2018-19 New York City boys basketball (through Jan. 19)
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) St. Raymond (13-4)- It's been quite the run for the Ravens who started the
season 0-3 and have now won 13 of their last 14 to ascent to the No. 1 spot in
the rankings. They easily downed Archbishop Molloy and Holy Cross earlier this
past week, and then closed things out with just an 87-58 blowout win over per-
ennial league powers Christ the King in an effort that saw a trio of St. Ray's
players score 20+ points, led by Gary Grant '20 who had a game high 25. Coming
up will see the Ravens play host to Msgr. Scanlan on Sunday, then coming back
less than 24 hours later on Monday St. Raymond will take on Bishop O'Connell
of Virginia at the Big Apple Invitational, before finishing the week out on
Friday night on the road at Iona Prep.
2) Cardinal Hayes (14-3)- In what can only be described as quite the odd week
for the Cardinals they started with a great win over Thomas Jefferson at the
Empire Invitational last Sunday 85-83 in OT in one of the best games of the
season. It was a see-saw battle that had big man Adam Cisse '19 pacing Hayes
with 15 points and 13 rebounds. On Tuesday came a shock loss at home to Mount
St. Michael in what can only be described as a headscratcher as Cardinal
Hayes responded the remainder of the week with wins on Friday over our pre-
vious No. 1 Bishop Loughlin on the road, and then on Saturday they defeated
one of New Jersey's best in Bergen Catholic at the Big Apple Invitational.
The tough games keep coming as on Monday the Cardinals will go to South Shore
in a non-league duel, before going on the road to take on Archbishop Stepinac
on Friday.
3) Bishop Loughlin (15-1)- After 15 consecutive wins to open the season the
Lions finally fell for the first time on the year Friday when they struggled
offensively from nearly start to finish in what was a 61-56 defeat to Cardinal
Hayes. In the loss Justin Champagnie '19 was able to score his 1,000th career
point for Bishop Loughlin, and even though the Lions had wins this week over
Archbishop Molloy and Christ the King as well, the one loss moves them down
just a bit in the NYC rankings this week. Still without a doubt among the best
of the best in the five boroughs, Bishop Loughlin will look to start a new
winning streak on Tuesday when they go on the road to face off with St. Fran-
cis Prep, before a big Friday road date against Xaverian.
4) South Shore (17-3)- For the second straight season the Vikings went out to
Adelphi on Long Island to take on Long Island Lutheran, and for the second
straight season it did not end well for South Shore as the offense never got
going in what was a 76-56 loss last Sunday to the Crusaders in a game that
saw just Kadary Richmond '19 in double figures as he had 11 points. The Vi-
kings did come back after that with a pair of easy and convincing league
wins at home over Paul Robeson and George Westinghouse to remain in first
place in the Brooklyn AA heading down the stretch of the season. South Shore
will step out of league on Monday to host Cardinal Hayes in a marquee show-
down of the week, with a home league game on Friday ending the week when the
Vikings host Boys & Girls.
5) Thomas Jefferson (16-5)- Proving themselves to be a major force in the
Brooklyn AA and the PSAL as a whole this season, the Orange Wave went to
Brooklyn Collegiate last Tuesday and took care of business handily as they
got revenge for their only league defeat of the year in downing the Lions
83-63 in a game that saw Kareem Welch '19 score an impressive 45 points in
the victory. Jaquan Carlos '21 dominated against Abraham Lincoln on Friday
as the sophomore had 36 in the win over the Railsplitters, with these two
results coming after a tough Sunday defeat to Cardinal Hayes in OT, 85-83.
Just one game coming up for Thomas Jefferson this week as on Friday they
will play host to George Westinghouse in what should be one of the easier
weeks remaining this season for the Orange Wave.
6) Msgr. Scanlan (8-7)- When you just look at the Crusaders record you may
not be blown away or think much of them but when you look at the fact that
they hold wins already this season over Christ the King, Xaverian, Mount St.
Michael, and Iona Prep, you know you are talking about a tough team. Going
on the road twice this past week saw Scanlan get two wins, a buzzer beating
71-68 win at St. Francis Prep on Sunday, and then a more commanding 78-61
win on Friday over a solid Iona Prep team in a game that saw Matt Mayers
'19 control the paint and dominate to the tune of 25 points and 14 rebounds.
Just one game coming up this week on the docket for Msgr. Scanlan as on Sun-
day afternoon they will go on the road to take on our No. 1 St. Raymond's
team in a big time Bronx battle.
7) Xaverian (13-3)- There wasn't much going on for the Clippers this past
week as they went without a game over the past seven days, staying in the
gym though to fine tune their craft and making sure they are ready for any-
thing thrown at them the rest of the way. Michael Graham '19 has quietly
put together a great senior season, while young Shawn Fulcher '21 has devel-
oped into one of NYC's top guards as he has be a force at both backcourt
spots so far this year. On Sunday the Clippers will play host to St. Francis
Prep in their first game in 12 days, and then on Friday it will be Xaverian
playing what has to be considered their biggest game of the season to date
as they will play host to Bishop Loughlin in a Brooklyn borough rivalry
matchup.
8) Christ the King (10-7)- Injuries have plagued the Royals for a good port-
ion of the season with the prognosis only starting to look worse and worse.
That hasn't hindered Christ the King though as they response to every curve
ball thrown their way it seems. Opening last week with a loss on Sunday to
Bishop Loughlin, the Royals came back on Tuesday with a 70-62 road victory.
Then on Thursday it was a blowout 87-58 loss at the hands of St. Raymond,
but then on Saturday Christ the King went to Massachusetts to play in the
HoopHall Classic against a nationally ranked Vashon team from Missouri and
they would go on for a shock 57-54 win that was led by the 24 points of
guard Ryan Myers '20. Looking for more consistency going forward, Christ the
King will be off this week as they look to heal up and be ready for the
stretch run.
9) Brooklyn Collegiate (10-6)- It was looked at as a proving ground game for
Brooklyn Collegiate when on Tuesday they played host to Thomas Jefferson.
They had beaten the Orange Wave on the road back in December and wanted to
back that victory up with another. That didn't happen though as even though
Majesty Johnson '20 put together a strong effort from his backcourt position
it was still an 83-63 loss for the Lions. They did respond back two days
later with a 74-61 victory on the road over Paul Robeson but Brooklyn Coll-
egiate will still be looking for another big win when on Sunday they play
Wings Academy at the South Shore MLK Classic in a major matchup. The week
will end for the Lions on Friday when they play host to Abraham Lincoln in
another game to watch.
10) Benjamin Cardozo (15-1)- You cannot deny the fact that the Judges have a
very impressive record, though when you look at the opponents they have play-
ed it's not exactly the most stellar. It's a down year in the Queens AA in
the PSAL, and with Cardozo's best non-league win so far coming against either
James Monroe or Holy Trinity they need more resume building wins to move
their way up the rankings going forward. They did defeat Beach Channel, Cam-
pus Magnet, and Queens H.S. of Teaching in league play this week, but a game
on Sunday at the South Shore MLK Classic against Curtis will give the Judges
a chance at a statement making win. That game will be followed up with a home
game on Friday against Springfield Gardens to end their week.
11) Mount St. Michael (10-7)- Go back as recently as two week ago and the
thought of the Mountaineers coming into our rankings wasn't even truly a
thought. They struggled mightily with a pair of losses to Section 4 teams from
the Binghamton region at the Josh Palmer Elmira Holiday Inn Classic just after
Christmas, but this past week they put together wins over Eagle Academy, Card-
inal Hayes, Stepinac, and Iona Prep, with the Hayes and Iona Prep wins coming
on the road as the Mount are now winners of 5 straight to push themselves in
this week at No. 11. This week will see Mount St. Michael host Archbishop Mol-
loy on Tuesday before going to St. Francis Prep on Friday in what are two more
winnable games for a suddenly streaking Mountaineers team.
12) St. Peter's (12-5)- Since back to back losses at the start of 2019 to St.
Raymond and Mount St. Michael, the Eagles have now won 4 straight, with a
pair of those coming this past week against CSI/McCown and St. Joseph by the
Sea to again put them back in the conversation among top teams in New York
City. Jamal Achille '19 led St. Peter's in scoring in both games with 26 and
21 points respectively in the Eagles two games as he starts to heat up now,
with the team as a whole looking for a big win on Monday afternoon when they
host one of Long Island's best in Holy Trinity, before going on the road on
Friday to take on Tottenville in what is a two game week for the Eagles.
13) Curtis (15-5)- After a bumpy start to the season it's been a much smoother
go of it as of late for the Warriors who got a major win this past Monday on
the road over New Dorp 76-58 in a game that put Curtis into first place for
the first time this season in the PSAL Staten Island Division. Adeleye Oye-
kanmi '19 had 26 points and 14 rebounds in the win for Curtis, with that win
being followed up by two more over Port Richmond and The Knox School to really
put the Warriors in a good place going forward the rest of the way. Another
big non-league test comes up on Sunday for Curtis as they take on Cardozo at
the South Shore MLK Classic on Sunday afternoon, then it's a home game on Fri-
day against CSI/McCown, before going to Manhattan on Saturday to play in the
Brown vs. Board of Education Showcase against host Thurgood Marshall Academy.
14) Wings Academy (12-4)- Squeaking by on Tuesday to defeat JFK 55-51
should've given a hint of what was to come but Wings went on the road on Sat-
urday to play in the Gotham Hoops Classic in Queens where they would lose
66-63 to the host school Holy Cross, a disappointing loss with the Knights
well below .500 on the season. Tommy Thomas '19 had 19 in the loss for Wings
who will now look to rebound on Sunday as they will be back 24 hours after
their loss to take on Brooklyn Collegiate at the South Shore MLK Classic in a
good rebound opportunity before then hosting Thurgood Marshall Academy on Fri-
day in what is without a doubt an important week ahead for the Bronx AA power.
15) Thurgood Marshall Academy (13-3)- We welcome in the Panthers of Thurgood
Marshall Academy into the rankings for the first time this season as they have
put together quite a strong resume so far with wins over Pennsylvania powers
Pennsbury and West Catholic already set for them, and that was just added to
on Friday when the Panthers went on the road and knocked off our previously
ranked James Monroe team 54-51 in a game that saw George Varmah '19 have a 20-
point, 11-rebound outing in what was a big win for TMA who are now atop the
PSAL Manhattan AA Division as we head down the closing stretch of the regular
season. The Panthers will play in the Gotham Hoops Classic on Sunday against
Rothesay Netherwood of Canada, then will come back into league on Friday to
take on Wings Academy on the road, and then it's the Brown vs. Board of Edu-
cation Showcase that the Panthers host to be played on Saturday where they
will take on a strong Curtis team.
Class A
1) Brooklyn Law and Tech (14-3)- With so many teams at and near the top of our
Class A rankings we had to make a judgement call this week as to how deserved
the #1 spot, and we decided it was the Jets whose resume and strength of sche-
dule gives them an edge over the competition. Easily dispatching league foes
Boerum Hill and Bushwick Campus this past week as Davonta Cook '19 has made
himself into one of the best guards in the PSAL this season, Law and Tech fell
on Saturday to Archbishop Stepinac 59-54 at the Big Apple Invitational, but
with two of their three losses coming to Class AA competition, and both being
competition games they were in until the ends its not a bad showing for the
Jets at all. Sunday will next see Brooklyn Law and Tech on the floor at the
South Shore MLK Classic against another Class AA team in Manhattan Center, be-
fore a home game on Friday with James Madison ends their week.
2) Canarsie (14-2)- When you lose a player the stature of Adisa Isaac '19 you
would think that his numbers would be tough to replicate but the Chiefs haven't
seemed to lose any ground as Khadafi Julio '19 nearly had a triple double on
Wednesday in Canarsie's 82-69 win over James Madison as he had 25 points, 10
rebounds, and 9 assists in the victory that kept the Chiefs unbeaten in
league play. Canarsie then went to play in the South Shore MLK Classic on
Saturday and demolished LaSalle Academy 75-47 as the Chiefs continue to show
they are a major force as a team. Just a one game week coming up for Canarsie
as on Friday they will go on the road for their only matchup when they face
off with Millennium.
3) Nazareth (11-4)- A team that is incredibly young is just continuing to find
ways to win as the Kingsmen had just one game this week, a home contest with
Xavier, and while it was far from easy Nazareth found a way to grind out a 68-
65 victory. Khalil Brantley '21 had 17 points to pace what was a balanced off-
ensive attack for the Kingsmen who rallied from a halftime deficit to come back
for the win. It's a bit busier week ahead for Nazareth who on Monday will play
in the South Shore MLK Classic against University of New Jersey, and then on
Friday it will be back to league action for the Kingsmen as they will head
north to take on Kennedy Catholic in the two teams only matchup of the season.
4) Fordham Prep (12-4)- Steadily climbing week after week the Rams are now win-
ners of 8 in a row, including three wins this past week headlined by a great 53-
39 win at Msgr. Farrell that really had to open the eyes of everyone in the
CHSAA. The interior duo of Kyle Filipowski '21 and Matt Filipowski '21 led the
way in each of Fordham Prep's three games this week as both averaged double-
doubles, with both as well showing that they are more than just back to the bas-
ket players as well. Sunday will next see the Rams hit the court when they host
St. Joseph by the Sea in league play, then it's a non-league matchup with Adlai
Stevenson on Wednesday before staying out of league on Saturday to play in the
Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase against Collegiate School out of the Bronx.
5) Transit Tech (17-1)- Three games meant three wins for the Express this past
week as they easily rolled past Wingate and Franklin D. Roosevelt in two of
their games, though the matchup with John Jay proved to be a bit tough. Down
by two going into halftime it was a second half show from Jeremy Moranta '20
who finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds to help lead Transit Tech back and
take a 69-65 victory to keep them perfect in PSAL Brooklyn A player. There are
not games on the schedule for Transit this week as it's the PSAL MId-Winter
break but expect to see a big close to the season for one of NYC's hottest
teams.
6) Lehman (17-1)- Another team who is really rolling at this part of the season,
the Lions had what on paper looked to be a couple tricky gams this week though
both proved to be no issue at all. Going to a previously ranked Adlai Stevenson
was through the to be a bit of a challenge but from the start Lehman took con-
trol and never looked back, leading by as many as 16 before what tuned into a
55-46 victory behind the 19 points of Mekhi Purser '20. Another tough game was
Walton but again that proved easier than initially thought with a 64-46 win, to
go along with a blowout 63-24 victory over Bronx Science. Monday will see Lehman
host a tough non-league game with Seward Park before a road league contest
against Longwood Prep finishes the week.
7) Msgr. Farrell (14-3)- After falling to St. Peter's to close out last week's
rankings the Lions backed that up with their second straight loss in what was
a 53-39 defeat against Fordham Prep at home a week ago Sunday. It was one of
the worst offensive showings that Farrell put together on the year as Anthony
Clemenza '19 was the only double figure scorer with 13 points in the loss. Com-
ing back with wins over Petrides and Msgr. McClancy put the Lions back on the
right track though, a track they will stay on this week since Farrell won't
play again until Sunday the 27th when they play a massive game on the road at
All Hallows.
8) Seward Park (14-1)- For the first time this season the Bears went down to
the hands of defeat losing at home in a close one to Hunter College High School
55-50 to open the week in a game that really hurts because Seward Park earlier
this season had beaten then by over 20 points. If there is a bright spot it's
that the Bears were able to come back two days after their loss and knock off
Eleanor Roosevelt 78-45 as Travon Mack '20 had 21 points in that win after a
14-point outing in their loss earlier in the week. A big non-league game awaits
the Bears on Monday when they travel to Lehman, and then on Friday it's another
big league matchup with a solid Murry Bergtraum team to end the next seven days.
9) All Hallows (12-6)- Compared to many other teams in the Class A rankings you
do in a sense have to give All Hallows credit because they will play anyone,
anywhere, anytime. That does bit them a bit because it puts them in positions
where they could be beat which happened this past week twice as they fell to
Uniondale at the Tip of the Hat Classic on Long Island 69-62 last Sunday, and
then on Saturday the Gaels again went to Long Island and fell on the road at
St. Anthony's 63-51 as Nick Johnson '19 is doing all he can offensively to
help try and lead All Hallows to what would be big wins, but they came up just
short twice. Off this week will be the Gaels who will look to right the ship
and get things going in the right direction for the rest of the year.
10) Xavier (11-4)- New to the Class A rankings this week are the Knights who
quietly have put together quite a strong season with all three of their four
losses coming to teams ranked above them in the top 10, with the other loss
being to a CHSAA Class AA school in St. Francis Prep. It's been a pretty bal-
anced team effort all year long with 4 players averaging between eight and 11
points per game for Xavier, though this week they got 24 points from Conor An-
derson '19 in a 62-48 win over LaSalle, while the Knights also knocked off
Cristo Rey in what was a two win week for Xavier. Monday will next see the
Knights take on Kennedy Catholic at home, and then on Friday it's another home
game in a big rivalry matchup with Regis, before Xavier plays Poly Prep on Sat-
urday as apart of the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase at Fieldston.
Class B
1) Summit Academy (14-1)- It's taken then a bit of time to climb up to the top
but the Eagles are finally at the mountaintop at #1 as they only have one loss
on the year to a strong Class A team in Grady, and have been absolutely domin-
ating the Brooklyn B field in the PSAL, including a 109-61 win over BCAM in
their only game of this past week as Jordan Council '20 led 4 Summit players
in double figures with 25 points as it was all Eagles from start to finish in
the win. With the PSAL being off for the most part this week Summit Academy
won't have their next game until the 28th when they got to the road to take on
one of Class B's usual best in Adams Street Academy in what could be one of
Summit's last big tests of the regular season.
2) Uncommon Charter (14-1)- Coming on quick and shooting up the rankings like
a rocket, the Sabers have continued to play outstanding basketball as of later
as they got a big non-league win over South Bronx Prep just after Christmas
and have kept up their solid play with league wins this past week over School
for Classics 84-31 and Teachers Prep 63-29. Big man Joel Paisley '19 had
double-doubles to the tune of 19 points and 12 rebounds in their opener of the
week, and then 12 points and 14 rebounds to close things out. Only one game
this week for Uncommon Charter, but it's a big one as on Monday the Sabers will
host CHSAA Class AA school Archbishop Molloy as apart of the Big North Shootout
in what is one of the bigger regular season games for a Class B school in NYC
in some time.
3) South Bronx Prep (18-2)- Knowing how important it was the Cougars came out
firing and took it to Fannie Lou Hamer as South Bronx Prep scored more points
against Fannie Lou than any team had in nearly 10 years as Steven Turner '21
had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Jordan Agyemang '19 had 21
points and 15 rebounds in what was huge 75-70 win for South Bronx Prep on
Tuesday. They would then back that up with an 87-46 blowout victory over
Community Health Academy of the Heights at the James Monroe MLK Classic on
Saturday in another nice statement win to push the Cougars up the rankings.
Playing on Monday at the South Shore MLK Classic against Grady is South Bronx
Prep's only game of this coming week.
4) Fannie Lou Hamer (16-3)- Even while getting 30 points and 15 rebounds from
star Anthony Rose '20 it wasn't enough in the 75-70 loss for the Panthers to
South Bronx Prep. It was a disappointing loss, but the loss didn't stick with
them for long as Frankie Williams '19 scored his 1,000th career point in a 88-
18 win over Archimedes on Thursday, and that was followed up by a great defen-
sive team effort with Fannie Lou Hamer knocking off our previously ranked No.
1, and formally undefeated team in Bronx School for Law, Government, and Jus-
tice at the James Monroe MLK Classic on Saturday 47-36 in a game that saw Rose
score 28 points and add 13 rebounds. There are no games this coming week for
the Panthers who will look to keep the good play going on the 29th when they
next take on Hyde Leadership.
5) Dalton (13-2)- Pushing themselves to the point where they are starting to
become the clear top private school team in New York City, the Tigers got a
pair of big games from star junior guard Mark Engel '20 as he had 21 points
in Dalton's 52-37 win on the road at Horace Mann, before then scoring 16 in
what would be a 50-42 road victory at Collegiate School. In the Ivy League
there are not two tougher places to go play than Horace Mann and Collegiate
so for the Lions to pick up two wins on the road this week at those places it
truly speaks volumes for the team they have this season. Just one game this
week on the schedule for Dalton as they will play in the Coaches vs. Cancer
Showcase at Fieldston on Saturday afternoon against another top Class B
school in Regis in what is a very interesting contest to watch.
6) Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice (15-1)- Cruising through the
season up until Saturday's game at the James Monroe MLK Classic, the Jaguars
finally met their match in Fannie Lou Hamer in what was a 47-36 loss that saw
them struggle in every aspect of the game on offense, while still doing a
solid job defensively against what is usually a very potent Fannie Lou off-
ense. Frantz Jean-Pierre '19 did have big time games in Bronx School for Law,
Government, and Justice's other two games this week, but convincing league
wins, as he averaged 22 points and 20 rebounds, but the loss did set the Jag-
uars back a bit as they next will look to get back with another big non-league
win on Friday when they host Julia Richman.
7) Regis (10-1)- Opening the week with a really strong 65-57 win against Port-
ledge at the Tip of the Hat Classic, William Eastwick '19 had a fantastic show-
ing as he poured in 12 of his 19 points in the second half to see the Raiders
hold on for a good victory over a young Long Island school. Winners of 9 in a
row now, Regis will look for #10 on Monday when they host Moore Catholic before
things get more challenging later in the week when on Friday they go on the
road to take on ranked Class A school Xavier, and then it's the Coaches vs.
Cancer Showcase at Fieldston on Saturday when the Raiders will face a big
challenge with Dalton in a marquee Class B matchup this week.
8) Riverdale (11-1)- Losing for the first time this season were the Falcons
this past Wednesday when the fell in a heartbreaker at Horace Mann 71-70 in a
game that saw Riverdale lead for most of the way before falling to defeat.
Rebounding extremely well on Friday though the Falcons just two days later got
18 points from Sam Klores '20 as Riverdale came home and this time picked up a
nice 66-48 victory over Trinity. A challenging three game week is ahead here
for the Falcons who will start off on Wednesday on the road at Collegiate
School, then it will be another road matchup against Fieldston on Friday, be-
fore going back to Fieldston on Saturday for the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase
where Riverdale will take on Rye Country Day in what on paper is a strong
Class B matchup.
9) Bathgate Educational Complex (11-2)- Seemingly back on the right track after
a league loss a couple weeks ago now, Bathgate were able to easily dispatch of
Bronx Studio School in their lone game of the week 93-37 in a game that saw
Michael Boafo '19 lead the scoring with 21 points, though 5 Bulldogs players did
get into double figures in the easy and convincing win. Off for now two weeks,
Bathgate won't be taking the court again until the 30th when they host Compre-
hensive Model School because of the PSAL Mid-Winter recess which will see a good
amount of the local public schools not taking the hardwood for the next seven
days.
10) Horace Mann (6-3)- Back into the rankings after a couple week hiatus are the
Lions who while going 1-1 this past week, got a huge win to earn their way back
in. They started the week with a 52-37 loss to Dalton in a game that saw Horace
Mann within 5 after three quarters before the game got away from them late, but
then it was a big 71-70 win for the Lions over Riverdale on Wednesday in a game
that saw the lead trade back and forth late before a late rally by Horace Mann
sent them to the 1 point win, and pushed them back into our Top Ten this week.
Playing 3 games in 4 days this coming week the Lions will go to Trinity on Wed-
nesday, then it's a non-league road game on Thursday at Croton-Harmon, before a
Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase game at Fieldston on Saturday against Columbia Prep.
