Scholastic Roundup: The king is number 1

January 26, 2024 Andy Furman

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It’s the premier high school basketball tournament in Brooklyn — perhaps in New York City.

And one of the basketball highlights during the recently-concluded holiday season is the Msgr. King Memorial Basketball Tournament; and this year — the 53rd edition included St. Edmund Prep, Sheepsheads Bay High School, Cristo Rey, McKee Career and Technical Education High School, Far Rockaway High School, Bedford Academy, Stevenson High, Maspeth and Staten Island’s CSI McCown.

Stevenson from The Bronx took the title, downing McKee and St. Edmund Prep defeated Beford for third place.

The tournament began in 1962 and usually has the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) teams square off against the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) teams. It’s named after former St. Thomas Aquinas pastor Msgr. Jeremiah King, who in 1954 oversaw a fundraising campaign to help construct not only three new parish buildings, but a new basketball gymnasium.

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Ira Cohen reports on the South Florida Basketball Luncheon at the Deer Creek Country Club in Deerfield Fla.

“The luncheon had 300 people in attendance,” he writes, “And Brian Taylor (N.J. Nets and Princeton) was the keynote speaker.”

Sam Bowie, Rick Barry, Jeff Ruland, Jason Williams, Len Elmore and Marvin Roberts were also in attendance, he writes, “And legendary announcer Dick Stockton and former New York Knicks trainer Mike Saunders also attended,” Cohen said.

Mark Mallory, former basketball coach at East New York Vocational High School — now Transit Tech — and Tilden alums Neil Aronin and Jay Seigel have been instrumental in growing the South Florida basketball group, according to Cohen.

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Bishop Loughlin track and field star Stevie-Jolie Nosiles received the 2023 Distinguished Athlete Award at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic on Dec. 29.

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The LIU men’s lacrosse team held a heartwarming signing ceremony last week.

Ten-year-old Kieran, who lives with cerebral palsy, signed with the team through a partnership with Team IMPACT.

Kieran has already been a big part of the team, having attended multiple practices. The Sharks also have attended Kieran’s lacrosse practices, and they’ve attended LIU hockey games together.

The event also marked a homecoming for Kieran’s mother, Kristy Abrams-Meekins. She won a national championship with the women’s lacrosse team and graduated from LIU in 2007.

Team IMPACT’s unique multiyear program signs children facing serious illness and disabilities onto college athletic teams across the country.

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The LIU gymnastics team opened its 2024 season on a high note.

The Sharks produced a score of 195.225 to defeat host New Hampshire (194.800) as well as Bridgeport (192.800) last Sunday at the Whittemore Center.

Syd Morris picked up where the sophomore left off a year ago, winning the balance beam with a score of 9.975. Morris also matched UNH’s Kylie Gorgenyi for the top all-around score (39.375).

Morris and Alaana Ricketts led the way for the Sharks in the vault, each producing scores of 9.775.

Six freshmen have joined the Sharks for the season. They include Brisa Carraro, a member of the 2023 world team for Argentina. In her LIU debut Sunday, Carraro scored 9.650 on the bars.

Morris, a native of Landenberg, Pa., was named EAGL Co-Gymnast of the Week while teammate Kate Parks was named EAGL Rookie of the Week.

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Head Coach Gabby Juarez and the LIU women’s water polo team are looking to repeat their successes from last season, when they won the MAAC women’s water polo championship.

The Sharks received five first-place votes and were picked in a tie for first place in the pre-season coaches’ poll released last Thursday.

Paola Dominguez-Castro and Elena Camarena were selected to the preseason all-MAAC team with Dominguez-Castro being named pre-season player of the year. The Hialeah, Fla. Native scored her 100th career goal in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title game and produced a combined 13 goals against Princeton, Salem and Michigan.

Camarena, an attacker from Madrid, was a huge part of the team’s success last season.

She was first-team all-MAAC, as well as being named MAAC tournament MVP during LIU’s championship run.

The women’s water polo team was set to open its season, Saturday (Jan. 27) against St. Francis University in Ann Arbor, Mich.

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The Pratt Institute men’s and women’s track and field teams continued their season at the NYC Gotham Cup at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Friday.

Siena Sujitno took 17th in the 60-meter dash invite with a time of 8.14. Christina Sancho-Spore was 16th overall in the 1,000-meter run in 3:09.83. Both were fifth among Division III runners in their respective events.

Giovanna Lisa posted a time of 12:31.29 in the 3,000-meter, good for 14th place. Ava Hunwick led three Cannoneers in the 400-meter run, clocking in at 1:09.35 in 40th place, and Finn Powell followed in 1:14.68 in 46th place.

Dominic Paolini ran the 3,000-meter in 10:07.52 to take 27th overall and fourth among DIII runners. Asa Brandyberry tossed 12.01 meters in the shot put to take 11th and hurled 11.17 meters in the weight throw for 15th. Ian Chen covered the 800-meter run in 2:16.26 to take 38th place. Jack Phelan was 43rd in the 400-meter run, 1:01.12.

Pratt Heads to The Armory in Manhattan for the Rutgers Scarlet Knight Open, Feb. 2 and 3.

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Patrick O’Gorman scored a game-high 26 to lead four Cannoneers in double digits, and the Pratt Institute men’s basketball team erased a double-digit second-half deficit before falling in the final seconds to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 87-86, last Saturday.

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The Medgar Evers men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed in their first 2024 meet, Saturday, showcasing their talents at the Coast Guard Academy Winter Invitational in New London, Conn.

On the men’s side, Jahiem Johnson set a Medgar Evers 600-meter school record finishing in second place (1:29.61). The freshman also finished fourth in the men’s 200m with a CUNYAC-qualifying time (23.94 (23.22 — good for No. 1 in the conference). He placed 13th in the 55m (6.96) and was a member of the men’s 4×200 relay that finished second (1:39.93). Finally, Johnson was also a member of the men’s 4x400m relay team that placed sixth (4:02.49).

Dontay Washington finished seventh in the high jump with a CUNYAC-qualifying mark of 1.65m. He also finished 11th in the long jump (5.50m) and 22nd in the shot put with a toss of 7.60. Washington also competed in the men’s 55m hurdle event, where he set a personal-best mark of 8.95m; finishing in sixth-place. Finally, he also competed in the 400m dash, finishing 19th and in the DMR where he finished in second place.

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Imani Richardson placed fourth for the women in the 55m dash with a personal record (7.78) and 8.31 for 60m – No. 1 in the CUNYAC conference. She also placed sixth in the 200m dash and was a member of the 4×200 relay that placed third (2:22.83). Finally, she placed fifth in the long jump (4.33m).

Deja Davis registered three personal bests for the Medgar Evers Cougars. She finished ninth in the 55m dash (8.08), seventh in the long jump (4.13m) and fifth in the triple jump (7.10m).

Naana Samake placed fifth in the 800m (2:50.83).

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