In two weeks, Cardozo has gone from arguably the PSAL’s team to beat to an inconsistent group in need of a jolt of confidence. The Judges have been out-classed by one nationally ranked foe (St. Benedict’s Prep), blew a 15-point lead to a .500 club (Martin Van Buren) and allowed a struggling old rival (Thomas Edison) to pull off another upset.
What a difference 14 days can make.
Saturday was the latest setback, a 71-59 loss at Section 3 power Mount Vernon (N.Y.), Cardozo second straight defeat and third in five tries.
“Are we still good? Yeah. Are we going through a rough time? Yeah. Do I expect us to come out of it? I hope,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said. “I know these kids and they are really nice kids, but like all kids they take things for granted and don’t realize how hard it is.”
The loss to Mount Vernon followed a familiar script. The Judges (11-6) got off to a solid start, were even at one point in the fourth quarter, but failed to execute and defend well enough down the stretch.
Knights junior guard Jabarie Hinds, one of the top players in the state, had 25 points, eight rebounds, four steals and four assists, but it was forward Michael White’s effectiveness that came as a surprise. Against Cardozo’s mammoth frontline that includes Ryan Rhoomes (16 points) and Dwayne Brunson (21), he scored 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.
“We didn’t get a lot of breaks, but you got to make your own breaks,” Naclerio said.
The backcourt has been inconsistent. Starter Malcolm Brooks has missed three games with an illness and junior Shelton Mickell has yet to truly emerge as a consistent scoring threat while mainstays Chris Gayot and Reynaldo (Junior) Walters have enjoyed breakout performances and setbacks, too.
It doesn’t get any easier, either. The Judges face Long Island Lutheran and Villanova-bound guard Ashraf Yacoubou in the opener of the SNY Invitational Friday night at LIU. They face either Boys & Girls or Rice the next day, depending on their result.
Naclerio isn’t sure if that’s a good thing or not. On the one hand, his team is clearly not right, whether the Judges are just going through a downturn most teams suffer from, or there are deeper problems. Then again, a big weekend the kind this talented team is capable of, could rite the ship.
“If the kids aren’t going to give me 100 percent in front of a big crowd on TV then something’s wrong,” Naclerio said. “What’s to say two weeks from now it doesn’t revert back. We have to get back to working hard and practicing hard.”
The potential is clearly there. There isn’t a more formidable – or talented – frontcourt in the city. They did beat Boys & Girls by eight just two weeks ago, and nearly upset Catholic powers Christ the King and Bishop Loughlin, losing by a combined four points.
“We still have a lot of goals we want to try and achieve and if we can do that we’re not gonna remember this,” the coach said. “It might be a blessing in disguise.”
McKee/Staten Island Tech 60, South Shore 57: Pucky Manley scored 21 points and Atigi Moore hit a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining to seal the game for MSIT (18-5) in a non-league game.
Norcross (Ga.) 69, Thomas Jefferson 64: Dave Coley scored 20 points and Davontay Grace added 15 for Thomas Jefferson (14-7) in the Atlanta National Invitational Showcase in Atlanta, Ga. Jefferson beat T.C. Williams (Va.) on Friday, 56-53, as Coley led the Orange Wave with 14 points.
