The Bronx borough playoffs are different this year for Doug Porter. The Mott Haven coach isn’t merely trying to upset a few Class AA programs; he’s hoping to pick up a few things, too, in advance of the Bronx A East-champion Mavericks moving up next winner.
“It’s like a dress rehearsal,” he said. “We’re trying to see if we can compete at the ‘AA’ level.”
Fifth-seeded Mott Haven, ranked first by The Post in our NYC non-‘AA’ boys basketball rankings, already upset No. 4 Lehman, 74-66, on Tuesday and will meet top-seed Wings Academy in the semifinals on Thursday. No matter what happens from here on out, Porter – the PSAL’s version of Mike D’Antoni with his frenetic offense predicated on speed and 3-point shooting – said Mott Haven plans to accept a promotion. He’s already discussed it with Bronx commissioner Sean Couch and PSAL boys basketball coordinator Danny Harris.
When he was at South Bronx, he always thought of moving up, but wasn’t sure it would work. When the school split up and he went over to the brand new campus at Mott Haven, Porter felt the program could thrive.
Take this year, for example, he said. He only returned two players – point guard Robert Lloyd and forward Jessey Okeagu – but now has a title contender on his hands. Sophomore Taquan Givens has emerged as a lethal weapon off the bench and John F. Kennedy transfer Hakeem Grant led Bronx A East in scoring.
Porter is confident because of the school’s facilities: a large campus and two brand new gyms. The school is centrally located, on the Grand Concourse.
“I truly believe when it comes to high school basketball, it’s kind of like real estate: location, location, location, and we have tremendous location,” he said. “From anywhere in The Bronx, you can get to us in 35, 40 minutes. That makes it very convenient for kids out of middle school.”
Throw in the success between Mott Haven and South Bronx – in league they are 84-9 during the regular season over the last five years – and it was a no-brainer, Porter said. The JV team has just one loss this year and he plans to host a few junior high school events to drum up interest in the program.
“We’re hoping to attract a lot of good ninth graders to come and play here; to do that, you have to be ‘AA,'” Porter said. “We may have to take our lumps the first year or two. It may take a while to establish ourselves. I think we’re ready. It’s like when you decide to have kids – are you ever ready? We’ll just figure it out. I’d like to coach at the highest level in New York City.”
Before the move, however, there is still Thursday’s meeting with Wings and the PSAL Class A playoffs. Porter would love a title in his back pocket before moving up.
“I’d like to emulate Mike [Perazzo] at Transit tech,” Porter said. “He won back-to-back titles. I’ll take one.”
Brown glue to Bronx dynamo Wings Academy: Billy Turnage wanted Jaequan Brown two years ago, but the Wings Academy coach lost out to St. Raymond. Then Rice.
Better late than never for both parties.
When Rice closed last spring for financial reasons, Brown headed for Wings and has found a nice home at the Bronx AA powerhouse. The versatile 6-foot-4 forward is averaging 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals per game.
“He’s a glue guy,” Turnage said. “He does a little bit of everything. Every team needs a guy like that.”
Feeling more comfortable in Wings’ fast-paced get-it-and-go system, Brown has picked it up of late offensively for Wings. Turnage has been surprised by his shooting ability, but little else. Teammates love his toughness. In a tough 53-48 win at rival Eagle Academy, he not only played despite a 103 temperature, but had 11 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, picked up four steals, added three assists and even two blocks.
After playing on the freshman team at St. Raymond two years ago, he transferred to Rice because his mother couldn’t afford the Bronx school’s tuition. He sat out last year because of the Catholic school’s strict transfer rules, but gained invaluable experience practicing with the varsity and guarding current Cincinnati freshman Jermaine Sanders and St. Benedict’s Prep shooting guard Melvin Johnson, a Miami signee.
“That helped me a lot,” he said.
He’s used that experience this winter, serving as a needed complementary piece to Wings stars Justin Jenkins and Steven Gomez. His success has made Brown question his decision two years ago to attend St. Ray’s.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot: I should’ve come right to Wings out of eighth grade,” he said.
Nevertheless, he’s in the right place now.
“So far everything I hoped for has come true,” Brown said.
Akazi’s maturation on defensive end propelling Bayside: There was always a but when it came to Uzonna Akazi, Bayside’s talented 6-foot-7 forward. He was talented, he was long and athletic, he had untapped potential, but …
He’s taken out the preposition this winter.
Excelling on the defensive end and rebounding like coach Cory Semper has always wanted, Akazi has blossomed as a senior into the inside presence Bayside has so badly needed. With star junior Austin Williams missing the last six games with a left MCL knee injury, Akazi has emerged further, one of the reasons Bayside is one of the hottest teams in the PSAL, winners of 11 straight.
“We needed senior leadership and he brought that to the table,” Semper said.
Akazi, who came to Bayside as a raw sophomore with little organized basketball experience, averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game for the co-Queens AA champion. He began the borough playoffs with a 23-point, four-block performance in a 61-41 rout of John Adams.
“He’s had games like this last year, just not as consistent,” Semper said. “He’s taken the defense end more seriously. He’s hustling back, blocking shots. He knew he had to do that. He’s the biggest guy on the floor [for us]. Colleges are going to look for him to do things also.”
The fourth-year coach said St. Francis College has expressed interest, along with several prominent junior colleges. Semper is unsure if Akazi will qualify to play Division I basketball; it depends how he does the rest of the school year.
NOTES:
Bayside junior guard Austin Williams is unlikely to return for the borough playoffs this week, coach Cory Semper said. Williams has yet to practice on his balky left knee. Junior Daquise Andrews has played well in Williams’ absence. … Connecticut assistant Kevin Ollie caught South Shore’s 58-44 victory over George Westinghouse in the opening round of the Brooklyn borough quarterfinals to catch a glimpse of South Shore point guard Terrence Samuel. The Huskies are now showing interested in the heavily recruited Samuel. … Eagle Academy forward Jalen Chapman will take an official visit to Manhattan Feb. 23, his father said. He attended the Manhattan-Iona game on Saturday. … Saturday’s PSAL borough championship games will be held at York College, according to a PSAL source. Times have yet to be announced. … For the second straight year, Gompers guard Carlos Galan led all Class AA players in scoring, with 375 total points and 23.4 per contest.