Varsity Insider

As I reported a week ago today, CHSAA basketball coaches voted to move Iona Prep into the AA division last week. I’ll have more on that in a bit.

First is this: The Gaels may be forced to move up in division without their top returning player. That’s because sophomore guard Isiah Ice is likely transferring to a school in New Jersey, according to information from several sources. Ice’s family is moving to Hoboken.

Ice’s absence would prove difficult to overcome for Iona Prep — at least in the short term. He’s the only returning starter from the CHSAA “A” city and state champ. The Gaels would already face a challenge competing in the revamped AA division even with him.

———

Now, below is a look at the new power rankings. There are two big changes this season.

1. With Iona Prep up in the AA, All Hallows was voted to move down to the A. Longtime coach John Carey was furious about the demotion. The school has been a mainstay in the AA division and is still pushing to remain there.

Salesian and Nazareth were both promoted as well. They will move from the B division to the A. Moore Catholic will join Iona Prep in moving from the A to the AA. Monsignor Farrell will drop to the A.

2. Teams in the Archdiocesan will now play 18 league games, meaning at least one against every team. Last year, for example, teams only crossed over with two teams from the other division. Top-ranked St. Ray’s and Cardinal Hayes from the New York Archdiocesan played top-ranked Christ the King and Bishop Loughlin. Now, every team will play each CHSAA team outside of its division once.

(The Brooklyn/Queens teams will not play the Staten Island teams, so they will play 16 league games apiece.)

Anyway, here’s a look at the power rankings for the 2012-13 season:

Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan
1. Christ the King
2. Bishop Loughlin
3. Holy Cross
4. Archbishop Molloy
5. Xaverian
6. St. Francis Prep
7. Bishop Ford
8. St Edmund
9. Nazareth
10. Monsignor McClancy
11. St. John’s Prep
12. Cathedral Prep

New York Archdiocesan
1 . St. Ray’s
2. Cardinal Hayes
3. Mount St. Michael
4. Stepinac
5. Iona Prep
6. Fordham Prep
7. All Hallows
8. Xavier
9. Cardinal Spellman
10. Regis
11. LaSalle
12. Salesian
13. St. Agnes
14. Sacred Heart
15. Blessed Sacrament
16. Monsignor Scanlan

Staten Island
1. St. Peter’s
2. Moore Catholic
3. Monsignor Farrell
4. St. Joe’s by the Sea

Here are the divisions:

Class AA
Brooklyn/Queens — Christ the King, Bishop Loughlin, Holy Cross, Archbisohp Molloy, Xaverian, St. Francis Prep
New York — St. Ray’s, Cardinal Hayes, Mount St. Michael, Stepinac, Iona Prep, Fordham Prep
Staten Island: St. Peter’s, Moore Catholic

Class A
Brooklyn/Queens — Bishop Ford, St. Edmund, Nazareth, Monsignor McClancy, St. John’s Prep
New York — All Hallows, Xavier, Cardinal Spellman, Regis, LaSalle, Salesian
Staten Island: Monsignor Farrell, St. Joseph’s by the Sea

Class B
Brooklyn/Queens — Cathedral Prep
New York — St. Agnes, Sacred Heart, Blessed Sacrament, Monsignor Scanlan

Hello, folks! It’s been a bit. Sorry for my absence the last week. I assure you that I’m back and have no trips planned for the foreseeable future.

There’s a number of items to touch on, but let’s start with last week’s announcement of the all-state boys basketball teams.

The list of honorees was led by Sky Williams (pictured right). He propelled Tuckahoe to just the second state championship in program history this season and his latest reward was being named Class C state player of the year.

The 6-foot-2 guard led Section 1 in scoring and broke the Tuckahoe all-time scoring record in the process. He also went on to earn MVP honors at the section and state tournament as the Tigers finished a perfect 25-0.

Mount Vernon’s Isaiah Cousins and Mount St. Michael’s Malik Gill (Class AA); Tappan Zee’s Pat Peterson (Class A); and Albertus Magnus’ Tyler Sayre (Class B) were all first-team all-state selections in their respective classes. Cousins, Peterson and Sayre all led their teams to Section 1 championships; Gill, a New Rochelle resident, led his into the CHSAA’s AA Archdiocesan championship game.

Mount Vernon, the Class AA state champ, was one of just eight schools statewide to have three players named all-state.

This also proved to be a particularly strong season for Rockland County, which had seven players from its school placed on all-state teams, including two each from Tappan Zee and Albertus.

Below is a look at all players with local ties who were honored by the sportswriters. Here are the complete Class AA and A teams, followed by the complete Class B, C and D teams.

CLASS AA

Player of the year: Omar Calhoun, Sr., Christ the King

First team: Isaiah Cousins, Sr., Mount Vernon; Malik Gill, Sr., Mount St. Michael (New Rochelle resident)

Third team: Mike McCahey, Sr., Clarkstown South

Fourth team: Jalen Jenkins, Sr., Cardinal Hayes (Yonkers resident)

Fifth team: Randy Stephens, Sr., Mount Vernon

Sixth team: Jarrel Marshall, Sr., Mount Vernon; Will Trawick, Sr., Fox Lane

Ninth team: Josh James, Jr., Stepinac

12th team: Nick Segarra, Sr., John Jay-East Fishkill

13th team: David Haye, Sr., Ramapo

CLASS A

Player of the year: Dajuan Coleman, Sr., Jamesville-DeWitt

First team: Pat Peterson, Sr., Tappan Zee

Third team: Chandler Pierce, Sr., Peekskill; Thiago Randazzo, Sr., Kennedy

Fourth team: Billy O’Shea, Sr., Tappan Zee

Fifth team: Felix Abongo, Sr., Iona Prep

Sixth team: Dave Solano, Sr., Eastchester

Eighth team: Jeff Lynch, Jr., Byram Hills

Ninth team: Jarell Brown, Sr., Beacon; Jack Dignan, Sr., Brewster

10th team: Tim McCarthy, Sr., Iona Prep

11th team: Joe Clinton, Sr., Pearl River

CLASS B

Co-players of the year: Ryan Frankel and Connor Huff, Collegiate

First team: Tyler Sayre, Sr., Albertus Magnus

Second team: Pat McGuinness, Sr., Albertus Magnus

Fifth team: Ian Thom, Jr., Croton-Harmon; Eric Paschall, So., Dobbs Ferry

Seventh team: Reece Williams, Sr., Woodlands

Eighth team: Antoine Saliba, Sr., Blind Brook

10th team: Brian Daniels, Jr., Briarcliff

11th team: Thomas Fleming, Sr., Dobbs Ferry

12th team: Alex Gendelman, Sr., Rye Country Day

CLASS C

Player of the year: Sky Williams, Tuckahoe

Second team: Justin Nolan, Sr., Tuckahoe

Eighth team: Will Hoffman, Sr., Haldane

CLASS D

Player of the year: Zach D’Alessandro, Sackets Harbor

(No local representation)

Ra’Shad James has decided to leave Iona. That had been a rumor during the season, that the White Plains grad was unhappy with his role with the Gaels. It appears there was some truth to it.

The explosive James recently visited Northwood University in West Palm Beach, Fla., and it is the leader for his services. As an NAIA school, James could play immediately without having to sit out next season.

Northwood University is the alma mater of Port Chester’s Melvin Calhoun and Lincoln’s Lester Hunte. James would have the opportunity to play for former Villanova coach Rollie Massimimo.

James originally played at Division II St. Thomas Aquinas before transferring into Iona two years ago. He sat out the 2010-11 season before joining the Gaels for their 2011-12 campaign, which ended in the NCAA Tournament.

A few other notes:

• Dustin Hogue has attracted interest from a host of Division I programs, including Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri, Arkansas, Wichita State, Oklahoma and others. The 6-foot-6 former Lincoln star left Yonkers after the 2009-10 season. He played prep school ball the following year and then played as a freshman at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa and averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

• Thomas Fleming plans to play basketball at Chaminade, a Division II school in Honolulu. The Dobbs Ferry senior will join the school that once became famous for pulling off perhaps the greatest upset in NCAA history. Chaminade beat No. 1 Virginia and Ralph Sampson in 1982. The school hosts the prestigious Maui Classic every year, meaning the team has opportunities to face major Division I programs. Next year’s field includes UNC and Texas.

• Iona Prep announced a few days ago where linemen Kameron Tedder and Matt Carroll will play their college football. Tedder, a defensive end who was Super 11 as a senior, has committed to Southern Connecticut. Carroll, a guard, chose C.W. Post.

• My colleague Vince Mercogliano reported earlier this week that Harrison QB Vin Nicita had surgery to repair his meniscus. However, the surgery is minor. Nicita, a baseball player, hopes he can play designated hitter come playoff time. If that’s the case, he should be fine for football camps this spring and summer.

The Sullivan family has started a foundation to honor former Albertus Magnus star Dan Sullivan, who passed away on Oct. 31 of last year. The Dan Sullivan Foundation will host its first event on Saturday, May 5 at Albertus Magnus High School.

Tickets to the event cost $100 and include food, beverage and entertainment. There will be a $10,000 grand prize drawing during the evening as well.

Proceeds from the event will help provide scholarships to a graduating male and female basketball player from Albertus Magnus High School and a boy and girl from St. Margaret School in Pearl River who will attend high school at Albertus. (Sullivan attended St. Margaret’s before moving on to Albertus). The Foundation will also provide other charitable donations.

Sullivan is a former all-county basketball player at Albertus for coach Tom Collins. He graduated in 1972, scoring a career-high 40 points during a game as a senior. Sullivan remained in Rockland for college, attending Dominican College where he became a 1,000-point scorer.

Sullivan is a member of the Hall of Fame at both schools and is scheduled for induction into the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame on April 29. We are looking to promote our event on May 5th st Albertus Magnus HS.

For tickets and donations to the foundation, contact Dan’s brother, Jim Sullivan, by phone at 845-548-2040; via e-mail at info@dansullivanfoundation.com; or by mail at the following address:

The Dan Sullivan Foundation
12 Lombardi Rd.
Pearl River, NY 10965

Below is a tremendous resource for local basketball fans. It’s the complete list of 1,000-point scorers in Rockland County history.

The list was no doubt sparked by this season’s assault on the local record books. Three of the county’s top 10 scorers of all-time will graduate in 2012, with Tyler Sayre and Pat Peterson breaking program scoring records and Mike McCahey coming awfully close. You’ll see just how far all three climbed since netting their 1,000th point.

This finished product has seen a few revisions, and it has been compiled with the help of several Rockland sports historians: Tom Collins, our own John Humenn, Jamie Kempton, Bill Madden, Jim McLaughlin, John Mercurio, Dan White, Dick Yerg and Ray Zebro. Their information was pieced together by the always invaluable Tom Doherty. Thanks to each and every one of them.

As Doherty pointed out throughout his revisions, think of the various circumstances that helped land a player on this list: length of seasons, 3-point line and shot clock, not to mention playing time. Some benefitted from playing big minutes as freshmen. Others did the bulk of their scoring as upperclassmen, but climbed the list quickly.

Anyway, I wanted to pass it along. Enjoy!

ROCKLAND COUNTY CAREER SCORING LEADERS
1. Brendan McManus, Pearl River, 2005 (4) — 1,583
2. Bill Kurisko, Nanuet, 1987 (3+) — 1,444
3. Jeff Brown, Clarkstown South, 1984 (3+) — 1,428
4. Bob Mathias, Clarkstown/Clarkstown North, 1972 (4) — 1,427
5. MIKE McCAHEY, Clarkstown South, 2012 (4) — 1,424
6. Matt Grossbard, Pearl River, 2009 (4) — 1,307
7. PAT PETERSON, Tappan Zee, 2012 (4) — 1,293
8. Ernest Watkins, Nyack, 1989 (3) — 1,287
9.  Mitch Norotsky Tappan Zee 1981 (3+) — 1,248
10. TYLER SAYRE Albertus Magnus 2012 (3+) — 1,231
11. Alan Sofen, Pearl River, 1980 (3) — 1,223
T12. Darryl Brown, Nanuet, 1971 (3) — 1,188
T12. Jim McLaughlin, Clarkstown North, 1981 (3) — 1,188
14. Enndy Basquait, Spring Valley, 1982 (3) — 1,178
15. Vaughn Heyliger, Spring Valley, 2005 (4) — 1,149
16. Jess Cohen, Pearl River, 1988 (3) — 1,134
17. Gerry McNair, Nyack, 2000 (3) — 1,123
18. Eric Wooten, Spring Valley, 1993 (3) — 1,114
19. John Sarto, Spring Valley, 1970 (3) — 1, 082
20. Michael Mack, Nyack, 1997 (3) — 1,074
T21. Ron Edwards, Nyack, 1962 (3) — 1,069
T21. Michael McNair, Nyack, 2006 (3) — 1,069
23. Antoine Duvert, Albertus Magnus, 1994 (3) — 1,066
24. Nigel Morris, Nyack, 2003 (4) — 1,065
25. Mike Mulroe, Pearl River, 1999 (3) — 1,063
26. Howard Levy, Suffern, 1981 (3) — 1,059
27. Jerry Houston, Pearl River, 1990 (3) — 1,049
28. John Thomason, Ramapo, 1997 (3) — 1,048
29. Tony Russo, Ramapo, 1980 (3) — 1,043
30. Ryan Sheridan, Tappan Zee, 2008 (4) — 1,042
31. Jim Mack Nyack, 1971, (3) — 1,031
32. Brett Harvey, Clarkstown North, 2006 (3) — 1,028
33. Gary Custick, Clarkstown, 1970 (3) — 1,027
34. Tim Harris, Spring Valley, 1983 (3) — 1,017
35. Mike Brown, Clarkstown South, 1981 (3) — 1,013
36. Carl Goodman, Spring Valley, 1980 (3) — 1,002
37. Ronald Lewis, Albertus Magnus, 2004 (4) — 1,001

The Journal News’ Westchester/Putnam all-star basketball team was released this morning. It celebrates the people responsible for a prolific 2011-12 that included state titles for Mount Vernon, Iona Prep, Tuckahoe and Rye Country Day and two new program scoring leaders in the town of Eastchester in Dave Solano and Sky Williams.

With another dominant season by Mount Vernon, the Knights dominated the picks. The player of the year was Isaiah Cousins, who led Mount Vernon in points, assists and steals per game, and shot over 50 percent from the field, including over 40 percent from 3-point land. He was named Mr. Basketball in the section and all-tournament at the section, state and Federation tournaments before recently committing to Oklahoma.

Cousins was joined on the first team by teammate Randy Stephens and Jarrel Marahall, Tuckahoe’s Williams and Fox Lane’s Will Trawick. The second team consisted of: Iona Prep’s Felix Abongo, Mahopac’s Brendan Hynes, Stepinac’s Josh James, Peekskill’s Chandler Pierce and Kennedy’s Thiago Randazzo.

The coach of the year went to Al Visconti, whose Tuckahoe team won just the second state title in program history and finished the season a perfect 25-0. The Tigers won their second straight Section 1 title after a three-win season in 2009-10 season.

For a story on Cousins, capsules on the first-teamers and a list of other honorees, check out today’s all-county package on LoHud.com.

The Journal News’ Rockland all-county basketball team was released this morning. It was an excellent season in Rockland. Two Section 1 champs. One state finalist. Two players who broke their program’s scoring record (Pat Peterson and Tyler Sayre). Three joined the top 10 all-time scoring list in the county (Mike McCahey, Peterson and Sayre).

With that as the backdrop, it’s no surprise the player of the year race was close. The winner was McCahey.

The Clarkstown South senior averaged 23.4 points and 12 rebounds a game and finished his four-year career fifth all-time on the county scoring list. He also led the Vikings to their first trip to the County Center and a near-upset of eventual state champ Mount Vernon.

McCahey was joined on the first team by Peterson, Sayre, Ramapo’s David Haye and Tappan Zee’s Billy O’Shea. The second team consisted of: South’s Clayton Roker, TZ’s Joe Letizia, Albertus’ Pat McGuinness and Jack Sullivan and Pearl River’s Joe Clinton.

The coach of the year was an easy choice. Despite the successes of other teams in the county, like Albertus and South, the nod went to TZ’s George Gaine. He guided the Dutchmen to just the second sectional title in program history and the first state championship appearance. Along the way, they beat defending Section 1 champ Byram Hills and upset four-time defending state champ Jamesville-DeWitt.

For a story on McCahey, capsules on the first-teamers and a list of other honorees, check out today’s all-county package on LoHud.com.

Spring Valley native Terry Brutus has committed to Ole Miss during his visit to the school this weekend.

The 6-foot-5 forward is a 2011 Spring Valley graduate. He transferred back to the school – and his home district – from Long Island Lutheran midway through his senior season.

I hope to touch base with Brutus and will have more on the story later.

Hello, friends. I’m back to work today and wanted to check in. I have a few things to share in terms of basketball news. (Nothing on football, as of yet.)

There’s a lot to catch up on.

• Albertus Magnus’ Tyler Sayre commits to St. Rose. The 6-foot-5 senior visited the Albany school after the season and made his commitment earlier this week. He had other options – namely Assumption and Randolph Macon – but had strongly considered St. Rose all along. I’ll get in touch with Tyler soon and share more on his choice.

• Terry Brutus to visit Ole Miss. The 6-foot-5 former Spring Valley and Long Island Lutheran star will travel to the school tomorrow. Ole Miss has already offered Brutus, who graduated high school in 2011.

• Tavon Sledge transfers to Iona. The former Half Hollow Hills West star and Spring Valley native left Iowa State after playing sparingly as a freshman. He will have to sit out next season but will be an ideal fit in Tim Cluess’ uptempo attack.

• Kenny Horton invited to Portsmouth. The former Ossining star became NEC player of the year as a junior and was named first-team all-conference as a senior. His reward was an invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational on Virginia this weekend. It’s one of the best places to garner interest from NBA and Euroleague teams for under-the-radar prospects.

• No visits so far for Marshall, Stephens. No new news to report for Mount Vernon’s Jarrel Marshall and Randy Stephens. Marshall has not scheduled his visits yet, although St. Peter’s and Marist are possibilities.

• By fractions, McCahey edges Haye for county scoring title. In my research and calculations for the all-star/all-county sections, I came across a few really interesting tidbits. None, however, caught my eye more than the Rockland County scoring leaders, which was a two-man race. Clarkstown South’s Mike McCahey and Ramapo’s David Haye came right down to the final seconds. Literally. McCahey edged Haye by a fraction of a fraction of a point: 23.4 to 23.39. Had McCahey scored one fewer point against Mount Vernon in his final game, he would’ve been surpassed by Haye. Incredible.

Just wanted to leave a quick note to let you know I’ll be away from work today through the middle of next week. The phone will be off and e-mail shut down through next Wednesday.

If you have football or basketball information to share, story ideas, blog issues, etc., please e-mail my editors Sean Mayer (smayer@lohud.com), John Humenn (jhumenn@lohud.com) and Mark Teirstein (mteirste@lohud.com).

I’ll be back to tackle all the offseason stories in a few days. Please play nice while I’m gone.

According to the Post-Star, the boys basketball state final four will remain at the Glens Falls Civic Center through 2016.

Glens Falls mayor Jack Diamond and the tournament committee made the announcement today.

The paper said Glens Falls was the only arena to post a bid. It had been believed that the Carrier Dome would pursue the tournament, which had a contract to remain in Glens Falls through 2013.

For more on the story, check out the Post-Star’s story here.

Just before the National Championship game tipped on Monday night, I connected with Mount Vernon’s Isaiah Cousins about his commitment to Oklahoma.

The 6-foot-4, 181-pound senior picked the Sooners last Wednesday when he was in Norman on an official visit. Coach Bob Cimmino said his point guard fell in love with the school in a story that ran in last Thursday’s Journal News and here on LoHud.com.

That much was obvious. Cousins, who averaged 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a senior, left for Oklahoma less than 24 hours after his final high school game. The two-time state champ never even visited his four other finalists: UConn, Virginia Tech, Xavier and Dayton.

The commitment generated a buzz among the program’s current and former players and coaches because it meant Cousins will face former teammate Jabarie Hinds twice per season. Hinds will be a sophomore point guard at West Virginia, which is set to join the Sooners in the Big 12 this fall.

It also marked the first time Mount Vernon graduate Lew Hill had successfully signed a recruit from his alma mater. In this case, his influence definitely had an impact.

“I think it helped a lot, with Lew walking in the same shoes Isaiah did, growing up in Mount Vernon, knowing the people in Mount Vernon, knowing the transformation Isaiah would have to encounter,” Cimmino said. “I feel really good about it. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on coach Lew Hill to make Isaiah special.”

Below, in his voice, are the reasons why Cousins committed to Oklahoma and what he envisions for the future.

Q and A: COUSINS ON OKLAHOMA —

So why did you choose Oklahoma?

“Coach (Lon) Kruger has a lot of experience coaching a lot of pros and I liked the team. I enjoyed playing with the team. They showed me a lot of love. I liked the campus and they can offer a pretty good education there, too.”

Oklahoma was your first visit and there was some surprise that you committed so quickly. Did you know beforehand that you were going to commit?

“I knew in the back of my mind. They were going to give me a chance to play as a freshman.”

What did the coaching staff tell you?

“That if I keep working hard, I could receive some minutes right away.”

You said you wanted to play point guard. What do the coaches expect your role to be?

“At point guard.”

Had you seriously planned on visiting other schools?

“I was probably going to visit Virginia Tech.”

You had a lot of options and had other visits to take, so why did you commit so quickly?

“I just wanted to work out and get ready for college. I wanted (the decision) over with.”

How much of an influence was assistant coach Lew Hill on your commitment?

“That made me a lot more comfortable. He’s from Mount Vernon. I also have a good relationship with coach Kruger.”

What did coach Hill tell you about the transition from Mount Vernon to Oklahoma?

“He said it would be good for me. Sometimes, it’s good to go away from your hometown. I wanted to get away.”

You and Jabarie have had plenty of battles over the years. What are your feelings about playing him twice a year?

“We’re going to be back at it again.”

For the final time this season, here are my Top 10, class-by-class, small-school, Catholic, private and Rockland County rankings.

The season proved to be a successful one at just about every level. Mount Vernon, Tuckahoe, Iona Prep and Rye Country Day all won state championships. Tappan Zee came awfully close. Albertus repeated as sectional champs and nearly upset the defending state champs.

Mount Vernon made state history with its 10th NYSPHSAA state championship. Tuckahoe won its first since 1981, and completed the year unbeaten. TZ was just one win shy of its first state title and first unbeaten season, but the Dutchmen still completed a slew of firsts. They appeared in their first state final four and first state championship game. Rye Country Day narrowly missed out on a coveted Fairchester title but rebounded to win the NYSAIS Class C crown.

Individually, Isaiah Cousins gave Mount Vernon a seventh straight Mr. Basketball. He recently announced his commitment to Oklahoma. Fellow seniors Sky Williams (Tuckahoe), Tyler Sayre (Albertus Magnus), Pat Peterson (Tappan Zee) and Dave Solano (Eastchester) all made their own history, establishing new all-time scoring records for their basketball programs. And Mike McCahey (Clarkstown South) came within just a few baskets of joining that group.

All in all, it was a tremendous few months of accomplishments for local teams and players. Our all-star and all-county sections will publish in less than two weeks to honor the top players, so here’s a look at how I rank the top teams when all is said and done:

TOP 10
1. Mount Vernon (23-3) — The Knights may have fallen short of their ultimate goal, but they did cruise to victory at sectionals for a seventh straight and won a second straight state championship. Their senior quartet of Isaiah Cousins, Randy Stephens, Jarrel Marshall and Qwadere Lovell formed the area’s best core. Add in the section’s best bench and its most accomplished coach and Mount Vernon deserves to finish this season No. 1 by a considerable margin.

2. Tappan Zee (25-1) — No one else could top the season put forth by the Dutchmen, who backed up their phenomenal regular season and delivered in the playoffs against every level of competition. They beat three of Class A’s best five or six teams to win another Section 1 crown (Pearl River, Byram and Poughkeepsie) and proved their toughness and resiliency in regionals. But the versatile group, led by Pat Peterson, Billy O’Shea, Joe Letizia, Brian McLaughlin and big men Brendan Donohue and Eric Casey, bolstered its resume most at the state final four thanks to an upset of four-time defending state champ Jamesville-DeWitt. TZ even took Harborfields into the final minute before falling in the state final. That performance surpassed what other top local teams Stepinac and Iona Prep did. Both lost to Harborfields by double digits.

3. Stepinac (10-16) — The Crusaders were 10-8 before facing a suffocating closing stretch that included two games with Mount and one apiece with Long Island Lutheran, Cardinal Hayes, Christ the King, Burke Catholic and Bishop Loughlin. Stepinac’s record was marred by its inability to finish late, but it still beat CHSAA Class AA state champ St. Ray’s, as well as All Hallows and St. Mary’s. The Crusaders also had perhaps the area’s top pure point guard in Josh James, and one of its top big men, Duvino McRae.

4. New Rochelle (13-7) — I really hasten to put New Ro so high on this list considering it hasn’t played a game since Feb. 21. But how do you put the Huguenots any lower after a strong win against Iona Prep just prior to the playoffs and two impressive efforts against Mount Vernon in Mount Vernon’s gym? New Ro had a solid core with Joe Clarke, Kirkland Ottey, K.C. Nwosu and all-section picks Chris Elefante and Malik Burts. They had depth and could really defend. Minus one loss to Mamaroneck — a loss New Ro made up for with authority in the playoffs — the resume is pretty strong. This team just ran into Mount Vernon right as it peaked. Twice.

5. Iona Prep (24-4) — The Gaels won the CHSAA Archdiocesan championship and the CHSAA Class A state title, advancing to the second Federation tournament in four seasons and just the second in program history. Their season included impressive accomplishment, especially when you consider it was tested by injuries to starters Tim McCarthy, Luke Wooters and Kevin Conroy. They also had something I really liked: An experienced lineup. McCarthy, Wooters, Conroy and Felix Abongo gave the Gaels four seniors to pair with emerging sophomore Isiah Ice in the starting 5, and Jack Fay was another vet giving them experience off the bench. The question now is whether or not Iona moves on from the A division.

6. Albertus Magnus (20-3) — The Falcons never really had to sweat in the Section 1 tournament despite facing three of Class B’s top teams in Briarcliff, Croton and Dobbs Ferry. Frankly, their only blemishes all season came against Tappan Zee and Burke Catholic, which both reached the state semifinals in Glens Falls. They won the Slam Dunk, beating the likes of White Plains and Byram Hills in the process. They were also 4-0 against the likes of Pearl River, Clarkstown South and North Rockland, which is impressive for a Class B school. On the court, Tyler Sayre developed into as dominant a force as their was in the county. Teammates Pat McGuinness, Jack Sullivan and Arnell Dandridge combined to form one of the section’s top backcourts, one that could lock down opponents just as easily as it rained down 3’s.

7. Byram Hills (14-7) — The Bobcats don’t boast the section’s best credentials to be sure. But when they were right, they were terrific. They closed games strong because of their championship experience and they never backed down, regardless of injuries that never went away. No team in the section played Tappan Zee tougher than Byram. In fact, the only team that played TZ tougher than Byram did in the sectional semifinals was Byram during the regular season. Jeff Lynch was hobbled by an ankle injury that eventually led to postseason surgery but was terrific when healthy. Ryan Golden and Andrew Maloney each raised their games after playing key roles the season before, while Charlie Murphy, Andrew Groll, Alex O’Brien and Brian Skelly all produced in increased or new roles. The Bobcats should challenge next year for another County Center berth.

8. Poughkeepsie (14-8) — Speaking of challenging, it’s hard to imagine any other team in Class A starting next season as a favorite. Brian Laffin took a very young team with just a couple inexperienced players back to yet another Section 1 final. That run peaked with a win over longtime rival Peekskill in the sectional semifinals. It was sparked, perhaps, by several tough losses suffered against a challenging early schedule, but those tests ultimately paid off. The Pioneers turned into a very deep and balanced team, and a group led by Jermar Dancy, D’Andre Smith and Devin Lawrence will return for next season largely intact.

9. Tuckahoe (25-0) — The Tigers completed the first undefeated state championship season in program history and won the state title for just the second time ever. Their historic run seemed to follow the same game plan every night: Domination, especially in the second half. They finished strong when it mattered most, and Sky Williams came away with just about every important award he competed for. The program’s all-time leading scorer had great pieces around him in Justin Nolan, Tyler Friere, Shyheim Nixon and Mark Raymond, and they developed into a team that wasn’t just the best in its class in the state. It was one of the best in the section. Period.

10. Mahopac (16-6) — No one expected the Indians to match their 2011, so instead they exceeded it, earning a No. 3 seed in Class AA and advancing all the way to the final against Mount Vernon. The team was inexperienced, with few players who contributed the season before. Kevin Downes rallied a group led by newcomer Brendan Hynes, who fast became of the section’s top players. Seniors Mark Vaccaro and Zack Ankier were at the forefront of a solid group of role players that helped deliver one of the most thrilling wins of the postseason — an OT comeback to beat Arlington. Like Poughkeepsie, Mahopac returns plenty of its talent and should be a County Center contender again next season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mount Vernon’s state championship team will be honored by both the city and Westchester County this week.

The Knights will be celebrated by the Westchester County legislature at 10 Wednesday morning followed by the Mount Vernon Board of Ed at 7 p.m.

They will then be feted with a parade through the city on Thursday. It is tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. and will begin at Mount Vernon High School. The caravan will stop at every elementary, middle and high school in the district.

Mount Vernon was its second straight state title this season when it beat Aquinas on March 18 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The win extended the program’s state record to 10 championships.

As I mentioned yesterday, The Journal News will release its boys basketball all-star and all-county sections soon. How soon? Sunday, April 15.

They will run two weeks from Sunday and will cap the winter season. The all-stars honor the best players from Westchester and Putnam Counties, combining public, Catholic and private-school players. The all-county team honors the best from Rockland County.

Each team will include a player of the year, coach of the year, first team, second team and honorable mention.

If you missed it yesterday, take a second to cast your vote for and give your thoughts on who should win player of the year in Westchester/Putnam and in Rockland.