Today's obituaries: John J. Sherlock, inducted into the 2009 Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame
Published: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 9:35 AM
Updated: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 9:44 AM By The Post-Standard
John J. Sherlock, 82, of Camillus, passed away Tuesday at Crouse Hospital after a short, sudden illness. Born in Syracuse, John had a life-long love of family and sports. He was inducted into the 2009 Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. As a young man, John was a bat-boy for the Syracuse Chiefs. He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in 1946. He served in the Army after WWII in Military Intelligence. He played varsity basketball at Lemoyne. A high school referee since 1956, John was president of IAABO, Board 38 from 1974-75 and an IIAABO National Lifetime Member. In 28 years as supervisor of officials, he had trained almost every basketball referee officiating today. He was president of the Syracuse District Golf Assoc. for 10 years and twice elected SDGA president. He was a lifetime member of Tuscarora Golf Club. John was twice past president of the NYSGA. And, he was proud to be Rules Official for the United States Golf Association for 20 years. John was owner of The Trophy Shop in Westvale for 33 years
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the New York State Golf Association Bill Arliss Scholarship Program, PO. Box 15333, Syracuse, NY 13215-0333.
Caldwell, Adams chosen for all-state first team
Watertown Daily Times
Two of the north country's premier boys' basketball players have earned first-team all-state recognition by the New York State Sportswriters' Association.
Immaculate Heart Central's Connor Caldwell, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, made the first team in Class C after leading Section 3 with a scoring average of 32.1 points per game.
Potsdam's 6-5 senior forward Zach Adams, who averaged 17 points, is on the Class B first team after helping lead the Sandstoners to the Section 10 championship and the state Class B final.
Two of Adams's teammates also made the all-state list. Senior John Coleman is on the fourth team in Class B, and senior Scott Bartenstein made the eighth team.
Sackets Harbor junior Zach D'Alessandro, Chateaugay senior Mike Boyea and Hermon-DeKalb senior Dylan Amo were chosen for the Class D second team. Ian Henderson, a Chateaugay senior, is on the third team and Lisbon senior Eric Meheffey made the fifth team in Class D.
Brushton-Moira senior Jason Aubrey was selected for the seventh team in Class C, while Watertown junior Dustin Pond is on the Class AA 12th team.
Syracuse Select's Scott Morton Joins The Albany Legends
Albany, New York - The Albany Legends of the International Basketball League have announced today that Scott Morton (6'6", SUNY Geneseo) will be joining its roster as a member of the 2011 Campaign.
Morton, 23, is a SUNY Geneseo Graduate, and a 1-year veteran of overseas play, having played professionally in the United Kingdom for the Durham Wildcats of the English Basketball League. Morton averaged 20.4 ppg and 7 rpg in 2010, and was also ranked second overall in the league in both blocks and assists. He was featured in 2009 on ESPN and ESPN's "Players of the Week" for a game winning, over the shoulder, diving basket in a game against Oswego State.
When asked about what Morton brings to the team, Legends Head Coach and General Manger Ben Smith claimed, "Scotty is a stat-sheet filler. He will keep up with any player, no matter what size, strength, or ability. Bottom-line, he will not be out-worked by anyone, and we have seen that to-date (in his workouts). Scott will help us in all the intangible parts of the game, and will lead by example. He is a great asset to any team, and we are fortunate enough to have him signed."
Morton has proven his worth to his teams in the past, as he has garnered several personal and team achievements along the way.
His collegiate accolades include: NCAA Regional Conference Player of the Year (2008), ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America and All District I 1st Team (2009), NABC's NCAA D3 All-America 2nd Team (2009) and D3Hoops.com All-East Region 1st Team (2009). As a professional, he was the EBL's Playoff MVP in 2010, and also the Patron Cup MVP, while also becoming regular and post-season Champion with the Wildcats. That year he was also recognized by Eurobasket.com, the premiere overseas basketball resource, and the EBL Division Two forward of the year, import player of the year, and was named to the 1st team.
Morton begins training camp with the Legends on Monday April 4th , and will play in his first game against the Kankakee (Illinois) Soldiers at 7pm on Friday April 15th , in Albany, NY at Christian Brothers Academy, 12 Airline Dr, Albany, NY 12205.
Syracuse Select's Matt Welch Powers New York Mills to Glenn Falls!
For a basketball team that hadn't been forced to break much of a sweat for the last three months, New York Mills' Marauders handled themselves pretty well when push came to shove Saturday.
That’s why Section III's Class D champions are on their way back to Glens Falls and the state final four.
Willed to victory by all-state forward Fred Russ – often the only New York Mills senior on the court – the state-ranked No. 1 Marauders used a 14-2 run midway through the second half to turn back pesky Section IV champ Hancock 53-45 in a Central Region final at SUNY Oneonta’s Alumni Field House.
The 6-foot-5 Russ sat out the last 4:07 of the first half after picking up his second foul but still finished with 17 points and nine rebounds and 6-foot-9 junior center Matt Welch had 15 points and seven rebounds as New York Mills earned a second straight trip to the final four.
It was the 45th win in the last 46 games for the Marauders, whose only setback was last year's state semifinal loss to eventual Class D champion Maple Grove.
New York Mills (22-0) plays perennial Section X power Chateaugay (22-1) at 10 a.m. Friday in the first of two state semifinal games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Chateaugay earned its fourth final four berth in the last five years with a 77-51 romp over Section II champ Germantown in its regional final.
"They came out and smacked us in the mouth," Russ said of Hancock's Wildcats, who after falling behind by eight points played New York Mills to a 23-23 halftime tie. "They came out hitting 3s and beating us to loose balls. ... We really weren’t playing very well.
"But we didn’t panic. We’ve been here before. We just had to settle down and come back out and play hard in the second half. There was more of an emphasis on our intensity. Once we started coming to life, it was all about who wanted it more."
Russ obviously did. He scored 13 second-half points, eight in the fourth quarter when the Marauders finally opened up some breathing room.
"That’s Fred," said New York Mills coach Mike Adey. "When somebody needs to get on somebody, Fred’s going to do it. I don’t need to motivate. Fred does that. He takes care of things."
Early in the third quarter, Hancock (15-6) took its first lead since scoring the game’s first basket and the Wildcats still held a 31-28 edge with less than five minutes left in the period.
The Marauders, however, ended the quarter with a 9-2 run, including a pair of fastbreak baskets by junior guard Nick Etienne, who finished with nine points and four assists, and a three-point play by Welch.
Russ then dominated the first 3½ minutes of the fourth quarter. After converting a steal into a three-point play, he blocked a shot and scored again, capping a 14-2 run and giving the Marauders a 42-33 lead.
"Fred really stepped up," said Welch. "It’s his senior year and he didn’t want to go home yet. He’s not done. We all want to finish what we started last year."
A more aggressive, match-up zone defense and key contributions from Etienne and senior guard Justin Stevener helped the Marauders finish off Hancock.
The Wildcats, reluctant to attack the zone – they launched 32 shots from 3-point range and made six – went over eight minutes without a field goal midway through the second half.
"We usually shoot around 40 percent from 3-point land and we average about eight 3s a game, but we obviously had to make some adjustments because of their length," said Hancock coach Brandon Olbrys. "It wasn’t turnovers. We had opportunities. We just didn’t shoot well. Give New York Mills credit. They switched up their (defensive) looks and that's something we haven’t seen a lot of this year."
Tom Banicky had four of Hancock’s five 3s and scored 13 points and 6-foot-5 Erick Hicks had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who used only six players.
New York Mills, meanwhile, got another solid outing from sophomore point guard J.T. Ross. He played every minute and had eight points, 10 rebounds and three assists for the Marauders, who scored their last seven points from the foul line and led by as many as 14 with a minute remaining.
"We just had to straighten some things out," Adey said. "This time of year isn’t the time for yelling and screaming. It’s the regional final -- everybody’s supposed to be good. We just had to settle them down (at halftime).
"Hancock’s a good team. They were very scrappy, but our kids hung in there. We really played with a lot of purpose in the second half."
As a result, Adey and his Marauders – unbeaten Central Region champs and ranked No. 1 in the state for the second straight year -- are on their way back to Glens Falls and another shot at their first state championship since 1982.
Syracuse Select Combo is enough to puts away Buffalo East.
The Aquinas boys basketball team didn't play one of its best games of the season on Saturday, but judging solely by the score line you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
"We didn't play great today, but we did enough to win," Little Irish coach Michael Grosodonia said after the game. "I don't think we played as a team in the first half. In the second half, we got it together and we shared the ball more."
Despite some struggles, Aquinas defeated Buffalo East-VI 68-55 in a Class A state quarterfinal at the Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial.
After trailing for most of the first half, Aquinas took its first lead of the game at the 4:20 mark of the second quarter. Reserve guard Jahmahl Pardner junior used his athleticism to dribble through the Panthers defenders and lay one in to make it 20-19.
The Little Irish led 31-30 at the half after Tremmell Fisher hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Buffalo East.
The third quarter went back and forth, but a free throw by junior Phil Valenti with 5:03 left in the game put the Little Irish up 51-50, and they led rest of the way.
Aquinas shot 12-for-26 from the free-throw line in the second half, but it was enough to put away Buffalo East.
"In the second half, we picked it up and we started playing better defense," said Valenti, who finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds. "We got a lead and we knew that if we made foul shots down the stretch we would be all right."
Pardner (12 points) and Xavier Major (12 rebounds) were big factors off the bench for Aquinas.
"They did a great job attacking us; they're physical and it took us a little bit to adjust," Grosodonia said of Buffalo East. "We finally did, and our guys off the bench, Pardner and Major, picked us up big time."
Aquinas (22-1) will play the two-time defending state champion, Jamesville-Dewitt-III, at 9 a.m. Saturday in Glen Falls.
"They're a great team," Grosodonia said. "We're excited to have the opportunity to play them, but we're not going to be happy with just being there. I know for me, I'm hungry."
After 15 years, it's a RAP for Cairo
Gene Cairo has changed the face of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball in Western New York.
He has taken what used to be an all-stars-only club and made is accessible to basketball players throughout the region, helping in turn to produce better in-season teams.
After 15 years of as the man behind the scenes of the state’s largest AAU-sanctioned program, Rochester Area Players (RAP), Cairo is hanging it up.
Cairo, a graduate of East High in Rochester, got his start in coaching hoops as an assistant under Sal Rizzo, who made the Orientals one of the most successful programs in New York — winning 10 Section 5 titles over his 24-year career.
Cairo took over the Rochester AAU program from Bob Relph — father of former McQuaid hoops great Tyler Relph — 15 years ago. Five years into running the program, which consisted of about six teams, Cairo started to change the way the program traditionally had been run.
"My idea was to let each team be its own island," said Cairo. "I allowed each team to be flexible — recruit their own players, play the schedule they wanted and manage their own funds."
Until that point, AAU squads had been all-star teams, with one player from each of several schools combining to make up a superstar squad.
"I allowed teams to form geographically," Cairo said.
In turn, teams began to form with players all from one school or from one area. Each player on the floor wasn’t the best of the best, but it allowed players to continue to improve their skill sets outside of the regular season.
"You don’t have to be super to want to work on your skills in the offseason," Cairo said.
The results of teams working together for a couple weeks in the spring has formed champions.
Cairo’s shining star example is the Avon Braves.
Avon coach Rob Fries approached Cairo about starting an Avon team with a group of 14-year-olds. The players kept coming back and as seniors, the crew claimed the Class C New York State title in 2008, winning 22 games.
"It was that same group of rag-tag kids that started when they were 14," Cairo said of the Braves. "They only won a couple of games, but they came back each year and got better.
"The kids get a chance to play with more quickness. It gives him a chance to improve his individual skills, then take that back to improve his high school team. It doesn’t replace the high school team — it improves it."
Today, RAP is the largest AAU program in New York, with approximately 40 teams.
While 95 percent of today’s teams are like Avon and Batavia — consisting primarily of kids all from one town — there are a handful of the traditional all-star teams which have seen well-known players such as Greg Paulus (Christian Brothers Academy-III/Duke), Andray Blatche (Henninger-III/Washington Wizards) and most recently Nate Brumfield (East/Oklahoma Baptist, who now plays professionally in Mexico) come through.
The RAP season starts the third week of March and runs though Memorial Day.
It was through RAP that Cairo became involved with the Batavia basketball program.
Batavia coach Buddy Brasky headed one of the regional teams that joined the RAP program when Cairo opened up the program, and a friendship sprang forth.
Cairo has served as Brasky’s assistant coach for many seasons now and Brasky serves as RAP’s tournament director.
RAP has two big tournaments during their short season — the Rochester Rumble at Brockport, which entering its 12th year, and the Showdown in B-Town, which is entering its eighth year at Batavia.
The Showdown serves as the Blue Devils’ main team fundraiser for the year and brings in over 100 boys basketball teams, with players from ages 11-17. This year’s tournament will be April 2-3.
Cairo will be handing over the reins of RAP to assistant director Phil Valenti, a former basketball standout from Pittsford Sutherland and owner of Valenti Sports.
"I was looking for someone that wasn’t a father (to a player in the program)," said Cairo. "I’ve found that fathers, once their sons get too old to participate, go away.
"It’s a tremendous amount of work."
On Saturday, RAP will sponsor a high school boys basketball showcase of some of the best teams from Western New York at the fourth annual RAP Invitational, hosted by East High.
"It’s gotten harder for schools to be able to afford to transport their kids to out-of-town tournaments, but it’s a full day of quality basketball," Cairo said. "It’s also an opportunity for kids to play at East High, one of the most famous basketball venues in the section, and it’s neat that kids can come from all over and play there."
The showcase tips off at noon with Fairport versus Franklin, followed by Strong Vincent (out of Erie, Pa.) versus Victor at 1:45 p.m.
The Blue Devils will face Finney in a rematch of the Batavia Lions Club finale at 3:30 p.m., followed by Greece Arcadia, the defending A1 sectional champs, taking on Corcoran of Section 3 (Syracuse).
Pittsford Mendon plays McQuaid in an Eastside showdown at 7 p.m. before the grand finale, a battle between two top-15 ranked teams in Class AA in the state, Rush-Henrietta and East, at 8:45 p.m.
"It’s really good for the area," said Brasky. "It’s a chance for high school basketball fans to go to one place and catch some really quality teams."
Batavia played in a Buffalo versus Rochester showcase earlier in the year at the Niagara Falls Cataract Classic, but due to lack of funds and security issues, there are fewer of these types of events.
The Blue Cross Arena used to host an all-day showcase on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but increased security and violence issues raised the cost and made it too costly to run.
"The event at the Blue Cross became an opportunity for kids to purposely go there and fight," said Cairo. "We charge $5, which keeps the riffraff out. We’ve never had any problems."
Syracuse Select's Caldwell goes off for 49
"A" DIVISION CHAMPS: MVP heads balanced attack versus Carthage
SECTION 3 TOURNEY: Caldwell establishes record in C-1 clash
By JOHN DAY
TIMES SPORTSWRITER
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2011
Connor Caldwell is human after all.
He missed an easy dunk and a free throw at the end of Saturday's Section 3 Class C-1 quarterfinal against Westmoreland. But Immaculate Heart Central's senior star was about as close to perfect as possible, breaking his own school-record with 49 points in his final home game as the fourth-seeded Cavaliers raced to a 78-54 victory.
IHC (14-5) now awaits a Class C-1 semifinal matchup with either top-seeded Cooperstown or No. 8 Pulaski either Tuesday or Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.
Senior Thomas Lazore scored 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as IHC broke the game open in the second quarter and led 48-29 at halftime. The only question in the second half was whether Caldwell, who scored 32 points in the first half, would reach 50.
"I lost my legs a little bit at the end," the 6-foot-3 guard. "Fifty would have been a nice round number."
Caldwell, who has now scored an even 600 points this season and stands at 1,953 for his career, said he was determined not to let this be his last game in a Cavalier uniform.
"I've thought and dreamed about it all week," Caldwell said. "I think that's why I came out so excited and determined today."
IHC coach Mike Delaney, whose club lost in the Class C-2 final last season, said he's never seen Caldwell so focused and determined.
"You could see it in his eyes right from the beginning," Delaney said. "Connor has been kind of laying back a little bit in recent games. But games like this and the rest of the way he's just got to take it right at the other team."
Knowing ahead of time that No. 5 Westmoreland (12-7) employs a 1-3-1 zone defense, IHC was well prepared to attack that defense.
Caldwell scored 19 first-quarter points and Lazore had the other four as the Cavaliers scored almost at will to take a 23-15 lead.
It was more of the same in the second quarter as Caldwell and Lazore combined for 19 of IHC's 25 points and the Cavaliers expanded the lead to 48-29 at intermission.
"Our guards (Ryan Spicer, Anthony Magovney) did a great job of splitting their top guy in the zone and finding Thomas and me for easy shots," Caldwell said.
Spicer, a senior playing his last home game as well, finished with 12 assists and eight steals.
"Once we got by their big guy out front, we got just about any shot we wanted," Delaney said. "I thought we showed good patience and kept attacking instead of just settling for shots over the zone."
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Westmoreland switched to a 2-3 zone the second half and slowed the Cavaliers down a little. But Caldwell still managed 17 more points, scoring on an assortment of drives, jumpers and a few thundering dunks.
"Connor was really pumped today," Lazore said. "He's usually fired up before a game, but today you could sense he was really ready to have a big game."
Caldwell also finished with 10 rebounds in his home court finale.
"It's been a really special four years," he said. "But we've still got a lot more work to do this season before it's all over."
Jason Colburn, a 6-foot-5 senior, kept Westmoreland from being blown out even worse with a 32-point performance.
Caldwell, Cavaliers continue Frontier League reign
"A" DIVISION CHAMPS: MVP heads balanced attack versus Carthage
By JOHN DAY
TIMES SPORTSWRITER
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011
Carthage's Jeff Ventiquattro summed up what the rest of his fellow Frontier League boys basketball coaches felt about seeing Connor Caldwell for the last time.
"I'm glad he's a senior," Ventiquattro said Tuesday about Immaculate Heart Central's dynamic scoring star. "It's been a long four years."
Caldwell, who was named "A" Division MVP for the second straight season, wore out the Comets again with a 32-point performance as the Cavaliers earned the division playoff championship with a 66-55 victory at Jefferson Community College.
IHC (13-4), after winning consecutive regular-season and playoff titles, plays "B" Division winner General Brown at 8 p.m. Friday at JCC for the overall crown. Carthage (9-8) meets South Jefferson at 6:30 p.m.
Henninger zone stymies Liverpool
Tom Leo / The Post-Standard, February 16, 2011
But the opposite happened Tuesday night at Henninger High school, where Henninger defeated Liverpool, 74-59, to clinch the Central New York Counties League National Division championship with its 10-0 league record.Usually, a team switches out of a zone defense and goes to man-to-man to apply more pressure to its opponent.
Liverpool led 22-18 after the first quarter, when the Warriors shot well from the perimeter and nailed three 3-point jump shots.
"I was stubborn and stayed in the man too long in the first quarter," Henninger coach Erik Saroney said. "We’ve really been working on it and I really wanted to play it more, but our best defense, obviously, is our zone. Henninger plays its 2-3 zone with an unusual twist.
"We extend it and trap and try to get after you, and use our length up top to our advantage," Saroney said. "We can go 6-foot-4, 6-4, 6-3, and 6-2 around the perimeter. That’s really long. Once we went to the zone, it kind of changed the game. It created offense for us because we got some turnovers and we’re able to get into our break."
The Black Knights, who are 14-3 overall, led 39-36 at halftime and 55-40 after the third quarter before extending the lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter.
Six-foot-1 point guard Tevin Chisholm led the way with 21 points for Henninger. Six-foot-three forward Markell Stith added 15 points. Six-foot-four guard Tommy Spinner had 14.
Ian Hamm led Liverpool (7-2, 10-7) with 18 points. Adam Misener added 16, including four three-pointers, and Connor Rogers added 14.
Chisholm said the game had a sectional-like feel to it because the Knights had an opportunity to win a division championship.
"Henninger hasn’t gone 10-0 in the league in a long time," he said. "We wanted to get 2011 up on the banner."
In previous years, a 10-0 league record would have been enough to get the Knights the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Section III Class AA tournament.
This year, seedings are based on a team’s record against AA and A opponents. Henninger has three non-league losses, two to Utica Proctor.
Proctor (15-2), an independent this season, will be the No. 1 seed if it beats West Genesee on Friday night. Cicero-North Syracuse will be the No. 2 seed if it defeats Liverpool on Friday.
The Raiders and Northstars can finish with identical 16-2 records, and C-NS defeated Proctor twice, but C-NS’s win over Class B Bishop Grimes earlier this season would not count in the seeding process. Henninger is a likely No. 3 seed.
Aquinas basketball passes test at Kearney
James Johnson – Staff writer – February 5, 2011
IRONDEQUOIT — There were hundreds of people jammed into Bishop Kearney’s Ed Nietopski Gymnasium, and the man for whom the place is named may have added to the high level of noise there Friday night.
Which team knew what to do with all of those people watching? Which one was able to think clearly amongst all that noise with time running out? It was the Aquinas Little Irish, who extended their win streak to 12 games with a 64-59 victory.
One thing I talk about is being tough," Aquinas coach Mike Grosodonia said.
Aquinas (13-1) and Kearney spent the evening trading the lead until a 10-1 run put the Little Irish ahead 56-52 with 3:17 remaining. Kearney (11-3) came within one twice in the final 2:45 but fell short of extending its win streak to six games.
"We did not handle their press," Kearney coach Jon Boon said. "We did not block out.
"They made plays at the end of the game, all of the stuff we talked about in the last timeouts."
Jammal Coleman led a group of four double-digit scorers for Aquinas with 17 points. Phil Valenti had 12, Christian White 10 and Josh Carter 11, to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Alex Baron, a 6-foot-5 Aquinas forward, had nine points.
"Our team is deep," Coleman said. "Even when the starters are not doing what they are supposed to do, we have people who can come in, make shots and big plays."
The Little Irish defeated Kearney 72-56 on Jan. 5 at Aquinas. While the win was legit, the margin of victory had a tint of fool’s gold to it, because Kearney starters Chukwuka Ikpeze and 6-foot-9 Chinonso Obokoh were in foul trouble.
How likely was that to happen again?
Obokoh picked up four fouls Friday, but Ikpeze was in the middle of the action all night, as he led all scorers with 24 points.
A fallaway jump shot by Ikpeze began a 7-0 spurt that gave the Kings a 51-46 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Little Irish responded with their decisive run, which was pushed along by reserve guard Jahmahl Pardner and Coleman.
A pair of free throws by Coleman put Aquinas ahead 54-52 with 3:33 remaining.
Pardner turned a steal into a layup to finish the run.
Valenti's addition has boosted Aquinas basketball
By Mike Bailey, staff writer
Messenger Post
Posted Feb 01, 2011 @ 01:48 PM
Greece, N.Y. — Phil Valenti knew how good some of the players on the Aquinas boys basketball team were last year. His history of playing AAU basketball made him familiar with Christian White and Alex Baron, two of Aquinas’ top players.
He liked their game and potential so much he decided to join them.
Despite averaging 17 points per game as a sophomore on the Victor varsity team last year, Valenti, a 6-foot-7 forward, decided he wanted to attend the school and play basketball for the Irish for his final two years of high school.
"I knew a lot of the guys and I knew how good they were and how much ability I thought the team had and I wanted to be a part of it," he said. "I had no idea what my role was going to be but I didn’t care. I wanted to be a part of what they were doing."
Valenti’s presence has been a huge one for the 12-1 Irish team. He impressed coach Mike Grosodonia fromthe very beginning and stepped right into the starting lineup and has started every game this year.
"I knew a little bit about him when he came but a lot of the guys had great things to say about him," Grosodonia said. "I honestly didn’t know what to expect from him at first, but he has been great. When the lights come on this guy really turns it on."
One of the prime examples of that was a 30-point performance he had at the end of December in the championship game of the Mike Dianetti Tournament, a 26-point win over Gates Chili.
"He does a lot of things well," Grosodonia said. "He plays incredibly hard and is not afraid to battle anyone. He has a real good personality and fits right in with this team."
Valenti is the leading scorer for this club at 18 points per game and is also the leading rebounder. Jammal Coleman is a close second at 17 ppg with Baron checking in around 14 ppg. Even White is in double figures at 10 points per contest.
The result has been a lot of winning.
Aquinas’ lone loss this season came to Niagara Falls and Grosodonia feels they could have won that game as well. They have several impressive wins on the resume already including a 29-point win over 11-3 Pittsford Sutherland this weekend and a 16-point home win over Bishop Kearney, the No. 2 ranked team in the Class A2 bracket.
At times, the Irish have almost been too dominant as Grosodonia said some guys have gotten bored with parts of the season, or to be put a better way, very excited for the postseason.
"We have a lot of basketball left to play but to ease some of that we implement some individual goals and things that we want to do," he said. "We don’t practice three days in a row and we keep practices short. We want guys to be sharp for the remainder of the season."
Aquinas has five games remaining including Friday night’s rematch against Kearney.
"We have a lot of leaders on this team so staying focused isn’t really a problem" Valenti said. "We want to finish strong and accomplish as much as possible."
The Irish have a comfortable lead in the Class A2 sectional standings and barring a collapse should enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed. Geneva (9-3) and Batavia (10-3) are the only other schools with a winning record in the bracket.
They do a lot of things well including shooting the ball well. They average close to six 3-pointers per game including one from Valenti, who still lives in Victor and drives himself to school every day.
Their ability to score many different ways is one of the reasons Valenti feels like they can go far when sectionals roll around in just over two weeks.
"We have high expectations - we want to win a state title," he said.
Grosodonia keeps it a little simpler.
"We need to stay healthy and really concentrate on defense," Grosodonia said. "We know we have the ability to score but defense is key. Our expectations are high. If we play like we are supposed to, we can accomplish a lot."
Putnam Science continues to play well
The cast that Putnam Science Academy boys basketball coach Tom Espinosa has assembled is big, fast and talented.
But it’s also a cast that’s playing for one thing: Individual improvement.
The Mustangs won their 11th game in 15 outings Wednesday afternoon and beat local rival Hyde School of Woodstock, 86-67.
Wolfpack coach Tom Bragg questioned whether Putnam Science was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, because he thinks the Mustangs could do well in the league tournament.
Espinosa said the school is on the cusp of being accredited, and once that happens the basketball team can participate in the New England Prep School Athletic Council’s (NEPSAC) year-end playoffs.
Putnam Science Academy (11-4) opened in 2002, but didn’t start using its entire facility until five years ago.
That, Espinosa said, is when it began to get recognized.
"We’re going through our accreditation phase right now. There’s a lot of work to it and if everything goes right, we’ll be accredited (next year)," Espinosa said.
Right now, the Mustangs intend to host a season-ending tournament — the only title they will be playing for.
"Man, that’s a shame," Bragg said when he learned that accreditation is still a year away. "I think they could do something, especially in the new open divisions that (NEPSAC) has."
The Wolfpack (5-10) could do little against a team that features 6-foot-9 Wilson Arob, a native of Sudan who comes to Putnam via Melbourne, Australia.
Arob’s statistics may not have been overwhelming on Wednesday — 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks — but his presence inside caused Hyde to alter many of its shots, many of which never reached the net.
Arob has played basketball for four years, the last year played for a AAUI Basketball program "Syracuse Select" in Syracuse, New York and the previous three in Australia. He’s in Putnam to learn the American way of playing the game.
"I’m going to junior college next year," he said. "My goal is to play Division I and then play professional basketball."
If Arob is the inside threat, Desmond Williams gives the Mustangs all they need from the outside. Williams (24.6 points per game) put down six 3-pointers and finished with 25 points.
"I play here all the time. I love this court," Williams said. "This is like home to me so when it comes to game time, it’s easy for me."
Freshman Tyree Robinson made all 10 of his field goal attempts to finish with 20 points, six rebounds, four steals and four blocks for the Mustangs.
"It was a total team effort, everybody came out and played," Williams said.
Jalen Hill led Hyde with 19 points.
Putnam Science 69
Kimball Union 65
PUTNAM — Desmond Williams led four players in double figures with 20 points and added six rebounds, five assists and five steals for Putnam Science (12-4), winners of five straight in front of a ROCKING standing room only gym.
Anthony Henry contributed 19 points and five assists for the Mustangs, and freshman Tyree Robinson added 11 points and 13 rebounds. Zaquan Nelson had 11 points and 7 assists as well.
Syracuse Select Basketball Big man Wilson Arob (14 points and 16 rebounds) finished the game with a two hand power dunk to set off the full house crowd to storm the court.
Caldwell haunts Cyclones again
IHC EDGES WATERTOWN: Cavaliers star hits for 41 points in 2nd straight meeting
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
Connor Caldwell matched his season-high with 41 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead host Immaculate Heart Central to a 70-67 victory over Watertown High School in a Frontier League "A" Division boys basketball game Friday.
Caldwell, who also scored 41 versus WHS in the first meeting, made 13 free throws. Darren Carrington added 10 points for IHC (9-4 overall, 5-3 league).
Dustin Pond paced Watertown (3-9, 1-7) with 26 points, and Tevion Cappe chipped in 23 points.
Syracuse Select/CNS Anthony DelCoro will be Attending St. John Fisher College in the fall of 2010!
Post Graduate Wilson Abro has recevied a Full scholarship to play this coming school year at at Prep School "Putnam Science Academy" in Putnam, Connecticut about 4 1/2 hour away. With much hard work from Coach Pudney and many long drives to many schools this spring and summer Wilson has found the right school for him and his dream to play at a Prep School has come true!
Senior Taylor Bassett of Onondaga Central High School has recevied a scholarship to play basketball at Division II "Saint Leo's University" in Florida for the 2012 Season.
Coach Lenny Rauch Under 14 Year Old Coach Will Be Inducted into The Syracuse Hall Of Fame.
Len Rauch - Another gifted Syracuse area performer, Len Rauch was a superb two-sport athlete in both high school and college. Basketball and baseball were sports he excelled in. At Bishop Ludden High School (1987-1991) he was the featured performer for Hall of Fame Coach Gerry Wilcox. At Ludden, Len was a two-time All City selection, Post-Standard All City in 1987 and All-State honoree. He led the Gaelic Knights to the State Class A championship game, multiple Section 3 team titles and was nominated to the prestigious McDonald's All American High School Team. He also starred for the Ludden baseball team. His college career at LeMoyne College brought him to higher levels of success. He held the LeMoyne record from 1991, broken this year, as all-time leading scorer (1,876 points) and all-time rebounder (1,151). He is No. 3 for the Dolphins for made field goals and free throws and No. 5 for assists (509) and steals (172). He was the Mideast Conference Rookie of the Year and was the first player named all conference in all four years (three as first team). Len was the Conference Player of the Year his senior season and Division II NABC Third Team All-American. He also played baseball at LeMoyne in 1989 and 1990, including a trip to the Division I NCAA Regional Finals, only one pitch away from competing in the College World Series. In 1991 he toured with the Harlem Globetrotters as a member of the Boston Shamrocks. Len was inducted into the LeMoyne College Hall of Fame in 2001. He has, since 2000, become a college basketball official. He also competes as a top local golfer, being a member of the Mitchell Cup Team in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was District Amateur Champion. He also coaches youth basketball and baseball.
Winchendon Big Man Headed to MAAC
January 26th, 2010
New England Recruiting Report
Post-Grad excited to be staying close to home to play for the Red Foxes.
Winchendon's post-graduate center
Adam Kemp
ended his recruitment on Monday afternoon when he made a verbal Adam
Syracuse Select's Adam Kemp commitment to Marist College and head coach
Chuck Martin.
The Red Foxes had been actively recruiting the big man since this summer and
when they finally extended a scholarship offer it didn't take Kemp long to
make up his mind.
"I started talking to Marist last year during my senior year of high
school," Kemp explained. "When I got to Winchendon a couple of other
schools offered, but once Marist offered I knew that was the place where I
wanted to go."
Kemp came to Winchendon from Vernon Verona Sherrill High School in New York,
about two and a half hours away from Marist's campus in Poughkeepsie, New
York, and the opportunity to play his college basketball fairly close to
home was one of the things that appealed to Kemp.
"I had a good relationship with [head] coach [Chuck] Martin and [assistant]
coach [Ty] Weeks," he said, "and it's a good academic school. That's one
thing about me, I needed to find a place that fit academics and
basketball."
Kemp averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last season at VVSHS, earning
numerous post-season accolades in the process. At Winchendon, he is a
rotation player for one of the deepest and most talented frontcourts in all
of the NEPSAC.
The Marist coaching staff followed Kemp consistently last summer, being sure
to make an appearance at each of his stops along the way. They have also
been a consistent fixture in the Winchendon gym this year, as Coach Martin
himself has made three or four different trips to see the Big Green play.
Kemp is the sixth member of Winchendon's team to commit to a division I
university joining
Anthony Ireland
(Loyola Marymout),
Eric Ferguson
(Georgia Southern),
Marvin Dominique
(Hofstra),
Devon Saddler
(Delaware), and
Markus Kennedy
(Villanova).
He is also the second New England big man to commit to Marist for next
season joining Wilbraham and Monson center
Naofall Folahan
.
