NYT on area highschool bball kids leaving NYC

[bk8664]

Not sure if this is posted somewhere else already.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/s...-players-crossover-move-to-new-jersey.html?hp

Article starts off with:
"Ron Naclerio, who decades ago gave his heart to New York City high school basketball, had it broken early this year.

“Jan. 13,” he said. “I woke up and the kid was gone.”

His best player, a 6-foot-9 forward named Jermaine Lawrence, was an inside force for Benjamin N. Cardozo High
School in Bayside, Queens, where Naclerio has coached and won more than 600 games since 1981. In the middle of his junior year, Lawrence transferred to Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta, N.J., embracing a mantra that in recent years has beleaguered the once-renowned and so-called City Game of New York: Go west, large young man."

“Every kid has a handler now, a street agent,” Naclerio said. “It’s gotten to the point where you have to re-recruit them every year.”

 

[DieHard Johnny]

I drive thru sparta often going to the poconos its a middle size farm town famous for its jersey corn & tomatoes farms
its off rt 80

What made this kid crave the country life?? a girl or $$

I feel for Ron but Im sure hes picked a big apple off another coaches tree a few times too

 

[SJUalum98]

Some times it's about exposure and level of competition. A kid from NYC trying to get a high major D-1 ship really has to work that much harder these days to make a name for himself. They're competing for the spotlight against prep school players who are having showcases on (wait, you guessed it) E$PN.

E$PN recruiting "analysts" like Dave Telep aren't paying attention to kids coming out of the PSAL. They're just not coming out to their games. They're covering all the prep schools, national invitationals, the Nike/Adidas/Under Armour showcases and AAU games. They're not going to watch a game in a sweaty, cramped gym in the Bronx.

I also believe the NYC schools aren't preparing these kids properly when it comes to academics. Look at some of the top local kids last year who had such a hard time qualifying- Thaadeus, Fludd, etc.

Either way, not much will change anytime soon IMO. I think there are quality players in the NY schools but as long as the dollars are being exchanged between E$PN, sneaker companies and NCAA head coaches, the exodus of local kids will continue for a long time.

 

[kranmars]

Wow! Great job by The Times discovering this earth shattering information. Who knew prep schools are the power brokers.

Next investigative piece from the paper of record is the changing of the Big East conference (all due to the greed of the Catholic schools of course) .

The article should appear sometime in 2025.

 

[Moose]

Lotta groundbreaking stuff there

Speaking of Bernard King mentioned in the article. Anyone around back when he was choosing colleges. How come no STJ?

 

[bamafan]

Lotta groundbreaking stuff there

Speaking of Bernard King mentioned in the article. Anyone around back when he was choosing colleges. How come no STJ?

Louie never wanted too much talent because then there would have been more pressure to win big. I know people will bring up the Mulberry year but that was probably an accident-he didn't realize they both would be THAT good. Was probably horrified and glad it lasted only one year. Just one person's theory.

 

[Class of 72]

Lotta groundbreaking stuff there

Speaking of Bernard King mentioned in the article. Anyone around back when he was choosing colleges. How come no STJ?

When Bernie was becoming a high all-A at Ft. Hamilton HS, we had a guy named Frank Mulzoff as coach. He "filled-in" for the 3 years Lou C coached the Nets. Between 1970 and 1974, it was next to impossible to get major NYC stars to play for St. John's, which was a commuter school with no campus life whatsoever. To have a household name such as Mulzoff to recruit kids, our fate was sealed with players such as Bernard King. He had a chance to play for a great coach at UT Ray Mears, who never had a losing season and recruited Ernie Grunfeld, from FHills HS, to form one of the best forward tandems in college basketball. If you think we were a mom-and-pop operation until we signed Lavin, you should have seen us back then!
Even Bernie's brother Albert never even gave SJ a look and went on to play for one of the shiftiest coaches (in a class of shifties like Tark) Lefty Driesell.

 

[bamafan]

Pretty sure Mulzoff left after 72-73 season (my freshman year) and Louie had a chance to recruit King albeit maybe a little late in the recruiting game.

 

[Class of 72]

Pretty sure Mulzoff left after 72-73 season (my freshman year) and Louie had a chance to recruit King albeit maybe a little late in the recruiting game.

Your memory is better than mine Bam. I had graduated the season before. Lou returned during King' s senior high school season but he would never had played for SJ. Coach Mulzoff was a good coach but not a household name in NYC. Had SJ gone after Al McGuire when Lou left, we could have gotten King and a national championship. Mom did not allow pop to open the piggy bank.