THE VIEW FROM CENTERCOURT | Western New York Boys High School Basketball

Poll Ballots 2020 – Week 4

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Large Schools

1. Canisius (A) – After winning the St. Pius Tournament, the Crusaders suffered their first loss of the season at the buzzer to Cathedral Prep on Friday night.  A big win at St. Mary's the following afternoon sends them into this week with games against O'Hara and at St. Francis.

2. Park (A) – Returned from South Carolina as the champions of the Blue Star Invitational and proceeded to knock off Orchard Park on Thursday night.  This coming weekend the Pioneers face their toughest opponents to date in the Brooklyn Post Invitational, which looks like the best regular season two-day event anywhere in NYS.  Park will face Boys & Girls and Brooklyn Collegiate, both ranked in the Top 25 of NYS Class AA.

3. Health Sciences (A2) – Maritime and West Seneca West both visit the undefeated Falcons this week.

4. St. Joe's (A) – I thought it would be a fast-paced and entertaining game on Friday night when the Marauders hosted O'Hara.  It was definitely that, but I did not see the 40-point drubbing coming.  Everyone played well for St. Joe's and if they can stay in that gear, the Marauders can beat any team in WNY or NYS Class A for that matter.

5. Niagara Falls (AA) – The Wolverines have won seven of their last eight games and took Jamestown down without much trouble. After losing their top three guards from last season, they remain the team to beat in Class AA and they're still Falls!

6. Lew-Port (A2) – Roddy Gayle scored his 1,000th point on Friday night in just the sixth game of his sophomore season against Williamsville South, a team Lew-Port led by 30 after three quarters.  A pair of league road games are on the slate for the Lancers this week with trips to Niagara Wheatfield and Lockport.  

7. Williamsville North (AA) – The Spartans are sitting comfortably in my top 10 now with an unbeaten record, following a whole bunch of shakeups with other ranked teams in the last week.  But it's about to get real for North this week, starting with a visit from Orchard Park on Monday, followed by visits to Jamestown and West Seneca West.  The next seven days tell us a lot about the Spartans.

8. Orchard Park (AA) – In a week of the before mentioned shakeups, you have to forgive some losses to make room for 10 teams in the poll.  I'm looking past the Quakers loss to West Seneca West for now, as the team's overall resume to this point is solid.  Monday's game at North is a big one.

9. North Tonawanda (A1) – I got my first look at the Jacks on Saturday and really liked what I saw.  They've got a solid starting five and ample contributions coming off the bench.  It's the fastest I've ever seen an NT team play under Ryan Mountain and I left with answers as to how they nearly knocked off Falls…because they're good!  This is a Class A1 Buff State team all day and might be the best one.

10. East (A2) – I dropped East from the Top 10 following three straight losses to O'Hara, McKinley, & UPrep.  Since then, other teams who had remained in the rankings took worse losses than any of those three, and I do believe East is one of the 10 best teams in WNY.  South Park & Middle College this week.

 

Small Schools

1. Middle College (C1) – The last game played by the Kats was a 59-point win over Hutch-Tech.  They've allowed just 49 points in their last two games combined.  And they're 4-0 in Yaale Cup I.  And this week, they play at McKinley and at East.

2. Olean (B1) – We find out just how good of a small school Olean is this week, hosting Fredonia on Tuesday and heading to Allegany-Limestone Friday night.

3. Tapestry (C1) – Headed out to Medina on Monday night after rolling past Maple Grove on Saturday by 25 points.

4. Cardinal O'Hara (B) – Five straight losses for the Hawks heading into a date at Canisius.  They need to get back on track this week, and have important games against Top 10 small schools Timon (home on Friday) and Randolph in a Saturday night roadie coming up.

5. Allegany-Limestone (B2) – After Friday night's 18-point win over Fredonia, the Gators are licking their chops thinking about a big Friday night league game against Olean after sliding into CCAA I West this year.

6. Randolph (C2) – The score came in on Friday night and I said "Hello"!  A 62-22 stomping of CSAT.  I don't know what's more impressive – holding them to 22 points or winning by 40.  This makes Saturday night's game against O'Hara very interesting.  But first they need a win at Salamanca on Tuesday.

7. Iroquois (B1) – Lost a close game to Sweet Home on Friday and face a team who just beat the Panthers this Friday when they travel to Cheektowaga.

8. Timon (B) – The Tigers have a big game coming up at O'Hara on Friday night, looking to rebound in MMA play after falling hard at St. Francis on Friday night.

9. Fredonia (B2) – After a 15-point win over Lockport and a victory the following day against South Park to claim a tournament championship at Clarence, the Hillbillies took one from Allegany-Limestone by 18 points.  Now they have to head to Olean on Tuesday and host rival Dunkirk on Friday.

10. St. Mary's (B) – The Lancers are winning all of the games they're supposed to.  We'll see how they respond to a visit from Nichols on Thursday night.

 

-centercourt

24 responses to “Poll Ballots 2020 – Week 4”

  1. Vic Avatar
    Vic

    Not much to argue here. Great list. I think Joes is going to keep pummeling teams throughout the year with Poland back and the best guard duo in area. Frannies have some good wins and can see some surprises there

    Reply
  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    How is Canisius ranked above park even though they just lost?

    Reply
  3. Rust Belt Basketball Avatar
    Rust Belt Basketball

    Centercourt, how is Canisius ranked higher than Park locally if the State does not rank them ahead of Park? If they are not playing each other this season you should be following what the state is doing since there is no logical conclusion other than your bias for Canisius.
    Another clarification that needs be made is that Canisius and all MMA schools except St. Joes opted to not play Park once Park was forced to go independent by Pete Schneider and the MMA. This is one of the most shameful moves ever orchestrated by Pete but it was championed by the same people acting like Park made this move on their own. Canisius is certainly poised to win the MMA but it will be a tainted chip without ever playing Park to get it. Personally I hope St Joes or any other MMA beats Canisius and wins the MMA title just as a way to prove that cheating to win a title will gain you nothing.
    Kudos to St. Joes which has more guts than any MMA school this season. You can thank Pete for ruining the best basketball competition in Buffalo (MMA). Use to be that there were no nights off in the MMA! That is no longer possible to say with a straight face.

    Reply
  4. MMAisweak Avatar
    MMAisweak

    Vic you must be a huge MMA fan. The MMA is weakest it has been in a long long time. Agree Joes is one of the best teams in area,with or without Poland although they struggled with a very average CBA team. Right now the NFL is the best lg in the area with Falls, Lewiston, NT, Ken West, and Lockport is coming on with a win over Amherst , who in reality may have the best guard duo in the area. And Rust Belt and anonymous Cansius deserves to be #1 as they hold a win vs a common opponent with Park.

    Reply
  5. Vic Avatar
    Vic

    MMA has been best league for a decade or 2 and I am a fan of it proudly. My son played public so I know of other leagues too. NT Ken West? Get real. How does Amherst backcourt compare to Glover Ashley and Jayden? I would take Frannies backcourt before Amherst. Also did not know MMA backed out I heard it was actually Park that canned the games according to Canisius. Pete Schneider is a crook just like most superiors. Just like they did Johnson at WSW.

    Reply
  6. centercourt Avatar
    centercourt

    Rust Belt Basketball –
    I appreciate the question – why is Canisius ranked higher than Park and I’m happy to answer. However, the sentence that followed that question is one I take issue with.
    You said “If they are not playing each other this season you should be following what the state is doing since there is no logical conclusion other than your bias for Canisius.”
    I should be following what the state is doing? Oh…okay, yes sir! LOL!! Have you followed the state rankings over the years? That will never happen. Maybe they should follow what I’m doing. I doubt you understand how the state rankings process works, but I do, and I’ll explain it in a bit.
    But first, no logical conclusion other than my bias for Canisius??? You are a Park guy. I’m a WNY Hoops guy. Who’s biased? That would be you. I may be biased about a few things…beer, pizza, & women quickly come to mind, but I’m not biased about ranking teams, even your hated Canisius. Who was my preseason #1? Park. Who did I say on my second podcast on December 13th was the best team in WNY? Park.
    But then, a few hours later on December 13th, Park lost to McQuaid. I watched St. Joe’s beat McQuaid before that. I watched Canisius beat McQuaid after that. In fact, McQuaid lost four straight games after beating Park and they are currently 4-6. They’d be 3-7 if Park had beat them. But Park did not. I don’t care about the second loss in NYC to a prep team, but I do care about a common opponent game like the McQuaid one.
    Now as far as the state rankings, here’s how it goes. One guy from WNY tracks the records and results and then every Sunday, he makes his case for the local teams on a conference call with reps from the other sections. I happen to know this guy extremely well. He knows his stuff well. But Park is his favorite team in WNY. He was the only Buffalo News pollster voting them #1 for the last two weeks, and one of two that voted them #1 this week. He hasn’t even seen Canisius or Health play this year, but has watched Park 4 times already.
    So you saying I should follow the state rankings is saying I should value someone else’s opinion over my own, even if I’m seeing more high school basketball. I’ve seen Park 5 times, Canisius 3 times, Health 3 times, St. Joe’s 2 times, Falls 2 times, Lew-Port 2 times, North 2 times, OP 3 times, NT 1 time, East 3 times, Amherst 2 times, Will East 3 times, and McKinley 1 time. Those are just the top large schools in the area. I’ve seen a lot more, and it’s only January 7th. I will always rely on my own efforts when ranking teams and players. I won’t ask how many games you’ve watched that didn’t involve Park. It doesn’t really matter.

    Reply
  7. Johnny Avatar
    Johnny

    Maybe the state should follow our rankings!! The state voters don’t watch our games and much as center court or the buffalo news… we have 1 rep on the voting for states… buff news as several!!
    Not an MMA guy, but park had an illegal player based on their guild lines… that’s a fact!! Did park feel entitled that it should be over looked?? So since they chose to opt out of the league rather than continue on without (6’9.. if he was 6’1 they would still be in the MMA… they would have told 6’1 no thanks) the player they made their bed… since they opted out because the kid was ineligible in the MMA canisius or any MMA has no obligation to play them and I don’t blame them…
    Why is Health science an A school … their beds numbers have them as a B, and tapestry a C school . Right where they should be according to the beds… who makes that decision and how??
    Thank you CC for all you do for HS sports

    Reply
  8. Curly Avatar
    Curly

    Larry Jones made that decision. Is the section 6 chair. Why he did that I have no idea

    Reply
  9. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    Health is in A cause the section chair coaches a B school!!!!!!!How convenient to get Health out the way…..

    Reply
  10. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    So any comments telling why Health is in A will be deleted….We all know why!!!!!The cover up continues…..unreal….

    Reply
  11. iswhatitis Avatar
    iswhatitis

    Johnny stop drinking the Kool-Aid.The standing rule was that you can return from a boarding school and still play your senior year!!!!!! Look up the rules before listening to the good ole boys. The kid was given a raw deal because Kyle did not want anyone in his way of winning a chip. He also tried to argue that slaughter and Haskell were illegal transfers. Even called Schneider to complain Joes was running illegal workouts. This is his last chance to make noise in a while and he wanted no one in his way. Joes will win the legue and he will get whats coming his way
    To go further there was a meeting or phone conference call , where everyone agreed to play park one time, and Husband jumped in and told the others to form a “united front” They are all in the good ole boy network and its a shame what they were allowed to do!
    CC is in no way biased he goes off results , even though no team in WNY would have won the game park lost with 4 starters fouling out in regulation, no team losing 4 starters would have even been close. That should be taken into consideration as much as injuries are. With that said the rankings are pretty spot on with alot of games to be played.All games are not created eqaul.
    Lastly Vic open your eyes the MMA is weak after two good teams this year, NT would challenge the top 2 and would be by far the 3rd best team in the MMA and they are behind the Falls and Lew Port. Yes Lew Port lost bad but the best player in the area was injured in the first qtr, that game holds no weight.

    Reply
  12. Johnny Avatar
    Johnny

    Your clearly a park guy and nothing will change your view… in my position I have seen the rules..I have them at my disposal! No need to get nasty and call out people!! Has nothing to do with coach husband…
    The only one drinking cool aide is you my friend ! Follow the rules or go independent ..park made their choice

    Reply
  13. Vic Avatar
    Vic

    Johnny you talk about having rules and knowing the details but you are clearly wrong. I do not like Park at all but after asking around it is weird Joe’s is only team playing them. Best competition should play each other. That said Frannies would break NT don’t even. Everyone has bias it’s what makes us Sport fans! Schneider and Husband may not be popular or courageous but no need to disrespect the leagues themselves.

    Reply
  14. Jack Avatar
    Jack

    Vic…Frannies would hardly break NT…but that’s funny!

    Reply
  15. Rust Belt Basketball Avatar
    Rust Belt Basketball

    CC, thanks for your explanation. I think the Mcquaid game can be easily deciphered from the stats which you eluded to after the game. I have watched most of MMA teams play locally including all of Parks and Joes fyi.
    Johnny, Park does not have an ineligible player as per the so called MMA rules. Pete Schneider simply played the game he has played against Park in the past with Dan Scott to weaken the team to either not compete in the MMA or stay in the MMA with a reduced roster. His disdain towards these young African kids attending Park since 2016 has been on full display since those kids first arrived here. I am certain if those kids attended CHS none of them would have had an issue in the MMA. Hmmmm
    I am happy Park left this season in order for the kid to play proving that HS athletic is meant to be fair and impartial. I think that is what Pete has forgotten that the MMA is made to give the local kids fair opportunity to play in the top league in WNY and boost the value of WNY sports. How does Park not being in the MMA benefit the MMA? How Kyle and Pete play into this unfair narrative I do not know but CHS ultimately is the beneficiary of all of Pete’s moves. This is a disservice to the community and especially to the kids who are competing. As I said I will cheer on any team except CHS to win the MMA this season and hope Joes runs the table on all the MMA schools. CHS has great kids on that roster but they should all know that their Coach and Pete are the ones devaluing the competition in the MMA to give them a win. Karma is a real thing! This will not end well.
    If anyone at any coach, parent, booster or school staff at any MMA school says that Park did not want to play them be certain it is a lie. Every single school in the MMA except St. Joes colluded to drop all scheduled games with Park. This is especially true of CHS trying to ensure a MMA title. Unfortunately that title will have a big asterisk next to it.

    Reply
  16. BD1 Avatar
    BD1

    Rust Belt, I believe a lot of HS basketball fans want to know the truth about the situation between Park and MMA. There is more than one story going around. Is your post based on facts or on one of the story’s you have heard? Thanks

    Reply
  17. moe Avatar
    moe

    CC, thanks for the informed rankings and I look forward to following them the rest of the season.
    And a big THANK YOU to the bickering commenters in this thread. It has kept me quite amused while reading your posts. It’s funny that in all your musings concerning Commissioner Schneider and Canisius Basketball, you forget to note that Mr. Schneider was the AD for a while at St. Joe’s and left the position to assume the commissioner job in the wake of the Chad Kelly scandal.

    Reply
  18. Pat G Avatar
    Pat G

    Timon was done dirty by MMA too for a few years. If it is not for better of Canisius this league goes hard. If it’s Canisius let’s look past. Park is no Disneyland either as I heard from a recent transfer kid parents that should have gotten way more playing time. I believe the MMA needs new leadership that possibly resembles the actual athletes and their goals. All said Timon will be best team in a year or 2 with the best young class around.

    Reply
  19. Basketball fan Avatar
    Basketball fan

    Canisius and Joes are the two best teams in the league, whether Park was in it or not. The depth of the Canisius roster may push them ahead when it comes playoff time. After seeing both teams play, it is definitely set to be a great matchup. Anyways, people have been suspicious of Parks players and recruiting since day 1. Most years the kids on the team look double their age but have seemingly been allowed to play. It’s about time they did something about Park. I wouldn’t blame Pete Schneider for anything. People have been suspicious for years, but I would still like to see Canisius play Park.

    Reply
  20. Rust Belt Basketball Avatar
    Rust Belt Basketball

    Everything I am saying is first hand knowledge. Facts only. No need to restate rumors and innuendo.
    MMA needs new management. Pete serving at Joes in the past as AD has not changed a thing. He has proven that he has no allegiance to Joe’s either.
    Basketball Fan, you are either a child or a dummy fan! Winning States and Fed means you are the best in WNY. Even though you cannot see it through your thicket, all MMA Schools recruit. Park has just done a better job purely based on luck which started when Jordan Nwora attended Park. That pipeline is open now!
    You saying the Park kids look older is really dumb because if you have proof that the MMA or CC does not have I am sure we will welcome such information to lobby the state to shut down Park’s program due to such an unfair advantage. In reality we know you are just talking BS, will never provide proof or substantiate your statement so retracting your poor comments may help you gain some credibility.
    Park and Canisius will not play this year unless they meet at Fed. Pete and Kyle have made sure of it.

    Reply
  21. Park Proud Avatar
    Park Proud

    The Park School of Buffalo, providing 20K education to African kids 6’6″ or taller at no cost since 2015. Might as well just toss that slogan on your school site while patting yourself on the back for being such a good recruiters

    Reply
  22. BD1 Avatar
    BD1

    Park Proud,
    Did you ever think there might be boosters or alumni helping the African boys with their tuition? Parks not the only school that does it.

    Reply
  23. KG Avatar
    KG

    “If any coach, parent, booster or school staff at any MMA school says that Park did not want to play them be certain it is a lie.” -Rust Belt Basketball
    One week later Park backs out of their game against St. Joe’s.

    Reply
  24. hoopster Avatar
    hoopster

    The MMA is not above changing the rules in mid stream to benefit Canisius, Joe’s etc. It has happened before. Personally I tend to always side on what’s best for the kid and not hard and fast rules about eligibility. Naturally some rules must be enforced rigidly because they are essential to the fair administration of the game. I just don’t know enough about the Park/MMA relationship to make a sound judgment.
    I think reneging on a commitment to play St. Joes is Bush league. The reasons offered up by the Park AD strike me as bogus.
    And lastly here’s a standing ovation for CC for his blistering take down if the person above who suggested he is biased. As someone who was as active as he in commenting on hs hoops back in the day of TBN’s hey day with the great Keith McShea as the prep talk beat writer and then discussing his idea of bringing this site to life, I can say no one loves hs hoops more than he and no one is less biased than him. WNY is damn fortunate to have him. Bravo CC!!!

    Reply

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