The 2021 CC MVP
Jalen Bradberry
Niagara Falls
Senior
24.2 PPG
6.7 RPG
6.0 APG
2.3 SPG
Class AA Champion
NFL Champion
NFL Player of the Year
(Photo: The Buffalo News)
First Team All-Centercourt
St. Joe's
Senior
20.5 PPG
6.4 RPG
4.7 APG
2.1 SPG
Manhattan Cup Champion
Manhattan Cup MVP
First Team All-Catholic
(Photo: Andrew Miller)
Jamyier Patton
Timon
Senior
24.5 PPG
4.5 RPG
3.3 SPG
2.9 APG
Manhattan Cup Finalist
All-Catholic Player of the Year
(Photo: Tom Burns)
Justin Glover
St. Joe's
Junior
14.1 PPG
7.2 APG
4.6 RPG
2.1 SPG
Manhattan Cup Champion
First Team All-Catholic
(Photo: Andrew Miller)
Max Schneider
Williamsville East
Junior
30.4 PPG
7.2 APG
2.7 SPG
1.9 RPG
ECIC II Player of the Year
First Team All-ECIC
(Photo: Buffalo News)
JaVaughn Jones
Health Sciences
Senior
23.8 PPG
8.1 RPG
6.8 APG
4.9 SPG
2.6 BPG
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Second Team All-Centercourt
Trey Kleitz
Iroquois
Junior
26.5 PPG
7.3 APG
6.3 SPG
6.0 RPG
All-ECIC Player of the Year
ECIC III Player of the Year
ECIC III Champion
(Photo: Renea Lauck)
Keonjay Carter
Park
Senior
22.9 PPG
7.6 RPG
2.2 APG
1.1 SPG
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Jason Brooks
Olean
Senior
21.8 PPG
4.4 APG
4.0 RPG
2.6 SPG
CCAA I West Player of the Year
CCAA I West Champion
Peyton Consigli
St. Francis
Senior
19.9 PPG
7.3 RPG
3.1 APG
1.1 SPG
First Team All-Catholic
Caleb Hutchins
Park
Senior
14.8 PPG
10.5 RPG
3.0 APG
1.9 SPG
1.6 BPG
Third Team All-Centercourt
Timon
Junior
16.9 PPG
4.3 RPG
2.7 APG
2.3 SPG
Manhattan Cup Finalist
First Team All-Catholic
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Jalen Duff
Lew-Port
Sophomore
28.3 PPG
5.0 RPG
3.8 APG
2.0 SPG
First Team NFL
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Xander Fletcher
Niagara Wheatfield
Sophomore
20.3 PPG
4.8 APG
4.7 RPG
2.8 SPG
First Team NFL
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Tyler Putney
Fredonia
Senior
20.2 PPG
8.2 RPG
2.8 APG
1.4 SPG
0.7 BPG
Section VI Class B3 Champion
First Team CCAA I West
(Photo: Scott Kindberg/Observer)
Josh Haskell
St. Joe's
Junior
13.4 PPG
4.4 RPG
2.1 APG
1.4 SPG
Manhattan Cup Champion
Second Team All-Catholic
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Fourth Team All-Centercourt
Max Dowling
Canisius
Senior
12.8 PPG
7.9 RPG
2.1 APG
1.0 BPG
0.6 SPG
Second Team All-Catholic
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Declan Ryan
Canisius
Junior
15.7 PPG
7.9 RPG
1.2 APG
0.5 SPG
0.5 BPG
First Team All-Catholic
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Damario James
Bennett
Senior
17.6 PPG
4.1 APG
2.1 SPG
1.9 APG
Section VI Class B1 Champion
First Team Yale Cup
(Photo: Harry Scull)
Tariq Eubanks
Tapestry
Senior
12.9 PPG
10.1 APG
7.1 SPG
3.7 RPG
Section VI Class C1 Champion
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Jaiden Harrison
West Seneca East
Freshman
21.6 PPG
8.7 RPG
3.3 APG
1.8 SPG
First Team All-ECIC
First Team ECIC II
(Photo: West Seneca Bee)
Fifth Team All-Centercourt
Massai Graham
Tapestry
Junior
16.1 PPG
11.2 RPG
3.3 BPG
2.3 APG
Section VI Class C1 Champion
(Photo: Shawn Turri)
Zach Ianello
Clarence
Senior
15.3 PPG
3.0 RPG
1.9 APG
1.0 SPG
ECIC I Player of the Year
First Team All-ECIC
Tyler Chinn
Medina
Senior
17.8 PPG
5.4 APG
5.0 RPG
4.7 SPG
Section VI Class B2 Champion
Niagara-Orleans Champion
N-O Player of the Year
(Photo: Orleans Hub)
Bryant Rosa
Riverside
Junior
24.5 PPG
4.2 APG
2.3 SPG
1.8 RPG
Yale Cup II Champion
Yale Cup II Player of the Year
Bush Rieang
McKinley
Senior
16.4 PPG
5.0 APG
2.0 SPG
Yale Cup I Champion
Yale Cup I Player of the Year
(Photo: Buffalo News)
Honorable Mention
(Springville's Austin Boies was the ECIC IV Player of the Year and a First Team All-ECIC selection, leading the Griffins to an ECIC IV Championship / Photo: Harry Scull)
Austin Boies - Springville, Senior
* ECIC IV Player of the Year
24.4 PPG / 8.6 RPG / 4.5 SPG / 2.5 APG
Javier West - Forestville, Senior
* First Team CCAA II East
23.9 PPG / 7.8 RPG / 4.6 SPG / 2.0 APG
Christian Pagano - Depew, Senior
* First Team ECIC III
20.6 PPG / 4.5 RPG / 2.5 APG / 1.8 SPG / 0.8 BPG
Imario Douglas - Lockport, Senior
* First Team NFL
20.3 PPG / 8.7 RPG / 2.2 SPG
Jerrold Skillon - Bennett, Senior
* First Team Yale Cup I
18.7 PPG / 6.3 RPG / 1.5 APG / 1.0 SPG
Anthony Smith - Middle College, Senior
* First Team Yale Cup I
18.2 PPG / 16.6 RPG / 3.2 BPG / 1.8 SPG
Wally Wisniewski - North Tonawanda, Senior
* First Team NFL
17.1 PPG / 5.6 RPG / 3.8 SPG / 1.8 APG / 1.2 BPG
Hunter Wassink - Clymer, Senior
* CCAA II West Player of the Year
17.1 PPG / 3.7 APG / 3.7 RPG / 1.8 SPG
Lief Jimerson - Ellicottville, Senior
* First Team CCAA II East
16.8 PPG / 3.5 SPG / 3.1 RPG / 2.6 APG
Jaiden Green - East, Senior
* First Team Yale Cup I
15.6 PPG / 11.7 RPG / 2.4 SPG / 2.3 APG / 1.5 BPG
Zech Franklin - Iroquois, Senior
* First Team ECIC III
14.8 PPG / 11.7 RPG / 4.5 BPG / 2.0 SPG
Jackson Jerebko - Lancaster, Senior
* First Team ECIC I
14.5 PPG / 6.5 RPG / 2.1 APG / 1.2 SPG
Des Davis - Park, Senior
14.5 PPG / 8.7 RPG / 3.0 APG / 2.5 SPG
Brian Fry - Medina, Senior
* First Team N-O
13.7 PPG / 8.3 RPG / 4.2 APG / 2.9 SPG
Elijah Rojas - Jamestown, Senior
* First Team ECIC I
13.7 PPG / 4.5 APG / 2.9 RPG / 2.6 SPG
Amiel Collins - St. Francis, Senior
* Second Team All-Catholic
13.6 PPG / 3.6 RPG / 2.3 APG / 1.4 SPG / 1.1 BPG
Nevada Eldridge - Cheektowaga, Senior
* First Team ECIC III
13.5 PPG / 8.8 RPG / 1.6 APG / 1.0 BPG
Brandon Okie - Frontier, Senior
* First Team ECIC I
13.3 PPG / 9.6 RPG / 1.9 APG / 0.9 SPG
Jeremy Foltz - Newfane, Senior
* First Team N-O
12.8 PPG / 4.3 APG / 2.5 SPG / 1.6 RPG
Keonte Brown - Cheektowaga, Senior
* First Team ECIC III
12.4 PPG / 6.1 RPG / 4.1 APG / 3.0 SPG
Clayton Rowland - Ellicottville, Senior
* CCAA II East Player of the Year
12.0 PPG / 12.2 RPG / 5.2 APG / 3.2 SPG
Trevin Boling - Tonawanda, Junior
* First Team ECIC III
29.9 PPG / 4.1 RPG / 1.4 APG / 1.3 SPG
Caleb Chapman - City Honors, Junior
* First Team Yale Cup II
20.1 PPG / 7.9 RPG / 4.1 APG / 3.6 SPG
TJ Robinson - Niagara Wheatfield, Junior
* First Team NFL
19.8 PPG / 4.0 RPG / 1.9 APG / 1.6 SPG
Tyler Curran - Allegany-Limestone, Junior
* First Team CCAA I West
18.2 PPG / 3.7 RPG / 3.3 APG / 2.2 SPG
Dom Phillips - East Aurora, Junior
* First Team ECIC III
14.9 PPG / 3.5 RPG / 2.5 APG / 2.5 SPG
Romeo Bell - Tapestry, Junior
13.8 PPG / 5.5 RPG / 4.8 APG / 3.5 SPG
Dominic McKenzie - Niagara Falls, Junior
* Second Team NFL
13.6 PPG / 9.3 RPG / 1.3 SPG / 1.0 BPG
Benjamin Bill - Hamburg, Junior
* First Team ECIC II
13.2 PPG / 8.0 RPG / 2.6 BPG / 2.1 APG / 1.1 SPG
Kevin Thompson - Timon, Junior
* Second Team All-Catholic
12.5 PPG / 5.4 RPG / 1.1 APG / 1.6 SPG / 2.6 BPG
Jimmie Green - Cardinal O'Hara, Junior
* Honorable Mention All-Catholic
12.5 PPG / 6.4 RPG / 2.6 APG / 1.8 SPG / 1.3 BPG
Solomon Jackson - St. Joe's, Junior
* Second Team All-Catholic
10.1 PPG / 5.5 RPG / 2.1 APG / 0.9 SPG
Nick Moore - Amherst, Sophomore
* First Team ECIC II
13.4 PPG / 4.8 RPG / 3.3 APG / 2.1 SPG
Lucas Brown - Salamanca, Freshman
* First Team CCAA I West
18.3 PPG / 6.2 RPG / 2.4 APG / 2.1 SPG
Adam Chiacchia - Hamburg, Freshman
* Second Team ECIC II
12.2 PPG / 9.2 RPG / 2.9 APG / 1.8 SPG / 1.3 BPG
Sixth Man of the YearJack Harper - Hamburg, Senior
As a senior and captain of a team that rolled out five underclassmen in its starting lineup, Jack Harper was a true team leader for the Hamburg Bulldogs. The body language and energy he displayed, whether waiting to hear his number called for the first time, sprinting back after a made shot, or checking back out of the game remained constant and spoke to the team first concept that his senior leadership helped instill. His consistent contributions on the court were a key reason the Bulldogs won championships in both Section VI Class A1 and in ECIC II. The team always got a spark when he entered the game and there wasn't a more focused player on the floor. Harper rebounded, defended, and fit perfectly into the offense, where he never failed to deliver some big shots and timely scoring.
All-Centercourt Defenders
First Team
Jesse Hawkins - Cheektowaga, Senior
Malachi Williams - Niagara Falls, Senior
Justin Glover - St. Joe's, Junior
Shane Cercone - Canisius, Sophomore
Tariq Eubanks - Tapestry, Senior
Second Team
Brady Kustra - Hamburg, Junior
Benjamin Bill - Hamburg, Junior
JaVaughn Jones - Health Sciences, Senior
Luke Granto - North Tonawanda, Sophomore
Caleb Hutchins - Park, Senior
Third Team
Brian Fry - Medina, Senior
Kevin Thompson - Timon, Junior
Zion James - Olean, Junior
Zech Franklin - Iroquois, Junior
Jaylen Butera - Jamestown, Junior
Centercourt #BOOM Squad
Anthony Smith - Middle College, Senior
Massai Graham - Tapestry, Junior
Caleb Hutchins - Park, Senior
Oliver Ngarikiyintwari - Hutch Tech, Senior
TJ Jacobs - Hutch Tech, Junior
Elijah Whitehead - McKinley, Junior
Wally Wisniewski - North Tonawanda, Senior
Gary Johnson - Amherst, Junior
Jaden Slaughter - St. Joe's, Senior
Jalen Bradberry - Niagara Falls, Senior
Jerrold Skillon - Bennett, Senior
Jaiden Green - East, Senior
Greg Sanders - CSAT, Junior
Austin Boies - Springville, Senior
Jimmie Green - Cardinal O'Hara, Junior
Centercourt Coach of the Year
John Reinholz - Hamburg
In 2014, the Manhattan Cup playoffs appeared to be a mere formality. A loaded Canisius team led by sophomore standout Howard Washington had spent the regular season destroying the local competition - so much so, that the closest regular season game against a WNY opponent for the Crusaders had been a 12-point win over Park. No one was touching Canisius, because not only had no team come close, but the first two rounds of the playoffs ran through Delaware Avenue as home games for Canisius.
John Reinholz was the head coach at Nichols in 2014 and despite entering the postseason as the #5 seed in the Manhattan Cup playoffs, the Vikings had been competitive in a regular season visit to Canisius, losing there by 13 points, and had been a steadily improving squad with talented underclassmen. After a win in the quarterfinals, Reinholz's squad faced that "mere formality", go lose at Canisius and try to keep it respectable. Instead, Nichols sent shock waves throughout WNY on a Wednesday night in late February and soon had an arena watching Section VI playoffs at Buff State busy refreshing their phones for updates. A seven-point win that night by Nichols sent them to the championship game, where they hoisted the hardware with a win over Timon. Two seasons later, Reinholz won a second championship at Nichols, before resigning as head coach.
After a season away from the boys varsity ranks, he was back behind the bench. This time, Reinholz was the man at Hamburg - much closer to his home in Orchard Park, but not exactly an annual championship program. The Bulldogs played in ECIC II, a league recently dominated by Williamsville & Amherst, and it had been 64 years since the last Section VI championship. That was all about to change.
His fourth season at Hamburg, the 2021 campaign that no one ever even knew for sure if we'd see, the team made history. Starting five underclassmen, including a freshman, the Bulldogs quickly got off to a 5-1 start and ended the season by winning 9 of their last 10 games. They won the ECIC II title outright and headed into the Section VI postseason as the #2 seed in the Class A1 bracket.
After a win in the quarterfinals over Hutch Tech, the Bulldogs faced an opponent that had recently ended its own long sectional drought in 2017 and played a similar defensive style in North Tonawanda. That night I attended a different playoff game in the city, but was so fascinated by the NT at Hamburg game that I powered my phone off for the ride home and stayed away from Twitter for the evening -- so I could watch the game on Youtube from start to finish without knowing the result prior. What unfolded on my big screen was a classic that went to overtime and came down to the game's final possession. A gutsy lob play that snuck Evan Chaffee behind NT's zone where he took a perfect lob pass from Adam Chiacchia for the game-winner left my jaw dropped towards my chest for a couple minutes. Then I powered my phone back on at 10:27 pm to text Coach Reinholz and commend him for going back to a call that I watched fail to the opposite side earlier that half.
The Class A1 championship game brought Niagara Wheatfield to Hamburg, where after a close opening quarter, the Bulldogs seized control and earned the title in convincing fashion, ending a 68-year drought in Section VI. The team was exceptionally cohesive at both ends of the floor. There was a team commitment at the defensive end and deliberate group that methodically executed at the offensive end. Some of the best interior passing against a zone I've watched in local high school ball. All while the man behind the Hamburg bench calmly orchestrated it all.
Following his team's final victory, Reinholz patiently answered question after question for the media until his players couldn't take it anymore. "Sorry to interrupt," one of his assistants finally approached and said, "the boys really want you in the locker room to celebrate!"
It was a most fitting finale to the 2021 season for the Centercourt Coach of the Year!
-centercourt
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