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Riverside Wins Kips Bay Tourney

William Rayman swished two foul shots with 10 seconds left Saturday in the final of the Kips Bay Fall Ball tournament to push the 10 Blue team past a tough Abyssinian team 34-33.  The shots culminated a comeback  from a 10-point deficit in the second half. The kids stayed calm and never gave up.

Game MVP Bard Featherson led the balanced Hawks scoring with 14 points, including eight key points during the second half comeback. Izzy David, Merritt Miller, Damarcus Miller, Alex Casiano and Charlie Stevens all made key plays in the closely fought game.

- Coaches Graham Rayman and Rodney Miller

The Journal News - Monday, July 2, 2007

Riverside team rolls to the 10-and-under boys basketball title.

The 12 members of the Division I 10-and-under Riverside Hawks boys basketball team already knew how to win — they were the 9-and-under AAU National Champions last year. Perhaps more remarkably, they have figured out what it takes to play like a team. By defeating the New York Gauchos 46-37 in the recent AAU 10-and-under New York Regional Championships on Long Island, they earned another trip to nationals, which take place this week in Des Moines, Iowa. Leading the way in the regional final was Greenburgh’s Kylan Guerra, one of five Westchester players on the New York City-based team. Guerra scored a game-high 18 points off the bench against the Gauchos. No other player from either team scored more than nine points. “He was on fire from the outside,” said assistant coach and Kylan’s father, Keith Guerra. Kylan enjoys the camaraderie as much as the success. “It’s nice to win games, but the best part is that I feel like I’m playing with my brothers,” Kylan said. Elmsford’s Donovan Mitchell, who led the team with three steals in the regional championship game, and Dobbs Ferry’s Eric Paschall, who led the team with two blocks on the day, are two of the Hawks’ starting five. Ellis Christmas of Tarrytown and Thomas Capuano of Hastings are part of the regular rotation. “They all contribute in their own way,” coach Guerra said. “They have excellent chemistry.”

The Hawks also have won two local tournaments this year — the Elmcor Tournament in Queens and the Gladiator Tournament in Harlem — and they are currently in first place in two other competitions, Harlem’s Citywide Fastbreak Tournament and the UDC Tournament in the Bronx. “It’s a special group. I can’t compare it to anything else I’ve been associated with, even as a player,” said Guerra, who played for the Power Memorial Academy basketball team in the early 1980s and two summers of semipro ball in Puerto Rico. Riverside also took top honors at the Caribbean Invitational in Puerto Rico in December, and the Hawks placed second in April’s LeBron James Shooting Stars tournament in Ohio, where they finished 5-1, losing only to the Cincinnati Knights in the championship game. “We act like a family, we stay over at each other’s houses, and no matter what, we always stick together,” Ellis Christmas said.

Julie Ganz - The Journal News

Riverside’s 14’s on a Roll

14 year-old coach John Paul Ballesteros has his team playing as if he is the best coach at Riverside. Two weeks ago his crew won the Garden State Slam Fest at the Wayne PAL in New Jersey. They won three consecutive pool play games setting up an all NY semis against a very good Metro Hawks team. Riverside held the lead throughout the entire game and won by 5.  Five Hawks scored in double figures. They then beat Connecticut Elite by 4 in the chip.

May 19-20th JP’s crew competed in the Naismith Tournament in Springfield, Mass in a field of 42 teams. They won their pool beating 3 very good teams. However they lost in the quarter finals by 8 to eventual champions New Haven Boys Club.

Locally the 14’s advanced to the finals of the Elmcor tournament which will be played on June 9th. May 26th the team travels to Harrisburg, PA to qualify for the Nationals.

Hawks After the Programs

March 4, 2007

Arjan Perovic led the Westchester Community College Westcos to the region 15 region championships and was awarded the most valuable player of the divsion I National Junior College Athletic Association region 15 playoffs. The Westcos advance to Maryland and are one step away from advancing to the National tournament in Kansas.

Brandon Adams finished his freshman season at Manhattan College with a 15 poiint 7 rebound game and an ESPN highlight dunking on the Iona Gaels.

Riverside Church Hawks Win Two AAU National Championships

New York, Aug. 18th ― The Riverside Church Hawks basketball program won two national championships in the past month, as both the 9-and-under and 10-and-under boys’ teams captured Amateur Athletic Union titles.

The 9-and-under squad bested a 16-team field to win the Division II championship on Aug. 13 at Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The 10-and-under squad overcame a 30-team field to win its second consecutive Division II title on July 22 in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Both teams were undefeated under Coach Mark Jerome, the executive director of the Hawks program.

“I’m very proud of both teams,” Jerome said. “They played great team defense and displayed enormous composure and resilience under pressure. These youngsters will provide the building blocks to successful Hawks teams for many years.”

The winning ways began with the 10-and-under team, which compiled a 6-0 record. The Hawks dominated the first three games, defeating the Graham G-Men (VA) by 61-19, the Springboro (OH) Panthers by 61-40, and the Orlando (FL) Irish by 68-26. The team overcame injuries to two players in the final three games on the way to the title. In the quarterfinals, the Hawks came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Youth Interlock (PA) by 51-47. In the semifinals, the Hawks faced a Richmond (VA) Metro Gold team that was bigger and deeper. Playing with fierce energy, the Hawks dominated the game and won 53-46. Riverside jumped to a 17-3 lead in the championship against the Potomac Valley (MD) Wizards, cruising to a 60-42 win and its second national title.

“This year was more enjoyable than last year,” Jerome said. “The competition was tougher and we had to overcome injuries. Our best rebounder was unable to make the trip because of problems at the last minute.”

The players were Koree Hargraves, Jack Daly, Ty Jerome, Shavar Newkirk, Leo Voreacos, Eric Paschall, Jalen Henriquez, and Garrett Dickerson.

In the 9-and-under tournament, the squad compiled a 7-0 record to win its first national title. In pool play, the Hawks beat the Speed City (VA) Chargers by 46-23, the Northwest (TX) Tigers by 40-23, and the Triad (NC) Titans by 51-16. The Hawks went on to beat the YMCA Blaze Blue (KY) by 50-17, the Garner Road (GA) Bulldogs by 31-14, and the Speed City (VA) Chargers by 52-14, setting up a championship against I Love Our Youth (NY) of Hollis, Queens. In their toughest test of the tournament, the Hawks overcame a 4-point deficit in the 4th quarter to win 34-30.

The players were Michael Williams, Donovan Mitchell, Ellis Christmas, Wolfgang Novogratz, Brandon Aughburns, Kylan Guerra, Tom Capauano, and Charlie Stevens.

Jerome thanked Tony Hargraves for helping to coach the 10-and-under team and raising nearly $9,000 for the trip from Bear Stearns Co. The parents of the 9-and-under team also raised nearly the same amount to underwrite their trip.

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