Anyone who has ever played CYO in Brooklyn Queens knows that St. Francis de Sales has ALWAYS had a great basketball program. If from Queens you'd travel over the Cross Bay Bridge to Broad Channel, and then the Rockaway Bridge. They were (and maybe still are) known by locals as the First and Second Bridge. For Terrence, moving there was a short hop from Flatbush over the Marine Park Bridge. I believe that the western Rockaways (Belle Harbor, Riis Park, Breezy Point) have retained their strong Irish Catholic tradition, as has Broad Channel.
On Beach 108 St, there are some asphalt courts right off the boardwalk. By the 70s, they were largely unused and in disrepair. But back in the day, in the 40s and 50s, they were a mecca for the best players in NYC, who would travel to Rockaway for a shot at playing against locals like Bob Cousy and the McGuires and the very best players in the city (Alcindor, Len Elmore, and a slew of other played there). The McGuires would sneak away from work at the family bar a few blocks away to get in a few games.
