PLAYER OF THE YEAR
SEBASTIAN TELFAIR
Lincoln, 5-11, Guard
Sebastian Telfair has already garnered plenty of national recognition, which is fine with him. But that’s not what he wants.
“He gets all this attention for being one of the best players in the country,” said Lincoln head coach Dwayne Morton. “But what good is that if you’re not considered the best in your own neighborhood?”
Especially when that neighborhood is New York City – and Coney Island in particular – the birthplace of countless great point guards.
“Before I could worry about anything else, I had to prove that I was great to people here,” said the junior star, who led the Railsplitters with 29 ppg and is contemplating jumping to the NBA after his senior year. “I think I did that this year.”
Lincoln rode Telfair to its first state Federation title in eight years. Telfair, who is slowly compiling a list of prospective colleges that includes Louisville, Duke and UCLA, fouled out midway through the fourth quarter of the championship game.
“He still kept us together,” Morton said. “I looked over at him and he everyone was looking to him.”
As for next year, it’s practically here for Telfair.
“We’re going to start working out together [tomorrow],” Telfair said. “I want to win again next year just as much as this time.”
The pressure will be greater, with much of the country possibly paying attention to Telfair.
RAHSHON CLARK
Beach Channel, 6-5, Forward
Jim Malone was impressed by what he saw from Clark as a junior, but saw something more than the player who used his size to score points.
“He did so much around the basket,” Malone said of the prep-school-bound Clark, who poured in 25 ppg this season. “But this year, he developed that outside game that makes guys like him so dangerous.”
Clark now routinely hits jumpers from 15 feet away – sometimes farther – in addition to being a force in the paint.
“I saw it coming,” Malone said. “But I didn’t think it would be so drastic.”
GARY FORBES
Banneker, 6-5, Forward
At one point or another this season, the Virginia-bound Forbes played every position for Banneker, as he led the Warriors to the PSAL championship game.
“I’ve never had a player who could do that before,” said head coach Wendell Saunders. “I could put him anywhere and he wouldn’t just be able to play there, but he would do it very well.”
Well enough to score 27 ppg and grab 13 rebounds per game, as well as nearly topple Lincoln at the Garden.
RICHARD FORBES
Far Rockaway, 5-9, Guard
Forbes isn’t a classic offensive player.
“He’s not a pure shooter,” said head coach Phil Stern. “But he figures out ways to score.”
Despite scoring more than 30 ppg this year, Forbes hasn’t drawn much attention from colleges.
“I don’t know why,” Stern said.
“He’s impressive. He was always facing box-and-one defenses and he still put up some numbers.”
CAMERON TYLER
Cardozo, 5-11, Guard
Tyler had big plans going into this season, but they were nearly dashed before the Judges had played their first game, when he broke a bone in his right wrist.
“He wasn’t as strong as he could have been for a lot of the season,” head coach Ron Naclerio said of Tyler, who missed the team’s first nine games but averaged 27 ppg and will attend prep school in the fall. “But his willingness to win overcame that.”
COACH OF THE YEAR
DWAYNE MORTON
Lincoln
Morton clearly had the most talent in the league this season, but he proved himself when the Railsplitters won the state Federation tournament.
“He gets us to play so hard,” Telfair said. “You can tell he wants to be out there with us. That makes you want to win for him even more.”
FIRST TEAM
Sebastian Telfair
Lincoln 5-11 Jr. G
Rahshon Clark
Beach Channel 6-5 Sr. F
Gary Forbes
Banneker 6-5 Sr. F
Richard Forbes
Far Rockaway 5-9 Sr. G
Cameron Tyler
Cardozo 5-11 Sr. G
SECOND TEAM
Ed Berrios
Theodore Roosevelt 5-9 Sr. G
Carlos Collazo
Boys & Girls 6-1 Jr. G
Eugene Lawrence
Canarsie 6-1 Jr. G
Stedford McLeod
Gompers 6-3 Sr. F
Antonio Pena
Lincoln 6-6 So. F
THIRD TEAM
Lawrence Borha
McKee/SI Tech 6-2 Sr. G
Donnell Cummings
August Martin 6-0 Sr. G
Garfield Johns
Wings Academy 6-2 Sr. G
Randy Minto
FDR 6-1 Sr. G
Jamel White
Grady 6-2 So. G
HONORABLE MENTION
Rob Armstrong, Transit Tech; Tyshawn Bierra, Newtown; Kimani Blaize, Grady; Jamal Dart, Lincoln; Stew Graddick, Lincoln; Jenar Harrison, August Martin; Sam Jenkins, Bergtraum; Skyler Khaleel, Cardozo; Mike King, Bryant; Ryan Leak, Bayside; Danny Pearson, Sheepshead Bay; Ramadan Shabazz, Curtis; Jerod Smith, Urban Peace Academy; Nate Sudlow, Tilden; Jahkeen Washington, FDA; Jake Weitzen, Bronx Science.
