High School Boys Basketball

BY BOB HERZOG

I’m looking forward to getting a preseason peek at some of the best basketball talent in the area on Sunday at the Metro Classic.

Historic Island Garden in West Hempstead, once the home of the ABA New York Nets, is the site for a doubleheader that matches the New York City All-Stars against the a Suburban squad of players from Long Island and Westchester.

The girls’ game begins at noon; the boys’ game tips off at 3:30. Tickets are $10 for one game or $15 for both and proceeds go to a pair of notable charities, the Make A Wish Foundation and the Howie Frajberg Medical Research Foundation.

There will be future Division I players on all four rosters, and Zog will zero in on the Long Island performances in a web-only column that will be posted early next week. I’ll also be blogging about the event on Newsday’s basketball blog site.

NYC Boys star Lance Stephenson of Lincoln, a 6-6 guard, is the biggest name in the game. He is a nationally ranked player who is being recruited by Kansas and UCLA among others.

The Suburban Boys team features these nine Long Island players: George Beamon, Roslyn; Paul Bilbo, St.Dominic; Justin Brown, Uniondale; Ryan Creighton, Greenport; Josh Elbaum, St. John the Baptist; Josh Malone, Deer Park; JJ Moore, Brentwood; Kamil Parcych, Lindenhurst, and PJ Walters, St. Dominic.

The Suburban Girls team also includes nine LI players: Kristen Doherty, Sachem East; Gabrielle Gibson, Copiague; Terry Green, Holy Trinity; Bria Hartley, North Babylon; Christine Huber, St. John the Baptist; Tara Lonergan, South Side; Eugeneia McPherson, North Babylon; Megan Vasquez, Calhoun, and Ieasia Walker, Copiague.