http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/ Newsday's high school staff hits the hardwood for in-depth coverage of boys basketball. en Copyright 2009 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:46:41 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss BY BOB HERZOG Just found out about two more Long Island players who earned college basketball scholarships. J.T. Pate of Babylon, a big guard who surpassed the 2,000-career point plateau this season, will play at New York Tech. Chris Mauldin, the clutch-shooting point guard from Baldwin, will play at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Congratulations to both and good luck at the next level. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/06/2_more_signings.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/06/2_more_signings.html Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:46:41 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN Tobias Harris, who was recently named Newsday’s Player of the Year, has been selected the Class A Co-Player of the Year, along with Brandon Triche of Jamesville-DeWitt (Section III), by the New York State Sportswriters Association. Behind Harris, a 6-8 junior forward, Long Island Lutheran defeated Triche and the Red Rams, 68-51, in the state Federation final in Glens Falls last month. Harris, who transferred back to Hills West last week, averaged 23.5 ppg and 11 rebounds this season. Funny thing: Triche (whose bound for Syracuse) and Harris could wind up playing together in college -- that is, if Harris picks the Orange. As of now, he's still sifting through a list of schools. (above, Harris attempting a free throw, photo by Patrick E. McCarthy) Greenport’s Ryan Creighton was selected Class D Co-Player of the Year along with Chris Secky of Maple Grove (Section VI). The Porters defeated the Dragons, 73-68, to advance to the state Class D final. Creighton, Newsday’s Suffolk Player of the Year, averaged 27 ppg and finished his career as Long Island’s all-time leading scorer with 2,799 points. (Creighton celebrates after beating Maple Grove (VI) in a state Class D semifinal game in Glens Falls, N.Y., AP Photo) Click to see the full list of Long Island's all-state selections...]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/harris_creighton_named_state_p.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/harris_creighton_named_state_p.html Greenport Long Island Lutheran Ryan Creighton Tobias Harris Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:30:49 -0500 BY BOB HERZOG This was awards week in Suffolk County, with dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday night at the Polish Hall in Riverhead to honor the county’s best players and coaches in the large and small school categories. With sincere thanks to George Davila, historian and statistician supreme who produced a comprehensive program, here are the squads: Large schools All-County: J.J. Moore, Brentwood Kamil Parzych, Lindenhurst Marcus Stroman, Patchogue-Medford Mervin Springer, Copiague Josh Malone, Deer Park Antonio Scott, Bellport Marcus Hunter, Longwood Jordan Allen, Bay Shore Rob Hughes, Riverhead Myles Jones, Whitman Barry Ingram, Bay Shore Stephen Davis, Newfield Large schools Player of the Year: J.J. Moore, Brentwood Large schools Coach of the Year: Brendan McCaffrey, North Babylon -- Small schools All-County Ryan Creighton, Greenport John Nielsen, Port Jefferson Ben Resner, Harborfields Phil Izevbehai, Glenn Jerome Russell, East Hampton Hayden Ward, East Hampton Steven Medard, Amityville Jordan Ward-Adams, Center Moriches James Pate, Babylon Jonathan Ward-Adams, Center Moriches Reid Drzal, Bayport-Blue Point Small schools Player of the Year: Ryan Creighton, Greenport Small schools Coach of the Year: Ed Petrie, East Hampton ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/suffolk_slant_the_allcounty_te.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/suffolk_slant_the_allcounty_te.html Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:55:17 -0500 BY BOB HERZOG For Tobias Harris, it’s one decision down, one to go. I really wasn’t surprised when Harris, a junior and Newsday’s Player of the Year, decided to leave Lutheran and transfer back to his hometown high school, Half Hollow Hills West. Too much off-the-court drama for everyone involved. Now, I’m very curious about Harris’s next major decision – his college choice – that he will announce in late September. Tobias’s father, Torrel, told me his son had about 60 college offers and has narrowed it down to 12. Here’s the Tobias Twelve, listed alphabetically: Connecticut Georgia Tech Louisville Marquette Maryland Notre Dame Oklahoma Rutgers Syracuse Tennessee Virginia Tech West Virginia I’m told that Syracuse and Maryland have been recruiting Tobias particularly hard, but that there is no clear-cut front-runner. Rutgers seems an odd choice, given that the program is far behind the others in terms of recent success. But Torrel Harris said Rutgers is on the final list because it was the first school to offer Tobias a scholarship. Here’s one potential wrinkle in the decision-making process: Would the school that lands Tobias also make a scholarship to his brother Tyler part of the deal. And is that a deal-breaker? I haven’t heard that’s the case, but it’s a point worth considering. Tyler is one year behind Tobias in high school and hasn’t had the resume after his sophomore year that Tobias had. Tyler showed some flashes – especially with his outside shooting – at Lutheran, but not enough to warrant an offer from schools on this list. Not yet anyway. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/the_latest_harris_poll.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/the_latest_harris_poll.html Tobias Harris Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:49:17 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN (Uniondale's Bolade Akingboye drives to the basket against Newburgh Free Academy during a Class AA semifinal at the Glens Falls Civic Center, photo by Gordon M. Grant) Class AA 1. Rice (CHSAA) - 25-3 2. Newburgh Free Academy (IX) - 20-5 3. Mount Vernon (I) - 20-4 (4th) 4. Christ The King (CHSAA) - 25-4 (6th) 5. Abraham Lincoln (PSAL) - 22-11 (3rd) 6. Niagara Falls (VI) - 24-1 (5th) 7. Bronx JFK (PSAL) - 26-3 8. Uniondale (VIII) - 20-3 9. Poughkeepsie (I) - 20-3 10. Greece Athena (V) - 20-5 11. Williamsville North (VI) - 21-2 12. Gates Chili (V) - 19-5 13. Rush-Henrietta (V) - 20-3 14. Syracuse CBA (III) - 21-5 15. New Rochelle (I) - 16-6 16. Albany CBA (I) - 21-4 17. Albany Academy (II) - 22-2 18. Bishop Maginn (II) - 19-4 19. Thomas Jefferson (PSAL) - 21-11 20. Shenendehowa (II) - 21-2 21. North Rockland (I) - 20-3 22. McKee/Staten Island Tech (PSAL) - 25-6 23. Jamestown (VI) - 17-5 24. Boys & Girls (PSAL) - 21-9 25. Syracuse Henninger (III) - 18-5 (Long Island Lutheran's Achraf Yocoubou, Tobias Harris and Kevin Johnson pose with their trophies after Luhi's win over Jamesville-DeWitt in the state Class A Federation title game in Glens Falls, photo by Pat Orr) Class A 1. Long Island Lutheran (AIS) - 19-8 (4th) 2. Jamesville-DeWitt (III) - 27-2 (1st) 3. Peekskill (I) - 24-2 (2nd) 4. Iona Prep (CHSAA) - 27-2 (3rd) 5. East Hampton (XI) - 23-3 6. Batavia (V) - 21-4 7. St. John the Baptist (CHSAA) - 25-3 8. Curtis (Staten Island) (PSAL) - 25-9 9. Scotia-Glenville (II) - 21-3 10. Gloversville (II) - 20-3 11. Cornwall (IX) - 19-4 12. Westinghouse (PSAL) - 18-5 13. Bedford Academy (PSAL) - 25-4 14. Buffalo McKinley (VI) - 21-5 15. Norwich (IV) - 20-4 16. Roslyn (VIII) - 16-7 17. Lakeland (I) - 17-5 18. Buffalo Nichols (CHSAA) - 24-3 19. Sweet Home (VI) - 20-2 20. Bishop Ford (CHSAA) - 21-6 21. South Side (VIII) - 18-4 22. Westbury (VIII) - 18-3 23. Depew (VI) - 19-5 24. Pittsford Sutherland (V) - 18-6 25-T. Utica Notre Dame (III) - 19-5 25-T. Newark (V) - 20-3 (Malverne's Justin Williams takes a jump shot in double-coverage against Seton Catholic in a Class B state semifinal game, photo by Gregg T. Ordon) Class B 1. Collegiate (AIS) - 27-4 2. Bishop Kearney (V) - 24-4 3. Binghamton Seton (IV) - 22-4 4. Malverne (VIII) - 12-11 5. Hannibal (III) - 21-4 6. Burke Catholic (IX) - 18-7 7. Olean (VI) - 19-5 8. Westhill (III) - 20-4 9. Hackley School (AIS) - 20-7 10. Brooklyn Academy (PSAL) - 15-7 11. Lawrence-Woodmere (AIS) - 23-3 12. Lincoln Hall (I) - 18-7 13. Akron (VI) - 20-4 14. Mount Markham (III) - 21-2 15. Wellsville (V) - 19-4 16. Broadalbin-Perth (II) - 18-8 17. Ogdensburg Free (X) - 19-7 18. Albertus Magnus (I) - 18-4 19. Lancaster St. Mary's (CHSAA) - 17-11 20-T. Northeastern Clinton (VII) - 22-1 20-T. Marcellus (III) - 19-4 (Oyster Bay's Bryan Van Cott catches a pass during a state Class C semifinal against Avon at the Glens Falls Civic Center, photo by Gregg T. Ordon / March 20, 2009) Class C 1. Avon (V) - 27-1 2. Maple Hill (II) - 25-2 3. Oyster Bay (VIII) - 13-9 4. Onondaga (III) - 17-10 5. Valhalla (I) - 20-5 6. Oxford (IV) - 20-4 7. Randolph (VI) - 21-3 8. Westfield (VI) - 18-5 9. Frewsburg (VI) - 18-5 10. Letchworth (V) - 18-5 11. Blind Brook (I) - 18-4 12. LaFayette (III) - 17-7 13. Groton (IV) - 17-4 14. Lake George (II) - 19-4 15-T. Port Jefferson (XI) - 15-8 15-T. Harley Allendale-Columbia (V) - 17-8 Greenport's Ryan Creighton puts up a shot against South Kortright during the Class D state final at the Glens Falls Civic Center, photo by Gordon M. Grant) Class D 1. South Kortright (IV) - 26-0 2. Greenport (XI) - 22-4 3. Maple Grove (VI) - 21-4 4. Chateaugay (X) - 22-5 5. C.G. Finney (V) - 24-1 6. Westport (VII) - 19-2 7. Coleman Catholic (IX) - 16-7 8. Prattsburgh (V) - 18-5 9. New York Mills (III) - 18-7 10. Genesee Valley (V) - 16-10 11. Seward (IX) - 18-4 12. Sharon Springs (II) - 16-8 13. Hunter-Tannersville (IV) - 18-6 14. Laurens (IV) - 19-4 15. Sackets Harbor (III) - 14-9 ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/state_rankings_final_1.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/04/state_rankings_final_1.html East Hampton Greenport Lawrence Woodmere Long Island Lutheran Malverne Oyster Bay Port Jefferson Roslyn South Side St. John the Baptist Uniondale Westbury Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:08:06 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN After the LuHi celebration died down, I approached coach Brian Carey for an on-the-record comment about Saturday's "outburst" during the Crusaders' semifinal victory over Curtis. Carey, still clutching his state federation championship plaque, declined to say anything. I respect that...but here's the thing: If a coach points his finger (repeatedly) and yells in the direction of the father of one of his star players -- I can't ignore it. (Believe me, I'd love to. I hate drama more than anyone.) But in a public arena, on this big of a stage -- with the game still being played on the court behind both parties -- you can't turn a blind eye. Whispers...no, check that -- loud grumblings -- have been heard for quite a while regarding Tobias and Tyler Harris' future with the Crusaders. Now, if the brothers do return to their former school, Hills West, after this school year -- that's HUGE. LuHi has already proven it can win without the star forward (who missed 12 games due to an ankle injury in January). But having one of Long Island's best scorers on the roster, is a major plus for any team. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/setting_the_record_straight.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/setting_the_record_straight.html Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:59:06 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN LuHi got its revenge against Jamesville Dewitt, defeating the Red Rams, 68-51... Yikes, they're shutting off the lights here at the Civic Center...details to come, I promise. .......OK, im back. There really isn't much more you can say about this game, other than -- Tobias Harris was a force to be reckoned with tonight. The 6-8 junior -- who was named the MVP -- scored a game-high 27 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field. Harris, who also went 12-of-16 from the line, grabbed 15 rebounds... Achraf Yacoubou, who seemed to struggle at times against the Red Rams' pressure, added 16 points and Kevin Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds. Alshwan Hymes was the high-man for the J-D, with 17 points...It was a rough night for Syracuse-bound Brandon Triche...He finished with just eight.]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_championship_crusaders.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_championship_crusaders.html Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:11:09 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN I've got to admit, it was getting a little dicey there for the Crusaders... Jamesville-Dewitt used an 11-0 run to cut its deficit to 42-34 with 2:44 left in the third. But LuHi quickly answered with a little run of their own… E.J. Parry hit a three-pointer, then Kevin Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws following a steal…And after Tobias Harris scored inside on LuHi’s next possession, he caught a backdoor pass from Derek Klein and laid the ball up-and-in – drawing a foul on J-D stud, Brandon Triche (his third) with 26.3 to left in the quarter. Harris’ free throw completed the three-point play and capped a 10-0 run by the Crusaders, who took a 52-35 lead at the end of the third. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_championship_luhi_answ.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_championship_luhi_answ.html Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:32:55 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN Well, LuHi sure found the "money player" early in this one...Tobias got the ball early and often for the Crusaders, opening the game with a three-pointer... LuHi, which drained three threes in the first three minutes of the game, held a 15-9 lead at the start of the second quarter... Tobias had 12 points and six rebounds at halftime. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_championship_luhi_on_t_1.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_championship_luhi_on_t_1.html Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:48:57 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN I had a rather lengthy talk with the head of the Harris clan, Torrel, Sr...And he was more than happy to share his side of the what-appears-to-be-ongoing feud with Lutheran coach Brian Carey... Yesterday, Carey was seen pointing and shouting in the direction of Torrel during the Crusaders' 67-42 victory over Curtis in the Class A semifinal... Mr. Harris sent me an email (which I received Saturday morning), vehemently defending himself... He claims he only said, "Get the ball to the money players," to the person sitting next to him, and Carey immediately "went nuts" after hearing his remark... It's obvious Mr. Harris was referring to his sons Tobias -- who didn't touch the ball as often as I had expected during Saturday's game -- and Tyler, who has been relegated to the bench since big brother's return to the team following an ankle injury. But, the father insists, there was no reason for the coach to react in such a manner... Coach Carey refused to speak about the incident Friday following the Crusaders' victory over Curtis, preferring to only speak about the game.]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/the_harris.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/the_harris.html Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:33:49 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN History has a way of repeating itself...hopefully, LuHi will find a way to pen a better ending this time... LuHi will take on Jamesville-Dewitt -- the same team that defeated the Crusaders, 70-66, in last year's Class A final -- on Saturday in the federation championship game, after the Red Rams defeated Iona Prep, 67-55. The Gaels -- the same team that clobbered St. John the Baptist in the CHSAA regional final -- took a 36-31 lead on a three-pointer by Andre Pope and back-to-back steals and layups from Jordon Bronner to start the third quarter...but things quickly fell apart for Iona Prep in the final stages of the quarter...and things continued to spiral in the fourth... Despite trailing 47-41 to start the fourth, the Gaels (27-2) pulled to within four on a layup from Aaron Savage with a little over six minutes to go...But J-D (27-1) wasn't fazed by their opponents run...within three minutes it expanded its lead to 10 with 3:55 to go and never looked back... ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/by_kimberley_a_martin_a.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/by_kimberley_a_martin_a.html Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:23:21 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN Let's face it, LuHi's going to have its hands full with either of these teams... The first half featured a dogfight between Jamesville-DeWitt and Iona Prep...and right now, the Red Rams from Onondaga County are hanging on to a 31-29 lead. J-D, of course, has a bigtime recruit in Brandon Triche...(for those of you who don't know, his uncle, Howard, was a forward at Syracuse -- the same school Triche will attend this fall; he also wears the same number -- #25 -- as his uncle)... ...but the Red Rams also offer a lot of size (i.e., 6-8 freshman center Dajaun Coleman)... Iona Prep, on the other hand, counters with speed (i.e., 5-5 guard Jeffrey Mack), athleticism and deep-range shooting (i.e., 6-0 junior Jordon Bronner)... ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/the_other_class_a_semifinal.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/the_other_class_a_semifinal.html Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:53:57 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN Wow, that was easy... (No offense to Curtis, of course...) The Warriors (17-4) just couldn't contend with all of LuHi's weapons -- i.e., Ach in the paint and on the perimeter, Johnson's aim from the outside, plus quick hands on the defensive end... ...and let's face it, trying to keep Tobias off the boards is no easy task either... Now, the Crusaders -- who improve to 18-8 -- will face either Iona Prep or Jamesville-Dewitt in Saturday's final at 7:30 p.m. Yacoubou led all scorers with 26 points (on 9-for-17 shooting; 3-for-5 from 3-pt range)...Kevin Johnson added 19 points (on 7-for-13 shooting; 4-for-6 shooting from 3-pt range)...and Tobias Harris chipped in 11 points (5-for-10 shooting; 1-for-2 from 3-pt range) Devin Garner led Curtis with 13 points... ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_semis_lutheran_cruises.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_semis_lutheran_cruises.html Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:57:56 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN If it wasn't obvious before, this one's all but over folks...LuHi's up 51-31 at the end of the third... The Warriors cut their deficit to 10 with quick baskets from Redon Qello and Jonathan Annan to start the quarter...but a steal and layup from Tobias, followed by three consecutive treys from Yacoubou (two) and Kevin Johnson helped balloon the lead to 19 with 4:05 remaining... The Crusaders led by as many as 21 in the quarter... ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_semis_luhi_keeps_on_ro.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_semis_luhi_keeps_on_ro.html Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:42:17 -0500 BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN Believe it or not, LuHi isn't even playing all that well and Curtis still can't keep up. The Crusaders are up 30-16 at the halfway mark...Yacoubou, who scored eight points in the second, is the leading scorer with 13 points... He converted a three-point play to open the quarter, then blew by the Warriors defenders on a fastbreak layup a minute later.... FYI: There appears to be SERIOUS dissension among coach Brian Carey and the Harris family...I'm sitting across court, so I couldn't hear the heated convos between the finger-pointing coach and the angry parents who are seated about four rows behind the team's bench -- but my guess is the Harris Clan is upset that little brother Tyler hasn't been getting many minutes of late... ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_semis_luhi_up_14_at_th.html http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/boys_basketball/blog/2009/03/class_a_semis_luhi_up_14_at_th.html Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:16:26 -0500