As the years of covering girls basketball go by, I’m starting to realize that the players are beginning to ask me as many questions as I ask them – some of them hilarious. On Tuesday night, I fielded a host of them at the PSAL Girls Basketball Showcase at Grand Street Campus.
I had John F. Kennedy forward Bama Vann ask me if I had an extra pair of shorts with me. The Knights senior came to the event and wasn’t expecting to play since she broke a small bone in her ankle in the playoffs. But once she saw the competition she just had to get on the court. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to help her out with the shorts – but I offered her a notepad and some pens.
A few minutes later I was talking in a corner of one of the gyms with Lincoln coach Titi Hodges and Adelphi assistant coach Dario Hernandez when Banneker’s Amanda Fields asked me if I brought water with me – while she was playing. The only thing I could offer her was some Mountain Dew and sheepish shrug.
Worst of all though was the ribbing I got from Curtis guard Dana Gildea, who is probably one of the funniest kids I’ve ever covered. She wanted to know why I was quick to interview her after all the victories the Warriors had in the playoffs, but wasn’t around when she was in tears after a loss to Wings in the PSAL Class A championship Sunday at St. Francis College. Gildea asked me who “that other guy” was, referring of course to my coworker Joe Staszewski.
Unfortunately, I had no quick comeback answer for her – you can’t out smart aleck a smart aleck.
But all in all it was a fun evening in Brooklyn. There were a few players who stood out on the court, too, rather than just making fun of me off it.
Three of them played on the same team – Fields, Richard Green’s Monique Myers and Brooklyn Tech’s Alyssa Thompson. Fields is well known from her strong season at Banneker, but Myers and Thompson are long, athletic and way under the radar. Myers was the story of the event, with college coaches lining up for more than a half hour to speak with her. When I approached her afterward, I had to explain that I wasn’t trying to recruit her.
Gildea, a 6-foot wing, can really shoot. The entire city found that out in the ‘A’ playoffs. Her teammate Tuesday, Seward Park’s Eli Rojas, was impressive with her skill set. She’s 6-foot, strong, was making long jumpers and taking girls off the dribble.
Medgar Evers’ Ashley Castle, as expected, was one of the best players in the gym with her penetrating ability. South Shore’s Akiah Luceus was a frequent beneficiary of some excellent Castle passes. One college coach said that the best prospect in the gym was 6-foot Nubia Haynes of Manhattan Village, which just made a trip to the ‘B’ semis. She is long, strong and willing to bang around down low.
Truman’s Tierra Hollins and Kennedy’s Shaquaya Daniels made for a pretty solid all-Bronx backcourt playing for a team coached by Medgar Evers’ Barney Davis, who continues to be impressed by Wingate’s Alisha Ogbewele, a strong, 5-foot-6 guard.
I think I’ve written this the last three years, but it continues to hold true: It would be nice of the CHSAA did something similar to this. There are plenty of girls, especially in Brooklyn/Queens Division II, Staten Island and The Bronx, who would benefit from this kind of event.
The exposure and chances at scholarships that these girls can get, the better. The Baseline travel program and coach John Burke at Truman ran a showcase Monday night that had a very solid amount of coaches. The PSAL streamlined their event this year and made it open to only seniors, which I applaud. The college-coach turnout was excellent – better than in the last few years.
The talent in New York City is unquestioned. Unfortunately, I can no longer say the same thing about myself.
