Scholastic Roundup: NYC Basketball Hall of Fame welcomes Ronnie Nunn

October 27, 2023 Andy Furman

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After Tech, he attended George Washington University, and later was inducted into its Basketball Hall of Fame as well as being part of the school’s All-Century Team.

This week, Nunn was elected to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. The hall is headed by President Nate (Tiny) Archibald and CEO Michael Cohen. It has been dormant for six years.

The 2024 class, which also has Carmelo Anthony, has added a sportscaster category to recognize ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and an Arts and Culture Award honoring director Spike Lee, actor Denzel Washington — he played freshman basketball at Fordham — and author Charley Rosen.

Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller (31) is restrained by teammate Mark Jackson as he is ejected from the game against the then-New Jersey Nets in the third quarter by referee Ronnie Nunn, left, after he received his second technical foul Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2000. AP Photo/Tom Strattman

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Other 2024 inductees include Lauren Cargill (CUNY all-time leading scorer), Ron Naclerio (winningest coach in PSAL history), and, as a special recognition award recipient, Mike Malone (Queens native and current NBA champion head coach of the Denver Nuggets).

Here’s a little-known fact. The varsity basketball coach at Canarsie High School, Jacob Edwards, and the varsity basketball coach at South Shore High School, Shawn Mark, have both won the past few PSAL City Championships. They also both played at Tilden High School for Coach Jeff Schrier. “I’m proud of their success,” Schrier notes.

Howard Kellman, who called a Yankee-Kansas City Royals baseball game on WFAN Radio (660-AM) last month, said: “Last year when I called a Yankee game in Tampa, the Yankees lost 9-0. The game I called in Kansas City, the Yankees were trailing 9-0 after one inning.

“I don’t know if I am getting better or worse,” said the Sheepshead Bay High grad, who has called Indianapolis Indians baseball games for 47 seasons.

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New Utrecht High had its Homecoming Day Game with New Dorp earlier this gmonth in conjunction with inducting its new Hall of Fame class.

Among the members of both the 1958 City Championship team and the 1973 undefeated squad is Charles (Coach Chic) Ciccarelli, a defensive back and a running back from 1957-58 who also coached from 1970-76 at New Utrecht. He died at age 73 in December 2015.

New Utrecht High School in Southern Brooklyn, which recently had its homecoming day game. Wikimedia photo by MJ

Bishop Loughlin High grad Keith Williams was the 18th pick in the NBA G-League draft by the Memphis Hustle in 2022. A Selvyn Smith Memorial Sports and Educational Program alumnus, Williams has signed with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

The 6-foot-5 Williams was the leading scorer for the University of Cincinnati as a senior (2021) with 14.3 points per game and was also a second-team All American Athletic Conference (AAC) selection. Over his four-year career, Williams averaged 9.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per-game at Cincinnati. He scored 1,156 career points, 35th most in program history.

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Coach Daniel Perez and his Fort Hamilton High footballers take a three-game winning streak to Cardozo High on Friday night.

The Tigers disposed of McKee Vocational Tech on October 6 (36-18) and then followed up with wins over FDR (16-6) and Lehman (42-20).

Junior quarterback Aidan Farley was 16 for 23 and passed for 162 yards and four touchdowns in the McKee win. Sophomore running back Emanuel King III rushed for 72 yards and a score; and Zaire Thomas, sophomore receiver, had eight receptions for 74 yards.

In the FDR win, Farley passed for 139 yards and two scores. Junior August Porter and senior Jawad Fares, both receivers each had a touchdown.

In the Lehman win, Farley passed for 293 yards and five touchdowns, and Porter had three receptions for 99 yards and two scores.

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Xaverian High recently played host to the inaugural Caileigh Duggan Shore Road Classic — a four-team volleyball tournament featuring Fontbonne Hall; Sacred Heart Academy from Hempstead, Long Island; Midwood High School and host Xaverian.

The tournament is in memory of former Fontbonne Hall volleyball student-athlete Duggan, who died suddenly in June at the age of 18.

Xaverian defeated Fontbonne for the championship in straight sets.

Duggan, who has her No. 17 jersey retired at Fontbonne Hall, was a member of the 2021 Bonnies varsity team that captured the GCHSAA Tier 1 diocesan and city championship titles. She also served as team captain for her outside club team, the Brooklyn Elite Volleyball Club.

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Megan Valentine has been named the new director of athletics and recreation at St. Joseph’s University, Brooklyn. She joins the Bears from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, where was the first woman to hold the title of director of intercollegiate athletics.

While obtaining a Bachelor of Science in sports management from Medaille College in 2004, Valentine was a three-sport athlete. competing in soccer, basketball and softball. In her first year, she achieved National Small College Athletic Association First-Team All-America status in softball and was honored as the Upstate Athletic Alliance Player and Goalkeeper of the Year in soccer.

Valentine becomes the third female athletic director in St. Joseph’s, Brooklyn, history. She follows Margaret Ward, the institution’s first athletic director and women’s basketball coach from 1951 to 1984; and Margaret Alaimo, who recently held the position from 2019 to July, 2023.

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Senior Day ceremonies didn’t go as planned for the men’s and women’s soccer teams at St. Joseph’s University, Brooklyn.

The men dropped a 2-0 decision to St. Joseph’s, Long Island, on Sunday afternoon. The women were defeated 5-0 by Sarah Lawrence College on Saturday afternoon. Both matches were staged at Brooklyn’s Aviator Field.

The women’s volleyball team celebrated its Senior Night with a 3-0 sweep of Purchase College last week at the Hill Center. Rachel Meltsin, (James Madison High School) posted her second double-double of the year behind a 23-assist, 13-dig night. She also had three kills and a pair of aces. St. Edmund Prep grad Carol Melo posted 16 digs.

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The Pratt Institute women’s tennis team concluded the fall portion of its 2023-24 campaign with a 9-0 road triumph over Brooklyn College last week. Pratt (7-0) won all nine matches in convincing fashion, opening the doubles session with a trio of 8-1 triumphs. Beatrice Crespo and Ariana Castro paired up in the lead match; Srishti Agarwal and Alice Li joined at No. 2; and Julia Ognibene and Nastazja Cancellaro played at No. 3.

Leading the singles lineup for the first time, Crespo won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1. Castro turned in a 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 2 spot. Cancellaro and Li both dropped just one game in matching 6-1, 6-0 set scores at No. 3 and No. 5 respectively. Ognibene won 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 4 position. Victoria Hatala Slupsky collected her first collegiate win in a 6-0, 6-2 triumph at No. 6. Pratt resumes its spring slate in March.

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Brooklyn College freshman midfielder George Koufos has been named City University of New York Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Rookie of the Week. Koufos assisted on both of the Bulldogs’ game-changing goals for the week, helping Brooklyn to a 1-0 CUNYAC tie with John Jay and a 1-0 win over Pratt in the regular-season finale. The Fort Hamilton High School grad currently leads the conference in assistant with eight.

Senior forward Angelina Vasta scored a pair of goals and assisted on one in Brooklyn’s 6-2 non-conference victory over York last week. She scored her second game-winner Saturday against York, leading the Bulldogs to a 2-0 victory and was named Honorable Mention by the CUNYAC in their weekly Women’s Soccer Awards.

Brooklyn’s senior outside hitter Ashley Fung earned Honorable Mention by the CUNYAC in the conference’s weekly Women’s Volleyball Awards. Fung put-away a match-high 11 kills on only 18 total attacks in Brooklyn’s 3-0 sweep at Purchase. She is just two kills away from 1,000 for her career.

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