The 2011 All-Centercourt Team: The Best in WNY

 

FIRST TEAM

Jaysean Paige - Jamestown, Junior  -  CC MVP

Tremmell Fisher - East, Senior

Connor Rehbaum - St. Joe's, Senior

Chris Holland - I-Prep, Senior

Darin Butts - Jamestown, Senior

 

SECOND TEAM

Gordon Lyons - Canisius, Senior

Phil Stasiak - Williamsville South, Senior

Blair Estarfaa - Maryvale, Senior

Aaron Nevins - Canisius, Senior

Maurice Miles - Hutch-Tech, Senior

 

THIRD TEAM

Marcus Feagin - Niagara Falls, Senior

JJ Harrington - Lancaster, Senior

Dazmon Knight - Tapestry Charter, Senior

Kevin O'Connell - Williamsville South, Senior

Sterling Taplin - Williamsville North, Freshman

 

FOURTH TEAM

Vincent Bomasuto - Dunkirk, Senior

Rohn Pierce - Newfane, Senior

Michael Bova - Westfield, Senior

Joe Licata - Wiliamsville South, Senior

Brennan Moxham - Wilson, Senior

 

FIFTH TEAM

Reggie Agbeko - St. Joe's, Junior

Jordan Street - Niagara Falls, Senior

Jordan Farrant - Holland, Junior

Davon Alexander - OTC Middle College, Senior

Kadeem Hillman - I-Prep, Senior

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Darius Edwards - Frontier, Senior

David Hill  - Clarence, Senior

Tyler Funk - Clarence, Senior

Dustin Schauman - Cassadaga Valley, Senior

Jake Hughes - Niagara Wheatfield, Senior

John Black - McKinley, Senior

Antonio Avery - McKinley, Senior

Andre Jackson - East, Senior

Jasen Oden - East, Senior

William Vanoy - Bennett, Senior

Zak Plonka - Lancaster, Senior

Dondre Alexander - Lackawanna, Senior

Joey Campion - Jamestown, Senior

Marc Morreale - Lew-Port, Senior

Eric Stolzenburg - Williamsville East, Senior

Dan Hambruch - Newfane, Senior

Brian Tobolla - Portville, Senior

Matt DeBoy - Salamanca, Senior

Davon Ferguson - Lafayette, Senior

Aswad Jones - Cheektowaga, Senior

Ryan Grandits - Kenmore West, Senior

Martin Bailey - Kenmore West, Junior

Matt Hart - Canisius, Junior

Jordan Williams - Timon-St. Jude, Junior

Kyle Kobis - Timon-St. Jude, Junior

Taijay Williams - Niagara Falls, Junior

Khalid Brown - OTC Middle College, Junior

Jamal Carter - City Honors, Junior

Aaron Frasier - Seneca, Junior

Jesse Lalka - Tonawanda, Junior

Josh Haight - Barker, Junior

Nick Lenart - Panama, Junior

Alex Grace - Maple Grove, Junior

Justice Feggans - Riverside, Sophomore

JJ Wilkes - Niagara Falls, Sophomore

 

-centercourt

Comments

[Andrew Webster]

Job well done CC.

A fantastic first year for "The View from Centercourt."

Looking at your team(s), it's amazing to see that even though WNY graduated so many talented players last year, this year's team is still very much senior-laden. That goes to show just how important senior experience and leadership is. After Paige and Taplin, it's really anyone's guess who becomes the next star in WNY basketball. Can't wait until next year to find out!

[TML1000]

What was your criteria, CC? More heavy on "best" players or more to success of the program as a whole?

To me, I have Agbeko, Farrant, Street and Alexander, on your fifth team, ahead of everyone on your fourth team, except Bova, who I can't comment on.

I would also have Funk, Bailey, Edwards, Alexander(Lack) and Feggans ahead of all those on your fourth team.

Do you really think Pierce, Moxham, Bomasuto and Licata are better basketball players than those on your fifth team and the few I mentioned there? Just trying to get into your head, but I can't see how you could think so.

Finally, no Richardson on HM?? I thought you were a fan of his...also, no Bono? Apparently the missed games hold a lot of weight.

[TML1000]

Alright...just heard you on the radio mention the 60 best "seasons." Sort of puts it in better perspective. Still, I would argue that when ranking the players, I couldn't justify most of the 4th team guys being ahead of the other 8 or so guys I've mentioned.

[JohnFrederickPSU]

Congratulations to the selected above 1st Team through Honorable Mention for being selected to the 2011 All Center court Team.
A special "tip of the hat" to those selected above for also being named to the Buffalo News Super Seniors for their accomplishnents in the class room. You represent your schools and communities very well and are true student-athletes with very bright futures. The individuals selected include; Darrius Edwards, Tyler Funk, Joe Licata, Brennan Moxam, Kevin O'Connell, Connor Rehbaum and Gordon Lyons.
Andrew, I'll take a swing at who will be among the best next season. Timon's Kyle Kobis and Jordan Williams will be among the 1st two teams. To get an idea who else will be there, find out when Coach Rodney Nevins AAU Dragons will be playing, the best players in WNY are on that team.
Great work CC.

[Team]

I like the teams, however a little bit too Niagara Orleans skewed for the 4th team. I would take Farrant for sure on 4th team along with Agbeko. I also think 3rd team is too high for O'Connell. He is not a better player than Licata.

Also I think a player alot of people forget about is Justice Feggans from Riverside. Check out his numbers vs. some of the best teams in the Yale Cup. Scored over 20 points a game in the league and led his team to the Class A-2 Finals. I feel like he is overlooked because he is a sophomore which is not right. If Feggans is a senior I guarantee everyone is talking about him more. He should be on one of the 4 teams.

[guest]

this is all for fun,and we all have our favorite leagues-CC is a N-O guy,TML-NFL,Pat-MM,Statechamps-YaleCup. It is all argueable but all these kids are fine players.

[Hoopfan]

Very good job by CC! The only guys in the top 25 that didnt reach the semi-finals are Estarfaa, Taplin, Bova and Farrant so how how a player helps the team success is clearly an important criteria. Glad to see all the leagues represented. I think Taplin is in the right place on 3rd team after seeing the 10 guys on the first 2 teams, but look out for next year...he'll be a 1st teamer. Also agree with OConnell ahead of Licata because I think he made South go. Darius Edwards is a top 25 guy but I guess Frontier's season wasnt strong enough. I count a total of 18 guys from ecic with half coming from ecic 1.

[GA]

Hoopfan, you say that about ecic 1 but I don't think he gave it enough respect. It was arguably the best the leagues ever been and was the second best league behind the Yale cup. I also think funk, hill, and Edwards should have been somewhere on the five teams and young and Safir honorable mentions. But hey it is what it is, CC is an N-O guy

[please]

some very good players from that league but lets not get carried away. if the league was the best its ever been and the second best team was will north or lancaster then what does that really say? willi east would have been the second best team in ecic 1.

[TML1000]

Well...Wil East would not have been the second best team in ECIC 1...that is clear.

[missed it]

Missed the boat on Edwards and Funk - take over taplin and all of your 5th team - must not have seen enough ECIC 1 games - Taplin is good but not 3rd team over these two guys. Buffalo news will have them higher....

[please]

really tml? willi east beat willi north & clarence this year.

[TML1000]

Yes...in the non league. Depew also beat Lancaster in the non league, so would Depew have been 2nd in ECIC 1? I don't think so. It's one thing to beat a larger school in the first game of the season or the final regular season game when a team was clearly not at it's best.

Wil East also lost to Ken East in the sectionals, at home. So I suppose Ken East would have been second in ECIC II, right? Well, they actually would have been, come to think about it. Maybe the NFL was stronger than people think.

[please]

harington didnt even play against depew so that makes no sense at all. neither does saying a team isnt playing best at the start and end of the season. ken east was good when bono and the other dude played but i heard that was like never and lets not turn this into a nfl thing because all im saying is ecic 1 had some good players but the teams were nothing specail.

[TML1000]

Well, ECIC I had 5 out of the 8 quarterfinal teams in AA and 2 semifinalists. No other league had that good of an output other than the Yale Cup.

It's not an NFL thing...clearly the NFL was not as deep as ECIC I. Wil East would finish no higher than fourth in ECIC I...I'm sure anyone else that also followed the season would tell you the same thing.

[please]

dude your trying to make the case that ecic 1 teams were good because their better than nfl teams? the nfl was worse! both leagues had one good team. besides those two and willi south all the other good large schools were private and city. willi east could easily have been second in ecic1. when we beat willi north they had everyone and no way they wanted to lose to us. same with clarence. i dont know where you make this stuff up from.

[TML1000]

First of all, Wil East lost to Ken East, so by your logic, Wil East would also lose to Ken West, Lew Port, N-W and Lockport.

Second, Wil East beat Clarence the first game of the season. Sure, you can say that both teams improved as the season went on, but Clarence finished fourth in the league. In the North game, Taplin barely played and was clearly not the player who had played so well for the bulk of the season. It was still a good win for East, but everyone who followed the entire season took that game with a grain of salt.

So the point you're trying to make is that Wil East would have been second in ECIC I...it simply would not have happened. That league was tough top to bottom...a team like Frontier was near the bottom but was still a solid team. One could make the argument that they would have finished second in ECIC II, by the same fuzzy logic that you're using.

Are you trying to garner more respect for Wil East? They had a solid season and played in one of the weakest leagues in the section. They had a few good nonleague wins, but did not deliver in the sectionals. There's really not much more to be said. To me, they're in the same category as teams like Ken West, Amherst, Clarence and Frontier.

[please]

i aint trying to garner repsect for willi east. if you were following along this whole time you would see that this all started out by me saying that ecic1 wasnt full of top teams. they will end up with one team in the top ten. i used my team as an example of one that beat two of the teams from ecic1. then you jumped into the argument with your all knowing wisdom and formula of how this wins somehow dont matter. dont twist my words with the ken east loss because i said willi east beat two teams they did beat. i never uded any of your nonsense formulas. and by your own logic the ken east loss doesnt matter cause it happened at the end of the year. i think you want ecic1 teams to be considered dsomething special because they beat your nfl boys like ken west and nw at the end of the year. just because ken west lost to frontier and lancaster at the end of the year dosnt mean ecic1 was great. you have both the nfl and ecic1 teams over-rated. this whole thing started because someone else called ecic1 arguably the best it has ever been and to that i say PLEASE. then you jump in with a bunch of twisted talk and trying to speak for everybody with your 'evryone that followed knows' stuff. dude whatever.

[TML1000]

I didn't say the win didn't matter because it was at the end of the year, I said North was not the same team they were for the bulk of the season for that game, and clearly for their sectional game as well.

Listen, I don't need ECIC, NFL, NOL, CCIAC, MMA, AAU teams or YMCA teams to be considered as something special. I stand up for leagues like the NFL because they often don't get the respect...in all sports. Was ECIC I at it's best this year? Who knows, you can't bring back past years' teams. What is clear is that it was the second best league in the section, to the Yale Cup. That is counting MMA as not being technically in the section.

Also, Lancaster should, and likely will, end up in the final top 10 of the poll, not because they beat "my boys," Ken West, because they had a strong season. You gain respect by winning games when it counts, in the sectionals. Wil East didn't do that, either did "my boys," either did North or Clarence.

[Thank you]

Please,
FYI: Harrington did play against Depew. He was held to 0 points. If you want to call that not playing, so be it.
Thank you

[please]

maybe north was just over-rated all year. after taplin they were very average. you say clearly they werent the same the last two games and i ask who did they even beat this year besides lancaster once? i know we were better and mckinley was way better. you cant count the win against jamestown without page cause a few days later they got destroyed against him. and if ecic1 is the third best league after city and private they should be cause their the only league thats all aa.

[Division1]

I'm not going to get into discussion about which leagues were better because I didn't get to see top 4 teams in each league. As far as rating of players first 2 teams were fine, 3rd team had a one or two questionable picks. From 4th team onward all I can say is thank God it is a free country and we are all entitled to our opinions. But from my prep school and division 1 basketball experience I can only say wow, almost ridiculous. Agbeko behind most of those guys on 4th is comical. He has 9 division 1 programs including 3 high majors that are currently recruiting him and would definitely disagree. Nice job anyways for taking time out and coming up with your assessment of who the best of the best are in western new York.

[Bill Walton]

Centercourt - your 4th team is way off !! Must have been because you kept going to the Newfane games.

[overrated]

i dont agree with alexander being on the fifth. he had a good year LAST year. i didnt really pay that much attention so i could be wrong but i think he is getting all the respect from last year. i think he is a little overrated. i also dont agree with o'connell. when i saw him at buff state he had at least 10 turnovers in those games. but again i think reputation for schools and other things like that plays the biggest part in picking these teams.

[Team]

Just cause Agbeko is getting recruited by D1s doesn't mean the kid should automatically make All-WNY. He barely even played in the Manhattan Cup playoffs. I agree with centercourt.

[Division1]

Please you are correct that getting recruited doesn't mean you should make all western new York. However Agbeko got hurt at tipoff of Timon game in Manhattan Cup and could barely walk but still tried to give it a go in championship against Canisius. So I guess since he was at 40% for the Manhattan Cup he shouldn't receive recognition for what he did during the regular season and first game in playoffs. I guess all western new yorkers should only be from teams that win it all and if you get hurt, sorry buddy wait til next year.

[Sean Bruso]

CC,

Great job buddy hope you can make it in Saturday. Great work and alot of work. In defense of the mount rushmore contributor TML, as you know I see alot of ECIC 1 and see a fair share of NFL games. I can say honestly that ECIC 1 and NFL was very talented with alot of parity. Ken-East with Bono was very solid, we forgot to mention Niagara Wheatfield who was amongst the top in the league. Many times teams could not account for Grandits against Ken-West. Lew-Port (ecic 3) who was very very talented as well.
In ECIC 1 anyone could knock off anyone any given night. It is the same as AA in football, anyone can. The Larger schools generally are more competitive on a weekly basis. I did see the Lancaster Depew game and Harrington played around 6 minutes. I am not sure if it was an injury issue but he was near the end of the bench for the remainder of the game. I am interested in CC's view on ECIC 2...

[Butters]

CC

It's tough to argue with your top 10 with anyone on the 2nd team could be on the 1st team. That is a solid top 10.

[Tripp]

I will defend the fourth team vs fifth team by saying this. Yes, Physically the 5th team is much bigger than the 4th team, but as far as fundamental basketball skills the 4th team is far better. Level of skill is what separates all of these rankings. Very good job, CC!

[TML1000]

Bomasuto, Licata and Pierce are not more skilled basketball players than Farrant, Street and Alexander.

Also, the comment regarding Alexander...if anything he is underrated. He is a very string overall player and had to play a Holland-like role for OTC this year.

[tah]

I couldn't say for sure that Alexander was the best player on his own team this year.

[Yale Cup]

Alexander did not play a Holland-like role at Middle this year or ever. Not sure where that statement comes from. He didn't bring the ball up, wasn't the leading scorer on the team, didn't guard the other teams best player. He did miss a couple games for fighting with the coach...don't think Holland did that either. He is hardly under rated.

[guest]

PAL/ACE showcase rosters are set. Missing some of the biger name kids but the way the other all star events have gone might be better off. Wed. April 6th first game at 6:15, don't expect to see the McDonalds game ,good talent and 2 blue collar games. $5 admission proceeds benefit Niagara PAL. Should be a fun night. No Music,no contests just basketball

[Tripp]

I never saw Bomasuta play.
Pierce plays just as hard as anyone in wny, leads his team in doing the dirty work and Newfane does a lot of that. Signed D1 baseball.
Licata is sniper from three pt range,with a shot fake jab steb, shot add the target on his back. has signed D1 Football.

Two(that I saw) are solid athletes that lead there team to a lot of victories!

If the skill of post feeding bigger players wasn't a lost art i would agree with you!

[St. Mary"s]

sean, I appreciate your input on the harrington @ Depew game. He played most of the first half and was completely shut out. HE got into an argument w/ coach @ halftime and was benched for the second half. i believe coach walters was trying to motivate him and he didnt respond well. this is all irrelevant as he had a very good year for the redskins, and deserves some recognition for helping to turn around the program. heck if we had him and notaro we could have won the manhattan cup

[Andrew Webster]

Hey Guest, could you share the PAL/ACE rosters, or tell me where I could find those. Also, if anyone was at the Roundball Classic yesterday, I would love to hear about it.

[Patrick Moran]

Andrew,
I"m working on getting them now.

[Patrick Moran]

Here are the complete rosters for both games:
http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/rosters-set-for-palace-all-star-game/

Obviously, there is a lot of star power missing: Most notably guys like Paige, Holland, Butts, Holland, Lyons and Nevins.

But there's plenty of talent that will be on that floor to make two compelling games. Rosters on both sides for both games look to be evently matched. Maybe we'll few guys really break out and become known commodities for next season.

[Andrew Webster]

Thanks Patrick.

[Patrick Moran]

I should probably check my spelling habits before posting on this board, lol. That looked really bad.

You know what I meant though. Not a ton of "big names" on those lists, but that doesn't mean the games won't be any less exciting. IN fact, they may end up being even better.

[sal]

Thanks,Pat I think some kids stay away because we try to keep the "Mcdonald game" atmosphere out. Last year we had kids taking charges ,diving on floor and guarding end line to end line. Playing a real basketball game. Kids worked hard yesterday and I think they won't disrespect the game like so many events do. For the record 3 kids came late and they had to run before they were allowed to tryout. KIDS NEED rules not people telling them how good they are. Hope to see you there

[Patrick Moran]

Not related to this topic or basketball at all for that matter. But I know there are a lot of multi-sport HS fans in here, so I'm reporting that I've heard that Timon has fired their entire football coaching staff.

[Wayne Rooney]

I watched part of the McDonald's game last week. It was a joke of a basketball game. No D, very sloppy play. Looked like an AND 1 game. Plus they overhype these kids. You wonder how they get big egos. I know Austin Rivers can score but he better learn to play defense or he won't get off Coach K's bench at Duke.

[snooki]

mcsheas first team
paige
butts
holland
nevins
fisher

[Patrick Moran]

For HS Football Fans (I didn't know where else to throw this). News on the Timon Football Staff Firings

http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/source-bishop-timon-fires-entire-football-coaching-staff/

[centercourt]

I wanted to give a little time before I responded to some of the comments regarding my All-Centercourt selections. After reading through everything, it seems the main points of contention from those who gave an opinion are with fourth and fifth team, Tyler Funk and Darius Edwards not making a team, and guys like Dante Bono and Forest Richardson not being anywhere.

First off, let me be clear about the criteria I use. It’s honoring the players who had the BEST SEASON…THIS SEASON. It’s not about who’s getting Division 1 looks, who would dominate if you put them on Ellicottville, or who finished where last year. If it was just about finding the most talented basketball players, you wouldn't even have to wait until the end of the season to produce a team. But talent doesn't automatically equate into an All-WNY worthy season in my book. As far as the correlation with team success, generally speaking, top players lead their teams to success. There are some exceptions to that, such as a player on an otherwise untalented team playing tough competition, or a very balanced team that experiences success due to the contributions of many, rather than being lead by one or two players.

Also, unlike some, I see a wide variety of teams and a great number of games - over 120 this season. There wasn’t any one team I followed exclusively, and other than Michael Bova and Jordan Farrant, I saw every player in my top 25 at least twice, and 20 of the 25 at least five times. So not only did I see the guy you were rooting for, I also saw the guy you never saw, but are sure he doesn’t belong.

With all that in mind, the players on my fourth team are absolutely deserving of their selection, and of being placed a team above those on fifth team. Yes, two of the top twenty players came from the N-O. They were the two best players from that league and leaders of teams that were top ten small schools for the entire season, league champs, and Section VI finalists in their respective classes. The only leagues with two teams representing it on Championship Saturday were the N-O and the Yale Cup.

Brennan Moxham was the guy at Wilson, and one of two players at season’s end who was even trusted to handle the ball. Despite being the focal point of the opposition’s defense, he led his team to a win over Cleveland Hill and to within four points of the overall Class B champion. He played every game for his team, led them in points, assists, and steals. He had a signature performance against St. Mary’s, finishing with a game-high 27 points, went 14 of 14 from the charity stripe, hit three 3-pointers, and sank the game winning shot from just inside the arc, with ten seconds left on OT. It was the same St. Mary’s team that beat Clarence and Hutch-Tech, and only lost to St. Joe’s by five.

Rohn Pierce is a similar type player to Gordon Lyons, in that he was the hardest working player on the court everytime he stepped on it. He averaged 19.9 points and 12.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 steals per game, while connecting on 18 of 44 attempts from downtown. His best games included a 29 point first half where he finished with 35, and a 34 point, 22 rebound performance. In seven of his 21 games, he did not play in the fourth quarter. In the Class B1 final, he was the only player that kept his team in the game, scoring 22 of his team’s 35 points and drawing high praise from Lackawanna coach Tim Foley afterwards.

Michael Bova of Westfield faced a double-team in nearly every game, and still averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds. He posted 14 double-doubles, and in one of his two triple-doubles, he registered 26 points, 20 rebounds, and 19 blocks. His season-high in points was 38 and his season-high in rebounds was 21. In the quarterfinals against I-Prep, Holland had to guard him because he presented a match-up problem for Hillman. Bova is the school’s all-time leading scorer with over 1,400 points.

Vinny Bomasuto led Dunkirk to an undefeated regular season that included a pair of wins over Olean. He was a scoring machine and the team’s best defender, thriving in the press and at the top of the 2-3 zone. His signature game was a 42 point, 15 assist performance, and he also registered a Section VI playoff-high 47 points in his teams quarterfinal win.

Joe Licata was part of a three-headed monster at Williamsville South that set a school record for wins in a season. Call him one-dimensional if you must, but that one dimension was so deadly that every team he faced knew it was coming, but could not stop it. The state’s all-time leader in 3-pointers was vital to the Billies success this year and his presence opened up the court for the rest of the team and allowed them to thrive in their style of play.

The five guys on fifth team are all excellent, but their seasons were not as defined as the guys on fourth team.

Agbeko was dominant at times, but also inconsistent as he developed. He was not his team’s first option, didn’t start every game for the Marauders, and missed stretches of games in foul trouble. The Marauders also showed on multiple occasions that they could be an elite team without him in the lineup.

Street was another player who was at times dominant. But Street wasn’t as consistent as Feagin, and played for the only team to have four different guys in the top 60 (and that’s without mentioning Jermaine Crumpton). In order for Street to finish higher, he would have needed to be more consistent and carry his team farther, given all the talent around him.

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m as big of a Kadeem Hillman fan as there is. He improved by leaps and bounds from a year ago, and added enough to his game to go from an athlete to a basketball player. I think he was a big part of the Presidents success this year, but still not as much as he could have been. He was never the focus of the offense (except in a game against Tapestry), and had I-Prep gone through him more, he and the team may have finished higher. Still an excellent season for both he and the team, but with Holland on first team, Hillman being higher than fifth team would likely indicate a Class C state title.

Jordan Farrant is a great player who is a lock to be in the top 20 next year. He put up very impressive numbers this season, particularly in the postseason, and led his team to a pair of quality wins over Randolph and Salamanca in the process. But that consistency was lacking over the course of the season. Of the six regular season wins that Farrant led his team to, two were against winless Eden, one was against Cardinal O’Hara, and one was against Gow.

Davon Alexander was a player who I had on my fourth team last season, due in particular to his helping to lead the Kats to a Class C state title and earning state tournament MVP honors along the way. This season, OTC enjoyed far less success and had no signature wins after a November victory over Hutch-Tech. Not only did this year’s team bow out in the semifinals, Alexander missed multiple games within his control and was held out of the starting lineup for others. He also missed some time this year due to injury. All things considered, for as many times as Alexander was in the starting lineup out of the 20 games the Kats played this season, I think fifth team was generous.

If there’s one player I missed on, it would be Darius Edwards. According to anyone I’ve spoken with, he is a player with first team type talent. Unfortunately for me, the last time I saw him play was when he was a sophomore, and that’s on me. The only thing I had to go on were his numbers, which were good, but not eye-popping, and where he led his team. One coach I spoke with told me if he played for a team like Williamsville South that liked to get out and run, his season would have been near the top. He is also a player that many are predicting big things from at the next level.

Tyler Funk is a player who I’ve liked since he showed flashes as a sophomore. But coming off of last year’s Class AA final, this season has to be viewed as a disappointment. Funk is likely to walk on at Canisius, but wasn’t the leading scorer on his own team and wasn’t a dominant player in the post. David Hill led the team in scoring and became only the second player in Clarence history to eclipse 1,000 career points. Also, Stephen Hughes returned to give the Red Devils solid play at the point. Between the talent and experience that returned for Clarence this season, the results didn’t correspond with that of a team who has a D1 big man playing with the second leading scorer in program history. The team lost to Williamsville East and St. Mary’s in nonleague games, and were swept by Jamestown, Williamsville North, and Lancaster in ECIC I, before losing in the quarterfinals.

TML1000 asked: “No Richardson on HM?? I thought you were a fan of his...also, no Bono? Apparently the missed games hold a lot of weight.”

They sure do, especially when your talking multiple games under a players control. Just out of curiosity, do you have any idea how many games each of those players missed this season? I do, and when judging them against other talented peers who had great seasons and never missed a game, it’s not a very difficult decision for me. By the way, I was definitely a fan of Richardson’s basketball talents and Dante Bono can score with the best of them.

I'll be on "Officially Yours" on WECK 1230 AM radio at 8 pm Thursday night. I'll be discussing these selections further then. Feel free to call in.

[WNYHOOPS]

Great job Centercourt, and about the football comments I love them and they are very much needed now that the BuffaloNews has basically shut down the Prep Talk Blog. Maybe this is a call to Milt Latimer (hopefully it's not all about Iroquois...) or one of our other distinguished football bloggers to start their own site like Centercourt has here. I would be willing to start one, but I don't have the insight, time, or dedication to travel all across WNY for H.S. football. I have a hard enough time keeping up with my Red Raiders and the Southern-Tier teams, let alone the rest of WNY. Milt or Sean Bruso you out there?

[tah]

If snooki is correct cancel my subscription to the Buffalo News and Prep Talk Blog.

[hoopster]

Disappointing not to see Peter Notaro get even HM. As I wrote elsewhere, the kid was a 3 yr starter, two state titles, 3 league titles and always one of the most important cogs on the Lancers squad. Throw in a win over Clarence and HM players Funk and Hill, seems like he earned and deserved a spot.

Unfortunately didn't see enough games this year to come up with an all-underrated (overlooked and under appreciated) team this year. Always fun to single guys out who played well, hard and did a great job and for whatever reason don't receive the appreciation they should.

[GA]

CC, no love for any Will North player besides Taplin? They dud finish 2nd in an extremely competitive ecic 1.

[The Situation]

Snooks! This is a messed up situation!

[TML1000]

Those numbers are great CC, from the NOL guys and Bomasuto, but they were put up against inferior competition. I know, out of the players' control, but the teams weren't good enough to, for me, warrant being that high.

Sure, it's all what ifs, but put Street and Agbeko in those positions and they have even better numbers. Just a matter of opinion, I suppose, could go back and forth on it all day.

Good work this year.

[Prep Talk blog]

WNYHOOPS and all others who made the Prep Talk comments section grea -- Be assured: The Prep Talk blog will rise again.

[Prep Talk blog]

WNYHOOPS and all others who made the Prep Talk comments section GREAT: Sometimes we spell words wrong.

[centercourt]

TML –

To throw out a blanket statement that those numbers were put up against inferior competition is a total cop out, something I’d expect from some random moniker…but come on, you’re better than that.

Those players had teammates that were from the same demographic as their competition, just as players in large school leagues do, so it’s really all relative. Swap Street out for Moxham on Wilson, and he no longer has Williams, Wilkes, Feagin, and Crumpton on his team. Should we just disqualify small school players from consideration or do you have numbers in mind that you consider impressive?

No one is taking anything away from a guy like Phil Stasiak, who played two games against Hamburg, Starpoint, Iroquois, and West Seneca East with one of the best large schools in WNY. Bomasuto’s 47 points were against the same Buffalo Arts team that I-Prep and OTC played twice. I know you’re not questioning the inferior competition those teams faced (Emerson, Arts, Olmsted, Seneca, and City Honors twice).

Pierce had 18 & 12 against St. Mary's, 22 & 14 against North, and 24 & 12 against St. Francis. I already gave you Moxham's numbers against St. Mary's.

Both Newfane and Wilson scheduled one small school (St. Mary's) and three large schools in nonleague. They had to play each other twice and CSAT twice (who beat City Honors and battled with Cass Valley in the semis). Barker was no slouch this year. The rest of the league wasn’t exactly a meat grinder, but neither is Falls playing NT and Grand Island twice, or Joe’s playing Niagara Catholic, Cardinal O’Hara, Nichols, and Walsh.

Lew-Port finished tied with Niagara Wheatfield for third in the NFL this year after splitting with them. They beat Wilson in a game that the Lakemen led for three plus quarters and twice missed a 3-pointer in the final minute to tie the game. If anything, by comparison, Falls plays an easier league schedule than Wilson and Newfane.

If you want to say we have different philosophies on this and that yours is less about the best season and more about talent, that’s fine. But throwing out a statement about playing inferior competition is a short-sighted argument, especially when you put things in perspective.

[TML1000]

I suppose that is more of a debate amongst the leagues and strength of teams. I was down South's schedule all year, as well.

Yes, when I chose my teams, I am more heavy on "talent" and who I feel is the best basketball player, rather than who had the best season. I know Moxham and Pierce are fine basketball players, I just think Street and Agbeko are better. My point of most contention is regarding Bomasuto. To me, his numbers were purely a product of the system his coach ran. That is, running over inferior teams by 40 and 50 points. I'm not complaining about the blow outs, I was one of the people saying that they are fine, but those numbers are so skewed it's bordering on ridiculous. He's a great athlete, but so are many of the kids on the list. Just because he benefited from his team blowing out so many others, shouldn't mean he is a top 20 player. Maybe if Dunkirk backed it up with ANY quality wins, but they didn't, especially when it counted.

I am questioning the lack of good teams amongst the small schools. Sure, I-Prep played some poor teams, as well, but is anyone arguing with the fact that Holland should be on the first team? To me, after the top seven or so players, it was very close to call. In that instance, I broke it down into who I felt was the best basketball player and went down the list. I can not personally justify placing any member of your fourth team, besides Bova who I did not see, ahead of Street and Agbeko. If that is short-sighted, then so be it.

[TML1000]

In regards to Licata...any manner in which I could argue against his position on the fourth team, the counter-argument that he was just such an elite shooter can be made. Yes, he was an elite shooter, mostly when he was open, but the fact that teams couldn't seem to find him on the floor is another question for a different post. Again, I just feel the players I mentioned that you have ranked below him are better, more balanced, basketball players.

[Devils]

Centercourt - you tend to consistently act like your facts are always correct - but I have to tell you Funk was the heart and soul of Clarence. He was their leading scorer and rebounder. I am not even sure you even saw him play other than early in the season. Really disapointing that you state these things as facts and you are completely incorrect. I think when you talk about stats etc.. you should contact the coaches for them. I am sure Coach B would have given you the correct information. For you to say he was not a dominent player in the post is outrageous - you have lost a lot of clout with a lot of people with the comments you make as the writer of this blog. You are the typical inexperienced frustrated athelte by the way you make decisions on these players.

[Patrick Moran]

Here's a link to a small article. 1- O'Hara leading scorer Mark Cerza is transferring to St. Joe's and 2- M.I.G. rumor about Stan Wier going to Canisius. St Joe's or any catholic school for that matter is formally dead in the water.

http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/h-s-hoops-cerza-transferring-to-st-joes/

[Andrew Webster]

Devils,

Centercourt watches more high school games than any other person in all of WNY. I'm 100 percent certain of that. That's why he's so qualified to run this blog. I'm sure he saw Funk later in the season, but even if he didn't I can guarantee he talked to several qualified people that did. I understand "sour grapes" but you just gotta get over it sometimes. Picking the top 60 best players or seasons in all of WNY is a very difficult proposition and no matter who does it, some people are going to have some complaints. You can never make everyone happy.

[Dan]

Centercourt,
Please don't dignify "Devils" with a response. Whether or not I agree the things you write, you always present your opinions tactfully, offer a reason for your opinions and have done a great service to area basketball fans by providing additional coverage. I felt Funk should have been higher, but the poiints you bring up are valid.

Whether Tyler or David was the leading scorer at Clarence this year, both are very good players and young men and the comments and personal attack from "Devils" are classless and shouldn't be viewed as a reflection of the parents and community of Clarence.

[Darrin]

I was at the Pal/ACE game last night and proud of the fact that I not only had one but two sons in the game. I like to thank Sal and his crew for giving them the chance to play. Thanks again!

[guest]

St. Joes got kelly 2 yrs ago, Agebeko last season,Cerza this season and supposedly Agebeko cousin is coming for next season. They are becoming the Yankees of HS hoops .who needs a farm team? or a jv team? lol

[Nichols]

How dare you! We are the Yankees of highschool basketball.

[Tripp]

While we are making comparisons: Wilkins, Edwards, Grandits, Ferguson and Funk could be the All WNY....VCU team...we are working with very close margins here!

[McShea is God]

Man been a long time since I have been on here! Glad 2 c C Court-TML battle. Still doesn't compare 2 me vs that Moran guy who felt he was important enough 2 put out an All WNY team. Because something called the 'Buffalo Sports Daily' puts that out doesn't mean it's true.

It might b, cause I just made all the Weir stuff up 2 generate comments. I really have no idea! The other 1 was the real thing but I threw Weir in there cause I thought it would make it more fun. I still hope he comes back. I'll lay some cash down if I have 2. 50/50 with Hoopster!

Final 4 was a blast. Houston VERY spread out. We must have spent 200 bucks on cabs. Should have got a car. Dumb. Most Final 4's u can walk everywhere. If u look back I got the 2 teams I wanted in the final, but really my heart was pulling 4 Butler. 18%? My God I still can't belive it. Been 2 9 Championship games now and that was the WORST! 2 many Mexican's in Houston! Ha! Don't pull CC - no Mexican's reading this. Got pictures with Jimmer, Dicky V, Jay Bilas and Steve Kerr at Del Frisco's!

No more games 4 me until the Cuse or Niagara opener in November. If I'm still alive.

Look 4ward 2 seeing if I guess the First Team correct 4 the FIFTH year in a row on Saturday. I could b wrong, we shall c. The REAL All WNY team. Not CC's (no offense sir), that Moran guy, TML, Anthony Johnson, whoever! Like the name says, McShea is God.

[Patrick Moran]

M.I.G. --- Sometimes I wonder if you're moniker is for fun, or if you have a legitimate obsession going on.

For the record, I did not have an All-WNY team, I had an All-BSD team(s. And considering I saw more than enough games, talked to more than enough people and conversed with more than enough coaches, I'm qualified to put my version of a team out. Maybe you don't know, but you should. Buffalo Sports Daily is a popular sports website in Buffalo that covers sports in Buffalo, and that's not just high school sports.

Besides, I find it hard for myself to have defend any credibility to a guy who just admitted he openly lied to generate a rumor for the sole purpose of getting attention and the purpose of people leaving comments.

[centercourt]

Jack Herlan will be moving from varsity assistant to head JV coach at St. Joe's next season. Congratulations to him and Lord have mercy on those poor JV officials!

[jackherlan]

Hey, I love ALL officials.

[MMA]

MIG, Its so great to have you back because this place is never as controvesial without all of you :-) I like how you try to keep the mystery up about the team you spilled weeks ago, but everyone Ive talked to is well aware that your team was right and that Aaron Nevins made the team over Connor Rehbaum. The problem with keeping that stuff all hush hush is the 1st team guys and girls get their own photo shoot and word gets out very quickly.

[Team]

MIG you just proved you are a clown and have no credibility on this or any message board. You lied about Weir to generate interest? You will NEVER be taken seriously here again. Looks like you learned Weir to Canisius is not happening so you came up with the story "I really knew he wasn't going all along". You'd rather do this than claim you were wrong. What a joke. Everyone that reads this board is laughing at you. There is no doubt that Patrick Moran is more reputable than you if for no other reason then, he writes his real name on his posts.

[guest]

Is Jack in charge of recruiting or development at Joes

[Centercourt is God]

Someone started a rumor on a message board? Ohhhhh nooooooo! Wah, wah, wah. MIG is the best thing to happen to this blog since the C in CIG gave berth to it.

Someone criticized the C in CIG over the Clarence stuff and people are all wah-wah-wah about that too. The Clarence Devil Dog had some good points, even got an and-one on one of them. C can take it, or else my name wouldn't be CIG.

Can't wait til tomorrow. Can't wait to see if this first team up in here is the first team up in the paper. It's like Xmas and the Hannakauh and the Kwanza all together except I gotta make sure I get to the corner store quicker than most so I can buy three copies of All-WNY. If there's not three I have to head to a Wilson Farms where the clerk is so ugly I don't even like to buy emergency milk there. Gotta buy three. One to use, one to save, and one to give away to someone down the road because that's how I rolls.

C-I-G is O-U-T.

[jackherlan]

Guest,
We are all in charge of doing right by our student-athletes. And they ARE STUDENT-athletes. We teach life lessons as well as improving their athletic skills. And that is why the transfers in the last couple of years have COME TO US. We don't have to go out and look for transfers. :)

[MMA]

I think the recruiting angle gets way over played when talking about Canisius and Joes. They might look at the kids in the private schools for the middle school aged kids, but neither of those schools are recruiting public school kids to leave and play hoops for them. Nichols and St. Marys are a whole other story.

[guest]

Jack relax,it was just a fact,next year you could start 4 kids that never played jv or started their schooling at Joes. God bless them for coming over and Reggie could be the first D1 kid Joes has had in awhile. trivia who was last couple of scholarship kids from the big 2(joes and Canisius)basketball wise. and again just questions not accusations sorry if i worded it incorrectly

[mcshea is god is a doufus]

i think it naive to think that the st. joes coaching staff just sat back and watched these kids transfer to their place. there are alot of coaches in wny who teach life lessons and you dont see kids from africa and fellow mma schools transfering to their schools. bottom line is, st joes has not won a cup in a few years and is chasing canisius. the only thing for them to do is go out and recruit transfers. between agbeko, kelly, cerza and agbekos cousin they are turning into a 2 year school. i am also curious to know who st marys is recruting now?

[Bill Walton]

I agree Doufus - dont leave out Nichols - Mckinnon was recruiting all year !

[jackherlan]

That's right guys and I have my next trip scheduled already to Brazil - the beaches are great and I heard there might be a 6'4" point forward available for the class of 2014.

Believe what you will there is nothing I can do about that, nobody said we sat back and watched(that would be kinda dumb) but we have NEVER actively gone after any player from anywhere(another school or another country) that hasn't contacted us first about coming to Joes.

[Andrew Webster]

Hey CIG,
It doesn't shock me that you like MIG so much. After all you kind of took the main premise of his name. All those that like what MIG does on this blog, probably also frequent TMZ. All the actual WNY high school basketball fans and myself come to this blog for quality team and player reports and etc. We don't come to hear all the crazy rumors or to see what trip MIG is taking this week. Of course it wouldn't shock me if all the MIG supporters on the blog are actually MIG himself since I know he likes to do that. Anyhow I appreciate the people on this blog who actually provide quality input such as Patrick Moran, TML, Jack Herlan, Hoopster, etc.

[Lucky13]

hoopster is a big supporter of MiG and so is CC,for the most part.

Not making any judgement about that one way or the other,only saying that:

Andrew, you are apparently unaware of that.

[Andrew Webster]

No I'm very aware of CC's support for MIG. I don't know Hoopster personally so I cannot vouch for that. But in the end I'm just really speaking for myself.

[Centercourt is God]

I hate TMZ. So there.

C-I-G is O-U-T.

Whoops. No I'm not. No I didn't. Hard to fucus when stumbling in after last call. At least it's not cold anymore

An All-WNY video is up at snooze.com. It seems pretty cool but I can't see too clearly (don't worry MIG, I didn't drive, got my girl to)

First team is what MIG said it would be, fist bump to him. I'm not opposed. I thoug@@@lSHGS. xxy r -T-C-I

[Wayne Rooney]

Cerza is leaving O'Hara where his dad is the JV coach and where his brother goes. This nothing but a baskteball decision for him. Kelly is at St. Joe's for football. His playing basketball is a bonus for the school. Rumor has it he was having some problems back in PA. Some missionies must have seen Agebeko shooting hoops back in his villiage in Africa and did the good Christian thing to brought him to the US and St. Joe's.

The point is Nichols, St. Joe's, St. Francis, Canisius, St. Mary's and Cheat Home all recruit players to come to school for athletics. The sad part is the education you get those schools isn't much better then it would be a public school. It is all about wins and losses. MMA sucks. You will never get in Section VI

TML: Props for your support of the NFL and especially Ken West. Did you like my goal against Chelski last Wednesday? Glory Glory Man United

[GOMPAHS]

To all those pushing the misinformation of Reggie Agbeko’s enrollment at St. Joes. This is to set the record straight. Reggie is a member of the Gompah family; He is a cousin to some and a nephew to others; We are a family of African origin and have lived in the USA for 30 years and somes members have resided in Buffalo area for the last 20 years. We are also a big basketball family that have several members that are currently and have competed on division 1 and 2 levels; A little over a year ago, some members of our family decided to bring Reggie and another cousin/nephew Saykan Bestman to the US to study and play basketball. We utilized the expertise of a good family friend, Jack Whitehead of Runhouse to get it all together and looked into a variety of schools locally and on the prep school circuit and eventually made the decision that they would be better served attending school close to us. Most of our Buffalo area family members live in North Buffalo and Amherst. St. Joes was in a prime location for us; It also had a strong academic and athletic background. We contacted St. Joes and they worked with us to make it happen. Reggie has enjoyed his stay at St. Joes and so have we. Reggie is preparing for his senior season and Saykan should be arriving shortly. Reggie is a very good student who happens to have talent for basketball; He is also not from a village in Africa, he is from a metropolitan area 3 to 4 times the size of Buffalo and speaks multiple languages including English which he speaks grammatically better than most. Lastly, he did not arrive in Western New York based on mercy of missionaries anywhere. Coach Simon, Coach Herlan and the remainder of the coaching staff have done a pretty good job with a kid that has only been playing for 5 years and has only been playing competitively for 2 years and has only competed in 47 organized games.

Regards,

The Gompah Family

[mark simon]

you guys are beautiful.. none of you outside of jack have a clue as to why Cerza is now at St joe's or why reggie's north buffalo family and the kelly family picked st joes.but as jack said we surely did not recruit them..they all picked st joes as the best place for them

[mark simon]

Thnak you to the Gompah family for setting the record straight..

[centercourt]

A forum such as this will always have some "beautiful" people coming on it to show off the adverse side effects of the bitter pill they swallowed, and they are free to do that. However, those who know the real story also have the same access to this forum, so thank you to both the Gompah family and Mark Simon for taking the time to respectfully share that information.

[Wayne Rooney]

CC

I am not a bitter person. I am sick and tired of people like Keith McShea and Patrick Moran constantly telling us how great the MMA is. Granted St. Joe's and Canisius and maybe Timon were very good basketball teams this season. The rest of MMA wasn't that good. I saw O'Hara play and they stunk. Yale Cup, NFL, and ECIC I were better leagues top to bottom. The problem is that public schools depend on the students that live in the district to play on their teams. If you don't have any athletes then your team won't be good. How many good middle school players don't make it to Frontier or Ken West because they are "talked into" attending a private school. It may not be by Coach Simon but someone is telling these kids that if they want to get the most exposure it would be at a MMA school.

I respect Reggie's family for brining him to the US to better his education. But I think City Honors,Park, or Nichols would have been a better choice educationally. St. Joe's is no better educationally than a public school. The difference is when you don't make the grade at Joe's you get asked to leave. You can't do that in a public school.

[Patrick Moran]

Wayne,
While I have a lot of respect for MMA and enjoyed covering the league this year, I never said it was the best league in WNY, and if you're saying I said that you are misquoting me.

For the record, top to bottom the Yale Cup was easily the best in WNY this year.

As far as kids attending MMA schools, the reality is it's often a better opportunity. I know it's not a popular thing to say and certainly there are exceptions, but for the most part a kid is going to get a better education and have a chance to get into a better college attending Timon instead of South Park, or Canisius instead of East, or St. Joe's instead of Riverside... That's just the way it is.

I know there is some "under the table" recruiting that goes on, especially at Catholic schools and I'm not a fan of it, but at the same token I'll say openly that having a growing son if he was a great athlete and had an opportunity to go play at St. Francis (I live in Hamburg) instead of Frontier, that's where he's going.

[sal]

Interesting banter, more importantly The Mark Williams Memorial tourney is accepting teams boys and girls grade divisions are 5/6-7/8-9/10 and 11/12. entry Fee is $175 apr 29-may 1each team guaranteed atleast 2 games for more info. contact Niagara PAL office at 716-286-7038. Adding to topic it only makes the NFHS 2005 nationally ranked team more amazing all the kids lived in a 5 mile radius,no transfers. Hasn't the top school in WNY been a public school every year anyway?

[sal]

Sorry divisions are grades 5th and 6th,grades 7th and 8th,grades 9th and 10th and grades 11th and 12th for boys and girls

[Patrick Moran]

Sal, Nichols was #1 last year.

[TML1000]

What's better about Frannies than Frontier?

[sal]

sorry Pat, I was on girls side. I stand corrected

[sal]

BTW, they had 2 transfers-lol ,kidding

[Patrick Moran]

TML, nothing I suppose.. I must think that overall a Catholic school education is better and affords more college opportunities, but that's just me, and not in all cases either. There are plenty of reputable good public schools.

[jackherlan]

Wayne,

I will respectfully disagree with your academic assessment of St. Joes. One of my sons went to Joes and two of my sons went to City Honors(regarded as one of the top academic schools) and the educations that all received were very comparable. Since we(for the most part) are not really talking about very many guaranteed professional athletes or even that many D1 kids it is essential that our academics are top notch. We have more students at top academic colleges, than you obviously believe, because those institutions believe in our academic programs at Joes.

I really can't believe that parents would spend the amount of dollars that they spend for anything less.

[Wayne Rooney]

Jack

I was an honor student in middle school and received an academic scholarship to an catholic school. When I got there I was in "advanced classes" which were the same classes I would have taken if I had stayed in public school.

I am an educator for a public school and I see the kids who return to my school from private schools be it because they were behavior problems or couldn't do the academic work required to stay at the school. They are not burning it up academically in the public school either. One of the best students at my school got into Duke so I guess public schools aren't so bad.

My suggestion to parents if you are going to spend your money on sending your kid to a private school send them to Nichols because that will get them into a higher level college. Going to Joe's or Frannies is no better than going to Frontier, West Seneca West, OP or Ken West. However it may look good on a college application when your school attended says St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute instead on Kenmore East High School.

[McShea Is God]

HAHAHAHAHAHA 5 years in a row! I was right! First team! Good job Keith. Nevins CLEARLY deserved that last spot.

Andrew, Pat, whoever - and CC can 4 sure confirm this - I LOVE the fact that I can make u guys upset! The ONLY reason I come on this blog is knowing that I have the power 2 do that! Yes Pat, I think your rag is a joke. I have no idea who Andrew Webster is, nor do I care. I consider CC and Keith friends and could care LESS what any of u clowns think of me. Andrew - I will keep talking about my trips now, just cause I know it upsets u. I am going 2 Vegas with the boys Memorial Day weekend and now will discuss it in great detail (by the way HIGHLY suggest a trip there 4 the pool parties on THAT weekend if any of u have never done it the girls r just UNREAL!).

I said all along Connor who I'm sure is a nice kid was NOT a first team player. And he's not. No matter what the 'bsb daily' (Backstreet Boys?) or Mike Johnson, or even CC 4 that matter thought about this. I mean, Moran if I didn't bust your chops on it u would have made him player of the year!

ANYWAY every1 enjoy the summer. TML, State Champs u guys r great. Hoopster and Jack totally respect u guys. CC, u r the man. C u all at Al Pastor in November.

PS - Taplin....let's c if I nailed that 1 too.