Hoop Dreams NYC

Best of Summer 2019: Sean Bell’s Championship Run

September 2, 2019

Best of Summer 2019: a multi-part series where we look back at some of the top storylines and trends of this summer in NYC summer hoops.

This summer the Sean Bell All-Stars May have made a strong statement with their championship run. Coach Rah Wiggins and his squad won championships in most of the major summer tournaments in NYC.

The Sean Bell All-Stars had Nike Pro City in a stronghold as they finished the season as the top team in the league in the regular season. Sean Bell had a mixture of scorers, defenders and role players that made them one of the strongest unlimited teams in the city. Their core of players such as Mike Poole, Kedar Edwards, former University of Tennessee standout Kevin Punter Jr., and others helped the team reach the championship game as they were able to defeat Team Dyckman / Kemba 100-95 on August 14th. In that game Coach, Rah brought out other pros such as Lance Stephenson and Delroy James to help them take down a deep Dyckman / Kemba team. Kevin Punter Jr. Was the MVP as he went off for 36 points in that game.

Sean Bell takes the Entertainers 155 Championship. Photo Credit J. Bodden

Sean Bell was in the playoffs in every league they played in despite losing in leagues such as Gersh and West 4th, they were able to continue their championship run as they won the Entertainers 155 league championship at Rucker Park and the LES Express championship in Manhattan. Along with Stephenson Sean Bell also added Isaiah Whitehead to the team.

Abraham Lincoln HS Alum Lance Stephenson holding down the trophy. After playing this season with the Los Angeles Lakers, He will be playing with Liaoning basketball in China.

Sean Bell’s impact was big on the unlimited scene so big that many of Sean Bell’s players won championships in other leagues that Sean Bell didn’t play in. On August 27th Mike Poole, Kedar Edwards, Lance Stephenson, and Isaiah Whitehead help lead PTG 365 to the Dyckman College/Pro division Championship. Within that run, PTG took down last year’s champions TMT/Showstoppers.

One of many things we have learned from Sean Bell’s championship run is that they made unlimited streetball even more competitive than past years and they may have raised the bar when it comes to personnel. Aside from the NBA players they had on their team, they had many players who knew how to win and that’s something that can’t be denied.

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Highlights of Sean Bell vs Dyckman/ Kemba in the 2019 Nike Pro City championship
Moussa Makes His Mark

August 21, 2019

Photo Credit: Steven Barron -Bleacher Report

The attention on NYC summer hoops mostly goes to the guards but if there’s ever a conversation of the best big man this summer in NYC, Moussa Cisse the No. 9 in the class of 2021 has to be in that conversation.

At 6-11, Cisse came back into the Christ The King rotation just in time for the postseason and added a much-needed boost that helped them win the CHSAA City title back in March. Since then, Moussa has continued to make himself known on the EYBL circuit while playing with Expressions Elite and he has earned invites to camps such as the Nike Elite 100 and Nike Skills Academy, but this summer he has also dominated in summer tournaments across the city.

Cisse joined the trend of many high school players who have played in the unlimited or college/pro division in some of the top summer leagues in the city.

The 6-11 rising junior has put up the same eye-popping numbers against older and stronger players just like he does against opponents during the high school season. On June 15th, Moussa put up a massive stat line of 21 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 110-83 win over XsVX Pandas. Playing in the unlimited division was something his uncle Streetball Veteran BJ McFarland encouraged him to do. “ Playing in the unlimited division is a great experience. I wanted to play in the High School division first but my uncle was like Nah you need to learn how to play against grown men. What I like the most about playing unlimited is if I do something wrong, the guys are willing to teach me how to do things better”.

On August 14th, Cisse came up big down the stretch in Sean Bell’s 104-99 win over Team Dyckman / Kemba in the Pro City Championship. From put back dunks, mid-range shots, and grabbing rebounds, he made his presence known and helped them win the chip. Not too bad for a rising junior.

Moussa Cisse’s Back to Back dunks in West 4th’s 83-80 win over Lincoln Park during Week 3 of NY vs NY.

In Nike NYC’s NY vs NY tournament, Cisse who played for Team West 4th was by far the best big man. With his elite shot-blocking ability he led all players in the tournament with eight per game. In the NY vs NY championship vs Dyckman, Cisse blocked 12 shots along with grabbing 16 boards and scoring 10 points. He was dominant throughout the game, but it wasn’t enough as West 4th fell to Dyckman 61-60 in double overtime. That game happened to be his last of the summer and his final game in NYC. Days prior to the NY vs NY championship Cisse announced that he will be leaving New York and attending Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee. Lausanne produced NBA veteran and champion of the Toronto Raptors Marc Gasol.

Portland Trailblazer big man Skal Labissiere did not play at Lausanne but graduated from the school in 2015 before heading to the University of Kentucky.

Despite the fact that Moussa is moving on to a new school, there’s no question that he made a mark this summer with his play. He still feels that he has many things he can improve on as his career progresses “ I’m going to continue working on my offense more like my jump shot and other things because I’m pretty good on defense even though I’m still working on improving that as well. I’m also working more on playing without the ball.”

With his dominance on the defensive end and an offensive game in which he is currently building, the sky is the limit for Cisse who has the tons of potential to be a pro very soon.
CHSAA Chronicles: A look back at the CHSAA Team Camp

July 23, 2019

The new NCAA recruiting calendar helped bring back recruiting to high school basketball, one league that benefited from this was the CHSAA when they hosted their 1st annual team camp at Archbishop Molloy High school on June 28th – through the 30th.

CHSAA teams from all divisions had the chance to play in front of over 100 college coaches from all levels. We had the chance to visit the camp last month and we’re impressed with everything from the competition to the organization by the CHSAA staff.

With the team camp a lot of players liked playing in a different setting with their high school teammates as long as they were being seen by college coaches. “AAU definitely has better players and competition, but this is a good environment too because we get the opportunity to play with our team in front of coaches and we play our team system which is different from AAU” says Christ The King rising senior point guard Ryan Myers.

Myers earned more offers from schools such as Siena, Stetson, Cal Poly and others after the camp. Myers will look to start taking offers after the first live period.

There are many players who left the CHSAA team camp with their first division one offer while others added, even more, offers or interest. One of many players who earned their first offer was Anthony Lopez Jr. A 6-2 high-flying guard from St. Francis Prep earned his first offer from Maryland Eastern-Shore of the MEAC. Hamdel Mohammed a 6-6 Forward from Monsignor Scanlan had a strong showing at camp and recently added an offer from Fairleigh Dickinson to go along with his offer from Manhattan which he earned in the spring.

In one weekend, Cardinal Hayes forward Shemani fuller earned five offers after a dominant showing at the camp and helping Hayes finish their camp run with a 3-0 record. Maryland Eastern Shore, UMass, St. Bonaventure, Canisius, and St. Peter’s offered all offered the 6-8 Forward after his stellar play.
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The team camp setting proved to be beneficial to many players who may not perform well when it comes to AAU. As Grassroots basketball consultant Rob James says “ let’s say a kid struggles in the circuit, but he plays extremely well at the team camp. Events like this work wonders for players like that” says James.

The Richer get Richer

Staten Island’s own Liam Murphy has emerged as the next big star to come out of Staten Island. The 6-7 wing added offers from Binghamton, Columbia, and Manhattan. Murphy will reclass into the class of 2021 and do a postgrad year after graduating from St. Peter’s next year.

In our eyes, we know RJ Davis of Archbishop Stepinac is a five-star guard even before he entered the CHSAA team camp and more high majors have rolled in for him. After an impressive showing at the team camp, Davis earned offers from Kansas and UCLA. Since his strong showing at the Team camp, Davis continued to impress coaches at the EYBL Peach Jam

2021 coming on strong

Two players from the 2021 class that have been talked about a lot after their play at the camp were TJ Morris of Nazareth and Malachi Smith of St. Raymond’s.

Smith earned offers from St. Peter’s, Stony Brook and Iona and tons of interest from high major schools such as Oklahoma State St. John’s, Seton Hall and Illinois. Smith helped St. Raymond’s finish the team camp strong with a 3-0 record.
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TI Morris a 6-4 wing added his third offer which was from Seton Hall over that weekend. Seton Hall has been recruiting Morris since the season. The ultra-athletic wing helped Nazareth finish team camp with a 3-0 record

The End Result

There were 53 scholarship offers and over of 9.4 million dollars in scholarship money offered to players. With an event like this that gives high school coaches more power with recruiting, the team camp proved to be successful. The recruiting calendar could be way better than it is now but one thing that can be said is that Team Camps are here to stay.
ISO Zo’s Summertime Grind

June 17, 2019

The off-season after your rookie season is important because it’s vital to preventing the sophomore slump. This offseason is big for Alonzo Trier due to the fact that the Knicks just picked up his option for the 2019-2020 season on Friday.

A native of Seattle, Washington, Alonzo Trier surprised a lot of people with his great rookie season where he averaged Ten points three rebounds and two assists per game in 64 games. Many felt that his performance this season was deserving of an All-Rookie team selection. Despite falling short of votes to be eligible to make a team, it’s a sure thing that Alonzo Trier has made a niche for himself in the league and he is a big part of the Knicks future.

I recently caught up with Trier last Wednesday at Dyckman Park, Where he spoke to me about how he’s preparing for next season.

“I’m just looking to improve on everything that I learned from last season. Last year I learned everything on the fly so now that I know all of the ropes one time, and know what to expect I can build on it so I expect to be better and well prepared” Trier Says,

The summertime grind for Trier is real. As he explains his daily routine is top notch. “ Every morning I gotta make sure I wake up early, get a good lift in, my strength and conditioning, get some treatment, and then some bodywork focus on my strength, balance, and flexibility”.

Alonzo Trier At Dyckman Park on Wednesday, June 12th. Photo Credit: Nicole Sweet

“When I’m on the court I dedicate my time to sharpening all of the tools. I’m working on shooting the ball well, my ball handling, working on making reads, getting more used to the way we play offense, and just sharpen up my overall game” Trier added.

When Trier isn’t in the gym, and he’s around the NY area you can always catch him at one of the local summer leagues on Wednesday he made his 2nd appearance at Dyckman. “I love the game of the basketball so it’s always great to stop by and check out some games”. Trier and Kevin Knox are the only rookies to ever make an appearance at Dyckman but one player who hasn’t come to the tournament yet is Mitchell Robinson. Trier said, “for sure, no doubt we love to get Mitch out here, we’ll all probably stop by here very soon”.

Photo Credit: Nia Adams

The possibility of Trier or any Knicks player suiting up at Dyckman is something I have never thought about, but with the summer tournament being sanctioned by the NBA anything is possible. Just seeing the players from the local teams show support to the tournament is big enough. Aside from that, learning about how Trier is preparing for the season is something many Knick fans should be happy about. The future is bright.
NY vs NY 2018: The Brooklyn Way

June 9, 2019

On Tuesday, Nike’s NY vs NY tournament made its way to Brooklyn, NY as Gersh Park was the host of the tournament, but due to the rain, all games were moved to First Achievement High school in Crown Heights. Despite the games being indoors that didn’t stop all of the players and fans from coming out besides, its Brooklyn and it’s already a given that the whole borough is going to pop out. The stakes were higher on Tuesday night, as there were playoff implications in these games and of course, it was rivalry day.

In Game 1, Team Dyckman vs Watson needed a whole lotta extra time to decide a winner. Watson got off to a good start in the 1st quarter as they led by as much as seven points, but Team Dyckman woke up and went on a huge run to take a 19-14 lead at the end of the 1st quarter.

In the second quarter, it was a different story as Watson outscored Dyckman 17-7 to take a 31-26 lead into the half.

Watson continued their scoring onslaught as they extended their lead to 15 in the 3rd quarter, but if you have been following Team

Dyckman since this tournament started. You will know that they are the comeback kings. Down 43-28 Cardinal Hayes rising senior guard Joe Toussaint was like a man possessed leading a huge 8-2 run to cut the deficit to nine going into the 4th quarter. With Joe Toussaint’s offense combined with the defensive presence of the Drame Twins, team Dyckman outlasted Watson 70-69 in double overtime. Joe Toussaint with an inspiring performance as he scored 29 points to lead Dyckman. Watson definitely had a lot of chances to put Dyckman away but some sloppy play down the stretch made things harder for them. Dashawn Davis led Watson with 21 points and dished out seven assists.

Gersh Park dominates Lincoln 78-60

The nightcap featured the defending champs Gersh Park vs Lincoln Park in a Brooklyn vs Queens matchup. There was a lot of trash talk throughout social media and this game may have put an end to all of that.

Lincoln Park had a strong first quarter behind points from Zack Martin and Alejandro Vasquez and they were able to take advantage of Gersh’s slow start. In the second quarter, Gersh fought back but still found themselves down 40-36 at the half. The third quarter would be where The game would be heavily in their favor as they dominate Lincoln Park holding them to four points while scoring 22. One player that came

Up huge in the third was Bishop Loughlin Forward Julian Champangie who had the crowd in a frenzy with a big poster dunk on a defender with 2:23 remaining in the third quarter. Gersh would continue to dominate the rest of the way as they would win 78-60 and claim sole possession of first place with a 3-0 record.

Outside of the big win, it was a banner night for Gersh Park as they were presented with a banner for winning the inaugural championship last year. With the regular season over we now focus on the playoffs at Dyckman Park on the July 31st. The question going into the playoffs is who will stop Team Gersh or Team Dyckman? Right now the top two teams have the momentum going into the playoffs and both teams will have their full rosters as well as all the other teams.
NYvs NY 2018: Tri State and Lincoln Park

June 9, 2019

In week 2 at Tri-State, Dyckman bounced back from their opening week loss to Gersh by edging Tri-State 50-49. In that game Al-Amir Dawes, a rising senior at The Patrick School in New Jersey led Dyckman with 22 points and 5 steals. Gersh Blew past West 4th 61-53 to remain undefeated at 2-0.

Photo credit: Nicole Sweet Sports

Week three was a big day for NY vs NY as the tournament made its way to Queens. Tri-State and West 4th were looking to get their first wins of the tournament while Watson and Lincoln Park were willing to remain undefeated. All teams were missing key players due to the 1st NCAA live period, but both teams made big adjustments on their roster and it worked out well. In Game 1 Tri-State edged Watson 64-62 behind 15 points from Matthew Cotton and 14 points from Tyler Bourne. Watson was led by Jacob Toppin who scored 16 points and grabbed 12 boards.

In the nightcap, It was Team Lincoln Park vs Team West 4th. With the home crowd behind them, Team Lincoln Park was confident they could take care of home court while West 4th came into queens determined to spoil the party and they did. Team Lincoln threw the first punches early, but Team West 4th fought back and used a second-half surge to bear Team Lincoln 70-63. Nariq Chisholm a late addition to Team West 4th came up big with 20 points and 10 boards, but another player who stole the show was Brooklyn Collegiate rising junior Majesty Johnson. Johnson scored 18 points and hit some big shots down the stretch to help West 4th get the win.

Despite the loss, it was a big day for Lincoln Park as they have proved to be one of the best summer leagues in NYC. NBA Rookie is the Year Ben Simmons came through to watch the games as well as fellow Queens native and Social media comedian The Shiggy Show.
NY vs NY 2018 Week 1: NYC’s Top Ballers Invade Watty

June 9, 2019

New York vs New York Year Two kicked off this past weekend at Watson Park in The Bronx and it did not disappoint. There were some big changes that came this year. Familiar faces switched teams. New faces shined on the big stage and NY vs NY’s newest addition Lincoln Park out of Queens.

In the first game, the home team Watson Classic defeated Team West 4th 72-58. It was a great Debut for Mount St. Michael rising senior Michael Green III who exploded for 26 points in the victory. Green who plays AAU for the NY Gauchos and holds an offer from Manhattan College is one of many local products who has been having a great summer. Another emerging prospect Dashawn Davis scored 18 points while Albany Commit Malachi Desouza scored 15.

Game 2 was the debut of Team Lincoln Park out of Queens which featured a slew of newcomers along with some familiar faces. One of the familiar faces was Anthony “Rome” Marshall (Metro-BDA HS ‘20) who led Gersh Park to the NY vs NY championship last year.

Tri-State had a new squad of their own with the new coaching staff. Tri-State brought out Butler Commit Khalif Battle along with a couple of talented players from New Jersey were featured on the team along with new heights duo Precious Achiuwa and Idan Tretout. Tri-State took advantage of Lincoln’s slow start throughout the first quarter but Lincoln fought right back in the second quarter to take a 34-33 lead into half time. In the third quarter, Lincoln Park took over and gained a big lead in the third quarter. Tri-State fought back but in the end, Lincoln Park went on to win 70-59. Precious Achiuwa led Tri-State with 17 points. Nate Tabor led Lincoln with 19 points. Big men Aidan Igiehon and Moussa Cisse held it down in the paint as they combined for 21 points and 11 boards.

The last game between Team Dyckman and Gersh Park was the perfect game to end Week 1 of NY vs NY. The last time these two teams met Gersh defeated Dyckman in the championship game. Dyckman came for revenge while Gersh wanted to pick up from where they left off.

Gersh has a very strong first half and we’re hitting on all cylinders. It was a great debut for guards John Wilson, Jaquan Carlos and Kareem Welch who controlled the pace of the game and were hitting their shots. Gersh would go into the half up 37-29.

Team Dyckman may have been down going into the second half, but if you haven’t seen how hard they play and how resilient this team was last year in the chip game, then you are playing yourself. Down double figures, for most of the second half, Dyckman made a huge run to cut the lead to 1 with only a couple of seconds remaining. With a chance to give themselves the lead, Gersh forced a Team Dyckman turnover and hit key free throws to seal the 65-62 victory.

Jaquan Carlos a 6-0 freshman out of Thomas Jefferson HS in Brooklyn led Gersh Park with 17 points. Zack Freemantle a 6-8 Forward out of Bergen Catholic HS led Dyckman with 15 points. There’s no question that both of these teams could possibly meet again in the playoffs.

It’s safe to say NY vs NY week one exceeded its expectations in Week 1. A ton of people came out to the park to check out the top high school players in the city and the country. Teams found out where they are after week one and will probably make adjustments if needed going forward. It’s too early to say who will be carrying the hardware on August 4th, but one thing for sure it’s going to be a hot summer and the competitiveness is going to be crazy
She Got Game: Kaelynn Satterfield

May 26, 2019

Photo Credit: Catalina Fragoso Max Preps

Kaelynn Satterfield has solidified herself as one of the top high school basketball players in the city and the nation. After leading her Christ The King royals team to a city and state title. She represented NYC at the Jordan Brand Classic in Las Vegas on April 21st. Satterfield will be taking her talents to Ohio State in the Big Ten conference in the fall.

On May 15th Satterfield was one of many top local prospects who played in the Frankie Williams Classic Girls national all-star game. I had the opportunity to interview her after she helped lead the Blue Team to an 89-87 overtime win at the Frankie Williams Classic Girls national game.

HDNYC: What was going through your mind when you hit the shot at the buzzer to send it to overtime?

Kaelynn: You know, it was a regular shot, the game was on the line and I had the confidence to hit it.

Kaelynn Satterfield hits the buzzer beater to send the Frankie Williams Classic Girls national game into OT.

Kaelynn Satterfield running the point Photo Credit: Ben Berry/ Ben Shot it

HDNYC: Michelle Sidor who was on the white team won the Sportsmanship award after this game, she’s headed to Michigan and you are headed to Ohio State did it feel like a rivalry game going up against her?

Michelle Sidor and AAU teammate and close friend of Satterfield will be suiting up for Ohio State’s Rival Michigan in the fall. Photo Credit: Ben Berry/ Ben Shot it

Kae Satt: (smiling) Michelle is a close friend of mine but once we get to college and we both step on the court again that might have to stop (laughs)

HDNYC: Your father Kenny Satterfield is considered by many as a legend when it comes to NYC basketball, what is some advice that he has given you throughout your career?

Kaelynn: My father always told me to work hard and be the best player on the court, every time I step on the court.

HDNYC: If there’s any advice you will like to give to the younger generation of girls basketball players out there what would you tell them?

Kaelynn: I would tell them to never stop work hard and have fun playing the game that you love because once you stop having fun with it there’s no point in playing anymore.

When the season starts in November, Satterfield will be one of the top freshmen in the nation to watch. She is part of a top-ranked recruiting class that includes 5-star recruits Kierstan Bell, Rikki Harris, and Jacy Sheldon. With the toughness, versatility and offensive firepower she brings she will be able to make an impact right away for the Buckeyes.
Lost Files: Jahvon Quinerly is the Ultimate Student Athlete

May 25, 2019

This article was originally published January 30th, 2018

2018 has been great to Jahvon Quinerly so far.

On January 15th Quinerly was named an McDonald’s All-American along with teammate Louis King. To be selected to the game was one thing but several days later the 6-1 guard from Hackensack, NJ earned an even bigger accomplishment.

On January 24th, Quinerly was selected to the Hudson Catholic chapter of the National Honors society. It’s an accomplishment that he prides himself on to this day. “In my opinion getting selected to the National Honors society was a bigger accomplishment for me and my family. Im glad that I was able to put a smile on my families face”.

With his latest accomplishment Quinerly hopes that younger players that look up to him follow his path. “It’s an underrated accomplishment in this generation, and I want to let the youth know that it’s always books before ball”.

Jahvon is one of many all-Americans who takes basketball and academics seriously it’s almost like a job to him. In two games at the SNY Invitational, He averaged 32 points per game. In the consolation game vs Archbishop Molloy he scored 37 points and fished out 7 assists. After the game he shared how he prepared for the game. “I shot about 250 shots before the game so I came in very prepared”.

As for JQ’s recruitment, he hasn’t discussed his recruitment since he de-committed from Arizona, but it’s a sure thing that there are many top schools that have him on their radar.
Luke Traina: The Underrated Prospect

May 7, 2019

Outside of all of the players who play on major sneaker circuit teams, there are those who are killing for non sneaker circuit AAU teams. One of theses players is Luke Traina a 6-5 wing from Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania, that decision is still up in the air. Traina is one of many juniors who has earned tons of interest from Division 1 schools but after a strong performance during the Pitt Jam fest with CT Elite.

Luke hails from Doylestown, Pennsylvania which is located 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia. When it comes to hoops culture, Traina believes Doylestown has the same energy and dedication as the city of brotherly love. “In my hometown basketball is huge. Just being 45 minutes outside from one of the biggest basketball cities in the world, we eat, sleep, and breathe basketball around here. If you don’t play basketball you sure do watch basketball. There’s always a great fan base at our games whether it’s the students that attend our games, or our extensive alumni network. People love coming out to our games. My head coach just retired after 30 years and he has turned our program to an elite program.”

Basketball is something that runs very deep and as Traina describes it has helped many people in his family reach great places. “My Grandfather played basketball at Santa Clara and then moved on to become president of Clark University in Massachusetts from 1984-2000.” Luke’s Dad Michael played at Brown University and then went on to become a CEO of several companies. The pedigree has been passed down to the young Luke who is looking to carry the the Traina tradition.

Like many athletes there are many circumstances that they face daily while trying to accomplish their goals for Luke it’s helping his mother raise his siblings since his dad had a stroke six year’s ago. The stroke left his father extremely disabled. Seeing his dad fall victim to a stroke encouraged him to go even harder on and off the court every single day. His workout and pregame regimen says it all. “My pregame routine starts off with some prayer first, whether it’s with my coaches and teammates or alone. I ask the lord to watch over both teams and hope we have a healthy competition. Following this I do some static stretching, right into form shooting and then the Mikan drill. From there I work on some corner threes, cuts to the basketball, out of horns set then get into some transition layups along with some other things”. Traina averaged 13 points, six rebounds and 4 assists per game this past season.

With the next level on his mind, Luke has many attributes he wants to work on. “I think for the next level I have to put some weight on, I’m at 6-5 185 and currently growing, hopefully I can put on 10-15 pounds before my freshman hoops season. I’m going to continue to work on my ball handling as well as shoot 350 threes per day to ensure that I can play shooting guard at the next level.

With a great work ethic Luke Traina is one player who can make any coach happy on the next level. Schools such as Virginia, Elon, Murray State, Boston College and others have shown interest.

Highlights courtesy of Jay Doe Films

https://youtu.be/APcr2oBP0a4

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