What would your All-Centercourt teams look like?

The high school basketball season in WNY is officially over and now it's time to honor the very best for the seasons they've turned in.  Sometime in the next couple of weeks, I will publish my second annual All-Centercourt Team and Coach of the Year.  The All-CC Team will consist of 5 five-player teams and 35 honorable mention selections.  That may sound like a lot, but try limiting things to just 60 players when you are dealing with 100  teams, and there are several quality players who miss the cut.

 

Use the comments section below to tell us who you think should make which team.  You could even tell us why.  If you're really ambitious, try coming up with the HM selections.

 

Please keep all commentary appropriate when discussing high school athletes.

 

-centercourt 

Comments

[Gus Buster]

CC BOTY, MIG, jackherlan, Lucky13, Coach MacKinnon

[Who Cares?]

Why does anyone care if MIG is a man or a woman? Who really cares? We all use funny names. Nobody is obsessed with finding out who Center Court really is. I just don't get it. I mean there must be more important things you can do with your time than trying to figure that out. I just don't get the obsession over MIG. Nobody cares.

[McShea is God]

My official All WNY 1st team prediction:

Stan Weir (MVP)
S Taplin
M Hart
Reggie A (That kid from Ghana)
J Crumpton

Let's c how I do this year :)

[PJB]

!st-S Weir,A Weir,RA, Hart and Crumpton; 2nd- Ekstrom, Williams(NF) ,Williams(TSJ), Taplin,Schmidt

[ECIC/MMA fan]

when talking all wny it should be based on this season only,who cares about last year not a career award.so b/c one makes 4th team last year means this year has to be 3rd or higher?no way, doesnt have to make it at all unless deserves it.based on 11-12 season only,with that said no way taplin should be on 1st or 2nd team he may be better in some eyes but didnt have better year and 2 games in playoffs doesnt make season.a few facts, st joes overachieved clearly and good for them.but they are not #4 and they showed that over the last few weeks of season,#8,9 or 10.Timon not #5,they beat nobody in league and close means nothing.Timon & Joes both lucky to be in top ten due to lack of strong teams.Hart only missed 2 games I believe this year so no injury issue for him.all have favorite players so opinions will be all over the place but results speak for themselves.lastly,nice year for otc but to say they should get a player on 1st team b/c team made it to state final(food for thought: no way they should be a class C school)is crazy.

[centercourt]

A few questions for you ECIC/MMA fan:

- Where does Taplin belong?

- What does your top 10 look like (where should Joe's & Timon be ranked)?

- Where should OTC be classified? Is Class C is crazy because they are too good for it or you disagree with the way the school is structured?

[WT716]

PG- Taplin
SG- Hart
SF- Stan Wier (POY)
PF- Eckstrom
C- RA

[Ricky]

G- Taplin
G- Stan Weir
G- Matt Hart
F- Crumpton
F- Reggie A

[Gus Buster]

Reggie, Matt Hart, Stan Wier(poy), Tommy Campion, and Crumpton. Taplin played two very good games in the sectionals but was not 1st team worthy for most of the season. He should be a second teamer.

This team would lose by 20 though to CC and my true All-CC team,

[StateChamps2003]

1st Team:
Stan Weir (POY) - East Aurora
Reggie Agbeko - St. Joe's
Jermaine Crumpton (11) - NFHS
Matt Hart (11) - Canisius
Aaron Frasier - Seneca

2nd Team:
Sterling Taplin (10) - W. North
Cordell Torres - OTC
Adam Weir (11) - Canisius
Taijay Williams - NFHS
Sam Eckstrom (10) - Olean

3rd Team:
Jamaal Carter - City Honors
Jesse Lalka - Tonawanda
Nick Schmidt (10) - Olean
Reyzon Jordan (11) - McKinley
Jordan Williams - Timon

4th Team:
Darnell Carson (11) - CSAT
Jordan Farrant - Holland
Justice Feggans (11) - Riverside
Tommy Campion (11) - Jamestown
Ryan Whelply - Walsh

Just Missing the cut:
Kyle Kobis - Timon
Lovell Smith (11) - McKinley
Marcus Morris (11) - McKinley
Aaron White (11) - Canisius
Martin Bailey - Ken West
Tyler Martin - Wilson
Wil Bathurst (10) - Olean

No way Taplin should be 1st team All-WNY. The five players above had better years and putting sophomore guard on the All-WNY first team puts you in the class of Jason Rowe and Tim Winn and Taplin is no where near that caliber of a player.

[Roundman]

When will the individual league all-star teams be announced

[centercourt]

Most have been announced already. If I can gather all that info, I'll put up a post with the all-league teams.

[Roundman]

Ok thanks

[WT716]

First of all Matt Hart is a senior. Second of all on your comment towards Taplin, I don't know what kind of players Winn and Rowe were and what the competition was like back then, but it is tough to compare players over a 10+ year time period.

[StateChamps2003]

WT716 - I don't think it's too tough. The game hasn't changed that much from the mid 90s. It's not like we're comparing the 60s vs. 00s. Competition in the 90s was a lot tougher IMO than now without a doubt.

[PatrickMoran]

HS Hoops in the 90's was incredible here and ABSOLUTELY no disrespect to Taplin intended, but he's not even in the same class as Winn or Rowe; at least not now. If you younger guys saw Rowe play today the way he did then, your jaws would drop.

Taplin may end up being the best player to come from WNY in at least a good handful of years, and Im a huge fan of him--but he's not First-Team All-Star material quite yet.

[TML1000]

Pat...if Taplin is not in the top 5, then to me, Frasier is not either. Frasier is a very good player but if you are going to put him that high, on a team that did not go far in the postseason. then you have to have Bailey and Feggans much higher.

[StateChamps2003]

In agreement with everything that Patrick said.

Frasier is my dark horse. I don't think he will GET first team but IMO I think he should. Didn't Robbie Seyler from Lew-Port get first team a couple years ago? I may be wrong. His team didn't do anything but he was an outstanding player who put up numbers against tough competition.

[centercourt]

Seyler averaged over 29 per game his senior year. I had him on 2nd team. The News had him on 4th team.

[TML1000]

First Team:
Stan
Agbeko
Hart
Taplin
Wier

Second Team:
Crumpton
Torres
Williams(NF)
Williams(Timon)
Bathurst

Third Team:
Frasier
Bailey
Feggans
Campion
Eckstrom

Fourth Team:
Lalka
Carter
Schmidt
Farrant
Whelply

Fifth Team:
Smith(McKinley)
White
Carson
Wilkes
Kobis

[TML1000]

Williams from Silver Creek probably deserves to be in there somewhere, as well. A Grove player too...

Jordan from McKinley, Khalid Brown, Blanch, Keenan, Martin all have a case.

[TML1000]

St. Mary's definitely deserves someone as well...every time I saw them they were just very deep...couldn't pick one but defitely would be well deserved.

[TML1000]

Frasier is certainly a great player...more than just a scorer, but I don't know if I buy that he played against that tough of competition. I wouldn't put Yale Cup small school high than ECIC 1/3 or NFL...all had good top 3-4 teams but a very weak bottom half.

[PatrickMoran]

The problem with Mary's, which is also what made them such a good team is they had so much balance and no standouts.. Simmons would carry the load one night and have 2 points the next, because Redden would carry them, then the next night he'd be off the scoresheet while Meyers carried the load, etc.

They didn't really have all-star players (at least not among first 3 All-WNY teams) but they made for one hell of a team overall, which at least in my opinion warrants Gill for being in upcoming coach of the year discussions.

[the real deal]

Ok, first off there is absoutly no way that taplin is 1st team, he is very good, no disrespect but as a 10th grader he doesnt deserve 1st team. Next year he will be. Second of all, Crumpton is in no way derserving of 1st team, possibly not even 2nd team. I thought that the kid was really good, until I saw him play at Buff State, he can't finsih strong and he seems like he doesn't want the ball and can't handle pressure. Then Tommy Campion should at least be 2nd team, the kid can play. Finally people... MATT MCCORMICK OF ORCHARD PARK.... is derserving of 1st or 2nd team, the kid is a great kid, teammate and overall player, o yea, and the kid can shoot like crazy. he single handly lead orchard park the whole season, he was basiclly there whole offense. Wake up people!!!

[McShea is God]

I must say it feels good 2 c everyone put Stan as their POY when 2 months ago I was getting totally crucified 4 suggesting it :):):)

I'll stick with my 1st team and we shall c how I do!!! I have a pretty good record going.

When it comes right down 2 it - who is the better player is the tiebreak. If we can all agree on Stan Matt and RA - Taplin and Crumpton r simply that - the next 2 best PLAYERS. 4get everything else. Both also r going D1 which doesn't hurt. I mean granted Canisius isn't really a D1 program the last 15 years :)

My 2nd team...which UNLIKE my 1st team which I have NEVER missed is NOT always right:

A Wier
A Fraiser
R Whelpy
J Williams
S Eckstrom

My 3rd team:

C Torres
A White
E Simmons
J Wilkins
T Campion

My 4th team:

W Bathhurst
J Farant
J Lalka
Z Williams
C Keenan

Again I NEVER CLAIM 2 nail all 4 teams, only have a 5 year streak of guessing the 1st team. I'm sure 1 of my 2nd and 3rd team guys will b switched. I could c Sam dropping to 3rd and Torres going 2 2nd

We shall c.

[McShea is God]

And State Champs nobody is suggesting Taplin is as good as Tim Winn or J Rowe. It is a DOWN year 4 sure. Maybe the worst 1st team ever. But it is what it is. In the words on Rick Pittino 'Tim Winn and Jason Rowe are not walking through that door guys'...Tim was the BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF SECTION 6! PG's literally COULD NOT GET THE BALL OVER HALFCOURT against him!!! Granted back them Pat was leading Lasalle 2 back 2 back State titles and now Fall hasn't won a State title in 7 years, but hey that's a different story :)

And postseason DOES have a HUGE part in it. It's basketball. 1 player if he is THAT GOOD should b able 2 lead his team deep into the playoffs. Now if Taplin loses 2 a team w 2 guys in the top 15 that is ok...etc.

My 5th team would b:

J Feagan's
K Kobis
N Lenart
D Carson
M Baily

The only thing I would say is if u think some1 I don't have should b on 2nd team don't just say 'Joe blow should b on 2nd team' - u have 2 DROP SOMEBODY down 2.

Because last I checked there r 5 guys on each team.

[johnny]

Agreed with the real deal about Matt McCormick...... He is the most undderrated player in WNY. Kid is great

[PatrickMoran]

Good comments and lists by all. I don't want to post my teams because I have them coming out in my online pub sometime next week, but strong debate here.

Seems Stan, Reggie and Matt are first-team locks by all(as they should be) and then the real debate begins. I can make a case for at least 6-7 kids being on the First-Team, either for or against.

[jj43]

real deal,

how can you say no way taplin or crumpton are 1st team and then say campion is at least 2nd team b/c "the kid can play"? watched taplin and campion vs. NF and the difference was taplin took over the game and was best player on the court. campion was good too, but played a role. BIG difference! and if you think crumpton isn't 1st team then you are just nuts. matty mccormick is nice, but no way is he making one of the teams. just reality. sorry.

[Roundman]

Wish we had league all-star team from coaches with league poy to help make list I see some poy listed on prep talk but only about half.

[Fan at the game]

Please answer me this question? Why does everyone have K. Kobis so low. He was by far the best all-around player on his team. The second best all around player in WNY behind M. Hart, and i'm not saying either are better players than S. Wier, just better all around skills.

In comparing K Kobis to MIG's second team

A. Wier- Kobis better shooter, dribbler, facilitater. Weir better finisher
A. Frasier- very good player, maybe similar traits to Kobis. Kobis did it against much, much better competition
R. Whepley- see Wier above plus Kobis did it against much better competition.
J Williams- Williams better shooter but much streecker. Kobis better in all other skills
S Eckstrom- Eck a better finisher and rebounder. Kobis much more skilled in all other areas.

I think you knowledgable HS analysts that have watched these kids play a lot should see that this kid deserves to be 1st or 2nd team.

Why no love for this kid. And by the way he's done it for 4 Years.

I would put him on my first team, but no way should he be lower than 2nd team.

[TML1000]

Kobis disappeared in too many of the games I saw him play in...particularly against the top teams. Williams played much better in those big games, much of the time. Regardless of skills, a player has to use those skills during competition.

[Truth Be Told]

I think when making these picks you must look at the league/level and the overall competition they faced. I see some players names being bantered about (not mentioning) that played in weak leagues with weak teams and put up big numbers. They shouldn't be considered!

[Jim jones]

The most underrated player in WNY is Michael Kyarunts the PG from Williamsville East. The kid averages 15pts,5assists, and, 5rebounds.He had a great overall year and came up big in the playoffs. He single handedly tore up the McKinley press. Without him East would not even have thought about making it that far in the playoffs.

[the real deal]

jj43,
did you see Crumpton play at Buff State......Disappiontment. He had one nice play the whole tournment and the was the in the first 10 seconds of the game vs Jamestown, it was an alley oop dunk, then he missed the next one he tried. Brenden Kellem of Jamestown, A FRESHMAN shut crumpton down. He only had like 8 points. Then against Aquainas, Phil Vailente,(also a caniuis commit) looked 10 times better then crumpton did. and to top it off, his coach called him out on tv saying that he needs to step up, he didnt.... they lost. Then, i remember Taplins stats against the Falls at Buff State. i think he was like 2 for 12 in the first half or somehting like that . But check matty mccormick stats, i think he averaged around 23 points and 8 assists and 5 rebounds a game, o yea he was mostly double and tripled teamed that entire game aswell. he single handly lead OP this year

[centercourt]

real deal -

Crumpton's dunk was against Will North.

Going after a high school kid and calling him disappointing is disappointing.

Kellam came off the bench and played in Jamestown's zone defense. Falls had Crumpton away from the basket quite often and had Ralands occupy the paint more often than Crumpton. You make it sound like Kellam played 32 minutes of stifling man defense on him.

Phil Valenti is the best high school basketball player from here to Syracuse and was the Class AA tournament MVP. Falls played brilliantly against Aquinas and came up just short against the team that nearly beat Mount Vernon to win the AA state title. Falls lost to a better team...period. It had nothing to do with Crumpton.

Matt McCormick had an outstanding season and is a great player. Wouldn't it be annoying if someone who saw him play once or twice when he was underwhelming, came on here and bashed him?

[Roundman]

I think the only two locks for 1team would be stan wier and who ever is. Poy in the mma since it had the toughest competition.after that about 7quality players remain

[Ricky]

CC,

Valenti is awesome, I think he could have gone to a much better basketball program than Canisius. That said against St. Joes, Reggie won the match-up. Even with Valenti hounding RA all game Reggie still had 16 and 10, while Valenti had 10 points I believe. Him and Reggie don't really compare. Valenti is a SF type player in that he does everything, great on the boards, scorer, and plays physical defense. On the contrast Reggie is a beast on the inside, plus an exceptional rebounder and shot blocker. I probably give the edge to Valenti right now because his scoring ability, but I think RA has better college potential. I love watching Valenti though, probably my favorite player to watch all season(besides Reggie, I had a blast watching him all season) Back to Valenti, he's so lanky and quick, plus when his shot is on, he's a very deadly player and almost singlehandedly beat the #2 team in the state, Mt. Vernon. Watching this kid was an absolute joy and I look forward to watching him at Canisius and I think he could be a very strong D1 player if he puts on some muscle.

[StateChamps2003]

Love it when centercourt just comes back on here and unleashes the BOOM on fellow bloggers with facts.

[Andrew Webster]

*1st Team*

Stan Wier (Sr) East Aurora (Player of the Year)

Reggie Agbeko (Sr) St. Joseph’s

Matt Hart (Sr) Canisius

Adam Weir (Jr) Canisius

Jermaine Crumpton (Jr) Niagara Falls

*2nd Team*

Sterling Taplin (So) Williamsville North

Tommy Campion (Jr) Jamestown

Sam Eckstrom (So) Olean

Connor Keenan (Sr) Williamsville East

Taijay Williams (Sr) Niagara Falls

*3rd Team*

Ryan Whelpley (Sr) Archbishop Walsh

Jordan Williams (Sr) Bishop Timon St. Jude

Cordell Torres (Sr) OTC Middle College

Martin Bailey (Sr) Kenmore West

Aaron Frasier (Sr) MST Seneca

*4th Team*

Justice Feggans (Jr) Riverside

Aaron White (Jr) Canisius

Darnell Carson (Jr) CSAT

Nick Schmidt (So) Olean

Zeddie Williams (Jr) Silver Creek

*5th Team*

Khalid Brown (Sr) OTC Middle College

Erik Simmons (Sr) St. Mary’s

J.J. Wilkes (Jr) Niagara Falls

Jordan Farrant (Sr) Holland

Alex Grace (Sr) Maple Grove

*Honorable Mention*

Daquan Griggs (Sr) East

Jonathon Lewis (So) East

Marcus Morris (Jr) McKinley

Reyzon Jordan (Jr) McKinley

Maurice Cheatom (Sr) I-Prep

Devonte Harper (Sr) OTC Middle College

Jamaal Carter (Sr) City Honors

Matt MacDonald (Jr) Canisius

Devin Redden (Sr) St. Mary’s

Joe Lowery (Sr) Niagara Catholic

DeMilo Gibbs (Sr) Bishop Timon St. Jude

Adam Cecchini (Sr) Jamestown

Matt Taylor (Sr) Frontier

Chaquiel Nettles (Jr) Williamsville South

Mike Kyarunts (Sr) Williamsville East

Jaden Cotton (Sr) Depew

John Gemerek (Sr) Depew

Glenn Belton (Sr) Amherst

Jonathan Belton (Jr) Amherst

Jesse Lalka (Sr) Tonowanda

Clayton Hess (Jr) Tonowanda

Daryl Spencer (Sr) Cleveland Hill

Ramir Burton (Jr) Niagara Falls

Quinton Campbell (Jr) Kenmore West

P.J. Blanch (Sr) Kenmore East

Tyler Martin (Sr) Wilson

Justin Black (Sr) CSAT

Kevin Holmes (Sr) Dunkirk

Wil Bathurst (So) Olean

Dustin Schauman (Sr) Cassadaga Valley

Kaine Kettle (So) Silver Creek

Austin Alonge (Sr) Westfield

Jake Reynolds (Sr) Franklinville

Sklyar Liddell (Sr) Maple Grove

Nick Lenart (Sr) Panama

[Coach]

Andrew good post as usual. From all I've seen I think you've captured the best rankings top to bottom. I especially like Keenan in the top ten. One big miss I see is Kobis. I think he deserves at minimum a top 20 spot. I would move White into HM and Kyle into his slot. Also McCormick is at least HM if not top 25. What do you think?

[fan]

coach it might be better if you just put your own team up instead of listing subs for andrew's team.

[Roundman]

I like Andrews teams,solid young men highly skilled,strong looking first team selections

[johnny]

Agree witht coach- Matt McCormick is atleast top 25

[Andrew Webster]

Yeah coach as soon as I posted it, I thought about McCormick. He is definitely one of two or three guys that kind of got lost in the shuffle for me. It would be tough for me to put him in the top 25, because every player I had in the top 25 enjoyed either a good season with their team and/or a strong playoff run. Certainly McCormick is deserving of an HM spot, but like CC said even with 60 players honored, some good players will inevitably be left out.

[Andrew Webster]

Oh and about Kobis. Unfortunately, I did not get to see him play, but from what I gathered he had kind of an up and down season for someone who's as experienced as him. But I could certainly understand someone making an argument for him. A very good, if not great player.

[johnny]

Andrew Webster,
I certinely agree with you about all top 25 players having a good season with there team and/or playoff run. McCormick had a tough season with his team, he battled through tough injurys the whole year and had a young/inexperienced team. Also for playoffs, they had a great win vs clarence but fell short by 8 vs Jamestown. But in my opinion be had excellent stats. about 23 pts per game and over 6 assists per game. Just my opinion, that perpells him in the top 25. But overall you have a great list of teams.

[Andrew Webster]

Thanks Johnny.

I certainly know how easy it is for great players on teams that struggle to kind of be overlooked for these kind of postseason honors. Also, having seen McCormick play I know how good he is and certainly respect that. Definitely a player that deserves whatever honors he will get. Unfortunately, he like many others in the past and present suffer from their teams not having a great season. But that is a part of the criteria when picking these teams.

[Son]

All-WNY
1st team-
-Stan Weir
-Matt hart
-Reggie Agbeko
-Sterling Taplin
-Jermaine Crumpton

2nd Team-
-Tommy Campion
-Sam Eckstrom
-Connor Keenan
-Ryan Wepley
-Adam Weir
3rd Team-
-Jordan Williams
-Aaron Frasier
-Cordell Torres
-Martin Bailey
-Taijay Williams

[Son]

Matt McCormick could also make third team WNY because he was unreal this year. His three ball was on all the time. He was a fun player to watch all year and I wish him luck where ever he goes.

[Mr Mccormick]

Who the hell is Matt Mccormick?

[hoopster]

I said before the season that Stan, Reggie and Sterling were locks for 1st team and took a few hits. I'm 2/3 confident and if MIG and others are right perhaps I'll bat 1000. I like Matt Hart to join them and one of two or three others. Whoever is so honored, congrats and best wishes next on the college level or on the high school hardwood.

[Dark TML]

Bailey should be ahead of Campion. POY in NFL.

[Reality]

Campion was also P.O.Y. in his league and got his team to AA final. KW didn't even get past quarters. Bailey def not making 2nd team and may not make any team.

[Dark TML]

You are definately not living in reality. Bailey not making any team is a funny statement to me. Best player in the NFL this year. His team was co-champs with the Falls. KW lost 3 games all season. Granted they stunk against North but Martin played well. If his teamates showed as much heart as Bailey has there would have been no way North beats them.

[Reality]

If you think that is funny then I hope you like to laugh. And Crumpton wazs best player in NFL. Not even close. Bailey getting P.O.Y. is called throwing him a bone.

[TML1000]

Crumpton is the most talented player in the NFL, but in terms of intangibles, Bailey blew him out of the water. He took over the game which West won at the Falls, while Crumpton went away. When most of the rest of KW didn't feel like playing in both NT games, Bailey carried them in the second half.

Sometimes it is about more than just talent. If you are talking about who is simply the better basketball talent, then it is Crumpton...but this discussion is about who had the better season, and that is Bailey.

[WT716]

No love for Aaron White? He may not have put up the best offensive numbers but played great defense on any guard he went up against.

[McShea is God]

Collegiate looks ready 2 roll 2 their FIFTH STRAIGHT Fed Class B title. Just rolled NYC PSAL team by 10. My line was 12 and of course a scrub on the PSAL team got a rebound layup at the buzzer!

Watching BISHOP Ludden the 'Public school' chamnp play the Catholic champ Nazareth right now. Got 2 c my namesake 4 a quick second after he covered the O'Hara game.

O'Bryan is reffing this game! So only a few of us left WNY at the Final weekend of HS basketball. Off 2 Boston tomorrow PRAYING Syracuse beats Ohio State so we can c them cut down the nets! Then back here Sunday 4 the Final HS game of the year.

[Three Dog Night]

Twelve years or so from now, when retired Will So. coach Al Monaco decides to get a group individuals together to pick an all 1st qtr 21st century team, it won't matter who TML1000, WT716, Patrick Moran,
Roundball, OR Centercourt choose on their respec-tive 2012 teams.

The only team which will come into play in determining the all 1/4 century team, will be the Buffalo News/McSheaIsGod AllWNY team. Only lst teamers are eligible for such teams, which eliminates from consideration, individuals such as Connor Rehbaum, Garrett Kensy, AND Lazar Hayward Jr., just to name a few. So rather than 2nd guess the illustrious group of bloggers, I am going to cut to the chase and try to predict who will end uo on the BN/MIG all WNY team, based upon the "alleged" philosophy of the powers that be in choosing the top 15.

Based on last years' selections, Reggie A. will not only NOT be POY, it would stand to reason that at best, he will only be a member of the 2nd team, assunming the BN uses a similar mindset that quite mysteriously kept Connor Rehbaum from the 1st team one year ago. Applying the BN mindset that the post-season success is comparable to the "final exam" and therefore worth a minimum "50% of the final grade", it would suggest that the 2012 first team All WNY basketball team would be:
Matt Hart - Canisius Adam Weir - Canisius
Stan Wier - East Aurora Sam Eckstrom - Olean
Cordell Torres - OTC/MEC
Player of the Year: Cordell Torres

[McShea is God]

Its a JOKE that Collegiate has not been moved up to Class A. Crazy. Lutheran should b AA. Nazareth btw looks like they should b Class A. Just as good as Canisius and Joe's and Timon.

Honestly CC should just oversee classification of all State teams. I mean look at the starting lineup 4 Nazareth! No wonder Dan Gill lost:

PG - Judas
SG - St Peter
SF - King Herod
PF - Pontius Pilate
C - Jesus

[Ricky]

Three Dog Night, if Reggie isn't on the 1st McShea would lose any respect anyone had for him. He'd be absolutely snubbing the kid of an honor he 100% deserves

[McShea is God]

3 Dog night first of all u need 2 get over the Connor Rehbahum thing. It was no mystery. He simply wasn't 1 of the 5 best players. Was it a mystery that he didn't make the Manhattan Cup all tourney team as well? Don't think me or Keith had anything 2 do with that did we?

2nd of all it's 20 players not 15. 4 teams with 5 players each equals 20. Reggie isn't getting Player of the year because he in no way deserves it. He is on 1st team, so chill.

U got 2 of the 5 right. Maybe 3. And ya postseason does has have something 2 do with who makes the teams. Mary's beat your boys by 30 points or whatever it was. Get over it.

[centercourt]

Pontius Pilate is a load inside - no doubt about it. It doesn't hurt when you've got Jesus guarding the other team's big, keeping PP out of foul trouble.

[Pontius Pilate]

Answerest thou nothing? Behold how many things they witness against thee.

[Satan]

I feel its a good idea Nazareth has trusted Judas to run the team at the PG spot. He would never hang himself on a rope and averages 30 pieces of silver, I mean points, a game.

[McShea is God]

Chris Atkinson on LI LU...Mr Basketball NY State 2015...what a player. PG.

Ludden beat Nazareth by 7. LIU KILLING the A PSAL team so far. JOKE JOKE JOKE that they r Class A.

[WT716]

Thanks for the shout out Three Dog Night

[Ricky]

MIG Rehbahum was surely a top 5 player last season. He was undoubtedly better than Nevins and I think better than Holland. Anyone who watched both Rehbuhum and Nevins play would be foolish to think Nevins was more deserving. One bad half of a game(in which his nose was just broken, it's not easy to breathe or play a sport with a broken nose) and Nevins gets the nod over him and that's the only reason Nevins got 1st team over Rehbahum.

[McShea is God]

So basically u r saying 'Ricky' that 'surely' u r right and Keith McShea was wrong. Somehow though Keith gets paid 2 cover HS Sports 4 the Buff News.

I'm sure if we took a vote of coaches and bloggers in WNY that they would say Ricky's opinion means more than Keith McShea's.

Got it. Thanks 4 clearing that up.

[jackherlan]

I agree with Ricky.

[The rest of WNY]

I agree with Keith.

[Gus Buster]

Looks like the buster needs to settle this argument. You are both right. You are both wrong. Rehbaum could have been 1st and it would have been alright. He was second team and that was alright. He had a chance to seal a spot with his play on 1st team like Reggie did this year and he did not leaving it open to debate. I can't see any reason to whine about it a year later.

[Ricky]

MIG just because someone is paid to do their job doesn't mean I should agree with them. Rob Parker gets paid, Jemele Hill gets paid, Dick Vitale gets paid, oh and all of them get paid to work for the biggest sports channel of them all, espn. Are any of them intelligent analysis's? No, not one of them. Just because McShea is paid doesn't mean I should have to agree with him or even think his analysis is any good

[Ricky]

MIG, please you said Conor wasn't a top 5 player. Please explain how Nevins was better, I challenge you to give me good reasons why Nevins was better. Sure his team lost, but it's a team game not a one man show. Plus As I said Rehahbum broke his nose in the champ game thus really bothering him, where before the he was dominating the game.

[sal]

off the topic stuff, PAL/ACE game will be played Apr. 26th at NFHS tryouts will be Apr. 24th. Later this season due to spring break be so early. also just finished Cataract Classic schedule should be fun.

[McShea is God]

Well not having Fab killed Cuse. I hope he is happy he cost them a shot at the Final 4. Ohio State deserved 2 win. Was still cool 2 b there.

Back at the Fed 2day! FINAL DAY of HS basketball 4 the season. Watching the girls AA title game right now. TML would b proud! This Breanna Stewart...on the stat sheet says in the semis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, 6 blocks!!! She has 3 blocks already in the 1st quarter! Looking 4ward 2 Mt Vernon vs Boys N Girls 4 the overall AA title at 2p. Then finally heading home.

SAL - what is the schedule? HOPEFULLY u guys r gonna play Canisius!

[sal]

NFL schedule allows 4 games and Canisius has event same weekend as cataract classic so not happening,we are committed to RAP event in Roch. and I owe Kearney a game at thier place. Unless you can convince NFL AD's to allow us to play league teams once then we can play canisius,Joes and whoever. It really stinks for wny hoops, we already had to turn down events in SD and Arizona. Hurts kids not that we are world beaters but the school name really opens up opportunities that we are not able to do.

[centercourt]

MIG -

You will be sentenced to a one-week ban for listing Brianna Stewart's stats.

Fab is an idiot - they advance to the Final Four if he plays. However, Boeheim sitting Scoop in favor of Waiters with four minutes to play, down two, was a puzzling decision. A close game throughout quickly went in OSU's favor when Waiters entered the game. Don't get me wrong, he's a major talent and is NBA ready, but it's all about him when he's in.

Typical Boeheim though. When Carmelo was there, it was his show. Same for Dante Green, then Flynn, then Waiters. The problem is, Green, Flynn, & Waiters were no where near Carmelo. Cuse's best team was 2010, when Rautins was a senior. No superstars, just solid team ball. They win it all in 2010 if Onuaku doesn't get hurt.

Sometimes, it's tough to be a SU fan when Boeheim makes certain players bigger than the team. Scoop and Joseph were the heart & soul of that team, while Melo was a game-changer. With one suspended, one having an off-game, and one sitting in crunch time, Cuse was doomed.

I say, let the Michael Hopkins era begin. After watching Scoop sit with a towel on his head while Waiters played one-on-five, I'm ready.

[mike]

People say Matt McCormick is the most underrated player in WNY, how about Jesse Lalka from Tonawanda. Led his team to two consecutive league championships (prior to that team didnt win one since 1960) broke two school records. Has been doubled team for the last two years, and against bigger schools he played great beating NT, EA losing to Depew.

[McShea is God]

HS Basketball season in NY State is offically over!

Boys N Girls of New York City beats Mt Vernon 2 win the Overall State AA title 66-60. Great game.

My 4 day basketball weekend is over. 1 more 2 go as I head 2 New Orleans Saturday morning for the Final 4. Hoping 2 c my 2nd favorite team Carolina survive 2day so I can c them next weekend.

[johnny]

mike-
No disrespect to Jesse, he is a good player,but just not comparable with McCormick. McCormick average 23 pts per game this year, to go along with about 6 rebounds and several assists. The division that Matt plays in is 10x harder and more competive then what tonawanda plays in. Matt's name appears in every catogery of the OP record book. Iv seen Jesse play, he is very good, just not up to Matt McCormick's level.

[hoopster]

Alright Sal, stop with the tease! What's the Cataract Classic slate of games? Give it up!

[hoopster]

CC, Boeheim isn't going anywhere. They'll have to drag him outta there. Perhaps you need to start rooting for the hometown team and throw that nasty orange in the trash can.

[Dark TML]

The NFL does not name an overall seasonal MVP. However Martin Bailey received the most first team votes followed by Crumpton then Campbell.

[Give it up]

I think they wore their all league patches to Buff State while they watched those less talented players from NF win AA.

[Truth Be Told]

Well johnny, I guess we can agree to disagree. To say that McCormick is better than Lalka just doesn't fly. Take away McCornick and his admittedly great 3 point shooting and you have an average player. Lalka is the whole package. As to competiton, Lalka would have excelled also at the same competition McCormick faced. Also, why all this love for McCormick? Must be a group effort to get him an all-star spot. Top 25, I don't think so.

[PatrickMoran]

In my opinion, Stan and Matt are first-team locks based on their play both in the regular and postseason. Reggie is a lock based on his play for most the year and also his reputation. Speaking unbiased however, I was very disspointed at how he played against St. Mary’s in the playoffs. To me, MVP-type players literally carry a team on their backs in the postseason if necessary and Reggie looked very average in that game, and that’s not to take anything away from St. Mary’s, who played an amazing team game. Anyway, Reggie is still in.

The rest—I can make a sound case for or against at least a handful of players who range from being first-team worthy to even just making a third-team. Crumpton, Taplin, Kennan, Williams (Timon), Williams (NF), Adam Weir, Feggans, Eckstrom, Lalka and a few others.

Wide open race for spots on these teams, makes for solid debate and I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer.

FWIW, my All-Star teams will be out early next week on Buffalo Sports Daily.

[PatrickMoran]

For the record, I think last year was the same in many ways, especially in that there were three first-teamers everyone agreed upon: Jaysean Paige, Tremmel Fisher and Chris Holland –and then a bunch of debate about the next five on who should be first or second team: Lyons, Nevins, Rehbaum, Butts and Feagin. Personally, my first team was rounded out by Lyons and Rehbaum. I believe Keith had Nevins and Butts on his and I’m not sure who CC ended up having. Don’t think there was any real right or wrong—a matter of opinion.

[johnny]

truth be told- you say that if you take away
McCormick's "admittedly great" three point shooting, you have a average player. False. Matt can drive, pass, drive and dish or drive and pull up aswell. how can you say that if you take away matt's ability to shoot the 3, you have a average player?, obiviously. you think that Ray Allen and Reggie Miller would be as great they are if they couldn't shoot the 3 ball. being able to shoot that shot is partly what makes matt a excellent player. Also, even though Lalka is a very good player, I doubt that he would have done as well as matt did against the compition matt faced. I dont think Lalak could have dropped 30 vs Jamestown, in Jamestown in a playoff game with a broken nose while being double teamed by Tommy Campion and Adam cehcinne. i was there to see the game, matt put the team on his back and put on a show.

[sal]

NFHS team camp july 14th,one day event 3 game guarantee,$150 ,16min. halves -stop time, 10 teams only-5 spots left

[Fix it Sal]

Sal why not play 1 game like Falls has in the past from time to time in that Classic then play Canisius later in the year.

Brunswick? Why would you waste a game on those guys? Play Canisius.

Lalka/McKormick who cares? Lalka might make 4th team that's about it.

[sal]

The Classic is our event, 2 days -2 games, silly to not have home team not play on a night, Brunswick returns 4 starters from a 15-6 team that plays a difficult sched.

[guest]

May have just overheard the First Leak on 1st team All WNY. Taplin on 1st team. Picture time for the news? Not 100% confirmed yet.

[johnny]

Taplin doesnt deserve 1st team as a sophmore this year. Should be a second teamer

[hoopster]

I'm sure the teams have already been selected and those on 1st, 2d and 3rd team know who they are. So it would not be the least bit surprising to see leaks now and perhaps guest was the first one.

[PatrickMoran]

You'll see first team leaks probably, but that's it. FIrst team gets a photo shoot beforehand.

[Keith McShea]

The All-Western New York teams will, as they have been for decades, be published by The Buffalo News. The All-WNY edition is April 7 and that's when the teams will be announced to the public.

In this age of popular blogs & message boards like this one, not to mention the tweeter, we have stressed to coaches and players to please keep any information we impart to them quiet.

We certainly appreciate the enthusiasm and interest in who has been named to the teams. That's part of the fun of it all.

We'd like to make one small request: If you hear a 'leak,' which may or may not be true, please keep it to yourself.

I realize that may go against the very nature of comments sections here, where good rumors are as much a sport as basketball. But we can certainly try.

People can tell you some stories about how infuriated I can get on deadline, like when someone unplugged my internet connection. If I see any info out there earlier than it should be, I'd be like that times 100.

But this isn't about me. It's about you.

Posting info early on here is just bad hoops karma. You and whoever leaks any info could be affecting the quality of your next hoop performance (organized or pickup) or the fortunes of your favorite team -- pro, college, high school or even your kid's youth league. I really wouldn't want anyone to mess with the fates and the basketball gods like that. It's even worse than flopping.

[jackherlan]

Speaking of flopping - a referee accused me of doing so in the recent UB Masters tournament. Someone needs to let him know that outside of Earl, nobody over the age of 55 - FLOPS!!!!!