High School Basketball Year In Review

BY ZACHARY BRAZILLER

Thursday, April 20, 2006 5:31 PM EDT

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rob Hampton, Christ the King. A part-time starter a season ago, Hampton emerged as the Royals’ top scorer late in the year. His ever-improving jumper, solid all-around game and superlative instincts were on display all winter but truly came to the forefront late when needed the most.

CHSAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sylven Landesberg, Holy Cross. Not only does this sophomore handle all the pressure of being considered one of the top players in his age group in the country, but Landesberg led a sophomore-laden bunch to the CHSAA Class AA quarterfinals and second place in their division while also leading the city in scoring.

PSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Charles Jenkins, Springfield Gardens. Jenkins, the Hofstra-bound guard, finally led Springfield Gardens past Campus Magnet, but far more importantly, he guided the Golden Eagles to a share of the Queens III-A title and another second-round appearance in the city playoffs.

CHSAA GAME OF THE YEAR: Rice-Christ the King in CHSAA Class AA city championship. Summing up the fierce battles of the last two seasons, this one had it all. The Royals led big early, Rice came storming back. When CTK’s star, Larry Davis, fouls out late in the fourth quarter, Rice is seemingly in the driver’s seat, only for the Royals, behind Rob Hampton, to force overtime and go ahead late in the extra session on his 3-pointer. This classic comes to an end in the only appropriate manner - on Rice’s Kashif Pratt’s buzzer-beater.

PSAL GAME OF THE YEAR: Springfield Gardens-Campus Magnet’s second meeting. For the first time in his splendid four-year career at Springfield Gardens, Charles Jenkins beats Campus Magnet, putting up 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. It wasn’t necessarily the gaudiest performance of his star-studded senior campaign, but in his packed, raucous home gym, Jenkins did it all, even psyching up the little-used role player Shawn Greenidge, who made the difference with 14 points and 10 blocks.

CHSAA MOST UNDERRATED: Malik Boothe, Christ the King. Boothe may not score a lot - in fact, he averaged just 6.5 points this year - yet he’s the best on-the-ball defender in the borough, and perhaps the city, while controlling the game and improving upon his jump shot.

PSAL MOST UNDERRATED: Patrick Bordeau, Campus Magnet. When Campus Magnet finished in a tie for first place despite the absence of their star point guard Evan Thomas for much of the season due to a severe ankle injury, many presumed it was because of the Bulldogs’ superior size. That was a factor, but the play of Bordeau (12.8 PPG, 5.5 APG) was the real reason. Even when Thomas came back, the 6-foot-2 combo guard proved how valuable he was, helping to put away Cardozo in the borough finals and making all the clutch plays in the Bulldogs’ second round playoff win over Robeson.

PSAL COACH OF THE YEAR: Charles Granby, Campus Magnet. Perhaps the best that can be said about this longtime coach is when all five of his players were afforded the opportunity to transfer to a better program early last fall, they all remained, preferring to help Granby win a city championship. They fell short of that goal, but winning the Queens title for first time since 1985 was surely a memorable moment.

CHSAA COACH OF THE YEAR: Paul Gilvary, Holy Cross. With three sophomore starters - forward Edy Toussaint, point guard Trinity Fields and talented wing Sylven Landesberg - Gilvary planted the seeds for what should be two great seasons ahead. He seamlessly blended the youngsters with his veterans, and only a stout St. Raymond’s club prevented the Knights from advancing past the quarterfinals.

PSAL PLAYER WITH MOST UPSIDE: James Southerland, Cardozo. Another sophomore, the 6-foot-8 athletic Southerland is ultra-talented but needs to improve upon his erratic defense and rebounding to become one of the best in the city. Still, this big man with such a velvet touch from deep and quickness around the hoop has limitless potential.

CHSAA PLAYER WITH MOST UPSIDE: Erving Walker, Christ the King. The 5-foot-5 sophomore guard showed glimpses of his potential yet was inconsistent with his shot down the stretch. Still, his basketball IQ, tireless work ethic and unlimited shooting range should make him one of the top guards in the city next season.

Courier’s All-Borough Team

Center: Keith McAllister (15.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG), Campus Magnet; Power Forward: Rob Hampton (13.5 PPG), Christ the King; Small Forward: Larry Davis (13.2 PPG), Christ the King; Shooting Guard: Sylven Landesberg (20.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG), Holy Cross; Point Guard: Charles Jenkins (22.7 PPG, 6.7 APG, 6.3 RPG), Springfield Gardens.

Courier’s All-PSAL Team

Center: Johnny Barnes (22.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG), William Bryant; Power Forward: James Southerland (14.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG), Cardozo; Small Forward: Tony Dennison (21 PPG, 9 RPG), William Bryant; Shooting Guard: Sean Crawford (16.6 PPG, 5.1 APG); Point Guard: Cerrone Jackson (15.9 PPG, 7.5 APG), Forest Hills.

Courier’s All-CHSAA Team

Center: Laurence Jolicoeur (11.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 46 blocked shots, almost two per game), Holy Cross; Power Forward: Andrew Gabriel (6.6 PPG), Holy Cross; Small Forward: Stephen Wood (22 PPG), McClancy; Shooting Guard: Milan Prodanovic (15 PPG), Molloy; Point Guard: Malik Boothe (6.5 PPG), Christ the King.

THE QUEENS COURIER/PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA SANTUCCI
Right, Charles Jenkins of Springfield Gardens, the Courier’s PSAL Player of the Year; left, Christ the King’s Rob Hampton, the Courier’s Player of the Year; and above, Cardozo’s James Southerland, the Courier’s PSAL Player With Most Upside.