2018-19 New York City boys basketball (through March 17)
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 (27-4)- Going against their rivals from Thomas Jefferson on
Saturday afternoon for the PSAL Class AA title it was another barnburner
between the two Brooklyn powers. In the end it was the Vikings third win on
the season over the Orange Wave as Kadary Richmond '19 had 23 points, while
Dwight Davis Jr. '19 added 19 points to help push South Shore over the top
late for a 71-70 victory giving the Vikings back to back PSAL championships
for the first time in school history. The NYS Federation Tournament of
Champions is next now for South Shore as on Friday they will square off with
Long Island Lutheran in one semifinal.
2) Christ the King (19-10)- From starting out the year 4-5 after their first
nine games to now being CHSAA Champions, it's been quite the journey for the
Royals who on Sunday found themselves down 15 midway through the third quar-
ter only to see them hold Archbishop Stepinac without a FG in the final quar-
ter as the Crusaders went 0-17 from the field in the final stanza, allowing
Christ the King to come back for the 61-56 title game victory. Ryan Myers '19
was named Tournament MVP with 19 points as the Royals will next play next
week's NYS Federation Tournament of Champions where they will take on the
winner of the NYSPHSAA winner in West Genesee in the other semifinal.
3) Thomas Jefferson (23-8)- Again it looked as if the Orange Wave would be
able to knock off South Shore in a big spot as on Saturday they took on the
Vikings in the PSAL Class AA city title game. Much like in the Brooklyn
Borough Championship though it was Jefferson who couldn't hit the big shot
in the closing seconds to seal the deal as Jaquan Carlos '21 had a strong
game for the Orange Wave with 27 points but it wasn't enough as Jefferson
fell 71-70 in a game that ends the Orange Wave's season, though with a lot
of talent due to come back expect to see Jefferson on a championship level
again next season.
4) Cardinal Hayes (23-6)- With the Cardinals completely focused on bringing
home the CHSAA championship, Hayes got stung in the semifinals this past
Thursday as they ran into the buzzsaw that was Archbishop Stepinac as a
healthy Crusaders team got out to a quick lead and never looked back as they
led Cardinal Hayes from start to finish in what was a 77-65 defeat for the
Bronx power. Joe Toussaint '19 scored 24 points in the loss and became Hayes'
All-Time Leading Scorer in the game that would end the Cardinals season.
5) Bishop Loughlin (23-4)- Holding a pair of wins already this season over
Christ the King you had to believe that the Lions would come into Thursday's
CHSAA semifinal game against Christ the King full of confidence and believe
that they would be moving on to Sunday's title matchup. Confidence or not it
wasn't Loughlin's day as they fell behind 19-5 after one quarter and never
truly got back into the game as Julian Champagnie '19 had a double-double
with 15 points and 10 rebounds but the Lions season would come to an end with
a 72-61 defeat.
6) Brooklyn Collegiate (19-9)- Led by the likes of Glen Anderson '19 and
Majesty Johnson '20 it was the Lions who were able to roar a couple weeks ago
now when they knocked off Benjamin Cardozo in the PSAL quarterfinals 64-60 as
the defense came up big late, and with Anderson scoring 20 points it was
Brooklyn Collegiate moving onto the semifinals to play their Brooklyn rivals
in Thomas Jefferson. The Lions didn't have enough firepower for that one as
they struggled out of the gate and never rallied in what was an 81-61 loss to
finish off Brooklyn Collegiate's year.
7) St. Raymond (20-7)- Having had their season end a week ago now when the
Ravens were shocked by Christ the King in the CHSAA quarterfinals it's a
time to acknowledge that the future is certainly bright for St. Ray's. They
may not be able to understand that now after a disappointing loss that came
earlier than the players and coaches of the Ravens expected but they started
three underclassmen, plus a lot of success on the younger levels which should
translate into big things to come for a talent St. Raymond team.
8) Xaverian (20-8)- Much like the Ravens there is a lot of optimism moving
forward about the Clippers as well. Clyde Chapman did a fantastic job lead-
ing a young Xaverian group in just his second year in charge of the program,
and with both guards in the backcourt being sophomores you have to believe
their growth and maturity will only continue which should make the Clippers
even more dangerous in the years ahead. Add in a strong JV team that made a
deep playoff run and you know talent there will come aboard in a years time
to make Xaverian that much more potent moving forward.
9) Wings Academy (19-10)- One of the truly surprising teams to make a deep
playoff run was Wings as they closed out the regular season going 3-5 in
their last eight games to make what they did even more improbable. Knocking
off the #5 seed Curtis on Staten Island in the Round of 16, Wings continued
their excellent play in the quarterfinals by jumping out on Abraham Lincoln
in the quarterfinals and taking an 11-0 lead early, coasting from there to a
62-51 win behind the 20 points of Mahamadou Nimaga '19. Wings Academy would
fall in the semifinals to #1 seeded South Shore 54-43 but not before proving
themselves as a top team not just in the PSAL, but in NYC overall.
10) Mount St. Michael (16-11)- Paced for the past three seasons by lead guard
Mike Green '19, it's going to be different moving forward to watch the Moun-
taineers without one of the best in the CHSAA running the show. He will be
moving onto the Division 1 level next year to play at Bryant, and while his
loss will sting for sure Mount does bring back most of their frontline, along
with having a couple of intriguing prospects in the pipeline as well meaning
that another CHSAA quarterfinal berth like this year isn't out of the question
for an always well coached group of Mountaineers.
11) John Bowne (20-8)- It was nearly the upset of the year as the Wildcats had
our No. 1 South Shore team on the ropes in the PSAL quarterfinals a couple
weeks ago as Bowne was leading 24-23 going into halftime. South Shore though
began to apply more pressure on the Wildcat guards, and also started pushing
the tempo a bit more to take the lead and not look back in what was a 54-43
loss for a young John Bowne team. The Wildcats though only had 1 senior on the
entire roster, with the core of the group coming back next season where an even
deeper postseason run could be in the cards.
12) Benjamin Cardozo (22-4)- After getting back the services of Taj Anderson
'19 who came back to Cardozo after a year and change at a high school in Geor-
gia it seemed like the Judges were a completely different team. Anderson's po-
tent offensive abilities made Cardozo one of the more dangerous teams entering
postseason play, and in the quarterfinals it was the Judges who hung tough and
nearly knocked off Brooklyn Collegiate before ultimately falling 64-60 to one
of Brooklyn's best. Anderson and Errol White '20 each had 16 points for Ben-
jamin Cardozo who have long been the class of Queens, a moniker that should
continue still for years to come.
13) St. Peter's (19-8)- The winners of the SIHSL Tournament to make them the
best team this season on Staten Island, the fact that the Eagles weren't able
to get past Archbishop Stepinac in the CHSAA second round a few weeks back in
a 91-80 game doesn't mean it wasn't an incredibly successful season for Chris
Clancy '19 and his St. Peter's team as they one again accomplished a ton in
terms of proving themselves on the city stage, nabbing a number of big non-
league wins and showing that they can absolutely compete with the very best.
14) Eagle Academy (17-11)- Entering the PSAL quarterfinals a couple weeks ago
with high expectations, Eagle came out ready to prove that they could not only
compete with some of the best in the PSAL but also win. It didn't go the way
that Eagle Academy wanted though as a physical and tough game down low played
right into Thomas Jefferson's hands as their opponents from Brooklyn were able
to control the game in the second and third quarters and come away with a 62-48
victory. Joel Simpson '19 had 15 points to lead Eagle Academy who have been one
of Bronx's best for a number of years now, something that shouldn't change now.
15) Abraham Lincoln (12-15)- If you just look at the Railsplitters record you
would think it wasn't a season to remember for first year head coach David Leon.
A 12-15 record is very un-Lincoln like but you have to give credit to Leon for
having his group of young Railsplitters get better and better as the season went
on, backed up by the 82-76 OT victory they secured a couple weeks ago now in the
PSAL second round on the road at Thurgood Marshall Academy. Lincoln would fall
to another upstart in WIngs Academy in the PSAL quarterfinals on Thursday even
though Junior Sutherland '19 had 17 points to finish off a solid season for the
Railsplitters.
Class A
1) Msgr. Farrell (22-6)- It wasn't an easy decision as to who would finish No.
1 this week in Class A but the slight edge goes to the Lions whose year was
closed out last Saturday afternoon with a heartbreaking 48-47 defeat to The
Park School in the CHSAA Class A State Championship. Chris Edwards '19 had 15
points for Farrell, and he had a look at a runner at the buzzer to give the
Lions the win but it rolled off the rim to see Msgr. Farrell's season end
just one game short of a state title. It was still a season to remember for
the Lions though as they won a city championship and nearly knocked off a
perennial state power as well.
2) Frederick Douglass Academy (24-6)- After starting out the year 0-3 in
league play it looked as if this would not be the kind of season that is
routinely expected from head coach Pat Mangan. Things did turn around as the
season went on though and it was culminated by a 20 point outing from Derek
Mejia Hernandez '21 on Saturday afternoon as the Lions were able to pull away
down the stretch of the PSAL title game and finish the game on a 10-2 run and
defeat New Dorp 59-51. The win advances them to next weekend's NYS Federation
TOC where FDA will open up with Poughkeepsie on Friday.
3) New Dorp (20-6)- If you look back to the very start of the season there
weren't a ton of expectations for the Cougars as they only returned two start-
ers from last season's team that got to the PSAL A Division quarterfinals.
This year's group though bettered that by a couple of rounds as they defeated
Far Rockaway in Wednesday's semifinals before ultimately falling to a bigger
and more athletic FDA team in Saturday's championship 59-51 in a game that
ended what was a true season to remember for what is still a young New Dorp
team primed to make a lot of noise and be back near the the top of the league
again next year.
4) Fordham Prep (21-6)- No question it was a great year for the Rams who
featured a pair of brothers in Kyle Filipowski '21 and Matt Filipowski '21
leading the charge down low. They were a young group as a team that started
four underclassmen meaning if everyone returns that in a years time there
will be no doubt that this Fordham Prep team won't just get back to the Class
A CHSAA title game, but more than likely be the favorite to get the job done
this time as the core will be a year older and more ready and prepared to
make an even deeper postseason run.
5) Nazareth (19-7)- Another young CHSAA team that had big hopes entering the
playoffs, the Kingsmen fell on a buzzer beater in the Class A semifinals to
Fordham Prep to end their season, but with the likes of T.J. Morris '21 and
Khalil Brantley '21 leading the way the future is extremely bright for Naz-
areth. Should everyone return for the Kingsmen they are another team much
like the Rams that will be among the favorites to finish atop not just the
CHSAA, but all of New York City as a whole. Nazareth could also move to the
AA of the CHSAA next season, something to watch to see what happens.
6) Far Rockaway (20-8)- Nearly getting to the title game after what was con-
sidered a very up and down regular season, the Sea Horses had an early lead
over New Dorp in the PSAL Class A semifinals last Wednesday, going into half-
time up by 10. That lead disappeared though as even with Allen Fordham '19
doing all he could to carry Far Rockaway in scoring 28 points it wasn't enough
as the Sea Horses fell 64-59. While led by Fordham, Far Rockaway did have a
good amount of young and intriguing talent on the team as well which means
this won't be the last time we hear about the Sea Horses.
7) Brooklyn Law and Tech (22-5)- You can't deny that it was another fantastic
season for the Jets who came into the playoffs as the team to beat in the PSAL.
Unfortunately for them they ran into one of the more underrated teams in the
PSAL in Far Rockaway in the Round of 16 this past Wednesday, and even though
Davonta Cook '19 did all he could with 16 points and 8 assists it wasn't enough
as Law and Tech were shocked 58-50 to put an end to their year. While they may
have lost earlier in the postseason than they expected this season's Jets team
is another point as to the type of winning program the coaching staff has built.
8) Benjamin Banneker (23-5)- No question about it this was a season that put the
Warriors back on the basketball map as after having been a bit down over the
past few years Banneker got themselves all the way to this past Wednesday's PSAL
Class A semifinals before falling to Frederick Douglass Academy 62-44. The Warr-
iors hung tight for a half before the length and athleticism of the Lions helped
them pull away down the stretch. Gabriel Holley '21 had 15 points and 5 assists
for Banneker who return 4 starters next season meaning you can expect another
big season next year from the Warriors.
9) Lehman (25-4)- Going into Sunday's PSAL quarterfinal against New Dorp the
Lions had high hopes of moving on and getting just that much closer to a champ-
ionship. Justice Carrington '19 scored 13 for the Lions on Wednesday to have them
beat Port Richmond 45-35, but having to play a second straight Staten Island team
proved to be too much as Lehman took the game into OT but would fall to New Dorp
in the Class A quarterfinals 63-58. It's an end to Lehman's season but it was
still a season full of tons of highs as the Lions have a very bright future.
10) Canarsie (22-7)- Led by guard Khadafi Julio '19 and his 24 points the Chiefs
were easily able to push pace Louis Brandeis in the PSAL Round of 16 94-62. It
was a win that gave Canarsie a ton of confidence heading into their quarterfinal
against Banneker on last Sunday, and while they held their own against the No. 2
seed and were tied midway through the fourth quarter the Chiefs couldn't hit the
big shots late as the season would come to an end for Canarsie as they fell a
couple games short of a championship, 56-50 .
Class B
1) South Bronx Prep (28-3)- After trailing for most of the opening half and
into the third quarter of their PSAL Class B title game on Saturday against
Bronx rivals Fannie Lou Hamer it was sophomore guard Steven Turner '21 who
led the second half charge as the Cougars got 19 of Turner's 22 points as the
game wore on to help South Bronx Prep win the school's first ever basketball
title with a 53-47 victory over the Panthers. Now it's onto the NYS Federation
TOC for the Cougars who will head to Glens Falls next week to take on the home
team of Glens Falls in Saturday's semifinal round.
2) Fannie Lou Hamer (25-5)- As the top defensive team in New York City all sea-
son the Panthers were able to put together another fantastic effort on that
side of the ball again on Saturday in the PSAL Class B title game, it just
wasn't meant for them to be on offense as Anthony Rose '20 was the only Fannie
Lou player in double figure scoring for the game with 10 points as the Panthers
fell to South Bronx Prep 53-47. It was a solid season for last year's champions
though Marc Skelton's team will fall one win short of their ultimate goal of
back to back titles.
3) Uncommon Charter (23-3)- Coming in the PSAL Class B playoffs the Sabers had
championship hopes and entered this past Wednesday's semifinals against Fannie
Lou Hamer believing that they were the team ready to slay the defending champ-
ions. Unfortunately Uncommon fell into playing Fannie Lou's style of basketball
making it a halfcourt slow it down tempo type of game, not the style that the
Sabers were hoping for as on Caleb Brown '20 was in double figures scoring with
10 points as Uncommon Charter's season came to an end with a 46-35 defeat to the
Panthers.
4) Regis (20-6)- For long stretches last Saturday it looked as if the Raiders
were going to shock one of Buffalo's best in Cardinal O'Hara in the CHSAA
Class B State title game and head to the NYS Federation Tournament of Champ-
ions as the CHSAA representative in Class B. Regis led at the half by 5 before
struggling to find a rhythm from the outside and faltering late in a 45-35
defeat to the Hawks. Will Eastwick '19 had 13 points to pace the Raiders, and
while they lose a decent amount to graduation, bringing back League MVP Joe
Manfredi '20 will keep them in the mix among the CHSAA's best.
5) Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice (21-3)- More than holding their
own on Wednesday against South Bronx Prep, Frantz Jean-Pierre '19 had a great
game down low with 23 points and 13 rebounds to help Law, Government, and Jus-
tice have the game tied at 68 with just over 2:30 to go in the game. The offense
ran dry though in the final two minutes as the Jaguars were outscored down the
stretch 8-2 as they would fall to the Cougars in the PSAL Class B semifinals 76-
70. It was a sensational season for Law, Government, and Justice who now seem to
have secured their place as among the best in Class B for years to come.
6) Dalton (20-5)- It's been a few weeks now since Dalton's season has come to an
end when they fell 51-39 to Lawrence Woodmere Academy in the NYSAIS Class B title
game. There is a lot to be excited for going forward with Dalton though as they
feature the Ivy League's leading scorer in Mark Engel '20 who will return next
season for his senior year, and with a good amount of young talent surrounding
him it's an exciting time to be a fan and supporter of the Tigers as the future
looks very bright for them to be a constant force in the Ivy League and NYSAIS
overall.
7) Achievement First (23-5)- Nearly the perfect end to the game, Achievement
First had a couple of late chances to take the lead in the PSAL quarterfinals
last Sunday against Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice, but a late
putback did them in as Achievement's season came to an end with a heartbreaking
52-50 loss even as Jamari Simmons '19 had 15 points to lead the way. It was a
season to no doubt remember for Achievement First who do look to be starting
something special in becoming a future Class B power.
8) Summit Academy (20-3)- Having averaged over 80 points per game this season
all of that offensive firepower seemed to go away last Sunday in the PSAL quart-
erfinals when the Eagles took on one of NYC's best defensive teams in Fannie Lou
Hamer. Against one of the best defensive teams in New York City, Summit's star
guard Jordan Council '20 was limited to just 12 points as the Eagles fell 53-43
to the Panthers to put an end to their season. Starting just one senior though
it's clear to see that the PSAL will be hearing a lot more from Summit Academy
in the years to come.
9) Poly Prep (17-7)- Falling in the NYSAIS Class B semifinals this season to the
eventual champions in Lawrence Woodmere Academy, Poly Prep was carried this sea-
son by one of the top Class of 2022 guards in New York in Max Ragusa '22 who
looks poised to be one of the must watch players for years to come in the Empire
State. Add in a talented interior group that all returns for the Blue Devils and
you can very much expect to see Poly Prep again next season fighting it out for a
Class B Ivy League title, and possibly a NYSAIS title as well.
10) Brooklyn College Academy (20-9)- The Bobcats will finish the season in the
New York City Class B Top Ten as they made a statement with a 48-38 PSAL Round of
16 victory nearly a couple weeks ago now over Leon Goldstein as Deon McLaughlin
'20 had 18 points to lead the way for Brooklyn College Academy. They then had a
solid start against South Bronx Prep in last Sunday's quarterfinals as McLaughlin
did have 16 points but a tough fourth quarter did the Bobcats in with a 70-49 loss
that now ends what was a strong overall season for a young and up and coming BCA
team.
