Flooks wins Costa award
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- March
- 28
I just got home from the Section 1 girls basketball awards dinner in Peekskill where White Plains senior Liz Flooks was named the recipient of the Isabel Costa Award. Flooks was the last person honored tonight (and received a trophy the size of a 6-year-old), but they also announced all-section, all-section honorable mention, all-state, all-academic, coaches of the year and league MVPs.
The keynote speaker was Marist coach Brian Giorgis. The former Lourdes coach was funny and had a lot of great thoughts to offer on his team’s trip to the Sweet Sixteen.
If anyone has any thoughts on any of the selections or awards, please drop ‘em here. I’ll be back tomorrow, but a big thank you to everyone who complimented me tonight. I appreciate everything that was said.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, March 28th, 2007 at 10:27 pm 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 fiancee, 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.
I know that many players were worthy candidates for the Costa award, but the determined, selfless, talented and classy play of Liz Flooks this year surely justifies her selection.
Congrats to Liz, her parents and her coach!
Congrats to Liz Flooks….
Josh,
Who is the favorite for the Player of the Year? I noticed that you didn’t answer that question earlier in the week.
Mike…How can I give a favorite for the player of the year when the season is already over??? Wouldn’t that person then BE the player of the year?
Our all-star section will run in the middle of April, one in Westchester/Putnam and one in Rockland. There will be a girls basketball player of the year for each, as well as a first team, second team, honorable mention and coach of the year.
As for me not answering Davis’ question a few days ago about CRITERIA, that’s because I believe I had answered it in the past.
If not, here goes: There is no specific criteria for being nominated. What I do is I have a coaches panel from coaches from different classes throughout the section and have them vote on who belongs on the first team and second team, and who deserves to win the coach of the year and the player of the year. I then consider their opinion, as well as mine, and then come to a determination.
At this stage, I’m not going to mention any specific names. You’ll just all have to wait until the all-star section comes out.
Congrats Liz!!! u deserved this!! I cant wait to see what she does @ Niagara…the best is yet to come!! CONGRATS! well deserved, it couldnt have gone to a more deserving player!
Josh, What I think Mike was looking for was your favorite to win this years “Player of the Year� award!
The problem that I see with not having specific criteria is that it leaves too much room for interpretation and it’s too subjective. It can easily turn into a popularity contest and what team gets more press.
For example, Jaki Goldner, was selected 4th Team All State but WASN’T selected All Section even though she put up big numbers with 456 points this year. That just doesn’t make sense…
Why keep STATS if you aren’t going to use them to distinguish one player from another? If Jaki’s STATS were good enough to get 4th Team All State why not All Section? That is the problem with being nominated based on opinion. In this example, Jaki clearly deserves both.
The coaches’ panel is a good idea, depending if you have representation from all classes in Section One.
Josh, you have seen White Plains play more than any other team this year and judging by the gushing compliments Sue Adams gave you at the Section One Dinner one would think it was a campaign speech for this award.
First come up with base line criteria based on STATS and that should help narrow the field. As you know everyone has an opinion, but you can’t argue with STATS!
I agree with many other people who have contributed to this blog this year. You have done a nice job covering Girls High School Basketball.
Carl…To tackle your points:
1. Jaki Goldner was selected all-section. She was honored at last night’s dinner.
2. You can’t use stats as a criteria. Lakeland’s Amy Voelkel didn’t meet whatever criteria you would probably establish, yet she was first team all-state in Class A and led her team to Westchester County’s first state championship since 2000. I’d say those are some pretty decent credentials, and they are far from subjective.
3. As I said, in my last post, I do have a representative from each class on the coaches panel. Actually, there are at least two reps from every class, plus myself, who saw about 60% of the teams play, and about 70 or 75% of the Westchester/Putnam teams play.
4. I don’t think you’re giving the coaches enough credit. They go out and watch other teams play on their free time and wouldn’t be swayed by press. They know these girls.
5. I’ve seen White Plains play as much as I have for one reason everyone here conveniently ignores: WP has played 82 games the last three years; other teams have played 60 or fewer. That’s a huge difference.
6. It’s incredibly insulting that you think I would be swayed by someone paying me a compliment. That is absurd. I am a reporter. I gather information and make the best decisions with that information. And guess what? Compliments are not included in the compiling.
Josh, I am on ur side!! so far and i can only imagine that for the futre the awards that are given out go to the most deserving player! stats can be one criteria and they obviously are, however stats do not make everything, at all. Being a team leader, playing good defense, taking your team deep into the tournament all have an effect on what honors are given to what players as they should. TO say that josh is swayed by compliments is complete bs, the players who deserved awards got them, bottom line. However, I can not stress enough how stats are not sooo important, they dont make the player. A player can score 20 points a game but lack defense, team spirit, hussle, or team play and her team looses in the first round and what good is that or what kind of a player does it make her? Stats do create a basis for the player, but they are not the only thing and to say that awards are given out to the wrong people is rediculous. JOsh, after saying all of this, I do have one question which is similar to the accusations made about goldner….Nora got all-state 7th team, and did not make all-section, just honorable mention, what gives there? she had fairly compeling stats, and you could say its because Hasting lost second round that she didnt get all-section, however teammate allie long did so whats up w that?
ballin…I don’t know what happened with Nora. I thought she deserved it, but I know it can be tough. Each league only gets a certain number of spots to fill, and sometimes a player who may be deserving doesn’t make all-section.
Personally, I like how the Section 1 boys determine their all-section picks. They split it into all-conference, so a certain number of players are named all-conference in each conference. That way the players are judged against those in their conference, which is certainly a more fair way to do it.
I agree with the fact that stats aren’t ALL you have to look at. Some kids just play offense, and some play in weak leagues so their stats seem more impressive. The coaches on the panel along with the writers have the best idea who should win such awards, lets leave it at that.
just becuase someone has high stats doesnt automatically make somoene think that offense is all they play. what about the defensive STATS… steals, rebounds, blocked shots ect… just becuase someone has a high scoring average doesnt mean thats all that person does.
i agree with section1er. steals, rebounds, blocks and assists should come into play. the problem is that those stats are not compiled for all the teams…but they should be.
Josh,
I didn’t see Jaki listed anywhere in the program for the Section One Dinner, so that is why it didn’t appear that she made All Section.
As far as the number of White Plains games that you covered this year: I was referring to their regular season schedule, not sectionals, regional’s or States.
Just to be clear, I wasn’t implying that you would be swayed by someone paying you a compliment. I think you have done a great job reporting, and promoting Girls High School Basketball.
I don’t know of many coaches who have much free time during the regular season or sectionals to watch other players from outside their league, much less their class. Having practice five days a week mixed in with games, where is this free time?
That is where the politics come into play! Who plays a tougher schedule, league, or class?
As far as STATS go, I do feel that scoring, rebounding, blocks, steals, & assists should count for something. What about playing great “D�, being a team leader or getting your team to the next level? That is the CRITERIA that I was looking at!
Is there any truth that Lourdes now wants to leave Section One and move to Section Nine where their odds to win a Section Tile will be easier?
i feel that if youre giving out individual awards, you should look at individual achievements. offensive stats and defensive stats should take up a big chunk… as well as being a team leader, however, once you start looking at how far the team has gone, and how much support THAT player has, you automatically start judging on that players surroundings. its luck that lakeland has 5 stars… or flooks has adams and vice versa… but being in public schools, you cant help where you live. and maybe taking a team far isnt getting a section title, maybe its getting to the second round, or having one of the first winning seasons. some players have to make the best of whats around and get short ended becuase so many people look at these great teams, who dont have one star.. and dont have one ‘leader’ even though it may seem that way. take these points into consideration, becuase on some teams, you see players playing out of position, becuase they dont have that support a great team might have.. for example,a 5 taking the ball down the court becuase there is no natural PG.. or a girl who is 5’7 down low on the block.. once you look at the team who has gotten far, you look at the TEAM not the player, becuase one person cant take a team to states, or to a section final. lakeland got there with 5. white plains got there with their starS. just take it into consideration
Josh,
Is there a link to the all section teams or a list of the recipients?
fan…
I posted them a while back. “Here’s the complete list.”:http://sixthman.lohudblogs.com/2007/03/12/all-section-mvps-and-coaches-of-the-year/