2018-19 New York City boys basketball (through Dec. 29)
The weekly look at the New York City metro area's PSAL, CHSAA and AIS schools for the New York State Sportswriters Association is compiled by Mike Libert:
Class AA
1) South Shore (12-1)- Having talked about the Vikings' advancement to the
King of the Bluegrass Classic title game at the end of our previous set of
rankings, South Shore was able to finish the job as Kadary Richmond '19 was
named Tournament MVP. He led the Vikings to a 62-59, come-from-behind vic-
tory over Collins of Kentucky for the championship in a game that saw them
down by 14 at the half. It was a great rally for South Shore, which rises
to the No. 1 team in New York City this week, and they will look to hold
onto the top spot when they take on Thomas Jefferson on the road on Thurs-
day in the clear marquee game of the week.
2) Bishop Loughlin (7-0)- Taking part in the Slam Dunk to the Beach on the
coast of Delaware, the Lions were going down to be challenged in a major
way against Liberty out of Nevada and one of the best in Pennsylvania in
Archbishop Wood. Neither proved to be a big problem though as Loughlin has
cemented itself as one of New York's best in defeating Liberty 78-46 behind
the 27 points of Justin Champagnie '19, while it was a bit closer against
Wood with a 66-57 victory. Continuing to build confidence against national
competition, the Lions will next head to Louisiana to play in the prestig-
ious Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Basketball Classic, opening up on
Wednesday against Landry Walker from the host state.
3) Cardinal Hayes (8-1)- It took three overtimes but for the first time
this season the Cardinals were knocked off as they fell last Sunday to
Christ the King on the road 97-94. Joe Toussaint '19 did all he could do
in scoring 33 points for Cardinal Hayes, but in the end the Cardinals fell
just short in their goal of finishing 2018 with an undefeated mark. The
lone game of the week for Hayes will be coming up on Friday afternoon as
they will trek to the southern part of the Bronx to face off with arch-
rival St. Raymond's, looking to get back to their winning ways and assert
themselves once again as apart of the class of the CHSAA this season.
4) Thomas Jefferson (11-3)- Going to Arizona over the holiday break to
play in the VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge, the Orange Wave would go
4-0 in the desert as they brought back victories over four of Arizona's
best in Chaparral, Deer Valley, Perry, and Millennium. Kareem Welch '19
and Jaquan Carlos '21 were named to the all-tournament team as they trad-
ed turns leading Jefferson in scoring, with Welch pouring in a tournament-
high 38 points in a win over Chaparral to open up their unbeaten West
Coast run. It's a one-game week ahead for the Orange Wave as they will be
hosting our No. 1 South Shore in a must-see game coming up on Thursday.
5) Brooklyn Collegiate (7-4)- Playing in the Governor's Challenge in
Salisbury, Md., for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday, the Lions took
on a pair of national foes in Legacy Charter of South Carolina and Lincoln
Academy of Georgia, with neither game going the way Brooklyn Collegiate
wanted. Struggling to score from the outside, the Lions lost by scores of
67-43 and 75-54 with Majesty Johnson '20 among the bright spots for Brooklyn
Collegiate over the two games played. As 2019 hits it's back to league play
for the Lions as in their only game this week they will hit the floor on
Thursday to host George Westinghouse.
6) St. Raymond (6-4)- After a strong finish to the Slam Dunk Tournament the
Ravens had a bit of a break until this past Saturday when they played Mar-
ist out of New Jersey in the Eddie Lau Down Syndrome Classic in Lower Man-
hattan. Paced by Gary Grant '20, who is putting up major numbers on a game-
in, game-out basis, the Ravens were able to push past their Garden State
opposition 72-58 to close out 2018 on a strong note. Off until Friday, St.
Raymond will play host to their main rivals in Cardinal Hayes in what is
sure to be a physical and intense matchup between the Bronx powers in their
only game over the next seven days.
7) Xaverian (10-2)- While they may not be playing against the toughest com-
petition, the Clippers are so far getting the job done in the 50th annual
Msgr. King Tournament in Brooklyn. Winning by 30-plus points in their open-
ing two games of the tournament over Metropolitan and St. Edmund Prep, it's
easy to see why Xaverian is looked at as the class of the field. Led by
Shawn Fulcher '21 in the backcourt and Mike Graham '19 up front, the Clip-
pers will go for the title on Sunday against McKee/Staten Island Tech.
After that it will be a 2019 date on Friday back in league play at home vs.
Mount St. Michael.
8) Christ the King (4-5)- The main question this week was what to do with
the Royals. They have impressive league wins over Archbishop Stepinac and
Cardinal Hayes, defeating the Cardinals 97-94 to start this week off in
three OTs behind the play of Nick Molina '19, who had 24 points. Nate Curry
'19 has come into his own down low and added 18 points and 20 rebounds.
Christ the King then went down to South Carolina for the Beach Ball Classic
where they have started out 0-2 with losses to Yates of Texas and North
Mecklenburg of North Carolina, which is why they haven't moved up further
this week. Myrtle Beach will come on Monday as the Royals close out their
South Carolina trip in what will be CTK's final game of the week and 2018.
9) Msgr. Scanlan (5-5)- Another team with some very impressive wins on the
resume but seem to struggle when they leave the NYC area. Going down to
North Carolina to play in the Hoodie's House National Hoops Classic the
Crusaders got major performances from Matt Mayers '19, who had 38 and 28
points in a pair of games against Holly Springs and Ardrey Kell, both of
North Carolina, though both were losses, 66-63 and 74-71. The Crusaders
closed out play in the tournament with an 81-58 win over South Atlanta of
Georgia to see Scanlan get back on track, though this week will be a quiet
one for them as the Crusaders are off until Jan. 6 when they go on the road
to face off against Xaverian.
10) Wings Academy (8-3)- Another team in the PSAL that went to Maryland to
take part in the Governor's Challenge, Wings went 1-2 during their three-
game stay just outside of our nation's capital as they fell to Liberty
Heights of North Carolina and Archbishop Carroll of Washington, D.C., but
were able to get 39 points from Tommy Thomas '19 in a 68-54 win over Abraham
Lincoln of Pennsylvania. Able to bring that positive back to the Bronx with
them, Wings will look to get things back on the right track in a tricky
league game on the road at James Monroe coming up on Thursday evening in what
will be their only game of this week.
Class A
1) Seward Park (11-0)- Undefeated on the year, the Bears make their first
appearance at No. 1 in the New York City Class A rankings. Playing host to
Erasmus Hall on Saturday was Seward Park's only game of the week, knowing
a win would help propel them to the top spot. It took a strong effort from
Alphanso Creary '20 inside but the Bears were able to pull away late for a
61-55 victory that helped them earn the honors of being in the pole pos-
ition. Coming into 2019, Seward Park will open up with just a single game
this week coming on Thursday when they host Norman Thomas.
2) Msgr. Farrell (9-1)- When the Lions left for Florida just after Christ-
mas they could only have hoped to come back from the KSA Holiday Tournament
in Orlando with the coveted championship, but that's exactly what happened
as Farrell defeated Calvary Christian of Florida 56-42 to open their run,
then it was a 73-70 victory over previously undefeated Emmaus out of Penn-
sylvania, and it was capped off with a 61-54 win over Rutherford Hayes of
Ohio as Jake Struthers '19 had 19 points in the title game to help the Lions
claim the title. 2019 will get underway next for Msgr. Farrell on Friday
night when they take on Xavier in league play down in Lower Manhattan.
3) All Hallows (8-3)- They may have a loss in league play to Nazareth but a
lot of credit has to go to the Gaels this season as they picked up their
second CHSAA Class AA win this past week as after defeating St. Raymond
earlier this year All Hallows was able to take down Holy Cross this past
Saturday at home 59-49 as Chad Ewart '20 again showed to be an offensive
force to lead the Gaels to the win. Add in a win over another Class AA opp-
onent last Sunday in the PSAL's Paul Robeson and All Hallows has a lot to
like about where they stand going into 2019. Saturday will be the next time
the Gaels hit the court when they play host to a CHSAA league foe in St. Ed-
mund Prep.
4) Brooklyn Law and Tech (10-1)- Getting a big effort from Davonta Cook '19
in the form of 30 points the Jets were able to fly past Ron Brown College
Prep of Washington D.C in the final game of the Brooklyn Bridge Holiday
Classic a couple Sunday's back now 85-43 as Brooklyn Law and Tech were
clicking on all cylinders to the tune of 16 made three balls in the victory.
Like most teams this week will see the Jets hit the floor just once but it
will be a test when they go on the road on Friday to take on a tough Erasmus
Hall team that has given a number of ranked teams fits already this season.
5) Canarsie (8-2)- Challenging themselves in the non-league for this first
time this season, the Chiefs went down to Georgia just after Christmas to
play in the Lee County Roundball Classic. Going up against some of the top
teams out of Florida and Georgia saw Canarsie go 1-2 on their trip down
south, losing 79-53 to Carver our of Georgia, and then falling in OT to Miami
Jackson of Florida 82-79. They would close out with a 69-62 win over Life
Christian Academy of Georgia to get the Chiefs in the win column before head-
ing home. For Canarsie this will be a two game week as they will host Bedford
Academy on Friday before stepping out of league Saturday to face another Class
A Brooklyn foe in Grady.
6) Beacon (11-0)- We have said this before but for the second straight season
the Blue Demons have put a lot of teams in the PSAL on notice as they head in-
to 2019 with an unblemished record. That perfect start was in doubt when they
took on a top Class B team in Fannie Lou Hamer at the Brooklyn Bridge Holiday
Classic last Sunday, but behind a great defensive showing, and a strong offen-
sive showing from Sam Pohlman '21, Beacon was able to grind out a hard-fought
52-50 win. A road test will open the Blue Demons new year when they go to
Frederick Douglass Academy on Friday in what will be a tough matchup as Beacon
looks to stay undefeated.
7) Nazareth (6-4)- It was a trip down to North Carolina this week for the
Kingsmen as they were one of three New York teams to head to play in the
Hoodie's House National Hoops Classic. Winning their first game over North-
side Christian Academy 74-61 behind the 19 points of T.J. Morris '21 got
Nazareth off on a good note, but that win was followed up by losses to
Charlotte Christian and Holly Springs, each of which were by double digits
to finish their Tar Heel State trip 1-2. Thursday will see the Kingsmen get
back to CHSAA league play on the road against St. Edmund Prep before step-
ping out of league again on Saturday to take on a tough PSAL AA team in
Abraham Lincoln.
8) Transit Tech (13-1)- A trip to Maine saw the Express play three games this
past week in the Red Claws Holiday Showcase in Portland. It may have been
cold but a red hot Transit Tech team stayed hot by going 3-0 on their trip
with wins over Waynflete, Portland, and Leavitt, all from Maine with the
latter two wins coming in blowout fashion. Jeremy Moranta '20 was the leading
scorer over the three games for Transit Tech who now will head back to Brook-
lyn and take on Sunset Park in league action this coming Thursday in what
will be a one game appearance this week.
9) Adlai Stevenson (8-2)- Unlike the rest of the teams in Class A who all re-
mained busy over this holiday week the Ambassadors took it easy with a week
off to recharge the batteries for what will be a busy and tough early 2019
slate. Stevenson has had a very good season to date with a number of quality
league wins, with most coming on the road as well. Jayden Davis '19 has been
the top scorer on the year to date for the Express who will open up their 2019
part of the schedule this week on Friday with a home game in league against
Longwood Prep.
10) Lehman (11-1)- Hosting their own Holiday Showcase the Lions were able to
get three wins over a trio of teams in Valley Stream Central from Long Is-
land, Sacred Heart out of Yonkers, and Penrith out of Australia as Lehman
took on all comers and knocked off all comers as they more than made up for
their first loss of the season behind the play of Mekhi Purser '20 who con-
tinues to show himself as one of the more versatile talents in the Bronx A
this season. Upcoming this week will be a home date on Friday against one of
the Lions main rivals in DeWitt Clinton.
Class B
1) South Bronx Prep (11-0)- Led by potent scoring threat Jordan Agyemang
'19 the Cougars went on the road to take down Iona Prep's "B" team 87-52
as the underrated 6'4" senior had 33 points to help push South Bronx Prep
to victory. On Friday the Cougars went to Brooklyn to play in the Battle
of the Boro's Challenge where they drew Epic South out of Queens in what
proved to be another run away as Agyemang again helped lead the way in
what was a 99-69 win. Cruising past Class B competition things should con-
tinue to be fairly easy this week for South Bronx Prep as in their only
contest of the week they will host Metropolitan on Thursday.
2) Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice (11-0)- Most of the teams
in Class AA and Class A played over the Christmas break but in Class B
things were a bit different as Law, Goverment, and Justice will be one of
a number of teams in the rankings here that had the week off. Having play-
ed 11 games already it's been a busy start to the season for the Jaguars,
and with a number of strong challenges coming up from some of the best in
the B it was a good chance for the Bronx power to get back in the gym and
fine tune some things. This week will see Bronx School for Law, Government,
and Justice play just once when one Friday they host the Marie Curie School
for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions.
3) Fannie Lou Hamer (11-2)- After losing to Beacon in a heartbreaker at the
start of the week 52-50, the Panthers were able to close out 2018 on a much
better note when they made quick work of another Class A team out of the
PSAL in Thomas Edison 72-40 in the Queens Jam Christmas Classic. Anthony
Rose '20 had 37 points for Fannie Lou in the victory who showed off an im-
pressive amount of depth and talent as a team in the win. In this only game
for this coming week the Panthers will hit the road on Thursday to square
off against South Bronx.
4) Summit Academy (11-1)- One of the more dominant offensive teams in the
PSAL this season, Summit has scored over 100 points three teams in league
play this season while averaging over 80 points a game overall. It's been
one of the best starts to the season in school history as well with their
lone loss coming earlier this season to a Class A school in Grady, while
rolling through Class B competition. The Eagles were off this past week but
will get things going again on Friday afternoon when they go on the road to
take on Science Skills Center looking to get 2019 off on the right foot.
5) Evangel Christian (6-0)- Calling Summit Academy one of the more dominant
offensive teams in the PSAL, Evangel Christian out of Queens is one of the
more potent offensive teams anywhere as they have scored over 100 points in
5 of their first 6 games this season, with their other game a 91-75 win
over The Knox School who are thought to be among the top teams on Long Is-
land. That was considered a statement win for an Evangel team led by for-
mer John Bowne standout Teequan Holley '20, with another statement making
chance coming this Thursday when they play host to another Long Island
power in Lawrence Woodmere Academy.
6) Bathgate Educational Complex (8-1)- Another team that had the week off,
Bathgate has shown themselves to be a team that can compete with the very
best in the PSAL Class B this season as shown by their tight loss three
weeks back to Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice, losing on the
road by just 6 in a game that was tied heading into the fourth quarter.
Elijah Gonzalez '21 heads up a balanced offensive attack for the Bulldogs,
who get back to action this Friday when they host H.S. of American Studies
at Lehman College.
7) Riverdale (7-0)- Most of the Falcons games so far have been close and
competitive contests, especially the last four games that Riverdale has
played but to their credit they have found ways to win each of them as
heading into 2019 the Falcons are among the teams at the top in terms of
contenders for the Class B NYSAIS title. Led by Sam Klores '20 the Falcons
already having wins this season over Portledge, Fieldston, and Dalton. They
will remain sidelined this week before getting back into action finally
Jan. 9 when Riverdale goes to Brooklyn to take on a young and talented Poly
Prep team.
8) Dwight School (7-3)- Unlike most private school teams who tend to stay
local and not challenge themselves as much as they really could, Dwight went
down to Florida a couple weeks back and playing top flight competition in
the Kreul Classic. They may have gone 1-2 but proved that against a higher
level opposition they could more than hold their own as Richard Nweke '22
continues to look as if he is among the top big man prospects in the coun-
try in the Class of 2022. Another team that will be off this coming week
again, the Lions will be taking on Dalton their next time out which comes
on the 7th in a game that will take place at Dalton.
9) Dalton (8-2)- Speaking of Dalton, it's been a strong start to the year
for the Tigers as they have just two losses, each of which came to teams
ranked ahead of them in Class B, Riverdale and Fannie Lou Hamer. Each de-
feat was in the single digits as well with Dalton leaving both contests
feeling they could've won and easily be undefeated going into 2019. A team
with a good amount of size and a lot of balance, like the previous two pri-
vate school teams we have talked about, Dalton will be off this week as
well getting back on the court on Monday the 7th when they play host to one
of their main threats to the NYSAIS title in Dwight.
10) Poly Prep (5-1)- Showing just how talented of a team they this season
the expectations for the Blue Devils may not have been there when they
played All Hallows a couple weeks back now at the Brooklyn Bridge Holiday
Classic. A top team in the Class A rankings, Poly Prep led for nearly the
entire game before falling in OT by 2. It was a game that showed just how
the Blue Devils can score with anyone, and how against a better level of
competition they wouldn't back down and could hang with the best of the
best. It was a momentum builder even in defeat with Poly Prep ready to get
back on the court again when they go on the road to take on Regis on Friday
night.
