All-Decade Basketball Awards
I tried people, I really did. I tried to simply put together a list of awards. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a miniature almanac of the decade.
Yes, I promised you the football awards first. But as I was writing it, I didn’t feel like I did adequate enough research and wanted to take a little more time. The basketball version was solid so I’m posting it first. Football will come shortly.
Hope you enjoy.
Player of the Decade: Mookie Jones, Peekskill: How can you argue with the resume? Jones was a five-year starter, a four-time state champ, a three-year all-state selection, three-time Journal News all-star, two-time Federation champ and the winningest player in Section 1 history.
But, to me, that all is secondary. My No. 1 reason for choosing Jones – over Ben Gordon at No. 2 and Michael Coburn at No. 3 — is largely based on the area-wide appeal and rock star status Jones built.
Talent-wise, Gordon proved to be the best of the decade. He was a player who many local basketball fans made a point to go watch at least once in his career. It was that way from the middle of his junior season on.
For Mookie, it was four straight years of it, and he was like Bruce Springsteen: an attraction people couldn’t get enough of.
As I said, Gordon will be revered as the most talented player. Mookie was the symbol of the decade.
Players of the Decade (by class)
AA: Ben Gordon, Mount Vernon
A: Mookie Jones, Peekskill
B: Tyrell Thompson, Kennedy
C: Kyl Jones, Pleasantville
D: Benjamin Keys, Martin Luther King
Coach of the Decade: Bob Cimmino, Mount Vernon: Can’t imagine there would be much debate here. Cimmino took what was already regarded as the state’s best basketball program and elevated to new heights since the start of the 1999-2000.
As I always say, Cimmino doesn’t get nearly enough credit for what he does when the basketballs are put away. From tutoring sessions and SAT prep to simple things like manners and life skills, Cimmino never stops teaching, coaching, mentoring and, in many ways, parenting his players.
In 10 years of covering the program, I can only remember one player failing off the team and have never heard of a serious disciplinary incident. If you’re in the gym and a player walks by you, he always looks you in the eye and shakes your hand.
Many say the history of the program is defined by winning. Under Cimmino, it’s defined by class.
Coaches of the Decade (by class)
AA: Bob Cimmino, Mount Vernon
A: Lou Panzanaro, Peekskill
B: Tom Nelligan, Kennedy
C: Henry Sassone, North Salem
D: Drew Watson, Hamilton
Program of the Decade: Mount Vernon: The school won every Section 1 title this decade with one exception. It made eight trips to the state final four in Glens Falls, capturing four state and three Federation titles. The program sent 13 players to Division I and countless others into college on some level.
The most staggering testament to the program is its record from the stat of the 1999-2000 season through the 2008-09 season: 236-34.
Programs of the Decade (by class)
AA: Mount Vernon
A: Peekskill
B: Kennedy
C: Blind Brook
D: Hamilton
Team of the Decade: Mount Vernon, 2003-04. This is a debate that should cause a wildfire of comments.
The 1999-2000 team was phenomenal. It went 28-0 and won state and Federation titles. It was a superior collection of talent, led by a future NBA star.
But I firmly believe the 2003-04 team accomplished more.
It lost three games — to eventual national champion Oak Hill, in overtime to No. 3 ranked Edgewater (Fla.) and to a sensational St. Raymond team which went on to win the CHSAA city title. The Knights played that game without Keith Benjamin, who injured his ankle in warmups.
Look at who this Mount Vernon team beat: Chester (Pa.), Hillcrest (Alab.), nationally-ranked Montrose Christian (Tenn), Rice, Niagara Falls (with Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris), St. Raymond and Sebastian Telfair and Lincoln.
Mount Vernon finished the season 27-3 and ranked seventh in the country.
Whether the 1999-2000 team was better is inconsequestional. No team, maybe ever, accomplished what the 03-04 team did. And maybe nobody ever will.
Teams of the Decade (by class)
AA: Mount Vernon 2003-04
A: Peekskill, 2006-07
B: Kennedy, 2003-04
C: Blind Brook, 2001-02
D: Hamilton, 2003-04
Biggest story of the Decade: Brawl at New Paltz. How could you forget this one? Kennedy and Burke Catholic were engaged in “dogfight” at SUNY New Paltz in the 2005 Class B state regional final. The game was testy at times and Burke took a 47-45 lead with 4:33 left in the fourth quarter when chaos ensued.
Dan O’Connell, Kennedy’s star point guard, got wrapped up with Burke forward Andrew Jackson. The contact leads to the two players wrestling to the floor. As they begin fighting, the Kennedy bench empties onto the floor. None of the players get involved in the scuffle, which is broken up by the refs (and North County News reporter Ray Gallagher).
The refs decide to assign technical fouls to both teams and resume play. The Burke coach argues, and wins, for all nine players on Kennedy’s bench to be ejected for entering the court. Kennedy has only four eligible players remaining.
The Burke coach, however, continued arguing, wanting two technical fouls assessed for each player ejected (yes, he wanted 36 free throws). After nearly 20 minutes of discussion, the referees to decide to suspend the game.
The game is resumed two days later, with no fans admitted and no additional technical fouls assessed. Thanks to a obscure rule in the state handbook, Kennedy is permitted to promote a few JV players to its roster.
Sophomore Brendan Holland, in his varsity debut, helps Kennedy shut out Burke in the final 4:33 and advance to the state semifinal. It was the wildest game I’ve ever been a part of.
Best Performance of the Decade: Danilio Hutchinson, Mount Vernon. Plenty of guys in the past 10 years have gone out and scored 40 points, hit game-winning shots or played clutch in championship games. Hutchinson, though, had the most inspirational of the decade.
Hutchinson, in many respects, had a shaky senior season. He came in with a lot of hype but didn’t always produce on a consistent basis. He finally started to play his best basketball in the sectional and state tournament as the Knights reached the state final against Niagara Falls.
In the second quarter, Hutchinson came down awkwardly on his knee and gruesomely hyper-extended it. He needed to be carried off the floor, seemingly never to return.
Why this performance is so prominent in my mind was because of what I witnessed at halftime: Hutchinson lying on a trainers table at halftime sobbing because the pain was so bad. Trainer Peter Montpelier tried to massage the knee but Hutchinson only yelled louder.
Then, late in the third quarter, Hutchinson hobbled back to the bench and pleaded to go in. With Mount Vernon trailing, Cimmino rolled the dice and called Hutchinson in. He limped back on the court with 2:08 left and mustered just enough power to score the game-tying basket, two steals and the game-clinching rebound as Mount Vernon rallied for a 57-53 victory.
The celebration was something I’ll never forget: all the Mount Vernon players mobbed each other on one end of the court. And Hutchinson was on the other, dragging his leg with tears in his eyes to join in. It was storybook.
Season of the decade: Taj Finger, Fox Lane, 2003-04. Fortunately, there were no blogs back when Finger played. Because, to this day, he was the most scrutinized player I’ve ever covered.
At 6-foot-9, he was expected to dominant games from the second he stepped onto the varsity his freshman year. It didn’t happen until his senior year, when he willed Fox Lane to one unexpected victory after another.
Finger was incredible at the County Center, upsetting top-ranked Port Chester in the final, and leading the Foxes to the state semifinals, where they lost to eventual Federation champ Jamesville-DeWitt.
Finger was named The Journal News player of the year and Section 1’s Mr. Basketball.
Games of the decade
1. North Salem vs Briarcliff, 2006 Class B final: An unforgettable game with an unfortunate finish. North Salem pulled off an incredible upset with a near flawless effort against the defending Class B champs. The game will be remembered for Joe Lombardi violently trying to punch the ball out of Marc Miller’s hands in the final seconds. But this game should be remembered for its twists, turns and sensational high-level of play.
2. Peekskill vs. Lakeland, 2007 Class A final: The ball didn’t hit the rim. Mookie Jones admitted. The refs (and somebody at the scorers table) blew the call. Peekskill won a thriller. That’s all you pretty much need to know.
3. New Rochelle vs. Mount Vernon, 2005 Class AA final: The largest crowd I’ve ever seen at the County Center, and maybe the only time we’ll ever have seven future Division I players and an NFL Pro Bowl on the court together.
4a. Newburgh Free Academy vs. Mount Vernon, 2009, Class AA regional: Assuming you didn’t leave early, nobody will ever forget Will Bouton’s 55-footer at the buzzer to win it at Pace University. It came after Mount Vernon thought it had won the game at the buzzer on the previous possession.
4b. Mount Vernon, Newburgh Free Academy, 2007 Class AA regional: And, assuming you weren’t one of the 500 fans denied entry of the sell out game, you can’t forget Kevin Jones’ 3-pointer in the final minute to cap Mount Vernon’s amazing 14-point comeback.
5. Mount Vernon vs. Poughkeepsie, 2000 Class A final: We rarely get treated to two undefeated teams playing for a Class AA title. Tight game where the Ben Gordon legacy was truly born.
6. Peekskill vs. Glens Falls, 2007 Class A state final: The Glens Falls Civic Center was a sea or red as every chair in the 6,000-seat arena was filled and fans lined to the top railings. Mookie Jones out-dueled Jimmer Ferdette, scoring 21 points while Elliot Watson had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight blocks.
7. Mount Vernon vs. St. Raymond, 2004 Class AA Federation semifinal: Keith Benjamin came off the bench and turned in a career effort, scoring 23 points in the 72-66 win. The Knights beat Lincoln the next day for the title.
8. Mount Vernon vs. Binghamton, 2001 Class AA state quarterfinals: Ben Gordon made countless big shots in his career. But this game was decided on his assist to Will Cherry, who buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 61-58 win.
9. Hamilton (Section 3) vs. Hamilton (Section 1), 2000 Class D state final: The triple-overtime thriller ranks as one of the greatest games in Glens Falls history. Upstate Hamilton beat the Section 1 Hamilton, 91-86.
10. Kennedy vs. Chenango Valley, 2005 Class B state quarterfinals: Tyrell Thompson scored a career-high 41 points, including 28 in the second half, and assisted on the winning basket in the 74-73 classic. Oh, and Thompson blocked a 3-pointer at the buzzer to seal it. Incredible game.
And just for fun…
Stepinac-Briarcliff, 2006 Slam Dunk Seventh-Place Game: Nobody wants to leave a tournament winless, and these teams proved it. An epic triple-overtime game will be remembered for Tony Taylor scoring 54 points. But Briarcliff won, 88-86, in what will likely be the greatest seventh-place game ever played.
Journal News Player of the Year awards (Westchester):
2000: Ben Gordon, Mount Vernon
2001: Ben Gordon, Mount Vernon
2002: Donnie McGrath Kennedy
2003: Jamal Webb, Kennedy
2004: Taj Finger, Fox Lane
2005: Geoff McDermott, New Rochelle
2006: Jonathan Mitchell, Mount Vernon
2007: Michael Coburn, Mount Vernon
2008: Kevin Jones, Mount Vernon
2009: Sherrod Wright, Mount Vernon
Section 1 champs by year
YEAR CLASS AA CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C CLASS D
2000 Mt. Vernon Kennedy Pleasantville A. Hamilton
2001 Mt. Vernon Nyack Pleasantville Haldane
2002 Mt. Vernon Peekskill Blind Brook Leake /Watts
2003 Mt. Vernon Beacon Tuckahoe Leake /Watts
2004 Mt. Vernon Fox Lane Kennedy Blind Brook A. Hamilton
2005 New Rochelle Peekskill Kennedy Lincoln Hall MLK
2006 Mt. Vernon Peekskill Kennedy Tuckahoe MLK
2007 Mt. Vernon Peekskill Briarcliff A. Hamilton Clark Academy
2008 Mt. Vernon Peekskill No. Salem Tuckahoe Clark Academy
2009 Mt. Vernon Peekskill Lincoln Hall Valhalla MLK
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Kev,
Interesting stuff. Great job.
Kevin,
great job. This clearly took a lot of work and great effort. I might not agree with you on everything – Taj Finger having a better Sr year than Geoff McDermott??? or Mookie Jones player of the decade over Ben Gordon??? But I really enjoyed reading it.
Games of the decade
1. North Salem vs Briarcliff, 2006 Class B final:
I thought this game was played in 2008?
The 03-04 MV squad was awesome and a lot of fun to watch.
Nice job Kevin. Not really much to argue with here. The Kennedy teams in the mid 2000’s were some of the best teams I’ve seen. Tyrell Thompson was unbelievable.
Kev,
Great job. The only comment I have is I disagree with this comment about the Briacliff vs North Salem game
“The game will be remembered for Joe Lombardi violently trying to punch the ball out of Marc Miller’s hands in the final seconds”
The game will be remembered a few seconds after the above incident when Lombardi takes his jersey off and throws it onto the court. Also, Briacliff talking a lot but not backing it up was interesting as well.
Great job Kevin.
Best Class D basketball player in the decade would be Eric Mingo from MLK circa 2006 I believe. He would have started and contributed on any team in the section. He was 6’7” but could handle like a 1 and rebound and box out like a 5. Anybody remember seeing him play? He and Manny Lopez were an impressive duo
you have a great memory…Will Cherry at the time had a better jumpshot then Ben gordon
Spectator,
Will Cherry had a better jumpshot than Ben Gordon? Very bold statement. Cherry could shoot though.
Just a Fan,
By your own admission you were “never a player”, when a player outscores the other team single handidly in the second half of a championship game to bring his team back from down 18pts to force overtime its special to watch.
Never mind, your obviously blog trash.
north salem / briarcliff was definitely 2008, not 2006. other than that, nice stuff.
Lombardi was a cry baby take it like an athlete everyone loses one time or another just a bitter end and a shame to watch a good ballplayer end his career that way.
Kevin –
Perfect choice for coach with Bob Cimmino. Glad you mentioned that not only does Cimmino churn out high quality ball players but he also gives them necessary skills for life. Every one of his D1 players have been able to go straight from Mt Vernon High right into NCAA play without skipping a beat. There isn’t another school in this area that has produced multiple Division 1 players this decade that can make that same claim with the exception of Iona P. Even so, there is no comparison between the two programs because Iona P has had far fewer D1 ballers this decade. Also, they are a private school that pre-screens applicants for academic qualifications.
That being said, some MV players have had some difficulty adjusting to life after they have left the friendly confines of Cimmino’s program. No program is perfect and I guess a man can only do so much…
Does anyone know what % of the D1 players from Mt Vernon this decade went on to get their degree? I hope the vast majority of them have been able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them by this fine program.
I think the team of the Decade should be the 99-00 team. They had the most talent and at the end of the day, u can only play the teams on your schedule. I could be wrong but i believe that each member of their starting line up went d1. I think it was jomo, dextar, ben, cherry, and maybe Bryan Browne, not to sure who the fifth was.
Kevin:
Posting great stuff at 2 in the morning. Lay off the Red Bull and get some sleep.
Spectator,
Dextar or Greg Jenkins?
Hoops Fan,
Great point about Taj v. Mcdermott. Can’t go wrong with either choice. I remember seeing Taj first hand have to put up with tough crowds. Yet, Mcdermott stopped the MV Dynasty for one year.
Wazzuny88
Probably Greg, Dextar might have come the next year. Greg went to Iona i think.
spectator u cant compare the two teams. browne didnt play D one. the 04 team had five d one players. Each d one was mid major or higher. Cherry didnt play div one.
Lombardi did do that but people seem to forget that he played unbelievable that game and was the ONLY reason bcliff was in it.
Manny Lopez and Eric Mingo were awesome anyone know where they ended up? I think atleast one of them had d1 potential
kev
great piece the basketball might have been a lil easier than the football because the number of kids but i have to agree with your selections it’s kinda hard to argue most of the choices especially the mount vernon choices. b/c m.v. has put lower westchester on it’s back.
i like mookie jones as the best ball player of the decade mookie had a great high school career ben is a good and close second followed by john mitchell and mike coburn.
those players gave us some great moment the last ten years. and i’m pretty sure that everyone on this blogg has a great ben, mookie, john, and mike moment etch in their hearts!
Section 1,
I am now a fan but was a player way way back in the day. Did I have the talent in Basketball as Lombardi’s, clearly not. The kid was a VERY talented player with a GREAT supporting cast. I would guess the best Briacliff Basketball TEAM ever. But unfortunate as it maybe that game will be remembered as much by the his great scoring in the 2nd half as his jersey throwing. Sorry if the truth hurts. Look do you see where Kevin mention the great 2nd half performance by Lombardi?? Let me remind you of Kevin’s comments. Clearly Kevin was trying to be politically correct and not mentioning the jersey.
“The game will be remembered for Joe Lombardi violently trying to punch the ball out of Marc Miller’s hands in the final seconds”
Yep…I still don’t still Lombardi’s stats?
No mention of the great game played by the undermatched North Salem team. THe great performance by Marc Miller that center for NS and that great game by the PG.
Listen, if you ask Lombardi I am sure he would like to take that back. This is a kid who was a little “aggressive” to but it nicely. Was he a stud, NO DOUBT about it!! Does one bad incident take away from a great HS career, clearly not. But that play is stuck in most peoples head when you think of that game. Scary as it may sound but I think he was even a better baseball player.
bob,
If I’m correct the ‘00 team started Greg Jenkins, Ben Gordon, Jomo and Will Cherry as sophs and John Plenty or Kevin Mitchell. Jenkins was one of the most underrated and underrecruited out of MV in a long time. Gordon was a superstar – I thought he was robbed not being a McDonald’s All American. The ‘04 team may have finished higher in national rankings, but I’d have a hard time picking against the ‘00 team with Gordon taking the tough shots. In terms of D1 talent, the ‘00 team still had Gordon/UCONN, Jenkins/Iona, Belfor/James Madison and John Plenty/St Francis. I think Will Cherry played at a JUCO and Kevin Mitchell played DII.
Kevin, kudos to you, you did a marvelous job with this. Might I just add one thing to the memorable North Salem-Briarcliff game of 2008? The real take-away from it was the upset factor. Although North Salem was riding a 21-game winning streak at the time, ending Briarcliff’s reign was the real story here. Master Lombardi’s meltdown came after the game was already wrapped up. The real beauty of the game was how North Salem rose to the occasion as a team to get the key baskets in O.T., the key stops and overtake the favorite.
North Salem. You are very correct in that assessment of that gold ball game in March 2008. Briarcliff was supposed to win and did not.
Surprisingly, Briarcliff will again be the favorite to win Class B this season. Najee Forte is back practicing and is looking very, very good. Briarcliff is already 7-2 without him. Watch out for this team now if you have to play them in the second half.
This time they should win at the County Center because of a much more balanced offensive team.
Just A Fan –
For what it’s worth Joe Lombardi hit .143 with no jacks for the LeMoyne Dolphins last year. Not exactly stud-like numbers.
Buttermaker-
I said great HS. I wasn’t aware of his college numbers. But he is playing Div 1 baseball and that is something you need to tip your cap to.
valhalla vs milbrook regional semi-final 2009 suny new paltz crazy fourth quarter from the vikings
Kevin,
I disagree completely with you choosing Mookie over Ben Gordon in the basketball player of the decade. But this is your list, so I thought its your prerogative choosing Mookie who accomplished more over 4 years in A than Gordon did in 4 years of AA. If your criteria was solely 4 year accomplishments. But then I read your football choice today of Ray Rice over Nigel Morris and you seem to completely contradict your rationale on the basketball choice. You wrote this for Rice over Morris,
“When I watched Morris, I knew I was watching a great high school football player. When I watched Rice, I knew I was watching a transcendent talent and the best I’d ever watched.”
Everyone I know who saw Ben Gordon in HS knew they were looking at a transcendant-type talent. No one said the same about Mookie. Most people who saw Mookie agreed he was a great HS player, but had a long way to go. Ben Gordon was simply a better player than Mookie in HS. Gordon was absolutely “transcendant” in HS, Mookie was not. The similarities between Rice/Morris and Gordon/Mookie are uncanny. How you use one rationale for one set of guys and another rationale for the other is mind-boggling. I know you spent a ton of time one these things, I just wish there was some common strain of logic or consistency in how you made the choices. Choosing Ray Rice in football and not Ben Gordon in basketball is beyond reason. If you chose Nigel Morris in football, choosing Mookie Jones makes a lot of sense – but not if you chose Ray Rice.
Buttermaker,
You like most forget that when kids go from HS(Studs)to Division 1 programs there is a relative adjustment to say the least.
Need I remind you that the likes of Mookie Jones, Hilton Armstrong, Keith Benjamin, Otis Hill etc. Not to mention Shawn KilPatrick, Ralph Watts and so on all STUDS in High School. Most of these kids either got red-shirted due to “0” playing time as freshmen or rode the bench into their junior seasons. In the case of Hilton and Benjamin their breakthrough for playing time didnt come til their senior seasons. Hill, Shawn, Mookie and Ralph all were redshirted even after “spirited and competitive” recruitments.
What sport and Division 1 program did you say you played at?
Thought so.
Its always amusing to see on these blogs all the talk of when a kid is or isnt Div 1, and then if he isnt all-american as a freshmen or doesnt play he is all of a sudden a disapointment. Just shows the lack of perspective by most on what an accomplishment it is to even get their and what level of competition awaits.
Division 1 –
Insecure much?
A couple of things are wrong with your post.
First of all, you can’t compare Big East Basketball with LeMoyne College Baseball. That would be like comparing Iona Hoops with a Big East program.
Secondly, disappointment over a player not making All American as a Freshman? Not really, just responding to a hyperbolic post about the stud like qualities of a certain student athlete and his actual production at the next level.
Where did you get your college degree? Thought so.
Buttermaker,
While your checking stats and LeMoyne College you may want to consider that LeMoyne College had 7 players drafted in the last 4 years. Last years schedule included University of Georgia(ranked #1) Tulane (ranked #18) East Carolina (top 20) Georgia Southern (top 20) not to mention Boston College. This year they are at Florida State.
Also, last I checked Albany was not in the Big East.
Its seems that you and your facts are what needs to be straightened out. The only thing that is hyperbolic is your lack of perspective.
Insecure? you mean like trying to bash kids or student athletes on a blog, and then claiming to be educated? It seems that is where your security stems from. Great job!
As I thought, sorry you didnt get to the next level and that someone wasted their money on your education or lack there of.
Division 1 –
You’re showing your ignorance once again.
What was LeMoyne’s record against those ranked teams that you mentioned? If Duke plays NC Central are they on the same level?
Is a player getting drafted by the NBA the same as a player getting drafted by MLB? How many rounds in the NBA? How many in MLB?
Since when is it ‘bashing’ a player for relaying his stats that are posted on his school’s web-site?
Sorry to make you look silly in a public forum but you clearly don’t know how to argue.
Time to get that refresher course on your GED my friend.
Buttermaker,
LeMoyne is an Independent playing some of the top Baseball programs in the country year in and year out.
Then you say, what was their record? Last I checked the team with the worst record last year in The Big East is still a Big East school, regardless if they won any games in the Big East.
If North Carolina looses to The College of Charleston an unranked opponent does the game not count? Are they then to say, “they arent on our level”? You may want to check todays sports section.
Posting stats isnt bashing, but the weak commentary after makes you sound like a fool. Trust me, your the silly one, I gather your expertise stems from years of “watching” others compete. It must have been tough getting cut from the HS JV team.
I wonder how you know so much about GED refresher courses, Just how many times exactly did you fail the GED exam?
Difficult choice to make for player of the decade, but Mookie Jones is a good one and as deserving as anybody.
I only saw Finger play once, which was at Glens Falls vs. Jamesville Dewitt. He did not look great, and was well contained by a much smaller team.
2003 Mt Vernon was definitely the best of the lot. It was not their star power or individual prowess, but their depth. These guys brought players off the bench without losing stride, and had a fresh team on the floor at all times.
Division 1 –
You are still having trouble making a reasonable argument so I’m going to help you.
If you said that Ralph Watts’ and Joe Lombardi’s struggles at Albany and LeMoyne respectively, should be a lesson to those on this blog about how difficult it is to make it on even the Mid-Major Division 1 level – fine! You are comparing two athletes who dominated local High School competition and were recruited by similar programs in their respective sports. And yes – it is very difficult – we agree on something.
When you start comparing Lombardi and Watts to Mookie Jones trying to make it at Syracuse you are saying all Division 1 conferences are the same. You are exposing to everyone that you don’t know anything about college athletics.
Additionally, if the posting of a player’s stats makes you this sensitive and insecure then clearly you have bigger issues.
From this point forward you have to go by the screen name Divsion None – there’s no way you were accepted into an accredited 4 year college.
I tend to agree with scary and go with the 2003 team. The back to back performances in Glens Falls were amazing. That St. Rays team they beat was loaded. They had 3 division one kids(Reese-NC State,Lang-Seton Hall,Torres-St. Johns(now at Norfolk). Then they turn around and beat Lincoln with Telfair-NBA, Pena-Nova, Boeteng-Florida/Cal for football, and Lawrence/St. Johns .
That is sick and they flat out deserved that state and fed championship. Loved watching them do that. Clear underdogs and they rose to the occasion. Hard to put any team ahead of this.
HRs,
Good point about MV’s ‘04 performance at the Federations. Beating Lincoln was a huge win and shutting down Telfair was even more impressive – Chris Lowe is forever ingrained in my head as one of the best defenders ever in this area after his performance against Telfair. It would be interesting to hear Coach Cimmino’s opinion for his best team ever.
GREAT point about Lowe. Teflair was completley taken out of his game. I saw Telfair play countless HS games and never was he handled that way.
I was actually equally impressed with the St. Rays win.That was a great high school game. Benjamin’s stock went up after that performance.
I am sure you were there like I was. No one gave MV a chance to win it all. They were far from slouches, but Lincoln’s star power was the talk of the town.
Hopefully Kevin can get a comment from Cimmino. That would be great.
Butterball and Division 1,
As I read your arguments, one thing becomes crystal clear….....Every one of the kids mentioned is at the wrong college. If you post all their stats, basketball and baseball it is shocking how “studs” around here overreach in their college choices.
There is nothing wrong with playing baseball or basketball at the DII or DII level. As long as the school is at least as good or better academically.
Buttermaker,
My point, which you are able to finally get once you try not to degrade or insult is just that. How difficult it is for even studs to make it at the Division 1 level. Especially, in their Freshmen year, and to your point playing in the higher levels of D1 normally means a higher likelihood of being red-shirted to create a “two year” adjustment period vs one year.
I have no problem with posting stats, but when you post stats of a D1 College freshmen, for the purpose of drawing a negative conclusion or degrading a kids ability. You make an ass of yourself by your own admission(but at least your good at it). Regardgless of what D1 level your talking about.
Reality,
Funny, your name is something you have no sense of. Benjamin, Mookie Jones, Shawn Kilpatrick, Watts, Armstrong Otis Hill, etc. all tremendous athletes who made or still will a chance to make contributions in junior and senior years. Because they dont do it as freshmen they chose the wrong College?
The same is true of a lot of Heisman Trophy winners, they didnt start as freshmen or where redshirted so they are at the wrong school????
Your a dope!
Happy New Year to all…
Great job, Kevin, projects like these should inspire discussion…there sure was a lot of good b-ball to follow since ‘00…enjoy this, like to see more…
[...] how dominant he was. These memories of Kyl on the court were brought back to life last week when The Varsity Insider named their High School Players of the Decade for (by class). Kyl is my brother and best friend, [...]
Kevin,
I agree with everything here. But there is one other game that sticks out in my mind- Tuckahoe vs. Hastings in the 2003 Class C semifinals. Jamal Webb and Tuckahoe pulled the stunning upset over undefeated Hastings in route to an improbable sectional title. The other thing that stands out about that game was the fight between the two cheerleading teams at center court during halftime… that’s something you don’t see every day.
How about the Mater Dei vs. White Plains game at Pace in 2007?
OK ALOTTA MUSTVE BEEN ASLEEP WHEN RANDY BRUNSON OF MOUNT VERNON WAS ON THE TEAM FROM 99 UNTIL 02. HE WENT OFF AGAINST WP AND POUGHKEEPSIE TO BRING MV THE 02 SECTIONAL SCORING 53 POINTS COMBINE. THEN HE WENT OFF STRAIGHT TO GREECE AND PLAYED FOR A TEAM OUT THERE MAKING OVA A HUNDRED THOUSAND A YR. NOW HE STILL PLAYS AND IS IN GREAT SHAPE ALSO RUNNING A MILLION DOLLAR BUISNESS IMPORTING AND EXPORTING ORGANIC FOOD