When the PSAL formed a Class AA league, the idea was to create equality throughout the city, give everyone a chance to compete for a postseason berth and city championship.
It has done all those things, but it has also created inequity in Manhattan.
When FDA moved down to Manhattan A Northwest three years ago following an 0-15 campaign, Manhattan AA became a four-team division and has remained that way. By contrast, Queens AA and Brooklyn AA have eight teams apiece and Bronx AA has seven. To make up for having just four teams, Manhattan teams play crossover games against The Bronx.
Still, there are 21 teams classified as ‘A’ in Manhattan, which raises questions. In last year’s borough tournament, Wadleigh was the only ‘AA’ team to win in the opening round.
“I know there are teams refusing to move up, and they shouldn’t have an option,” said Wadleigh coach Mike Crump, whose Tigers have owned the borough over the last several seasons, winning six straight Manhattan crowns and seven division titles in a row. “If I was in the PSAL, I’d make them move up. … I don’t like the idea we have to go to The Bronx and if we lose, we get penalized.”
“There are enough teams in Manhattan to have an eight-team ‘AA’ division,” he went on. “It would make it a little bit more competitive.”
New Manhattan borough commissioner Ray Haskins said he would like to see more ‘AA’ teams, but doesn’t see any clear program deserving of promotion. One PSAL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in past years top ‘A’ teams have refused a promotion, though Haskins isn’t aware of that.
“There are teams that are pretty good ball clubs, on the fringe of being ‘AA,’ but it’s very difficult to take that step up because it’s so competitive,” he said. “In order to move up, you have to be a lot more competitive than what it has been.”
Indeed, it’s not as if Manhattan ‘A’ teams have won city titles in recent years. In fact, Graphic Communication Arts went the furthest last year, to the quarterfinals. In 2010, Martin Luther King Jr. was knocked out in the same round.
“We have our hands full to beat ‘A’ teams,” Graphic coach Patrick Gaffney said.
Hunter College HS has been consistently at the top of Manhattan A East, but has yet to even be offered a promotion, coach Neil Potter said. He’s happy in the ‘A’ league – the Hawks met Wadleigh in the borough tournament two years ago and lost by 32.
“It can go so terribly wrong,” Potter said. “Look at George Westinghouse in Brooklyn – they were ranked No. 1 [in Class A] and now they’re suffering. … What if you have a great team, a once-in-a-lifetime team, with juniors and seniors? So you have a two-year run, maybe like Long Island City [last year] and you get to the final. But if LIC moves up to ‘AA,’ they would be done in the first round.”
“There’s such a substantial difference in talent level,” he added.
There is also the issue of coaching turnover. Manhattan A East-leading Norman Thomas has a new coach in Thomas McVeigh, as does Manhattan A Southwest’s Murry Bergtraum (Nimrod Clouden) and perennial Manhattan A Northwest power Environmental Studies (Eugene Downs) does as well.
Gaffney, the Graphic Communication coach whose club leads Manhattan A Northewst, said he would welcome a promotion. He feels it would enhance his program’s appeal and while it may lead to a few losing seasons, would bring more positives than negatives.
“It would make our players better,” Gaffney said.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough coaches who feel the same way.
Smith tops 1,000-point plateau for Manhattan Village: The Silver Hawks have improved each of the last three years, finishing fourth two years ago, third last season and in second now. The explanation for the improvement is rather simple: The presence and development of junior guard Amir Smith.
“He’s pretty much the program,” the fifth-year coach said. “He’s changed the program. He’s brought toughness. He guards the best player, he takes the big shot.”
In three seasons, Smith has made plenty of shots, and became the first player in Manhattan Village’s brief history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in Wednesday’s 94-22 rout of Fashion Industries. The 5-foot-11 combo guard poured in 22 points as Manhattan Village remained a game behind WHEELS in the loss column in Manhattan B-3.
Smith’s scoring average has dropped slightly this winter – from 22 points per game to 17 – as he has become more of a playmaker. It has allowed talented sophomore Tyler Singleton and freshman Charles Holley to break out, which has helped Manhattan Village as well.
“He just makes plays, on offense and defense,” Lloyd said of Smith, who has drawn interest from Division II programs College of St. Rose and Concordia though he doesn’t play AAU basketball. “He’s our best ball handler, he’s our best scorer. He’s very valuable.”
NOTES:
Wings Academy guard Justin Jenkins is under-recruited no more. The talented 6-foot-1 combo guard has picked up scholarship offers from Fairifield, LIU and St. Peter’s College since Sunday and Marist, Quinnipiac, Niagara and Manhattan are all interested. … Francis Lewis’ six-game league win streak came to an end in a 61-49 loss at Queens A West-leading Long Island City, though the Patriots did lead by a point in the fourth quarter. All of the wins have come under interim coach Gerard Ciarleglio, who took over for Perry Dortch after the longtime coach resigned. … PSAL Class AA’s best will be busy this weekend. Boys & Girls visits Lincoln then hosts Curtis on Sunday while Lincoln takes on Vaux (Pa.) on Monday in the Big Apple Basketball High School Invitational. Cardozo plays twice in the local tournament, meeting New London (Conn.) and Providence-bound guard Kris Dunn on Saturday and defending New York State Federation Class AA champion Mount Vernon on Monday. Wings meets Vaux Saturday in the High School Invitational and New Jersey powerhouse St. Benedict’s Prep Monday for the I Have a Dream Classic in the Garden State.