Whenever I complain to friends about my long hours, I get a snide comment or a roll of the eyes.
You watch sports and write about it for a living. Pay me to do that. Can you even call that a job?
This time of the year is fun, I’m not denying that. But it’s also draining. There are few days off. I rarely see the sun, spending so many hours in gyms. It’s a job, just like an attorney or doctor or teacher, just odd hours.
Sunday, however, it didn’t feel like one. For eight hours I sat at Carnesecca Arena and took in a remarkably memorable quarterfinal round as the PSAL Class AA’s top eight boys basketball teams fought for their playoff lives.
I was courtside, on my laptop, but I felt like I belonged in the stands. Sure, all favorites – Lincoln, defending champion Boys & Girls, Wings Academy and Cardozo – prevailed, but each program had to earn a semifinal berth. Boys & Girls and Wings were fortunate to move on, the Kangaroos rallying from a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes of its 57-54 win over South Shore and the Wings surviving a game Wadleigh, 47-44.
Cardozo trailed Thomas Jefferson 22-16 and the game was even at 37 in the third quarter while powerful and nationally ranked Lincoln had just a one-point lead on heavy underdog Forest Hills halfway through the fourth quarter.
The action was so good, so intense, so thrilling, our CHSAA girls basketball beat writer, Joseph Staszewski, helping me for the first two games, didn’t want to leave to go to the Moore Catholic-St. Peter’s showdown.
For my money, this was the best quarterfinal round I’ve been a part of. Here are a few impressions I took from my eight hours at St. John’s:
— It continues to boggle my mind how Wings guard Deonte Houston doesn’t have any scholarship offers. The 6-foot senior carried his teammates into the semifinals, scoring 17 points in the win, but most importantly sank several clutch hoops.
Houston isn’t a lights-out shooter, but he is a very good defender, tremendous free-throw shooter and will get into the lane against anyone. The schools that like Houston don’t need point guards. MAAC, NEC and American East coaches, come to CCNY Wednesday and tell me he can’t help you. Deonte, you can mail me a check.
— Speaking of Wadleigh, I feel for coach Mike Crump and his players. Despite owning Manhattan the last half-decade, Crump’s program is still looking for a signature playoff win. If not for an unfriendly rim, they would have gotten it Sunday. The Tigers had six – six! – shots go in and out in the fourth quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers. Let’s hope Crump didn’t head to Las Vegas or Atlantic City, because he has no luck. This wasn’t a typical Wadleigh team; it was undersized, tough and determined. It deserved better.
— Those familiar with this space know I got my reporting chops in Queens. Some say I favor Queens, others, like Queens coaches, think I’m too hard on them. There was a knock this year the borough was soft, a notion I endorsed.
There wasn’t anything soft about Queens on Sunday as Cardozo won and Forest Hills nearly pulled one of the biggest upsets in league history. Both of these teams have one thing in common: They play defense and don’t back down. The rest of the borough should thank these two programs for building its reputation.
— On the live blog, I probably answered the same question 30 times. What has happened to Mike Taylor? For those hiding in a cave, the Rutgers-bound Taylor failed a first-period class, a no-no for student-athlete at Boys & Girls, and was suspended by school principal Bernard Gassaway. I have no problem with the rule. It teaches discipline, which all kids – and many adults, such as myself – need. I was also happy to hear Taylor will play Wednesday.
The kid deserves to see his career end – or continue – on the court, sweat dripping from his brow, then on the bench in jeans and a gold chain. It was also touching to hear point guard Antione Slaughter, Taylor’s best friend, talk about playing for Taylor, wanting one more game together.
— South Shore is going to be flat-out scary in the year to come. The Vikings failed to close out Boys & Girls. Inexperience seemed to be a factor. After playing so well, sophomores Shamiek Sheppard and Terrence Samuel struggled down the stretch. But this team loses just senior guard Danny Thompson. Sheppard and Samuel are back, along with freshman guards Doudmy St. Hilaire and Tyrone Johnson and junior big men Wayne Martin, Theo Brown and Kwanique Martin. It’s a talented, versatile and athletically gifted bunch. Sunday wasn’t their time; next March may be.
— Lincoln freshman Isaiah Whitehead was up to his old tricks Sunday night, sinking a 3-pointer to help put away Forest Hills. His teammates were shaky, but Whitehead wasn’t, scoring a team-high 16 points, along with seven rebounds and five assists. He doesn’t look like a freshman anymore – has he ever? – and if you ask me, is the one player I don’t want with the ball late if I’m the opposing coach.
— Cincinnati offered Cardozo sophomore Jermaine Lawrence on Sunday after he had 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, dazzling the crowd with his versatile skill-set. He threw down dunks and sank 3-pointers, overmatching Jefferson’s senior-laden front line. The 6-foot-8 forward’s future is scary. Can you say McDonald’s All-American?
— With all that said, I can’t wait for Wednesday. All four teams can be the last team standing at the Garden on Sunday and both contests are toss-ups, if you ask me. I’m especially intrigued by the Lincoln-Cardozo showdown. The last time the two met in the playoffs was in 2004, Sebastian Telfair’s last game. Cardozo has the size in Lawrence and Marquis Barnett to match up with Lincoln’s Kamari Murphy and Jordan Dickerson and Shelton Mickell can take over a game. Boys & Girls-Wings is similarly interesting, especially with Taylor returning.
My picks? I’ve been wrong so far, I’ll keep that to myself until our live blog kicks off Wednesday. See you then.