Week 5: LoHud.com Top 10, Girls Basketball
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- December
- 29
Well, my early-season bragging has officially come to a humbling end.
Since we last met in the land of Top 10s, North Rockland (twice), Ursuline and Lourdes all lost. The most surprising, of course, is North Rockland, which has lost to Albertus and Putnam Valley after I proclaimed it on a level alone with White Plains and Lakeland. Hopefully, you can all forget I ever said that, particularly the Albertus and Put Valley communities. OBVIOUSLY, I was just kidding around. Obviously…
Looking at it now, I don’t really know how to figure spots 3 through 10 with any certainty. I expect them to fluctuate rapidly on a weekly basis, leading to rapid changes, leading me to distance myself from my predictions and comments in an even more rapid fashion.
Allow me to start now…
1. White Plains (7-1): All dressed up at the County Center and nowhere to go. Must’ve been beyond annoyed watching last night’s Slam Dunk action.
2. Lakeland (4-0): Tackling the Yorktown tournament beginning today. Every game presents risk, but an undefeated regular season is not out of the question.
3. Scarsdale (6-1): Resting comfortably on break and begins second half of season against Greeley.
4. Pearl River (4-1): Pirates are so solid and meeting with Albertus after Slam Dunk will be one of the best games in Rockland all season.
5. Albertus Magnus (5-0): Falcons beating North Rockland really unsettled the landscape. I don’t know if anyone else has played better so far this season.
6. North Rockland (5-3): Two losses in a row is a huge surprise for a team this talented. Rebounding (from the losses, not missed shots) will present a huge challenge but is certainly possible.
7. Ursuline (3-2): Seriously, the Koalas are 13 decent seconds from moving to fifth. But that’s basketball.
8. Our Lady of Lourdes (1-3): Totally bailing on Warriors would be a huge mistake. They have too much history and have faced a brutal schedule. Plus, I still think they’d be favored over anyone below them.
9. Haldane (5-1): Blue Devils among the idle, as is…
10. Briarcliff (7-1): Hamlin family among those who frequented the County Center last night and among those who did so in street clothes.
ON THE BUBBLE: Mount Vernon (6-1), Maria Regina (7-3), Beacon (7-1).
Let me know what you think…
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“Please check out my feature today on Irvington coach Gina Maher,”:LoHud.com/girlshoops who is the longest tenured basketball coach in the LoHud, boys or girls. I only know her through one previous meeting and my interview for the story this week, but from everything I was told by those around her Maher sounds like an incredibly important figure in the Irvington community.
I ask a lot of coaches about their former players off in college. Some have updates, while others don’t. Some speak to them often, others don’t. But with Maher it’s not just a quick bio of “Where are they now?” She KNOWS them. Their jobs. Their husbands. Their children. Everything.
Among the many great quotes and anecdotes I didn’t use in the story says as much as anything. Peggy Hickey, the mom of Carey Hickey, the Dobbs point guard, played for Maher and the two still keep dinner dates. I asked Peggy Hickey whether or not her girls (Beth, former Dobbs and Manhattanville star, and Carey) know Maher and she said this: “Oh yeah. When I go to dinner with her, they want to go with me.”
Can you say anything better about someone than that?
This entry was posted
on Friday, December 29th, 2006 at 3:00 am by Josh Thomson. 
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Josh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. Away from sportswriting, Josh lives in Westchester and spends his free time either with his wife, Sarah, or expertly managing his various championship-winning fantasy sports teams. He's visited 21 major-league baseball stadiums and insists that Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are the best by far. Josh graduated from Carmel High School in 1998, then went to Boston University, where, in 2002, he received a degree in communications with a minor in history.
Hey josh
Being a Carmel guy, What about Carmel HS Girls BB
The are 6 and 2 and just hosted a tourn. in honer of
Ass. Coach Ron Weaver. They also have a couple of
players. Check them out.
Hello everyone, Happy New Year . I was just wondering when are you guys going to do cover story on the Freshmen point guard from Ramapo High School in Rockland Cty NY. We all think that they’re doing a great job and are really starting to jell as a team. The Guards name is Jameisha Parker, and she’s sent shock waves through Ramapo High , Giving the Students something to Cheer for.
m murphy—-i think that carmel needs to play some decent comp before they get a mention, don’t you? we all know meaghan’s a star…but i’m not convinced the rest of the team is good enough to get them ranked just yet. but no doubt they have started off the season well. and don’t forget that josh is also a carmel guy…so he will mention them in the top ten the second they deserve it, i am sure!!!
mr parker—granted the gryphons are 7-1…but they have played worse comp than even carmel! let wait to see how ms parker fares against nyack, peekskill and north rock before we annoint her (although for a freshman to average over 16 ppg in her first 8 games is nothing to sneeze at no matter what the level of the comp).