Clippers Take King Tournament Title, And Other Notes from the Tournament

       I’d like to begin this recap by saying thank you to athletic director Guy DeFonzo and his staff at St. Thomas who put together a great tournament and went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure I was well positioned and situated.  I’m sure at least some of my readers may recall in conversation that the Msgr. King Tournament was an important part of Christmas Time growing up for me.  My dad would take me to those games and the time we spent watching games there and talking hoops created some of the happiest memories I had with him.  Thank you to Mr. DeFonzo and his staff also for allowing me to look back briefly on those happy days.

    This year’s Msgr. King Tournament was the 50^th held and the 5^th since it was re-established in 2014.  It saw Xaverian High School post 3 convincing wins including an 83-63 win over McKee Staten Island Tech in the championship game. Sophomore guard Shawn Fulcher took home his second in season tournament MVP honors, making an impact on all areas of the game. On offense he helped push the pace created opportunities for his teammates with great passing and took what the defense gave him by scoring from middle distance.  His shooting and shot selection must continue to get better if the Clippers are to capitalize on their strong start as league play continues in 2019. In addition to Fulcher’s strong play and leadership, other Clippers showed why they could be a force to be reckoned with this season. Fulcher’s backcourt partner and fellow sophomore Nick Folk continued to establish himself as one of New York’s best young shooters. His tournament resume included a 21-point performance in the semi-final vs. local rival St. Edmund’s and a well-earned spot on the all-tournament team. Senior big man Michael Graham continued his strong start to the season by providing a long active finishing presence under the basket. Perhaps the key element to the Clippers’ tournament win and their strong start might be the bench, where a quartet of reserves all made essential contributions to what would ultimately be a winning effort.  Billy Reyes, a 6’3” junior guard made clutch shots and got key rebounds throughout the tournament and his work in the third quarter of the final game was key in helping the Clippers put some distance between themselves and a tough McKee squad. And it helped him earn the tournament’s coaches award named in honor of the late Pudgie Walsh, who built and coached the Brooklyn Mariners semi-pro football team.

  A pair of junior guards, Noah Salcedo and Ian Byrne provided energy and toughness off the bench that complimented the two starting guards. Byrne in particular was a spark defensively, giving up size to the tournament’s leading scorer, MSIT’s Kalique Mitchell, but making him earn every inch of real estate as he drove to the basket. Finally, junior forward Elijah Hardison provided important minutes in relief of Graham and allowed the Clippers to have a forceful presence under the basket from start to finish. He’s a young player who, like several of the Clippers’ underclassmen appears to be improving with each game.

   While Xaverian’s guard duo, balance and depth earned them a great win several other players did terrific work throughout the tournament. Runner up McKee featured the tournament’s leading scorer Kalique Mitchell, a 6’4” senior who was a fearless driver with terrific length. Sophomore guard Jahbrey McFarlane also showed out for McKee with his terrific outside touch. Other all tournament selections included 6’ junior guard St. Edmund Prep, senior guard Jaylen Womack of Notre Dame (Utica) and 6’3 junior Sal Saputo of St. Mary’s (LI) Congratulations to the winners and again to those at St. Thomas who have brought the tournament back for local fans of all ages to enjoy.