Scholastic Roundup: PSAL releases basketball schedule

May 31, 2021 Andy Furman

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The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) finally released their basketball schedule to the high school coaching community.

Games will be played on Saturdays and Sundays over the next five-to-six weeks, according to PSAL advocate, Rich Kosik.

City parks – not indoor gymnasiums – will be the home courts for high schools throughout the five boroughs. An opening game between Lincoln and Grady – two schools located in the Coney Island area and some two miles apart – will be played in Mill Basin.

“These kids will need to take two busses to get there,” moans Kosik. “And there’s still no recommendations about enforcing the Health Department mandate of having no spectators.”

Kosik has advocated for the games to be played in the schools – with no fans – during school hours, and he says it’s not too late to do that.

The Mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced this week that starting in September all schools will be open for in-person learning for all students.

And this week de Blasio is inviting parents in the schools to reassure them that the schools are safe for their child to return for in-person learning.

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Kosik reasons, “If the schools are safe enough to have parents visit our safe schools, why can’t these games be played indoors over the next month, without fans?”

He says playing indoors eliminates any concerns about the safety of city parks, cracked or broken asphalt, unpadded metal poles, fencing in the park, or is the park located in a gang area? Is drug dealing going on?

In addition, or bathrooms clen and functioning or even open in the parks?

And, of course, travel time from players’ homes. Games are scheduled for the weekends and public transportation doesn’t run as often.

“This last concern is something I hope never would happen,” Kosik said. “A visiting team wins a very close game and there have been several disputed calls in favor of the visitors. Meanwhile supporters of the home team are not happy. Can the safe passage of the visitors be guaranteed? Why even take a chance for an incident to happen – move the games inside.”

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Joe Favorito, the Xaverian High School grad lamented about being some 40 years since his prom which was at the Waldorf Astoria.

And then he adds, it’s been 28 years another little event – a wedding – May 16th was his anniversary.

Fav also was so happy for Fordham alum and another WFUV alum – Mike Breem who entered the Basketball Hall of Fame on the same date. “It’s hard to express how proud we all are,” he wrote on social media, “as are all whose lives he has touched.”

Breen is a member of the 1983 Fordham class and was presented with the Curt Gowdy Award at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

As for Favorito, he majored in communications at Fordham, worked on the student radio station, WFUV and at 28 was public relations director of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

He later served as publicist for the Knicks and for the past dozen years he’s been an independent consultant on crisis, social media, strategic planning, brand marketing, publicity and business development.

He was named one of Forbes’ “100 Sports Business Must Follows” for 2015.

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The combination of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden seems to have been enough to finally flip the country’s hatred of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dave Mason, BetOnLine SportsBook Brand Manager has the state-by-state breakdown and the Brooklyn Nets – 25 states – tops the list as the most hated team in America followed by the Lakers, 21 states; Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, two states each.

The Scholastic Roundup Quiz:

Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan pitched to seven father-son combinations – who were they:

Answer: (Courtesy, Eddie Birch, Lafayette High Basketball Team Manager, 1968):

Sandy and Sandy Jr. Alomar; Bobby and Barry Bonds; Tito and Terry Francona; Ken and Ken Griffey Jr.; Hal and Brian McRae; Ducky and Dick Schofield; Maury and Bump Wills.

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected].