N.Y. BLACKHAWKS BASKETBALL ACADEMY: News

Friday, May 4
Former Edison standout Baker achieves goal, commits to FAU
Cwall
Cavon Baker

By ZACH BRAZILLER

Cavon Baker was determined to play Division I basketball.

It didn’t matter that he didn’t have any interest during his career at Thomas Edison, that he didn’t have any scholarship offers for much of last spring and summer on the AAU circuit or even that when Bryant came into the picture late and did present him with an opportunity it didn’t work out because he failed to meet the school’s heightened academic standards.

Baker, a qualifier out of Edison, went to New Hope Academy in Maryland to make his dream a reality. After a stellar season in which he helped the prep school go 30-4, the Cambria Heights product finally realized his dream. Baker verbally committed to Florida Atlantic and former St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis on Wednesday, picking the Sun Belt Conference school over Iona and Hartford.

“I’m excited, anxious all in one,” the 6-foot-1 combo guard said. “I feel accomplished, I feel good. My hard work paid off, a year of prep paid off. It was my goal to play Division I basketball. I stuck with my dream of playing Division I.”

Baker developed a bond with Jarvis and his son, assistant Mike Jarvis II, who was his lead recruiter. Mike Jarvis, who nearly guided St. John’s to the Final Four in 1999, has coached at the Division I level for 21 years and has taken three schools to the NCAA Tournament, put in a lot of time with Baker, and when he wasn’t checking in, his son was.

“It’s always cool when the head coach calls you and expresses how much he wants you,” Baker said. “Overall, it came down to me being comfortable with Coach Jarvis. My relationship with Coach Jarvis made me pick FAU. He’s a straight-forward guy and the whole time he was recruiting me, he contacted me the most within the guidelines he could. We had real conversations.”

Baker was frustrated with his lack of Division I interest last year, but used it at motivation. He enjoyed a solid AAU season , putting in solid performances in the iS8 Nike/Spring League, Hoop Group End of Summer Classic, among others.

Bryant was ready to take him, but he was one class short. Instead, Baker headed for prep school and continued to evolve as a player and as a person. At New Hope Academy, Baker was on his own for the first time.

“My father called it pre-college, I had to grow up fast and be responsible,” he said. “I was out there for a reason, to play basketball and get better overall. It was a great experience. It opened up the opportunity to play Division I basketball.”

An opportunity he made the most of.



Friday, May 4
Syndy Durugordon (Bayside High School) commits to Ithaca College.
Syndy Durugordon

Monday, March 5
Former Hillcrest HS & Blackhawks star named 1st Team All Conference
Patrick Parker was named to the NJCAA All Conference team averaging 18 points per game for Alfred State College. Patrick is a true example of hard work and dedication.

Patrick Parker, Alfred State Colelge
Patrick Parker

Saturday, October 1
12 & Under Blackhawks kickoff 2011 Fall /Winter season
12u Blackhawks @ 2011 M.T.G.
12u Blackhawks

The 12u Blackhawks kickoff the 2011 Fall/Winter season this weekend at the 2011 M.T.G. Invitational.

12u Blackhawks upcoming Tournaments/Leagues we will be participating in this Fall/Winter:

- M.T.G. Invitational Tournament

- Brentwood "Back to School" League

- Beacon 158 12u League

- Positive Direction "Winter League Classic"



Sunday, August 14
2nd Annual Rose City Basketball Classic
Rose City Classic

The 17u Blackhawks traveled to Norwich Connecticut to participate in the 2nd Annual Rose City Basketball Classic. The Blackhawks played some of Conneciuets finest basketball programs and finished the day 3-1 before losing in the championship round 45-52 to TeamWork coached by tournament director Ray Evans.

"I really wanted to get the guys out of town so they can bond abit and play some top competition in Connecticut" said Blackhawks coach Rob Moses.

In the opening round, the Blackhawks defeated GameTime 35-30.  In the second round the Blackhawks went up against Weaver HS and it went down to the last second. Thomas Edison HS rising senior Deshawn Cann getting the game winning block shot that helped the Blackhawks get the 41-39 win. In the semifinals the Blackhawks had no problem with Connecticut Ballers, as they defeated them 59-36.



Monday, August 8
James Anacreon commits to Wichita State University
James WT
James Anacreon

By ZACH BRAZILLER

When James Anacreon fell three classes short of qualifying, it was a humbling moment for the Queens product who thought he was passed such days. Suddenly his future – the National Letter of Intent he signed with Iona College was void – was again in doubt.

“I wasn’t sure if I was gonna still be able to play Division I or not,” recalled Anacreon. “It was stressful.”

Anacreon buckled down even further after that, however, making up the classes at JUCO Lake Land College (Ill.) and qualifying academically. And Saturday afternoon, he put the disappointment in the past, signing with Wichita State and joining good friend and Queens native Ede Egharevba in the Shockers 2011 class.

“I feel like everything happens for a reason; me not qualifying happened for a reason,” he said. “Now I’m in the best situation possible.”

Anacreon, an athletic 6-foot-7 forward who played just briefly in high school at Francis Lewis and spent two years of JUCO ball at Snead State Community College (Ala.), Broward College (Fla.) and Lake Land College, picked Wichita State over Iona, Hofstra, IPFW and Utah. He never visited the Kansas school, but said he didn’t need to. Anacreon heard great things about the campus from Egharevba and had a bond with newly hired assistant Greg Heier, who recruited him when he was at Southern Mississippi.

“They got a lot of former JUCO coaches, I can connect more with those coaches, they know more about the transition from JUCO to Division I,” said Anacreon, who averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game for Lake Land last year and was an All-Region 24 first team selection. “It’s a great program. I feel like it’s a great fit for me. They said I can come in and compete for starting minutes immediately and help them win games.”

The timing of the commitment was peculiar. Anacreon had a visit schedule for Iona Sunday and Hofstra Monday. Sources said Iona expected a commitment from Anacreon on his visit. When he signed with them initially, he lauded the program and said he couldn’t wait to play with childhood friends Scott Machado and Trinity Fields, calling it his dream school.

Lake Land coach Cedric Brown said he never heard from Iona when Ancreon failed to qualify in May while Wichita State got back in the picture and he figured the Gaels needed to fill out its 2011 class.

“It’s a gut feeling,” Anacreon said. “I did all my research, I looked into both situations and I felt Wichita State was better. Playing style, role I’m gonna play on the team, conference – everything.”

In high school, Anacreon was strictly a limited post player who rarely made an impact outside of the lane. But he developed into an explosive and versatile forward in junior college. One college coach familiar with Anacreon described him as “very athletic, a quick leaper, and he loves to attack the basket.”

"James is a true four, he's a rebounder, he's a shotblocker," Brown said. "Skill-wise, inside the arc, he can put it on the deck, finish at the basket. He's improving his range consistnetly from 12-15 feet out to about 21, 22."

He’ll bring those qualities with him to Wichita State after a brief detour.

“I’m relieved,” Anacreon said. “I’m ready to get to work.”



Saturday, July 9
2011 HS Student-Athlete of the Year Award (9th, 10th and 11th grade)

We often praise & reward kids for scoring 20 or 30 points in a game. How about we put some focus on the kids that achieve 80s & 90s in school as well.

We are proud to announce that Maya Hammond, Breana Johnson, Omar Paul, David Clement, Kelsey Agard & Kevin Gonzalez have been named 2011 Blackhawks HS (9th, 10th and 11th grade) Student Athlete of the Year award winners. They have excelled in the class room and maintained outstanding grades through out the year, true definition of a student athlete !



2011 Studet-Athlete of the Year Award wi
(LtoR) Maya Hammond, Breana Johnson, Omar Paul, David Clement & Kelsey Agard

Saturday, July 2
NYC Blackhawks down Boys & Girls, 61-54
Chris Nike
Chris Smith (Newtown HS)

Maurice Wingate
NYCHoops.net Publisher

NYC Blackhawks down Boys & Girls, 61-54

The Jamaica based Blackhawks came out with a plan and executed it. "They were very athletic so we focused on slowing down their big men," said head coach Rob Moses.

While Brooklyn, NY based Boys & Girls feature some noticeable performances from rising talent such as 8th grade big Jamie Killings (16 points), the Blackhawks managed to keep a 35-33 halftime lead due to timely hoops from Sam Annoch (21 points), a rising junior at Pathways HS.

In the second half, Boys & Girls tried to make a run but the Blackhawks would up their lead to 5 points going into the third. Still down by 5 points with 14 seconds left to play, Boys & Girls was forced to foul. Rising junior, Chris Smith (16 points) from Newtown HS calmly went to the line on three occasions and knocked down his free-throws to secure the victory.



Tuesday, June 21
16u Blackhawks kicked off 2011 Summer season last Saturday @ Nike Swoosh
16u Blackhawks kicked off the 2011 Summer season last Saturday @ Nike Swoosh by defeating the Knights 58-48. Blackhawks will take on Variety Boys & Girls Club this Saturday 2pm@ Utopia Park.

2011 16u Blackhawks @ Nike Swoosh
16u Blackhawks @ Nike Swoosh

Monday, May 2
Jabari Brown named HS Student Athlete of the Year (12th grade)
Jabari Brown
Jabari Brown

In recognition of his hard work in maintaining 3.6 GPA and receiving a overall SAT score of 1530 while excelling on the basketball court. We are please to announced that Jabari Brown has been named 2011 Blackhawks HS Student Athlete of the Year.

Jabari has shown the true definition of a student athlete and we wish him the best of look and success as he begins his college career.



Friday, March 11
Malcolm McGilvery named 2011 College Student-Athlete of the Year.
Malcolm Hornets
Malcolm McGilvery

After a outstanding 1st year at Broome CC, Malcolm McGilvery has been named BlackHawks College Player of the Year. Malcolm was named MSAC Co-Conference Player of the week twice this season averaging 16 ppg & 11 rpg. He also helped his team win the Mid-State Athletic Conference Championship.

Malcolm is a true example that hard work pays off. We wish him the best of luck as he continues his college career!!!



Wednesday, September 8
Stokley to Lone Star State
Stokley to Lone Star State
Isiah Stokley

By Stacey Davis
NYCHoops.net

 

The journey has ended for one Queens, NY native this week. Former Thomas Edison High School shooting guard Isiah Stokley ended a long uphill battle, making his college commitment on Tuesday.

After graduating from Edison, Stokley was unsure of what prep school he might attend looking to improve on his SAT score at the time. Eventually the guard found a home last fall at South Carolina prep school.

Edison High School assistant coach Rob Moses spoke on Tuesday about the guard's commitment, "He's going to Western Texas, Isiah signed earlier today. I'm happy he's settled now." Stokley will play for the Westerners, a JUCO college in Texas who has compiled a 38-22 record under the helm of 3rd year head Coach Jason Sautter.

The road is sometimes rough for a lot of prospects seeking to attend college but the task is never easy for anyone. Stokley has shown that persistence and believe in oneself proves that a player's development on and off the court is possible. In time, if the guard continues his path he will check-in on a four year starting roster.

Sunday, February 20
Former Edison star wins game for Hofstra
Stephen Nwaukoni
Stephen Nwaukoni
Freshmen in college basketball usually have to wait patiently for their moment, never knowing when that moment will come.
It's a difficult time for these former high school stars that are not only used to playing the big minutes, but making the big plays. Such was the case with Stephen Nwaukoni of the Hofstra Pride. On Monday, though, the former Queens (N.Y.) Thomas Edison big man would finally have his moment.

"I was so happy," said Nwaukoni who snagged the critical rebound for Hofstra (14-6, 8-1) in overtime with seconds remaining against James Madison University (15-6, 5-4).

With less than a minute left to play, David Imes picked up his fifth foul and Hofstra head coach Mo Cassara inserted Nwaukoni. After securing the ball with the ferocity of a linebacker, the 6-7 forward drew a foul as opponents tried to jar the ball lose and cause a turnover. With James Madison over the foul limit, Nwaukoni calmly hit two clutch free-throws that put the dagger in the win for Hofstra, 92-90, as the Pride fans and teammates stormed the court.

While NBA scouts were in the building, primarily to see Hofstra's Charles Jenkins (35 points) and James Madison's Denzel Bowles (27 points), Nwaukoni's 2 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes were the biggest stats of all. "I basically won the game for my team," said the ecstatic forward. "Coach (Cassara) told me to go in there and rebound and that's what I did."

It's a safe bet that the scouts that were present have made a note to keep their eye on the freshman as he navigates his way into the Pride rotation.

Nwaukoni, who battled against the normally dominant Bowles for the winning rebound, spoke about his mindset during the play.

"I was going to move everybody out the way and get the ball and that's what I did,"
he said.

While the upperclassmen of the Hofstra Pride get the largest share of the minutes, Nwaukoni had to work through dealing with his limited minutes and credits his high school assistant coach Rob Moses for getting him through the tough times and keeping him sharp.

"I talk to Rob before every game," says Nwaukoni. "He's like my mentor; he always tells me to stay prepared and stay ready."

"I'm usually at every game," Moses told NYCHoops.net after the game via a phone interview. Ironically on the day that his mentee would have his moment, Moses took advantage of receiving last minute tickets to a New York Knicks game. "I am so proud of him," said Moses, who said he was in the midst of getting an abundance of text messages from well wishers. "I knew he would get his chance."

While Nwaukoni was clearly elated to make the game-winning plays, the freshman made one thing clear.

"I was happy to help the seniors," he said. "This is their year."