Who deserves to make All-Centercourt?

You think it's easy to come up a top 25? Give it shot. Five teams, with five players on each team.

In about four weeks, the 4th Annual All-Centercourt team will be announced, honoring the top 60 seasons turned in by high school players this year. The selections are broken down into a first, second, third, fourth, & fifth team, with five players on each, along with 35 honorable mention selections. There are also both Player & Coach of the Year selections, along with an award for the sixth man of the year.

The top 60 may sound like a lot, but when you start putting names down on paper, the list fills quickly and inevitably some very good players get left off the list. The main criteria I focus on is the 2013-2014 season, not what you did in the past, and not where you're going in the future…it's all about honoring the top 60 from this season.

Use the comments section below to tell us what your 5 teams would look like and maybe even why. If you're really ambitious, try coming up with the entire team including the HM selections.

Please keep all commentary appropriate when discussing high school athletes, and remember, it is lame to say someone does not belong on a team, without offering up who should be on one. It might be even more lame to give only one or two teams. Show us you've paid attention this season and provide all five teams.

-centercourt

192 responses to “Who deserves to make All-Centercourt?”

From the North

March 22, 2014

Are you kidding the south towns get no press. I guess you don’t get the buffalo news. There is a team that went undefeated from the North and you probably can’t even name it so don’t talk about lack of press….

Doug101

March 22, 2014

@ Ernie Are you kidding me you can’t be serious with
That first team Dylan Meyer and Sam eckstrom on 1st
Team no way sam is a second teamer because he doesn’t
Play good against other big man not even a injured tyree
Tyson his points came from free throws and tip ins
And Dylan Meyer is good but really doesn’t play any
Competition prime example when they play competition
(Olean) they lost by 32 at buff state when it matters most
So idk where you got this idea of first team from

Frank will

March 22, 2014

First team – Wil Bathurst , johnathan Lewis , zack panebianco , sterling taplin , donte Williams
This is my vision of first team these guys all play competition and perform the best
#top5 in wny best competitors

March 23, 2014

From the North,
Undefeated? Not really. What happened when they went South?

From the North

March 23, 2014

The same thing that happen to every other team from section 6 that eventually lost. Still the only undefeated team during the regular season. Sorry I did not spell that out for you! Wasn’t it a team from the NORTH that won class C.

Big daddy

March 23, 2014

from the north. It’s absolutely enough with the Barker Raiders and Jake Haight. They aren’t even in the conversation. Jakes a good player at a very small school. Barker won the NO in probably the worst year ever in terms of competition. They played no one else in the regular season. A big mistake in my opinion. Jakes good you love him we get it. Tell me what your top 50 are and show me your knowledge. Your starting to make your son look bad. you’ve already made yourself look bad.

dmckay716

March 23, 2014

Barker would get smashed in MMA by Nichols, St. Marys and Park. An average team in a below-average league.

BuffHoops

March 24, 2014

I think you gotta look at the All- League teams, if a player didn’t even make 1st team All-League, besides Yale Cup I, he probably shouldn’t even be in consideration for a spot on All-CC.

March 24, 2014

FIRST TEAM
WIL BATHURST(INDEPENDENT)
JONATHAN LEWIS(YALE CUP I)
ZACK PANEBIANCO(ECIC I)
STERLING TAPLIN(ECIC I)
DONTE WILLIAMS(MONSIGNOR MARTIN)
what you think about my selections
For all centercourt first team ?

David Joes

March 24, 2014

@UK I think our vision on first team is right on point
My first team choices are exactly the same these young
Men really deserve it and I know they’ll do something
Very special on the next level whether that will be
D1,D2 or D3 great season Guys wish you the best
Of luck !!

Charles Perry

March 25, 2014

Interested to read in the Olean paper on their all-star team that Sam Eckstrom ended up the year leading Olean in scoring with 21 a game along with rebounding for 10 a game. He scored more than 500 points this year shooting 64% in a tough schedule with a career total to 1,536.
Bathurst was great too with 20 a game and 7 rebounds and 1,196 points in his career.
Paper said Eckstrom is 3rd all-time scorer at Olean and the schools all-time rebounder. That says something when you think about the program Olean has been. Can’t be sure, but from I’ve read this year the only other in WNY to score more in a career in class of 2014 is Taplin.
It doesn’t seem like Eckstrom gets much talk for first team but guys on here might want to take another look. Anyways, a great season by a lot of kids.

Bailey

March 25, 2014

Wil Bathurst for POY.

jj43

March 25, 2014

1st
Bathurst
Panebianco
Taplin
Williams
Lee Yaw
2nd
Washington
Brown
J. Lewis
Trueheart
Eckstrum
3rd
Bowen
Funk
Miner
C. Lewis
Brooks
4th
Dougherty
Morris
Briggs
Bryant
Diaz
5th
Schmidt
Welch
Ciezki
Reed
W. Smith

jj43

March 25, 2014

When do the teams come out?

centercourt

March 25, 2014

The tentative date is Thursday, April 3rd.

March 25, 2014

1st team
Wil Bathurst
Sterling taplin
Johnathan Lewis
Zack panebianco
Donte Williams
2nd team
Quinn lee yaw
Brian brown
Howard Washington
Sam eckstrom
Stafford trueheart
3rd team
Ryan funk
Phil Bowen
Cam Lewis
Billy brooks
Jacob haight
4th team
Chris Dougherty
Dylan Meyer
Bryce Morrison
Tyler English
Nick Schmidt
5th team
Sam castronova
Dom welch
Zak ciezki
Chris miner
LaTerrance reed

Coach Simms

March 25, 2014

Someone who caught my attention this year was the kid from east (john Lewis) after the game I watched in the pastor cooper game who had 27pts 6reb (MVP) vs bishop timon I followed him the rest of the year and I never changed my mind about him he just continued to amaze me with his stats and ability to perform in big games usually you see a kid one time and then the next time you see him play he doesn’t perform as well but this kid puts his heart and soul into every game like it’s his last as every player should he also can defend your best player this kid is no question all wny first team as he carried his team on his back and got wins that people wouldn’t expect them to get and he did it without a big man (Tyree Tyson) and the kid plays like he’s 6’0 and he’s only 5’7 if that and puts pressure on defenders all game he had strong outings against states runner-ups olean and Mec 33pts vs Mec and 24pts 7rebs vs olean in the game of the year also 32pts 7rebs 7ast against power house aquinas (MVP) of that also his resume proves he a first teamer and he definately deserves it great season john 😉

jj43

March 25, 2014

so this isn’t what you think they should be, just what you think will happen?

Ennis34

March 25, 2014

Wow…. J.lewis another cool fact he managed to lead his team to be No.1 in class B in the state without a big man he is a great leader and tremendous player what ever college coach gets him should be thrilled to have him in they’re program I know I’d be

Logos

March 26, 2014

Ennis34, where did you find that?
According to the New York Sports Writers Association, East High finished 5th in the state, behind Westhill, Ogdensburg, Norwich, and Olean.
The last time East was ranked number 1 from December 24th until the January 14th poll, which coincided with Tyson’s injury (December 28th). Afterwards, they dropped by virtue of their loss to Middle College (January 8th). Thus to say that Lewis “led his team to be No. 1 in Class B without their big man” is somewhat of a distortion of facts. Don’t get me wrong, Lewis was a phenomenal player, and will undoubtedly make one of the five teams, but when one exaggerates a player’s accomplishments, it actually hurts the player’s case more than helps. If you want to tout his leadership abilities, it may be better to point out his ability to rally his team into 9 straight victories after a particularly rough January (sans Tyree).

MMA

March 26, 2014

Very well said. While anyone who watch Lewis play this season had to admire his effort, the campaign on this site for his 1st team merits have gone far overboard and appear to be the same person repeatedly, ex. Who is Coach Simms who happened to come across Lewis this year and suddenly has all his stat lines ready to recite? I would be interested to see his final numbers from this season, as the comments in this post would lead one to believe Lewis is a high 20 something per game scorer.

Logos

March 26, 2014

According to the stats submitted to the section 6 website (granted, as mentioned before, the reporting is an inexact science, but I digress).
Johnathon Lewis G 22 (games), 388 (pts), 59 (assists), 109 (rebounds), 65 (steals), 1 (blocks), 17.636 (PPG).

Wizard

March 26, 2014

Everyone’s has a different opinion and from the looks of it more than half of everyone that made a team has him on first team so most people thinks johnathon is a first teamer

MMA

March 26, 2014

Thank you Logos. The above comments point out that Lewis had games of 33, 32, 27, and 24 points. That means there were some very low outputs as well to bring a season average to 17.636 point per game. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that his backcourt mate at East scored just as many.

Hoop guy

March 26, 2014

Johnathon Lewis won MVP in every tournament they played in this year and yea he had low scoring games after sitting out multiple 4th quarters from blowing teams out there wasn’t not 1 big game where he didn’t come to play and what sets him apart is his defense … All you people wanna go bye is points … Every good team he played against this year he was the best player on the court and outplayed every other 1 from d. Williams , wil Bathurst , b. Brown , the whole aquinas team , name a player that went off on east … I WILL WAIT ……………. Nobody why … Because johnathon wasnt going to let that happen he take on the challenge everytime

Hoop guy

March 26, 2014

How does taplin gets so much respect because of points ??? Johnathon atleast has a class a2 overall class a as a freshmen where he avg 7 points a game for the Yale cup champs since then he led his team too 2class b2 titles and two straight class championship … I guess points means more than anything

FLY

March 26, 2014

East high beat timon by 23 pts, and johnathan lewis played very well on opening day, scoring 20+ pts. @ hoop guy, you didn’t mentioned that donte Williams had team high, 29pts. Both players led their respective team and they played there heart out.

Hoop guy

March 26, 2014

-fly But johnathon Lewis team won by 23 … You forgot to mention johnathon Lewis had 7 reb and didn’t take a shot the whole 1st quarter when Williams took almost every shot … Go back and read the summery cc posted after that game

Hoop guy

March 26, 2014

Williams had 29 points taking every shot plus going to the line numerous times .. While johnathon had 27 on way less attempts

Logos

March 26, 2014

MMA- you would be correct. I’m kind of baffled how many people are ignoring Percy Bryant’s effect on the success of East. Again, this is not to say that Lewis wasn’t a very good player, for he was, but this false narrative that Johnathan Lewis single-handedly carried his team sort of baffles me.
Percy Bryant G 22 (games) 383 (points) 136 (assists)75 (rebounds) 104 (steals) 17.409 (PPG)

Hoop guy

March 26, 2014

The difference between the two is johnathon checked the best player … Johnathon got boxed and 1 , double team and the big games he lead the team each game .. Percy is over looked should def be on 2nd or 3rd team … But johnathon Lewis is def 1st team a two way player not just on offense … You dont get MVP of the buffalo news championship week for just being a avg player when all the kids you guys are naming played that same week at the same gyms

centercourt

March 27, 2014

The discussion here has been great. The topic of East’s Johnathon Lewis has been a hot one, and recently a comparison of his teammate Percy Bryant has also been discussed. I decided to take the time to gather the numbers for both guards, game-by-game, to assist this particular discussion.
I’ve included point totals from both for every game this season, along with rebounds, assists, or steals from any game that either had four or more in. I’ve also put an asterisk by the games that I considered big games – as in games against nonleague opponents, the four games against Middle College & McKinley, and the playoff games.
Johnathon Lewis = JL
Percy Bryant = PB
P = Points
R = Rebounds
A = Assists
S = Steals
* Timon *
JL 27 P
PB 13 P, 11 A
South Park
JL 16 P, 7 R, 6 A, 4 S
PB 25 P, 10 A, 5 S, 4 R
Bennett
JL 23 P, 7 R
PB 12 P, 7 A, 6 S
* Leadership Academy *
JL 23 P, 5 R
PB 15 P, 8 S, 5 A
* Aquinas *
JL 32 P, 7 R, 7 S
PB 23 P, 5 R
Hutch-Tech
JL 19 P, 8 R, 5 S
PB 25 P, 7 R, 6 A, 6 S
Riverside
JL 18 P, 5 R, 4 S
PB 12 P, 13 A, 6 S
* McKinley * (Loss)
JL 16 P, 8 R
PB 20 P, 4 R, 4 A
* Franklin *
JL 2 P, 4 A
PB 16 P, 6 R
* Sweet Home *
JL 13 P, 5 R, 4 A
PB 19 P, 5 S
* Franklin * (Loss)
JL 7 P, 5 R, 4 A
PB 13 P, 7 A, 6 R
South Park
JL 16 P, 5 S, 4 R
PB 20 P, 9 S, 7 A
* Middle College * (Loss)
JL 16 P, 5 S, 4 R
PB 11 P
Hutch-Tech
JL 17 P, 5 R, 4 A
PB 14 P, 7 A, 6 S
* Middle College *
JL 33 P, 4 R
PB 22 P, 8 A, 5 S
Burgard
JL 16 P, 6 A
PB 5 P, 8 A, 5 S
Riverside
JL 17 P, 5 A, 5 S
PB 28 P, 8 S, 7 R, 7 A
* McKinley *
JL 18 P
PB 33 P, 10 S
* Wilson *
JL 16 P, 5 R, 5 S
PB 22 P
* Health Sciences *
JL 10 P, 7 R
PB 23 P, 10 A
* Cleveland Hill *
JL 9 P, 5 R
PB 6 P
* Olean *
JL 24 P, 7 R
PB 6 P, 6 A

Logos

March 27, 2014

Excellent work. I believe that this data more or less confirmed what I originally thought, in that Percy and Johnathan were excellent complimentary players.
The only legitimate criticism could be what criteria constitutes an actual “assist”, and what does not. I’ve noticed that some coaches can be very liberal with their interpretation, while others can be very strict (layup scored without a dribble). Not to pick on them, but I believe a particular egregious offender of this category is Middle College. On the year, the team as a whole had 443 assists. They scored 1573 total points. That would mean that at the very least (assuming no one hit a free throw or a three pointer all year) there was an assist on 28.2% of their possessions. For comparison’s sake, the NBA league leader in assists per possession, the San Antonio Spurs, assist on 19.2% of their possessions. And the NBA has an extremely lenient policy on assists.

Logos

March 27, 2014

I apologize, my math was off on that one. I forgot that an assist needs to lead to at least 2 points. So 1573/2= 786.5 possible baskets that were directly the results of an assist. 443 assists/ 786.5 would mean that at the minimum, 56% of all of Middle College’s points were the direct result of assists (again, assuming no one hit a free throw/three pointer all year).

Wizard

March 27, 2014

Johnathon Lewis played better against every big player you guys are naming so the discussion is over all you guys are just haters and can’t acknowledge the fact that he played better than them when they played each other when it matters most he comes up BIG and that’s what matters the most he’s better than any guard period like CC said he plays harder than anyone else in wny on both ends of the floor so obviously he agrees as well

Tony Pepperoni

March 27, 2014

First Team
M.Keenehan (poy)
Bathurst
J. Lewis
Taplin
D. Williams (dunked on adam weir)

March 27, 2014

Logos,
Great data, what an embarrassment. coach rich is looking like that Masiello guy from Manhattan. it’s one thing to stick up for your players, but to completely fudge the stats. I hope there is a reasonable explanation, typo, etc.

mike j

March 31, 2014

First team: bathurst
Williams
Brown
Taplin
Lewis
Second team: whelch
Eckstrom
Panebianco
Yaw
Truehart
Third team: Morris
Cieski
Washington
Cam Lewis
Minor
Fourth team: willie
Briggs
Tanner
English
Hollins
5th team: Phillips
Tc brown
Hairston
Billy Brooks
Percy

bob

March 31, 2014

1st team
Mann(Timon)
Kobis(Timon)
Synder(Timon)
May(Timon
Davis(Timon)

Upstatescout101

April 2, 2014

Hearing the argument above brought something to my attention, players should be evaluated in a poll where skill and talent is taken before how they played in the school season (but clearly still have it taken into account. Howard Washington, Stafford T and Tanner Schmitt all play for the Albany City Rocks, the top 12 kids in the tri state area. I was informed by a source that these 3 kids will all be top 25 players in NYS according to ESPN’s recruiting nation . Now if you want to judge simply of acolades and numbers during the high school season (where anything can happen) from guys who may only watch specific games there is going to be errors. I believe that the Buffalo news poll should come from coaches or players that know the pool of talent first-hand. The All league teams should also have more to do with ranking. The MMA and ECIC 1 should have higher regarded players in how the polling is done; specific players like Bri’an Brown (yale cup) should be exceptions.

April 3, 2014

I don’t follow the logic there. We should go by ESPN’s recruiting nation to decide who had the best high school seasons even though their ranking is based on AAU? You are basically saying we should ignore what happens during the high school season because anything can happen or something like that. And you keep referring to polls but we are talking about players nit teams. I think I know what your trying to say but like I already said, I just don’t follow the logic there. Albany City rocks has zero to do with the high school season in wny…2 totally different seasons.

centercourt

April 3, 2014

Upstate –
Your approach to how these teams should be selected is the complete opposite one that I used to form the teams that will be up shortly. This is a site about, as it says at the top, Western New York high school basketball. My teams are a direct reflection of the season the begins in December and ends in March and honoring the players that stood out during those months. It is meant to honor the players who turned in the top 60 seasons.
Names in recruiting magazines, accomplishments in AAU, and scholarships earned playing summer ball prior to the season even beginning are the rewards for those players. They are already being recognized.