Orange County Crusaders AAU Basketball: Welcome
 |
|
|
2012 TOM DOWD MEMORIAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
THE SCHEDULE FOR THE TOM DOWD MEMORIAL GIRLS TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN POSTED - VISIT THE LINK ON THE LEFT "2012 TOM DOWD TOURNAMENT INFO"
OUR BOYS TOURNAMENT IS ALMOST FULL! MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR REGISTRATION FORM AND CHECK IN RIGHT AWAY!
Sunday, May 20
Former Crusader Coach "Tom Fazio" Gets Married!
Saturday, May 19
Tom Dowd Tournament Helps Bring Back Memories!
Sunday, April 22
The 2012 AAU Tournament season is now in full swing! Congratulations to all of the Crusader teams! GOOD LUCK!
Hi, I’m Annalise Azadian and I am 14 years old and play shooting/point guard for the Orange County Crusaders JV basketball team with coach Pablo Quinones. I love singing, playing the guitar and writing my own songs. I started singing when I was about 8 years old and started playing the guitar when I was 9. After my grandmother passed when I was 11, I wrote my first song and have continued to write since. So far I have played in many events such as a concert in the Bronx, 12 grapes, the Towne Crier, and a set at The Room. This summer coming up I’m going to perform at Greenfest in Danbury Connecticut. This passed saturday I won first place in the Hudson Valley Talent Search, and I was recently featured on Fox Drive Fx radio 95.7/94.1 and also on the Fox morning show station 103.1/97.3 where i played live on both. For more information look me up on You Tube @ Tarahabs and on Facebook @ Annalise Azadian. Check out the link below:
|
|
|
|
| Action Photos at the Tom Dowd Memorial |
2012 TOM DOWD MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT IS FAST APPROACHING!
Are you ready for a great weekend of basketball? The 10th Tom Dowd Memorial Basketball Tournament is being held May 25th thru the 27th (girls) and June 1st thru the 3rd (boys). Named after our clubs first coach, Tommy Dowd, he coached our 13U boys team in 1997 and went on to coach at various levels until he became a victim of the WTC attack on September 11th. He was only 37 years old. Our tournament is a memorial to Tom's life, and his family. By participating in our tournament, you will help us raise funds for the Tom Dowd Memorial Scholarship.
|
|
|
|
The "Dowd" features great competition, excellent gymnasiums, certified referees, independently kept book & clock, Site Directors at each location, memorial t-shirts and the worlds greatest concession stands (and people)! We have photographers taking action photos throughout the weekend. Our games run on time, we offer large team trophies and championship t-shirts! All team pool winners get trophy.
For more information click on the 2012 Tom Dowd Memorial Basketball Tournament click on the link in the menu to the left
|
|
|
|
| Crusaders - 2008 National Champions |
The Crusaders, the most succesfull AAU travel team in the Tri-State area is pleased to announce that their 2012 AAU travel teams have now been selected. For more information please visit the Court Vision website..
http://www.getcourtvision.com/home.html
The Crusaders have a track record of winning utilizing players who meet the AAU age requirements and adhere to the AAU rules and regulations. Don't miss out on your chance to join an elite, well respected AAU basketball program. Improve your skills, be part of a team and maintain your integrity! Try out for the Crusaders AAU Basketball Program!
Sunday, March 25
|
|
|
For information on the 2012 Tom Dowd Scholarship Application, visit the link in the menu to the left!
Tuesday, February 7
|
|
|
|
The Crusader's continue to produce quality basketball coaches AND quality performers! Jermaine Paul, the Crusaders 6th Grade Boys coach from 2011 performed on the show "The Voice" last night. Jermaine is not only a former Crusader coach, but he is also a former Monroe Woodbury Basketball player. For more information click on the link below:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120207/ENTERTAIN/120209828
Plese take the time to expore our website. You will find 10 years of history through our stories, articles and photos.
|
|
|
Former Crusader player Andy Grammer is really at the top of his game. Andy, who currently has two popular songs playing on the radio, made a guest appearance on stage with Taylor Swift this past summer. Andy is one of the most popular "Crusaders" of all time and played basketball for both Monroe Woodbury High School and the Crusaders AAU program. He stopped by the Tommy Dowd Tournament this summer to lend a hand at this popular fund-raising event. To view Andy and Taylor perform...click on the link below and turn up those speakers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W3I57eTmII
Thursday, November 17
PRESS RELEASE
The Orange County Crusaders are happy to announce their merger with Court Vision Basketball! The Crusaders have been a staple in the AAU Basketball community for more then 14 yearsand Court Vision Basketball plans to uphold and continue to build this AAU program.
At the moment you can stay involved with Court Visions Basketball Programs that continue to run year-round at PrimoSports in Florida, NY. Announcements regarding teams, tryouts and the AAU season will be forthcoming!
If you have any questions you can email Mike or Danny at miketangney14@gmail.com
Saturday, November 19
A Message From Scott Harris
Saturday, November 19
Monday, October 10
The Crusaders have another "feather" in their cap! Former Crusaders Marvin Billups and Corey Orgias star in an adverting campaign with Dwayne Wade for a new product called "Court Grip". Both Corey and Marvin recently graduated from SUNY Purchase where they starred on the Mens Basketball Team! Congratulations to these former Crusaders!
|
The Crusaders are proud of all of the players that have participated in our program over the years. We stress teamwork, commitment and self improvement to our players, coaches and parents. Click on the Headline below to read the inspiring story of former Crusader Robert Toste who is currently basketball playing at Hamilton College and exemplifies what we are about.
Friday, June 24
As another AAU season winds down we want to thank all of our coaches, players and parents for another great season! Our teams continued to have great experiences and there were too many tournaments victory's to list here! A special thanks to the coaches of our youngest divisions (4th/5th grade) for showing great patience in developing our young players. The Tom Dowd Tournaments were fantastic and we want to thank all of our volunteers and participants.
Thursday, June 9
|
|
|
|
Former Crusader basketball player and now national entertainer Andy Grammer is really on a roll....a top ten hit single, a new album about to be released, appearences on the CBS Morning Show, Fox Good Morning Show and VHI among others, Andy's hard work is really paying dividends. And if all this is not enough...now Andy has added another name to his growing list of fans...Taylor Swift! Not only did Taylor write about Andy on her Twitter account, but she wrote the words to his song on her arm prior to performing during her world wide tour. Good luck in the coming weeks to Andy and his team!
|
|
|
|
Fomer Orange County Crusader Player and Coach, Kieran Begley has basketball in his veins. We would like to think that our club had something to do with this. Kieran played on our boys teams from the 14U division to the 17U division. He went on to play in college, coach our 14U team, and then go on to coach in college. Does it get any better then that? Click on the photo to the right to visit the SUNY Morrisville website and view more information on their Assistant Mens Basketball Coach!
|
|
|
|
The Tommy Dowd Mens tournament was another great success. All six teams were competitive and the games were great. The first round was held on Friday night and the final games were held at the conclussion of the Tom Dowd Memorial Boys Tournament. Congratulations to Marvin Billups Sr. and Jr (along with Tony Surin and others) for winning their fourth straight title. To view a few photos scroll down but for hundreds of photos click on the "Albums" link at the top of this page and then click on "last"......
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monday, June 6
|
|
|
|
The 2011 Tom Dowd Memorial Basketball Tournament will go down in the books as one of the most competitive and intense tournaments in our history, From teams like CWB (Chris Williams Basketball), to the On-Point Cyclones of Brooklyn we have over 115 boys teams participate in this years events. In summary we hosted more then 200 games in two days, on 14 courts, with two referees for each game. We have people doing the score book and score clock in each gym, along with great concessions!
To view photos from the tournament click on the "Albums" link in the menu to the left and then click on "last".
|
|
|
|
Saturday, May 21
The Crusaders are having another great weekend of tournament basketball! The boys 9th grade team coached by Anthony Siciliano won it's first game at the Rock beating the Rockland Rockets 69-62. At the same location, on the next court the boys 11th grade team were winning a tough game against the "NY Shock Exchange", a team up from NYC. The final score of that game was 45-42. Click on the small ICON below and to the left for a short video of a nice play from the Crusaders 11th grade game.
11th Grade Boys 5.21.11Sunday, May 15
|
|
|
|
| Coach Malley & The Crusader 8th Grade Girls |
Sunday, May 15
|
|
|
|
| Crusader 5th Grade Girls | |
Most of our travel teams were in action on the weekend of May 14/15. Our 11th Grade Boys team seems to be coming together as they won their last two games in the BB Shootout Sping Jam tournament held at Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ. In addition our 12th Grade Boys team looked great in their win over the Warwick Wildcats in the same tournament. The 10U Crusader girls team played swarming defense all weekend with trapping and pressing their opponents in the BB Shootout. Check back later tonight for more photos in the Albums link and then click on "last" to view our latest albums.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| OC Crusaders - Chester Girls Team | |
The Crusaders participated in several tournaments this weekend including the Panther Prowl and the Drive to the Hoop. The OC Crusaders - Chester 16U girls team won their first game in the Panther Prowl, their first tournament! The Crusaders played in a close game against the Orange County Clue Angels. The two teams battled for the entire game but our team pulled it out at the end. The Crusaders 8th grade boys team won their first game in the Panther Prowl tournament. In the Drive to the Hoop tournament our 11th Grade Boys team played a tough game against a good Rockland Rockets team. The Crusaders are a young team with several freshman and sophpomores and are gaining experience playing these older teams! For more photos visit our Albums link and then click on "last" to get to the most recent photos!
Sunday, May 8
The Crusaders 8th Grade Boys team went 3-1 this weekend taking 3rd in the 8 team Hudson River Hornets tourney. The Crusaders beat the BC Eagles, Westchester Knights and Hudson Valley Wolves losing only to the champion Hudson River Hornets who they had down by 16 before losing by 3. Great team effort and hustle!
|
|
|
|
| Adam Satz | |
From national champions to coaches turned referee's, to former players going on to great college careers, to former players coming back to coach our teams, to players becoming singing sensations, the list of Crusader accomplishments goes on an on. All done with honesty and integrity! And then there is Adam Satz, former MW Crusaders basketball team manager. Adam has been named the 2011 NCAA National Team Manager of the year! Check out the story by clicking on the photo to the left. Congratulations to Adam and his family!
To view a short video on Adam (and the three runner-ups) click on the link below:
http://ups.promo.eprize.com/madness/video.html?video=2
|
|
|
|
| Crusaders 11th Grade Boys |
|
|
|
| Crusaders 2011 Girls 9th Grade Team |
|
| 2011 Crusaders 5th Grade Girls Team |
|
|
|
|
|
| Crusaders 2011 Girls 11th Grade Team | |
The Crusaders AAU season is now in full swing! Most teams have participated in their first tournaments. If you have photos from these events send them to us! Click on the "Albums" link in the menu at the top of this page and then click on "last..." to view photos from the "Drive To The Hoop Tournament" (4/9/11), "Spring Hoops Tip Off One Day Classic" (4/10/11) and other 2011 tournaments. Congratulations to all of our Crusader teams on a great weekend!
|
|
|
|
| Coach Lamont Moreno | |
Congratulations to former OC Crusader Coach Lamont Moreno! Coach Moreno coached for the Crusaders at various age levels from 1999-2005 and is now the owner/head coach of the Savannah Wildcats of the Continental Basketball League. The Savannah Wildcats were the Continental Basketball League Champions of 2010!!! They faced off against the Wilmington Sea Dawgs in the CBL Championship Game and won in overtime with a final score of 96 - 86. The end of regulation resulted in a score of 83 – 83. Congratulations to the Wildcats on their Stunning Championship Season and we are very proud of Coach Moreno! For more information click on the link below
http://www.savannahwildcats.com/team/staff
Monday, March 28
The OC Crusaders 6th Grade Girls team has gotten off to a great start. This past weekend they played in the March "One Day Shootout II" in Mahwah, NJ. The girls beat St Joes Falcons (24-8) and the Lady Cyclones (24-13). Congratulations to Coach Deleo and his team on their first tournament win of the season! GO CRUSADERS!
|
|
|
|
| Paul & Terry | |
The Crusaders have certainly come a long way since that one team in 1997. Great teams, great players and great coaches have represented our AAU club for over 14 years. Next up.....great referees! Paul Murphy and Terry McPike have been part of the OC Crusaders AAU club for too many years to count. From parent, to coach and then to local referee. Now they have helped our program get to the next level.....The Big East Tournament! Both Terry and Paul, Orange County, NY certified basketball referees were invited to work the Big East Tournament - not for the games but for the Tropicana sponsored Half-Time Foul Shooting Contest! The event took place during the tournaments semi-final round on Friday night. Not only were Paul and Terry on the court during half-time but their seats for both games were not bad, first row right under the basket! Congratulations to these two "Crusaders" for a job well done!
Sunday, March 6
NFA state Hoops Champs No-Shows In Classroom (Click Here)
Former AAU Crusader Coach Kevin Houston and former AAU Crusader Player Luke Houston have a family basketball legacy like none other. This story was recently detailed in a news article in the Journal News. The link is below:
http://www.highschoolsports.net/local/westchester/article/2011102200347
Tuesday, February 15
|
|
|
|
The Crusaders Boys Varsity team held their "senior night" on Tuesday, February 15th at the Crusader Field House. The team faced off against the Goldbacks from Newburgh.....
|
|
|
The Crusaders Played a Great Game and Nearly Pulled Off the Upset!Congratulations to the Crusader Senior Basketball Players!
|
|
|
|
| Tommy Dowd |
|
|
|
|
|
The Crusader Varsity Girls held "Senior Night" this week at the Crusader Field House! Prior to the game the team honored their two graduating seniors and their parents! Congratulations to Chrissy and Danielle and good luck!
Wednesday, February 2
Crusader Girls Team Ranked 11th in State (click here)
|
|
|
|
| Click Photo For Rest of Story |
Houston, who is averaging 23.7 points per game, did not set a school record, however. Jess Cohen owns both the Pearl River and Rockland County boys basketball single-game marks with 63 points scored in 1988. Another Pearl River alumni, Kristen McGarvey, has the county girls single-game record, also 63 points, scored in 1990.
While Houston was the catalyst on offense, Pearl River head coach Jerry Houston, Luke's uncle, attributed the win to his team's defensive effort,
particularly the work of Shane McIntire, who shadowed Spring Valley's Terry Brutus.....click on the photo above to read rest of this article...
Think you can handle the rock? Click on the link below and check out this kid!
http://www.komonews.com/sports/heroes/111892554.html
|
|
|
|
The OC Crusaders AAU Basketball Club has exciting news for 2011! In keeping our commitment to offer our members with the most innovative AAU Basketball Program in the Hudson Valley, we have partnered with Court Vision of Florida, NY! Court Vision is local business specializing in working with local youth organizations offering individual and team basketball training. Based out of Orange County, NY, the staff at Court Vision are experienced in working with basketball players of all ages.
From running basketball camps to providing training at various local gyms, Court Vision is leading the way in helping develop future CYO, AAU, High School and College basketball players. For those players who love basketball, Court Vision offers them an opportunity to follow their passions to see where it will lead! During this upcoming season Court Vision trainers will be working with all of the Crusader basketball teams to help them develop team and individual basketball skills! Clinics will be held at both local gyms and state of the art basketball facilities. Check back with us often as tryout dates for our 2011 AAU basketball travel games are planned for February!
Saturday, January 1
|
|
|
|
| Jamie Boyle |
The OC Crusaders alumni added another feather to their cap yesterday when former Crusader basketball player Jamie Boyle and his teammates from the University of Central Floridas football team beat the Georgia Bulldogs in the nationally televised 2010 Liberty Bowl. While Jamie was a perennial member of the Crusaders AAU basketball club, his real skills were in kicking the football.....and boy can he kick a football! While at Monroe-Woodbury High School he broke the NYS high school record of making 62 consecutive extra points. He wound up his high school career by making 83 consecutive extra points. His amazing accomplishments led to a full scholarship to UCF. As a sophomore Jamie shares the kicking duties with junior Nick Catoi. Needless to say the entire Crusader AAU family is proud of Jamie and we want to send our congratulations to not only himself, but to his parents Marty (former Crusader AAU Basketball Coach), Kittyand Jamie's sisters and brother!
UCF BEATS GEORGIA IN 2010 LIBERTY BOWL
Central Florida wants to be in a BCS automatic-qualifying conference some day. A program that didn't start playing football until 1979 just burnished its resume in a big way by beating a team from one of those power leagues.Latavius Murray scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 9:01 left, and UCF held on to beat Georgia 10-6 Friday in the Liberty Bowl and cap the best season in school history with the program's first postseason victory.The Knights (11-3) had never won more than 10 games in a season and had lost their first three bowl games, including their last visit here in 2007. The Conference USA champs made this win even sweeter by knocking off a Southeastern Conference team in the process, just their second win over that league. The Knights had been 1-13 with the lone win over Alabama in 2000.
|
|
|
|
CENTRAL VALLEY — Monroe-Woodbury fought through pregame nerves and the excitement of another showdown with a Section 9 powerhouse early in the season. After knocking off Kingston last week, Monroe-Woodbury picked up another big win with a 54-43 victory over defending Section 9 Class A champion Cornwall in a non-league matchup on Tuesday. "It's a good win," said Monroe-Woodbury coach Linda Trapani. "They were a little nervous tonight because we haven't played much. You can tell we didn't have a lot of continuity, but I think we played better in the second half. Cornwall played us very tough and they play hard." Monroe-Woodbury raced to a 17-8 lead on Michelle Burke's 3-pointer from the corner in the second quarter, then Cornwall rattled off a 7-0 run capped by Megan Staudle's layup to get back in the game.
Monroe-Woodbury's starting backcourt of Chrissy Clarkin and Amanda Bessim each picked up her third foul, but the Crusaders took a 21-20 halftime lead."We just got too excited, so we talked about calming down at halftime," said Monroe-Woodbury center Danielle Waldron, who had 11 points and six reboun ds. Monroe-Woodbury got key minutes from backup point guard Kerrie Walsh and Burke in the second half. Walsh drove the lane, got the bucket and sank a foul shot to put Monroe-Woodbury up by eight with 2:57 left in the third quarter. Burke hit two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that put away the game.
Burke and Walsh finished with 13 points apiece. Lexie Stodden had six points and seven rebounds and Clarkin had five points and five steals for Monroe-Woodbury (3-0). "Kerrie and Michelle stepped up for us," Waldron said. "This was a good experience for us. It's nice to win against a good team." Staudle finished with 12 points and Jenna Wood had 10 for Cornwall (1-3).mwassef@th-record.comTuesday, December 21
|
|
|
|
| Amanda Bessim | |
CENTRAL VALLEY — There aren't too many players in the section that can say they've beaten Kingston twice in the past four years.
Monroe-Woodbury senior center Danielle Waldron remembers being a freshman riding the bench as the Crusaders knocked off Kingston at home in December 2007. But Waldron didn't exactly understand what the big deal was. "I remember the final buzzer and our seniors were ecstatic," Waldron said. "But I didn't really understand what it meant."
Waldron can better appreciate it now.
After a couple of seasons of losing to Kingston, Monroe-Woodbury went into Kate Walton Field House last Tuesday and knocked off Kingston, 51-43, in an OCIAA Division I showdown. Monroe-Woodbury played toe-to-toe with the defending four-time Class AA champions and pulled it out in the end with stifling full-court pressure defense and clutch free throws. "I remember the whole game. I was looking over and everyone was jumping up and down," said Waldron, who had six points, but was limited by foul trouble. "We were very excited. We knew it was going to be tough, but we were determined. And we weren't intimidated like years past.
"It was a good confidence boost for the season." Second-year shooting guard Christina Clarkin scored a team-high 13 points and remembers the defensive intensity picked up at the end of the game. "That game was different because it was intense every minute. There was no slow point," Clarkin said. "It almost felt like we won sections."
Monroe-Woodbury proved how much parity there is in a wide-open Class AA this season, and is one of the many teams looking to win the Class AA championship. The Crusaders last won a section championship in the 1989 season when it was a Class A team. Monroe-Woodbury was in the Section 9 Class A championship in 1993 when it lost to Valley Central. "I think we're balanced and have better outside shooting," said Monroe-Woodbury coach Linda Trapani. "I'd like to think they can compete for a section title." Monroe-Woodbury (2-0) likes to play an up-tempo game and its offense runs through the 5-foot-11 Waldron, who is averaging 8.5 points early in the season. Junior point guard Amanda Bessim has a good handle and can lead a fast break. The 5-foot-7 Clarkin likes to drive to the basket and junior guard Michelle Burke, the outside shooter, is averaging around 10 points a game.
Monroe-Woodbury was impressive in the preseason in a series of scrimmages against top-level Section 1 teams, such as White Plains, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and North Rockland. It was the first time Monroe-Woodbury had played together as a team, and the Crusaders were able to build confidence heading into the season. "It exceeded our expectations," Waldron said. "We were a new team and hadn't worked together and we were very competitive. It gave us a feel of how we'd do this year." "We definitely want it this year," Bessim said of the section title. "It's all up for grabs this year."
mwassef@th-record.com
Crusaders Win Sportsmanship Award!
|
The Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders were awarded the 2009/2010 Boys Sportsmanship Award by the Orange County Basketball Officials Association! The award was presented prior to the Crusaders game against Port Jervis at the Jim Taravella Invitational on December 18th, 2010. Congratulations to all of the players, coaches, staff and parents!
|
|
|
Jim Taravella Invitational
Mike Walsh (Senior) was name the "Offensive Player Of The Game" for the Crusader vs Port Jervis game on December 18, 2010. Mike scored 17 points and had a great overall afternoon! Mike has been a long standing member of the OC Crusaders AAU Basketball Program! The game was part of the Jim Taravella Invitational Tournament held at the Crusader Field House. Jim Taravella was the Crusaders long time coach who died unexpectantly in December of 2006. In 2005 Coach "T" was named the Times Herald Records "Coach of The Year". Four boys varsity games were played as part of the event which included Cornwall, Sullivan West, Goshen, Valley Central, Monticello, Washingtonville, Monroe-Woodbury and Port Jervis.
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Keith Sullivan |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jean, a 6-4 shooting guard, was an all-star player at Monroe-Woodbury. He attended prep school this past year at Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina where he averaged 20 pts per game. Sullivan coach Kevin DeVantier is excited to have Marvin on the team, "It goes without saying that both players will have a major impact on the team,' DeVantier said. "
Sullivan has routinely drawn talent from New York City, so gaining a pair of local standouts is important for home recruitment.
"It's vitally important for us here at SUNY Sullivan to attract and keep the top local talent home,' said athletic director Chris DePew. "With Cleanthony and Marvin joining our program, we accomplish that goal, as well as our goal to once again compete — and win — a national championship right on our home court.
|
|
|
|
The Academic All-Patriot League Team has been added for all sports beginning in the 2010-11 season to honor additional student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. The Football Academic All-Patriot League Team has 14 student-athletes to equal one-half the size of the sport’s All-Patriot League first team.
Sullivan maintains a 3.29 GPA as a history major and sociology/anthropology minor, while composing a 25-7 record a starter. Sullivan finished his career as the all-time Patriot League leader among quarterbacks with 2,337 rushing yards and was named to the 2010 All-Patriot League first team.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor. The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer.
Kieran Begley is a former OC Crusader player....and he has a great story to tell! Click on the headline below and be prepared to be inspired....
My Name Is Kieran Begley and I Know What It Is Like To Get Cut From The Team
My name ...
|
|
|
|
The Crusaders are not only a great club for working on your basketball skills! Several former players are now making their marks on the music scene. We are very proud of all of our former players, especially the ones listed below. We hope you take a few minutes to click on the links and check out their talents! TURN THOSE SPEAKERS ON!
Andy Grammer - Former Crusader Basketball Player (2002 MWHS Graduate ) Performs on the Rachel Ray Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQjP8L5A_8Q
Mike Tangney - Fomrer Crusader Basketball Player (2000 MWHS Graduate)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6nMoz0LOQ8
Eric Sosler, Pete Marotta and Mike Esserman - Former Basketball Players (2000 MWHS Graduate)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBMgNI_4wF4&feature=player_embedded#!
Thursday, July 29
Crusader Family Mourns The Loss of A Former Player
Monroe Woodbury Athletic Club Dinner
Thursday, June 10
2010 Tommy Dowd Tournament
2010 Tom Dowd Girls Memorial Tournament
Monday, April 26
The Crusaders 11U Boys
Crusaders 2010 AAU Season Off To Great Start
Monday, April 5
Who Are The Crusaders?
The Crusaders 14U Girls Team
Click Here For Information on the 2010 Crusaders Senior Night
Click Here - 2010 MW Basketball Dinner Recap and Photos
Click Here For An Update On Some OC Crusader Players in College
Click Here for an Exciting Recap of the OC Crusaders National 5th Place Finish in 2009 - 17U
Thursday, July 16
The 2009 season is behind us now (except for the Boys 17U team-see article below) and as always, it was an unforgettable experience! The Tom Dowd tournaments (Pre-Season Tune-Up, Girls Memorial and Boys Memorial) were all a great success. We had more then 200 teams compete in what it the main fundraiser for the Tom Dowd Scholarship. Next, our Crusader teams all played terrific, won their fair share of games and represented our club in such a way that we were all very proud of them! We hope all of the players and parents had a good experience and we look forward to seeing everyone next year!
2009 Tom Dowd Schaorlship Awards - Click Here
|
|
|
|
| Getting Ready For The Big Event |
WOW!
The 2009 Tom Dowd Memorial AAU Basketball Tournament was one of our best events ever!!!! There were 125 teams that played over 200 games on 13 courts in two days and all but one of the games came off as scheduled (one team could not play one game on Sunday). The secret to our success was good matchups, great gyms, certified referees, excellent teams, proffessional photos for sale, and of course........award winning concession stands! Congratulations to teams such as the Husson Valley Wolves, Newburgh Boys & Girls Club, BC Eagles, Playmaker Academy, Long Island Lightning, Edge Athletics, Back to Basics and Brooklyn Patriots for having teams that won their pools.
|
|
|
|
| 17U Team at the Tommy Dowd | |
...and the Crusaders continue to roll! Back in the late 90's when our club was in it's infancy.....we were happy if we could keep the margin we lost by under 20 points. We lost by scores like 107-38 and 77-21. Boy what ten years can do for a club! From last years 17U Boys AAU National Champions to all of the success we are having in 2009 - Tom (Dowd) would be shocked if he could see us now! Last week our 17U Boys team coached by Kevin Houston entered the Junior Boys DII AAU District Qualifiers held in Long Island. 32 of the best 17U teams in the region went head to head....and after a week of games.....the Crusaders faced the Newburgh Boys & Girls Club for the NY DII Championship! While Newburgh took the game, the Crusaders faced off against Newbugh the following week for the opening game of the Tommy Dowd Tournament and this time the Crusaders got their revenge, winning on a 3-point buzzer beater by Luke Houston
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 14U Boys - Prendergast | |
|
|
|
|
| Ray, Sarah and Gerard Dowd |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| TOMMY DOWD - CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION | |
The 2009 Tom Dowd Memorial Girls Tournament Schedule and Team Key is now posted. Click on the link in the menu to the left.........
For the Boys Tournament (May 29-31) - we only a few openings as we now have over 115 teams registered. We will be using 13 courts for this event and look forward to seeing all of you again! Tom Dowd was our clubs first coach back in 1997. He coached our boys 13U team even though he did not have a child on the team (his son TJ was younger). He continued to coach for us until September 11th, 2001 when he became a victim of the attack on the World Trade Center. He was only 37 years old. This tournament is the main fundraiser for the Tom Dowd Memorial Scholarship. To date we have awarded over $50,000 to qualifying high school seniors.
Monday, May 18
Help support the Monroe Woodbury Baseball Booster Club and have a chance to meet the JONAS BROTHERS!. Raffle tickets are on sale for four tickets to the Jonas Brothers concert at the IZOD center on July 14th, 2009. Click on the handout below for more details!
|
|
|
|
The 2009 AAU season "officially" kicked off with the holding of the Tom Dowd Pre Season Tune-Up! The tournament took palce March 27-29 and featured some excellent teams includiing Hoop Nation, Kingston Komets, Rockland Rockets, BC Eagles, Yorktown Emeralds and others! The tournament was well organized with all games running on time, games played on great courts, with certified referees, and tournament supplied staff to keep the official book and clock!
|
|
|
The division championship games were very competitive and went down to the wire! In the 10U bracket, the Rockland Rockets beat the Kingston Komets in a real thriller! This game was played on the main court at the Crusader Field House. The OC Crusaders 12U team coached by John Coffey won the 11/12U division, and the OC Crusaders 13U team won a tough game against Hoop Nation held on the main court at Monroe Woodburys middle school! In the 14U division the Rockland Rockets edged the Kingston Komets in a close game. Overall everyone seemed to have a great time!
Saturday, March 21
CRUSADERS AAU BASKETBALL SPRING BREAK MINI CAMP (Boys & Girls)
THE CAMP PLANNED FOR THIS WEEK HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ENOUGH REGISTRATIONS! CONTACT CINDY FOR REFUNDS DUE (CINDYTAGS@YAHOO.COM)
Saturday, March 7
CRUSADERS MAKE AN IMPACT!
O.C. Crusader players are once again making an impact on the local basketball scene (CLICK ...
The Crusader Field House located at Monroe-Woodbury High School was the site of the 2nd annual "Jim Taravella Invitational". Eight local High School varsity basketball teams converged on the gym for four quality games all taking place on Saturday, December 20th. Jim Taravella was Monore-Woodbury's varsity basketball coach who unexpectantly passed away in December of 2006. He was only 57 years old. In addition to the games, the Orange County Referees Association presented Coach Bill Earl (Monroe-Woodbury) with a $250 donation to the Jim Taravella Scholarship Fund. Click on the photo to the left for more pictures and see the link in the menu to the left for more information on the tournament results.
2008 was the most exciting in Crusader history! Of course our top story was that our boys 17U team won the 2008 AAU DII National Championship played in Florida! This was on top of our boys 16U team being the runner up in the 2008 National Classic Championship played in Arkansas!
For lots more on our 2008 championships click the link in the "National Champions" link in the menu to the left!
Both our girls teams and our boys teams experienced great success and we had more then our share of tournament wins! Most importantly all of our players improved their basketball skills. The Tom Dowd Tournaments were the best ever and more then 185 teams participated. We gave out over $15,000 in scholarships, grants and donations.
The Crusaders are receiving both local and national attention. ...
Each year during the Tom Dowd Memorial Tournament, we sponsor a "mens ...
Things kicked off on Saturday morning with 16 games starting at 9:00am. Game continued every hour and 15 minutes with the last game on Saturday tipping off at 8:15pm. Between games there were great concessions including ice cold drinks, hot dogs, pizza, nachos and cheese, bagels, chips and candy and much more! There were collectable t-shirts, raffle tickets and 50-50 tickets for sale at each and every site!
Jim Taravella was the boys varisty basketball coach for Monroe Woodbury High School. He had been the JV coach for 17 years prior to being named the head coach in 2001. In 2005 he was named the Times Herald Records Coach of the Year as he led the team to the Section Nine Championship. He unexpectantly passed away during this 2005/2006 season and we miss him very much. Please visit the "In Memory Of Jim Taravella" link in the menu to the left and learn more about our "Coach".
This season some of our teams will compete in the AAU regional qualifiers! This will be the first time teams from our club have participated in these events and we wish our players and coaches good luck! Visit our "Albums" link and take a look at the many photos we have posted
Crusaders Donate To Local Food Pantry (click headlne)
CRUSADERS GO NATIONAL
Photos From The 2008 Tom Dowd Tournament
Additional Photos From The 2008 Tom Dowd Tournament (Girls & Boys)
The 2008 Tom Dowd Scholarship Winners Honored At Dinner
Every game was included two certified basketball referees on the court and over 85 different referees worked games during the tournament. There is no "running time" in the Tom Dowd Tournament. Each game included 16 minutes of "stop clock" time and there were several overtime and even double overtime games and more then 275 games were played in less the 72 hours
Teams came from all over the tri-state area to compete in this annual event that is the main fundraiser for the Tom Dowd Memorial Scholarship Fund. Some of the participants with multiple teams entered included the Pocono Trailblazers, Brooklyn Patriots, Edge Athletics, Rockland Rockets, Elite Basketball, The NY Phantoms, Newburgh Zion Lions, Westchester Hawks, Long Island Lightning, Rockland Falcons, Crush Athletics, Boys & Girls Club of Mt. Vernon, Minutemen, Suffern Storm, Rockland Falcons, Playmaker Academy, Teaches Hoops, BC Eagles and many more!
Orange County Crusaders WOW Them at the GymRat Tournament!
Sunday, July 29
Wednesday, June 6
Sunday, April 29
Attention Monroe Woodbury Seniors: Visit the "Tom Dowd Scholarship" link to see if you qualify to apply for this scholarship.....if so download the 2007 application, fill it out and send it in by April 15th!
Looking for scimmages? You can contact us at orangecountycrusaders@gmail.com
Sunday, February 11
Friday, January 26
Sunday, February 11
Sunday, February 11
The 2006 Boys Varsity Team
Thursday, December 14
2005 Varsity Team
