It’s time to preserve our rich basketball history

September 16, 2022 Andy Furman

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If you were a member or played high school athletics in New York City, go to BreathPlex.com and sign up to receive updates and information – this is the home of the New York City High School Hall of Fame Center, for those who played, coached, assistant coached, managers and/or scorekeepers, as a member of the PSAL, CHSAA and PSAA.

It’s time to preserve the rich history, legacy and tradition of high school athletes and their alumni.

Did you know? Out of 34,000 high school students in New York City annually, only 2.7% boys and 2.1% girls will make and play varsity basketball. The time has finally arrived to celebrate, recognize and showcase that history. After all, according to the NCAA only 3.2% and boys and girls basketball players will go on to play college basketball at any level. That means in that senior year, when that buzzer goes off and the clock shows 0:00 and the referee says, “Game Over,”, 97% of these players would have completed their amateur basketball career. It’s time to celebrate them for a job well done.

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Pratt Institute’s women’s soccer team won their first contest of the season, beating Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science (ACPHS), 7-1 in the season opener. Katherine Thomsen scored the first goal of the season – and the first-year performer would score three more times to finish the day with a team-high four goals. Leading scorer from last year’s squad, sophomore Siena Sujinto, got into the action scoring two goals in the last 10 minutes of the match for the Cannoneers.

Thomsen netted three more goals in a 3-0 win for Pratt over SUNY Maritime – and the Cannoneers boosted their record to a perfect 3-0 with a 3-0 shutout over Morriston, Sunday. Thomsen scored two more goals in the win – pushing her season total to seven. Amelie Stoddard added her first goal.

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Victor Naci, a native of Bordeaux, France, scored his second brace (two-goal-game in three games – and goals from Matthew Kieblesz, and Alex Heifant – a native of Quito, Ecuador – and Diego Volpe – pushed Brooklyn’s St. Joseph’s University’s men’s soccer team to a 5-1 win in the Battle of Brooklyn, over Brooklyn College, Saturday.

The Bears pushed their season record to 2-1.

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The St. Francis College women’s soccer team returned home – Brooklyn Bridge Park – for the first time in September, and were fit t be tied with Rider College, 1-1. Jamie-Lyn-Shimamoto scored for the Lady Terriers as they earned their second consecutive draw of the season.

Lexi Smith and Ainhoa Brea finished one-two at the LIU-hosted Fall Festival cross-country meet and the Sharks won the women’s event, Friday.

LIU finished with 25 points, followed by Hofstra with 42, Wagner with 53 and St. Francis with 98. Smith posted a 5K of 18:48.24 with a nagging leg ailment while Brea clocked in at 19:06.92.

Rali Mihaylova (19:37.46) and Josephine Critchley (19:38.97) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

The LIU men’s golf team began its Fall season in record-setting fashion at The Doc Gimmler Invite and Bethpage Red, hosted by St. John’s.

Jesse Macnaughtan totaled a nine-under-par through three rounds, which was good for tied for fifth and the highest finish on the team. Macnaughtan tied the program’s 36-hole record (135, matching Lukas Gabora’s performance last season in Myrtle Beach) and set a new 54-hole team record (201).

As a team, the Sharks broke the 18-and 54-hole records (272 and 833, respectively), and tied an 18-hole low round versus par (-8).

The Sharks were one of 15 teams competing in the tournament.

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The Brooklyn College Women’s Cross-Country team was tied for third in the 2022 Coaches’ Poll, announced by the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC).

Last year’s conference champion Hunter, was picked to repeat as champs.

LIU Volleyball standout Anastasia Scott earned a spot on the All-Tournament team for her performance at the Bucknell Invitational last weekend.

A 5-foot-5 libero from Jacksonville, Fla. was named the Northeast Conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week as well as an NEC Prime Performer. She shared the player of the week honor with Fairleigh Dickinson’s Tatijana Fucka.

LIU teammate Olivia Lucia, a middle blocker, also was named an NEC Prime Performer. Scott had a combined 67 digs in the matches against NJIT, George Washington and Bucknell. She is the two-time-reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Year.

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] Twitter: @AndyFurmanFSR