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Let me begin this installment of my
notes and observations by wishing everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving and
expressing the hope that it will be the
start of joyous holiday season for everyone.
College hoops are well underway and the early season games which,
sometimes unfairly can have an effect on tournament seeding have been very
competitive and fun. Glad to see the college basketball portion of the schedule
at the Barclay's Center do so well since many of the hard core gym rats like
yours truly who follow the college game as well as the pro game are influenced
to do so by our Brooklyn roots.
Manhattan College wins on and off the Court Manhattan College picked up their first won on
Nov. 21 when they scored a 67-56 win over Hofstra in Riverdale. Not Coincidentally
the game marked George Beamon's return to action and the former Roslyn High
star kicked off what many believe can be a conference player of the year season
for him in a big way scoring 29 points after missing the Jaspers first two
games with a foot injury. A pair of
other New York high School stars also netted double figures as junior guard
Mike Alvarado (All Hallows) scored 12 points while blue collar junior forward
Rhamel Brown (Transit Tech) added 15 points on perfect 7-7 shooting from the
floor, added 8 rebounds and did a great job patrolling the lane with two steals
and 4 blocks.
The Jaspers
have also scored two important recruiting wins in recent weeks landing juco
star Chris Thomas, a 6'5" scorer originally from Colorado playing at Chipola
(Fla.) JC and Tyler Wilson, the speedy and tough minded guard who has manned
the point for Cardinal Hayes High in the Bronx. The recruiting success
underscores the good work done by head coach Steve Masiello and his staff which
includes long time Rice mentor Rasheen Davis who has returned to the area after
successful stints at Louisville, Pitt, and Xavier. Few New York based coaches
can identify talent and have a better feel for players from our area than Mr.
Davis, Manhattan is very lucky to have brought him home as they try to build
their program for long term success in the MAAC.
Hofstra Struggles Early but has a Freshman Building Block. Coach Mo Cassera's Hofstra squad has
gotten off to a 3-4 start including that loss to Manhattan as they integrate transfers
Taran Buie (Bishop Maginn in Albany via
Penn State) and Shaquille Stokes (Lincoln in Brooklyn via Hawaii) into the
lineup. But the future looks bright with those two players plus a guy who may
be the most impactful freshman playing at a mid-major school in the metro
area. Jimmy Hall, the 6'7" Brooklyn
native who starred for coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony (NJ) High has been the
Pride's best player, working his way into the starting lineup while averaging
close to a double-double (12-7 ppg 9,4 rpg)
Ex Pine Bush Star Does "Early Work" for Wichita
State We are happy
to report that Cleanthony Early the 6'8" forward from Pine Bush High in
Orange County (NY) has gotten off to a fast start at Wichita State. He was long a favorite of ours when we saw
him star on the summer circut for the B.C, Eagles where he quickly gained a
reputation as one of the highest flyers and best dunkers in our region. After a year at Notre Dame Prep (MA) and two more at Sullivan (NY) JC
Early has averaged nearly 14 points and 7 boards per game for the Shockers and
busted out with a 25 point 9 rebound effort against Big 10 rival Iowa as the
Shockers beat the Hawkeyes in the finals of the Cancun Classic in Mexico on Wednesday
NY & NJ Stars Shine in Nutmeg State Rival Game. Only in the zany world that is college
basketball will you see a terrific in-state rivalry game happen and only be
able to happen, off the U.S. mainland. That happened when Connecticut powerhouse UConn met Quinnipiac
in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 15th with the Huskies pulling out a 89-83 double
overtime win. A trio of local stars Dave Johnson of St. Mark's (NJ) HS, Jamie
Jackson St. Anthony's (NJ) HS and Evan Conti of Holy Cross (Queens) all played
vital roles as the Bobcats from the Northeast Conference pushed their Big East
rivals to the limit. For the Huskies another local star, Christ the King's Omar
Calhoun had 15 points including two key plays down the stretch for a basket and
free throws to help UConn hold off a great upset bid.
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