NY Post All-City Basketball Honors
04/26/2010 - 07:22 PM

Omar Calhoun earns First Team All-City Honors

It was a memorable season of benchmark performances and long-awaited titles. Boys & Gils won its first PSAL crown in 31 years, topping Cardozo at Madison Square Garden. Christ the King claimed its fifth city title, but first state championship since 1989. And Collegiate capped a remarkable three-year run with its third straight state crown.

The city was introduced to a sophomore – CK’s Omar Calhoun – who could go down as one of our best. A junior, Boys & Girls’ Mike Taylor, who shot himself into Bed Stuy lore. And a senior, Jayvaughn Pinkston of Bishop Loughlin, who enjoyed an incredible final year that included scoring records and All-American honors.

First Team

G Omar Calhoun, Christ the King

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard’s stats weren’t gaudy – he averaged a team-best 14 points per game – but the mature sophomore always seemed to come up with a late bucket in the biggest games. He had 20 points and 11 rebounds as Christ the King won its fifth CHSAA Class AA intersectional title game and was then named the MVP of the New York State Federation final after scoring another 20 against Boys & Girls. That’s one reason why he already has offers on the table from Pittsburgh, Villanova, Louisville and St. John’s.

Second Team

G Corey Edwards, Christ the King

Edwards took a huge step up in his junior year, becoming the city’s best pure point guard. Before his season was cut short because of a dislocated foot, Edwards not only made all the right passes, he also made a ton of big free throws down the stretch.

Third team

F Maurice Barrow, Christ the King

A blue-collar worker, the 6-foot-4 senior did all the little things to lead Christ the King to its trio of championships. In the CHSAA Class AA intersectional final the Fairfield-bound small forward exploded for 24 points and 15 rebounds to earn MVP honors.

The Post's All-Queens Basketball Honors
04/22/2010 - 08:09 AM

Queens Player of the Year Omar Calhoun

All-Queens boys basketball Player of the Year: Omar Calhoun, Christ the King

Before he ever played his first varsity game, Omar Calhoun was touted as the next great star at Christ the King. His own coach said the sophomore guard could be the best to ever play at the Middle Village, Queens school. That’s high praise considering Lamar Odom, Khalid Reeves, Derrick Phelps, Speedy Claxton and Omar Cook all wore the CK maroon.

Calhoun backed up the praise. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard didn’t score 40 points a night, but he did lead the Royals in scoring, averaging 14 points per game. The Park Slope, Brooklyn native picked his game up in the postseason, earning MVP honors in Glens Falls after scoring a game-high 20 points in the state final, a 52-49 victory against Boys & Girls. Calhoun showed poise down the stretch, hitting the winning three free throws after the game was tied at 48.

“I haven’t seen a sophomore like that do what he does,” Christ the King junior guard T.J. Curry said.

All-Queens boys basketball Coach of the Year: Joe Arbitello, Christ the King

His team suffered a devastating injury at the worst time of the year when point guard Corey Edwards dislocated his foot during the postseason, but Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello didn’t panic and he certainly didn’t throw in the towel.

Instead, the second-year coach used the setback as motivation. Arbitello pushed all the right buttons and prodded his team, having the presence of mind to lean on veteran assistant coaches Artie Cox and Greg Lemko for guidance en route to the school’s fifth CHSAA Class AA intersectional title and first state title since 1989.

Arbitello captured the title as a player on the 1995 team. But this win, a triple-overtime thriller against Bishop Loughlin, was even sweeter.

“I was just overcome with emotion. I was just so happy for my guys,” Arbitello said after the game. “The kids deserved this, they played so hard."

All-Queens first team

F Maurice Barrow, Christ the King

Never flashy, the athletic and versatile 6-foot-4 senior did all the grunt work to help the Royals win championship after championship this year. A huge mismatch for opposing players, the Fairfield-bound Barrow played his best when it mattered most, scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the Royals 81-78 triple-overtime win against Bishop Loughlin in the CHSAA title game.

G Corey Edwards, Christ the King

The fact that there were doubters that Christ the King would win the CHSAA title when Edwards dislocated his foot in the postseason speaks volumes about the junior’s worth. He wasn’t a prolific scorer, but the Royals didn’t need him to be. Simply put, Edwards is the best pure point guard in the city and he willed the city’s best team to win after win.

All-Queens third team

F Roland Brown, Christ the King

He averaged just 4.3 points per game, but Brown made his presence felt in and around the basket, especially defensively. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior forward is choosing between Stony Brook, Manhattan and Fairfield.

F Dominykas Milka, Christ the King

The rock-solid 6-foot-7, 260-pound forward, who always played within himself, was a beast in and around the basket. The senior was fourth on the Royals, averaging 7.8 points per game, and was also a defensive catalyst for the Royals.

All-Queens honorable mention

G TJ Curry, Christ the King

Royals Top Boys & Girls for State Title
03/29/2010 - 08:31 PM

CK Celebrates its 52 - 49 Victory over Boys & Girls for the State Championship

GLENS FALLS – Plenty of great players have walked through the doors of Christ the King in Middle Village, Queens over the last 21 years. From Lamar Odom to Speedy Claxton to Erick Barkley, the Royals have produced plenty of talent.

Omar Calhoun, with just one varsity season under his belt, already has one up on all of them.

The sophomore guard scored a game-high 20 points, including the game-winning free throws with 50 seconds remaining, to lead CK past Boys & Girls, 52-49, and to its first New York State Federation Class AA boys crown since 1989.

“I’m just seizing the moment and loving it,” Calhoun said. “Me being a sophomore, coming here, winning MVP, is really special.”

He, of course, had plenty of help. There was the play of junior guard T.J. Curry, filling in for injured star Corey Edwards, and making every clutch play late; forwards Dominykas Milka and Maurice Barrow grabbing seemingly every essential rebound; senior Roland Brown coming up with six clutch points; and the Royals, as a whole, playing lockdown defense for the better part of three quarters.

Calhoun’s 12 first-half points helped the Royals, No. 1 in The Post’s NYC boys basketball rankings, build a 22-15 halftime lead, but the others made sure it stood up.

There were hairy moments over the final eight minutes. Boys & Girls (28-6), the PSAL champion in the Federation tournament for the first time, eliminated a 12-point, third-quarter deficit. Star junior Mike Taylor caught fire in the final stanza, scoring 12 of his 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Kangaroos went ahead, 48-47, on Leroy Isler’s jumper from the left corner with 2:30 to go.

“We played the whole year with maturity and composure, and I thought that showed,” second-year coach Joe Arbitello

Arguably the biggest play of the afternoon was made by Milka (five points, 10 rebounds), when he drew the fifth and final foul on Taylor, the sharp-shooting guard. The game was even at 48, with 1:53 to play at the time.

“That’s what I do: I clog the lane and I draw charges,” Milka said. “It was a big charge.”

With under a minute, Calhoun drove into the lane and was fouled. At that moment, the Boys & Girls contingent grew loud, looking to distract the underclassman. He swished both, finishing 8-for-8 from the line.

“He’s a great free-throw shooter,” Arbitello said. “I’m happy when he goes to the line.”

Boys & Girls had its chances to get even in the waning moments. Isler, the gritty senior who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, split a pair at the line with 21.9 seconds left and Anthony Hemingway’s nearly forced overtime with his desperation 3-pointer from the left corner that nearly fell at the horn.

“It went in – that’s the whole point,” Isler said. “It just rolled out. Heartbreaker. What can you say?”

Christ the King (26-5), meanwhile, wildly celebrated once the shot spun out. The Royals had talked about making it to Glens Falls from the start. They had three goals: win the Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan crown, follow that with a city championship, and cap the year off with a Federation title.

“It’s what we’ve been saying since we won the city championship: we had a chance to be elite,” Arbitello said. “We were in a class with Lamar Odom, we were in a class with Erick Barkley, were in a class with Malik Boothe and Erving Walker. This is a class all by themselves.”

“1989 and 2010 – that’s it,” he added.

Curry points the way to title for CK
03/29/2010 - 11:27 AM

TJ Curry celebrates State Championship Victory

GLENS FALLS -- T.J. Curry listened to Boys & Girls make bold predictions. He heard the reason: Corey Edwards, who torched the Kangaroos for 25 points in the first meeting, won by Christ the King, on Dec. 30, was back in Queens nursing a dislocated left foot.

He didn’t respond. But inside Curry was seething.

“T.J.’s probably the most prideful guy on our team,” CK coach Joe Arbitello said. “He was definitely, 100 percent insulted by what they were saying.”

His play spoke louder than his opponent’s words.

Curry, who won all four of his starts at point guard in place of the injured Edwards, scored nine points -- seven in the final frame -- and added four assists as Christ the King knocked off the Kangaroos, 52-49, in the New York State Federation Class AA boys final.

The Royals’ first state title since 1989 wouldn’t have been possible without the heady Curry, his teammates said. He navigated the Kangaroos’ intense full-court press smoothly, created opportunities in transition by pushing the ball and took advantage of his few scoring chances.

"I just play my game," he said. "My game is to play hard."

His only 3-pointer of the evening, early in the fourth quarter with Boys & Girls (28-6) starting to gain momentum, kept the Royals (26-5) in control, ahead 39-33. After the lead was whittled down to one following two Mike Taylor baskets and a Jeffland Neverson layup, he finished off a nice drive to the basket with 4:07 left. He, also hit two clutch free throws with 12.3 seconds remaining, extending a one-point lead to three.

“I’ve said this a bunch of times: there are a lot of teams in New York City that would love to have T.J. Curry as their point guard,” Arbitello, a second-year coach, said.

When Edwards went down March 7 in practice, Curry and backcourt mate Kareem Thomas emerged, leading the Royals to four playoff victories. Arbitello told the two to be themselves, not look to replace Edwards.

They responded, particularly Curry. He hit the game-winning shot – his only two – in the dramatic, 81-78, triple-overtime CHSAA Class AA intersectional final victory over Bishop Loughlin. He was solid, if unspectacular in the Federation ‘AA’ semifinal victory over Albany-Christian Brothers Academy, with eight points, five assists and four rebounds.

Boys & Girls, which was in attendance for the game, was not sold. Afterward, Taylor, the Kangaroos’ star junior, said Edwards’ absence would be the difference in the state final. When asked about those comments Saturday night, Curry shrugged his shoulders and declined a rebuttal.

“I figured on the court I’d show it there,” he said one day later.

In the end, the rematch had the same result – a three-point CK victory – by the identical score in fact.

Again, it was a Christ the King point guard that made all the clutch plays late. Only it was Curry, not Edwards.

Final Goal Within Reach for CK
03/28/2010 - 09:42 AM

Maurice Barrow helps lead CK to the Federation Final

GLENS FALLS -- The trilogy is nearly complete.

Christ the King won the Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan crown, the CHSAA Class intersectional title, and now is within one victory – in Sunday's New York State Federation Class AA final against Boys & Girls – of finishing off the third and final goal.

The Royals knocked off Albany-Christian Brothers Academy, 63-60, in the semifinals yesterday at Glens Falls Civic Center, their seventh straight victory and 13 in 14 tries. A win over Boys & Girls would get the Middle Village, Queens school just its second Federation title, and first since 1989.

“It’s a chance to put these guys in a class by themselves,” second-year coach Joe Arbitello said.

Dominykas Milka led Christ the King (25-5) with 15 points and nine rebounds, Omar Calhoun also had 15, T.J. Curry followed with eight points, five assists and four rebounds, and Kareem Thomas had eight points. Galal Cancer paced CBA (25-2) with 19 points and Kam Ritter had 17.

Despite trailing 29-17 at halftime, the Brothers put a scare into the Royals, scoring the first eight points of the third quarter. They got within three on several occasions, but Christ the King had an answer at every turn. Nobody was more important than Calhoun, particularly in the fourth quarter.

He had arguably the biggest basket, a short jumper following an offensive rebound as he was fouled. The sophomore made the free throw, extending the CK lead to six points with 1:54 left. CBA wouldn’t get closer than three the rest of the way.

"They were gonna take it from us, so I wanted to do what I could for us to spread the game apart," Calhoun said.

The Royals scored the game’s first seven points and led 16-5 early in the second quarter, using their size and strength to control the paint. The lead grew to 21-7 when Calhoun finished off a 3-point lead and it was 29-17 at halftime. Albany-CBA entered with 168 3-pointers, but managed just one on eight attempts – by Ritter – in the first 16 minutes. The Brothers hit five in the second half, but made just 6-of-10 all together.

Making this run that much more significant has been the absence of star point guard Corey Edwards, who dislocated his left foot March 7. In his place, Curry and Thomas have come up aces.

Curry hit the game-winning layup in the triple-overtime, 81-76, city championship victory over Bishop Loughlin and the two each hit plenty of big baskets Saturday. Curry made three clutch free throws down the stretch and Thomas drained a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to extend a three-point lead to six.

“I would say 30 teams in New York City would love to have both of them,” Arbitello said. “A lot of teams would be happy to have Kareem Thomas and T.J. in their backcourt.”

Curry was starting alongside Edwards as off guard before the junior’s injury. He has since moved on the ball. Curry said he didn’t change anything about his game, except to look for teammates more and his own sho less.

“I’m not gonna replace Corey,” he said. “I’m gonna be myself."

Now, the Royals are one win away from the elusive Federation title. Boys & Girls stands in their way. The two teams met before, in late December, when CK topped the Kangaroos, 52-49, to win the STOP-DWI Holiday Classic in Binghamton. Edwards was significant in that victory, scoring 25 points.

"We grew from that," Calhoun said. "It was early on in the season. We're a better team. It's gonna be a good game, but I think we should win."

NY Post Athlete of the Week: CTK's Maurice Barrow
03/17/2010 - 09:42 PM

Maurice Barrow earns MVP honors for his 24 pts. and 13 reb vs. Bishop Loughlin

Maurice Barrow is a man of few words. Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello has joked he could never tell how Barrow was feeling because the senior swingman never showed emotion. Barrow’s own mother has said that getting her son to talk sometimes is the equivalent of pulling teeth.

Barrow is similar on the basketball court. He doesn’t dazzle with his dribbling, there’s no histrionics following a dunk or a 3-pointer. The Hollis, Queens native just goes about his business, choosing to play a blue-collar brand of ball.

“He’s a five-tool player and he always seems to know what to do to help the team win, whether it’s making the open pass or grabbing 15 rebounds,” Arbitello said. “He’s that calming presence in practice, in the huddle and during games.”

On Sunday, Barrow wasn’t the high scorer or the most highly recruited player on the court. But make no mistake, Christ the King doesn’t win a fifth CHSAA Class AA intersectional title Sunday if Maurice Barrow isn’t at Rose Hill Gym.

The 6-foot-4, 202-pound senior scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Royals to an 81-78 triple-overtime victory against Bishop Loughlin at Fordham.

“It was the best game I’ve ever played in my life,” Barrow said. “I’ve never played in a three-overtime game in my life.”

Barrow not only captured the city title he’s been chasing after for four years, but he was also named the game’s MVP, placing him in Christ the King lore with Brian Royal, Khalid Reeves, Lamar Odom and Malik Boothe, who each earned the honor in the Royals’ other four championships.

“It means a lot,” Barrow said. “I never thought I’d have these three plaques.”

Arbitello said one play in the second quarter Sunday sums up what kind of player Barrow is.

“We were on the break and Omar [Calhoun] passes to Mo and he could have gone to the basket, but he makes the extra pass to T.J. Curry,” Arbitello said. “Curry missed the 3-pointer, but Mo didn’t pout, he wasn’t upset, he just went in the lane, grabbed the rebound and scored on the putback.”

Barrow finally showed some emotion at the end of the epic final, something Arbitello said didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates when the game was broadcast on MSG Network on Tuesday.

“He was yelling and smiling, so out of character,” Arbitello said. “The whole team was getting on him about that.”

Barrow, who averaged 12 points per game during the regular season and was named second team All-CHSAA, has drawn interest from Manhattan, Iona, Quinnipiac and Rhode Island and has gotten more attention since his performance Sunday.

But before he makes his college choice, Barrow is focusing on the New York State Federation tournament in Glens Falls where the Royals could meet Tennessee-bound Tobias Harris and Half Hollow Hills West again. The Colts defeated Christ the King, 73-69, at the Primetime Shootout in Trenton on Valentine’s Day.

Hills West takes on Rochester East, while Albany CBA meets Newburgh Free Academy in the other NYSPHSAA semifinal in Glens Falls this weekend.

Whoever the opponent will be, the odds are that Barrow will come with the same approach that has make him popular with his teammates and the CK coaching staff.

“Mo is the greatest kid. He embodies what a Christ the King student-athlete should be on and off the court,” Arbitello said. “Everyone likes him, he plays hard on the court, he’s always positive, he just tries to perform his role. He’s happy doing the things he’s good at.”

Hunt Dedicates Title to Mother's Memory
03/15/2010 - 09:48 AM

Since Terrel Hunt’s mother Katrina died from ovarian cancer on Jan. 31, the Christ the King boys basketball team dedicated its championship run to her memory.

“After she passed away they said the whole season is for your mom, we’re going to the [championship], we promise,” Hunt said.

The Royals not only got there, but they won the CHSAA Class AA intersectional title Sunday in a triple-overtime thriller against rival Bishop Loughlin Sunday at Rose Hill Gym. And Hunt came off the bench to make a huge contribution in the 81-78 victory.

“That’s my boy,” Christ the King junior guard T.J. Curry said. “We go way back all the way to the second grade…I saw him and said, 'this is for mamma,' and I gave him the ball and he did what he had to do.”

Hunt replaced Maurice Barrow, who fouled out with 1:45 left in the third overtime.

“We were all there for him,” Curry said. “As soon as he lost his mom, everyone was heartbroken. For us to come here and for him to even be in that position when Mo fouled out, it was real great for him.”

Barrow was named the game’s MVP after scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, but the Royals were confident when Hunt, the star quarterback on the Christ the King football team, stepped on the court.

“He’s a great kid and a tough character,” senior forward Dominykas Milka said. “We knew he was going to come through for us and he did.”

With Christ the King leading 80-78 following Curry’s layup, Hunt broke to the basket and was fouled by Davonte Dunham, who pushed the junior in the back. Dunham was whistled for the intentional foul, sending Hunt to the line with 7.7 seconds remaining.

Kareem Thomas pulled Hunt aside before he stepped to the foul line.

“He said this one is for your mother,” Hunt said. “He said just stay calm and do it for your mom.”

Hunt did just that, going 1-of-2 from the line, meaning the best Loughlin could do was tie the game with a last-second shot. Branden Frazier missed a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer, setting off a wild celebration on the court.

Right in the middle was Hunt, who said he was getting guidance from above during the game.

“On the bench I was praying,” he said. “That’s why I was looking up at the sky.”

The Royals also dedicated their win to Corey Edwards after the junior point guard dislocated his left foot at practice last week. Immediately after the game, assistant coach Greg Lemko called Edwards to let him know the good news.

The post-game was especially sweet for Hunt, who was able to contribute late in the game in is mother's memory.

“They told me they were going to do it,” Hunt said. “But I got the chance to end it for my mother and I did it for her.”

Thriller on Rose Hill: CK Crowned CHSAA CHAMPS!
03/15/2010 - 09:46 AM

CK Celebrates Its First City Championship since 2007

T.J. Curry saved his best for last.

Scoreless through four quarters and three overtimes, the junior guard drove the length of the floor to score what proved to be the winning layup with 40 seconds left to seal Christ the King’s 81-78, triple-overtime victory against Bishop Loughlin in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional title game at Rose Hill Gym in The Bronx yesterday.

In its fifth consecutive trip to the finals, Christ the King captured its fifth total title in what is believed to be the first ever three-overtime final in the championship’s 83 years. And everyone who played, and coached, in the game, quickly pointed out it might be the greatest high school game in New York City history.

“It was the best game I’ve ever played in my life,” said Maurice Barrow, who had 24 points and 13 rebounds and was named the game’s MVP. “I’ve never played in a three-overtime game in my life.”

Curry’s layup came immediately after Anthony Givens tied the score at 78 for Bishop Loughlin, which raced out to a 21-9 lead after the first quarter.

“As soon as I saw them score the basket, I looked at the clock and said I gotta go, I can’t waste no time,” Curry said. “I brought it up the court and I saw it, it was right there in front of me.”

Terrel Hunt, whose mother Katrina died from ovarian cancer on Jan. 31, tacked on a big free throw with 7.7 seconds left to give Christ the King (24-5), No. 1 in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings, an 81-78 lead.

After his mother’s funeral, Hunt’s teammates said they were dedicating the rest of the season to her.

“They told me they were going to do it,” said Hunt, the star quarterback on CK’s football team. “But I got the chance to end it for my mother and I did it for her.”

Two missed free throws by Omar Calhoun (20 points, 11 rebounds) opened the door for No. 2 Bishop Loughlin (23-6) to tie the game. But Hofstra-bound Branden Frazier missed a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired.

“That was the best basketball game I’ve ever been a part of,” said Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello, who played on the Royals 1995 championship team. “I thought my city championship game in ’95 was an incredible game. This game definitely beats that. It was just draining.”

It wasn’t draining for the Christ the King players, though. The Royals pride themselves on their conditioning and they said that was evident the later the game went.

“We said we could go three more overtimes,” Christ the King senior Dominykas Milka said. “It didn’t matter for us. We worked so hard the whole year, we just put everything behind us.”

Milka had a couple of Charles Smith-eque putback misses that would have won the game at the end of regulation.

“I thought there wasn’t enough time,” Milka said. “Everyone misses layups eventually. My coach told me when you miss, it’s over.”

Kareem Canty forced a second overtime with his pull-up jumper in the lane with six seconds left and Bishop Loughlin led 76-72 with 24 seconds left in the second overtime before Christ the King senior guard Kareem Thomas nailed a 3-pointer with 14.3 seconds left and Barrow buried a free throw with 9.6 seconds remaining to force a third overtime.

“This was a great showing by two tough teams,” Bishop Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez said. “Nobody wanted to quit, nobody wanted to go home and they left it all out on the floor. I guess the team that made a little less of the mistakes and turnovers was the team that was going to be standing and they did.”

In his final high school game, Jayvaughn Pinkston scored a game-high 34 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but the McDonald’s All-American heads to Villanova without that elusive city title.

“This,” he said, “was the missing piece.”

Christ the King advances to the New York State Federation tournament in Glens Falls to face the New York State Public Schools champion in the Class AA semifinals on March 27.

Until then, the Royals, which beat Bishop Loughlin three out of the four games they played this year, can bask in the glory of their first title since 2007 and reminisce about a game few who were there will soon forget.

“I had to catch my breath a couple of times, but you just have to fight,” Calhoun said. “It’s the city championship. It’s the second part of the trinity. We still have another part and we have to go upstate and take it there.”

Going Deep: CK Beats St. Ray's to Advance to the Championship
03/11/2010 - 07:09 PM

CK Celebrates on their way to their 5th consecutive City Championship Game

Take an all-league player off any team, it is cause for concern. Make that player a future Division I point guard and it’s time to sound the alarm.

That is, unless you’re Christ the King when a season-ending injury to Corey Edwards three days before the CHSAA Class AA intersectional semifinals simply means business as usual.

The Royals' depth was on full display Wednesday as Christ the King defeated St. Raymond’s, 68-55, at St. John’s University to advance to a fifth consecutive championship game. CK will take on rival Bishop Loughlin, which beat Rice, 59-58, in the other semifinal.

“Mentally we came out strong,” sophomore guard Omar Calhoun said. “It hurt losing Corey, but we’ve got great character on this team as we’ve shown throughout the year. We came out with great heart and we left it out on the court.”

Edwards suffered a dislocated left foot in practice on Sunday. He had surgery on Monday and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. Fellow junior T.J. Curry replaced Edwards in the starting lineup, serving as the point guard. But the key, CK coach Joe Arbitello said, was Curry not trying to do too much.

“He did a great job,” Arbitello said. “We’re not looking for anybody to be Corey Edwards, I’m looking for him to be T.J. Curry and T.J. Curry did what T.J. Curry does – he knocked a couple of shots down, got a couple of real hustle plays, defended really well and rebounded a bit.”

Curry wasn’t alone. Calhoun shook off some early shooting woes and got to the basket en route to a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Dominykas Milka had 10 points and 15 rebounds and Maurice Barrow had a typical solid performance with nine points and 10 boards.

Roland Brown also came off the bench to provide a spark. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior forward was a calming influence for Christ the King, which fell behind 14-4 early.

“Roland Brown turned the whole entire game around. It’s nice to go from 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 depending on the night,” Arbitello said. “It’s a real nice luxury, one I won’t have next year.”

Brown scored five straight points, Calhoun added a 3-pointer and the Royals trailed just 18-14 at the half.

Christ the King (23-5), No. 1 in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings, took control late in the second quarter, going into the locker room on a 10-0 run. The Royals also outscored St. Ray’s, 11-3, to start the third quarter and led by 47-35 after three quarters.

“I’m confident in the fact that my guys will do whatever they need to do to win the game,” Arbitello said. "We’re going to find other ways to win. It’s character and we have a lot of it.”

Devin Brooks had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Daniel Dingle added 17 points and four rebounds for St. Raymond’s (13-15), which like many teams that play Christ the King, wore down in the second half.

“They have a lot of pieces,” Antigua said of Christ the King. “To win the league, you need weapons. Sometimes it’s to overcome a bad performance from one of your star players, sometimes it’s an injury.”

CK Outmuscles Molloy
03/05/2010 - 10:08 PM

Christ the King has a distinct size advantage against virtually every team it has played this season. But when the Royals go big and start a Division I-sized frontcourt of seniors 6-foot-4 and taller, grabbing rebounds for the opposition is like nabbing a supermodel girlfriend – not impossible, but extremely difficult.

Such was the case for Archbishop Molloy, an undersized squad against almost every team in the CHSAA. Christ the King used its size and strength to wear down the Stanners, winning 78-62 in a CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinal Thursday night at St. Francis Prep.

“When we play with our three bigs we know we have to get the ball inside because it will just open things up for everybody else,” Christ the King junior point guard Corey Edwards said. “Our first priority is to play inside-out.”

The Royals, No. 1 in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings, will meet St. Raymond in the semifinals Wednesday at St. John’s University. The Ravens defeated Holy Cross, 67-60, in Thursday’s other quarterfinal.

Christ the King’s big men aren’t just tall, they’re also thick. Maurice Barrow is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Roland Brown is 6-foot-8, 240 pounds and Dominykas Milka is 6-foot-7, 260 pounds. When they box out, you feel it.

“That’s a hard-working team,” Molloy senior Ernest Rouse said. “It’s hard to make a shot every time down because they’re basically going to get the defensive rebound if we don’t make a shot. They started wearing us down. It got tough for us.”

In his final high-school game, Rouse put on a spectacular shooting display. Rouse scored a game-high 28 points on a variety of jump shots that ranged from tough to nearly impossible. And every attempt was contested, first by T.J. Curry and later by Edwards.

“He’s so good,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said of Rouse. “Where are all the college coaches? I don’t understand that. He’s a real, real good basketball player and a great kid.”

Thanks to Rouse’s heroics, Archbishop Molloy (11-16) hung with Christ the King (22-5) for three quarters. But Barrow, who scored a game-high 22 points, and Milka (14 points) proved to be too much to handle inside. And the backcourt of Corey Edwards (11 points) and Omar Calhoun (14 points) weren’t too shabby, either.

“In the first half our guards weren’t knocking down open shots, so their missed shots were rebounds for us,” Barrow said. “In practice we work on staying in shape, so at the end of games we’re not tired.”

CK Repeats, Wins 2nd Consecutive BQ Championship
02/28/2010 - 08:36 AM

CK Celebrates after their victory over Bishop Loughin

As he was walking off the court after fouling out with 55.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter and his team trailing by one point, Christ the King sophomore sensation Omar Calhoun turned to Corey Edwards and delivered a message.

“He said I’ve got to take over the game,” Edwards said.

The junior point guard did just that, putting his team up for good with a baseline floater and sealing a second consecutive Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan title with two free throws with 2.6 seconds left as Christ the King defeated Bishop Loughlin, 66-61, at Holy Cross HS in Queens Saturday night.

CK (21-5), the No. 2 team in The Post’s New York City rankings, earns the top Brooklyn/Queens seed in the upcoming CHSAA Class AA intersectional playoffs. Top-ranked Loughlin (21-5) will play either St. Francis Prep or All Hallows in the quarterfinals.

CHSAA Player of the Year Jayvaughn Pinkston had 14 points and 10 rebounds, but seemed to be affected by the Royals physicality, especially when he drove to the basket.

“We just didn’t execute at the end of the game,” the Villanova-bound senior forward said. “There were some plays where we were getting fouled and there weren’t any calls. We can’t leave it up to the refs.”

Pinkston had a chance to put his team back in front, but his layup attempt with 9.1 seconds left went off the front rim. Christ the King’s Maurice Barrow grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He knocked down both free throws to give the Royals a 64-61 lead.

Branden Frazier (13 points) raced up court, but he lost control of the ball by the Loughlin bench and Edwards stole it, was fouled and nailed a pair of clinching free throws.

Edwards also sacrificed his body midway through the third quarter, drawing a charge on his close friend Pinkston in the paint.

“My back is killing me,” Edwards said.

While Calhoun (game-high 23 points) and Edwards (14 points) were instrumental on offense, Christ the King won the game with a more dedicated defensive effort, especially in the second half.

“We gave up 38 points in the first half and then we decided to play defense,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said.

Kareem Canty, who scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed nine, had a dominant first half and Bishop Loughlin went into halftime with a 38-33 lead.

“Canty was unbelievable in the first half,” Arbitello said. “That was as good of a first half as I’ve seen.”

T.J. Curry and Barrow added 12 points apiece for Christ the King, which won its seventh B/Q crown.

“At Christ the King it’s tradition,” Arbitello said. “To keep it going back-to-back years means a whole lot to our program.”

After beating Bishop Loughlin twice and Rice once, Christ the King is the likely favorite to capture the intersectional crown next month.

“This is just the first part of the trinity,” Calhoun said. “We’re trying to win the city and go out and win the states. It’s not over yet.”

Royals Criss Cross, Advance to the Chip
02/25/2010 - 04:45 PM

Maurice Barrow goes for two in CK's 4 point victory over Holy Cross

This time, the NYC Hoops #1 ranked Christ the King Royals stayed on point when they played Wednesday against the Holy Cross Knights in the opening game of the Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan Tournament at St. Francis Prep.

Just week ago, a sluggish Royal squad limped away with a victory, While CTK didn't limp to victory they also didn't hop skip or jump to a 55-51 win either.

With serious business on their minds, the Royals jumped out in front 10-zip as 6-foot junior, T.J. Curry, Maurice Barrow and Omar Calhoun dropped it like it was hot. It wasn't until 2:03 was left in the first quarter that Will Davis, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, would finally score a basket for the Knights. Calhoun would immediately put that basket into prospective by swishing a three-pointer and the Royals led 13-4. Marcus Hopper, a 6-foot-9 junior center, tried his hand at perimeter shooting on two occasions to no avail and Calhoun ended the quarter, scoring another three.

Down 18-7, Davis began to come up big for Cross even though C.T.K. implemented a full court press. 6-foot senior guard, Jahleel Felix followed Davis' lead and the Knights were soon within 5 points of the lead.

Calhoun would take it up a notch, extending the Royals lead to 10 points and Curry would go up and under to expand the Royals lead even more to 25-13 with 3:04 left in the third quarter.

Hopper would finally feel iron, scoring inside off an assist from Felix. Bryant Fidele, a 6-foot-1 senior, would then score an and-1 in transition on Kareem Thomas and Davis would splash a trey and with 1:32 on the clock the Royals were only ahead by a deuce.

The Royals tried to close the half strong but so did the Knights. Baskets were exchanged as the half end with C.T.K still only up 27-25 with nothing lost, nothing gained.

At the top of the third, Felix evened the score at 27 as he started to post up Curry in the paint. As strange as it sounds for two 6-foot player to be battling in the post, there it was and it was working.

Barrow would make solid moves inside but hard fouls forced him to the charity stripe to convert where he only averaged 50%.

As a result, Davis would score to give the Knights a brief 29-28 lead as Domynikas Mika, a 6-foot-7 senior center, countered for Christ the King. The lead bantered back and fourth with the Knights gaining the lead with the Lions coming back to tie.

Felix continued to post up Curry, drawing fouls but he too averaged only a 50% conversion rate.

With 1:27 remaining in the third, Calhoun tied the game at 37 but Evan Conti got hot and drop a deuce followed by a trey to lead Holy Cross into the fourth quarter ahead, 42-37.

Felix began to post up Curry religiously, drawing a foul. But this time the senior would go 2 for 2 and the Knights had their largest lead at 7 points.

The Royals implemented a full court press while Calhoun aggressively attacked the rim drawing contact and netting his free throws pure. 6-foot-4 junior Terrel Hunt made a late entry for C.T.K. but did some work in the paint, cutting the Cross lead to 4 points.

The Royal made inroads but a three-pointer by Conti re-extended the Knights point spread back to 7.

At the 5:22 mark, Calhoun would get fouled on successive occasions and get to the foul line to reduce Cross' lead without reducing time on the clock. With 4:46 remaining, Holy Cross was now only up, 47-46 and seconds later, Barrow tied the game at 47 going 1 of 2 from the line.

The Royals constant on the ball pressure began to wear on the Flushing, NY team. With 2:33 left in regulation a turnover by the Knights would result in a basket by Edwards to tie the game at 49. On the following play, another turnover and the subsequent foul would allow Edwards to take the lead for Christ the King.

Conti would manage to tie the game at 50, going 1 for 2 from the foul line and Felix would give the Knights their last lead also going 1 for 2 from the line.

Barrows would come up big, scoring in the paint and the Royals were now up 52-51 with 28.2 ticks on the clock.

Holy Cross began to foul and pray as the Royals spread the floor and began to burn time of the clock. Fouls on Edward prove fruitless as the junior point guard was solid from the charity stripe. The Knights were now down three and a jumper by Davis was blocked. Edwards would once again get to the line, go 1 for 2 but a missed lay-up by Conti as time ran out pretty much summed it up.

Calhoun led the way for the Royals with 21 points. Curry contributed 9 with Barrow adding 8. Felix was high man for Holy Cross with 18 points with Davis scoring 11 points and Conti scoring 11 points.

The #3 Christ the King Royals will take on the #1 ranked Bishop Loughlin Lions at St. Francis Prep on Friday.

Four Varsity Players Make All CHSAA "AA" Teams
02/22/2010 - 08:45 PM

Junior PG Corey Edwards earns All CHSAA "AA" 1st Team

Congratulations to the four CK Varsity player's who were voted into the CHSAA "AA" All League Teams

1st Team - Junior PG Corey Edwards

2nd Team - Senior PF Maurice Barrow

3rd Team - Senior C Dominykas Milka and Sophomore SG Omar Calhoun

Royal Theft: CTK Steals Victory From Holy Cross
02/13/2010 - 07:27 PM

Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello wasn’t mincing words and he wasn’t trying to spin his team’s performance Friday night. The Royals, No. 1 in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings, stole a 59-56 overtime victory from Holy Cross at William J. O’Meara Gym.

“There’s no question about it, but the one thing I said to them is that championship teams win games like this,” Arbitello said. “You have to get through a game or two like this on any level and I thought we did a real good job of doing that.”

Despite being outplayed, outhustled and missing 15 free throws, Christ the King (18-4, 10-2 B/Q) rallied from an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat the Knights on their Senior Night.

A big reason was the 21 offensive rebounds the Royals grabbed, many by 6-foot-7 senior Dominykas Milka.

“We just didn’t rebound well enough and that was a big concern coming into the game,” Holy Cross coach Paul Gilvary said. “Milka killed us on second, third, fourth and fifth shots.”

Milka scored 17 points, including a free throw with 26.8 seconds left in overtime for the final margin of victory.

“Great teams find a way to win, no matter what,” Milka said.

As was the case in an overtime win against St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) at the Prudential Center last month, Corey Edwards did a good job getting to the basket and the free throw line. The junior point guard led the Royals with 19 points, while Maurice Barrow had 11 and Omar Calhoun was held to 10.

“We’re all experienced,” Edwards said. “We feel comfortable when it goes to overtime. We know we’re going to win.”

Holy Cross (16-7, 8-4) has played four overtime games and has already beaten Rice at home this year. But the Knights looked uncomfortable in the extra session, rushing shots and not moving well off the ball.

“They made it harder, they were guarding more, clogging up the lane and we didn’t finish as well as we usually do down the stretch,” said Holy Cross guard Jahleel Felix, who, along with Ian Bergstrom, Jesus Chevalier, Bryant Fidele, Shaquille Gonsalves and Michael Ingersoll, was honored before his last home game.

All the seniors played well in the first quarter, especially Felix, who scored all 13 of his team’s points. He had 18 points at the half and 23 after three quarters, but he suffered a bruised as a result of a knee by T.J. Curry and hobbled throughout the fourth quarter, scoring just two more points.

Christ the King trailed 44-34 entering the fourth quarter, but slowly chipped away at its deficit before finally taking the lead on an Edwards 3-point play with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter. Edwards added a free throw with 54.6 seconds left to give the Royals a 53-51 lead, but Evan Conti (13 points, 10 rebounds) scored on a layup to tie the game with 26 seconds remaining.

The Royals dominated in the overtime, scoring the first five points before Will Davis (15 points) buried a 3-pointer while being fouled by Calhoun with 27.9 seconds left in OT.

The sophomore guard missed the free throw, Milka went 1-of-2 from the line a second later and Ingersoll had an open look from the corner to send the game into a second overtime, but his attempt caromed off the backboard and Christ the King survived a scare.

“He’s a terrific shooter,” Gilvary said of Ingersoll. “He had a good look, but it just didn’t go. If we had the same situation again, I bet you he’d make it the next time.”

Next time, Arbitello hopes, the effort will be better.

“We didn’t come out to play,” Arbitello said. “That’s the bottom line.”

CTK vs. Rice: The Greatest High School Spectacle Ever!
02/08/2010 - 08:57 PM

CK Lebron vs. Rice Kobe

By Aron Phillips

While everyone had football on the brain for yesterday’s Super Bowl Sunday, the day also featured one of NYC’s most touted high school hoops rivalries between Christ the King (Queens, N.Y.) and Rice (Harlem, N.Y.). In front of a packed house on the Middle Village campus, I made the trek from the 4 to the J to the M for what could have been the greatest high school basketball spectacle ever.

As soon as you got there, you might have thought you were at Madison Square Garden, with Mike “Wally” Walczewski – the voice of the Knicks for over 20 seasons – in the house to call the game alongside NBA Hall of Famer Walt “Clyde” Frazier. And as if that wasn’t great enough, Louisville’s Rick Pitino, Florida’s Billy Donovan and David Lee were on hand to catch the action as well, and Funkmaster Flex was on the 1’s and 2’s during pre-game warmups.

Fans from both sides were decked out in rivalry t-shirts in their school’s colors, with matching foam fingers on either hand. The crowd erupted for the empire-tested battle when none other than Puppet LeBron and Puppet Kobe appeared on the JumboTron rocking Christ the King and Rice tees, giving a pre-game message to each squad. And in case you didn’t know, as CTK is a LeBron school and Rice is a Kobe school, both teams also had on the freshest of kicks with SMU Nike Air Max LeBron VIIs and Nike Zoom Kobe Vs.

Before the pre-game intros, the Knicks City Dancers came out and performed with a real Knicks light show to kick things off. Every player from both teams then proceeded to get announced in the lineups and stand out at center court. It was definitely an experience these kids – both players and fans – had never had. Sure these guys have played in big games before, but nothing like this.

Once the game finally got underway, CTK scored the first two and really never looked back. With 6-1 junior point guard Corey Edwards running the show, the Royals jumped out to a 7-0 lead in front of a great home crowd. With jitters on both sides for sure, especially playing in front of two of the biggest coaches in college basketball, defense really took over in the first quarter. After one, the Royals led 13-4.

In-between quarters, the circus didn’t stop. Members of the Knicks’ 7th Avenue Squad came rolling out with t-shirt guns and began launching tees into the stands. As if taking a nine point lead into the break wasn’t enough to get the home crowd amped, this just sent them over the top.

In the second quarter, 6-7 senior Dominykas Milka (a native of Mazeikiai, Lithuania) and 6-4 senior Maurice Barrow were doing work in the post. Going up against the Raiders’ Big Three of 6-6 senior Shane Southwell (headed to Kansas State), 6-8 senior Kadeem Jack and 6-4 junior Jermaine Sanders, the Royals extended their lead to 19-7 halfway through the second quarter. For whatever the reason, Rice just couldn’t buy a bucket.

Finally, Sanders broke the drought with a fastbreak layup after some great defense by the Raiders. The next play down, Sanders hit a three. But a buzzer-beating triple by T.J. Curry had CTK leading 28-15 at halftime.

So while both teams retreated to the locker rooms to talk about the first half, the rest of the gym was blown away when none other than Fabolous strutted out to center court to perform. With everyone on their feet, Fab graced the crowd with some of his new hits as well as some of his classics, while showing love to the enthralled crowd. (He even made one of CTK’s cheerleaders faint after he walked by and touched her hand.)

In the second half, while you thought Rice would come out firing, it was actually CTK that put the nail in the coffin. Curry came out quickly and knocked down another three, followed by a trifecta from 6-4 sophomore Omar Calhoun to make it 39-20. Calhoun, who currently has offers from Villanova and St. John’s, is also drawing interest from Maryland, Pitt, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana and Rutgers. The chatter around press row was that he was the guy that brought Pitino and Donovan to Queens. At the end of three, the CTK’s lead was now 46-22.

To start the fourth quarter, it was as if the lid was finally taken off of Rice’s basket. Jack finally got a bucket, Southwell stole the inbounds pass and dunked it, and before you knew it, the Raiders were coming back. Rice’s most consistent player all day, Sanders got fouled and hit the three to make it 55-41 with about 2:15 left to play, then stole the ball twice – converting each time – to make it 55-45 with 90 seconds remaining. But the push was too little, too late, as CTK held on for the victory at home, 60-52.

A Super Sunday
02/08/2010 - 08:16 PM

CK fans showing their support for their Royals

The Christ the King Mens Basketball program would like to say Thank You to all of the people that allowed a great day of games on Super Bowl Sunday to take place.

Special Thanks go out to the performers Fabolous, Funkmaster Flex, Knicks City Dancers, and Walt Frazier. In addition, the Nike staff and their employees deserve a lot of credit for putting on a very memorable show that will not be forgotten.

We would also like to thank all of the CK staff who participated in the event preparations.

Last, but certainly not least, Thank You to all of the fans that came out and showed support for your CK Royals!

Fabolous Atmosphere at CK
02/08/2010 - 08:04 PM

Rapper Fabolous Performs During Halftime of the Royals Victory over Rice

The Super Bowl's got nothing on Christ the King.

Father John Savage Gymnasium in Middle Village was the site of the high school basketball event of the year, a Nike-sponsored CHSAA showdown between Christ the King and Rice.

The annual game is always one of the most anticipated of the year, but Sunday’s clash was taken to an even larger level. A few hours before the scheduled tip between arguably the best two teams in the city, the wooden bleachers on both sides of the court were packed to capacity with 1,800 fans, many of whom were CK students.

The parking lots were full almost two hours before the game and the gate on top of the hill was closed before the tip. Some unlucky late-arriving fans were turned away at the door.

For some, like assistant coach Nick Sanchez, it reminded them of the good old days of the 1980s when the Middle Village gym was regularly packed every Friday night, especially when Kenny Anderson and Archbishop Molloy arrived.

As for Christ the King head coach Joe Arbitello, it was a first.

“I’ve never seen it like this before in my life,” he said. “It was amazing, absolutely amazing.”

Nike, which has contracts with both programs, pumped thousands of dollars into the game, bringing in special lighting and smoke machines, hiring Knicks PA announcer Mike Walczewski and Clyde Frazier to share the duties and having the LeBron and Kobe puppets broadcast a special pre-game message on an overhead projector.

The Knicks City Dancers performed twice, which was especially a treat for the players, while the rest of the fans, including a few hundred screeching teenage girls, were treated to a performance by rapper Fabolous and the DJ stylings of Funkmaster Flex.

In fact, one cheerleader nearly fainted when Fabolous touched her hand during his halftime performance.

“It was reckless,” Christ the King senior Roland Brown said of the atmosphere. “Today was a good day for us to show up and we did what we had to do.”

Courtside was Louisville coach Rick Pitino, Florida’s Billy Donovan and New York Knicks forward David Lee, who was mobbed by autograph seekers.

Yeah, it wasn’t exactly your average Sunday afternoon CHSAA ‘AA’ league game.

“It was great. I really felt like it was the next level,” CK forward Dominykas Milka said. “This game was amazing, all the lights, the dancers, the fans. You see all these people get pumped up for the game you just want to play.”

As more and more details emerged about Nike’s plans for the day, the more concerned Arbitello grew about the festivities would become a distraction.

But his team responded positively. Brown said the Royals' previous experience at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo., last month helped.

“We kept our composure,” he said. “We went to Missouri and played in front of 10,000 people and here it's not even half that. We still played and did what we had to do.”

Rice, on the other hand, did not. At least not until the fourth quarter.

“Both teams had to endure the festivities,” Rice coach Mo Hicks said. “It was fun and enjoyable for them. They were more focused than us, more hungry and the team that wanted it the most won tonight.”

The game itself didn’t live up to the surrounding hype. The Royals raced out to a 22-8 lead and never trailed, leading by as much as 27 points early in the fourth quarter until the Raiders rallied late.

Christ the King was presented with a silver cup the size of North Dakota for winning the game, one all who attended hopes becomes an annual event.

But both teams know the hardware that really matters isn’t awarded until next month.

“It means a lot, but we can't overthink it,” Maurice Barrow said. “We still have the playoffs to go.”

Super Win for CK Over Rice
02/08/2010 - 08:00 PM

Roland Brown boxes out during CK's Super Bowl Sunday win vs. Rice High School

The Christ the King players posed for pictures at center court, surrounding a massive silver trophy and then doused head coach Joe Arbitello with apple cider in the locker room.

While the Royals claimed a Nike-sponsored title yesterday afternoon, they also proved they are in contention for the CHSAA Class AA intersectional title, beating defending champion Rice, 60-52, in front of a capacity crowd of more than 1,800 in Middle Village, Queens.

“We proved that we are contenders,” senior forward Dominykas Milka said. “We are going for that city championship this year."

Among those in attendance were Louisville coach Rick Pitino, Florida’s Billy Donovan and Knicks forward David Lee, who all sat courtside. The Knicks City Dancers entertained, Clyde Frazier tossed out a few of his trademarked terms over the PA and Funkmaster Flex and rapper Fabolous whipped the crowd in a frenzy at halftime.

“It was reckless,” Christ the King forward Roland Brown said of the atmosphere. “Today was a good day for us to show up and we did what we had to do.”

Led by Milka and Brown, Christ the King (16-4, 9-2 B/Q) did a solid job on Kadeem Jack, who didn’t arrive in the gym until a half hour before the scheduled tip. The 6-foot-9 forward, who scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, said he and his mother were stuck in traffic.

“I decided to just get out of the car and run here,” Jack said. “I just ran and came here as fast as I could.”

That didn’t sit well with Rice coach Mo Hicks.

“That’s something we have to get right because there was a time when he didn’t do it,” Hicks said. “He needs to understand what he has to do as a leader on this team.”

Christ the King, the No. 3 team in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings, raced out to a 22-8 lead and took a 28-15 advantage into halftime on a T.J. Curry buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Omar Calhoun, who finished with 11 points, opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and the Royals had a 27-point lead.

Jack scored his first basket 29 seconds into the fourth quarter and led by junior swingman Jermaine Sanders, who scored a game-high 20 points, top-ranked Rice (15-4, 7-2) went on a 14-0 run to get within 55-47 with 1:09 left. The Raiders, who used big second-half rallies to beat Cardozo and St. Raymond’s, couldn’t make up for an early malaise.

“We have to be more understanding that we have to play four quarters of basketball and not one quarter and think we’re going to win a basketball game,” Rice coach Mo Hicks said. “That’s what happened tonight.”

Maurice Barrow had 16 points and eight rebounds and Curry added 15 points for the Royals, who lost twice to Rice last year, including in the Class AA intersectional title game.

If they meet again at Rose Hill Gym next month, CK will go in as the favorite.

“This team has tremendous character,” Arbitello said. “They are very, very mature. I thought they came out and played real well. I thought we did a great job.”

CTK Owns Molloy at Home
02/06/2010 - 07:19 PM

Although Archbishop Molloy had its run with Christ the King in the squads' first meeting last month, upsetting the Royals 60-59, it was a different story on Friday.

Led by the hot shooting efforts of Maurice Barrow and Omar Calhoun, Christ the King got its revenge by defeating the Stanners, 67-51, at its Middle Village, N.Y. home court.

Christ the King got an early lead in the first quarter, closing out the period with a 26-12 advantage on a 3-pointer by Calhoun (17 points). Senior big man Dominykas Milka and Barrow (17 points) were instrumental in gaining the lead by grabbing boards for second-chance opportunities for themselves or teammates.

Barrow finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, while Milka grabbed a total of eight boards.

The size mismatch down low and at the small forward position became obvious from the early periods and, ultimately, the Stanners' offense was stifled. Unlike the previous match-up with the Royals on Jan. 8, Molloy was not vying for rebounds, did not have the same speed to the rack or show the accuracy from the perimeter it once did to match intensities with the Royals.

Consequently, Christ the King led 37-23 at the half.

Molloy could not catch a break in the second stanza as senior two-guard Ernest Rouse (22 points) tried his best to keep his squad in the game but was constantly checked by some of Christ the King's best defenders. Rouse did not have much help offensively, only seeing some contributions from Chris Dougler (13 points). Meanwhile, the Stanners' primary ball-handlers frequently made errors on possessions before they could initiate the offense.

The Royals maximized on the errors and cashed it in for big-time points. Calhoun, alone, nailed five 3-pointers in the contest. Because Molloy struggled to get its offense flowing and had difficulty getting essential stops for some baskets in transition, the team was unable to defeat Christ the King's strength inside and depth at the wing.

Christ the King led by as much as 25 points, twice, in the third quarter. The first time was after a 13-2 run which was capped by a contested 3-pointer by Royals' guard Terrance "T.J." Curry at the 3:45 mark. The surge resulted in a 50-25 Christ the King advantage.

Although the Stanners outscored the Royals 16-13 in the fourth and final phase, the Briarwood, N.Y. squad just couldn't get over the hump to stage a comeback.

CTK Crowns St. Peter's Prep
01/31/2010 - 10:00 AM

Dominykas Milka scores inside to help the Royals rally to an OT victory vs. St. Peter's Prep of NJ

NEWARK, N.J. – Joe Arbitello has seen his team bounce back from difficult losses all year. They did it after a shocking defeat at Molloy and again in a semifinal loss to nationally-ranked Milton (Ga.) in the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions.

But nothing compares to what he saw at Prudential Center on Saturday afternoon as, less than 24 hours after a home loss to rival Bishop Loughlin, Christ the King defeated St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.), 75-72, in overtime at the Newark National Invitational.

“We’ve done this all year where we’ve lost games and then beaten teams, but we’ve never beaten a team of their magnitude,” the Royals coach said. “They’re good, they’re really good. That’s a big-time player in Myles Davis. He can really flat out shoot it and get to the basket. It’s a huge win to make sure that we got back on track after losing to Loughlin yesterday.”

Against a Marauders team ranked fourth in New Jersey by the Newark Star Ledger, the Royals rallied from 11 points down in the third quarter, nearly blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before eventually winning in overtime.

“Who would expect us from down 11 in the third quarter to win like that?” asked CK point guard Corey Edwards. “Losing to Loughlin yesterday, we could have come out here with our heads down and not ready to play.”

Edwards struggled from the field, shooting 1-of-12, but made up for it by getting to the foul line. He was 12-of-17, including 5-of-8 in overtime, constantly beating his man off the dribble. Edwards also had six assists, three steals and one turnover in 35 minutes.

“That was the play,” Arbitello said. “I’m a big believer in if something works, keep going to it. I thought that’s where we had the advantage tonight.”

Omar Calhoun led the Royals resurgence in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his team's 28 points after Christ the King only managed 23 points in the first half.

“I was being aggressive, looking to score,” Calhoun said. “The guards did a great job getting me the ball. They kept screening for me, getting me open.”

Maurice Barrow again quietly excelled for Christ the King (13-4), finishing with 19 points and seven boards, drawing a huge charge in overtime.

“Sometimes he does things I can’t even imagine,” Arbitello said. “He gets high above that rim and he comes up with some buckets. He never gets high, he never gets low. He’s just Mo.”

Davis, a sensational junior guard, scored a game-high 31 points and paced his team to an 11-point lead early in the third quarter. T.J. Curry seemed to slow Davis in the second quarter and helped his team get out in transition. CK went on a 24-8 run that extended into the fourth quarter and led 57-47 with 6:48 left.

The Marauders (12-3) wouldn’t go away, tying the game at 65 on a pair of free throws by St. John's recruit Ronald Roberts (14 points, 12 rebounds) with 5.8 seconds left to force overtime.

With the Royals leading 73-70, Davis appeared poised to possibly tie the game again. But he was called for a curious carry with 22.3 seconds left, much to the dismay of the home fans.

Curry and Edwards each converted a free throw in the final 15.9 seconds to seal a big Christ the King win.

“We came out to New Jersey, playing a Jersey team that was actually ranked high, coming out with the win was tough,” Calhoun said. “Coming off the loss to Loughlin, we showed great character and came out and won this game.”

Player of the Week: CTK's Corey Edwards
01/27/2010 - 06:56 PM

Christ the King's Corey Edwards is the NYPOST's Player of the Week

One of the reasons Christ the King is considered one of the top boys basketball teams in New York City is because of its versatility -- from a rising star in sophomore shooting guard Omar Calhoun to the interchangeable and workmanlike big men Maurice Barrow, Dominykas Milka and Roland Brown to a deep bench that includes T.J. Curry, Kareem Thomas and Terrel Hunt.

But when it comes to the team’s quarterback, its engine, the guy running the show is Corey Edwards and he’s a huge reason why Christ the King enjoyed an impressive 3-0 week in CHSAA play. He is arguably the best pure point guard in the city and that could separate the Royals from the rest of the pack come March.

Just ask Xaverian coach Jack Alesi.

“The kid Edwards is one of the best guards I’ve seen in this league in a long time,” Alesi said. “The kid knows the game. He has that Levance Fields swagger about him.”

On Friday, Edwards paced the Royals to a 67-34 victory against Holy Cross in the team’s home opener and followed that with a huge performance against rival Bishop Loughlin, scoring 21 points and dishing out 10 assists as the Royals won in Fort Greene, 68-57, in a battle of two of the top three teams in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings.

“He took over the game,” Calhoun said. “In the second half he started making plays like a great point guard does. He capitalized and made plays for his teammates and scored for himself.”

And on Tuesday back in Middle Village, Edwards, who is being recruited by Auburn, Hofstra, George Mason, Fordham and St. John’s, had seven points and nine assists as Christ the King pounded Xaverian, 55-38.

“I keep talking to him about character,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said. “He has a lot more character than he did last year.”

Like a good point guard should, Edwards isn’t concerned about gaudy offensive numbers. The emphasis at Christ the King, at least since Arbitello has taken over as coach, is on the defensive end. And that’s where Edwards has also led the way.

Case in point, on Friday he didn’t care about how many points he or any of his teammates scored. It was his team’s lockdown defense in the third quarter that impressed him.

“We held them to like four points in the third quarter, that’s what we need,” Edwards said. “If we get that, we can beat any team -- Rice, Loughlin.”

Stingy Royals trip up Clippers
01/27/2010 - 06:49 PM

Maurice Barrow leads CK in scoring with 14 points vs. Xaverian

In addition to going over strategy and diagramming plays, Joe Arbitello sends his players out for each quarter with one mission: to hold the opposition under a certain point total.

“We don’t think about how low it is,” Christ the King sophomore Omar Calhoun said. “We try to get it done.”

For the most part, the Royals have kept Arbitello happy. Tuesday evening, they certainly did, limiting Xaverian offensively in a 55-38 win, the third time CK has held a league opponent under 40 points.

The Royals (12-3, 6-1 B/Q), second in The Post's NYC boys basketball rankings, didn’t explode offensively – senior forward Maurice Barrow was the lone player in double figures with 14 points – but they did have depth. Dominykas Milka and Roland Brown each added eight points and 10 rebounds, Corey Edwards had seven points and eight assists and Calhoun also had eight points.

“Defense is basically our offense,” Barrow said.

Calhoun, a sophomore highly regarded for his perimeter shot, did a fine job on Xaverian sharp-shooter Brian Bernardi, limiting the underclassman to five points, all in the first half. He also guarded Clippers leading scorer Justin Exum (12 points). He refused to let either guard free for an open look or let them get by him to create for others.

“We just harp defense, defense, defense,” Calhoun said. “I like guarding the other team’s best player. I like to make sure that person is not scoring.”

That music to Arbitello’s ears. In his second year at the helm, he has emphasized defense from the start. He wanted his team to be known for its defense. As a 10th-grader, a former coach at Christ the King told Arbitello holding the opposition under 50, especially at the Middle Village, Queens school, almost guaranteed victory. The Royals play a lot of man-to-man, but their help defense is what Arbitello raves about.

“We look to help each other on the defensive end – that makes us a good defensive team,” Calhoun said.

Against Xaverian (6-7, 2-5), which runs a methodical, perimeter-oriented offense predicated on ball movement and backdoor cuts, he was particularly pleased.

“With them, they run their stuff so well, you have to make sure you’re intoned for 35 seconds,” Arbitello said. “I thought we were patient.”

While the Royals’ size advantage didn’t hamper them on the defensive end, it was a bonus when they had the ball. Barrow, Milka and Brown basically played taps on the glass, combing for 15 of Christ the King’s 21 first-quarter points. The Royals were in charge the rest of the way, holding a 30-21 lead by halftime. They broke it open late in the third quarter with a 9-2 run, capped by a Calhoun 3-pointer and a Barrow putback. Xaverian never threatened again.

“If I’m Christ the King, I expect to be at Fordham in March,” Clippers coach Jack Alesi said.

Arbitello isn’t looking that far ahead. His response to the Royals possibly taking over the top spot in the city with Rice’s loss to Holy Cross was merely a shrug of the shoulders. Their most important game is the next one: home for Bishop Loughlin.

“It makes us happy, but we’re not complacent, we’re gonna continue to work hard,” Calhoun said. “We’re just trying to get better, so by the time we get to the city [playoffs] and state [playoffs], we’re prepared.”

On Point: Edwards leads CK over Bishop Loughlin
01/25/2010 - 06:06 PM

Corey Edwards goes for 2 of his team high 21 points at Bishop Loughlin

Corey Edwards loves everything about Bishop Loughlin -- climbing the three flights of stairs to the cramped gym, playing in front of a large and boisterous crowd. But most of all he loves facing Jayvaughn Pinkston.

“We’ve been playing AAU for so long together that you get up for this game,” the Christ the King junior point guard said. “It’s a good gym to play in, it’s long, not too wide. I just like the rims.”

Edwards showed just how much he loves playing there in the second half, leading the Royals, No. 3 in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings, to a 68-57 victory at No. 2 Bishop Loughlin yesterday afternoon.

Edwards had 21 points and 10 assists, seemingly making every big play in the third and fourth quarters.

“That’s the difference between him being a sophomore and a junior,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said. “I thought [Omar Calhoun] and [Edwards] stepped up big time tonight. They’ve been playing great for us. This was a true test for us. This is a tough place to come and play, a small court, a big crowd.”

When Edwards played his first varsity game at Loughlin last year, he admitted he was “scared to death.” But Calhoun felt right at home in the gym, a few minutes from his Park Slope, Brooklyn home.

“I love this gym, I love the intensity,” Calhoun said. “I just wanted to make sure I came out here and brought my intensity and let everything else come to me. Having the crowd as a sixth man, you just have to make sure you’re going hard because if something bad happens the crowd is going to get on you for it.”

Calhoun, a sophomore guard being recruited by a host of Big East schools, had 16 points, including a clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key to open the fourth quarter, giving Christ the King (11-3) a 50-43 lead.

“I thought it was the biggest play of the game,” Arbitello said.

Christ the King used its collective bulk inside to make things difficult on the Villanova-bound Pinkston, playing in front of future coach Jay Wright. The Post’s Preseason Player of the Year scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but he had none on the offensive glass and had nine of his team’s 22 turnovers.

“I felt that I was getting hit when I was driving and I wasn’t getting any fouls calls,” said Pinkston, who fouled out with 40.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter. “But I have to play through it.”

Dominykas Milka added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Christ the King, while Davonte Dunham had 13 points and Branden Frazier had 12 for Loughlin (13-4), playing without starting guards Anthony Givens and Kareem Canty, who were benched for violating team rules.

dbutler@nypost.com

CK Rips Holy Cross, 67 - 34
01/23/2010 - 07:18 PM

Maurice Barrow holds Holy Cross' Junior Evan Conti to just 2 points in CK's home opener

By DYLAN BUTLER

Last Updated: 7:30 AM, January 23, 2010

Posted: 2:16 AM, January 23, 2010

“We know we can score points,” the Royals junior point guard said. “Anyone on our team on any given day can score 20-25 points. It’s about how we play defense as a team.”

And on Friday night, in their overdue home opener, the Royals crushed Holy Cross, 67-34, holding the Knights to nearly 30 points below their season average.

“I’ve been telling them all week that we want to be perfect,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said. “I was happy, but it wasn’t perfect. In Missouri I think we hit our stride and hopefully we keep climbing from there. I still see room for improvement.”

Christ the King, No. 3 in The Post’s New York City boys basketball rankings, finished third in the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions last weekend. A semifinal loss to Milton (Ga.), ranked 18th in the country by USA Today, might well be the Royals turning point this season.

It is also the game sophomore sensation Omar Calhoun broke out.

“Omar played like he was the best player on the court, 21 points and nine rebounds. That was it,” Arbitello said. “He showed how good he is. I think Omar Calhoun is here. He’s definitely arrived.”

Christ the King (10-3, 4-1 B/Q) followed that loss with a 68-35 pasting of a Kickapoo (Mo.) team Arbitello said could compete in the CHSAA. The Royals took their confidence from that game, especially from their work defensively, and used it Friday night in a stunning blowout of Holy Cross.

“I just knew that I had to go out there and bring my game,” Calhoun said. “It wasn’t going to be a cakewalk, they were all tough competition. I just got mentally prepared for the tournament and performed when I was out there.”

Calhoun, who is already being recruited by just about every Big East school and a host of other Division I programs, scored a game-high 17 points and Maurice Barrow added 10 for the Royals. But Barrow’s biggest contribution was defensively. Arbitello challenged the senior forward during the week and Barrow responded, locking up Holy Cross leading scorer Evan Conti and limiting him to just two points.

“Mo shows no expression so I didn’t know if we got to him, didn’t get to him,” Arbitello said. “I guess we got to him based on his performance.”

Playing without injured point guard Bryant Fidele (ankle), Holy Cross (11-4, 3-2) was out of sorts offensively from the opening tip.

“I give Christ the King obviously a lot of credit, they play very good defense and they really made it difficult for us to do some of the things we wanted to do,” Holy Cross coach Paul Gilvary said. “We have to take some of the responsibility, too. We didn’t really run our stuff like we usually do, we weren’t as patient as we usually are and we took a lot of hard shots. It just makes for a very difficult night.”

Christ the King raced out to an 18-8 lead after one quarter, had a 33-21 advantage at the half and Holy Cross scored just four points in the third quarter as the Royals took a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter.

“That’s what we need,” Edwards said. “If we get that, we can beat any team -- Rice, Loughlin.”

Christ the King will get a chance to prove that on Sunday, when it takes on rival Bishop Loughlin in Fort Greene Sunday. Last year the Royals beat the Lions three times, including in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional semifinals.

“If we play the same way defensively, come out with a little more offense, we should blow them out the gym,” Calhoun said.

CK Smothers Kickapoo to Take 3rd Place
01/17/2010 - 11:44 AM

CK's Corey Edwards earns the Father John Savage Award at the Missouri TOC

Christ the King proved to be too much for Kickapoo, running away from the Chiefs 68-35 in the third-place game of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions tonight at JQH Arena.

Christ the King outscored the Chiefs 37-16 over the middle two quarters for the large margin.

Sophomore Omar Calhoun scored a game-high 21 points as 10 Royals scored in a balanced effort.

Junior Tyler Hall paced Kickapoo with 11 points.

Father John Savage Award: Corey Edwards

All Tournament Team: Omar Calhoun

CK Tops Hillcrest, Advances to Tournament of Champions Semi's
01/14/2010 - 08:17 PM

Christ the King controlled the game from the opening tip in a 77-39 victory over Hillcrest in the Tournament of Champions opener.

The Royals opened the game on a 13-1 run and never looked back.

CTK's defense smothered the Hornets all night and forced 21 turnovers. A decisive height advantage also allowed the Royals to control the boards to the tune of 38-14.

Omar Calhoun led CTK with 16 points. All 11 players that entered the game for CTK scored.

Taylor Sade led Hillcrest with 16.

The Royals advance to Friday's championship semifinal at 8 p.m., against the winner of Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Chaminade (St. Louis). Hillcrest will play the loser in the consolation semifinal at 5.

CTK Rebounds With Road Win vs. Xaverian, Improve to 7 - 2
01/11/2010 - 07:29 PM

Christ the King used a balanced attack to earn a tough road win at Xaverian on Sunday following their one point loss at Molloy on Friday night. Senior guard Kareem Thomas who started in place of junior T.J. Curry and finished with 15 points helped the Royals to a quick early start when he drained two long three pointers. He combined with forward Maurice Barrow, who did great work inside to help the Royals earn a 69-58 win.

Though it took the Clippers a moment to find their shooting legs, once they did they were able to hang tough with a Royals’ team that has a decided size and strength advantage against them. Sophomore Brian Bernardi came off the bench hit a three from each corner on his way to what was almost certainly his best varsity game and senior Justin Exum scored effectively using both the drive and the jumper. Juniors Manny Thomas and reserve Greg Civiletti battled inside and made enough plays to compliment the strong perimeter attack and for Xaverian and keep the Clippers close. They trailed at the half by just 38-32.

For Christ the King, the decision by coach Joe Arbitello to start Thomas ahead of Curry had two other positive affects beyond Thomas’ quick start. First and foremost, the time spent getting into the flow of the game, likely helped improve his shot selection. It also made subbing for starting point man Corey Edwards with Curry a bit easier. And when that change was made early in the first half it helped the Royals immeasurably.

While Curry’s contribution on the stat sheet may have been negligible the Royals did move the ball and run better offense during his extended first half minutes. Their inside game was much more efficient than it had been Friday thanks in part to the patience Curry provided in the point guard role. Not only did Curry’s game help contribute to big games for Barrow, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and reserve center Roland Brown, who finished with 8 points in limited minutes, but it may have helped Edwards most of all.

When he returned to the lineup to start the second half, every part of his game was better. He connected on two triples, defended with his usual diligence and, most important to his development, kept the ball going inside to Barrow, Brown and Dominykas Milka. He finished with a solid 14 points 5 rebounds and 5 assists and more importantly, the rushed decision making that marked his play in the loss to Molloy was notably absent.

Xaverian continued to take runs at the Royals behind the hot shooting of Bernardi, who finished with a game high 18 points including 5 of 6 three point attempts, and Exum who added 17 in the loss. In addition to Brown, Thomas, Barrow and Edwards, soph Omar Calhoun added 14 for the Royals in what was a well earned and much needed win.

Written by: John Miccioto, www.nyhoops.com

Molloy Upsets CTK
01/11/2010 - 07:17 PM

In a nail-bitter Friday night, Archbishop Molloy and NYChoops.net #1 ranked Christ the King battled tooth-and-nail up until the final seconds of regulation.

Led by senior shooting guard Ernest Rouse's 34-point performance, the Stanners (6-4, 2-0 CHSAA 'AA') pulled out the upset victory over the Royals (6-1, 2-1), 60-59.

"It was great for the team's morale," said Molloy head coach Jack Curran. "It gives them a little more confidence, so they can start believing they can beat good teams because they're a great team, Christ the King."

Christ the King's aggressive defense did a great job forcing Molloy out of the paint early in the first quarter. The Stanners, having difficulty finding gaps in the defense, began to settle for jumpshots. And, by the 4:03 mark of the period, on a basket by senior forward Maurice Barrow (18 points), the Royals were up 10-2.

Soon after, Molloy went on a small 9-2 surge capped by a 3-pointer by Rouse. The Stanners were able to close the period out down by one, 12-11.

"From the opening tip, I noticed that someone was playing me straight up and I wasn't able to get the ball, so I noticed that it was going to be a long night," said Rouse. "But I noticed when we made that run in the first quarter to get under three points down, I realized we were going to stay with them and we had a chance to win this game."

The Royals, however, opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run, capitalizing on a few empty Molloy possessions and opening the game up 20-11 on a long-range shot by sophomore guard Omar Calhoun (12 points). Rouse soon stunted the deficit growth with a 3-pointer of his own at the 6:21 mark of the secondary phase.

Molloy's point guard George Davis (nine points) became a real game-changer, breaking down the CTK defense with great ball-handling and guard penetration. Davis and company were doing a good job at bringing the game within four points, but Christ the King stayed at work with a good hi-low game. The Royals' frisky defense was definitely back at work toward the latter minutes of the period, forcing Molloy turnovers and surging ahead 29-20.

Sensing the game was slipping away from them again, the Stanners went on to outscore the Royals 11-2 down the stretch. A great assist from Rouse to teammate Chris Dorgler (11 points) brought the game within one, 31-30, with about 30 seconds before halftime.

The score was 33-30 at the break.

At the 6:11 mark of the third quarter, a 3-pointer by Rouse and a pair at the charity stripe by Davis tied the game 35-all. Over the next two minutes, Christ the King made some stops and went on another 8-0 run to go up 43-35. An offensive foul on Davis gave the Royals the chance to make it a double-digit advantage, but the squad could not maximize on the opportunity.

Instead, Dorgler snapped the run with a trey, bringing the game within five points, 43-38. Though the Stanners chipped the advantage down a bit, with about a minute remaining in the quarter, Christ the King was up by nine again, 47-38.

A 5-0 Molloy mini run brought the contest within four by the close of the third.

In the fourth and final phase, both teams wanted to give one another the business and, as a result, the energy emanating from both squads was palpable.

With 7:28 on the clock, Barrow completed the conventional three-point play to bring the Royals up 50-43. However, by the 4:02 mark, after a Rouse 8-1 surge (including a pair of off-balance, contested 3-pointers), Molloy took the lead 53-52. Senior big man Dominykas Milka (16 points) regained the lead for the Royals on a putback.

"[Rouse] played great, when he plays like that, their tough to beat," said Christ the King head coach Joe Arbitello. "He had a special game tonight. I haven't seen him play like that in four years. He made some real tough shots."

Around the 2:37 mark, Davis went down with a bad leg cramp. But, Molloy kept trucking, fighting and trading leads with Christ the King three more times before the squads were knotted at 58 with 1:05 on the clock.

"We tried to get them to believe they can do as well, do better," said Curran of the squad going the extra mile down the stretch. "So, they've been getting better every game, we're very happy with them."

On the next Molloy possession, Rouse attempted a 3-pointer that rattled in and out and ended up in the hands of the Royals. Christ the King guard junior Terrance 'T.J.' Curry was fouled on the other end with 46.5 seconds and drained 1-of-2 from the line to give the Royals the lead 59-58.

"There was a sense of urgency, but since I noticed we were down . . . we wasted the clock on every possession so we could get out of here with a one-point victory, three-point victory because a win is a win and we'll take it as we get them," said Rouse.

As Molloy took the ball down the court, it lost its grip and Christ the King pounced all over the ball-handler. Thirty-two seconds remaining in the contest, the officials called a jumpball and the possession arrow was in favor of the Royals.

With Christ the King holding the lead, it looked as if the squad had the last possession of the game. However, a Royals empty possession ended up an outlet pass to Rouse on a fastbreak to the cylinder for the finish. Rouse gave Molloy a one-point lift, 60-59, with about 12 seconds to go.

Christ the King had the chance to take the lead and the game, but was not able to execute. Molloy came back down the court with the ball, and set up another outlet to Rouse. Rouse took it again to the rack but flushed the ball a nanosecond after the final buzzer.

Rouse netted 20 points in the second half, which included four of his total six three pointers. And, with the tough second-half push, Molloy served Christ the King its first loss in league play.

"One thing though, we can't let this gas our heads up right now," said Rouse, "we have to keep working hard because we have Loughlin on Tuesday and they're going to be just as hard as King."

Molloy will play cross-borough rival Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) next on the schedule in its first league road test on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

CK Wins STOP DWI Championship
12/31/2009 - 09:12 PM

*Article from www.pressconncects.com

BINGHAMTON -- Junior guard Corey Edwards scored 11 of Christ The King's final 12 points Wednesday night in a 52-49 victory over Boys & Girls for the STOP-DWI Holiday Classic's National Division basketball championship.

Tournament MVP Edwards closed with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Royals, a Queens-based bunch that brought the program a third STOP-DWI tourney title in four appearances.

Christ The King, leader by 10 points in the closing two minutes of the third quarter, found itself in a 40-40 ballgame when Boys & Girls High point guard Antoine Slaughter connected on a 3-point goal from near the right corner with 3:48 to play.

Then, 6-foot point guard Edwards shifted into score-first mentality.

He burst down the lane for a tiebreaking bucket, and followed with a 3-pointer to make it 45-40 with 2:52 to play. He had opportunity to stretch the lead when, after ripping away a rebound and going end-to-end, he was fouled. But he missed the front of a one-and-one.

Boys & Girls, of Brooklyn, trimmed the gap to 45-44 on a penetrating score from Michael Taylor with 1:43 to play. After a free throw by Edwards, the Kangaroos' Jerry White drove the lane for a hanging scoop shot to tie it at 46 with 1:22 to go.

Then came the play that locked up -- if doubt remained -- MVP honors for Edwards.

With 44 seconds on the game clock and a fraction on the shot clock, Edwards buried a 3-pointer from the wing for a 49-46 lead. He tacked on two free throws to make it 51-47, and, after a Boys & Girls goal, teammate Dominykas Milka hit one of two from the line and it was 52-49.

Boys & Girls' last crack at an equalizer came in the form of a hurried and well-defended 3-point try by Slaughter, which fell short just ahead of the final horn.

Maurice Barrow had nine points and 16 rebounds for Christ The King, which also topped this tourney's field in 1995 and 1999. This title came despite an 0-for-11 shooting night by sophomore standout Omar Calhoun.

Leroy Isler had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Taylor 16 points -- though with a curious 1-for-9 night from the line -- for Boys & Girls, which needed a 3-point goal from Taylor with five seconds to play for a one-point, opening-day win over the Our Lady of Good Counsel squad from Maryland.

Men's Varsity Basketball Reaches STOP-DWI Championship
12/30/2009 - 10:28 AM

BINGHAMTON - The Christ the King Men's Varsity Basketball team advanced to the title game of the 2009 STOP-DWI Classic. They will meet NYC's Boys & Girls HS 9:15PM Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Arena for the National Bracket Championship.

*Article courtesy of pressconnects.com

STOP-DWI basketball: It's an all-NYC title game

By Kevin Stevens •kstevens@gannett.com • December 30, 2009, 12:55 am

BINGHAMTON -- For the second time in tournament history, it'll be an All-New York City final to determine top honors in the STOP-DWI Holiday Classic.

Brooklyn's Boys & Girls High and Queens' Christ The King matched comfortable semifinal victories Tuesday night, setting up a title-game clash at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday back at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

Boys & Girls was first to advance, rolling over Kentucky-based South Laurel, 69-40.

What followed was The Game That Threatened Not To End, an eyesore of a 56-40 victory by Christ The King over King's Fork High from Suffolk, Va., in which 56 fouls were assessed and 71 free throws were attempted.

Boys & Girls will seek a second tournament championship in as many appearances in the Binghamton event, the first coming in 2006.

Chris The King captured titles in two of its three visits to Binghamton, most recently crowned in 1999.

The Christ The King vs. King's Fork contest opened with a ragged first quarter largely devoid of flow or continuity, and only grew increasingly unsightly.

The final stat sheet revealed personal fouls outnumbering field goal attempts on the King's Fork side, 33-30. Three Bulldogs player fouled out. Christ The King did little in the way of capitalizing from the free throw line, making good on 25 of 44 attempts.

In the second half alone, the teams combined for 43 free throws.

Christ The King held the lead from the time point guard Corey Edwards struck for a 15-foot jump shot 32 seconds into the game. He finished with nine points and four assists.

A 9-2 spurt to open the second half left the Royals a 38-20 advantage midway through the fourth quarter. Included were back-to-back strong follow-up buckets by Dominykas Milka and Maurice Barrow, each with free throw opportunity tacked on but neither converted.

One lengthy parade to the line ensued in the final quarter, in which CTK attempted 18 and King's Fork 12.

Sophomore Omar Calhoun scored a game-high 17 points for the winners, with Milka collecting a game-high 12 rebounds.

The other STOP-DWI final pitting NYC against NYC came in 2004, when St. Raymond's defeated Holy Cross

Christ the King Varsity cruise to 1st win at DWI Classic
12/29/2009 - 10:29 AM

Second-quarter burst helps Christ The King romp

By Kevin Stevens •kstevens@gannett.com • December 29, 2009, 12:30 am

BINGHAMTON - Christ The King established itself as a strong contender for top honors in the STOP-DWI Holiday Classic's National Division with Monday's 65-45 basketball victory over Villa Angela St. Joseph of Cleveland.

The Queens-based Royals took control with 20-5 command of the second quarter at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, leaving them a 34-18 halftime lead. In that eight-minute segment, Villa Angela St. Joseph was limited to a short jump shot by Devin Carter with 3:10 elapsed, and a 3-point goal by Sidney Weems with 2 seconds remaining.

Meanwhile, 6-foot-4 CTK senior Maurice Barrow put together a superb all-around effort in the quarter, scoring four times in transition on his way to a team-high 14-point total. It was Barrow converting Dominykas Milka's long feed ahead with 51 seconds to play in the quarter that completed a 14-0 Royals surge.

Barrow added six rebounds and three steals. Teammates Kareem Thomas tacked on 12 points _ with 3-for-4 3-point shooting, and Terrel Hunt scored 10.

The Royals will face King's Fork (VA) Tuesday 9:15PM in the semifinals of the National Bracket of the DWI Classic.

Christ the King returns with potent basketball line-up
12/28/2009 - 08:50 PM

Christ The King returns with potent basketball lineup

By Kevin Stevens •kstevens@gannett.com • December 26, 2009, 6:15 pm

Joe Arbitello first visited the STOP-DWI Holiday Classic in the role of senior captain for a Christ The King squad that claimed the basketball tournament's championship on the strength of three victories by an average 25-point margin.

On Monday, Arbitello will return as head coach of a Christ The King squad targeting the program's third title in four appearances.

The Queens-based Royals open play at 2:45 p.m. Monday, opening day of the three-day, 16-team, 20-game holiday hoop-fest at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

Two other past champions, Boys & Girls High of Brooklyn (2006) and Our Lady of Good Counsel of Olney, Md. (1997) will compete in the eight-team National Division, as will host team Binghamton. Regional play is broken into two four-team brackets.

Christ The King topped STOP-DWI Holiday Classic fields in 1995 and '99, each year bolstered by at least one National Basketball Association-bound player.

The '95 Royals remain among the finest teams -- if not the premier team -- to have played in the tourney.

The '95 squad featured three individuals who'd go on to be first-round draft picks -- MVP Craig "Speedy" Claxton and all-tournament selections Eric Barkley and Lamar Odom. The '99 Royals, winner of three games by an average 17.7-point margin, were led by point guard Omar Cook, 32nd overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.

Asked if the present Christ The King group, ranked third among New York's Class AA teams, belongs in the same conversation with either the '95 or '99 powerhouses, Arbitello said:

"We don't have that star-power guy like those teams did. We're not there yet. ... Ask me to compare teams, I don't think I could do that until after the season."

However, what the Royals have has attracted the attention of a slew of NCAA Division I suitors.

There is pass-first junior point guard Corey Edwards, who already has offers from Southeastern Conference and Big East programs; and 6-foot-5 Maurice Barrow, described by his coach as "A five-tool player. He can pass, shoot, defend, handle and slash to the rim;" and Dominykas Milka, a 6-7, 250-pounder being courted by Manhattan College among others; and senior guard Kareem Thomas, a 6-foot shooter and defender.

Oh, and wearing jersey No. 21 is a young man from Brooklyn who has been labeled the top sophomore in the five boroughs.

"He can really shoot it," Arbitello said of Omar Calhoun, the lone sophomore on a 15-player roster. "He's 6-4, athletic, and he defends and passes well."

Offers to Calhoun are on the table from Villanova, Pittsburgh and Louisville, Arbitello said.

Christ The King's return to Binghamton for the 18th edition of the event is thanks in part to an unwritten agreement between the New York City Catholic League and tournament organizers. Tournament director Rick Westfall said Ray Nash, coach of the Bishop Ford High squad that won the inaugural STOP-DWI Holiday Classic in 1992 and now the school's president, is instrumental in steering league members this way.

Other Catholic-school programs from the city to play in the STOP-DWI event include Xaverian, St. Raymond's, Bishop Loughlin and All Hallows.

"Basically, (Nash) will pick up the phone and say to one of the schools, 'OK, you're going next year,' " Westfall said.

The other New York City team in this year's field, Boys & Girls -- like Christ The King considered a City Championship contender -- will seek a second title in as many tournament appearances.

Junior guard Michael Taylor was MVP of Boys & Girls' rout of Xaverian in the recent Big Apple Basketball High School Challenge, and teammate Leroy Isler, a junior forward, had 29 points and 15 rebounds in a recent victory against Paul Robeson.

Boys & Girls will open at 7:30 p.m. Monday against Good Counsel. The Falcons are led by senior point guard Rodney Glasgow, a Virginia Military Institute signee who last season was a second-team all-star in the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

The 1 p.m. National Division opener pits Landstown High of Virginia Beach against South Laurel High of London, Ky. Landstown was STOP-DWI runner-up in 2005 with present-day Minnesota Vikings rookie speedster Percy Harvin in its backcourt. South Laurel's Matt St. John, a burly 6-9 senior, had a 19-point, 13-rebound, six-block game early this season.

"From what I've been able to find out, (Landstown has three really good guards, which is what they had the year they got to the final," Westfall said.

Christ The King's opening assignment is a Villa Angela St. Joseph squad making its third appearance in the Binghamton tournament. Six-foot-eight Vikings freshman Demonte Flannigan is projected as a big-time college recruit.

Binghamton, opening in its traditional 9:15 opening-night time slot, draws King's Fork High, Virginia's defending Class AAA champion. The Bulldogs figure to present big problems inside with 6-8, 300-pound Davante Gardner (16-point, 12-rebound averages last season) and 6-6 Jay Copeland (12 points, 10 rebounds). The team went 31-1 last season, but lost to graduation were guards that moved on to Cincinnati and University of Maryland, Baltimore County, respectively.

On the Regional front, the Division I bracket brings together two state-ranked Class B teams, No. 3 Seton Catholic Central and No. 15 Norwich, at 5:45 p.m. Monday. The other Division I opener pits Vestal, winner of five in a row, against Johnson City.

"We've played JC, so we know how good they are," SCC coach Chris Sinicki said. "Vestal has already gone out and tested themselves in non-leaguers. Norwich is playing well, very unselfishly, and they play that tough man-to-man.

"It's going to be one heck of a regional."

Of the Saints-Purple Tornado matchup, Westfall said, "They bring people, which is why we put them in that game."

Regional Division II gets under way Tuesday, with Chenango Forks opposing Susquehanna Valley at 11:15 a.m., and Chenango Valley facing Maine-Endwell at 5:45 p.m.

CTK Outsmarts Cardozo
12/19/2009 - 09:34 PM

Omar Cahlhoun leads the Royals to victory over Cardozo

Styles make fights and Saturday's NYC showcase game of the Holiday Hoops Festival at Fordham University, between the Christ the King Royals and the Cardozo Judges was a good fight. In battle between physicality versus experience, the Royals would have the where with all to capitalize on a misstep by the Judges to win, 57-54.

The challenge for CTK would be overcoming the big man game of Cardozo as Ryan Rhoomes spanked them early in the paint. With 5:35 left in the first, Dozo was on a 10-0 run as 6-foot-5 senior Malcolm Brooks scorched the Royals from the perimeter.

Omar Calhoun finally put Christ the King on the map with a mid-range and a reverse and Maurice Barrows followed with a stop n' pop as the Royals were undeterred by the Judges quick start. A methodical 12-0 sequence by the Royals capped off by a jumper by Barrows soon gave CTK a 2 point lead with 2:05 left in the quarter. Cardozo would fight back but Brooks would pick up his third personal foul early. A strong finish in the final minute along with Cardozo turnovers put the Royals up, 17-12 as the quarter ended.

Roland Brown began to compete with Rhoomes on the boards but 6-foot-7 senior, Dwayne Brunson and 6-foot-7 junior, Marquis Barnett, began to produce for the Judges. Still ahead 17-16, Brown scored on a turnaround but Rhoomes quickly countered on the other end of the court. Four minutes remaining and CTK was only able to remain ahead by one point. The Judges were cleaning up the rebounds on both ends of the court. The luxury of second, third and fourth offensive rebounds gave Dozo their first lead with 1:30 on the clock as Rhoomes scored on a putback. Transition baskets scored by Calhoun would give the lead back to the Royals as the half ended.

A 30-29 Royals lead to start the third could be flipped into a moral advantage to the Judges, who gave CTK all they could handle in the first half. For the Royals to pull away, head coach Joe Arbitello had to find a way to negate Dozo's height advantage and depth in the frontcourt. Rhoomes and Barnett continued to tag team 6-foot-7 senior, Dominykas Milka, and Judges tied the score early in the third.

Calhoun's offense would give the Royals a lead and Chris Gayot would counter for Cardozo. Straight out of a Rocky movie, each team would throw blows and exchange leads. With 3:15 left in the third, the Royals were up 38-37 but found it exceedingly difficult to score in the paint. The Judges had chances to pull ahead but missed conversions until 6-foot-2 junior guard, Sheldon Mickell, nailed a three to give Cardozo a 2 point lead with under a minute to play in the third. Playing for the last shot, PG Corey Edwards, who had been struggling offensively nailed a jumper as time expired in the quarter.

Tied at 42, Brown swished a midrange to give CTK a lead but then fouled Brunson on the defensive end and he scored freethrows to give Cardozo a 45-44 lead with 6:43 left in the game. The lead switched hands as both teams scored in transition. Cardozo may have winning the battle of the boards but the Royals began to win the battle of field goal percentage and with 4 minutes left in the game was ahead 52-47 as T.J. Curry netted.

With a 1:02 left to play the score was still 52-48 as both teams stepped up on defense. Rhoomes would pull the Judges two within two points going 2-2 from the foul line with 57.3 seconds remaining in regulation. Senior PG, Reynardo Walters, would commit an offensive foul, a critical mistake, as the Judges had a chance to tie. Edwards would then extend CTK's lead from the foul line, 54-50 with 21 seconds remaining. Judges head coach Ron Naclerio was livid, even though Gayot pulled Dozo to within 2 after being fouled with 15.5 seconds left in the game. An Eli Manning-esque out of bounds pass by Edward would score a touchdown to Calhoun who would get fouled attempting a layup and put the Royals up 56-52 with 9.5 seconds. Cardozo have one last chance, down by three with seconds left but a Gayot three from half court would strike air.

Omar Calhoun won most valuable player for Christ the King, scoring 19 points with Barrows contributing 18 points. Rhoomes led Cardozo with 20 points followed by Brunson with 10 points

Curry Leads CK In A Hurry
12/19/2009 - 08:17 AM

Christ the King guard T.J. Curry (No. 32), forward Maurice Barrow, (No. 15) and center Dominykas Milka (No. 40) surround All Hallows forward Omar Kellman as he dives for the ball

Junior runs point, helps carry Royals to season-opening 49-27 win

By DYLAN BUTLER

With junior Corey Edwards sidelined with a badly bruised left knee, Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello was looking for someone else on his deep roster to run the point for Friday night’s season opener at All Hallows.

So he gave the keys to T.J. Curry.

“He’s not naturally a point guard, but he does a great job,” Arbitello said “I saw it at practice. He’s smart enough to run the point…We don’t lose much with TJ at the point, with the exception of the normal flow of the game.”

Curry was informed three days ago, giving him enough time to mentally prepare.

“I was just thinking nonstop, getting the jitters out right then and there,” Curry said. “I came out today and I felt good. I felt like I was ready.”

He showed that in All Hallows’ cramped gym, helping lead Christ the King to a 49-27 victory against the Gaels in The Bronx.

Curry had nine points, four assists and four rebounds. He probably could have had a double-double if the Royals, No. 2 in the Post New York City boys basketball rankings, finished half of their open shots.

But what the Royals lacked on the offensive end, they made up for defensively and on the glass.

“I thought we did a great job [rebounding], I thought we did a great job running our offense, I thought we did a great job defensively,” Arbitello said. “We didn’t make shots. It was tough to watch at times, honestly.”

Highly-touted sophomore Omar Calhoun also made his varsity debut Friday night, displaying his versatility with a team-high 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.

“I was pretty anxious,” Calhoun said. “I hear all the other stuff going on, Rice and all the other teams playing and I just want to go out and show how good we were.”

Arbitello said he challenged the 6-foot-4 guard to battle on the glass and Calhoun, as well as the rest of his teammates, responded.

“He did a great job for us,” Arbitello said. “Omar’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever coached. If you tell him something he’s going to try his best to do it.”

Kareem Thomas and Maurice Barrow scored nine points apiece, Roland Brown had eight points and seven rebounds and Dominykas Milka grabbed 11 rebounds for Christ the King, which led from midway through the first quarter until the final buzzer.

Omar Kellman was a one-man show for All Hallows (2-3), with a game-high 17 points. But without Manhattan-bound senior guard Michael Alvarado, who remained home with a stomach virus, the Gaels offense stalled like the traffic on the nearby Grand Concourse during rush hour.

While All Hallows got as close as 29-25 on a 3-pointer by Raymond DelaCruz with 3:53 left in the third quarter, Curry went on a personal 7-0 run and the Royals led 39-27 heading into the fourth, where the Gaels went scoreless.

“My general observation is simply this: Without him we lose a lot,” All Hallows coach John Carey said. “The other thing is kids today don’t want to run offense, they just want to play.”

Christ the King might be the last team in New York City to step on the court, but the Royals play their second game in less than 24 hours. CK meets Cardozo at Fordham University Saturday at 3 p.m., a start time pushed up two hours because of the impending storm.

“We’re just ready to play,” Calhoun said. “We had this game just to wet our feet and now it’s time for us to step up and go hard.”

dbutler@nypost.com

CK Draws National Attention
11/20/2009 - 08:35 PM

Corey Edwards is hoping to lead Christ the King back to the CHSAA Class AA intersectional title game.

Joe Arbitello doesn’t like distractions and he’s certainly no fan of preseason pub. The Christ the King coach would be a lot happier if scrimmages and practices at the Middle Village, Queens school were closed, especially to the media.

“We’ve had a lot of distractions,” the second-year Christ the King coach said. “It’s ridiculous, honestly. We just want to get back to playing basketball. That’s probably the hardest part of this year. Last year we snuck up on everyone, but this year we’re not.”

The Royals are ranked No. 20 in the nation in one preseason poll, a bit too lofty for Arbitello’s liking. And one national magazine came to the school for a lengthy photo shoot.

“Everybody else has their expectations very high,” he said. “We just want to go out, have a good time and play basketball. Everybody gets caught up in who’s ranked and unranked. I’m not worried about it and [the players are] not worried about it. Our expectations are just to play well and play hard and whatever happens will happen.”

Whether Arbitello likes it or not, the Royals, who lost to Rice in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional final last year, are bound to gain national recognition. After all, when the Royals open up the regular season next month, they’ll have four potential Division I players on the court and are considered a favorite to compete for the CHSAA crown again. The attention is likely to continue for years to come, especially with a loaded freshman squad.

Leading the way on varsity is junior point guard Corey Edwards, who has scholarship offers from Auburn, St. John’s and George Mason.

“You can see he’s ready to step up and be that leader on the court,” Arbitello said. “I think he’s going to be a real important part to what we’re doing out here this year. He’s shooting the ball a lot better, he’s making plays happen, setting guys up, he knows where the ball has to go.”

A year ago, Edwards matured as the season went on, but took a backseat to Sean Johnson, who finished second in the CHSAA in scoring and is now at Duquesne. But this year, Edwards is running the show.

“I’m taking control over my team,” Edwards said. “They’ve given me the keys and I’ve got to drive the car. I’ve got to work even harder this year.”

Joining Edwards in the backcourt is budding star Omar Calhoun, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard considered to be the best sophomore in the city.

“He could be great,” Arbitello said of Calhoun, who already has offers from Villanova, Pittsburgh, Louisville and St. John’s. “He could be one of the best players to ever come into the gym.”

But Calhoun, who shattered Christ the King’s freshman scoring record when he dropped 44 points in a loss to Xaverian last year, is taking the attention in stride.

“Everybody tells me how good I can be,” he said. “I don’t get cocky from it. I just take it as inspiration and continue to work hard and get better.”

The Christ the King frontcourt is big and athletic, led by seniors Maurice Barrow, who has drawn interest from South Carolina, Arkansas, Hofstra and Fordham, and Domniykas Milka, who is being recruited by Manhattan and Columbia. Six-foot-8 Roland Brown, 6-foot-7 junior Chris Ortiz, 6-foot guard T.J. Curry and 6-foot-4 Terrel Hunt, the quarterback on the school’s football team, come off the bench, while senior guard Kareem Thomas rounds out the starting five.

“We can go nine deep,” Arbitello said. “We can get up and down, press a bit more. We have a lot of guys who can play. I think we’re going to be a fun team to watch.”

dbutler@nypost.com

CK Men's Varsity Outlook
11/19/2009 - 10:18 PM

2009 - 2010 CK Men's Varsity

After a season in which the Royal's won the Bojangles Shootout in NC, the regular season and post-season Brooklyn-Queens Championships, and earned a 4th consecutive shot at the NYC CHSAA "AA" title, excitement is back again at Christ the King High School for the 2009-2010 season.

The Men's Varsity will once again begin their quest for the elusive city championship. The Royals will be lead by 2nd year head coach Joe Arbitello. Returning along Arbitello are assistants Arty Cox (4 City Championships as a JV coach), and Greg Lemko (5 City Championships as a Freshmen coach).

The Royal's also return 3 starters in senior center Dominykas Milka, senior foward Maurice Barrow, and junior point guard Corey Edwards. A strong class of experienced seniors, juniors, and a sophomore round out the Royal's roster.

Preseason accolades include a national #20 ranking by ESPN Rise, and a #34 ranking by Rivals.com.

Omar Calhoun is Ready for Varsity Basketball
11/19/2009 - 10:17 PM

Omar Calhoun goes for two in preseason scrimmage vs. South Shore

By By DYLAN BUTLER

There’s a large collage on the wall outside the athletic director’s office at Christ the King Regional High School. It’s the first thing the basketball players see as they make their way up from the locker room. It's an homage to the rich basketball history at the Middle Village, Queens school.

There’s Omar Cook, Erick Barkley, Erving Walker, Lamar Odom and Khalid Reeves to name a few.

Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello thinks Omar Calhoun could join that wall, be among the best in Christ the King history.

“He could be great,” he said. “He could be one of the best players to ever come into the gym.”

That’s not just hyperbole.

The 6-foot-4, chiseled shooting guard is the top sophomore in the city and he’s about to take the CHSAA ‘AA,’ considered by some to be the best league in the country, by storm.

“He’s more poised than any sophomore I’ve seen play in the city,” Christ the King junior point guard Corey Edwards said. “He can really score the ball whether it’s shooting or going to the basket. He’s explosive."

Calhoun showed glimpses of his potential greatness last year, breaking Christ the King’s freshman scoring record when he dropped 44 points in a loss to Xaverian. But that’s not why Arbitello thinks Calhoun has the chance to be one of the top Royals ever.

“You know what’s great about him? He’s a 95-student, his family is really involved and he knows what it takes to be great,” Arbitello said. “He’s got the whole package. That’s what he has over guys who could have been great and weren’t. If he continues to grow, and he’s going to continue to work on his game, I think the sky is the limit for him.”

Calhoun has heard that before. He’s a student of the game, so he understands who the players are on that wall.

“Everybody tells me how good I can be,” he said. “I don’t get cocky from it. I just take it as inspiration and continue to work hard and get better.”’

Indeed, while his potential is sky high, Calhoun remains grounded. He’s more mature than most 15-year-olds, especially those already offered scholarships from Villanova, Pittsburgh, Louisville and St. John’s.

“He’s as mature as they come,” Arbitello said of Calhoun, who will start on the varsity immediately. “That’s why he can be great because he’s very mature, he handles it very well. He’s got guidance from him parents and they won’t let him get off course.”

Indeed, Omar Calhoun Sr. is a major influence on his life.

“He pushes me on the court and off the court to be the best person I can be, the best man as well as the best basketball player,” Omar Calhoun said.

That includes in the classroom, where Calhoun is one of eight players on the Royals’ roster to be on the honor roll. According to Arbitello, the team’s cumulative average is 88. And that’s not points per game.

“I want to be a student-athlete,” Calhoun said. “I just make sure I have my grades right so I can play basketball.”

So Calhoun is a humble, mature, honor roll student who is also one of the top sophomores in the country. No wonder Arbitello beams when he speaks about him.

But Calhoun isn’t about to let the lofty expectations get to him.

“I feel like I’m ready to handle it,” Calhoun said “I played AAU and always been on a stage where I’ve had to perform. Coming here is nothing new. I just have to do what I have to do on the basketball court.”

dbutler@nypost.com

Christ the King isn't satisfied with 1st Diocesan title in 3 years
03/04/2009 - 02:40 AM

Christ the King defeats Xaverian for Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan crown, but Royals make it clear that they're still hungry for shot at Intersectional title and trip to Glens Falls for state championship.

BY Mark Lelinwalla
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Tuesday, March 3rd 2009, 2:44 PM

Christ the King was barely 10 minutes removed from winning the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan championship in Middle Village on Friday night, but it seemed as if the Royals had already moved on.

"City and state," CK coach Joe Arbitello said, as he led his players out of the locker room to speak to a gathering of reporters. "We know what our goals are. They know what's at stake down the road: the city and state championship."

The Royals will begin their quest for the 'AA' Intersectional championship against Holy Cross in the quarterfinals at St. Francis Prep on Thursday.

From the looks of Friday's 66-60 victory over visiting Xaverian, a win that gave the Royals their first Brooklyn/Queens title in three seasons, Christ the King will enter the Intersectionals at the top of its game.

The chemistry between starters Marion Smith, Corey Edwards, Sean Johnson, Maurice Barrow and Dominykas Milka is peaking.

Johnson, named season MVP by the league's coaches earlier last week, is playing the best basketball of his career.

Xaverian had pulled off a 46-44 upset over the Royals on Feb. 8 in Middle Village, but by pouring in 18 of his 29 points in the second half on Friday, Johnson made sure there was no chance for history to repeat itself.

The CK senior guard punished the Clippers with hard drives to the basket, pullup jumpers, three-pointers and free throws.

Johnson has never been a pure shooter and can be streaky at times, but he possesses the ability to heat up, catch fire and score in bunches.

Perhaps Edwards described it best.

"Sometimes he can be erratic, but if he hits one shot, he could hit (two), three, four, five," Edwards said. "When he gets hot, there's no stopping him. Players like that, you don't play with every day."

Added Arbitello: "It's nice to have the best player on the court."

When Arbitello took over for longtime coach Bob Oliva in November, he sat Johnson down in his office and instructed him to lead the team. Johnson assumed the role, tenfold, with no hestitation.

"I think I got (the MVP) because I put my team on my back," said Johnson, who's averaging 22.4 points per game. "We're a young team."

Arbitello said he's been impressed all season with Johnson's leadership.

"He does everything," Arbitello said. "He tells guys what they're doing wrong. He gets the bench motivated. There's nothing he doesn't do. His will to win and his temperament are just unbelievable, and it wasn't always like that."

Edwards, CK's sophomore point guard, has also been a work in progress. Flustered and forced into costly errors during losses to Boys & Girls and Rice earlier this season, Edwards of late has been the composed floor general the Royals hoped he would be.

Edwards is letting the game come to him, finding teammates and scoring within CK's system.

Simply put: big-game experience is helping Edwards to evolve into the consummate game manager.

Arbitello is always eager to remind that Edwards is only a sophomore, hinting that the best is yet to come from the South Jamaica resident.

"He's just learning how to play the game of basketball on the varsity level," Arbitello said. "I think you're seeing not only his progression, but what our coaching staff has done with him."

Having assistant Derrick Phelps - the former CK and North Carolina point guard - in his ear is only expediting Edwards' growth.

"He played at North Carolina, that's the hardest place to play in the country," Edwards said of Phelps, who played three games with the Sacramento Kings in 1995. "Most kids don't have that (as coach)."

To this point, Arbitello is thrilled with what the Royals have accomplished: a 20-win season; a championship in the Bojangles Tournament in North Carolina in December, and now the Brooklyn/Queens crown.

"These opportunities come very, very, very slim," Arbitello said. "I could go years without winning another national tournament.

"Winning the Brooklyn/Queens championship, we haven't won that in three years. I'm high on the season."

Still, everyone involved knows there's more important basketball to be played. Longtime Xaverian coach Jack Alesi likened the Diocesan tournament to the Big East championship.

And the Royals haven't satiated their appetite just yet.

"We got to get ready for the city championship playoffs," Johnson said. "That's what we really want to win."

Gaining confidence, Edwards leads CK past Xaverian
12/22/2008 - 06:26 PM

Corey Edwards scored nine points, including eight in a 25-10 run, to lead Christ the King to a 59-41 over Xaverian Sunday afternoon. Photo by Damion Reid

By Zachary Braziller December 21, 2008

Fiveborosports.com

On the side of each of Corey Edwards’ sneakers, confidence is written in pen. Interim coach Joe Arbitello advised the talented sophomore to write the word on them after his failed lay-up down the stretch cost Christ the King a victory in a 58-55 loss to PSAL power Boys & Girls in the PSAL-CHSAA Challenge at St. John’s University last weekend.

Edwards was expecting to take heat for the gaffe. Instead, the aggressive move impressed his teammates, particularly star Sean Johnson, who said it showed courage.

Those kind words helped his confidence. On Sunday, Edwards scored nine points to help lead the Royals past Xaverian, 59-41, in Brooklyn in both teams’ league opener.

Johnson led the way with 15 points, Marion Smith had 12 and Dominykas Milka had 10. But it was Edwards, who missed his freshman season because of shoulder surgery and whose father Dave Edwards starred at Andrew Jackson (now Campus Magnet), who ignited the game-changing 15-5 run to end the first half.

“He makes everyone better,” Johnson said.

With Johnson on the bench, Edwards set up Maurice Barrow for a three-point play, fed Smith for an open 3-pointer and knocked down his own trey at the horn to give CK (4-1, 1-0 CHSAA Class AA) a 10-point lead at halftime. He hit another trifecta to start the second half and added a long jumper, pushing the lead to 15.

“It was very important for me,” he said. “I had to grow up.”

The second-quarter run was important for all the Royals. Without Johnson, CK had blown a double-digit lead against Boys & Girls eight days ago. Arbitello has drilled his team since, running drills without the leading scorer for such an occasion.

Granted, Johnson put the game away once Xaverian got the lead down to 11 late in the fourth quarter, scoring six of his team-high 15 points. But other Royals built the lead up. Edwards was the distributor, Smith knocked down a few long jumpers that extended the Clippers’ zone and Milka was a force in the paint, cleaning off the glass and finishing on the low blocks.

“This was better,” Arbitello said. “Guys stepped up and took a little responsibility.”

Added Edwards: “It was encouraging for us. We needed to get some confidence without Sean.”

Edwards said he is still not feeling great about himself – he stills hears the doubts about his shooting and defense from critics – but his basketball esteem is a whole lot better than it was a week ago. Maybe it’s the shoes.

“I’m gonna write on them some more,” he said. “Confidence is a big thing.”

Xaverian (3-1, 0-1) doesn’t have much of it after dropping its first game. The Clippers’ five-guard lineup had trouble scoring and rebounding against the bigger Royals. Jamel Fuentes led Xaverian with 14 points and Rasheem King had 12. Xaverian was tentative, passing off shots and throwing the ball around the perimeter until one player had to take a desperation heave with the shot clock winding down.

“We were the equivalent of a baseball player taking third strike after third strike,” coach Jack Alesi said. “We were a mess today. The bad shooting was a byproduct of bad setting up of the offense.”

zbraziller@fiveborosports.com

Christ the King's Barrow puts injury behind him
12/08/2008 - 11:42 AM

Maurice Barrow

By Zachary Braziller December 5, 2008

Fiveborosports.com

The last thing Maurice Barrow remembers is going up for a dunk. What followed was a stunning fall to the hard floor, face first, that silenced a standing room only crowd last Jan. 25.

While on the court, the then-sophomore on the Christ the King junior varsity team suffered two seizures, his body shaking violently, and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was diagnosed with a severe concussion.

“I was really worried for his life,” JV coach and varsity assistant Artie Cox said.

Preparing for their game against Holy Cross, the Christ the King varsity only heard “boom, a loud thud,” senior Sean Johnson recalled.

“It was something we never want to relive again,” Althea Brisco, the wife of his AAU coach, Tom Brisco, who Barrow refers to as his ‘second mother’ said.”

“I don’t even remember,” Barrow said.

He’s tried to put the ordeal behind him. And the Royals are the beneficiaries. Barrow, Cox said, was the best player on the JV level in the entire city last year, averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds. He retuned two days later as a bystander and suited up in the opening round of the playoffs, leading the Royals to the finals, a loss to Archbishop Molloy.

The imposing 6-foot-4 forward from Hollis with broad shoulders and a sculpted body fit for absorbing contact has slid in nicely with this new group of Royals, a starting forward on a team with high expectations. In two games, he has scored 24 points, tallying 16 in the season-opening win over Jamaica and eight in Friday’s 72-40 rout of Martin Van Buren. In fact, interim coach Joe Arbitello would like him to look for his shot more.

“We want him to be our second or third option,” Arbitello said. “He has a lot of tools. He can be a big-time player.”

Cox added: “He can handle the ball, shoot the ball, play inside, play outside. He makes everyone better.”

Already, Division I schools are interested in the versatile junior. Hofstra, Manhattan, Fordham and Arkansas, Cox said, have reached out to him. Obviously, Barrow has work to do. He needs to improve the range on his jumper and continue to work hard.

Just being in this position, Barrow said, is surprising. When he arrived in Middle Village as a freshman, he was in awe of the talent surrounding him: future Division I players like Ryan Pearson, Erving Walker, Larry Davis, Andrew Gabriel and Malik Boothe. He had to work hard just to compete on the freshman team. Now, he is not only playing in the late game – varsity always goes last – but starting and contributing, one of the keys to CK’s championship dreams.

“It’s a shock to me,” he said. “I feel like I’m a new man basically.”

Try as he may to forget the hard fall, it still follows him around. For weeks thereafter, classmates and teachers asked him how he felt. Barrow couldn’t answer. He didn’t know what happened. But it has had a profound effect on him.

“He was always determined, but now he’s on another level of determination,” Brisco said. “He wants to be that (special) player.”

zbraziller@fiveborosports.com

First Varsity Victory Secondary to CK's Arbitello
12/03/2008 - 01:55 PM

De facto Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello gives Ed Jurin and Jovani Nieves advice on Wednesday. Photo by Damion Reid

By Dylan Butler November 26, 2008

Photo gallery

Joe Arbitello calls this the greatest week of his life, and it has nothing to do with his successful debut as Christ the King boys’ basketball coach Wednesday night: a 104-54 blitzing of Jamaica in Middle Village.

That game was on his mind for weeks – that is, until his wife, Veronica, gave birth to a baby girl, Ava Noelle, on Monday at 6:53 p.m.

“God has a funny way of putting things into perspective for you,” Arbitello said. “There’s nothing in the world like having a baby. It’s such an experience. I never thought I would like something better than athletics.”

The nerves he thought he’d feel had nothing to do with the game. Sure the Royals jumped out to a 34-9 lead and were up 63-19 late in the first half, but Arbitello’s biggest concern was that Veronica had a fever, which led him to check his cell phone at the scorer’s table often.

Arbitello, the Christ the King athletic director, is the de facto head coach of the Royals in the absence of Bob Oliva, who coached for 27 years, but is sidelined with a heart ailment that resulted in a hospital stay last month. While the school hasn’t made an official announcement, it appears that Arbitello will likely be the head coach for the rest of the season.

And if Wednesday’s season opener is any indication, it is sure to be another exciting year for Christ the King.

“It’s a great start, but that’s what I expected,” he said. “I feel like we’re a lot better than this team, but we have to show we’re a lot better. We have to play like we’re better. It’s been a long time since Christ the King totally put a team away. For our first win, I think we did an incredible job.”

Senior Sean Johnson said he plans on waiting until the end of the season to make his college commitment, banking on what he hopes is a solid senior season. The guard got off on the right foot on Wednesday, torching Jamaica for 30 points in just over two quarters.

“I feel like it’s my team, took control of it and I just went out and played,” Johnson said. “I’ve been working on my shot and my ball handling – it has to get better.”

Johnson scored 12 of his team’s first 14 points and 19 in the first quarter alone. He had 26 at the half and the only mistake he seemed to make on the offensive end was a failed one-handed dunk on a two-on-none breakaway.

“It doesn’t matter what game of basketball you’re playing, you still have to make the shots he was making,” Arbitello said. “He shoots like that, he’s a big-time player.”

Maurice Barrow, a 6-foot-4 junior forward who has already garnered interest from Division I schools Hofstra, Fordham, Manhattan, South Carolina and Arkansas, added 16 points and Kareem Thomas had 12. Jermaine Johnson led Jamaica with 16 points, while Joseph Halloway added 14.

When the game was over, Arbitello was in his office. He had no idea how many points Johnson scored or even what the final margin of victory was. Instead, he was scrolling through his BlackBerry looking at photos of his newborn daughter.

“I can’t help but smile,” Arbitello said. “It’s a tremendous experience.”

dbutler@fiveborosports.com

New Look Royals Prepare For 09' Season
11/19/2008 - 01:37 PM

Flanked by assistants Artie Cox (l. to r.), Greg Lemko and Derrick Phelps, Joe Arbitello (second from l.) will coach the Christ the King basketball team in Bob Oliva's absence. Photo by Dylan Butler

By Dylan Butler November 6, 2008

Joe Arbitello is the head coach of the Christ the King boys’ basketball team – for now.

Arbitello, the school’s athletic director, is taking over for longtime coach Bob Oliva, who has been diagnosed with a heart ailment that resulted in a hospital stay last month.

Although there has been no official announcement – Arbitello hasn’t been named the interim coach and Oliva hasn’t made a decision on his coaching future – the 31-year-old is filling in for Oliva, who has a record of 549-181 in 27 years.

“This is a program and Bob Oliva always ran it like a program,” Arbitello said. “From freshman to JV to varsity, we all kind of did the same thing, so things aren’t going to radically change. I’m going to add a little bit of my own thing to it and if it is successful, we’ll keep it.”

Oliva, who coached several NBA players, including Lamar Odom and Speedy Claxton, faced accusations earlier this year of sexually abusing a minor 30 years ago. He denied the claim and no charges have been filed. His supporters, including two members of Christ the King’s board of directors, Thomas Ognibene and state Sen. Serphin Maltese, strongly backed Oliva.

The Royals, who lost to Holy Cross in last year’s CHSAA Class AA intersectional final, started practicing Nov. 1, but they did it without Oliva, who hasn’t returned since the accusations and his heart ailment.

“It’s a little different that Mr. O is not here,” senior guard Sean Johnson said. “But it’s the same, same team, same coaches this year.”

Arbitello, who said he speaks to Oliva daily, has been coaching at Christ the King for 13 years, almost immediately after graduating from the Middle Village school in 1995. He played for Oliva and was named a “non-playing captain” of the team that won the city championship in 1995.

“I was a pretty realistic kid,” Arbitello said. “I saw that Lamar Odom, Speedy Claxton and Erick Barkley were on the team and I knew I was never going to play.”

Arbitello went to St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, but served as a junior varsity assistant under Artie Cox. He’s also been an assistant for Oliva, a varsity ‘B’ head coach and the girls’ JV coach at Christ the King, where he’s worked full time for the past nine years.

“This is it for me,” Arbitello said. “Unless Duke comes in here and offers me the head coaching job there, I’m not looking to be anyone’s assistant coach, St. John’s or Manhattan or anything like that. I’m here and I plan on staying here for the next 20 years even if I’m not the boys’ basketball coach.”

Arbitello said he didn’t anticipate taking over for Oliva, certainly not with his wife, Veronica, pregnant with the couple’s first child. She is due Nov. 23, three days before the Royals’ first game of the season.

“To say this is something I wanted at this particular time in my life? No, this is not what I wanted,” he said. “Am I happy to have it? Sure. After Nov. 23 am I going to be happy to have it? I guess we’ll see.”

Helping make the transition seamless are assistant coaches Artie Cox, Greg Lemko and Derrick Phelps.

“I coached with Artie for eight years and I think he’s a great offensive game coach and the defensive principals and the skill work Greg does is great and nobody can ask anything more from Derrick Phelps,” Arbitello said. “I have a lot of confidence in those guys and my job is really easy, because I have them.”

Arbitello said he addressed Oliva’s situation in the first meeting with the varsity team – “It took two minutes,” he said – and Arbitello immediately told the team that, in his role as athletic director, he is taking over Oliva’s duties for the immediate future.

“I’m going to make the decisions and my decision is to let these guys take a little bit more of an active role out there,” he said of his assistant coaches. “They’re great at what they do. I couldn’t ask for a better staff.”

Arbitello said, despite Oliva’s absence, expectations remain high for the Royals, who lost Erving Walker (Florida) and Ryan Pearson (George Mason) to graduation.

The first test comes in three weeks against South Shore.

“I think about it a lot,” Arbitello said of his first game. “I’m not worried about winning and losing. I just want to make sure the kids play hard and we do what we always do.”


		D1Scout LLC [] 2009 [] Copyright [] License [] Agreement [] Privacy Policy