New York Empire: My Site News
Tuesday, November 11New York Empire 2008-09 Basketball Season Begins November 16
Good luck to the New York Empire 13U Boys' team ! They will kick-off the 2008-09 season by playing in the Brewster Super League this fall/winter. The team will play up in the 8th grade division in order to better prepare for the upcoming 2009 AAU season. Play begins 11:10 am Sunday November 16th at Brewster Sports Center.
Tuesday, July 29
New York Empire Compete at 2008 AAU Division II National Championship
The New York Empire 12U Boys' team finished 3 and 3 at the 2008 AAU Division II National Championship in Lexington Kentucky this July. The team went into the tournament down one player as their starting 2 guard fractured his knee days before the trounament. Yet the team was in every game, winning 3 and losing 3.
The boys started off pool play with a hartbreaking one point loss to the Arkansa state champs, the Southwest Little Rock Bulls. In their second pool game they defeated the Cinncinatti All Stars by one point. The final pool game was against the Virginia state champs, the VA Hokies. The Hokies are a very athletic and well coached team, and the Empire lost another of their players to a high ankle sprain early in this game. The game however went down to the wire, but the boys couldn't pull it out.
They finished 3rd in their pool (because of point differential) by tying 2 other teams at 1-2, and entered the Classic. The Empire defated the Racine Heat by two in their first game in the Classic bracket and then defeated the NH Spartans by 18 in their second game. The team then entered the quarter finals of the Classic braket to play the GT Stars. The Empire managed to tie the score with 2.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the Empire could not hold on in OT as they were down to 5 players because of foul trouble and additional injuries.
The Nationals was a great experience for the palyers and parents, and the team hopes to imporve in 2009 and return to the Nationals next year.
Sunday, May 11
New York Empire go 4-0 in 1st weekend of the NY MP District Champions
The New York Empire 12U Boy’s completed another successful weekend by going 4-0 in the first weekend of NY Metropolitan district competition. The boys started off slow Saturday by allowing a 11-0 lead to get away from them in the first game against the SI Lightning. They managed to battle back with contributions from the entire team and finished strong against SIL. They then coasted to victories against Fast Break and Long Island Lightning later that same day to finish 3-0 in their pool.
They earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs and awaited the winner of the Rockland Rockets and Reach One Teach One game the next morning. Rockland won that game in shoot out by 2 points, and prepared to play the Empire again which defeated them four weeks ago. While the effort was there on the part of the Empire boys to start the game, the shots weren’t falling, and the half ended in an 18 all tie. The Empire then took complete control of the game by playing great defense and spreading the court on offense to outscore Rockland 26-9 in the second half. Their AAU record nows stand at 21-1 this spring.
The victory is a case of “good news/bad news” as the Empire now advances to the semi-finals and secures a bid and seeding in the AAU Division II National Championship (the good news). The bad news, they must face Team Underrated, last years NY MP D2 champs. Team Underrated has destroyed all competition this year, and out scored opponents 271 to 108 in the four games of the NY MP Championship. Let’s see what the kids can do against this powerhouse team.