To tell you the truth, I think I’ve improved on TV since joining VC Extra in December. However, I am clearly a little more descriptive with the written word, as evident by last night’s performance answering your phone calls.

With the lady away for the night and the apartment to myself, I kept thinking about it, and kept contemplating how I could’ve elaborated better.

Thankfully, I’m a writer, and this space gives me the opportunity to expound:

QUESTION #1: Rich from Irvington asks about how the non-league schedules are constructed, particularly Woodlands, which, he says, played a few “tomato cans…”

First, many thanks to Rich for dusting off the phrase “tomato can,” something used to tag a journeyman boxer put in the ring to take a beating from a champion. It’s a condemning phrase and I love it.

Now, to answer his question let’s break down the schedule of Woodlands and Nanuet, given what I know about schedule-making:

Woodlands, played 19 games
— 10 were vs. League III-B opponents (Ardsley, Edgemont, Eastchester, Rye and Pelham, each twice)
— 2 look like mandatory Conference III crossovers vs. Hastings and Pleasantville based on league finishes from the previous year
— 2 were from the Tuckahoe tournament (vs. Eastchester and vs. Blessed Sacrament, the Eastchester game was used as a league game)
— 2 were from another tournament, not sure of the host (Sacred Heart and Masters)
— Looks like the four wild card games were: Briarcliff, Magnus, Good Counsel, and Nanuet
— Obviously, the Briarcliff, Magnus and Nanuet games were very strong; the Good Counsel game was not, but Woodlands did play in the same two tournaments in ‘06-07
— My take: if you wanted to take exception with the schedule, there are two places to point, the Good Counsel game and game No. 20…if you throw in a crossover vs. Irvington or Valhalla or Blind Brook or Maria Regina, I don’t think you could complain about it

Nanuet, 20 games
— 10 league games (vs. Irvington, Magnus, Sleepy Hollow, Pearl River, Hastings)
— 1 crossovers (looks like Edgemont…not sure what happened with League III-A crossover)
— 2 from Ardsley tournament (vs. Put Valley, Somers)
— 2 from Nanuet tournament (vs. Magnus, Tappan Zee)
— 2 from Somers tournament (vs. Somers, Tappan Zee)
— 2 from other tournament, not sure the host (vs. Magnus, Nyack)
— 2 wild cards (vs. Rye, Woodlands)
— Note: one of Magnus tournament games counted as a league game
— My take: lots of tournaments that were stronger than those Woodlands played in, and that’s the only difference

Hopefully this example helps. The point is, teams don’t have as much say in what happens with their schedule as you think.

QUESTION #2: Tim from White Plains asks what I think about the job turned in this season by Sue Adams?

As I said on the show, I think this is the best coaching job she’s done in the last four seasons. Here’s why:

— The ‘05 team had FIVE eventual Division I players, all of which were 5-foot-10 and up, and never had to beat the top seed, Mount Vernon, to win the title (MV, if you remember, was upset by Ossining in the semifinals; White Plains owned Ossining that year, winning all three head-to-head meetings)
— The ‘06 team had FIVE eventual Division I players, all of which were 5-foot-10 and up, and had a year’s worth of experience after reaching the ‘05 state final
— The ‘07 team had THREE eventual Division I players, including the area’s two players of the year (Kim Adams won our award; Liz Flooks won from Section 1), and the experience of having won the last two championships and appearing in the last two state finals

Even though last year was much tougher, I think most people generally felt White Plains and North Rockland were the two teams with the most talent. But this year the Tigers probably have just ONE Division I player (Angelei Aguirre), although she, too, is a candidate for player of the year. Also, despite having won the last three titles, Aguirre and Donika Rexhepi are the only players in the current rotation who played significant minutes on the ‘07 team. Had they gotten back to the final four with a more favorable draw it wouldn’t have been as surprising. But they beat teams with a combined record of 30-11, one of which beat them twice during the regular season. In a way, I think that makes this Adams greatest achievement as a coach, although the three straight titles will ultimately overshadow it. I just don’t know that they should.

QUESTION #3: Sabrina from Ossining asked what I thought about Peekskill almost beating Lakeland?

Two things:
1. Roberta Sleigh had a great impact. Peekskill was a much different animal when she returned.
2. Peekskill is on the rise.

— The Red Devils won just four games a year ago (I got that wrong on the show, said three). Two were against Port Chester, one came against Harrison, and the other vs. Byram Hills. Only the last of those came against a team near to .500.
— They doubled their win total this season to eight under coach Marvin Oliver, and nine of their 13 losses came by 11 points or less, meaning they were much more competitive. The increase in wins had nothing to do with strength of schedule.
— 8th grader Asia Jackson, and freshmen Jazmin Garcia, Tasia Nolan and Sheridan Taylor were four of the top five scorers on the team, meaning Peekskill will have a lot of talent to replace Sleigh, its leading scorer