dana Towsend,  W Wells,  J Wells,  Ramel Diaz

21. Early Warning:  Coach Gary Latera, A. St. Hillaire,  A Wilder,  S. Andrew,  David Monroe,  Jason Flowers,  Charles Devine,  Steve Poinsett,  John Jimmins, Ray Francis,  Eric Jacklitch

22. Rise Above: Coach Theo Perry,  Mike Jenkins,  Joseph McCloud,  William Kimarly,  Thomas (Spoonie) Harrison,  Curtis Sallin,  Prince Wright,  Lonnell Mimmons

23. St. Francis:  Coach Kevin White,  Kevin Fitzgerald,  Kevin O'Connell,  Danny Apicella, Kevin White, Steve Hartwig,  Rashid Bell,  Mike DiVarro. 

24. LI Crusaders:  Coach Ron Cole,  Rich Hall,  Justin Cole,  Terrance Dotzler,  Paul Skirbe, Ramsey Lauper,  David Terry,  Justin Potenza and Kevin Bearton.

10/17/99  BAD4deuce:  'IS8 Friday night - Although the Hoop Street Gang suffered an embarrassing loss at the hands of the BQ Express, you neglected to mention that Sean O'Keefe, a 6'4" shooting guard from Fordham Prep, managed to put in thirty points, including eight from behind the arc.'

10/17/99  Sunday morning at IS8:  Unbeaten JYO pulls out all the stops - Jemel Williams (12),  Tremayne Singletary (12), Royal Ivey (9),  Ryan Williams (8),  Tootsie Wells (6),  Shabar Ewing (6) and Steve Lowry (6).  Mike Deng, Ajou Ajou's younger brother played for JYO and was also able to score six points.  Mike is a 6-8 freshman at Blair Academy, who'll no doubt be back to IS8 many times in the next four years.  Meanwhile, St. Francis Prep had the game's high scorers: 20 for Kevin O'Connell and 24 each for Rashid Bell and Steve Hartwig.  Kevin White and Mike DeVarro split five as Kevin Fitgerald and Danny Apicella were no shows.  JYO won easily 89 - 73.

In the second game Next Level took the Bondsmen 64 - 58.  OJ Sumpter was the game star with 21 points and solid post play.  Rob Patterson, Roscoe Biggers and Wilbur Williams chipped in with 11, 10 and 9, while Corey Thompson directed the offense from the point.  The Bondsmen were without their shooter, Jamiel Ford.  JP Kobryn fouled out with 17 points,  while Carmine Charles,  Darrell Melvin and Mike Newcombe each had 10.

10/16/99  Brooklyn Scout: Brooklyn USA led from start to finish in an 85-59 triumph over B'Ballers (JFK, Bronx), playing without J.C. Mathis (on a college visit to Florida). Brooklyn USA came out looking to shut down Willie Shaw (which they did, holding him to just 14 points, most of  which came after the game was decided). But Jerome Simmons stepped up early for the  B'Ballers, scoring 10 of his team's 16 points in the first quarter as Brooklyn USA held a slim 18-16 lead after one. After that, the defensive pressure was turned up and long shots were falling as Brooklyn outscored the B'Ballers 30-16 in the second quarter for a commanding 48-32 margin at the break. The balanced effort for Brooklyn USA was reflected in the scoring totals, with five players reaching double figures: Anthonique Wilson (13), Jason Rivera (12), Dwayne Reid (11), Rhaim Acosta (11) and James  Clark (10). Simmons finished with a game-high 20 for the B'Ballers.

10/16/99  Saturday morning at IS8 and the BQ Express runs over the Bondsmen 97 - 53.  Admission was free, but folks will be paying soon enough to see these guys.  Omar Cook had 12 points and easily that many assists. 'O' was also taking and hitting some pull-up jumpers in the lane.  Taliek Brown had 15 points with one 'eat your heart out, Allen Iverson' crossover move.  Zach Williams had 22 points and he too was working on his college moves.  Zach was hitting some 14 foot jumpers and putting the ball on the floor at the top of the key.  And then there was Darius Miles, in for Midnight Madness at St. John's.  D got his 35 points almost effortlessly - he ran the court and waited to dunk Omar's alley-oop!  By the second half most of us in the stands were no longer ooing and ahing all those dunks but Darius was awesome.  Pete Edwards spent much of the second half talking about Omar and Darius bringing it to 33rd St. and Seventh Avenue, how good they'd look wearing St. John's red and white. He could just as easily have meant Knick blue and orange.

In the first game Brooklyn USA took B'Ballers (JFK, Bronx) without JC Mathis by twenty.

10/16/99  Rich:  'In Friday night action at IS 8, BQ Express demolished the Hoop Street Gang behind Zach Williams' 26 points and 15 rebounds & Omar Cook's 22 points, 17 assists and 8 turnovers. BQ Express was without Taliek Brown (visiting UConn) and Andre Barrett (playing with the Tim Thomas Playaz squad and future teammates Eddie Griffin and Marcus Toney-el in an Iowa-based tournament).  The Rebel vs. L. I. Run and Gun (just 2 players showed) matchup appeared to be a forfeit victory for Rebel. At the last minute Run & Gun got a quorum, but still lost the game by 6.'

10/12/99  kalev8:  'George Osadchiy is not 6-8 he's 6-11. Thank you so much.'  Web note:  I got the spelling and the height wrong.  

10/10/99  Ugly weather in the City; pretty basketball game at IS8.  Huntington Roadrunners had a frontline of 6-8 Damion Frey,  6-11 George Osadchiy and 6-7 Travis Mayo.  They eventually wore down the Tony Tateless Bondsmen (aka. St. Anthony's of Jersey City) 67 - 63 despite 19 from soph. Jamel Ford who hit 5 of 7 three point attempts.

Frey may give punctuality a bad name.  He arrived three minutes into the game and finished with 31, many on awsome dunks.  He, Osadchiy and Mayo easily had a dozen blocked shots in the game - most on ill-advised Bondsmen layups and some on jumpers.

Osadchiy is a 6-11 junior foreign transfer enrolled at Longwood, LI.  His varsity coach, Dennis Terry was in the stands and says George is still learning post moves.  But he passes well and tends to play better with another big man.  He had two today with Mayo and  Frey; he'll team with 6-8 Will McLurkin during the season.  Will was MIA this morning on a recruiting visit.

Bondsmen are primarily juniors and sophs.  They were missing two 6-6 players today, which left JP Kobryn to play one against three.  When John Paul got his third foul early in the second quarter the Bondsmen began sliding.  Soph Elijah Ingram is also out, leaving soph Dwayne Lee to man the point. The 1-2 Bondsmen play twice next weekend and still have a shot at the playoffs.

With a week to go in the regular season there are four undefeated teams, all AAU:  Riverside Church is 5-0 and BQ Express,  Brooklyn USA and JYO are each 3-0. School teams are doing well:  Boys & Girls has finished at 4-1 losing only to the Church,  Lincoln (BRO All Stars),  JFK (B'Ballers) and St Francis are each 3-10. At 1-1 Mt. Vernon now has three games to play this last week. Current team records, game results and team coaches are listed below.

10/8/99  Rich:  'IS 8 on Friday night  --  Friday night action at IS 8 started with a forfeit win for BQ Express over the Next Level All Stars. Omar Cook, Taliek Brown, Andre Barrett, Zach Williams and company were there. Unfortunately, for the IS 8 crowd, the opponent did not have five players. And finally at 8:45pm, the second game began as Riverside Church defeated the Gauchos, 77-61 behind the steady play of Terrance Watkins, Andre Sweet, Mike Boynton, and Mark McCarroll. Former Bay Shore star Will Frisby was impressive for the Gauchos. BQ Express and Riverside Church both have 3-0 records as we all await their appearance in the October 24th final. Wednesday night winners: BQ Express and Southside. Thursday night winners: Southside and Universal Records (Lincoln HS). The October 9th matchup of Brooklyn USA and Mount Vernon will be rescheduled. Tomorrow's tripleheader action will commence at 11am (Riverside vs. Paul King/Philly Hoops).'  

10/3/99  Rich:  B'ballers and JYO are victorious in the Sunday late games -- B'Ballers 88 Rebel 81,  JYO 87 Panthers 85.   Brooklyn Scout: 'Saturday afternoon at I.S.8 - A strong second half propelled Brooklyn USA to an 82-64 win over LI Run 'N Gun and a 3-0 record. After a close first, Brooklyn USA established control with back-to-back three-pointers from Ronald Williams and Jason Rivera to take a 33-32 halftime lead. Rhaim Acosta and Cliffone Ault dominated underneath in the third quarter as Brooklyn moved ahead 58-51 entering the final quarter. Ault, Acosta and Williams led the balanced  Brooklyn USA scoring attack with 12 points apiece.'

10/3/99  IS8 Sunday morning belongs to the Church - Riverside and Lee!  Riverside takes Boys & Girls 66 - 55.  Too many horses - Terrance Wadkins 16,  Andre Sweet 12,  Kaison Mimms 7 and Mark McCarroll 6 points plus lots of blocks and intimidations. The Church got Adrian Walton for the big game, but he was off with only 4.  Boys & Girls hung tough - through three they were up by two, down by 4 and down by 8.  Lee Church led the way with 20 points, including three treys and solid defense.  But 8, 8 and 7 from Jaimie Kilburn,  Gary Jones and Stephon Cox wasn't enough.  Abdul Fall had four points, numerous rebounds and played steady defense, but Tommie Eddie arrived at the halftime break.  He was not a factor in the second half with just one point.

In the first game the Gauchos easily took the SkyRiders 68 - 36.  Julius Hodge,  Roland Webber,  Edmund Turkson,  Levi Levine, Marcel Moralez  and David Sills had 18, 12, 9, 8, 7 and 7.  Rashaun (BO)  Banjo again led the SkyRiders with 15 points, but he got little help.  Carl Isadore, Carl Benn and Dudley Isadore only got 6, 5 and 4 for the losers.

PSAL coaches Johnny Mathis (JFK),  Ruth Lovelace (B&G) and Ron Naclerio (Cardoza) were all in the satnds, as was the 'Living Legend', Fly Williams.  According to Pete Edwards, Fly once scored 40 by halftime at IS8.  He then took the basketball and went home!

Great news about the Bondsmen - they're Bobby Hurley's St. Anthony, Jersey City squad.  This is a nice chance to see them perform without Tony Tate, transferred to Marist.  They play Huntington next Sunday and BQE and Next Level the following Saturday and Sunday.  They took the Hoop Street Gang yesterday,  73 - 57.

10/2/99  Saturday morning @ IS8:  JYO, aka Cardoza takes overmatched Long Island Crusaders, aka LI Lutheran 67 - 41. It's balanced scoring for JYO:  Shabar Ewing 18,  Darryl Hill 14,  W. Wells 15,  Ryan Williams 11 and Jamel Williams 7 - dnp Tremayne Singletary.  For the Crusaders Justin Cole had 20,  Dan Weadock and Kevin Burton each had 8.  In the second game the Next Level All Stars trailed Huntington by 4 at the first quarter and half; they led by one after three and won 78 - 59!  Point guard Corey Thompson,  two guard Roscoe Biggers, wing Wilbur Williams and center OJ Sumpter all scored in double figures.  The Roadrunners had Matt Preson,  Corey Hinnant,  Bobby Sanders and Will McLarkin scoring 12,  11, 11 and 9.  Next Level coach Malcolm Williams Jr confirms that Francisco Garcia is at Cheshire Academy and won't be making any more IS8 appearences.

Buzz in the stands was about Friday night's BQE, BRO game.  Eric King, John Quantara and company came back from a 20 point deficit, only to lose by 4.  Omar Cook wasn't there for BQE, but Taliek Brown had 30 and, supposedly, it was Andre Barrett's finest hour.  He was 8 for 10 from the field with close to 20 assists.  Meanwhile, Eric King got 31 last Sunday as BRO took Next Level 100 - 76.  Tomorrow mornings first two games are Gauchos, Skyriders at 9:30 and Church, Boys & Girls at 11:00.

10/1/99  Winston:  'Kennedy (B'Ballers) beat Mt. Vernon in close game at IS 8 last night. Goes to show that winning is not everything.  Ben Gorden was having one of his typical great games when with less than two minutes to go in the game and with Mt. Vernon down by 4 Ben attempted a 360 dunk that he missed.  His coach removed him from the game, Mt. Vernon lost. It showed that even the great ones require discipline and to show what a true great player Ben is going to be, he showed no visible ill feeling towards his coach. He took his disciplining like a trooper. As you can see, like everyone else I'm a true Ben supporter.'

9/25/99:  Saturday morning at IS8, Southside takes Rebel 74 - 58.  The usual Southside suspects (James (Pookie) Lambus,  Keith (Rah) West and Randy (Pooch) Henderson - that's a lot of nicknames and brackets) are aided and abetted by 6-7 Curtis center, Nigel Wyatte.  Nice touch around the paint, big guy. Rebel was missing Ron Yates; Darryl Boykins and Mike Garrett were unable to fully take up the slack.  Rebel is now 0-3. 

John P. Miciotta:  'The final three games of Saturday's IS8 quadruple header provided interesting and entertaining basketball. While none of the traditional summer basketball powers were scheduled it was certainly an interesting mix of teams and players alike.

Game 2 of the day's quartet saw a talented Boys High team take on the Queens based New York Skyriders. The Skyriders jumped out early behind the smooth shooting of 6'5" RaShaun Banjo, the former Springfield Gardens star now prepping at Woodmere Academy. He showed improved quickness on defense, an improved handle and outside shot in propelling the Skyriders to a first quarter lead that was grew to as much as 11 points. He had unexpected help in the form of Carl Benn a 14 year old point guard who ran the team with poise and confidence. His driving and aggressive style captured the confidence of his team mates and the admiration of those in attendance. While we at "high hoops" were unable to find out where he's in school we are certainly anxious to follow his progress. His talent and poise make him a player to watch.

The latter part of the first quarter saw Boys High begin to battle back. Behind the play of the PSAL's best back court, seniors Stephon Cox and Lee Church, Boys closed the gap to one in early in the second quarter and from there a nip and tuck battle ensued. Cox was impressive with his three point shooting and slashing ability while Church was impressive driving and posting up. Those guards had help from hard working junior forwards Gary Jones and Tommie Eddie who battled inside relentlessly. Boys would have won the game had it not been for terrible free throw shooting (at least 10 misses in the fourth period) and the play of Banjo and Benn. Banjo showed the quickness and leaping ability around the basket that have long been trademarks of his game, but he has added to it with much improved "2 guard skills" shooting driving and passing. He is now a legitimate mid-to-high level major prospect and if he can finishing getting his academics together at Woodmere will have a fine college career. A beautiful lefty drive by Benn followed by a steal and basket by Banjo gave the Skyriders the lead. A hoop by Church and two free throws by Darnell Miller gave Boys a 64-62 win

Game 3 saw St. Francis Prep put on a clinic against Rise Above in cruising to a 20+ point win. They ran they're patented motion offense to perfection and it produced a balanced attack. Undersized but clever 6'4" wide body Steve Hartwig lead a balanced attack with his inside scoring. A trio of Kevin's (Fitzpatrick O'Connell and White) each chipped in with double figures as well. Also impressive for the Terriers was 6'4" sophomore Rashard Bell, a player who's athletic quickness should prove to be a nice compliment to the rugged but undersized Prep team. Like several of his team mates he also has an excellent outside shots and despite the occasional bout with impatience displayed a nice feel for the motion game which has become the hallmark of Tim Leary's teams. The nucleus of the prep team is now juniors and their finishing ability is improving. With their ability to execute none of the elite teams will want to play them and they will no doubt scare some teams along the way this season. Will Scott, a 6'5" slasher from Transit Tech did what he could to keep Rise Above in the game but as Pete Edwards reminded everyone in his unique style "One on one basketball will get you losses." And Rise Above simply made a difficult situation worse by doing too much of that.

The final game of the day saw the B-ballers, a team made up of players from PSAL runner-up John F. Kennedy hold off a stubborn Run-N-Gun team from Long Island. The inside presence of JC Mathis who was so active he was "punching shots" as Pete would say, and the slashing ability of Willie Shaw helped the Bronxites overcome a slow start and hold on for a one point win.

9/19/99  BROOKLYN SCOUT: 'IS8 -  Brooklyn USA vs. Rebel - Brooklyn USA had an overall very young team but had enough "vets" lead the way as they defeated Rebel 79-62 in today's (9/19) final game. After a close first quarter (Brooklyn USA up 18-16), guards Cliffone Ault and Jason Rivera sparked a second quarter spurt that put Brooklyn up 42-31 at the break. Ault had 17 of his game-high 24 in the first while Rivera tallied 11 of his 19 in this half. The Rebels rallied to within four points in the third quarter before Brooklyn pulled away in the final session. Among the top performers for the young players were soph slashing guard Isaiah Davis and junior forward Rhaim Acosta.'

9/18/99  Rich:  'With the remnants of Hurricane Floyd invading NYC yesterday, the 1999 I. S. 8 Jumpman Tip-Off Classic was postponed until tonight. Boys and Girls opened the classic with an 88-83 victory over Elmcor. The B & G trio of Stephon Cox, Tommie Eddie, and Lee Church paced the victors with the senior point Church hitting 4 decisive free throws in the final minute. Elmcor was led by an impressive fourth quarter from point guard Carl Bolton and the steady play of Daniel Artest.

Although Kennedy, Lincoln, and Robeson appear to be the frontrunners for next year's PSAL title, Boys returns a solid nucleus for a lengthy playoff run. The heralded Boys HS last won the title in 1979 behind the All-City efforts of Richie Gordon and Maurice Sanford with castmates Jerry Williams, Alonzo Colbert, Todd Mills, and Barry Johnson in tow.

Returning to I. S. 8, League Commissioner Peter Edwards has assembled 24 teams with the regular season scheduled to end on October 17. The twelve team playoff season will begin on October 19. The championship will take place on Sunday, October 24. BQ Express (Omar Cook, Taliek Brown, Andre Barrett, Zach Williams, Marcus Toney-el?) are expected to face Riverside Church once again for the title.'

9/17/99  Winston@GameBall Magazine:  'I heard a wonderful rumor to the beginning of what looks like will be a great high school year. Its been brought to my attention that the staff at BQ Express namely the players themselves (i.e., Omar Cook, Andre Barrett, Taliek Brown, Eddie Griffin, Zach Williams) have banned together to form this Fall's (BQ Express) IS "8" team. This should be a great Fall tournament, look for new teams and more talented players from Manhattan and the Bronx.'

9/17/99 LFBALL:  'A classy bunch of kids playing for one of the best, most knowledgeable, caring, understanding, hardworking, unappreciated, fair, supportive, and innovative AAU/HS coaches in the country. What is the world coming to? Artie Cox has helped more kids than most people realize. I still remember him coaching all over the city using his hard earned money for entry fees, etc. I wish someone would hire him as a head coach of a HS or prep school. He would be wonderful.

By the way, not only is this years crop of area HS seniors one of the best in history. They are also the classiest and best prepared academically. Most are going to qualify to play as frosh, they are intelligent and personable on and off the court, and they all are hard working. These kids would be successful with or without basketball.'

9/17/99 Jane Graph:  'Re Artie Cox of CTK. I have known him for yrs and he is the nicest most caring guy in the whole city. He has gone out of his way time and time again to help kids.  I have watched him out coach many of the so called good coaches in this city. Just thought I 'd put my 2 cents in.'

9/16/99  Thurs.  IS8 Kickoff Classic begins.  Games @ 6:30 and 8:00 Thursdays and Fridays,  four games from 9:30 through 3:30 each Saturday and Sunday until the end of October.  Pete Edwards reminds all that four of the top sixteen players in this year's NBA draft played at IS8.  This year's slogan is: 'Don't bring your name;  bring your game!'

9/14/99  Kyle Yeldell @ High School Hoops Spotlight:  'Andre Barrett is playing w/ the Church in IS8 WITH Omar Cook.'   Web note:  Play starts this Thursday.