Rocco Sellitto, Coach and Director of Red Hook Basketball/Lady Ravens was named Kearney Varsity Coach this week. He will take over the team from GCHSAA Hall Of Fame Coach Cathy Crockett. She resigned at the end of last season after over 20 years at Kearney. 

Coach Sellitto has coached the Kearney JV team for the past 4 years. He has been coaching and teaching the game of basketball to boys and girls in some capacity for over 20 years as a coach and basketball clnic and camp instructor. He is excited about building upon the foundation that is in place at Bishop Kearney High School.

"There will be some adjustments for the players, but I know that it will be a smooth transition. I have already coached everyone of the players as they came through JV," said Coach Sellitto. "I have a strong senior leader in Meghan McGoorty, and an athletic core of younger players coming up."

He expects to be competitive in one of the toughest girls' basketball leagues around.  

The Red Hook Lady Ravens will participate in the Conrad McRae League in Brooklyn for the first time. This follows the Lady Ravens competitive runs in the Rose Classic. The Conrad McRae League is organized by  Cleon Hyde and Anton Marchand who are known for the renowned Rose Classic that is held in the spring and fall.

The teams participating in this summer's Conrad McRae League are the Exodus Lions, Team Mika, Lady Warriors, Lady Falcons, Team CEO, Team Marbury, Brooklyn Saints, Team Prince, Lady X-Men and the Red Hook Lady Ravens. 

The Lady Ravens features an interesting mix of players from various high schools. The Conrad McRae team is being coached by Grady Reid. Who has previously coached the Lady Ravens younger teams in summer league play.

The Lady Ravens team players are: Sam Retas (Bishop Kearney), Jaclyn Grasso (Bishop Kearney), Taylor Raccuglia (Bishop Kearney), Nora Elbassiony (Goldstein), Caroline Thurlow (Bishop Kearney), Ariel Brizand (St Edmunds), Laren Lowe ( Banneker), Tyana Hale (Lincoln), Kate Dowd (Bishop Kearney), Kayla Williams (Erasmua Hall), Monet Keane Dawes (Midwood) and Cynthia Montano (Bishop Ford) who is scheduled to come off the injured list in August. 

Several of the Lady Ravens have played together in summer leagues before. How well the team does will depend on getting all the players on the same page.  Coach Grady Reid is up to the challenge.

The coaches who have been involved with the Redhook Basketball teams are developing a new website. This site will be devoted to player development and Basketball IQ. It is important for basketball players to develop a strong foundation of basketball fundamentals and IQ , so that they can continue to improve their skills to get to the next level.

It is believed that the fundamentals of basketball have taken a backseat to "flash" and undisciplined skills. This is evident in many of the female players who get to the high school level. It is important that the young player is taught these basic fundamentals early in their basketball experience.

A player who has a strong foundation of the fundamental basketball skills will be able to continue to build on those skills. Without these skills, a player will have trouble competing at the higher levels.

Many in the women's game including the WBCA (Womens Basketball Coaches Association) have supported the need to develop fundamentally sound players at the grassroots level.

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