Marc Raimondi

Marc Raimondi

Live blog: CHSAA Class AA girls state final

March 14, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

It’s all down to two. One team will go to Glens Falls. One will go home. Christ the King, the team with the most New York State Federation championships, will meet defending 'AA' titleholder St.... Read on

It’s all down to two.
	 
One team will go to Glens Falls. One will go home. Christ the King, the team with the most New York State Federation championships, will meet defending 'AA' titleholder St. Michael Academy in the CHSAA Class AA girls basketball finals Sunday at Cardinal Spellman HS in The Bronx. The winner will meet PSAL champion Murry Bergtraum in two weeks upstate.
	 
Those who can’t make the trek to the Boogie Down in what is sure to be a torrential rain storm need not worry. NYPost.com girls basketball beat writers Marc Raimondi and Joseph Staszewski will take you through the huge game live. Feel free to add in your own questions and comments in our completely interactive live blog.
	 
SCHEDULE
	 
5 p.m. – Christ the King vs. St. Michael Academy
	 
LIVE BLOG
	 
<iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a87b87f6c1/height=550/width=350" scrolling="no" height="550px" width="350px" frameBorder ="0" allowTransparency="true" ><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a87b87f6c1" >CHSAA Class AA state girls hoops championship with Marc Raimondi and Joseph Staszewski</a></iframe>

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Live blog recap: CHSAA 'AA' girls basketball state semis

March 13, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

Four of the very best girls basketball teams on the East Coast squared off Saturday night at Christ the King HS. Read what New York Post girls hoops beat writers Marc Raimondi and Joseph Staszewski... Read on

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State tournament time for CHSAA girls hoops

March 12, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

Get excited.If there was ever a reason to go out and see some girls basketball, the time is this weekend. The CHSAA’s version of March Madness – the Class AA, A and B state tournaments – commence... Read on

Get excited.
	 
If there was ever a reason to go out and see some girls basketball, the time is this weekend. The CHSAA’s version of March Madness – the Class AA, A and B state tournaments – commence over the next few days and there is sure to be thrills and high drama all around.
	 
It starts with the ‘AA’ and ‘A’ quarterfinals Friday night. None of the city teams favored to make the semifinals – St. Peter’s, Christ the King, St. Michael Academy and Bishop Ford – have an easy road.
	 
CHSAA 'AA' PREVIEW

	 

	 CHSAA 'A' PREVIEW

	 

	 CHSAA 'B' PREVIEW

	 
St. Peter’s plays Buffalo champion Nichols, a team that no one down here knows much about, which should be in Nichols’ favor. Christ the King faces off with St. John the Baptist – a team that can never be counted out if Ted Oberg is on the bench.
	 
St. Mike’s has to deal with a highly motivated and hungry Mary Louis team, which has been playing with incredible emotion since coach Joe Lewinger’s 4-year-old daughter, Madison, was rediagnosed with cancer. And Bishop Ford must contain Kellenberg and Marist-bound star Emma O’Connor. The Firebirds ended the Falcons’ season in the CHSAA Class A state final in 2008-09.
	 
No matter who makes it through, the semifinal doubleheader at Christ the King on Saturday night (5 p.m. and 7 p.m.) is going to be bananas. Storylines are everywhere.
	 
Can St. Peter’s coach Bob Daggett make his first trip to Glens Falls in the top classification? Will Christ the King, who has owned the Fed, make its triumphant return in the town’s final year of hosting? Can St. Mike’s erase its underachieving regular season and win it all again? Can Bishop Ford shock the city for a third time? Or will Mary Louis become the heartwarming Cinderella story?
	 
That’s just the ‘AA’ bracket. There is plenty of intrigue in the ‘A’ also. Archbishop Molloy has a renewed look and could salvage an up and down season with a championship and trip upstate. Moore Catholic is as good as any team in the draw, but without the hype because it resides in Staten Island. Cardinal Spellman is a dark horse and St. Francis Prep, which meets Moore in the quarterfinals, has had big wins this season. It wouldn’t be impossible to imagine it happening again.
	 
In the Class B tournament, St. John’s Prep and Fontbonne Hall, the Brooklyn/Queens Division I tournament and regular-season champions, respectively, still remain. The Red Storm have had a rollercoaster ride of a season and a trip upstate would be nice for a player like Lashonda Hathorne, one of the more underrated girls in the city. Fontbonne, on the other hand, is a team filled with stars from other sports that coach Steve Oliver has expertly pieced together. The Bonnies can’t be considered the favorites, but they’re not going to fear the stage by any means.
	 
So since this is the CHSAA girls basketball version of the NCAA Tournament, NYPost.com will be providing team coverage. Not a single game involving a New York City team will go uncovered. My fellow girls hoops writer Joe Staszewski and I have enlisted the help of boys writers Dylan Butler and Zach Braziller, both of whom will be at sites Friday and Saturday. Also, make sure to check out our exclusive live blogs from the ‘AA’ games Saturday and Sunday.
	 
As always, NYPost.com is your No. 1 source for NYC girls basketball information. If you can’t make it to the games – though you should – keep it parked right here.
	 
mraimondi@nypost.com

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If this is the Lady Blazers' last hurrah, it's been a helluva ride

March 06, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

There was an underlying feeling Saturday as Murry Bergtraum lifted the PSAL city championship trophy for the 12th straight time – and the 13th overall – after beating John F. Kennedy, 58-37, at Madison Square Garden. After the celebrating was over, there was a subtle question.
	 
Could this be the dynasty’s final act?
	 
Bergtraum loses four starters to graduation and three other girls. There is talent returning, led by junior guard Cori Coleman, but not a ton of experience. And if the season started tomorrow, the Lady Blazers might not be the favorites to win it all for the first time in more than a decade.
	 
“Every time [coach Ed Grezinsky has] won, you look down at his roster and say, ‘Man, he’s gonna win again next year,’” one league coach told me today.
	 
This group has meant so much to Bergtraum. CeCe Dixon is the team’s heart and soul and, most importantly, its point guard. Doris Ortega is a scoring machine. Shukurah Washington is the most fearsome inside player around and an excellent passer.
	 
But next year, without them, Bergtraum might not be the Bergtraum we’ve all come to know.
	 
“I don’t want to talk about next year, but the younger kids have to step up,” Grezinsky said. “They gotta maintain that tradition. We look up at all the banners in the gym, we say don’t be the team that doesn’t get the next banner. Keep the streak going a little bit longer. This year, it was their job. Next year, it’s gonna be up to the younger kids.”
	 
Whether or not Bergtraum is the favorite it or not is up to debate. But there’s no disrespecting what it has accomplished over the last decade-plus. Bergtraum has been to the PSAL what Christ the King was, and is, to the CHSAA.
	 
The Lady Blazers have won five New York State Federation titles and sent countless girls on to Division I schools. They have bridged the gap between the old era of girls basketball to what it is today. It has been the dream of hundreds of girls who grew up in the 2000s to one day play for Murry Bergtraum.
	 
The program has had its share of criticisms. Grezinsky isn’t a well-liked guy around the city because of his competitiveness – and he doesn’t try to be. People say his players don’t qualify, but Epiphanny Price went straight to Rutgers and Erica Morrow didn’t take a JUCO detour to Syracuse – and that’s just recent history.
	 
Next year, Bergtraum might not have the incredible glut of talent it has had in past seasons. It might not trounce the rest of the PSAL with ease. But the Lady Blazers sure won’t go away without a fight.
	 
A lineup of Coleman, Ashley Gomez, Shequana Harris, Donisha Watson and Monae Abrams would certainly compete. And Grezinsky, probably the most prepared and detail-obsessed coach in the city, gives them that X-factor.
	 
Bergtraum won’t be the same Lady Blazers next year. But I sure wouldn’t bet against them.
	 
mraimondi@nypost.com

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PSAL 'AA' girls final live blog recap

March 06, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

There are only limited tickets being sold for the PSAL basketball championships at Madison Square Garden. But fear not. The New York Post has you covered.PSAL girls basketball beat writer Marc... Read on

There are only limited tickets being sold for the PSAL basketball championships at Madison Square Garden.
	 
But fear not. The New York Post has you covered.
	 
PSAL girls basketball beat writer Marc Raimondi will be giving live updates from courtside of the Class AA championship game between No. 1 Murry Bergtraum and No. 3 John F. Kennedy, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday morning. Check out his preview stories on the game below:
	 
Garden girls basketball game might as well be played on gridiron
	 
An in-depth look at the Murry Bergtraum Lady Blazers
	 
An in-depth look at the John F. Kennedy Knights
	 
LIVE BLOG
	 
1:16 p.m. -- Stay posted to nypost.com for full coverage of Bergtraum's record 13th overall title.
	 
12:41 p.m. -- Ortega wins the MVP award for Bergtraum. Great honor for a four-year player.
	 
12:32 p.m. -- Just like it has for the last 12 years, Bergtraum finishes the season as PSAL champ. 58-37 was the final score. Ortega finished with 19 points and Washington had 10. Acklin led Kennedy with 10 points.
	 
12:30 p.m. -- It's academic right now. Bergtraum leads, 58-35, with 39.6 seconds left. Although Kennedy put up a nice fight, Glenn will not be happy during postgame interviews.
	 
12:24 p.m. -- Bergtraum leads 52-35 with 3:09 left. Acklin now has 10 points for Kennedy. Washington has come on in the second half. She has 10 points and 17 rebounds.
	 
12:17 p.m. -- Grezinsky lost his jacket before Glenn did. I knew there would be at least one upset today.
	 
12:10 p.m. -- Bergtraum finishes the third quarter on a 10-0 run and leads 44-27 heading into the fourth. Ortega has been excellent. She has 19 points. Kennedy has let this get away a little bit.
	 
12:02 p.m. -- Linton with two straight putbacks and Bergtraum's lead is increased to 38-27 with 2:22 left in the third quarter.
	 
11:59 a.m. -- Fuzzy Smith with another 3 to get Kennedy within 32-25 with 4:16 left in the thrid quarter. Bergtraum's press is starting to bother Kennedy a bit. The Lady Blazers didn't do it much in the first half.
	 
11:56 a.m. -- Ortega again with a basket. She doesn't get enough credit for being one of the best players in the city. I'll tell you one thing: There isn't anyone who has won as much as her.
	 
11:54 a.m. -- Dixon makes a pair of free throws and Ortega knocks down a 3 and Bergtraum leads 27-20 with 6:27 left. Glenn calls a timeout.
	 
11:47 a.m. -- I apologize for the slow updates, but don't give up on us just yet. History is going to be made in 16 minutes -- whether it's Bergtraum picking up its record 13th PSAL city title or Kennedy ending the Lady Blazers' 11-year run.
	 
11:44 a.m. -- It's nice having a pro-style box score at a high school game. Washington has eight rebounds already and Ortega has three assists. Acklin has two steals. Bergtraum has turned the ball over 13 times and Kennedy has scored 10 points off those turnovers. That's a huge stat. And not like the Lady Blazers at all. Great defense by the Knights.
	 
11:38 a.m. -- Ortega has 10 points to lead Bergtraum, while Acklin has seven for Kennedy. This is the best offensive half Acklin has had in awhile.
	 
11:35 a.m. -- Bergtraum misses three shots, including two putbacks, on its final possession and goes into the half leading Kennedy, 22-20. Very good 16 minutes for the Knights. They are right there. This group has absolutely no fear.
	 
11:33 a.m. -- Acklin runner and Kennedy is within 22-20 now with 1:10 left in the first half.
	 
11:31 a.m. -- Bergtraum coach Ed Grezinsky is still wearing his credential to get onto the court at MSG. Shouldn't they know him by now? It's been 12 years.
	 
11:30 a.m. -- Smith just nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Kennedy lead to 22-18. The Knights fans went ballistic.
	 
11:26 a.m. -- The loudest ovation of the day was just now when Kennedy's Danissa (Fuzzy) Smith checked into the game. She's obviously a popular young lady.
	 
11:25 a.m. -- Kennedy cut it to 17-14 on a Daniels layup, but Bergtraum answers. Coleman converted a runner in the lane and Ortega had a 3-point play. Bergtraum leads, 22-14, with 5:04 left in the half.
	 
11:20 a.m. -- Legendary Kennedy boys basketball coach Johnny Mathis is behind the team's bench about three rows. His kids were here last year, but the Knights fell in the PSAL Class AA second round to Transit Tech last week.
	 
11:16 a.m. -- Ortega has five points and Bergtraum leads, 13-10, after one quarter. Hardly a bad eight minutes for Kennedy. The Knights are playing relatively well on the offensive end. Plus, Glenn still has his jacket one. That's the most impressive part.
	 
11:13 a.m. -- Ortega with a hoop and foul and Bergtraum leads 11-8 with 1:21 left in the first quarter.
	 
11:05 a.m. -- Jitters? What jitters? Kennedy leads, 4-0, early.
	 
11:03 a.m. -- I give about two to three minutes before Glenn loses his black suitjacket. Maybe the second quarter until the red tie is gone. Maybe.
	 
11:01 a.m. -- We're about to tip off. The Garden is pretty quie.t Reminds me of a St. John's game.
	 
10:59 a.m. -- No surprises in the starting lineups for either team. Chelsea Custodio, Sarah Vann, Shaquaya Daniels, Deaisia Acklin and Jazzarae Campbell for Kennedy and Shukurah Washington, Janelle Linton, Cori Coleman, Doris Ortega and CeCe Dixon for Bergtraum. The sparkle from the diamond stud in Glenn's left ear just temporarily blinded me.
	 
10:58 a.m. -- Instead, Midwood senior guard Yashika Morales, daughter of Brooklyn College Academy boys coach Alicia Braswell, did a great job on our nation's anthem. Maybe Collett can get her shot before the boys game.
	 
10:55 a.m. -- Sitting next to esteemed Kennedy manager Collett Powell, who should be singing the National Anthem in a few minutes, but will not be. Knights coach O'Neil Glenn told me she brought the house down when they went up to Amsterdam, N.Y., over the holidays.
	 
10:47 a.m. -- We are live at The World's Most Famous Arena where Murry Bergtraum and John F. Kennedy are warming up on the court. There's about eight minutes left until tipoff. The Knights have a pretty large following just behind me.

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St. John's brings big-time women's hoops to NYC

February 17, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

As I hurried to the media room at Carnesecca Arena after the St. John’s women’s basketball team’s enormous victory against No. 4 Notre Dame, I took a peak up into the corner of the stands where coach Anwar Gladden and a handful of his South Shore girls basketball players were sitting.
	 
The smiles on their faces when I said goodbye told me enough. Yeah, there’s big-time college basketball in New York City. But it’s on the women’s side in Jamaica, Queens.
	 
With a roster rife with local talent, the 22nd-ranked Red Storm earned the biggest win in the history of their program Tuesday night. No St. John’s women’s team had beaten a top-five opponent. It might have actually been one of the most significant victories for St. John’s – men or women – since the men advanced to the Elite Eight in 1999.
	 
This is a team New York City can rally around, the kind of team that can bring together the girls basketball community. Among the 1,350 in attendance, I saw Gladden and his girls, North Babylon (L.I.) coach Mike Petre and Philly Belles coach Dinero Young. I’m sure there were others. After decades of complete irrelevance, St. John’s is becoming a serious name in women’s basketball.
	 
And just look at the names on the roster. They’re pretty familiar.
	 
Da’Shena Stevens, last season’s Big East Rookie of the Year, had 21 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday night. She has a chance to be an All-American when all is said and done, a future pro. Stevens is from Connecticut, just a stone’s throw away from the city. Stevens played her AAU ball for the NY Gauchos in The Bronx. She’s absolutely someone local girls can look up to, an inspiration.
	 
“I thought Da’Shena was outstanding tonight,” St. John’s coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She’s kind of been up and down. This is the thing that I don’t think people understand and even she doesn’t understand. Her numbers are a little bit down from last year, but the success of our team is far better than it was last year. That sometimes comes with the territory. People really concentrate on her, try to set double teams at her, try to really stop her game. And the greatest thing about that is when that happens, it opens up things for other people. Even though she hasn’t been statistically as great, she’s been our most valuable player.”
	 
Then there’s Shenneika Smith, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds. She’s like a force of nature on the court, involved in everything. She’s one of the best freshmen in the country, who could play for any team in the country. Where is she from? Canarsie, Brooklyn. She played her high school ball at St. Michael Academy in Manhattan and AAU with Exodus.
	 
“She might be one of the best ever to come through [St. John’s],” Barnes Arico said.
	 
Nadirah McKenith, another freshman, is a pure point guard and an indispensable piece. She had seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals against Notre Dame, a day after being named Big East Rookie of the Week. McKenith, who is already one of the best point guards in the Big East, is from Newark, played at University HS and ran with the New Heights AAU program in The Bronx.
	 
If that isn’t enough, there’s Sky Lindsay (Brooklyn), Elon Sidney (Queens), Eugeneia McPherson (Long Island), Jennifer Blanding (Brooklyn) and Amanda Burakoski (Brooklyn).
	 
New York City has always been a serious hub of girls high school basketball. It’s nice to know people don’t have to go far to see it played very well on the next level now.
	 
This group is going to be together for awhile and the accolades will no doubt pile up. But, high school coaches, it’s never too early to show your girls what one of the best teams in the country looks like.
	 
mraimondi@nypost.com

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Francis Lewis fleeced in PSAL girls basketball seeding

February 15, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

On Friday night on this website, I posted my PSAL Class AA girls basketball mock seeding.Today, the PSAL made a mockery of said seeding.Here’s what the committee came up with:‘AA’ 1. Murry Bergtraum2... Read on

On Friday night on this website, I posted my PSAL Class AA girls basketball mock seeding.
	 
Today, the PSAL made a mockery of said seeding.
	 
Here’s what the committee came up with:
	 
‘AA’
	 
1. Murry Bergtraum
	 
2. John F. Kennedy
	 
3. South Shore
	 
4. Francis Lewis
	 
5. McKee/Staten Island Tech
	 
6. Midwood
	 
7. Manhattan Center
	 
8. Thomas Jefferson
	 
9. Lincoln
	 
10. Truman
	 
11. Banneker
	 
12. Boys & Girls
	 
13. Grand Street Campus
	 
14. James Madison
	 
15. FDA
	 
16. Beach Channel
	 
17. August Martin
	 
18. Lehman
	 
19. Clinton
	 
20. Cardozo
	 
For all intents and purposes, I thought Francis Lewis was a lock at No. 2. The Patriots had three losses the entire regular season: St. Michael Academy, St. Peter’s and North Babylon. Those are three of the best teams in the state and the first two are borderline nationally ranked teams.
	 
Yet, the PSAL seeding committee felt that Kennedy and South Shore were both more deserving of a higher seed, ignoring everything most people know about the seeding process. That's a very dangerous precedent to set.
	 
Lewis beat South Shore three weeks ago. Lewis beat Kennedy in December. Lewis beat Mary Louis, the same team that crushed South Shore by 34 points at the Bergtraum Holiday Classic. Lewis beat Midwood, the same team that beat South Shore three weeks ago.
	 
Lewis did not lose a game to a PSAL foe all season. There’s only one other team that could say that: No. 1 Murry Bergtraum. Coincidental, since potentially seeing the 11-time defending city champ in the semifinals is the Patriots’ reward for finishing undefeated in league play.
	 
So how in the world could Lewis be seeded below Kennedy and South Shore? I would love to know the rationale behind that. Every single ‘AA’ coach I spoke to this weekend – and there were plenty – thought Francis Lewis was the clear No. 2 seed. Not most, not a few. Every single one – including O’Neil Glenn from Kennedy and Anwar Gladden from South Shore.
	 
Now, when Lewis beat South Shore, South Shore was without its best player, Jasmine Odom. Let’s say, that game doesn’t count because Odom doesn’t play. We’ll wipe it from the record. Lewis still has two wins over common opponents that South Shore lost to. And Kennedy’s biggest win of the season came against Mary Louis and – yep, you guessed it – Lewis beat Mary Louis, too.
	 
Then there’s the argument that Lewis’ league schedule is weak. And that’s true. Queens AA is absolutely horrendous. Lewis has six wins over Beach Channel, Cardozo and August Martin. Well, you know what? Kennedy has six wins against Lehman and Clinton – in Bronx AA teams play opponents three times. Lewis does crossover into Brooklyn and has league wins over Midwood, South Shore and Thomas Jefferson.
	 
How do you beat every league team you play and get seeded below teams you’ve already beaten? We’ll never know, because the PSAL seeding meetings are about as transparent as concrete. The league has a no-media policy, which means no accountability whatsoever.
	 
There are conspiracy theorists out there thinking that teams – or coaches – get favored over another. Today, I heard a few coaches say that Manhattan Center got a favorable potential matchup with Kennedy in the quarterfinals because co-commissioner Shavon Glover used to coach at Manhattan Center. I heard that Midwood got a favorable potential matchup with South Shore in the quarterfinals because Midwood coach Artie LaGreca and co-commissioner John LoSasso are close friends.
	 
I think both conspiracy theories are absolute crap. But when you close your doors to the outside world and then come up with some bizarre seeds, it’s human nature to think there’s some cloak and dagger stuff going on.
	 
I have the utmost respect for Glover, LoSasso and coordinator Brenda Morgan. I know for a fact that all three of them are working diligently to make PSAL girls basketball the best it can be. I would argue that fact as vehemently as I’m arguing that Lewis should be No. 2.
	 
But try telling that to one of the Francis Lewis players, who worked hard all season and did everything in her power to help her team beat every PSAL squad it played. What’s the lesson there? That no matter what you do, you’re still at the mercy of bureaucracy and politics?
	 
“What they did to Lewis is a disgrace,” one PSAL ‘AA’ coach told me tonight, “and embarrassing for all of us.”
	 
mraimondi@nypost.com

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PSAL Class AA girls basketball seeding announced

February 14, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

A source provided the rather controversial PSAL Class AA girls basketball playoff seeding to me a few minutes ago. This is official, sent to coaches by a PSAL administrator.Check below. Much, much... Read on

A source provided the rather controversial PSAL Class AA girls basketball playoff seeding to me a few minutes ago. This is official, sent to coaches by a PSAL administrator.
	 
Check below. Much, much more on this -- including 'A' and 'B' -- later tonight.
	 
‘AA’
	 
1. Murry Bergtraum
	 
2. John F. Kennedy
	 
3. South Shore
	 
4. Francis Lewis
	 
5. McKee/Staten Island Tech
	 
6. Midwood
	 
7. Manhattan Center
	 
8. Thomas Jefferson
	 
9. Lincoln
	 
10. Truman
	 
11. Banneker
	 
12. Boys & Girls
	 
13. Grand Street Campus
	 
14. James Madison
	 
15. FDA
	 
16. Beach Channel
	 
17. August Martin
	 
18. Lehman
	 
19. Clinton
	 
20. Cardozo
	 
mraimondi@nypost.com

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PSAL girls basketball mock seeding

February 13, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

It’s all over. The wild and woolly PSAL girls basketball regular season came to an end Friday and not without some typical craziness. South Shore beat McKee/Staten Island Tech in a non-league game between two teams that figure to be very close in the seeding and Francis Lewis all but secured a No. 2 seed by beating Midwood.
	 
So what do I think the seeds should look like? Well, I’m not the PSAL and I have absolutely no insight into what will be taking place at that meeting Saturday morning. I have no clue what is going through the committee members’ heads. But I think I can make a case for the following list. I’ve damn sure seen enough PSAL girls hoops the last three months.
	 
Here we go:
	 
1. Murry Bergtraum (20-0, 14-0 Manhattan AA)
	 
2. Francis Lewis (18-3, 14-0 Queens AA)
	 
3. John F. Kennedy (17-7, 12-3 Bronx AA)
	 
4. South Shore (16-7, 12-2 Brooklyn AA Group 1)
	 
5. McKee/Staten Island Tech (23-2, 14-0 Staten Island A)
	 
6. Midwood (14-11, 10-4 Brooklyn AA Group 1)
	 
7. Manhattan Center (14-10, 9-5 Manhattan AA)
	 
8. Thomas Jefferson (12-7, 12-2 Brooklyn AA Group 2)
	 
9. Banneker (11-7, 8-6 Brooklyn AA Group 2)
	 
10. Lincoln (12-10, 7-7 Brooklyn AA Group 1)
	 
11. Truman (12-10, 8-7 Bronx AA)
	 
12. Boys & Girls (7-8, 7-7 Brooklyn AA Group 2)
	 
13. Grand Street Campus (5-9 Brooklyn AA Group 2)
	 
14. Clinton (3-12 Bronx AA)
	 
15. Frederick Douglass Academy (2-12 Manhattan AA)
	 
16. Lehman (3-12 Bronx AA)
	 
17. Beach Channel (3-10 Queens AA)
	 
18. Madison (2-12 Brooklyn AA Group 1)
	 
19. Cardozo (2-11 Queens AA)
	 
20. August Martin (2-12 Queens AA)
	 
It doesn’t get any easier than picking Bergtraum No. 1. But the rest? You could almost choose them out of a hat.
	 
To me, Lewis has to be No. 2. The Patriots have three losses to very good teams: St. Michael Academy, St. Peter’s and North Babylon. They also haven’t lost a PSAL game. That goes a long way in a year of insane parity.
	 
Kennedy at No. 3 is somewhat controversial. But the Knights have beaten Midwood, Manhattan Center and own a key non-league win against Mary Louis, the same team that crushed South Shore.
	 
I think the South Shore-MSIT game Friday decided the fourth and fifth seeds. South Shore has played a tough schedule and owns a very good win against Mount Vernon. McKee/Staten Island Tech’s record says No. 2 or No. 3 seed, but its weak schedule doesn’t. The Sea Gulls haven’t won a big game since beating Manhattan Center in December.
	 
After that, things get a bit crazy. I thought Jefferson could have backed its way into a No. 6 seed by virtue of bad losses this week by Midwood (Lincoln) and Manhattan Center (Truman). But then the Orange Wave lost to Boys & Girls on Friday in another shocker.
	 
Manhattan Center also got a bit lucky. The Lady Rams could have been looking at a dreaded eighth seed – i.e., Bergtraum in the quarterfinals – but with Jefferson's loss, Center stays at seven and Jefferson is at eight.
	 
After the top eight, things were up in the air until this week. Banneker has been the best of the rest for most of the season. Lincoln and Truman follow after their big upsets. Then there’s Boys & Girls, which at one point, could have snared the No. 9, and Grand Street, proving Brooklyn is probably the top borough.
	 
The rest is pretty much a toss up. Clinton has the extremely underrated rebounding machine Sara Smith and FDA has two players I love in Shayla Russell and Iasha Hill. Queens is by far the worst of the boroughs with three of the last four seeds. It wasn’t long ago that Lewis, August Martin and Cardozo were three of the city’s top teams.
	 
What happened at Cardozo was a disgrace. Two seasons ago, the parents ran out coach Larry Carradine, who didn’t do anything but win in 25 years at the helm. Since then? The Judges are a combined 6-23. It’s not coach Vince O’Donogue’s fault. He was put in a bad spot. But I wonder how those parents feel now as the once-proud program is facing complete irrelevance.
	 
Sorry, got a little sidetracked. That’s my ‘AA’ seeding. As for the ‘A,’ Medgar Evers and West 50th Street Campus are clearly the top two and Wings is probably No. 3. I like defending champ Baruch College Campus at No. 4, but the rest is up in the air. In the ‘B,’ Goldstein should cruise to the top spot after routing Lafayette on Friday.
	 
mraimondi@nypost.com

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Should the PSAL bring back the girls borough playoffs?

February 08, 2010 , ι By MARC RAIMONDI

It’s the eve of the PSAL boys basketball borough playoffs and all the excitement got me thinking. How would a girls version look this season?The PSAL experimented with borough playoff tournaments a... Read on

It’s the eve of the PSAL boys basketball borough playoffs and all the excitement got me thinking. How would a girls version look this season?
	 
The PSAL experimented with borough playoff tournaments a few years ago with varying degrees of success. This season, with an incredible amount of parity, things would have gotten very interesting.
	 
Here’s how things would look borough by borough:
	 
MANHATTAN
	 
1. Murry Bergtraum
	 
2. Manhattan Center
	 
3. West 50th Street
	 
4. Baruch College Campus
	 
5. Frederick Douglass Academy
	 
6. School of the Future
	 
7. Lab Museum
	 
8. Environmental Studies
	 
This would probably be the worst bracket. Bergtraum against Environmental Studies, out of the ‘B,’ in the quarterfinals would be ugly. But the Lady Blazers don’t get challenged much against PSAL ‘AA’ team either. We would likely get a very intriguing semifinal of Manhattan Center and West 50th Street. Baruch and FDA might be an interesting game, but the winner would likely be crushed by Bergtraum in the semis.
	 
In the finals, I don’t think anyone wants to see another Bergtraum-Manhattan Center game. They already played three times in the regular season and could meet again in the citywide playoffs. Manhattan’s borough playoffs would mostly be a dud, but only because Bergtraum is so dominant.
	 
BRONX
	 
1. John F. Kennedy
	 
2. Wings
	 
3. Truman
	 
4. Columbus
	 
5. Bronx Science
	 
6. Lehman
	 
7. Clinton
	 
8. Fannie Lou Hamer
	 
Outside of the 1-8 quarterfinal matchup, this one would be very interesting. There’s really no other gimme outside of that. Columbus and Bronx Science have already split their regular-season series and a rubber match would be excellent. Then, in the semis, Kennedy wouldn’t have an easy time with well-coach Science or the gritty, tough-as-nails Columbus. Wings, on paper, has more talent that Truman, but the Mustangs always figure out how to stay close in most games.
	 
A Kennedy-Wings final would be worth the tournament itself. The Wings have a legitimate shot to beat their ‘AA’ sister. The boys teams have an excellent rivalry and this team would be a major ticket if it was played in The Bronx. Sign me up for a Bronx borough tournament.
	 
QUEENS
	 
1. Francis Lewis
	 
2. Beach Channel
	 
3. Long Island City
	 
4. Bryant
	 
5. Bayside
	 
6. Edison
	 
7. Cardozo
	 
8. August Martin
	 
Queens is woefully thin – as thin as it ever has been, perhaps. The best players are either at Catholic schools or Francis Lewis. There was a time when Lewis, Cardozo and August Martin were three of the 10 best teams in the city. That time is not now. But all that mediocrity means plenty of parity. Lewis would be the odds-on favorite, but the rest of the tournament would be completely up in the air.
	 
Edison, out of Class B, could be a sleeper. LIC, Bryant and Bayside are in a glut in Queens A. Cardozo and August Martin? Well, they’ve seen better days. Queens’ bracket wouldn’t get the heart racing, but in past years it would have been outstanding.
	 
BROOKLYN
	 
1. South Shore
	 
2. Midwood
	 
3. Thomas Jefferson
	 
4. Medgar Evers
	 
5. Banneker
	 
6. Boys & Girls
	 
7. Grand Street Campus
	 
8. Goldstein
	 
This is my favorite bracket. There are even some teams – like Fort Hamilton and Brooklyn Collegiate – that could easily be in there. There wouldn’t be a whole lot of blowouts, even in the quarterfinals. I don’t know how Goldstein, out of Class B, would do against South Shore, but I’d be interested in finding out. The Dolphins hung around with Bishop Kearney earlier this season.
	 
A Midwood-Jefferson rematch in the semifinals would be extremely welcome, considering the Orange Wave beat the Hornets by just five early in the season when Midwood didn’t have star center Jewel Tunstull. South Shore would be favored against Medgar Evers, Class A’s top team, but I doubt it would be a complete blowout. Then we could be facing a rubber match between Midwood and South Shore or even Jefferson getting a rematch with South Shore. Brooklyn gets my thumbs up for a borough tournament.
	 
***
	 
I’m not sure if this format would be successful. But the one thing I learned is that the talent level in boys basketball is much more spread out than it is with the girls. The boys ‘AA’ has an incredible amount of parity over a large number of teams, where the girls ‘AA’ has parity among seven teams. Also, the boys leagues -- 'AA,' 'A,' and 'B' -- are much more well thought out. The PSAL needs to seriously address realignment for the girls in the offseason.
	 
Hopefully, in years to come, things get more spread out. It’s just good for the game.
	 
mraimondi@nypost.com

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MARC RAIMONDI Marc Raimondi has been covering high-school sports in New York City for five years. He was previously a founding member of FiveBoroSports.com and worked as the associate sports editor and a staff writer at the TimesLedger Newspapers in Queens. Raimondi also had a stint writing for SNY.tv. A graduate of St. John’s University, Raimondi is a former sports editor and associate sports editor at The Torch, the school’s award-winning student newspaper. Under his guidance, the paper’s sports section won numerous collegiate newspaper honors.

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