By JOHN LIKANJE
The annual Bishop Kearney Christmas Showcase is set to tip off Friday at Bishop Kearney High School with 17 teams from Upstate New York taking the court over the course of 11 games. Tickets are $5 for both students and senior citizens and $8 for adults. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Gilda’s Club Rochester. Here’s the breakdown of each team:
AQUINAS L’IL IRISH (Private-Parochial Division I/Class AA)
Current Record: 1-3
Head Coach: John McCauley
Points scored per game: 67.7
Points allowed per game: 72.3
Players to watch: Myles Blackwood So. F/G, Jack Bleier So. G, Wesley Henderson Jr. F, Steve Mahar Sr. C/F, Jack Scanlon Sr. G
Opponent: Elmira Free Academy (IV)
BISHOP KEARNEY KINGS (Private-Parochial Division I/Class AA)
Current Record: 1-3
Head Coach: Kevin Goode
Points scored per game: 57.0
Points allowed per game: 77.0
Players to watch: Michael Gentile Sr. G, Miles Monchecourt Sr. F, Miles Rose So. G, Antwan Williams Sr. F
Opponents: Global Concepts (VI) and Niagara Falls (VI)
BISHOP KEARNEY LADY KINGS (Private-Parochial Division I/AA)
Current Record: 2-1
Head Coach: Kevin Sheppard
Points scored per game: 54.3
Points allowed per game: 51.0
Players to watch: Taylor Norris Jr. F 10.0 PPG, Camille Wright So. G 17.7 PPG, Saniaa Wilson Jr. C 13.7 PPG
Opponent: Nottingham (III)
EAST HIGH EAGLES (RCAC Lower Division/Class A2)
Current Record: 6-0
Head Coach: Darrell Barley
Points scored per game: 87.2
Points allowed per game: 58.2
Players to watch: Damani Barley So. G, Kaori Barley Sr. G, Zechariah Harris-Scott Sr. F, Justus Ross-Simmons So. F and Kai McCullough So. F.
Opponent: Randolph (VI)
EAST HIGH PANTHERS (VI/Yale Cup Division I/Class A2)
Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Starling Bryant
Points scored per game: 70.0
Points allowed per game: 54.4
Players to watch: Danny Carter Sr. G 24.2 PPG, David Hughes Sr. C/F 17.8 PPG, Dontaye Miller Sr. F 13.4 PPG
Opponent: UPrep
ELMIRA FREE ACADEMY EXPRESS (IV/Southern Tier Athletic Conference West Division/ Class AA)
Current Record: 1-1
Head Coach: Ryan Johnson
Points scored per game: 49.0
Points allowed per game: 43.0
Opponents: Aquinas and Nottingham (III)
GLOBAL CONCEPTS (VI/Independent/Class C2)
Current Record: 2-6
Head Coach: Antwan Anderson
Points scored per game: 46.6
Points allowed per game: 68.1
Opponents: Bishop Kearney and Leadership Academy
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY LIONS (RCAC Upper Division Class A1)
Current Record: 5-0
Head Coach: William Broome
Points scored per game: 76.0
Points allowed per game: 69.3
Players to watch: Ja’mez Aiken Sr. G, Kennyh Hardeman Sr. F, Shamir McCullough Sr. G, Maurice McKinney Sr. G 21.8 PPG
Opponents: Global Concepts (VI) and Utica Academy (III)
NIAGARA FALLS WOLVERINES (VI/Niagara Frontier League/Class AA)
Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Brent Gadacz
Points scored per game: 68.4
Points allowed per game: 49.6
Players to watch: Taylor Sanders Sr. F/G, Bryce Smith Sr. C/F, Jaemon Turner Sr. G
Opponents: Bishop Kearney and UPrep
NOTTINGHAM BULLDOGS (III/Salt City Metro Division/Class AA)
Current Record: 3-3
Head Coach: Derek Jackson
Points scored per game: 63.8
Points allowed per game: 67.0
Players to watch: Jaden Ezomo Sr. F 11.7 PPG, Mazi Jackson Jr. G 12.5 PPG
Opponent: Elmira Free Academy (IV)
NOTTINGHAM LADY BULLDOGS (III/Salt City Metro Division/Class AA)
Current Record: 1-3
Head Coach: Randy Wright
Points scored per game: 47.5
Points allowed per game: 59.3
Players to watch: Tayahja Scott So. G 13.3 PPG, Amaya Williams Jr. G 19.8 PPG
Opponent: Bishop Kearney
RANDOLPH CARDINALS (VI/Chautauqua-Cattaragus East/Class C)
Current Record: 2-0
Division/C2
Head Coach: Kevin Hind
Points scored per game: 60.5
Points allowed per game: 44.0
Players to watch: Tyler Hind Sr. G 25.0 PPG, Gabe McCoy So. C, Kaleb Steward Sr. G
Opponent: East
UPREP GRIFFINS (Private-Parochial Division I/Class AA)
Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Demond Stewart
Points scored per game: 79.2
Points allowed per game: 69.6
Players to watch: Melvin Council, Jr. Sr. G, Na’Zea Fowlks Sr. G, Kayshawn Ross Sr. F/G
Opponents: East (VI) and Niagara Falls (VI)
UTICA ACADEMY ATOMS (III/Center State Division III/Class C)
Current Record: 3-1
Head Coach: Anthony Lee
Points scored per game: 61.5
Points allowed per game: 62.0
Players to watch: Dekwan Grant Jr. SG 21.7 PPG, Darius Stuckman Jr. PG 12.3 PPG
Opponent: Leadership Academy
Suzanne O’Neil and Tayahja Scott will be honored prior to Friday’s game. O’Neil, the wife of longtime Bishop Kearney board member and CEO Tom O’Neil, was diagnosed last year with triple negative breast cancer last year. She is currently undergoing cancer treatments. Scott, a member of the Nottingham girls team, survived childhood cancer. She was three years old when a tumor was discovered on her spine. Her mother was told she would never play sports.
Tournament T-shirts will be for sale at $15 apiece with proceeds going to Gilda’s Club of Rochester and the Ed Nietopski Scholarship fund which helps students in financial need at Bishop Kearney.
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