Light Blue Made Sizable Impression, But White Plains Defended Their Home Turf With Pride
by Zach Smart
Sometimes, you have to be a realist about things. So, let’s face it. The chances of White Plains surrendering their title in the 2006 Ferris Ave. White Plains Summer Basketball League were about as likely as Ron Jeremy being warped in a dry spell during the early eighties. A talent-laced lineup fueled by Manhattan guard/forward Devon Austin, along with a bevy of legit D-I players, former D-I players (notably Devon’s older brother, Markus Austin, who recently played for Eastern Michigan), and old-school street legends who, like Eddie “The King” Faroo and Duck Johnson in White Men Can’t Jump, claim they “still got it” was too much to overcome.
White Plains implemented an uptempo offensive attack that few teams could fend off. The Tigers had inside/outside tandems, lightning-quick guards and swingmen who attacked the rim with ferocious force. In the end, the early favorite defended one of their city’s oldest and toughest basketball courts.
“They have no flaws, really,” explained C.W. Post guard/forward George Skrelja (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) of the league’s Blue team earlier in the season. “They’re all rock-solid. They’re just a real tough team with the Austin brothers, the Washington brothers, and they’ve all been playing together for a long time.”
White Plains is where players shoot first, ask questions later. It’s where the city’s high school teams produce budding Division-I prospects year after year (While writing this, I discovered that David Boykin from White Plains High has just inked with Fordham). For the Tigers not to re-capture the title of their annual summer tourney would be to put their city and its storied basketball history and tradition in the shade. And unlike white planes, that doesn’t fly around the area.
The league, however, wasn’t all about White Plains dominating. One of the more intriguing facets of the league was the renewal of old high school rivalries and the sight of former teammates on the floor doing their thing again.
Such was the case with the league’s light blue team, which concluded the season with an 8-3 record, despite being short of guys (most of the team’s players participated in Empire State Games and other summer hoop festivities) some of the time. If the roster remains the same, they have the potential to emerge into a huge contender come next summer.
Sean Stahn, an Ithaca forward who executes post moves as well as he swats away shots on the other side of floor, spearheaded this team. Starting with his high school teammate/point guard, 5-9 speedster and potent scorer Brandon McGarvey, Stahn orchestrated a top-shelf summer ball club. The addition of a sharp but streaky outside shooter who’s discovering a new niche at Marist certainly paid dividends. Ryan Schneider, who played at Vermont the past two seasons before transferring, hit clutch threes and sank crucial free throws to propel the Light Blue to victory during some critical games – most notably against the Gold team in the regular season closer.
The Light Blue would hold off the Gold again in the first round of the playoffs, 50-46, in a game that was dominated by stingy defense. Then in the semi-finals, the Light Blue participated in a rock fight with the league’s Orange team, which was without league MVP Ernie Brown (Mount Vernon, N.Y.)
The Light Blue were also shorthanded, with the aforementioned Schneider and swingman Kenny Amparo (Yonkers, N.Y.) not in attendance. The Light Blue got off to a sizzling start, with NYU’s Jason Boone, the DIIIHoops.com East Region Player of the Year, dominating inside. It seemed the Orange had no answer for the 6-foot-6 behemoth.
The Orange then switched to a zone defense, instigating an onslaught of outside shots from their opponents, who had difficulty pounding the ball inside and letting Boone float freely down low.
“It was close all game,” explained Stahn. “They (the Orange) tied it with like 15 seconds left. We missed a shot at the buzzer, then in OT they got an early three-point lead.”
They wouldn’t squander it. Down by one with one tick remaining on the shot clock, the Light Blue couldn’t get the shot they were looking for, and the Orange prevailed.
Stahn can’t be upset with his team’s performance.
“We were missing two starters in the semi-finals and that could have changed the game, but we still had two chances to win,” he reflected. “So, it could have been a great summer for the team, but for everyone it was still a great experience.”
Stahn’s team went 2-7 in 2004 and of course failed to make the playoffs. In 2005, they went 5-5 and lost in the first round. This summer, with a new roster and a mentality which entailed a more selfless brand of basketball, they fell a little short.
“So, next year, we gotta make it to the finals and see what happens,” Stahn concluded.
