High School Basketball

If you're in New York and like high school basketball, here is my New Year's gift to you:

Saturday, January 7

Event: LI MLK Classic (BOYS)
Gym: Island Garden Arena (where the Knicks and Liberty used to practice)
Location: West Hempstead, NY
Tip off: 12:00pm

Upper Room vs. Campus Magnet
East Meadow vs. Hempstead
Long Beack vs. Martin Van Buren (we are the mighty mighty vee-bees)


Event: 2006 Girls Basketball Invitational Classic
Gym: York College
Location: Jamaica, NY
Tip off: 11:00am

Lincoln vs. Holy Trinity
Midwood vs. Massapequa
Francis Lewis vs. St. Michael's Academy


Note: In the second game, Midwood is the team to watch or should I say Melanie Murphy is the player to watch. She's on her way to Stanford next year. In the third game, Francis Lewis lost to Bergtraum in last year's PSAL Championship but everybody loses to Bergtraum. Francis Lewis is one of the best programs in the city. "Queen V" Vionca Murray is on her way to Va. Tech next year. She had 34 against Cardozo recently and looks unstoppable against the high school crowd.

Players to watch:
Lincoln: Marissa Austin, Charmon Watt
Francis Lewis: Vionca Murray, Diatiem Hill
Midwood: Mesha Joseph, Melanie Murphy


Event: The Borough Challenge (BOYS)
Gym: Lehman College
Location: Bronx, NY
Tip off: 1:00pm

The Bronx vs. Queens (Lehman vs. Springfield Gardens)
Brooklyn vs. Staten Island (Robeson vs. Curtis)
Manhattan vs. Brooklyn (Wadleigh vs. Boys & Girls)



Sunday, January 8

Event: 2006 Girls Basketball Invitational Classic
Gym: Lehman College
Location: Bronx, NY
Tip off: 10:00am

Manhattan Center vs. Malverne
Cardozo vs. Paterson East Side
Grand Street Campus vs. North Babylon
John F. Kennedy vs. Shabazz

Note: Manhattan Center looks sick this year. They've always looked really good and were always well coached but this year they look elite good. Francis Lewis, Bergtraum, Christ the King good. Ashley Cox is unbelievable when she's on.

Players to watch:
Manhattan Center: Ashley Cox, Chena Parker
Cardozo: Marissa Flagg, Lekesha Harris, Adenike Oyesile
Grand Street Campus: Kenya Kirkland
Shabazz: Jania Sims, Kellindra Zachery, Iasia Hemingway
Paterson East Side: Shadisha Green, Davina Yacab


Saturday, January 14

Event: 3rd Annual Big Apple Basketball High School Invitational (BOYS)
Gym: Baruch College
Location: New York, NY
Tip off: 11:30am

Uniondale vs. Boys & Girls
St. Andrews vs. Bloomfield Tech
Bellaire vs. Grady
Notre Dame Prep vs. St. Thomas More



Sunday, January 15

Event: Nike Super 6 Invitational
Gym: Madison Square Garden
Location: New York, NY
Tip off: 1:00pm

Grady vs. Boys & Girls (BOYS)
Murry Bergtraum vs. Christ The King (GIRLS)
Rice vs. St. Patrick's (BOYS)

Note: Grady vs. Boys & Girls should be excellent and you know both will bring all of Brooklyn to The Garden for this showdown. But the game to really watch is Bergtraum vs. Christ the King. Their games put some WNBA matchups to shame. Finally, us city dwellers don't have to go all the way to Glens Falls or wait until the State championship in March to see it. Tina Charles is leading the way for Christ the King in her senior year before she blows up on the national scene at UCONN. Of course, there's the player averaging 40 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds a game before she heads to Rutgers to rule the Big East with Matee Ajavon and Kia Vaughn. EPIPHANY PRINCE!!!!

Players to watch:
Bergtraum: Epiphany Prince, Tasha Bartlett, Erica Morrow
Christ the King: Tina Charles



Event: 3rd Annual Big Apple Basketball High School Invitational (BOYS)
Gym: Baruch College
Location: New York, NY
Tip off: 1:00pm

Thomas Jefferson vs. Poly Prep
Patterson Catholic vs. Our Savior Lutheran
Newark East Side vs. All Hallows
Niagra Falls vs. Robeson



Monday, January 16

Event: 3rd Annual Big Apple Basketball High School Invitational (BOYS)
Gym: Baruch College
Location: New York, NY
Tip off: 12:00pm

Bellaire vs. Our Savior Lutheran
Niagra Falls vs. St. Dominic's
Woodmere Academy vs. Benjamin Banneker
West Milford vs. Cardozo
Patterson Catholic vs. Bishop Loughlin



Sunday, January 22

Event: Queens MLK Invitational (BOYS)
Gym: McClancy High School
Location: East Elmhurst, NY
Tip off: 12:00pm

St. John's Prep vs. Samuel Gompers
Woodmere Academy vs. Hempstead
Long Island City vs. McClancy



Sunday, January 29

Event: Long Island/New York Invitational Classic (BOYS)
Gym: Elmcor
Location: Corona, NY
Tip off: 12:00pm

Bronx High School of Science vs. McClancy
Telecommunications vs. Forest Hills
Kingston vs. Chaminade



Wednesday, February 8

Event: PSAL Regular Season Game (GIRLS)
Gym: Manhattan Center High School
Location: Harlem, NY
Tip off: 4:30pm

Murry Bergtraum vs. Manhattan Center

Note: Fittingly, this is the final game of the regular season for both teams. One can only hope they'll end up battling it out at The Garden for the City championship in March.

Players to watch:
Manhattan Center: Ashley Cox, Chena Parker
Bergtraum: Epiphany Prince, Tasha Bartlett, Erica Morrow


Ticket prices vary. Just bring some dough. I only did notes on the girls games because the boys games would take forever.

Hi Larry

Larry Brown reads my blog.

I hope he saw the part about finding a rotation too.

Last night's game against Milwaulkee was Exhibit A as to why Marbury is not the real problem with the Knicks. 23 points, 12 assists, 3 steals, decent defense, good body language, great hustle and still the Knicks lose.

I hate to say it, but the Knicks collectively, have the basketball IQ of a hockey player. They remind me of the Houston Rockets after The Dream and before Yao. A team that didn't have the mental fortitude to play the game at a high level if their athleticism was neutralized.

The bright spot of being 7-21 at the end of the year is that last season the team was 16-13 and came out and bombed the rest of the way. Maybe this year, it'll be the other way around. Riiiiiight.

Marbury

Whenever I think of great point guards, I think of something Sue Wicks once said about Teresa Weatherspoon. It went something along the lines of Wicks being open, but not knowing how open she was, Weatherspoon passing her the ball in perfect position to score what was at the time a much needed basket, and Wicks somehow messing up the play. Wicks recalled being upset with herself for messing up the play and in turn, the run, and looking up and seeing Weatherspoon, who gave her a pinpoint pass, gesturing to herself as if to say it was her fault instead of Wicks'.

Ask anyone what Weatherspoon's greatest attribute was as a player and they probably wouldn't hesitate to say her leadership.

This was most evident ironically in 2003. Weatherspoon seemed to be frustrated with her own play and the Liberty's season. When she allowed her frustration to be written all over her face, the team struggled. When her energy dropped and the disappointment escalated, the entire team followed suit. When she went out of games and went to the bench moping, the collective air was sucked out of the building. When her body language let everyone know she wasn't comfortable and she got snippy, so did everyone else.

There was a marked difference from the never out of it cheerleader that she once was, to the upset towel over the head point guard she became. As she struggled with her role and seemed to lose her passion, so did the team.

Thankfully, for Weatherspoon, eventually, the towel came off the head, the cheerleader returned. Eventhough the team couldn't dig themselves out of the hole they created and she couldn't get on the same page as the coach who also handled the situation incorrectly, she stopped sulking. Even as she went to LA, she looked like she enjoyed the game again and went back to being the positive Spoon we all know and love.

Even at the end of her career with the minutes and production almost non existent, Sparks teammates and opponents like Sheryl Swoopes commented on how the work ethic, energy and leadership never waivered and how her attitude toward the game was infectious.

It's not about being one of a miniscule group of WNBA players to have 1000 point and assists to go with 600 rebounds and 400 steals. That didn't make her a great point guard. The stats didn't help lead the Liberty to the finals 4 times. The stats didn't endear her to the fans. The passion, energy, intensity, leadership and effort with which she played every game did.

.................

Which leads me to Stephon Marbury. Against the Nets, Marbury had 21 points and 5 assists through 3 quarters. Decent numbers. But the team was getting blown out. Enter Nate Robinson. Yes, Robinson scored 13 points in the 4th quarter to spark a semi comeback. But his energy and intensity regardless of the score was what got the Knicks back into the game. When he came in, everyone else's energy went up. Robinson was out there hustling on both ends, clapping for and high fiving teammates through mistakes and playing as if the game was still winnable. Marbury comes back into the game after Robinson fouls out and gets resoundingly booed.

Marbury didn't get booed because of the stat sheet. He got booed because fans are tired of the lack of passion with which he seems to play if his team isn't winning. It was as if to say, had Marbury played with the intensity of Nate Robinson and led his team by example instead of having a negative disposition, the Knicks may not be in this situation in the first place.

I don't believe for a minute that Marbury doesn't play hard. It would take a lot to convince me that he's just in it for the check or doesn't want to win as bad as the next guy. If anyone in that locker room wants to see the Knicks succeed as much as the fans, I'd have to believe it would be the life long Knick fan and native New Yorker...a guy who remembers the good Knicks.

But sometimes it takes more than knowing you want something. You've got to show it. I empathize with Marbury sometimes, because I'm known for not being the most outwardly expressive person in the world, which upsets the people around me from time to time. I've had prospective interviewers tell me they can't really tell that I actually want the job due to my laid back, unexcitable demeanor. I really don't see the need to be "on" 100% of the time, or phoney. But if it means pleasing my mother or getting the job that I really do want, I will do what I have to. Even if it means being a little extra and showing emotion that I normally don't.

If basketball were an individual sport, Marbury would be a top 5 player. He really would be the best point guard in the league. But basketball is a team sport last I checked. I think part of Marbury's problem is that he's never been less than a second option or a go to player. So he doesn't understand the importance of the best players being the most positive and trusting. He doesn't understand how much his body language and demeanor alone impact the confidence and outlook of the lesser players.

Sure, great players are looked to to get into teammates' faces when they're not performing up to par. However, great players earn that right by leading when things are going well too. Marbury's ice grill of an unfocused teammate who drops a pass wouldn't be so bad if he also congratulated said teammates consistently when they do well. One example was during today's game, Marbury shoots and misses. Frye gets a great rebound and dunks it for the putback. Cut to a shot of Marbury running back down court shaking his head disgustedly at his missed shot. It just seems like every bad thing is a catastrophic, slumping, storm off, eye rolling event for him.

It's just as obvious to many of us as it is to him that he doesn't get nearly as many calls as he should, but complaining to the refs instead of hustling back on defense isn't going to win much sympathy.

Marbury is hardly the biggest problem with the Knicks. Anyone who thinks he is, is crazy. Their lack of defense, patchwork rotation, terrible roster and lack of experience are. Trading him isn't going to change much of that unless a superstar is coming back in return.

But you can't have your best player acting distant and aloof on the court. It doesn't help that this only seems to be the case when things are going wrong.

When Marbury was in Minnesota, not only was he a real point guard, which shoots the theory that he isn't and can't be out of the window. He was also high energy and positive until he decided Minnesota wasn't where he wanted to be.

It was the same way when he first got to Jersey. Until one too many injury prone, ice cream soft, hard handed teammates left him feeling All Alone.

He seemed to be on the right track in Phoenix, especially during the run that had them standing on San Antonio's throat, just unable to close it out. Then when they started losing, his attitude turned sour. Which comes first...the tude or the losses? Now with the Knicks, wash...rinse and repeat.

Much of this is media created. Every little thing is mangified and blown out of proportion. We rarely get articles about the great things he does for his team and his community. It's not like there aren't many examples of both. The notion that Marbury never smiles is a truck load of nonsense. The sports media, especially in NY will kiss your behind as long as you show them some attention. They have a supreme ugly chick complex. On the other hand, if you just go out and do your job, and keep them at arms length like the vultures they are, you become the proxy for their stupidity. If I were Marbury, I'd react the same distant way. If you want introspection, watch Oprah.

However, my problem isn't about his relationship with the media. Anyone who has ever played a team sport knows how important it is for your leaders to lead by example. By Marbury's body language signifying indifference and disappointment, and his decision making showing a lack of trust in his teammates, players that aren't on his level skill wise have no incentive to follow in his footsteps. At this level, yes, grown men should be able to inspire themselves and Marbury's attitude shouldn't determine how another man plays his game in terms of effort, but that isn't human nature. Team sports can be a classic example of the difference between social loafing and social incentive.

He's almost hard to watch. I truly believe that Marbury wants to lead and enjoys the game and his teammates. I just don't think he realizes that no matter how you may feel, appearance is everything. Even simple things like thinking a positive thought after a mistake, smiling after a turnover or running with your head up can change your whole attitude on the court. A positive attitude can lead to better focus and less compounding of mistakes.

Like I said, it's something I've had to learn the hard way. Just like I can be more qualified and still lose the job to someone with more spunk...a team can win more games with a less talented, but better intangibles leader at the point.

I'm not saying be a phoney brown noser. I'm saying let the energy, passion, intensity, and heart that you know you have on the inside show on the outside. It's not like Marbury doesn't have all of the above. He wouldn't have made it this far if he didn't.

It's Tough

Allow me to put on my Captain Obvious cape for a minute:

It's difficult being a Knick fan these days.

I don't know where to begin. I know I never saw the truly great Knicks of the 70s as my father would say, but I do remember the Knicks of the 90s. I lived and died with those Knicks.

The Knicks of the 2000s have been an embarassment.

Larry Brown is killing me. A couple of weeks ago he said he was going to shorten the rotation. Brown must be using the fuzzy math because 12 still equals 12 for the rest of us. His 12 isn't even the right 12.

David Lee gives the team great energy, a high basketball IQ, hustle, and effort every time he plays. Too bad he's usually in a suit.

Instead, we get to watch Maurice Taylor, Malik Rose, Jerome James and Antonio Davis. None of them should be playing ahead of Lee or Butler. I could see if the team was contending and Brown didn't want to play young players. But the team readily admits they're rebuilding and still keeps the pieces they should be rebuilding with on the bench. What sense does that make? If we have to watch the team struggle and lose, why not watch the guys who play with some heart and intensity? Why not watch the team grow in that struggle so that we can pacify ourselves into believing that our young guys are learning and will be better for it?

If Rose, Taylor, Davis and James are being showcased as trade bait...I have some bad news for Brown and Thomas. Nobody wants them and their stock decreases everytime they play. Hate to break the bad news.

I admit it is a little unfair to lump all 4 together. Rose and Davis seem to provide great leadership. Davis even seems to be serviceable on the court in spurts. Rose's problem is that Brown seems to think he's Rip Hamilton. Rose would be decent if he could just go in for 8 minutes, rebound and play solid post defense instead of coming off screens and spotting up for jumpers that don't go in.

On the other hand, Taylor is the most unecessary player on the roster and James is an abyss whenever he touches the ball unless he's 2 feet away from the basket. However, James is 7 feet and does change shots on the defensive end.

It looks obvious to a whole heck of a lot of people, except Larry Brown, that the post rotation should include Curry and Frye as the starters with Lee, James and Butler coming off the bench.

The Knicks need a small forward. I love watching Trevor Ariza play. Trust me, I do. But he would be great coming off the bench. In a couple of years, he may end up being a solid role player at the 3. Right now, he really doesn't do one thing extremely well. He just does everything on a mediocre level skill wise. His game hasn't caught up to his intangibles and athleticism yet.

Qyntel Woods just got here so I'll spare him.

If I were the Hall of Fame head coach who I am not second guessing, I'd put Lee at the small forward position. Can't be any worse than what's been going on. He's great at moving the ball and it would give the team an added rebounding presence.

Then there's the backcourt. I'm going to give Stephon Marbury a whole separate post, so we'll skip him for now.

I'm no Jamal Crawford fan, but you must admire his effort. He takes bad shots and makes dumb mistakes but it's usually because he's trying to do too much. Sometimes I get the feeling he's trying to play hero too much but at least he's actually trying and isn't afraid to be the goat as well. His inconsistency is what prevents me from wanting to keep him here. At 25, I wonder how much he'll be able to improve. But...at least he's trying. As long as he's trying, at best, he'll turn into John Starks. At worst, he'll up his trade value.

If Nate Robinson was 6 feet tall, he'd be incredible. He's incredible now, but he'd be even better. He plays with heart, effort, toughness, passion, intensity and energy. He infectious. He's a leader. Players like Nate Robinson are the reason why basketball is a team sport. He uplifts the players around him when he's in the game. Even when he does the dumbest things you can think of on a basketball court, he's not getting down on himself or his teammates. You know that he'll put the mistake behind him and move on instead of compounding it by moping.

I really do not know why Quentin Richardson is here. I'm not trying to be mean...I just don't see what purpose he serves. The Knicks don't play the run and gun, three point shooting style that Phoenix did, nor do they use Richardson's post up game which is his best strength. He's not a small forward and he doesn't really seem to have a role on the team. He looks completely out of place. As a fan of his game, it's difficult to watch him look so out of character. Either he or Crawford need to go to make room for the other or the team needs to find a way to highlight Richardson's strengths.

The Knicks need a resolution. They may want to start with a rotation.

Feels Good

I rode the E train today.

I never in life thought I'd miss the smell or sound of an overcrowded train station during the morning rush hour.

It was hot. It smelled like feet and sewage. Everyone was ice grilling and mean mugging each other.

It was just perfect and beautiful.


If you're looking for something to do next week, the Junius Kellogg Memorial High School Classic basketball tournament is going on at Park West High School in Manhattan beginning at Noon on Tuesday, December 27th and Wednesday, December 28, 2005.

$5 to enter, $3 for students.

Merry Holiday.

She Lives

The good folks at the vastly improved wnba.com caught up with Teresa Weatherspoon.

Her career is mentioned in the past tense throughout the article so I guess this means it's over.

As usual, her commitment to community and youth is strong as ever.

I'm no conspiracy theorist, but the timing of the dot com article has no significance to anything so when does the inevitable announcement that she's back with the Liberty organization in some capacity occur?

In other related news, is it the new trend to not announce your retirment? Not that I care, I'm just wondering.

Stuck in the House

The TWU sure knows how to pick a great time for a strike. It's not like it's 31 degrees outside in the middle of the work week during the holiday season in the busiest city in the world. Nah, not at all.

I move back home from Richmond, VA after 3 and a half years of school in the mid Atlantic...3 and a half years of inferior public transportation, only to come home and be stuck in the house because the trains and buses in NYC aren't running.

I don't blame the TWU for sticking it to the MTA...but why do the rest of us have to suffer? I know, I know...it's the only way they'll get their point across. But why now? Why not in a month like May when I don't have to worry about not being able to feel my fingers?

I'm not about to walk to the city from Queens or overpay for a crazed cabbie to take me to the brink of death. The Long Island Railroad trains to Manhattan look like someone announced there's free iPods waiting for all riders in Penn Station. I love my fellow New Yorkers, but I don't need to get that close to them.

The Long Island buses would be a great option if I didn't have to walk a half hour to the nearest one. I stopped riding in Dollar Vans during rush hour after I realized I enjoyed life.

My driving options don't exist since like the stubborn New Yorker I am, I've put off getting my license for "one of these days" or when I can actually afford the car I need a license for. My mother needs her car to drive to work, a commute that has increased by an hour thanks to the TWU and MTA. My father lives on the other side of town and has a car that operates on its own terms, preferrably not in the winter.

I can't help but to wonder why this needed to happen in the first place. The MTA has been stiffing riders for years. I wouldn't have a problem with paying the fare that always seems to be going up if the money was being spent to keep the trains, buses and stations clean and efficient. I wouldn't have a problem if on Monday the MTA cries broke and on Tuesday they have a $400 million surplus if on Wednesday, I'm not waiting a half hour for a train that should have been here 20 minutes ago.

There's a $400 million dollar surplus thanks to overcharging riders and underpaying workers and the turnstiles barely work without having to swipe 71 times, the Metro Card vending machines either don't have change, only take exact change or plain don't like you and then have the nerve to give you some dollar coin as change that the dude in the bodega would rather bathe himself in acid than take as payment.

It's bad enough you've got to deal with the 37 year old high school kid selling $4 M&M's so he can pay for his basketball uniform. The least the MTA could do is appease its workers and use real soap to clean the train.

At any rate, I'm stuck in the house, unable to will myself to walk a half hour, than ride for another 2, to get somewhere that normally takes me 40 minutes.

For the sake of all New Yorkers, I hope there's no rain in the forecast.

Welcome

I decided to pack my things and bounce to a new home.

I needed a change. A new beginning.

The subject matter will remain the same, I guess.

The updates should be more frequent now that I'm done with school and am back in my more favorable NYC surroundings without papers to write, test to study for and useless textboks to use as place mats and coasters.

I have less design options over here so if anyone knows how I can hook this thing up and get rid of the generic template, let me know.