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Irish Capture Rookie Basketball Championship In Rousing Final 
Head coach, David Greene, fresh off his selection as the NYO Rookie Coach of the Year, and assistant coach, Matt Davis, had a plan to ensure that the NYO Rookie Irish would win the championship at the end of the season. Well, maybe they didn't have a plan, as much as they just thought it would be fun for all involved. After a season of highs and lows, the Irish faced off against the talented Rookie Trojans in the championship game that at times was fast paced and at times a bit slow.
The always tough Irish defense held the Trojans to just 6 first half points. The tenacious Irish "D" was led by Grayson Bills, Brady Vincent and Marcus Lewinstein.
Inspired by the unveiling of a memorial to NYO's dear friend, the late James Armstrong, the potent Irish offense ignited in the second half.
Lance Beck repeatedly drove to the basket, and Will Smith had several timely second chance shots as the Irish outscored the Trojans 18 to 4 in the second half. Casey Levy and David Greene dominated the boards on both ends to limit the Trojans. Lastly, Mathew Davis had several key steals late in the game to seal the victory for the Irish.
As the 2009 basketball season winds down and baseball season slowly begins, the Irish would like to thank both coaches and parents for their commitment and a memorable season. (submitted by Jeter, 2-22
Gators Nab 2010 Rookie Regular Season Title as Playoffs Begin
The NYO rookie basketball gators, led by Coach Greg Malever, grabbed the regular season title, riding an impressive defense to a 9-1 record. The Gators held 4 opponents to under 10 points in their game, while enjoying balanced scoring from their entire team. The Gators enter the rookie tournament, which starts Saturday, February 13 (weather-permitting) as the number 1 seed. The tournament should be very competitive, as 11 teams vie for the tournament championship that anyone can win. The tournament final is scheduled for Saturday, February 20, at 8:30 a.m. at the Chastain gym.
Boyd's Deacons Take 2009 Rookie Basketball Title!
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Pictured in the photo for the deacons, proudly holding their championship trophies, are Coaches Cal Boyd and Mark Klopfenstein, and players Graham Alcorn, Ryan Blasberg, Coleman Boyd, Brendan Gipson, Andrew Henning, Charles Henning, Jeff Klopfenstein and Pete Law. |
Playing before a packed house of loud fans, Cal Boyd's Demon Deacons won a hard fought victory over Jay Rottner's Tarheels in the NYO Rookie basketball championship on Wednesday night, by a final score of 27-17.
The game matched the number 1 and 2 seeds from the regular season, as each team had blown through the tournament, racking up wins with comfortable margins.
The Deacons broke open a 1 point game at half-time of the championship with sharp-shooting from several sources, as point guard Coleman Boyd continued to break the half-court trap and find the open man throughout the second half.
The Deacon shooters responded with long bombs at key moments. A late effort by the Tarheels to claw back into the game led by Evan Rottner and Gregory Rogers was not enough, as the deacons passed the ball around the perimeter as the final horn sounded.
2009 NYO Rookie Basketball Concludes Regular Season
Rookie Play-offs start Tuesday night, January 27
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Gators Coach Hay explains last minute strategy to point guard Michael Simon. |
Todd Arnold's hook shot inside the lane after an offensive rebound settled a double-overtime 24-23 thriller last night, as the rookie Hoosiers, winners of 4 straight games, beat the hard luck Gators to bring the rookie basketball regular season to a close. Earlier in the evening, the rookie Deacons, led by very un-rookie coach Cal Boyd, beat the Bulldogs 16-8, to clinch the regular season title with a 9-1 record. Had the Deacons lost that game, a 4 way tie for the regular season championship would have resulted, as 3 teams (Irish; Tarheels; and Jackets) finished the season 8-2.
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Gators and Hoosiers line up for opening tip-off in a game that would go to double-overtime. |
Among the highlights of the rookie season was the return of NYO coaching legend Allan Gottlieb, assisted by his son and NYO sports legend in his own right, Bennett Gottlieb (they are still looking for the baseball hit out of Garr Field by Bennett, which may have also cleared the golf course). The Gottlieb's, ably assisted by ex-Pace Academy basketball star Brian Pfohl, taught the Wildcats a trapping defense which helped them to fast start this season.
Play-offs start Tuesday night, January 27, with the young but aggressive Tigers, led by coaches Roy Dixon and Michael Farr, taking on the hot Hoosiers, led by coaches David Greene and Matt Davis. Saturday will pair up the final 8 teams in a 4 hour extravaganza of screams; dribbling; defense; and passing, interrupted by an occasional basket, as we get down to a final 4.
2008 Champions
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2008 Tarheels Rookie Playoff Champions |
Rookie champion Tarheels shown after their victory are Cole Smith; Barrett Baker; Daniel East; Gunnar Longo; Patrick Markwalter; Will Miller; Gus Phelts; Bo Sikes, and Tarheel coaches Neil Smith and Curtis Baker. |
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NYO ROOKIE BASKETBALL CONCLUDES PLAY-OFF MADNESS!
NYO rookie basketball concluded another great season last week, when the rookie Tarheels, led by Coach Neil Smith and Curtis Baker, won the championship against the Gators, coached by Tim Cobb and Scott Wilkinson.
The rookie Tarheels, who were the #1 seed and regular season champion, jumped out to a big early lead in the game. The Gators, the #2 seed and only team to defeat the Tarheels in the regular season, fought hard and with great determination, and chipped away at the Tarheels lead, cutting it to 4 points at one point, but the Gators were never able to take control of the game.
Congratulations to both coaches and both teams on their great seasons.
The NYO rookie basketball league itself was a rousing success. The league opened up to 12 teams this year, in an effort to meet the huge demand for space in the league. During the regular season, every team won at least once, every team lost at least once, and there were 8 games that went to over-time, attesting to the competitive balance of the league. |
2007 Champions
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Tigers Win 2007 Playoff Championship |
Pictured for the Tigers are coaches Steve Musser and David Ladner, and players Trey Bender; Jordan Harris; Owen Ladner; Sam LaPlatney; IanLewis; Hunt Musser; Ford Robinson; and Robert Spratlin. |
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| The #3 seeded Rookie Tigers capped a great play-off run with a victory over the #1 seeded Wildcats, to win the NYO Rookie basketball championship on Saturday, February 3. The Tigers combined relentless defense and hot shooting (many of which were hoisted that went in the basket while their coaches were screaming "No!"), as they peaked at the right time for the play-offs. Coaches Musser and Ladner attributed the team's success to clean living and rigorous training, as the young Tigers overcame their LSU affiliation to generally abide by team curfews. |
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Wildcats Win 2007 Regular Season |
Pictured are the Wildcats coaches Jim Easterling and Ricky Chandler, and players David Easterling; Will Chandler; Hines Bowers; Thomas Stevenson; Charlie Stewart; Cameron Tyler; William White; and Tucker Witmer. |
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Congratulations to the Rookie Wildcats, who lived up to the heritage of their famous namesakes, and clinched at least a tie for the regular season championship, and the 1st seed in the post-season tournament, with a thrilling 29-28 double overtime victory on Saturday, over the Tigers. The 1 point win was the Wildcats 4th victory by that margin in the season, as the Widcats featured the best defense in the league. The game was sent into overtime by Charlie Stewart's buzzer-beater that bounced around the rim several times before falling,, and the Wildcats victory was sealed when Will Chandler hit a free throw in the final seconds of the game.
The Rookie league now goes into February madness, where everyone has a chance to grab the tournament. |
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Hoosiers Go 9-1 for 2nd Place Finish in 2007 |
The Hoosiers, shown above, were coached by Mac Rafeedie and Walt Gillikin, include Mason Anthony; Stephen Ballard; Blake Gillikin; Tyler Gillikin; Patrick Hope; Bobby Hope; Sam Malone; and Alex Rafeedie. |
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| The NYO basketball Rookie Hoosiers became the second team to go 9-1 in the NYO Rookie league, ending their regular season tied for 1st place, and they will go into the end of the season tournament as the #2 seed. The Hoosiers were the highest scoring team in the league, scoring over 31 points a game, and were the 1st rookie team in 4 years to break the 40 point mark in a single game. |
2006 Champions
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Congratulations to head coach Asbury and coach Duncan, and the champion Bulls: Sam Asbury; Brent Duncan; Russell Duncan; Casey Erdoes; Wyatt Hughes; Eddie Leonard; Jack Leonard; and Emerson Rollins. |
Bulls - 2006 Rookie Champs
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| The NYO rookie Bulls proudly hold up their NYO Rookie basketball tournament championship trophies, from last Saturday. The Bulls defeated the Cavaliers 26-21 in a close-fought final, scoring the last 4 points of the game. The Bulls came into the rookie tournament as the #1 seed, having lost only 1 regular season game (to the Cavaliers), finishing the regular season 9-1. |
2005 Champions
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2005 Tarheels Win Rookie Playoffs |
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Left to right- Griffin King, Bear Jameson, Alex Kenan, Joe Mitchell, Jackson Egan, Philip Elliott, Richie McClure, Avery Bass.
Rear- Manager Walter Jameson. Not pictured- Coach Mark Elliott. |
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2005 Bulls are Playoff Runner Up! |
| A happy group of basketball stars as the Bulls enjoy their trophies! |
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The first of the NYO basketball championships concluded on Saturday, as the Tarheels, coached by Tarheel alum Walter Jameson, bested the Bulls, coached by Jack Markwalter, in the Rookie championship, 29-20. The Bulls had beaten the previously undefeated and regular season champion Hornets in the semi-finals, while the Tarheels had bested the hot Yellow Jackets in the other semi-final game, to set up the finals match.
It was the conclusion to another great rookie basketball season at NYO. Every team got into the win column, and every team was tagged with at least 1 loss. Excellent coaching was the rule throughout the league, as evidenced by the improved quality of play over the course of the season. |
2004 Champions
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Bulls Win 2004 Rookie Championship |
The Bulls used a strong second-half to win the NYO Rookie basketball championship by a score of 33-25, over the Cavs. The Cavs came out hot-shooting and jumped to a 6-0 lead, and led at the end of the first quarter. The Bulls slowly climbed back into the game, taking a 2 point lead into half-time. The Bulls upped their margin to 8 points with a strong 3rd quarter. The Cavs twice cut the deficit to 5 points in the 4th quarter, but the steady Bulls always came up with a basket when it was needed. Bulls Coach Steve Phillips attributed their win to clean living and living up to the legacy of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin. NYO's ban on tattoos prevented a Dennis Rodman from emerging on the team.
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2004 ROOKIE JACKETS VISIT THE GA Tech LADY JACKETS |
| The NYO Rookie Jackets honed their game during the 2003-2004 season with a visit to Alexander Memorial Coliseum (the “Thrillerdome”), home of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Rookie Jackets had the court to themselves for a strenuous ninety-minute practice, followed by individual instruction from Coach MaChelle Joseph and the Georgia Tech women's basketball team. The Rookie Jackets then watched as “Coach Jo” put the Lady Jackets through their paces. The Rookie Jackets return to the Thrillerdome later this month for their season-end party and awards ceremony, which will feature a “Rookie Jackets vs. the parents” basketball game and lunch from the Varsity. |
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