Syracuse Area Still Well-Represented in King of Kings

King of Kings may be a Utica league, but Syracuse has long had a major imprint on the success of it. Such is the same this season, where you can find Syracuse area stars of past & present in all three leagues.

Men - The Brandon Triche led Motivated is the #1 seed and already has advanced to Friday night's semifinals with a 32 point win. Triche (Jamesville-Dewitt/Syracuse) had a triple double, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. They were led in scoring by another Jamesville-Dewitt 2009 graduate who went Division 1 (Canisius) in Alshwan Hymes. He hit ten threes and finished with 36 points. They also pick up consistent production from other Jamesville-Dewitt graduates Mickey Davis and Jailaan Kinsey. Both enjoyed successful careers at Morrisville after. Algeron Torrence, former Corcoran standout who most recently has played at Gannon (where Dan Kaigler is headed), gives them production in the post at 6'6" and 250 pounds. Upstate Swagger, the #2 seed, will be playing in quarterfinals tonight at 7:45. They're mainly Utica area based, but Scott Morton (Westhill/Geneseo) has been a standout for them again. The 2012 men's league MVP may be a 1st teamer again this year, being the facilitator for the 2-time defending champs. They've been greatly assisted by the addition of Jordan Prior (Cortland/Morrisville), who averaged 19.5 points per game in the regular season. The 4 seed, Hoopsfiend Select, gets explosive scoring from Le Moyne's Naté Gause. The 5 seed is Syracuse Elite - name says it all. They're all from Syracuse, with Chris Gilkes (Fowler/Oswego) and Tez Thomas, a former 1,500+ point scorer at Onondaga, leading the way. Terry Smith (Bishop Ludden/Mercyhurst) is a proven leader for them when available. The #6 seed, Hard 2 Guard, has been aided by the addition of Cornelius Vines (Henninger/Hofstra). Vines, who already held the King of Kings single-game scoring record with 50, added single-game assists record to that list with 17 in a game this year. Colyn Hanley (Jordan-Elbridge/Onondaga CC) provides them with a shot-blocking presence down low.

Syracuse Elite & Hoopsfiend Select play at 6:30 Wednesday, followed by Upstate Swagger & Lo Entertainment in quarterfinals. The winner of the first game plays Motivated at 8:30 on Friday - the winner of the late game plays Hard 2 Guard at 7:30 on Friday. Semifinal winners move onto the men's finals at 5:00 on Sunday. All games are at Mohawk Valley Community College.

Women - Utica Select, the unquestioned #1 seed, is filled with Syracuse talent of different types. Rachel Coffey just finished up her career at Syracuse University. Alexis Peterson is just starting hers. Molly Hourigan (Jordan-Elbridge/Holy Cross) gives them double digits in rebounds as a guarantee. Tessa Pucello (Solvay/Le Moyne) still holds the single-game women's record for most threes made in a game (9), and the standout who earned 1st team honors last year isn't too far off her pace this season. Maggie Brown (Cortland/Le Moyne) is another consistent contributor for undefeated Utica Select. You can say the same thing about 2nd seeded Believe Me, with former Syracuse player Tyler Ash and current Lady Orange Cornelia Fondren running the show. Kirsten Dodge (Fabius-Pompey/Pace) is their biggest contributor in the blocks, and Heather Stec (Cazenovia/Siena) has been a dominant presence when available. Alyssa Gratien (Jamesville-Dewitt/Onondaga CC, Morrisville) provides a perimeter scoring threat as well. The #6 seed, Lo Entertainment, just knocked off an OCC-heavy Lazers to make it to semifinals, and they are loaded with Syracuse as well. They're led by Sophronia Sallard (Nottingham/Pittsburgh), Irene Hudson (Corcoran/Goldey-Beacom), and Olivia Luciani (ES-M/Buffalo State). Sallard is a supremely talented do-it-all player, Hudson is one of the league's hardest workers, using her energy and toughness to be one of the women's league leading scorers and rebounders, and Luciani continues to improve, electrifying the crowd at times shaking defenders before hitting threes. #5 seed Hard 2 Guard has some younger Syracuse-area talent - CNYCL, to be exact. Lauren Getman, Fayetteville-Manlius grad headed to Hamilton in the fall, is one of their most consistent scorers. Her high school teammate, D'Jhai Patterson-Ricks, helps facilitate. She does that, in part, alongside rising Auburn senior Annie Giannone. She's scored over 1,000 points already in high school, but shows her court vision in this women's league and is a main distributor for her team. They moved on with a double-overtime win over Rim Rockers, featuring Fabius-Pompey grad Stevie Ray, East Syracuse-Minoa grad Gabby Eure, and her sister, rising ES-M senior Sydni Eure.

Lo Entertainment battles Believe Me in semifinals on Friday at 5:30, followed by Hard 2 Guard and Utica Select at 6:30. Winners play in the women's finals at 3:45 Sunday. All games are at Mohawk Valley Community College.

College Prospect - Syracuse-area standouts in their respective leagues will battle each other Thursday night in quarterfinals. 3rd seeded Utica Select has got 8.7 points & 8 rebounds per game from West Genesee junior Troy Temara. His teammate, Jim Grabowski, gives them 5 and 4.3. They face the #6 seed, Dynasty. They're led in scoring by Bobby Leslie, Skaneateles standout headed to prep school in the fall, with 13.2 per game. He adds just under 5 rebounds per game. Cazenovia's Ross Gerber has added 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He's also headed to prep school in the fall. They've also received contribution from Jamesville-Dewitt and Cicero-North Syracuse rising seniors Evan Dourdas and Connor Evans. There's even some OHSL representation on a team whose name doesn't represent the area code: Skaneateles senior Jake Peterson has improved in each game for Team 518, who won their first game last week and are riding on a high note heading into quarterfinals. The 6'7" Peterson averages 7.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for perhaps the biggest squad in the league - they have three players standing at 6'5", two at 6'6", along with 6'7" Peterson and 6'8" Fayetteville-Manlius senior Cormac Bettinger.

Dynasty & Utica Select play at 6:30 Thursday at Notre Dame High School. Team 518 has the 7:45 game that night, playing #4 seed Takeover. Semifinals are at 2:30 and 3:45 Saturday and finals 2:30 Sunday, both at Mohawk Valley Community College.

The Preview: Night 2, King of Kings Men's Quarterfinals

The first night of men's quarterfinals brought everything you could hope for - big-time performances, highlights, a superior team showing how good they can be, even an upset where the local underdogs took down a team loaded with big names. The second half of quarterfinals looks to build off of that, with a pair of very interesting matchups.

First off, Syracuse Elite vs. Hoopsfiend Select.

The game they played in the regular season changed both of their seasons to date. Syracuse Elite was 2-0 and looked like the strongest team in the league out of the gates. Hoopsfiend Select was 1-1, coming off of a blowout loss that had to be called due to frustrations on their end boiling over in the closing minutes. Elite built off that momentum and started off by giving Select an old-fashioned backalley beatdown. How bad? You shouldn't have asked. It was 33-8 at the end of the 1st quarter. The lead ballooned to 46-15 at one point... then things started to change. Hoopsfiend scored 13 of the last 19 in the half to make it 52-28. Still a blowout though. Not for long. Behind phenomenal play from Geoff Brown, who is garnering serious consideration for men's league MVP, and Naté Gause, they cut it to 15 after 3 quarters. In the 4th, nothing could go wrong for the upstart Hoopsfiend - nothing could go right for Syracuse Elite. A couple miscues taken advantage of by Hoopsfiend put them on top in the final seconds, and they won 79-78. The 31 point deficit is believed to be the largest comeback in King of Kings history. That put Hoopsfiend at 2-1, and they've only lost once since, a close loss to Utica Select the following week. Syracuse Elite has not won a game since. They took it to the last possession against 2 time defending champ Upstate Swagger, but have lost by as much as 40 in other games. Anyone that says the loss to Hoopsfiend Select didn't change the course of their season to this date wasn't around for the first two weeks. Look for Syracuse Elite to try and get revenge for the shocker tonight. They'll need big performances from Tez Thomas, James Hall, and Chris Gilkes. Gilkes has been their most potent offensive threat, averaging 20.6 points per game in his team's last five games. He's also been one of the league leaders in steals all season. Hall, a.k.a. Boo Boo, took a dip in production midway through the season after suffering a concussion. He looks to be shaking off the ill effects from that, and they hope to get the All-1st Team level production he had been giving them at the start of the season. Thomas, a tough point guard whose game here has hit the next level with an improved jump shot, has been a consistent contributor. He's looking to shake off a rough game, perhaps his first of the season, from last week. The key for Hoopsfiend Select is intensity. The more chaos they cause, the better. Geoff Brown leads that charge - the unquestioned leader on the floor of the James Desroches-led group. He's averaging 18 points per game and has stuffed the stat line across the board. Josh squared has also picked it up each week: Josh Henderson has scored 26 in each of his last two games, shooting over 50% from the field, and Josh Wright has improved in shooting percentage each week, averaging 19 points per game over the last three. Tom Wilk, a thick 6'8" true center, has been a lift for his team as well. His production doesn't jump out at you on the stat sheet, but his impact is felt every week while allowing the guards to control the game.

Tonight: Expect a tight game throughout. The outcome truly depends on Hoopsfiend Select shot selection and foul trouble - expect a lot of fouls between these two teams. Naté Gause showing off for Select will also make a big difference. What do we think? The momentum may be a little too much for a fed-up Syracuse Elite to overcome. Hoopsfiend will march on, 84-78.

Next up, Lo Entertainment vs. Upstate Swagger.

Upstate Swagger is coming off of something that doesn't happen to them much - a loss. They lost opening night with half of their regular team missing, including probable 1st teamers Dave Golembiowski and Scott Morton. With them returning, they won 5 straight before taking a hotly contested loss to Motivated to end the regular season. 3 of those wins came in blowout fashion. Syracuse Elite took them to the last possession. The only other remotely close game? Lo Entertainment. The underdog was up 24-14 after one quarter and still held a lead at halftime. Perimeter shooting did it all for Lo Entertainment in that game. They shot 6/9 in the 1st quarter from beyond the arc. After that? 2/21. They had no answer for Dave Golembiowski, who shot 11/18 and finished with 28 points. Gumby, as the locals call him, has averaged 27.2 points per game in the last 5 outings. He missed opening night and arrived from Germany in time to catch the 2nd half of their second game. Jordan Prior has provided a huge lift for Swagger. A rare new addition, he's provided a scoring punch that they lost when Sean Burton left to become an assistant coach at Babson College in Massachusetts. Prior is averaging an efficient 19.5 points per game on the season, shooting over 50% in nearly every game. Morton is averaging a touch under 14, and filling up the rebounding and assists categories as usual. Flagan Prince has given them an added post presence that they've never had, which helps them immensely. The former MVCC and Le Moyne standout who's enjoyed a successful overseas career has picked up his scoring production of late and averaged just over 18 per game in the regular season. Lo Entertainment has played admirably tough, considering they're a group of Schenectady players picked up after the original team forfeited opening night. They take pride on the defensive end, will pressure you for 94 feet, and are not afraid to sacrifice their bodies. Perhaps the only Achilles' heel for Swagger is a team that can successfully pressure the ball. The 7 seed's only problem? With their sheer lack of bodies, rarely having more than 7, they can't keep up such pressure for 44 minutes. Their scoring is extremely balanced, with 5 players averaging between 10 and 15 points per game. Brian Ledbetter, former St. Rose player, is the leader of the group. They've picked up contributions from Chris Lewis on both ends, along with Tyrone "Freeway" Buttler and Anthony Armstead in the blocks. Jordan Gutierrez, a mid-season pickup who scored nearly 25 points per game as a junior at Oneonta High School this past season, has given them a consistent shooting threat. He scored 28 in his first game, a blowout win over The Generals. He led the charge in the 1st quarter against Swagger in their regular season game, hitting 4 threes in the 1st quarter. However, Swagger held him to 2 points the rest of the way in their 71-58 win.

Tonight: We know one thing: Lo Entertainment won't quit, not even for a second. They just don't have the bodies to keep it up. Upstate Swagger, in playoff mode and hungry after a very rare regular season loss at nearly full strength, will pull away in time. Swagger onto Friday's semifinals, 81-62.

See if we're right! King of Kings at MVCC, 6:30 & 7:45. Free admission, donations accepted, live music, big-time hoops!

Most Valuable Thoughts - King of Kings Men's Quarterfinals

Well then.

Those who were frequent visitors to the men's division games this season expected mainly the same outcomes - Utica Select's talent to outdo local Hard 2 Guard, and top-seeded Motivated to impose their will on a Generals team that beat them earlier in the season. The    200 in attendance got half of that.

Hard 2 Guard, with mainly Utica players, jumped on not so local Utica Select early and was able to hold off the higher side to get the win, even having to fight back when Select took a quick lead in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. They shot over 75% from inside the 3 point line in the 1st quarter, where they took a 32-24 lead. Former Utica Proctor and Jefferson CC standout Collis Maddox was an early spark, scoring 9 of his 15 in the 1st. The 5-2 Utica Select was able to climb back into it in the 2nd behind hot shooting from EJ Gallup. The Coastal Carolina product, known for his perimeter shooting prowess, scored 19 of his 25 points in the 1st half. 15 of them came off of 5 threes, only missing a pair of them in the process. Even with Demetris Nichols, Mark Lyons, Lonnie Hayes, Adam Kemp, and Rashaun Freeman not in attendance for Select, it seemed once they drew within 1 at half, their 6 would get the job done. It seemed more so when they were the aggressors out of the gate in the 2nd half, taking a lead on an Edwin Ubiles dunk early in the 3rd quarter. Hard 2 Guard hung tough in the regular season game as well before Utica Select simply imposed their will - the local boys weren't having it tonight. They continued to scrap and despite St. Bonaventure rising sophomore Denzel Gregg's 10 3rd quarter points, Hard 2 Guard remained within 1 point with a quarter to play. Hard 2 Guard was able to slow the Select charge in the 4th, holding them to 18 points. T'Andre Richardson was the X-factor in this game for Hard 2 Guard - they're a formidable team when he gives them quality production in the post. Quality is a good word to describe his performance on this night, scoring 10 of his game- and career-high 28 points in the 4th quarter. He added 7 rebounds and shot 12/16 from the field. Hard 2 Guard held just a 3 point lead with 26 seconds left, but a putback on a miss pushed it to 5. After a missed Utica Select three, Richardson leaked out for a dunk to seal the game. They had more than just T'Andre, though. Maurice Mills, former Proctor standout now at Nazareth, added 24 points and 9 rebounds. Between those two, Maddox, and Walkery Mills, 79 of their 92 points came from Proctor graduates. Utica Select, who lost 124-120 in the championship game last season, take an unexpected early exit. Gallup led them with 25, and Gregg added 23. Tyquon Stroman had 15, but only 2 came in the 2nd half. Hard 2 Guard was able to hold former Siena standout Edwin Ubiles to 11 points on 5/15 shooting. The #6 seed moves onto semifinals, where they will play the winner of Lo Entertainment and defending champion Upstate Swagger on Friday night.

The nightcap... certainly was a sleeper. Lacked the intrigue of Monday's opener. The Generals were the #8 seed and had lost 4 straight, but had some confidence: their 2 wins on the season were against the top 2 seeds. Motivated, the #1 seed, is back to full strength with the return of Brandon Triche and Alshwan Hymes, and they're looking to finally get an elusive King of Kings men's title. They announced those plans loudly with a 111-79 thumping of their opponents, a game that was as close as 14 in the 3rd quarter, but never felt in danger. Motivated did it in every way possible, including outdoing The Generals at their own game - shooting the cheese. Hymes, a Canisius product by way of Jamesville-Dewitt, hit 10 of his team's 18 threes on the night and had 36 points, a King of Kings season high. 4 came in the 2nd quarter, where their team extended the lead to 56-37 by halftime. Brandon Triche (feel free to ask Google if you don't know where he played) had a rare triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. 8 of those assists came in the first half. A quick 8-0 spurt from The Generals ending with a Reggie German three brought them within 14 at 63-49 early in the 3rd, but that's the closest they would get. Motivated would score the next 11 and it was no longer close. It turned into a dunk contest in the last couple minutes, and was called with a little over a minute on the clock. The top seed showed their dominance and flexed a little bit heading into semifinals. They will play again in semifinals on Friday, facing the winner of Hoopsfiend Select and Syracuse Elite.

King of Kings - Men's Monday Quarterfinals Preview

Well, here we are. 7 weeks of the premier summer men's basketball league in upstate New York down, and it's playoff week. It was an interesting regular season - the top 4 seeds in playoffs all are 5-2, and the bottom 4 of the 8 team league sit at 2-5. Men's quarterfinals are on Monday and Wednesday, with semifinals Friday night and finals on Sunday evening. All games are at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica with live music and free admission.

Enough about that. Let's talk about the matchups for a minute. First off:

Hard 2 Guard vs. Utica Select. Hard 2 Guard comes in as the #6 seed - although it took them longer to get a win than any other team in the league. They lost their first 4, one of them to Utica Select, before finally breaking into the win column. Hard 2 Guard moved from the bowels of the bottom with a big win over Syracuse Elite last week. Cornelius Vines, former Hofstra player who has overseas experience, has worked his way into playing shape over the summer coming off of injury and has turned it up over the last couple weeks. After starting off slow, he's scored 21 & 29 in his last two games. He's also been rebounding and getting assists at a high level. Conor Maisch shooting well of late has helped their cause - another player coming off of injury that has used the summer to work back into form. He once led the country in 3-point percentage, playing at Division III Utica College, and he's coming off a good game of his own. He made 7 of his 11 3-point attempts in the win over Syracuse Elite. They need consistent production from T'Andre Richardson, Maurice Mills, and Walkery Mills to have hopes of moving on. Maurice, the younger Mills, has been their most consistent contributor from opening night up through now. Richardson is their only post player - an athletic 6'5" who was once a standout at SUNY IT, they need production in the paint from him to go on. They battle Utica Select, who has a bevy of big-name talent. They really have yet to put it all together, but the talent has put them at 5-2. They have won 4 straight after suffering a blowout loss at the hands of Upstate Swagger. The last three of those have been aided by the addition of Edwin Ubiles and Demetris Nichols. Both former standouts at their colleges (Siena & Syracuse, respectively) and current D-League players, they have established themselves as possibly the toughest duo in the league. It's much more than them, though. Mark Lyons has missed the last couple weeks, but has been one of the best guards in the league. Their length & explosiveness is unmatched, with rising St. Bonaventure sophomore Denzel Gregg controlling the air. Former Coastal Carolina and overseas standout EJ Gallup is still a sharpshooter, scoring 17 points in their 102-78 win over The Generals last week, hitting 5 threes. They have a lot of size - besides 6'8" Ubiles, 6'8" Nichols, and 6'8" Gregg, they also have a wide 6'9" Rashaun Freeman and 6'9" Adam Kemp in the blocks. Freeman was a standout at UMass in previous years and has enjoyed a long overseas career, where Kemp is just starting his after 4 successful years at Marist. At full strength, Utica Select has talent to beat many Division I basketball teams. Let's see if they can put it together this week.

Last Time They Played - Hard 2 Guard hung tough with a balanced effort, including a big performance from T'Andre Richardson and Maurice Mills, but Hard 2 Guard could hardly guard. Mark Lyons had 23, rising Utica Proctor senior Ziggy Tracey had a men's league career high 21, and Rashaun Freeman dominated the post with 20 points & 13 rebounds. Select shot over 50% from the field and 15/31 from beyond the arc in a 99-85 win.

Tonight - Look for Select, now with Ubiles and Nichols, to turn this one into a rout by the time we get midway through the 3rd quarter. Vines might be much improved since that early-season game, but Hard 2 Guard simply has no match for those two. 94-71, Utica Select to the semis.

And the nightcap?

The Generals vs Motivated. The Generals come in as an 8 seed that have unraveled over the last few weeks. The team, comprised mainly of current and former HCCC players, won two of their first three games - one of them being over this top-seeded Motivated squad. It has gone downhill from there, losing their last four, including giving Hard 2 Guard their first win. Defense has been optional - in those four losses, they've been giving up 100.5 points per game on average. Their most consistent contributors have been Matt Baldwin, Reggie German, and Garrett Sharlow. Baldwin & German both finished their playing days at Utica College after HCCC; Sharlow never played in Herkimer, instead playing his four years at St. Lawrence. Motivated took a couple of losses without their leader, Brandon Triche, but have went unscathed since his return from the NBA summer league. In the last two games, Triche has averaged 19.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. Alshwan Hymes has also provided a lift in recent weeks. The former high school teammate of Triche and Canisius player dropped 30 points last week in a season-ending win over defending champion Upstate Swagger. Mickey Davis and Pat Moore have also been providing solid contributions, both picking up more as of late. What may come back to bite Motivated is lack of numbers - they very rarely have more than 7, and they only had 5 last week. Although it hasn't come back to bite them in the regular season, playoffs are a different game.

Last Time They Played - A Motivated squad with Brandon Triche in attendance, but not playing, held an 11 point lead after 3 quarters. However, an efficient 4th quarter from The Generals and stale offense on the top seed's side led to their demise. Holding a lead up to the last 30 seconds, Motivated coughed it up on two straight possessions. Four Kevin Kucel free throws converted a 1 point deficit into a 3 point lead for The Generals, and they picked up a 78-75 win. This win, in the 3rd week, is the last time they've been on the winning end. 9 4th quarter points from Matt Baldwin, good free throw shooting, and improved work on the boards from Garrett Sharlow, Carson Murphy, and Jeff Mlinar led the initial charge.

Tonight - We're at a different point now. The Generals have taken a sharp decline, and Motivated doesn't have a high school sophomore running their backcourt like they did in those weeks. With Triche, Hymes, Moore, Davis, and Algeron Torrence on the floor, the top seed is a different team than before - and deserving of that top spot. The Generals, when hot, can keep themselves in any game with their perimeter prowess, but too much strength from Motivated will wear them down. Look for it to be competitive until late in the 3rd quarter, where Triche & Co. will impose their will and make it a done deal. Onto the semis Motivated will go. Prediction: 87-70.

What do you think? Mohawk Valley Community College, free entry (donations accepted), live music, good hoops, air conditioned gym... 6:30 tip time for first game, 7:45 for nightcap. Check it out!

Tough as Nails: Jahlil Among Upstate's Finest in King of Kings

Written by Jeff Mlinar

Upstate New York has talent.

Dozens of high school boys between Rochester and Albany are receiving legitimate interest from Division I basketball programs. A couple – Joe Cremo and Jordan Roland – have even committed heading into their senior campaigns. One other rising senior is looking to join that category, and with the summer he’s been having, it wouldn’t be surprising if that happened soon.

Jahlil Nails isn’t your average kid. I mean, he is normal. At 6’5”, maybe he’s a little taller than average. Get him on the court and get to know him, and you’ll understand why. In a sectional semifinal game this year, he sprained his MCL. They didn’t win, but he kept playing… and playing. And playing. 5 overtimes worth of playing. He wasn’t just out there struggling, either. Nails finished with 41 points on the night. Your average kid doesn’t put up 41 points on a sprained MCL. He goes to Columbia High School, east of Albany, and participates in the King of Kings College Prospect League in Utica. While many players have missed multiple weeks, he’s been dependable. As a matter of fact, he was one of only thirteen in the league that attended all of the first five weeks. He drives himself every week, sometimes picking up teammates in the process. The average kid isn’t doing that.

He’s certainly making a name for himself too. Through those 5 weeks, he’s separated himself from nearly everyone in the league. Averaging 20.8 points per game in that stretch, he’s leading the league in scoring by over 3 points per game. He also rebounds well – with 8.2 per game, he’s currently in 6^th. Not to mention what he does from beyond the arc. The 6’5” shooting guard shoots over defenders at will, and he’s hit 19 of his 41 attempts from the land of the extra point so far. The amount of makes leads the league, and it makes it even more impressive when he’s shooting it at nearly a 50% clip. A 31 point outburst with limited players put them over the top last week against a tough Takeover team. A 21 point 2^nd half single-handedly kept his team in the game in a close loss to 315 Elite. The only off game he had was in a game where they didn’t need him to have a good game anyway – they won by 30. Nails is a bona fide Division 1 prospect: with Tennessee Tech & USC Upstate showing budding interest along with Monmouth, Lehigh, Liberty, Houston Baptist, Idaho State, TCU, Radford, NJIT, and a half dozen others interested for a longer period of time, the laundry list of D1 schools looking into him is one of the longest in the league. Even with all this attention from programs, Nails plays with a hammer of a chip on his shoulder – this being even more clearly evident in King of Kings, going up against a lot of the other best talent in upstate NY. When asked about why King of Kings this summer, a multitude of reasons popped up.

“The big names made a difference”, Nails said when it came to initially making the decision to commit to the league. “You see guys like Mark (Lyons), Brandon (Triche) as people who have played in this, and you want to be a part of that”. Those two, along with plenty of other notable names, such as Demetris Nichols, Edwin Ubiles, and Jimmer Fredette, have all played in the King of Kings men’s league – all but Fredette have played this season as well. Nails also pointed at the wide recruiting base for this summer’s league: “Coming out to the Capital district to get players for a league in Utica showed it could be a big deal. And when guys that were on the team were mentioned, like as (Zach) Radz and Raiquis (Harris), you could see it was a talented team.” And what kept him here after the first week, a 68-38 win over a Team 518 squad that featured Green Tech rising senior Isiah Dobere? Multiple things.

“The environment, definitely”, Nails pointed at. “The crowd opening night, people came out. The DJ playing music in games. It’s a different experience.” He also mentioned the in-game experience – “The refs let you play tough. It’s a little more physical and you have to work harder. It’s more college physicality, which helps get you ready for it. The competition is just strong all-around, too. Everyone’s athletic, everyone can play. Everyone who plays in it is a big name at their school or in their area, so people don’t care what your name is here. It’s all about skill – gotta bring your game.”

And bring his game is what he’s done. People have taken notice – especially after the early-season 2^nd half outburst against 315 Elite. People pay attention to him when he has the ball in his hands. Other teams focus on stopping him. It hasn’t worked. He continues to play with that chip on his shoulder, even late in the season, no matter who he’s playing. The fact that he doesn’t have a scholarship offer yet, even with all this scholarship-level attention, is certainly a big driving force for him.

“Everywhere I play, everywhere I go, I’m trying to make a name for myself”, Nails said. “I feel like I’ve been overlooked a lot by programs. I know schools are interested, but a lot of kids I have played well against (AAU, BCANY, etc.) have offers. I want that.”

With the King of Kings regular season in the books, and him only missing the last week due to obligations with his BCANY team, he is certainly garnering serious consideration for the regular season MVP award. Underrecruited? I’d definitely say he has been. He may not have an offer yet, but if his play continues at this pace, that won’t be for long.

Jahlil’s team, Rising Stars, has a bye into the playoff semifinals as the #2 seed. They will play the winner of #6 seed Dynasty (featuring Amsterdam’s Kory Bergh and Skaneateles’ Bobby Leslie) and #3 Utica Select (with a host of top talent, including Ziggy Tracey, Jordan Gutierrez, Troy Temara, and God’s Power Ogide) on Saturday, August 9, at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica. Game time is to be determined. Full Rising Stars roster below.

Brandon LaForest (Cohoes)

Zach Radz (Troy)

Raiquis Harris (CCHS)

Myles Joyce (Averill Park)

Isaiah Moak (Averill Park)

Ryan Bielawa (La Salle)

Justin Carruthers (Greenwich)

Andrew Hoag (Hoosick Falls)

Jahlil Nails (Columbia)

Brandon Fischer (Shenendehowa)

Ray Jerome (Albany Academy/Cheshire Academy)

Locals Shine in Prospect League

Written by Jeff Mlinar

Basketball is building in the Utica area.

Don’t believe me? Come to a King of Kings College Prospect League game. Between the Tri-Valley League and Center State Conference, the two main conferences in Utica & surrounding area, the emerging talent is undeniable. And it’s not lopsided. Smaller schools are coming through with talent just as strong – they can ‘hang with the big boys’, as some folk would say.

We’ll start off with 315 Elite. The one true Utica-area team, with all players on the team being from Utica, Rome, or a Utica suburb, they have proven their worth. Through 5 weeks, they’re still undefeated. It’s a full Tri-Valley League team, with players representing Proctor, Notre Dame, Whitesboro, New Hartford, and Rome Free Academy. Tyvon Reed, a rising senior at Proctor, leads them in scoring and is 5^th in the league at 16.6 points per game. He also leads them in rebounding at 6.2 per game. Kevin Warmack, a Notre Dame senior, is 10^th in the league at 13.4 points per game. He also leads the league in assists per game (7), 2^nd in steals per game (3.2), and is right behind Reed at 6 rebounds per game. Whitesboro’s TJ Borza has also excelled, averaging 13 points per game. His 16 points in an early-season game against Division 1-heavy Rising Stars was instrumental in them picking up a win. Jerome Brabham, the youngster of these four, averages 7.8 points per game and shoots over 50% from the field. He’ll be a junior at Notre Dame. Utica Select dons a couple area players more than holding their own, as well. Ziggy Tracey (or Clifton, if you prefer), who just finished his junior year at Proctor, is sitting in 2^nd in the scoring race, averaging 17.5 per game. He also averages 5.8 rebounds per game and is tied for 3^rd in made threes (with Warmack) at 14. His teammate, Jordan Gutierrez, is right behind him at 17.3 points per game. The slender 6’2” guard mixes it up with the big boys despite his size, and he’s 2^nd in the league in both rebounds (9.5) and assists (6) per game. He was a junior this past year at Oneonta but has transferred into the area. Want future names to look out for? There’s a couple – Select has one of them as well. Jalen Hawkins is only entering his sophomore year at Proctor, but he plays like a seasoned vet. He runs the point for his team and is averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals per game. He’s attracted early interest from numerous college coaches that have attended. Dynasty also features a Raider that’s ready to blow up – Ramel Poole. The rising junior has pleasantly surprised everyone in the league. A very raw but athletic 6’4”, his relentless work on the boards has turned into statistical success, and people are taking notice. He’s cracked into the top 15 in scoring and top 10 in rebounding late in the regular season, now averaging 11.5 and 8.3 after a 19 point, 9 rebound performance in their first win. With skill work, he will be someone to look out for.

It’s not all about the large schools here, though. The Center State Conference is very well-represented, and their representation has been matched with success. CSC participants have nearly exclusively been on Takeover – their 2-3 record doesn’t indicate how dangerous they are. Between a couple players missing extended action due to previous obligations and the injury bug hitting the team, they’ve only had a full team for one game – they won that game 81-41. Ryan Schmadel, a rising junior at Oriskany who at this point is the only area player who has received interest from a Division I men’s basketball program, is certainly playing like he deserves more. A 24 point outing last week against the same Division I-heavy Rising Stars bumped him up to 4^th in the league at 17 points per game. He’s also averaging 8.5 rebounds (3^rd) and 3.25 steals (1^st) per game. He is on Colgate’s radar now, and looks to be on many more scholarship-level radars soon. Zach Sawyer has also made a name for himself. He jumped on the radar late in his junior season at Waterville, where he dominated post-season play all the way to the state semifinals in Class C and earned a 2^nd team all-state selection. He’s been a do-it-all player for Takeover thus far, averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. The 6’4” swingman is very athletic, but his athleticism came back to bite him when he sprained an ankle going up for a block and forced him to miss last week’s action. They’ll be looking forward to having him back in time for playoffs. Another CSC Division III Zach has stepped up his play each week. Hamilton senior Zach Wilcox has improved on the court with each game, and he came through with a season high 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks despite having a bruised kneecap last week. It’s been more than those three, however – New York Mills’ Terry Nichols has been a floor general for them, and Waterville’s Jake English and Hunter Williams, Hamilton’s Bryce Belanger, and Little Falls sophomore Todd Hubbell have provided contributions. They, along with explosive point guard Jelani Fontanez, a standout from Ithaca, look to make a deep run in playoffs when Division I locks John Sica and Kinnon LaRose return from AAU nationals and Sawyer returns from injury. Every game for them has been close – besides the 40 point win, all others have been decided by less than 10.

Many of the best boys high school basketball players make their way from all over New York to Utica every Thursday night. When all is said and done, it looks like many of those best didn’t have to travel far after all.

Tri-Valley Boys Proving to be 'Elite'

Written by Jeff Mlinar

For King of Kings, the College Prospect League is no longer just an area showcase. In its previous two years, there was little out-of-area influence other than an organized Syracuse team each season. That’s a thing of the past. Through 5 weeks, 71 high school boys basketball players have participated. They’ve come from all different areas – as far west as Rochester & Horseheads, as far east as Massachusetts. As far south as northern Pennsylvania, as far north as Ogdensburg. However, there’s just one team whose record remains unscathed: the local boys. 315 Elite, a Tri-Valley League team comprised of players from Proctor, Notre Dame, Whitesboro, New Hartford, and Rome Free Academy, stands alone at the top of the standings at 5-0. 14 players that have participated so far have received interest from Division I programs – 315 Elite doesn’t have any of them. They’re also undersized, with the tallest players at 6’4” and 6’3”. What they lack in scholarship-level interest and height, they make up for in toughness and heart. They rebound from all positions – the 3 main guards in their backcourt rotation combine for 14 rebounds per game. They pressure you and turn you over – leading the league with 10 steals per game as a team. They make you uncomfortable. They play physical, in your jersey, borderline chippy defense at times…

Oh yeah, Kevin Warmack helps.

The rising senior at Notre Dame had a rough opening night. He scored 19, 21, and 20 in the 3 following weeks. When they were in danger of losing a couple weeks ago, down 10 early in the 2^nd half, he hit 4 threes in succession to bring his squad back into the game. They eventually won 66-60. He’s also averaging 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3.2 steals along with his 13.4 points. The assists lead the league, steals are good for 2^nd, and the rebounds lead the league for all participants under 6’2”. 5’10” on a good day, he might not be the most physically imposing, but his leadership and heart rub off on the rest of his team no matter where he plays. Tyvon Reed provides a powerful punch as well. The rising senior at Proctor led the league in scoring at one point. He’s in 5th now at 16.6 per game, but still in a tight pack within a point of 2nd. A strong and athletic 6’2”, Reed plays much bigger than his size. He leads his team in rebounding at 6.2 per game, seemingly grabbing them at will when he’s fully engaged.

Does their experience make a difference? It’s possible – Warmack & Reed have both played in all 3 years of the prospect league’s existence. Reed even won a championship with The Next Big Thing in its inaugural season. Is it the addition of Whitesboro’s TJ Borza? That helps too – him and Jerome Brabham give opposing backcourts fits. When they pay too much attention to Warmack and Reed, those two make opponents pay. Borza averages 13 points per game and Brabham, a rising junior, is averaging 8 – and both are shooting over 50% thus far. Is it the tenacity that teams have yet to match? Is it something else? All of the above? If you put ten people in the gym that know basketball and have them watch 315 Elite play, they may all give different reasons as to why they’ve been so successful. That may be why.