It has been a long, agonizing, and pain-inducing wait, but for all accounts and measures, basketball has returned as New York’s cherished pastime.
Long forgotten are the days of ineptitude from those putrid, 23 total wins compiling New York Knicks teams embroiled in tabloid back page controversy.
Memories of the high-wired, uber-passionate, and fiercely ruthless St. John’s fans angrily calling for the head coach’s job–whether it be Norm Roberts, Chris Mullin, or Mike Anderson–are long buried in the past.
These memories have very much dissipated, with nary the slightest chance of returning and evoking tinges of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
There’s a level of excitement spreading rapidly around today’s Knicks. Jalen Brunson has steadily materialized as one of the most dangerously gifted scorers in the organization’s regal history.
Brunson’s acquired, insatiable taste for the big shot and sheer scoring craftiness is steering this Knicks team to a 30-17 record. His buckets binges provide a fulfilling injection of promise which hasn’t been realized in this city since the 1990s basket-brawl led teams of Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, Derek Harper, and company.
Those teams embodied the true hustle and grit of New York, forever embedded in the city’s basketball culture. Their swagger, determination, and the mental moxie they played with has long stood the test of time.
After a significant layoff from these memorable times, it is fair to say New York is back. It is a good time to grow up a hoops fan in New York.
The prominence has returned at all levels, with the buzz prevalent at the high school level.
Bronx-bred guards, Stepinac’s Boogie Fland (Kentucky) and Our Savior Lutheran’s Ian Jackson (North Carolina) put a major exclamation mark on their illustrious careers, recently being selected for the prestigious McDonald’s All-American game.
Both players have become the veritable faces of the basketball renaissance. While talent once fled the city for greener pastures, there’s more of an emphasis as ever on staying home and making city championship aspirations a livelihood.
The product currently on the floor has been a motivational factor for the city’s youth. It’s evident in the cult following many of the city’s mainstream teams have developed.
It’s palpable as the youngsters jockey for a position to meet highly lauded players after the game, eager for autographs.
By all visible accounts and measures, the city game is headed in the right direction. With a core of younger generation talent already getting their teeth cut on the big stage, here is a look at some of the top freshmen in the NYC area and beyond:
Anderson Diaz, St. Raymond’s: The Class of 2027 point guard is a proficient left handed scorer with a slick layup arsenal and a smooth floater he’s able to get off in traffic. Diaz has a cerebral quality to his game with his ability to see the floor and facilitate. He employs the grit and swagger emblematic of a NYC guard on the floor. Diaz also has some razzle dazzle to his game with his handle, space creation, and direction-changing. He’s able to speed defenders up, he can also shift from fast to slow and vice versa in quick-hit fashion.
His adeptness of feel for the game allows Diaz to penetrate the teeth of the driving lanes and effectively pick his spots. Beyond his burst and ability to slip into tight spaces of the defense, Diaz has developed a reliable outside shot and possesses the fearlessness beyond his years which, you simply don’t see often in freshmen.
Dillon Callahan, Iona Prep–The 6-foot-5 freshman has visible upside with his athleticism, as he puts his head on the rim with his prodigious leaping ability. The left handed Callahan has good concepts of the game, can step out and knock down the 3-pointer, and additionally utilizes an IQ with his knack for getting open and making timely reads. Callahan has toughness and mobile, end to end movement without the ball. He’s been a vital cog on the glass, surfacing as a role player to 6-foot-7 point forward and veritable swiss army knife Lucas Morillo.
Josh Rivera, Stepinac–The 6-foot-5 Class of 2027 floor spreader is a promising catch-and-stick threat who showed a consistent long range touch during Stepinac’s thorough 72-48 mauling of cross-town and CHSAA “AA” rival Iona Prep during the Showcase X Crusader Classic at the Westchester County Center.
Rivera possesses uniqueness with his ability to play and guard multiple positions while utilizing his length. On a Stepinac team front loaded with talented guards, Rivera brings unique upside for the future as a long term prospect.
Ethan Butler, St. Francis Prep–Butler has been gaining valuable experience this winter as a vital defensive cog and presence on the glass. At 6-foot-5, he has grasped the basic niceties of the multi-positional role with his ability to spread the floor out with a delicate perimeter touch. He’s adjusted seamlessly to the pace of the game and absorbed the tenets of the system. Down the road, he’s got the intangibles to be an inside-outside scoring threat with stretch four-esque capabilities.
