Sunday’s fourth annual Villa Holiday Classic was billed as the ultimate showdown between New York City and Philadelphia, four games that would decide the better city when it comes to high-school basketball.
Really, it was a silly premise – there isn’t a better city in the country than the one our five boroughs makes up.
Scoff away, but this isn’t a silly, throwaway statement from a homer reporter.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, I didn’t grow up on New York City high-school basketball. I was a baseball player. I couldn’t have told you the difference between Christ the King and Lincoln, St. Raymond and Boys & Girls. I’m not an expert when it comes to the grand history of the city game.
But I do know since I broke into this profession eight years ago at the great Queens Courier, a weekly publication in Bayside, that I’ve watched and covered about as much local high-school basketball as is humanly possible.
Is it the same as it was now as 2003? Of course not. I penned a Sunday feature about what is lacking, why so many standouts are leaving the city for greener pastures, be it prep schools or just high schools with less distractions.
And in that time, New York City’s reputation has taken a hit, from so-called national experts who probably see our area’s best once a year and those who actually do know a great deal about hoops in the five boroughs. I’m here to tell you it’s silly and unfounded.
We found out why on Sunday when four city programs – Christ the King, Boys & Girls, Rice and Bishop Loughlin – traveled to Philadelphia for the Villa Holiday Classic and all left victorious. The City of Brotherly Love is said to be of high quality, and it does have some nice teams, yet New York City still went 4-0, in what many have termed a down year. The group wasn’t even necessarily our best; Lincoln, who we have ranked second overall, wasn’t even there, and supposedly down Rice whipped Penn Wood (Pa.), 69-54, in a game that wasn’t even that close.
Let’s take it a step further. Match up NYC with any other city – Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami – set up a tournament and the results would be similar.
When I asked recruiting guru Tom Konchalski about the public school New Jersey could match with Lincoln or Boys & Girls, he didn’t have an answer. There is no comparison. This isn’t about New York vs. New Jersey or Florida, which are the unfair comparisons people like to make. We’re talking cities and we’re talking depth of teams. Could DeMatha Catholic out of D.C. beat Christ the King? Of course. But what about their No. 3 and No. 4 teams? It wouldn’t even be close.
For years, many around here felt the Catholic school league was the best in the country as just four three years ago, it had four teams – Holy Cross, Bishop Loughlin, Rice, Christ the King and St. Raymond – nationally ranked. I have a hard time believing there is a better division nationwide than the PSAL’s Brooklyn AA. Lincoln and Boys & Girls should both be ranked nationally now.
This is, of course, just my opinion, but it is based on reading, writing and first-hand experience.
New York is still the best there is and there shouldn’t be a debate. If there even was a question, it was soundly answered Sunday at the Palestra.
