Gorton standout Chris Ranglin informed me today that he’s accepting a full scholarship to play next season at Adelphi University.

Adelphi is a Division II school located in Garden City, Long Island. The basketball team plays in the East Coast Conference, where it went 20-9 last season and reached the conference semifinals. Two local kids, Chris Diasparra of Mahopac and Robert Johnson of Tuckahoe, are also on the roster.

Ranglin had a remarkable senior season at Gorton, averaging 22.3 points, 8 rebounds and 3-4 steals, blocks and assists per game. He’s a well-built 6-foot-2, 200-pounder who can play shooting guard, small forward and power forward.

A quiet kid, I could sense in Ranglin’s voice today how excited he was about this opportunity. Any time you get to go to college for free, it’s a beautiful thing. Gorton coach Rob Rizzo said he couldn’t remember the last athlete from the school to get a full scholarship in any sport.

Obviously, the Division I dream burned inside of Ranglin, and surely some would have come calling in the few months when their first choices went elsewhere. But he’s a mature kid and his reason for choose Adelphi was the best anybody can have:

“They were recruiting me really hard and were after me for a long time,” he said.

Like I always say, go to a school that wants you, not one that will accept you.

Rizzo did nothing but praise Ranglin, not because of the decision he made, but the lasting impact he left on the program.

“Chris is the one, more than me, who is responsible for turning this program around,” said Rizzo, who was recently honored as Section 1’s coach of the year. “I can only say so much. But if the players didn’t buy into what I was saying, it wouldn’t have worked. For someone like Chris, who’s from the old regime, to buy in was most important. He’s the best player, the oldest one and one they all look up to. If he didn’t buy into it, I would have been banging my head against the wall all year.”

Ranglin approached Rizzo last April when he took the job at Gorton to ask about playing AAU. Three years earlier, Rizzo tried to convince Ranglin to play with the Westchester Hawks but he showed no interest.

“He was content with being the big fish in the little pond,” Rizzo said.

By this point last year, almost every good AAU program was filled, especially at the 17-and-under levels, which are comprised of kids who’ve been playing together for three years. Rizzo, though, convinced Ranglin he could be a college player either way.

“I told him that, either way, you’ve got to work on your game,” Rizzo said. “If you do everything you’re supposed to do on your end, you’ll go to college for free.”

Rizzo said Ranglin never missed a day of practice or workout since that conversation. He used to pick Ranglin up at his house at 6:20 a.m. every morning so they could shoot for a half hour before the school. Even when he missed six weeks with a dislocated his toe during the summer, he was still there.

“He’d sit there in a chair and dribble the basketball,” Rizzo said. “He would sit there and take in everything we did.

“Chris was a great player, but I’m going to miss his leadership so more than anything else. I didn’t have to be the bad guy most of the time. Once I established a tone of what I expected, he took the ball and ran with it. He craved discipline, he craved structure and he wanted to be worked.”

It makes you feel good when you hear a story like Ranglin’s. He’s a self-made player and a trailblazer for the program. Any success he finds in college, he completely deserves.

Please take a moment to click over to our Gameday Central blog and vote for this week’s Gameface of the Week.

Some very good nominees this week, including White Plains football coach Rahsaan Potillo. The photo of him is at his wedding last Friday, which was held on the school’s football field.

Ralph Watts and Sherrod Wright are also both in the mix, so please go vote for the best one.

Tonight’s two semifinals of the CYP tournament couldn’t have been more different. First, the New York Panthers stormed past a Team Frenji, 92-66, in a game lacking defense. Then, the MetroHawks outslugged the Gauchos, 67-65 in OT, in a game that featured most hard fouls and shoving than you’ll see on one court.

Very entertaining night of basketball. I’m on the record as saying the CYP isn’t my favorite event. But I’m beginning to turn a little. It’s like going to the zoo. If I don’t go, I never feel like I miss anyway. But when I’m there, I thoroughly enjoy it.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of tonight’s two games:

New York Panthers 92, Frenji 66
When I finally found a parking spot and got into the gym, the Panthers were ahead by 10 late in the first quarter. Immediately, I was informed that Frenji actually had scored the first seven points of the game but went cold for a few minutes.

Then a few minutes turned into an entire quarter.

Frenji featured local stars Sherrod Wright, Daquan Brickhouse, Ralph Watts, and Jordan Lessane, plus a few studs from out of the area: 6-10 Hassan Whiteside of Patterson, N.C., Rashawn Storres of All Hallows, and Mike Buffalo of Wings Academy.

But Frenji got run off the court in the second quarter, falling into a 30-point halftime deficit against a quicker, more aggressive Panthers squad. Chaz Williams of Bishop Ford was brilliant running the point, looking like a kid playing toys as he distributed the ball throughout the offense.

Omari Lawrence, a St. John’s committ, had 17 points, as did J.J. Moore of Brentwood. Halil Kanacevic, a 6-8 forward from Curtis in Staten Island, added 16 points and Kevin Parrom had 12. The Panthers were so long and so athletic, dunking at will throughout the game. I don’t think Frenji could have done anything to stop the bleeding in the second quarter.

Not having Sean Kilpatrick really hurt Frenji. The White Plains grad headed to Cincinnati scored 28 points in Saturday’s win, a dominant effort from everyone I spoke to tonight. But Kilpatrick had to go back to school today at Notre Dame Prep and couldn’t participate last night. Would Frenji have won if he played? Probably not. But they sure wouldn’t have lost by 26.

MetroHawks 67, Gauchos 65, OT
What a crazy game. Between the physical play, hard fouls, the coaches screaming at the refs, the coaches screaming at the scorers table, and the sense that a brawl could break out any second, it was wild nightcap.

New Rochelle junior Antoine Mason was the hero. He had 22 points, including the go-ahead basket on a driving lay-up with 22.3 seconds left. Mason had 10 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, going toe-to-toe with Durand Scott, who’s headed to Miami.

The MetroHawks squandered a chance to win the game in regulation and then looked finish with a minute to go in overtime. But, despite trailing 65-60 with under a minute to go, the got a lay-up through traffic from Joel Wright, a fantastic 6-6 forward headed to Fordham University. Wright later came up with a steal as he dove for a loose ball at halfcourt and, from his behind, found Mason streaking up the court. Mason converted the lay-up through traffic (and a foul) to put them ahead 66-65.

Scott rescued the Gauchos in the final seconds of regulation. He pulled up and drained a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play with a hand in his face to tie it. He had 17 points. Watching Scott is a pleasure. He’s such a competitor and you could see how disgusted he was when the final buzzer sounded. He had the ball in his hands in the final seconds but couldn’t get a shot off.

The game, as I mentioned, was part boxing match, part basketball game. As a friend of mine said sitting next to me “You have to be a real man to want to go into the paint.” It couldn’t have been more true. Anyone who didn’t go strong to the rim paid for it. I’ve never seen so many players come out of a scrum for a loose ball holding as many noses, mouths, and eyes.

And the amazing thing was that these guys were immense. At point, the Gauchos had three kids on the floor 6-8 or bigger. One of them was 6-10 sophomore Al Azulphar of Greenwich. He’s got a thick body and might be one of the biggest high school players I’ve ever seen (Note: the biggest college I’ve ever seen in person was Glen Davis when he was at LSU, and the biggest pro was Shaq).

Mason hung with all of them, proving again that he’s a legitimate high Division I prospect. His body, too, has continued to develop. I was shocked by how big his arms and chest have gotten. He’s probably 6-3. Another inch or two and he’s going to be a major college player, especially since he proved he could handle the ball and finish around the rim.

The championship game between the MetroHawks and the New York Panthers will be at 7:30 on Tuesday at Our Lady of Mercy School in Port Chester. There was a decent crowd for tonight’s second game. I strong encourage that, if you’re around, to head over to the final. It’s well worth the five bucks.

It seems like forever since I last posted a rankings, which is odd since I’m such a glutton for punishment.

Well, here it is, the final rankings of the 2008-09 season. I think things fell into place in the final two weeks, so I don’t know how much you can object to. But I’m sure you’ll try.

Let me know your thoughts.

Final rankings
1. Mount Vernon (20-4): The most miraculous shot I’ve ever witnessed deprived the Knights a state title, and maybe even a Federation championship, too. But honestly, I think they can live with that. Had they not shown up to play on March 13 and were beaten by 10, they’d regret it forever. At some point, though, they’ll understand that every once in a while, that one-in-a-million actually happens.
2. Peekskill (26-2): Like Mount Vernon, the Red Devils can walk away from the season without any regrets. It put up an incredible effort against Iona Prep, beating the Gaels in the best game of the season. And then they played even better against Jamesville-DeWitt in the state championship, yet it wasn’t enough. They can live with that. The season had some real ups and downs. This season ends on the up side.
3. Iona Prep (26-2): The “Team of the Year” in the Lower Hudson Valley. The Gaels played as good a brand of basketball as Mount Vernon and Peekskill, and perhaps did it more consistently. But I think this team had some flaws that its talent was able to cover up. While they jostled with Mount Vernon and Peekskill for the top spot all season, it can take solace in this: It’s a clear No. 1 to start 2009-10.
4. Poughkeepsie (20-3): The Pioneers arrived a year earlier than some might have expected as lineup with a star junior and two sophomores guided them to the Class AA sectional final. Losing Brandon James, who has committed to Colgate, will hurt. But Dayvone Whitaker really came on strong in the second half, and there’s so much young talent that got gained valuable experience.
5. New Rochelle (16-6): The season didn’t end where it probably should have for the Huguenots, who belonged at the County Center. But they posted one of the biggest wins of the season, knocking off rival Mount Vernon. Replacing first-team tri-county pick John Calarco won’t be easy. But the foundation of Antoine Mason and P.J. Torres makes New Rochelle legitimate title contenders next season.
6. Stepinac (14-10): The surprise team of the CHSAA. The Crusaders were a perfect blend of steady veterans and rising-star underclassmen, and at times played as good a brand of team basketball as anyone. Conroy Baltimore is on the verge of stardom and, with guards Thomas Decker and Kadeem Francis coming back, this could be one of the area’s top teams in a year.
7. Mount St. Michael (20-7): Take away a few off nights and the Mounties could compete with any team ahead of them on this list. With a veteran group, losing to Stepinac twice had to sting a bit. But they got a third crack at Iona Prep in the CHSAA semifinals and put up a strong effort. No shame in losing to the champs.
8. North Rockland (20-3): Nobody could have envisioned a team with five underclassmen starters being within a possession of reaching the sectional championship. But the Red Raiders pulled it off thanks to a cohesive, defensive-minded approach. Expectations will be far different next season. But this group will be ready for it.
9. Yorktown (19-4): It seemed like forever ago, but the Cornhuskers went into the offseason with their heads high. They were beaten by Mount Vernon in the semifinals at the County Center, a game they were winning in the fourth quarter. Keith Thomas and Jordan Moody give Yorktown promise for next season. All it will take to contend again will be filling a few holes in the backcourt.
10. Lakeland (17-5): When everything was on the line, this team responded. Lakeland had Peekskill on its heels in the Section 1 final, going shot for shot until the Red Devils pulled away in the final minutes. Lakeland had exceptional talent in Lavor Morris, Chris Fazio, Gary Austin and the rest. On a given day, the Hornets can play with anyone.

Conference rankings
Class AA
1. Mount Vernon
2. Poughkeepsie
3. New Rochelle
4. North Rockland
5. Yorktown

Class A
1. Peekskill
2. Lakeland
3. Pearl River
4. Spring Valley
5. Rye

Class B
1. Lincoln Hall
2. Pleasantville
3. Albertus Magnus
4. Croton-Harmon
5. Nanuet

Class C
1. Valhalla
2. North Salem
3. Blind Brook
4. Hamilton
5. Tuckahoe

The basketball season never really ends. Sure, the state and Federation tournament eventually concludes. But between summer leagues and AAU, there is no offseason.

The high school portion wrapped up this afternoon in Glens Falls with Rice knocking off Newburgh Free Academy, 70-68, in overtime in the Class AA championship. Check out the story in the Post Star here.

As you might have heard already, Jamesville-DeWitt was unseated as the Class A Federation champs, losing 68-51 to Long Island Lutheran last night. Shocking to think that Jamesville could be beaten this badly after grinding out wins over Peekskill and Iona Prep. Tobias Harris, who was injured during the Slam Dunk, had 27 points and 15 rebounds in the win.

Obviously, I was in Glens Falls on Friday night for the end of Iona Prep’s magical run. Josh Thomson had the story about the Gaels running out of gas down the stretch. Rick Carpiniello echoed most of your sentiments on how the Federation tournament lacks the juice of the state tournament.

I was at the Exceptional Senior All-Star game yesterday afternoon. Matt Ng had the story. Sherrod Wright of Mount Vernon put on a show for the blue team, which scored the final two baskets to win. Wright had 34 points and seven rebounds.

He actually dueled with his own teammate, Alex Judge of Croton-Harmon, as the show-stopper. Judge was hitting from all over the floor and scored 22 points. When you get the best players in the area on the same floor, you expect Sherrod to shine. But Judge really impressed the crowd.

Floyd Leroy of Albertus Magnus won the dunk contest with a solid performance. He seemed to really enjoy himself doing it, too.

The biggest surprise of the day was how dominant Joe Magliano of Blind Brook was in the 3-point shootout. I was sitting with a few coaches whose jaws were on the floor at what rhythm he had, even though his feet never left the floor when he shot. It was like he was dropping in free throws. Magliano beat some impressive shooters, too.

Earlier in the day, Vaughn Allen of Mount Vernon scored all 25 of his points in the second half as his team dominated. Allen, a 6-5 forward, probably should have been in the premier game, which was only for All-Section selections.

The CYP continues with tomorrows semifinal games, which are at 7:15 and 8:30. I’ll be there tomorrow, and for Tuesday’s championship game. Should be a fun couple of days.

As I said, the season is over. But it never really ends.

9:55: Jamesville dribbles out the clock and defends its Federation title tomorrow against Long Island Lutheran with a 67-55 victory that fell a bit short of living up to its potential. Triche had 24 and Hymes 18. Voelkel had 12, but only three in the second half, and 10 rebounds. Carissimo finished with 12.

9:53: Zach Firestone makes two FTs for Jamesville. It’s 65-55 with 43 seconds to go.

9:52: Mack makes a three, but it may be too late. Iona forced to foul twice. Triche to the line with 1:13 left. He misses but Coleman gets the rebound. 52.4 left, J-D up 63-55.

9:50: Thompson to the line with 1:43 left. Misses the first. Makes the second. 63-52.

9:47: Hymes keeps alive an offensive rebound and pulls it out. 2:02 left, still 62-50.

9:46: Thompson jumper 62-50, 2:58 to go. Iona has gone completely cold from the field.

9:44: Lamar Kearse hit a short jumper and Triche starts and finishes a break. WIth 3:55 left, J-D is up by 10, 60-50.

9:42: Thompson jumper. Voelkel answers with a FT and Carissimo keeps the rebound alive and is fouled by Coleman, who has four. Carissimo makes two FTs. 53-48, J-D with 5:00 to go.

9:39: Triche driving layup and was fouled; missed the FT. It’s 51-45, Jamesville.

9:37: Mack hit a corner jumper. 47-43 to open the fourth.

9:34: Triche made a layup in transition. At the end of three quarters: Jamesville up 47-41. J-D ended the quarter on a 16-5 run.

9:33: Maybe it’s all the fouls that is costing this matchup some of its juice. Hymes just hit a three with :50 left in the third and it’s 45-41 J-D.

9:29: Hymes hit a three, J-D up 42-39 with 3:41 left in the third.

9:28: Thompson, who has three fouls now, hit one of two FTs to tie it 39-39. 

9:24: Triche and Carissimo traded threes, and Steve Thompson hit a layup. 39-36 Iona Prep.

9:22 p.m.: A couple of buckets from Bronner gave the Gaels a 7-0 run in the first :59 of the second half, and a 36-31 lead. On the downside, Lyde picked up his fourth foul.

9:11 p.m. Voelkel dunk. Triche answered with a runner and was fouled and made the FT for his 16th point of the half. Sandro Carissimo lost track of time in the final nine seconds and Iona couldn’t get off a shot before the buzzer. Halftime score 31-29, J-D.

9:08 p.m.: Iona’s Matthew Lyde picked up his third foul. Jamesville up 28-27.

9:03 p.m.: Jeff Mack just finished a three-point play for a 25-22 Iona lead, and the big guy, Coleman got his third foul. Triche has no fouls, but the rest of the starters are in foul trouble.

9:02 p.m.: They’re trading punches now. 22-22 with 3:41 left in the second quarter. Four of J-D’s starters have two fouls apiece.

8:56 p.m. Demetrius Mitchell’s putback for J-D gives the Red Rams their first lead, 14-13.

8:53 p.m.: Both teams tough under their own baskets; Iona drew a coupe of charges late in the quarter, and Coleman is owning the boards and blocked two shots. Voelkel has five points and four rebounds, Triche has seven points. After one quarter, Iona 13-9.

8:44 p.m.: Voelkel big defensive board, Lyde putback and fouled, but missed the FT. 7-0 Iona. Then Triche drove for a layup and was fouled and made the three-point play. Voelkel hit a three, and it’s 10-3. Iona’s bench was just assessed a technical foul, apparently on one of the assistant coaches. So it’s 10-4 and J-D gets the ball back.

8:38 p.m.: Voelkel came back with a bucket, and so did Andre Pope, and it’s 5-0 early for Iona.

8:35 p.m.: Just underway. Brian Voelkel’s first shot was blocked by 6-8 (he looks bigger) freshman Dajuan Coleman.
——
Hey, it’s Carp filling in for Kevin Devaney Jr., who doesn’t know that Josh Thomson and I snuck out and hit a bucket of balls in Glens Falls this afternoon.

Before we get going with what should be an awesome Iona Prep-Jamesville-DeWitt Class A semifinal, I should tell you that Long Island Lutheran bombed Curtis, 67-42 in the other semifinal. You should also know that Long Island Lutheran played in the Slam Dunk at County Center, which is where Iona Prep suffered its only loss this season against Peekskill. Long Island Lutheran lost to Gorton in that tournament, and also lost to New Rochelle during the season, and Iona beat New Ro by 38, for what that’s worth.

You already know that J-D beat Peekskill in OT last weekend for the public schools state championships, and that J-D lost only once this year (to AA semifinalist Syracuse-CBA), and that J-D is the two-time state champ and defending Federation champ; and also that Iona bombed Newburgh during the season, and that Newburgh is in the AA Federation championship game Sunday against tomorrow’s Rice-Lincoln winner.

The 2009 WCBCA All-Star games will be held tomorrow at Purchase College. The first game at 1 p.m. is of All-Conference and All-League. At 3 will be the All-Section game, which will feature names like Sherrod Wright, Ralph Watts, Chris Ranglin and John Calarco.

Here are the rosters:

All-Section Game (3:00PM)
Blue Team
Sherrod Wright (Mt. Vernon)
Darrell Ward (White Plains)
Travis Wright (New Rochelle)
Kevin McCahey (Clarkstown S)
Mario Iaucone (Mahopac)
Oasaris Yates (Valhalla)
Joe Matteo (Pawling)
London Reyes (Yonkers)
Anthony Iacomini (John Jay)
Alex Judge (Croton)
Matt Grossbard (Pearl River)
Floyd Leroy (Magnus)
Coaches: Rob Rizzo (Gorton); George Gaine (Tappan Zee)

Gold team
Chris Ranglin (Gorton)
John Calarco (New Rochelle)
Jack Detmer (Scarsdale)
Jordan Lessane (Mount Vernon)
Kevin Dahill (Dobbs Ferry)
Josh O’Neill (North Salem)
Rob Magliano (Blind Brook)
Shaquille Griffiths (Tuckahoe)
Ralph Watts (Peekskill)
Sir Aaron Taylor (Lincoln Hall)
Matt O’Neill (Rye)
Greg Bratone (Pelham)
Coaches: Dave Greiner (Valhalla) and Dave Masterson (Nanuet)

All-Conference/League Game (1:00PM)
Blue Team
Taylor Mondshein (Mamaroneck)
Barry Watson (Roosevelt)
Ryan Reifenhauser (Dobbs Ferry)
Lavar Morris (Lakeland)
Jesse Drinks (Ossining)
Jamie Wrenn (Nanuet)
Greg Shea (North Salem)
Vaughn Allen (Mt. Vernon)
Josh Gonzalez (Roosevelt)
Pat Macentee (Brewster)
Anthony Calcagni (Westlake)
Rob Alexander (Dobbs Ferry)
Coaches: Kevin Downes (Mahopac)

Gold team
Malcolm Zamor (Ramapo)
Max Wein (Schechter)
Keisuke Naruse (Keio)
Darien Thomas (Peekskill)
Brandon Sileck (Croton)
Flynn McFadden (Albertus)
Doug Conway (Clarkstown South)
Adam Mayer (Hen Hud)
Marc Baclija (Yonkers)
Anthony Calcagni (Westlake)
Lamont Stokes (Ardsley)
Coaches: Chris Roff (North Rockland)

Everyone I’ve spoken to this week who asks about this weekend poses the question in the same way:

“Can Iona beat this team?”

To each I respond the same way: “Why couldn’t they?”

Seriously, Jamesville is a very good team, a worthy state champion and, as tough as this might be for some Peekskill people to read, is better than Peekskill.

But just because Peekskill beat Iona Prep doesn’t mean automatically rule out the Gaels’ chances of winning tomorrow night. Not by a long shot.

My breakdown below not only explains why I think Iona Prep can beat this guys, but why I think it will.

Class A Federation semifinal
Iona Prep (26-1) vs. Jamesville-DeWitt (26-1)
When: Friday, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Glens Falls Civic Center
How did they get here: Iona Prep used a monster second half and romped St. John the Baptist 72-42 in the Catholic state final on March 14. Jamesville outlasted Peekskill, 74-72, in overtime in the public state championship game last Sunday.
Jamesville-DeWitt starting five: Brandon Triche (6-4), Sr., PG; Dajuan Coleman (6-8), Fr., C; Alshawn Hymes (6-2), Sr., F; Lamar Kearse (6-0), Jr., G; Steve Thompson (6-3), Sr., F.
What to know about Jamesville:
Offense — The Red Rams really don’t have a weakness. And if you look at the boxscore, you’ll see they have four players who can take the game over at any moment. Coleman, Hymes and Kearse took turns dealing Peekskill crushing blows last Sunday — Hymes with long-range 3s in the second quarter, Coleman by finishing around the basket in the third, and Kearse by creating turnovers and scoring in transition in the fourth and overtime. With the steady Triche controlling the point, this is a incredibly difficult team to match up with.
Defense — Jamesville has several exceptional on-the-ball defenders in Kearse, Hymes and Triche. None of them are going to get beat off the dribble. They do a great job closing the passing lanes and funnell everything inside towards the 6-8 Coleman, who is very disciplined and always holds his ground. Kearse was effective defending Daquan Brickhouse in the second half, so expect him to be assigned on Andre Pope or Sandro Carissimo if either gets hot.
Key matchup: Brian Voelkel vs. Dejuan Coleman. The major advantage the 6-5 Voelkel has on every other forward is that, even if he’s not as tall, he’s always physically stronger. Not in this case. Coleman is as close to Elton Brand as I’ve seen at this age because of how strong his hands and arms are. Voelkel won’t be able to outmuscle Coleman. He’ll have to be more crafty than the freshman.

What’s the gameplan: Having watched Iona Prep a half-dozen times this season and seen Jamesville twice this weekend, this is a very even matchup. Peekskill was effective with Ralph Watts’ ability to shoot over defenders, which Iona Prep doesn’t have. But Iona Prep has far more quickness away from the ball. If I were Iona Prep, I wouldn’t do anything differently. Run the offense the way you’ve run it all season, create in transition and let Bronner, Pope, Carissimo and Voelkel use their extraordinary passing ability to put up points.
Who will win: You might think I’m crazy, but not only do I think Iona Prep will win, I’m rather confident about it. My only hold-up is over the fact the Gaels haven’t played in two weeks. As long as there’s no rust, I think this is a good matchup for them. They’ll learn from the biggest mistake Peekskill made, which is to get out on defend Hymes well behind the 3-point line, and learn from the thing Peekskill did to perfection, which was stop Triche on dribble-penetration. Iona Prep was disappointed it couldn’t get its revenge on Peekskill. But beating Jamesville would be more gratifying.
Prediction: Iona Prep 70, Jamesville-DeWitt 64

If you want to read more…

Check out Rick Carpiniello’s column in today’s Journal News on Lou Panzanaro’s take on the Iona Prep-Jamesville game. Panzanaro said: “Sometimes I’m leaning toward J-D, and other times, because of the chemistry on that Iona team and how well they play together, I say, you know what, that’s what it’s going to take to overcome (J-D).”

You can also read my story from yesterday on Sandro Carissimo, who has continued to emerge as a star for the Gaels this season.

Triche was officially named this week the state’s player of the year. Here’s the story.

ESPN.com posted its full football player rankings for each state this week, and there are a few names you’ll recognize.

Matt Deiana of Somers is listed as the state’s No. 1 running back and third overall player with a grade of 77. Daquan Jones, a guard from Johnson City, and Dominique Easley, a defensive end at Curtis H.S. in the city, are both ahead of him. Each is a Top 150 national recruit.

Deiana, a 5-foot-7, 185-pounder, has been limited the last two seasons because of injury. Now the featured back for the Tuskers, he could be poised for a stellar season.

Only four players in the state have a recruiting grade over 40, which is the standard number the site gives to 1-2 star recruits. Also mentioned on the list:

(Brace yourself, there’s no mention of Jeff Mack or Tyrae Woodson-Samuels of Iona Prep or some other notable names)

Mount St. Michael lineman Gary Acquah
Dobbs Ferry running Devonte Brailsford
Spring Valley tackle Junior Emmanuel
Yorktown receiver Mike Fedro
Fox Lane running back Alex Fleitis
Fox Lane defensive back Sean Jones
Fox Lane receive Alex Rhone
Trinity Pawling lineman Jake Schaap (Chappaqua resident)
Poughkeepsie linebacker Jaquawne Simpkins
Poughkeepsie running back Troy Wright
Beacon defensive tackle Joseph Messier
Poughkeepsie running Josh Graham
Albertus Magnus running back Reginald Allonce

As many of you know, two Columbia Univerrsity graduate school students filmed a documentary this season about the Mount Vernon basketball program. Chris Kieffer and Collin Crowell followed the Knights pretty much every day since November, documenting how the program went from near budget-cut casualty to Section 1 champions.

The movie is finished and can be watched on the HoopKnight.com blog, which you can access here. It’s called Hoop Knight: The Season the Town Won Back. Watching the trailer alone on the homepage gives you chills.

The film is roughly 30 minutes long and takes you behind the scenes at Mount Vernon, from pregame speeches to candid interviews with the players at their homes.

I haven’t watched it yet, but I did speak to Kieffer today and he sounded very proud of how it all came out. These guys invested their lives for four months into the project and were so thorough and detailed in their reporting, so I can’t imagine it isn’t worth watching.

Whether you’re a Mount Vernon fan or not, this is definitely worth taking a look at. I know those guys will be anxious to hear your thoughts.

The renowned CYP tournament starts on Thursday at Our Lady of Mercy School gymnasium in Port Chester. If you’ve never been to the CYP, it’s definitely worth checking out.

The games are played on a miniature court and annually feature the elite talent in the tri-state area. It’s probably as intimate a gathering you’ll get to major college basketball players.

In last year’s final, Sylven Landesberg led the MetroHawks past Team Frenji in the championship game. Frenji had a roster that included Mookie Jones, Kevin Jones, Sean Kilpatrick, Tony Taylor and Sherrod Wright. This year’s Frenji team will likely include Wright, although no official rosters can be released until the tournament starts.

Here’s the complete schedule:

First round
Thursday
Long Island Lightning vs. Rodney Abrams, 7:15 p.m.
CT Select vs. NY Mayhem, 8:30 p.m.

Friday
New York Gauchos vs. Sportsgist.com, 7:15 p.m.
Teaches Hoops vs. FCIAC All-Stars, 8:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals
Saturday
NY Panthers vs. Lightning-Rodney Abrams winner, 7:15 p.m.
Team Frenji vs. CT Select-NY Mayhem winner, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday
NYABC vs. NY Gauchos-Sportsgist.com winner, 7:15 p.m.
Metro Hawks vs. Teaches-FCIAC winner, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals
Monday
Saturdays winners, 7:15 p.m.
Sundays winners, 8:30 p.m.

Championship
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

The Our Lady of Mercy school is located on Washington Street and Westchester Avenue in Port Chester. If you want a good seat, get there at least 20 minutes before tipoff and 30 on the days of the semis and finals.

Just confirm, we will not be broadcasting the Iona Prep-Jamesville game on Friday on Lohud.com.

Yes, I know it’s unfortunate. But the decision was made earlier this week not to send the additional staff required to run the operation.

It’s funny to me, though, how outraged certain people are. You’d think we’ve been broadcasting games live on the Internet for decades and suddenly stopped for no reason. This was our first year doing it. It was somewhat successful and we fully intend to do it in the future.

The best basketball players in the Lower Hudson Valley will gather tonight for the annual Westchester County Basketball Coaches Association banquet at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains.

The biggest honor, of course, will go to Sherrod Wright of Mount Vernon, who’ll be recognized as Mr. Basketball. Rob Rizzo of Gorton will be honored as the Coach of the Year.

You can read the story in today’s Journal News, if you haven’t already.

Here’s the complete list of recipients:

All-Section team

Tri-County Mr. Basketball: Sherrod Wright (Mount Vernon)

1st Team Tri-County: Daquan Brickhouse (Peekskill); Chris Ranglin (Gorton); Jabarie Hinds (Mount Vernon); Ralph Watts (Peekskill); John Calarco (New Rochelle); Sherrod Wright (Mount Vernon)

Tri-County Coach of the Year: Rob Rizzo (Gorton)

All-Section/All-Conference selections:

Conference I
All-Section: Sherrod Wright (Mount Vernon); Chris Ranglin (Gorton); Darrell Ward (White Plains); Jabarie Hinds (Mount Vernon); John Calarco (New Rochelle); Jack Detmer (Scarsdale); Dustin Hogue (Lincoln); Travis Wright (New Rochelle); Kevin McCahey (Clarkstown South); Jordan Lessane (Mount Vernon); Mario Iacuone (Mahopac).
All-Conference: Taylor Mondshein (Mamaroneck); John Perez (North Rockland); Antoine Mason (New Rochelle); Malcolm Zamor (Ramapo); Barry Watson (Roosevelt)
Coach of the Year: Kevin Downes (Mahopac) and Chris Roff (North Rockland)

Conference II
All-Section: Daquan Brickhouse (Peekskill); Ralph Watts (Peekskill); London Reyes (Yonkers); Keith Thomas (Yorktown); Matt Townsend (Greeley); Anthony Iacomini (John Jay).
All-Conference: Lavor Morris (Lakeland); Darien Thomas (Peekskill); Ryan O’Rourke (Tappan Zee); Dan Rinaldi (Harrison); Jesse Drinks (Ossining)
Coach of the Year: George Gaine (Tappan Zee)

Conference III
All-Section: Alex Judge (Croton-Harmon); Matt Grossbard (Pearl River); Sir Aaron Taylor (Lincoln Hall); Matt O’Neill (Rye); Floyd Leroy (Albertus Magnus); Alby Skrelji (Hastings); Greg Bratone (Pelham).
All-Conference: Najee Forte (Briarcliff); Brandon Sileck (Croton); Tysean Saigo (Lincoln Hall); Jamie Wrenn (Nanuet); Flynn McFadden (Magnus); Billy Kreinik (Edgemont).
Coach of the Year: Dave Masterson (Nanuet)

Conference IV
All-Section: Kevin Dahill (Dobbs Ferry); Oasiris Yates (Valhalla); Josh O’Neill (North Salem); Rob Magliano (Blind Brook); Shaquille Griffiths (Tuckahoe); Joe Matteo (Pawling).
All-Conference: Max Wein (Solomon Schechter); George Johnson (Hawthorne CK); Ryan Reifenhauser (Dobbs Ferry); Keisuke Naruse (Keio).
Coach of the Year: Dave Greiner (Valhalla)

Went down to Manhattan College this afternoon to watch CHSAA’s top two teams, Iona Prep and Rice, square off in a scrimmage. Rice won 60-52.

It was a great run for both teams. Iona, the A champs, led by 10 at the half and were well in control before the AA champs overwhelmed the Gaels with their length and pressure in the second half.

Here’s how it went quarter by quarter:

First quarter
It might not have been an actual game but Iona Prep sure treated it like one. The Gaels scored the first six points, forced consecutive shot-clock violations, and ended the period ahead 16-9.

Sandro Carissimo was the best player on the floor in the first, just ahead of Brian Voelkel. Iona did a great job of getting up on the ball and closing the passing lanes. Rice tried to push the ball inside and instead had to settle for perimeter shots.

Second quarter
Rice started to make a run but Andre Pope and Voelkel would have no part of it. Pope buried a couple of 3s and Voelkel made a few nifty passes that led to baskets as Iona took a 27-17 lead into the half.

Iona Prep was excellent in transition defense in the first half as Voelkel, Jordan Bronner and Pope came up with steals as Rice tried to increase the tempo.

Rice was clearly frustrated at the break. In the closing minute of the half, Rice coach Mo Hicks kept looking up at the scoreboard with a disgusted stare. For Rice to be held to 17 points in 16 minutes of basketball as unthinkable.

Third quarter
Finally, the real Rice showed up.

Rice, which will face Lincoln in the Class AA Federation semifinals, clamped down on defense and began to spread the ball on offense. Iona doesn’t have the size to get up in Rice’s array of shooters and they started to rain from the outside.

Iona Prep fell behind 40-38 to start the fourth and all signs pointed to Rice widening the lead in the fourth.

The scrimmage got a little chippy at times in the third as Rice got fed up with being outplayed as badly as it did in the first half. A few pushes and hard fouls.

Fourth quarter
And then Rice widened the lead in the fourth. It was quick, too. It put together a couple of long jumpers and continued to make Iona race to cover the court. By the five minute mark, Iona looked like an exhausted team.

The Gaels didn’t look sharp, either, at least no compared to the first three quarters. In the third, they just couldn’t hit a shot. In the fourth, it looked they stopped trying to work for good ones. Rice pounced and, from what I remember, went up by as many as 14.

Iona finished strong as Pope converted a three-point play with a second left to make it an eight-point loss.

Final thoughts…

Afterwards I spoke to Hicks to get his impressions on Iona Prep. Here’s what he said:

“They’re a very good team. They’re well coached and a lot of talent. They have some good shooters and (Voelkel) can pass the ball really well and is a player. I’m rooting for them now. I hope they win.”

“I think they could hang (in the AA Division). On a day-to-day basis, I think they’d be capable of playing with all of us and they’d win some games. I don’t think that the talent level as drastic as people might want it to seem. I think if they had one more big man, they could be really good. They’re one player away.”

Please take a moment and click over to the Gameday Central blog and vote for the Gameface of the Week. The images and poll are down the right side of the page.

There’s an image of a Peekskill fan and one of Daquan Brickhouse.