Varsity Insider

A few quick football notes:

• John Jay senior Ryan Sanders has committed to play football next season at Lafayette. Sanders was a two-way tackle last season for the Class A runner-up. Lafayette recruited him as a defensive tackle. His other finalists were Marist and Muhlenberg, according to John Jay coach Jimmy Clark.

• New Rochelle senior Anthony Caldararo reported on his Twitter feed that he accepted a scholarship to play football at AIC next season. Caldararo said he was actually recruited as an H-back, not a tight end or defensive lineman.

AIC (American International College) is a Division II school in Springfield, Mass. The roster is loaded with local guys, including: Stepinac’s Maurice Easterling; New Rochelle’s Markell Rice; Iona Prep’s Michael Dunkley; Tuckahoe’s Jonathan Jubilee; Poughkeepsie’s Jaquawane Simpkins; and Ketcham’s Zach Jones and Bobby Santangelo. The roster also includes former Cornwall QB Kevin Arduino.

• Stepinac has booked its open date. The Crusaders will host Monroe-Woodbury as part of a season-opening doubleheader on Sept. 8 that will also include Xavier and Middletown.

Iona Prep has not finalized its open date yet. Someone close to the program told me the Gaels may play St. Joe’s of Montvale, but I have been told that the team is still looking for an opponent.

OK, OK. It has been a pretty quiet four days of hoops. But with exams finally behind them, basketball teams enter the regular-season homestretch beginning tonight.

I’m headed to Croton to watch as much as I can of Fox Lane-Clarkstown South, which will kick off a great tripleheader that starts at 5 and also includes Mamaroneck-Mahopac (6:45) and Croton-Harmon and Panas (8:30). After that, I’m heading over to Rockland to see the Class A and B favorites renew their rivalry. Tappan Zee, at 13-0, hosts 11-1 Albertus Magnus. I shouldn’t need to name the only team to beat Albertus thus far, but it was TZ, which won 59-50 in the final of the Pearl River Holiday Tournament.

I’ll be busy with basketball all next week as well. It’ll include a look at a minimum of 14 teams.

Monday — Blind Brook at Valhalla
Tuesday — North Rockland at Clarkstown South
Wednesday — Horace Greeley at Fox Lane
Thursday — Saunders at Eastchester
Saturday — Kennedy vs. Poughkeepsie, Byram Hills at Tappan Zee, Iona Prep vs. New Rochelle (all at New Ro)

Now, a note on the New Rochelle event next Saturday…

Here’s the schedule…

Saturday, Feb. 4 —
At New Rochelle HS:
12 p.m.: Kennedy vs. Poughkeepsie
2 p.m.: Byram Hills vs. Tappan Zee
4 p.m.: Iona Prep vs. New Rochelle

I had reported earlier this week that Kennedy and Poughkeepsie were not playing and that Peekskill was playing Horace Greeley instead. That came from New Rochelle AD John Magnotta. Well, apparently that’s not true. Here’s what happened, and you Poughkeepsie-Peekskill fans who love your rivalry may want to play close attention:

Peekskill and Poughkeepsie had agreed in the past that, since they were no longer in the same league, they would play once every year. The coaches agreed it was an advantage to be the home team, so they would play a neutral site. That neutral site the last two seasons was New Rochelle High School. They were originally scheduled to play there again this season.

Lou Panzanaro said he learned during a game this fall that Kennedy was scheduled to play Poughkeepsie there this year instead. Poughkeepsie said it needed another home game, so the Peekskill-Poughkeepsie game was out.

The miscommunication cost Peekskill an opportunity, but it still wanted to play at New Ro. So the school scheduled a game with Greeley at New Rochelle. But the date Peekskill had been given was this Saturday; it already had a game set with Albany Academy for Feb. 4 at Monroe’s new facility.

Now, not only was Peekskill out of the New Rochelle event, Albany Academy has since withdrawn from the game at Monroe because it was overbooked. Instead, Peekskill will play Green Tech (a Class A school in Albany) at noon next Saturday at Monroe. Green Tech is currently 10-3 and lost 62-59 at Newburgh earlier this season, so it should be a competitive game.

Did you get all that?

Anyway, the next week should be fun. I’ll have much more on the start of what should be a great finish later tonight.

If you want updates on South-Fox Lane, Albertus-Tappan Zee and Mount Vernon-Orlando Christian — as well as other games — check me out on Twitter @LoHudInsider.

By request, here are the key dates for the Section 1 boys basketball playoffs:

Feb. 13: Section 1 seeding meeting, at BOCES
Feb. 15: Class AA and A outbracket round, at higher seed
Feb. 17: Class AA, A and B first-round games, at higher seed
Feb. 21-22: Class AA, A, B and C quarterfinals, at higher seed
Feb. 27-March 4: Championship Week at Westchester County Center — Class AA, A, B, C and D semifinals and championships

Mount Vernon moved on to Friday’s semifinals at the Montverde Academy Invitational with today’s win over Leesburg in the quarterfinals. The Knights’ two stars, Isaiah Cousins and Randy Stephens, led the way. They combined for 33 points, and Jarrel Marshall continued his strong play, adding 13. They will play Orlando Christian in what should be a very even matchup. Orlando Christian beat Leesburg by 14 earlier this season. Here are highlights and information from that game, via the Orlando Sentinel.

The other big game today was a statement-maker for New Rochelle. The Huguenots beat White Plains behind a big effort from Joe Clarke. In my mind, it helps establish them as a clear No. 2 behind Mount Vernon in Class AA. They beat White Plains convincingly.

Don’t believe me? Just ask senior Malik Burts, who told our Vince Mercogliano the following:

“No one in the second can play with us but the team up the road,” Burts said.

On to today’s roundups…

Mount Vernon 69, Leesburg (Fla.) 57: In the first round of the Montverde Invitational in Florida, Isaiah Cousins had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six steals and Randy Stephens had 16 points for Mount Vernon. The Knights will play Orlando Christian tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the tournament semifinals.

New Rochelle 51, White Plains 39: At New Rochelle, Joe Clarke had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Huguenots, who broke open a close game with a 15-4 run to start the second half. Their pressure defense helped limit White Plains to just 16 points in the second half. Akeem Williams led the Tigers with 21 poitns

Green Meadow 47, Collegiate 33: At Green Meadow Wednesday, Yaniv Eisen and Lukas Chin each scored 14 points. Taylor Miccio added 11 points.

Children’s Village 69, Clark Academy 31: At Clark Academy, Kareem Padgett scored 19 points. Roger Owens added nine points and 10 rebounds. Laron Dinkins scored 11 points in his first game with the Blue Knights.

Saunders 79, Roosevelt 46: At Saunders, Jerrell Benitez had 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists for the Blue Devils. Dijon Gonzales added 14 points. Marvin Bates had 28 points for Roosevelt.

Palisade Prep 52, Solomon Schechter 40: At Solomon Schechter, Kevin Sabino had 19 points and Fred Truss had 17 points. Jake Diamond had 21 points for the Lions.

Thanks to my colleague Brian Heyman for covering a couple stories in my stead this week. Here are links to both:

• Byram Hills beat Scarsdale 62-50 on Tuesday, but I forgot to link to the story. The Bobcats started the game quickly, limiting Scarsdale to two first-quarter points to help open the game on a 19-2 run. They led the Raiders inch back but ultimately received a nice lift from two newcomers. Freshman center Andrew Groll had seven points and 12 rebounds and junior guard Brian Skelly scored 11 points on the strength of three 3-pointers. Brian has the story.

• Spring Valley resident Yuri Wright is still on Twitter. But this time he’s thanking Colorado and its fans for sticking with him. As you know, the former Don Bosco Prep corner committed to the University of Colorado Tuesday. The decision came just a few days after Don Bosco expelled him for a series of explicit tweets. Brian also had a short story on Wright’s commitment.

• Check out Matt Brown’s photo gallery from last night’s West Virginia-St. John’s game. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

As you know, I spent last night at the Garden for a story on Kevin Jones (No. 5, pictured) and Jabarie Hinds (No. 4, pictured), who returned home with West Virginia to play St. John’s. The Johnnies entered 8-11 overall, 2-6 in the Big East and started five freshmen. West Virginia was 15-5 and 6-2 in conference. But it all went wrong for the Mountaineers and spoiled the Mount Vernon duo’s homecoming.

St. John’s soundly defeated West Virginia 78-62, stifling the Mountaineers with a zone defense they simply couldn’t solve. Jones continued his terrific senior season with 26 points and 14 rebounds but it was not nearly enough. He struggled through a 2 for 9 first half before erupting in the second.

“Of course, you want to come back on a good note, especially to where you’re from,” Jones said. “Things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to. It’s back to the drawing board. We have a game Saturday (at No. 4 Syracuse) and we can’t let one loss turn into two. We have to turn this around.”

Jones did what he does: Produce. He remained productive despite fighting St. John’s superior athleticism in the first half by hitting the glass. He continued to swallow up rebounds in the second half and eventually helped West Virginia claw back, trimming a lead that was as high as 21 to nine until St. John’s regrouped.

Jones often had to create his own opportunities on second chances or broken plays because of poor ball movement against the zone. It actually set an angry Bob Huggins off after the game.

“I asked all our guys that think they’re so good, ‘You know,’ I said, ‘Let me ask you guys something. Where would we be without No. 5? What do you think our record would be without him?’ I mean, he’s the most valuable player in the country, what he’s done. And he’s playing with all those freshmen who can’t pass and don’t pass him the ball. And still the numbers that he gets. That’s pretty good when they can’t pass him the ball.”

One of the freshman still adjusting to life as a playmaker is Hinds (No. 4, pictured). He scored eight points and hit a pair of 3-pointers when West Virginia went more than six minutes without a point. But he also finished with just two assists in 35 minutes at the point.

Hinds has started all 21 games at the point, ranks four on the team in minutes and leads the team in assists. But he’s been given a lot of responsibility very early on a team with seven freshmen.

“It’s OK so far, but I can do better,” he said.

Hinds said the physical and mental grind of the college game has been the biggest adjustment.

“It’s going good,” he said. “It’s real hard, but I’m just trying to hang in there and get better. I thought I was going hard in high school, but in college you have to go 10 times harder. Every day.”

I mentioned this in the story, but it’s worth repeating. When I spoke to Huggins on the phone recently for yesterday’s story about Jones, he said Jones and Hinds were “blessed” to play for Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino and credited the program for turning them into players who were ready to compete immediately.

“This is my 30th year as a head coach,” Huggins said, “and those are two of the best people I’ve ever been around. They are just wonderful.

“K.J.’s a wonderful guy. He just does everything right. You never have to worry about anything he would say or do. Jabarie is the same way. They’re just really, really good people.”

Although a big part of the Mount Vernon basketball family wasn’t there (they were on a plane to Orlando), dozens of family, friends and fans made the trek to the Garden for Jones and Hinds, according to Jones’ older brother, Gerard. You could hear cheers of “Mount Vernon” even before the tip. But I’m the former Knights hope their next trip to the Garden in March will give their fans more to scream about.

It’s been a tremendous senior season for Mike McCahey and that continued tonight. The 6-foot-5 swingman scored a career-hihg 41 points as part of a stellar all-around game in victory over Nyack. That sets up a pretty good game on Friday night at Croton-Harmon between Class AA challengers South and Fox Lane.

Clarkstown South 69, Nyack 49: At Nyack, Mike McCahey had 41 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals. Clayton Roker had 12 points. Brendan O’Sullivan had 16 points for the Indians.

Ardsley 57, EF International 30: At Ardsley, Tommy Foley had 18 points and Jake Liebersohn added 10 points.

Tappan Zee 67, Clarkstown North 46: At Tappan Zee, Brendan Donahue had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Dutchmen. Teammates Eric Casey, Brian McLaughlin and Billy O’Shea each scored 10 points. Sal Barbetto scored 17 points for the Rams.

With West Virginia at the Garden tonight to face St. John’s, we ran a story in today’s paper that highlighted Kevin Jones’ superb senior season. The story focuses on how improved confidence has led to a major increase in production. After being shunned in the draft process last spring, Jones has supplanted himself as a future pro in the eyes of NBA scouts.

First, let’s talk about his production. Jones is the only Division I men’s basketball player in the nation who ranks Top 10 in scoring (10th) and rebounding (fourth). He has improved his field goal percentage by 11 percent, his free throw percentage by 15 percent and his rebounding average by a whopping 4.0 per game. This despite playing just 2.5 more minutes per night.

That run has included a few key performances against elite NBA prospects. Jones dominated projected lottery pick Perry Jones in West Virginia’s overtime loss before Christmas. Jones had 28 points and 17 rebounds while the longer more athletic Baylor star produced just four points and 10 rebounds. Jones later had 22 points and five rebounds in a loss to UConn and center Andre Drummond, another lottery-bound future pro.

The website DraftExpress.com — a great tool for learning about how NBA scouts view draft prospects — moved Jones onto its mock-draft board in December. Jones was not considered a potential draft pick when he entered his name into the draft and he started the season on the outside looking in on all draft boards, so his inclusion was noteworthy. Now, Draft Express lists Jones as the 13th pick in the second round, good for 43rd overall.

“When NBA teams sit down in their war room on draft night, they’ll be examining his entire body of work over the last four years, as well as any individual workouts they had with him, private interviews, background research, his medical history, measurements, psychological evaluations and more,” DraftExpress.com president Jonathan Givony wrote in an e-mail message. “Playing well against two of the top big men in the  draft will surely help his cause since he’s shown he can continue to produce against NBA caliber competition, but that’s not the only thing they’ll be looking at.”

If Jones does make it, he’ll be the 13th player from the Mount Vernon program to play in the NBA. According to Bob Huggins, the reason would be Jones’ ability to rebound. Huggins compared Jones to his former Cincinnati star Danny Fortson, who averaged over seven rebounds per game during 10 seasons as a pro despite standing just 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds. (Fortson is listed as an inch shorter and 10 pounds heavier than Jones.)

“He wasn’t overly athletic, but Danny had a great pair of hands and great strength like K.J.,” Huggins said. ”(Jones) has the same kind of desire to rebound the ball. If he makes it, it will be because of his ability to rebound. It won’t be for any other reason.”

The vast improvement turned Jones from a very good rebounder into an elite one. Huggins credited Jones’ work ethic, saying he was the first one in the gym and the last to leave. He said the senior’s soaring confidence is unmistakeable.

Jones credited that for his strong play, which has turned him from an all-conference player into the leading candidate for Big East player of the year. He has also matured into a leadership role out of necessity, guiding a team with seven freshman — including Jabarie Hinds — to a 15-5 record and 5-2 mark in the Big East.

Jones said being shunned by the NBA motivated him going into the season, but it was not that alone.

“It did, but I’ve always been good at self-motivation. I’ve always been good at motivation myself no matter what,” Jones said. “I think I’ve improved on areas of my game. But it’s really just been my confidence level. Right now, I feel like I’m one of the best players in the country,” Jones said. “Once I started to feel like that, I’ve been able to play that way.”

I’ll have more later, but here’s some detail from Brian Heyman on tonight’s Byram Hills-Scarsdale game and the health status of Byram’s Jeff Lynch:

Byram Hills 62, Scarsdale 50: At Scarsdale, the Bobcats led 19-2 after one quarter, then had a letdown in the second quarter, shooting 1 for 13. The lead shrunk to 26-20 at halftime and 26-22 in the third quarter before Byram Hills (9-3) opened it up, using defense to fuel the offense.

There was concern expressed by Byram after the game because of a pattern of these fast starts and then letting down. Jeff Lynch had 16, but he is being bothered not by the sprained left ankle that kept him out recently for two games but a bone spur on his right ankle.

Aleks Larsen and Robert Plummer had 13 points each for Scarsdale (4-9).

Freshman center Andrew Groll 7 points, 12 rebounds, Lynch added four steals, and junior guard Brian Skelly had 11 points — including three 3-pointers — for Byram Hills (9-3).

“There’s definitely a lot of pressure. We have a target on our back. Every team is going to come out as hard as they possibly can against us,” Lynch said. “But we thrive on pressure, and our coach is great under pressure.”

Ted Repa spoke about the impact of Lynch’s ankle problem right now: “He kind of starts it off for us with his ball pressure. Having a sore ankle, that limits your ability to apply pressure all game. You’ll notice he’ll be great and then we’ve got to take him out and we tend to have a little dropoff.”

Children’s Village 49, Solomon Schechter 33: At Solomon Schechter Monday, Kareem Padgett scored 15 points. Anthony Trotter had 13. Sam Evans scored 14 points for the Lions.

Palisade Prep 51, EF International 27: At EF International, Louis Eusebio scored 15 points. Fred Truss added 13 points and nine rebounds. Daby Amieyofori added eight points and 13 rebounds.

Last weekend, many of you probably heard the story of Yuri Wright, but it’s worth sharing. The Spring Valley resident was the subject of controversy after he was expelled from Don Bosco because of explicit comments he made on Twitter.

Wright, a senior cornerback, ranked among the top uncommitted defensive backs in the nation. He recently played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Rivals ranked the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder seventh at his position. And just about national recruiting service ranked him among the Top 100 seniors in the country.

Several top Division I programs had courted Wright, including Michigan and Notre Dame. But the interest in Wright has cooled since the events of last week. It is speculated that Michigan dropped out altogether because of the fallout.

Wright’s inappropriate tweets and subsequent expulsion became national news and left a top recruit without a school. But there seems to be the sense that Wright will land a scholarship somewhere because of his talent. His coach, Greg Toal, told ESPNNewYork that Wright will “be fine as far as college go.”

It’s certainly a story that bears watching. As this column from the Bergen Record suggests, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook can prove to be both positive and negative tools for amateur and professional athletes. There are examples of it everyday.

UPDATE, 1:26 p.m.: Yuri Wright has reportedly committed to Colorado.

I’ll be at the Garden tomorrow night to watch Kevin Jones and Jabarie Hinds face St. John’s. But the West Virginia tandem won’t have the typical Mount Vernon cheering section you’d expect. The 9-1 Knights are scheduled to fly to Florida tomorrow for the three-day Montverde Academy Invitational.

They will play three games at Montverde, beginning with a game against Leesburg High School on Thursday at 4:40. If Mount Vernon wins, it would play either Shiloh (Ga.) or Orlando Christian on Friday night at 6:20. Win again and the Knights likely draw Montverde — the No. 24 team in the country — on Saturday in the tournament championship.

Bob Cimmino told me he’s known Montverde coach Kevin Boyle for years and their relationship led to Mount Vernon’s invite to the event. Boyle, as you probably know, is the former coach at St. Patrick’s. He earned a six-figure haul when he left the Newark powerhouse after last season to coach Montverde, one of the top basketball programs in the nation.

Mount Vernon met Montverde in last season’s 2010 Iolani Classic in Hawaii and Montverde handed the Knights their only lopsided loss of the season, a 64-37 setback. (Montverde lost to Oak Hill in the final.)

According to MaxPreps, this year’s Montverde team has seven players bigger than anyone on Mount Vernon (6-foot-7 or taller). That including 6-foot-11 center Landry Nnoko (Clemson) and 6-foot-8 Anthony Cortesia (Ole Miss). The backcourt is no slouch thanks to 6-foot-4 Florida signee Michael Frazier, Montverde’s highest-rated player. He and his team beat St. Ray’s 80-61 back in December.

The Knights will face a challenge immediately against Leesburg, the defending Florida 4A state champion. Then there’s Orlando Christian and Shiloh. Orlando Christian advanced to the championship game of this year’s Iolani Classic. It also lost to Montverde by 12 points earlier this season, but later beat Leesburg by 14. Shiloh boasts 6-foot-8, 250-pound star Robert Carter Jr., who has already committed to Georgia Tech. ESPN ranks Carter Jr. as the 21st-best senior in the country. And he’s a big dude.

No doubt, it’ll be a tough weekend for Mount Vernon.

It’s a very quiet night on the local basketball scene because of exams, but there was a very loud upset in Rockland tonight.

After a few close losses that included a near upset of Tappan Zee, Suffern announced itself as a dangerous team in the county with a 41-38 win over Pearl River. Joe Clinton had 20 points for the Pirates, but the Suffern defense locked down the rest of the team, which managed just 18 points combined.

Suffern also received some offensive contributions from its young, up-and-coming backcourt. Sophomore Tyler McDine led the team in scoring and freshman Javin Williams added nine points, including a pair of free throws at the end with his team up 39-38.

Here’s a look at all of tonight’s results:

Gorton 66, Lincoln 55: At Gorton, Rashan McKay-Bennet scored 19 points for the Wolves. Dane Williamson scored 10 points. Kevin Asiamah scored 16 points for the Lancers. Tony Leone scored 11 points.

As you all read on Saturday, Syracuse University announced that Peekskill graduate Mookie Jones left the men’s basketball team and the university. The 6-foot-6 junior cited family as the reason behind his decision.

I spoke to Jones’ former coach Lou Panzanaro today. He said he had still not heard from the former Peekskill star. He first learned of the situation from a reporter on Saturday and later left a message for Jones that has not been returned.

“I haven’t spoken with Mookie yet,” Panzanaro said. “I don’t know any of the details.”

Panzanaro said the two discussed the possibility of Jones transferring from Syracuse before Christmas break. Jones decided he would stay because he considers Syracuse his home.

As of then, Jones was on pace to earn his degree either at the end of the spring semester or over the summer. That would allow him to enroll as a graduate student at another university and play basketball as a senior without sitting out as a transfer. That “free transfer” is allowable by NCAA rules and had been among Jones’ options.

“That certainly had been discussed as a possibility,” Panzanaro said.

It would be a similar case to Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, who left North Carolina State with a degree and enrolled at Wisconsin as a graduate student. Wilson became a Heisman Trophy candidate as a senior and led the Badgers to the Rose Bowl.

Such a move would require Syracuse to grant Jones his wish and release him from his scholarship, which is common. North Carolina State did so with Wilson. However, St. Joe’s has refused to do so with one of its players, former center Todd O’Brien, and it has prevented him from playing this season.

The discussion is moot for now. Hopefully, I can shed more light on Jones’ current situation and his plans later this week.

Jan. 9-15: 0-5
Season: 13-7

A season that started awfully promising for me on the prediction front took quite the sharp down turn two weeks ago. In fact, it veered right off the cliff.

I was something of a jinx in my last go at predictions, picking, in order, Peekskill, North Rockland, Dobbs, Briarcliff and Mahopac. Too bad all five of their opponents won.

It’s a quite week this week because of exams, but I’ll try and do better. Here’s a look at who I have in five key games this week:

• THURSDAY: White Plains at New Rochelle, 4:15 p.m. — Both teams are far better defensively at this point. That could lead to some ugly minutes when they meet for the first of two games in a week. Right now, with Joe Clarke, Kirkland Ottey and the dangerous Sean Fener, New Ro seems to have just a little more firepower. The pick: New Rochelle 56, White Plains 48

• FRIDAY: Clarkstown South vs. Fox Lane, at Croton-Harmon High School, 5 p.m. — This is a very interesting matchup. Both teams could reach the final four in Class AA. Both could lose in the first round of the playoffs. It could all hinge on the matchups. With that being the case, South and Fox Lane will have plenty to play for on Friday. I like South’s speed and the brilliance of Mike McCahey. But the Vikings will have to run to win against the bigger Foxes. The pick: South 57, Fox Lane 50

• FRIDAY: Mahopac vs. Mamaroneck, at Croton-Harmon High School, 6:45 p.m. — This is another key Class AA game between two teams that have a few more losses and will need much more luck to earn a quality draw in the Class AA tourney. As I’ve said, Mamaroneck seems like a team capable of a big win, but last week’s results (close wins over Ossining and Gorton) may have sapped the Tigers of that momentum. However, here’s why I like them: Mahopac has an awfully tough schedule this week, playing here following by a rematch with Carmel less than 24 hours later. That’s not easy. The pick: Mamaroneck 55, Mahopac 50

• FRIDAY: Albertus Magnus at Tappan Zee, 7 p.m. — Don’t expect either team to lead by more than five or six points the whole way. Neither is built to run away from the other, especially on a night that will attract so much focus from both high schools and around the county. TZ controlled the backboard when it had to in their last meeting. I don’t see that changing here. The pick: Tappan Zee 54, Albertus Magnus 50

• SATURDAY: Carmel at Mahopac, 2 p.m. — This is kind of a tough one to pick because I just watched the two teams play and Carmel won. However, no matter the result, I thought the Rams looked like the better, more experienced team. I have to favor those strengths — even on the road — in what will undoubtedly be another close game.  The pick: Carmel 57, Mahopac 55 (OT)

And…I’m back.

What better than to kick off the week with a new set of rankings. Luckily, I was able to absorb, in absentia, the extent to which you disagreed with last week’s Nos. 2 through 4. I can’t say I agreed with many of your critiques, but that’s the great thing about rankings. If they weren’t subjective, they wouldn’t be much fun to discuss.

Anyway, since I’m back on the job today there’s a lot of news to catch up with. I’ll have much more throughout the day, including the return of my five predictions feature later this morning. Check back later for those.

I’m glad to be back. Now, let’s hear your thoughts about the latest rankings…

TOP 10
1. Mount Vernon (9-1) — After a 10-day layoff, Mount Vernon will finally return to the court Thursday against Leesburg (Fla.) in the Montverde Academy Invitational. Of course, the host looms in the final of the three-day event. Montverde handed the Knights their worst loss last season, 64-37.

2. Stepinac (8-8) — After three straight losses and two sluggish performances in victory, the Crusaders earned their best win of the season by far — and perhaps the best win of coach Tim Philp’s eight-year tenure. Their momentum from that win over St. Ray’s faded in the fourth quarter of a loss to Mount, but it proves the team will be a tough out come playoff time.

3. Tappan Zee (12-0) — Only six more games separate the Dutchmen from an unbeaten regular season. The toughest of those will likely be Friday night at home against Albertus Magnus.

4. Iona Prep (12-2) — The Gaels should win out between now and Feb. 4 when they visit New Rochelle. They’d seem to have the experience to win, but the Huguenots appear to be on the rise.

5. Albertus Magnus (11-1) — The Falcons are off until Friday’s clash at Tappan Zee. Their schedule is pretty favorable afterward, until games against Pearl River and North Rockland to finish the regular season.

6. New Rochelle (7-5) — Good win for New Ro on Saturday, 70-50 over Dixie Heights. The Kentucky school lost by just five points to Wings, 69-64, earlier this year.

7. Kennedy (9-4) — With Byram’s loss to Rye, the Gaels grab the No. 2 spot in the Class AA rankings. But their rematch at home against Peekskill looms next Tuesday. It won’t be easy.

8. Byram Hills (8-3) — Byram slipped up last week against Rye but I can’t drop the defending champ too far. Too many quality wins. But the Bobcats have shown a few cracks in their armor.

9. Tuckahoe (12-0) — The Tigers have one final road block to an unbeaten season in Saunders on Feb. 4. Kudos to Sky Williams for breaking the program’s all-time scoring record.

10. White Plains (8-4) — Three games over the next two-plus weeks will determine whether or not the Tigers can contend for a spot in the County Center: Their home-and-home with New Ro and the season finale at Mamaroneck.

On the bubble: Peekskill, Clarkstown South, Fox Lane, Carmel, Mahopac, Woodlands, Dobbs Ferry, Pearl River.

Small-school Top 10
1. Albertus Magnus
2. Tuckahoe
3. Woodlands
4. Dobbs Ferry
5. Pleasantville
6. Croton-Harmon
7. Briarcliff
8. Rye Country Day
9. Sacred Heart
10. Blind Brook

CLASS AA
1. Mount Vernon
2. New Rochelle
3. White Plains
4. Clarkstown South
5. Fox Lane
6. Carmel
7. Mahopac
8. Mamaroneck
9. Arlington
10. North Rockland

CLASS A
1. Tappan Zee
2. Kennedy
3. Byram Hills
4. Peekskill
5. Pearl River
6. Poughkeepsie
7. Brewster
8. Beacon
9. Pelham
10. Our Lady of Lourdes

CLASS B
1. Albertus Magnus
2. Woodlands
3. Dobbs Ferry
4. Pleasantville
5. Croton-Harmon
6. Briarcliff
7. Blind Brook
8. Bronxville
9. Valhalla
10. Rye Neck

CLASS C/D
1. Tuckahoe
2. Keio
3. Hamilton
4. Children’s Village
5. Greenburgh Academy

CHSAA/Privates
1. Stepinac
2. Iona Prep
3. Rye Country Day
4. Sacred Heart
5. Salesian

Rockland
1. Tappan Zee
2. Albertus Magnus
3. Pearl River
4. Clarkstown South
5. North Rockland