High School Boys Basketball

BY MARCUS HENRY

After suffering injuries during a car accident in the offseason, St. Anthony's guard Chris Jimenez is slowly, but surely on his way back. The 5-9 senior hit three three-pointers and had nine points in the Friars latest win over Smithtown East on Sunday. He did the same thing in St. Anthony's win over Center Moriches at the Chamber of Commerce Tournament on Saturday.

With St. John the Baptist, Peekskill, St. Mary's and Long Island Lutheran next up on the schedule, there's little doubt the Friars and their coach Mike Ryan, who said he's been "Easing Chris back into the lineup" are happy to have him back. Jimenez is the perfect complement to the Friars inside game, which features Shahab Syed.

BY LAURA ALBANESE

Private school powerhouse Long Island Lutheran experienced a set-back earlier this week when starting center Shamar Stephen sprained his ankle, coach Brian Carey said. Stephen is day-to-day, but missed yesterday night's game against Westview in the Above the Rim Classic in San Diego. No matter - LIL still trounced the competition, 74-35, thanks to a stifling defense and Jay Henriquez's 14 points. The tournament resumes today and carries on tomorrow.

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

Uniondale has upset Jericho, 58-44...

Another GREAT win for coach Tom Diana...After losing a ton of seniors to graduation, there were some questions about how strong the Knights would be...And even Diana wondered, 'What type of Uniondale team would we see this season?'.

But those questions are starting to be answered....

After beating Bay Shore this weekend at the Isaiah Stanton Memorial Tournament, Uniondale has now handed the Jayhawks their first loss of the season.

We're getting the complete boxscore as we speak...more to come later (hopefully).

ps: kudos to messageboard poster "ganggreen767" who called Uniondale by 13, two days ago...good stuff.

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

It was, politely, brought to my attention this evening that Robby Ptacek was omitted from our "Top Players in Long Island" poll question.

(OK, who am I kidding...There was some attitude attached to the reader's e-mail. But to be honest, it was deserved.)

Robby Ptacek DEFINITELY should be on that list...and to be honest, I'm kind of embarrassed I missed him.

Apparently, the senior guard was checking the polls, too, because he made me look like an even bigger idiot by dropping 43 on Sayville tonight. He set a career-high and new school record, going 14-for-18 from the floor (3-for-4 from three-point range) and 12-for-12 from the line. It was the second time he’s scored 40 or more points in a ballgame (the first came against Copiague last week.)

Oh, did I forget to mention that he single-handedly tied Sayville's total points for the game? Yeah, this kid's legit.

So, with that said, please accept my apology "TAZMANIA3D."

In other news....

I was shocked when I saw this score: Southampton 67, East Hampton 57.

But then I looked at the box score and realized Mikey Russell didn't play. Not to take anything away from Southampton and Troy Pender's 21-point performance in the second half -- but playing East Hampton without the Mikey Russell-Marcus Edwards combo is VERY different. But I'm sure Mariners coach Herm Laminson cares little about that right now. A win's a win.

Out of curiosity, I called up Ed Petrie tonight to make sure Russell wasn't injured. He said 'No.' Turns out, Mikey got himself into some trouble and was suspended from school. To be honest, it was news to me (and almost everyone in the office) because box scores have been getting called in with the last name "Russell." Naturally everyone assumed it was Mikey but, in fact, it was his cousin Jerome.

Petrie confirmed that Mikey hasn't played since the Bonackers beat Floral Park in the season opener (also the coach's 700th win). The team's hoping to get him back by January, but Petrie doesn't sound too sure.

Also....

Glenn got its revenge against Kings Park in overtime, beating the Kingsmen by seven (68-61) in a rematch of last year's Suffolk Class A final. Kings Park took home the title last season, but this time around it couldn't do anything to stop Phil Izevbehai (22 points, five assists and five rebounds). I know it's still early, but it definitely was a good win for the Knights, who now improve to 5-3.

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

Bay Shore coach Navro Robinson had to make a choice.

With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter -- and the Marauders trailing Uniondale by 11 -- Robinson decided to take his best player off the court.

Booker Hucks -- his 6'5 senior guard sensation -- already had four fouls and the coach wasn't about to let him pick up his fifth. The rationale: "At that time, I needed defensive stops and I was afraid he was going to foul out. I pulled him out trying to save him for a minute or two, get a couple stops, and hopefully he could bring us to victory."

Unfortunately, the plan didn't work. The Knights eventually pulled away and Hucks fouled out with 42 seconds. The final score: 70-57.

Not that Hucks' absence was the sole reason for his team's collapse. After they made it 46-44 at the end of the third, ill-advised shots, a few turnovers and some missed free throws cost Bay Shore in the end. (The Marauders went 7-for-14 from the line in the second half.)

So, naturally my first question to Robinson after the game was: 'If you could do it all over again….?

His response: "If I could do it again, yeah I probably would've just left him in and let him foul out."

But who says hindsight is always 20/20?

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

I purposely waited until today to submit the Top 10 for the Boys Basketball Preview because I had to see Jericho take on St. John the Baptist last night. (trust me: my editors were NOT happy about that.)

But I couldn't devise my poll in good conscience without seeing that game.

Would Jericho wallop the Cougars just like LI Lutheran?
(for those of you who didn’t witness it in-person or see the box score -- it was BAD. Like, by 31 points, bad.)

OR

Would St. John the Baptist respond with a vengeance against the favored Jayhawks?

Obviously, neither happened. To say senior guard Justin Resnick struggled would be an understatement and by Jericho's own admission, the team was taken out of its game by the Cougars' slow tempo. But even though the Cougars had the Jayhawks right where they wanted, they couldn't put the game away.

So now the question is: Who's the best team in Long Island: Jericho or LI Lutheran?

Many will say the Jayhawks are the obvious choice, despite their less-than-spectacular performance last night. But LIL held its own against a tough Archbishop Molloy (losing by only two points) and also crushed Holy Trinity by 30 and beat Nazareth by 10.

Here’s an interesting tidbit I learned from Jericho coach Wally Bachman. So far, his senior class (which includes Cajuste, Resnick, guards Adam Sanders, Michael Romanelli and Josh Witsell and forwards Russell Taff, Victor Trinklein and Lucas Piken) is 62-7 overall, 34-2 in conference play and have won two County titles and one Long Island Championship. Now that’s impressive.

But are the Jayhawks top-team worthy because of it?

BY MARCUS HENRY

I know it's early, but Long Island Lutheran is back. If you need proof, check out Wednesday night's game against St. John the Baptist. It wasn't a contest as LIL scored an easy 70-39 win. There hasn't been this much buzz around the school since the 1990s, when LIL last won a Federation title.

"This school has a lot of tradition," LIL coach Brian Carey said. "These kids see it and experience it every day. We need to be back in the mix."

LIL won Federation titles in 1997, 1994, 1982, 1981.

Unfortunately, LIL isn't in a league this season. It left the IPPSAL. That didn't stop Carey from finding the top competition. LIL has games against Mt. Vernon and St. Anthony of Jersey City. Both schools are ranked in USA Today's Super 25 poll. They already played Archbishop Molloy, Holy Trinity and Nazareth (Brooklyn). They beat Holy Trinity and Nazareth and loss to Molloy at the buzzer, 79-77.

LIL, which fresh off a Class A Federation semifinal appearance, is back on the map.

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

Random, but true...

Both Chris Johnson of Lindenhurst and Floral Park's Billy Butler needed just one point to reach the 1,000-point mark going into their latest games. What's even stranger: both senior guards did so on three-pointers.

Lindenhurst coach John Albano already knew his standout was a point shy, but he conducted a pre-game presentation anyway (just to avoid stopping the game later) and teammates surrounded Johnson on the court and posed for pics. When the game started, Johnson had no idea his three-pointer – on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the game – had in fact put him in the exclusive club. But his 23 points in front of the home crowd weren't enough, as Babylon edged the Bulldogs, 58-55.

Billy Butler's milestone also came in a losing effort. Floral Park lost on the road to Westbury, 69-61, and like Johnson, Butler had no idea he was en route to something special last night. Being that his team was away, Knights coach Nick Simone didn’t stop the game to make an announcement and instead waited until the game ended to inform Butler of his feat. Not that it mattered to the senior guard anyway. Despite his 20 points (and 76 total points), the Knights are still winless at 0-4. No amount of personal accolades can make up for that in Butler's eyes, said his coach.

If Johnson continues on this hot streak, he'll easily break Lindenhurst’s all-time leading scoring record – which Albano believes is around 1,100. If he scores just 15 points a game, Johnson could end up shattering the record by at least 250. And there’s also a good chance Butler – who Simone believes is the best player to ever come through the Floral Park program – may make school history of his own this season.

BY LAURA ALBANESE

George Beamon, the Roslyn junior with a seemingly golden touch, is poised to make a mark on Conference ABC-III. Coach Jeff Risener seems to think as much, noting that the junior is having a "good year."

Looks like that may turn out to be something of an understatement.

Beamon scored 26 points and had eight rebounds in tonight's game against Sewanhaka - their first conference game of the season. Good, right? But Beamon has been putting up those numbers consistently for his crew. He scored a whopping 34 points in a game against Hewlett last week - 16 of those coming in the last 10 minutes.

But wait, there's more.

He led Roslyn again in the Dec. 8 game against Oyster Bay - his 30 points and 10 rebounds carrying the team to a 69-66 win in the Tom Robinson Memorial Tournament final. He was named the tourney MVP, thanks no doubt to his 27 points the game before.

Keep an eye on this one, folks. It could be great.

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

Since we still have a few days left before the High School Boys Basketball Preview hits newsstands on Sunday, I figured I'd give you a sneak peak at some of the teams and players that have piqued my interest so far.

NASSAU
* OK, I know it's early, but I'm calling it now. The team to watch this season, is Baldwin. Yes, Uniondale is an automatic contender for the Class AA championship because of its history. And so is Hempstead since the Tigers are the defending champs. But both teams are coming back with a lot less talent this season -- leaving the door wide open for the Bruins.

So far, Baldwin's 3-0 behind guard Chris Manning and Matt Brown (who has returned from a year at a Virginia Prep school). But what impresses me about Baldwin is that a variety of players can, and have, been scoring for coach Darius Burton. Nick Thomas had a career-high 21 points and 15 rebounds in the Long Island Challenge last weekend and he led all scorers with 19 point and 10 rebounds against Long Beach this past Wednesday. Plus, Anthony Lee can put up double-digits as well.

Like I said, it's still early (so all you Uniondale and Hempstead fans, don't be so quick to blast me on my first post). But just so know, I already have January 4th marked on my calendar...the day Baldwin heads to Uniondale.

* Two words....George Beamon. This kid is on fire -- and it's only December. The junior scored 57 points in his first two games at the Tom Robinson Memorial Tournament (27 points the first day, then 37). A week later, he unloaded 45 in a losing effort against Valley Stream Central. The battle for the Class A title is heating up, folks...

SUFFOLK
* I was shocked to learn Cameron Barber wouldn't be suiting up for Wyandanch this season. He was expected to shoulder most of the scoring responsibility now that big brother Chris had graduated, but it looks like first-year coach Andre Edwards will have to make due with a piece-meal offense. Don't get me wrong -- the Warriors can definitely score. Just watch junior Rashaud McQueen and senior Devon Bumpers. But the defending B champs are at a considerable disadvantage without Barber -- and they know it.

Of course there are a bunch of other things I could discuss right now, but if I did that, you wouldn't bother reading the preview...And we can't have that.

Marcus Henry began working for Newsday’s city edition in April 2003. He’s been a part of the Newsday high school/local college sports desk since then, covering both Long Island and New York City high schools. He has also covered the WNBA’s New York Liberty the past two seasons. Prior to coming to Newsday he spent four years working for PA SportsTicker, a real time sports newswire service. Marcus has also freelanced for the New York Amsterdam News, College and Pro Football Weekly, and the National Sports Weekly. In addition to his work on the local desk, Marcus is also a huge boxing fan. He has covered several fights for Newsday, including the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather fight and the recent Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley battle.

Darren Sands was born in Manhasset, but moved to Boston at age 10. And yes, he is a Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics fan. Sands, 23, has been with Newsday since March 2007. He attended Hofstra where he worked for the student newspaper, the Hofstra Chronicle. Sands moved back to Boston where he wrote for the Boston Globe's City Weekly section, and served a brief stint as a weekend news assistant on the city desk. When Sands isn't writing, reading, or hopelessly trying to lower his handicap, he catches up with friends and family, and plays tennis with the good folks at the tennis courts on 151st and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. He resides in Harlem and, thanks to his girlfriend, is an adopted member of the Hokie Nation.

Joseph Staszewski is a 23-year-old graduate of St. Francis Prep High School. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from St. John's University. While at St. John's, Staszewski held the position of sports editor and managing editor during his four years working at The Torch, the school's award-winning student newspaper. The Middle Village resident has also freelanced for the Queens Ledger, TimesLedger and Long Island Herald newspapers. Starting his second year at Newsday, Staszewski is a die-hard Mets and Jets fan, and a former high school basketball player and assistant coach.

Marc Jimenez was born and raised in the Bronx, graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and decided to try his hand at sportswriting in the fall of 2005. He covered high school and college sports for the Riverdale Press for six months and was a contributor to MLB.com for 18 months before joining Newsday in September 2007. Marc’s favorite sports moment was when the Yankees clinched the 1996 World Series.

Adam Ronis covers mostly high school and college sports, and some professional sports. He has worked at Newsday for six years covering Long Island and city high schools. He also worked at the Boca Raton News. Ronis, 29, is a fantasy sports guru and holds numerous championships in baseball, football, and basketball. He is a fan of the Mets, Dallas Cowboys, and Rangers. Ronis is a softball nut, playing on several teams. He is from Flushing and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and a minor in Journalism from Queens College.

Chris Mascaro, 23, joined Newsday as a sportswriter in November 2007. He graduated from Cornell University in 2006, where he worked for The Cornell Daily Sun. He served as sports editor of The Sun as a junior. He also covered Cornell's football team, as well as its nationally-ranked men's hockey and men's lacrosse teams. He wrote a bi-weekly column titled "He May Be Tall," which hit on national topics in addition to Cornell-related material. After graduation, he worked as a sportswriter for The Southampton Press, covering numerous varsity teams on the East End, the Moriches, and William Floyd.

Alex Labidou joined Newsday as a sportswriter in October 2007. Labidou, 24, is a graduate of Pace University with a B.A. in English. After graduating, he joined the National Basketball Association where he was an editorial assistant handling web editing and covering various NBA events. He is a New York City native. Labidou has also been a production intern at ABC News Magazines (Primetime and 20&20) and a contributor to VIBE, HoopsHype and the upcoming SET magazine. He is an avid Knicks, Yankees and Jets fan.

Roderick Boone is a native Long Islander. He graduated from Uniondale High School in 1993 and received his degree in mass communications from Auburn University Montgomery. He began his career as a correspondent at the Montgomery Advertiser before spending time at the Elmira Star-Gazette, Poughkeepsie Journal, and The Journal News. He's covered a wide variety of sports in his career, ranging from high schools to the pros. But his true love lies with basketball.

Gregg Sarra, 46, has worked at Newsday for the past 21 years. He has won numerous sportswriting awards and been cited by various officials and coaches associations for his reporting. He was voted the New York High School Sportswriter of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2005. He is a member of the Dowling College athletic Hall of Fame, the Men's Senior Baseball Hall of Fame and the Long Island Flag Football Hall of Fame for his many successes on a national level on the diamond and the gridiron.

Kimberley A. Martin spent the past year working as a local sports reporter at The Record (Hackensack, N.J.), covering everything from high school fencing to The New York City marathon to New York Jets practice. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2003 and her master's from Syracuse University in 2006. Prior to grad school, she worked at an investment management firm in Midtown Manhattan. Kimberley is also a native New Yorker and a huge Yankees fan.

Laura Albanese, 21, started at Newsday as a news intern in June 2007 and joined the high school sports desk in November. She graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn College, where she served as the Brooklyn College Kingsman’s editor-in-chief and earned her B.A. in Journalism. She’s also written for the Daily News and freelanced for a number of Long Island community weeklies. A Brooklyn native, she grew up a baseball junkie in a soccer family and remains a loyal fan of both the New York Mets and Serie A soccer.