Rye Wins Cliff Clinton Classic Basketball Tournament

After beating Pleasantville 63-31 on Friday night and then Blind Brook 56-45 on Saturday afternoon, Rye has once again won their opening tournament.

Sleepy Hollow managed to beat Pleasantville in the consolation game on Saturday by 10 points. Senior F Dan Williams (who’s averaging 25 points per game through Sleepy Hollow’s first five games this year) was named to the all tournament team.

Junior Guards Quinn Kelly and Matthew Tepedino (Rye) were also named to the all tournament team as well as Chris Bucci from Blind Brook. Kelly made three after three in both games, leading Rye in scoring. Tepedino scored around 12 in each game. But even when they were missing, Rye managed to hold it together. At the start of the game vs Blind Brook, Senior Guard Thomas Flaherty scored 11 of the team’s first 12 points to keep the game tied despite Kelly and Tepedino being shut out to start the game.

Led by Senior F Oziah Deloatch, Tappan Zee made the Section Finals last year before getting beat by a Julian McGarvey full court shot (photo via lohud.com)

Next week, Rye plays two of the three best teams in Class A — Tappan Zee and Horace Greeley. Tappan Zee beat Greeley last week 49-46 on three last second free throws from Senior Guard Aidan Cunney. Rye’s been good for a couple of years now, and these two games will be the first tests of the long season. Rye’s playing the hardest schedule in Class A this year, so it’s pretty unlikely that they can get that number one seed for the second year in a row, but once the playoffs come, watch out.

Rye Basketball Kicks Off the Season This Friday

Rye will start the season with the annual Cliff Clinton Tournament this Friday at 7:00 PM. Last year, Rye beat Pleasantville 72-27 in the opening round and then beat Blind Brook 58-44 in the championship game. Rye once again will face Pleasantville in the opening round. Then, if they beat Pleasantville, they will play the winner of Sleepy Hollow vs Blind Brook on Saturday at 3:00 PM.

Sleepy Hollow lost a close game to Blind Brook last year, but they are the favorites this year. Senior Dan Williams on Sleepy Hollow is averaging 27 points per game through two games this season, and with the graduation of Blind Brook’s star guard Jake DiGiansanti, Sleepy Hollow will be the favorite to win.

Assistant Coach Andrew Spinelli (pictured middle) will no longer be on the bench with Rye after a career change (photo via Patch)

Barring injury or sickness, Rye will start the game against Pleasantville with G Troy Egan, G Matthew Tepedino, G Quinn Kelly, F Thomas Flaherty, and F Sam Poole. Sam Poole will be starting until Ryan Lopp comes back from a broken jaw that he suffered in the Section semifinal football game against Clarkstown South. Rye killed Pleasantville last year, but they should have a tougher challenge this Friday.

Come to The Cube to support the basketball team this Friday!

Knicks Hire David Fizdale as New Coach

This past Tuesday, the New York Knicks introduced their new Head Coach, David Fizdale. While this marks the Knicks’ fifth coaching change in the past four years, the hiring of Fizdale brings a sense of optimism to the future of this franchise. The two-time NBA Champion has an excellent reputation around the league as a “culture changer” and someone who will hold his players accountable.

David Fizdale during his tenure as head Coach of the Memphis Grizzlies (Via http://www.NJ.com)

Many teams demonstrated interest in Fizdale as he interviewed with Phoenix, Atlanta, Orlando and Charlotte prior to accepting the Knicks’ job. Fizdale noted he wants a “loud defense that sparks the offense”, which is something that the Knicks have lacked, as they ranked a meager 21st in the league in Defensive efficiency this season. The hiring of Fizdale also bodes well for the development of Knicks’ cornerstone Kristaps Porzingis. “The best way to describe him is he’s the future of the NBA,” Fizdale said of the Latvian big man. “Look around who’s playing right now. They all got guys super-long, super-athletic, super-skilled, super-tough-minded. He fits all of the qualities of a megastar and a guy who can really propel a franchise forward to high places.” The persona of Fizdale seems to fit perfectly with the Knicks as well. His infamous “Take that for data” rant of this past postseason embodies the New York Grit that has made the Knicks one of the NBA’s most historic franchises and meshes perfectly with the mentality that must be instilled in younger Knicks Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina.

The hiring of David Fizdale seems to be a great move for the Knicks moving forward, as the two-time NBA Champion is as respected an individual around the league as any other Head Coach and will have a significant positive impact on the culture of the Knicks’ franchise as well as the development of the team’s younger stars.

Frank Ntilikina (left) and Kristaps Porzingis (right) highfiving after a Knicks’ basket (Via Bleacher Report)

2018 NBA Allstar Saturday Night Recap

The NBA’s annual Allstar Weekend, taking place in Los Angeles this year, was full of exciting competition among some of the NBA’s best up and coming players. 

2018 NBA Skills Challenge Champion Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets                                     (Via The Los Angeles Times)

The first contest of the night, the Skills Challenge, tests player’s overall skills such as ball-handling, 3 point shooting, passing ability, and finishing around the rim. Participants are required to dribble the length of the court through an obstacle course made of defenders. They must then pass a basketball with precision in order to get it into the net. After this, players take off into the obstacle course once more, finishing with a layup once they reach the end of the court. The last aspect of the sequence is sprinting back down to the three-point line and being the first to make a three-pointer. In the semifinals, Spencer Dinwiddie eliminated the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray while Lauri Markkanen beat the Sixers’ Joel Embiid. Embiid eliminated Al Horford, who missed his first three 3 pointers, despite having an early lead. In the first round, Dinwiddie came from behind and connected on his initial three point attempt to defeat the Kings’ Buddy Hield. Jamal Murray was able to eliminate Lou Williams of the Clippers making his third 3-point attempt before the Clippers’ Lou Williams could attempt his first, thanks to an early lead. The contest saw Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets defeat Lauri Markkanen in the final round for the award. The contest’s emergence of multiple big men against guards in the past few years has proved to enhance the excitement surrounding the competition. This year’s participants included Big men Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Lauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls, Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons, and Al Horford of the Boston Celtics. The guard spots were comprised of Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings, and Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets, who would go on to win it all.

The second event of the evening was the JBL Three Point Contest. The skilled sharpshooters of this year’s group included reigning champion Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets, first time Allstar Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, shooting guard Wayne Ellington of the Miami Heat, small forward Tobias Harris of the Los Angeles Clippers, point guard Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Allstar Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder, splash brother Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, and last but not least, sharpshooter Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns.

The 2018 NBA Three Point Contest Participants                                                    (Via The Source)

Some players who have participated in this contest in years past seemed to struggle, such as Kyle Lowry and Paul George who each finished with scores of 11 and 9, respectively. Conversely, inexperienced players such as Wayne Ellington and Tobias Harris came out firing, scoring 17 and 18 points, in the first round. As usual, the contest’s second round was comprised of the highest three scores from the initial round, being Tobias Harris (18), Devin Booker (19) and Klay Thompson (19). However, Harris was quickly eliminated in the second round by Booker who put up an NBA record 28 points. Many fans figured topping this feat would be impossible, but if anyone could do it, it was Klay Thompson. The Allstar shooting guard provided plenty of suspense through an impressive start but ultimately fell just 3 points short of Booker with a score of 25, in what was one of the most historic three point contests the NBA has ever seen. 

Devin Booker shooting a money ball in his NBA record 28 point round of the three point contest (Via the Los Angeles Times)

The final event of the evening was the highly anticipated Kia Slam Dunk Contest. This year’s judges were notable comedian Chris Rock, music icon DJ Khaled, NBA Legend “Dr. J” Julius Erving, WNBA commissioner Lisa Leslie, and Actor Mark Wahlberg. This year’s contestants were all 25 or younger, many of them perceived to be future Allstars. From Dennis Smith Jr.’s through the legs slam to Larry Nance Jr. imitating his father’s vintage dunk while wearing his old Suns jersey, the contestants were able to put on quite an exciting show. Victor Oladipo’s showmanship was made evident through his spectacular dunk while wearing the Black Panther mask.

Victor Oladipo wearing the Black Panther mask as he does the memorable “Wakanda Forever” handshake with the film’s male lead Chad Boseman                                                                                (Via Mashable)

Donovan Mitchell’s creativity was on full display throughout the entire contest, with his initial use of two hoops as a means of giving himself a self-alley oop in the first round. The contest’s final round provided plenty of excitement surrounding the Mitchell vs. Nance Jr. matchup. Larry Nance Jr. boasted a perfect score of 50 with his “double tap” alley-oop to himself off the backboard. Many fans thought this would be impossible to surpass but Mitchell did just that. After removing his jersey, Donovan Mitchell revealed a throwback Vince Carter Raptors jersey from when the legend won the Slam Dunk Contest back in the year 2000. Mitchell rose up and perfectly pulled off Carter’s vintage “360 windmill” dunk with innate accuracy. Mitchell followed this up with the exact gesture of pointing both hands upwards and a few remarks of “It’s Over!!” for good measure, a Carter signature. They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and it seemed as if the nostalgia surrounding Vince’s dunk and the difficulty of accomplishing such a spectacular feat in such precise and detailed fashion allowed Mitchell to be crowned the 2018 Kia Slam Dunk Contest Champion, in what was a memorable event, to say the least.

Donovan Mitchell paying homage to Vince Carter’s signature celebration                                                                                (Via the Los Angeles Times)

 

 

Kristaps Porzingis Suffers Season-Ending ACL Tear

In a matter of seconds, the Knicks’ playoffs hopes went from a feeling of pure optimism to pure agony.

After making four of his first five field goal attempts and an emphatic dunk on the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knick’s franchise centerpiece Kristaps Porzingis had an awkward fall, gripping his leg in pain. An MRI later revealed that the Allstar had tore his ACL and was out for the remainder of the year. The heartbreaking sense of another lost season for the Knicks as they continue their rebuild is painful enough for fans.

Knicks’ Allstar Kristaps Porzingis                                                                    (Via Hoops Hype)

 

However, the one beneficial aspect of this injury is that with the Knicks out of the playoffs, the front office will be forced to attempt tanking in an effort to acquire a high draft pick. While some may perceive this to be another failed season for New York, this injury could turn out to be a blessing in disguise because moving up in this year’s very talented draft class is what will ultimately be best for the Knick’s future, regardless of whether Porzingis was injured or not. With a promising rookie from this year’s draft, the Knick’s young core of Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Ntilikina, and Tim Hardaway Jr. can continue to grow in hopes of developing a future playoff contender for years to come.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (left) alongside Frank Ntilikina (middle) and Kristaps Porzingis (right)            (via CBS New York)

 

 

Rye Hockey Season Update

The Rye Varsity Hockey team currently holds a 7-11 record, and has faced plenty of ups and downs this year, but hopes to continue its recent stretch of team-oriented play and overall success. The team’s co-managers, Andrés Buenahora and John Goldszer film games throughout the season to identify specific strengths and weaknesses that can contribute to the team’s success as a whole. Last year’s Garnets finished the season with a 10-12 record, ultimately losing in the second round of the playoffs to Pelham. This season’s roster includes notable players such as Captain and defensive star, Seamus Carol, sophomore goalie Peter Patouhas, senior Cameron DiEdwards, and Juniors Alex Noga and Connor O’Brien. 

Rye’s Alex Noga (left) battling for the puck with Pelham’s Drew Montanarella (right)

Others such as Max Khale, Johnny Finnegan, and Chris Meyers are secondary options and very skilled players that the team has looked to for significant contributions throughout the season. Unfortunately, this year’s team has dealt with an abundance of injuries from Connor O’Brien to Jack Lynch to Jason Luci. The Garnets are comprised of a less experienced core than in past years but have a ton of potential and young talent to build upon, such as Sophomores Declan Lavelle and Sasha Vasyuta. Coach Peter Thomas noted that “we are a younger team than we have been in a long time but we are confident in our players’ ability to step into important roles for our team to be successful.” The team’s biggest win this year was a matchup against John Jay at home; the Garnets ultimately won 6-3, which signified the optimism and excitement that many Rye Hockey fans share for the future of the Garnet’s hockey program. For example, Claire Dailey remarks “I love going to the Rye Hockey games and seeing Chris Meyers play!” The team’s consistent improvement throughout the season exemplifies the level of perseverance and talent that the Garnets play with. As Johnny Cronin puts it “The Hockey team has great depth and every kid on the team can step up in big moments.” As the team heads into their last stretch of games and prepares for the playoffs, Junior Alex Noga explained “I think we struggled early in the season but it’s good to get that out of the way early rather than later in the season, so I definitely like where we are as a team right now and I really like our chances going into the playoffs.” As the season progresses, Rye’s Varsity Hockey team will hope to continue their strong play and make a deep run in the playoffs. 

Declan Lavelle celebrating after a made goal

Rye Wins Mamaroneck’s Tiger Tournament

After beating Mamaroneck 53-34 in the first round of the Tigers’ home tournament, Rye beat Hamilton 43-33 to improve to 12-0 on the season. After graduating 4 senior starters last year, including Charlie Nagle, Rye was not supposed to be this good. In fact, Mamaroneck chose to play Rye in the opening round of the Tiger Tournament over Hamilton and Port Chester because they were under the impression that Rye was going to be terrible this year. That was a mistake. Mamaroneck did end up beating Port Chester 81-19 in the consolation game, but anything except for a title in your home tournament is a loss.

Junior Jack Neave throws up a half-court shot just before halftime. (photo via Lohud)

Against Mamaroneck, Rye started out very slow offensively, managing just four points in the first quarter. At the half, the two teams were locked in a 14-14 defensive game. In the third quarter, however, Rye began to develop a lead after senior AJ Thompson and sophomore Matthew Tepedino had huge second half’s. The press that Mamaroneck began to run was broken easily, leading to three or four wide open layups for the sophomore, and Thompson knocked down a couple of threes to increase the lead. Tepedino finished with 16 points and Thompson with 12. On a night where Rye’s leading scorer sophomore Quinn Kelly didn’t score much — only 4 points — the rest of the team managed to pick it up and win by 19 points to a very good Mamaroneck team.

The next day, Rye beat Hamilton by 10 in another defensive battle. Tepedino added another 12 points and senior Max Samberg grabbed 11 rebounds. The game was relatively close throughout, but Rye dictated the tempo of the game and Hamilton wasn’t able to get any offense working. Rye missed a lot of open shots from three and in the paint, but their defense held Hamilton to only 33 points, half of their season average.

Senior Will Tepedino added a huge defensive boost to the undefeated Garnets. (photo via Lohud)

Matthew Tepedino was named MVP of the tournament and AJ Thompson was named to the all-tournament team. Rye plays Byram Hills and senior Skylar Sinon on Wednesday at Byram Hills in their toughest game of the year so far. Their 12-0 record will be tested, but Rye has the defense and three point shooting ability to beat any team in the state.

Rye Girls Basketball Preview

The High School Basketball Season is upon us and the Garnets Girls Basketball Team has a competitive but exciting schedule ahead.

Coached by fifth season Head Coach Dennis Hurlie and Assistant Coach Joe Carlucci, the Garnets have experienced great success in the past- including reigning as the Section 1A  Champions in the 2015-2016 seasons.

Last year’s team, despite experiencing several key injuries, went 12-10 and fell just one game short of reaching the County Center semifinals.

After losing four seniors from last years team, the Garnets are a very young team with four new players and eight returning players.

The team has three veteran senior captains, Margaret Mitchell, Ellie Dailey and Hannah Mullaly, who are excited to lead during their final high school season.  

The new members to the varsity squad are Junior Ashley Palermo, Junior Maddie Frielich, Freshman Ava Greto and Freshman Amanda Latkany. The six returning teammates are Juniors Niamh Carty, Claire Dailey, Bela Krslovic, Julia Bateman, and Sophomores Teaghan Flaherty and Allie Depauw.

The team has been working hard, practicing and scrimmaging since November 6, preparing for the season and the chance to win the coveted Section I Gold Ball.

The Garnets are currently 3-1 at the start of their season, with one loss to John Jay Cross River and 3 wins against Early College, East Ramapo High School and Greenwich High School. They won the Rye Rotary Tournament on Monday night.

The Rye Girls Varsity Team will face off against some very talented teams and players, several whom are Division 1 scholarship commits.  

The Garnets welcome the competitive and challenging schedule ahead and remain focused on playing hard and working together as a team to return the Section 1A Gold Ball back where it belongs – in the halls of Rye High School.

Come support the team! They play Nyack High school away at 6:1 P.M. on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 and Fox Lane at home on Friday, December 22, 2017 at 5:00 P.M.