St. John’s University, Jamaica, senior women’s basketball guards Nadirah McKenith and Shenneika Smith became the first-ever WNBA draft picks in program history Monday. McKenith was picked up by the Washington Mystics No. 17 overall, and Smith was taken by the New York Liberty with the 25th pick. “This was an extraordinary night for two of […]
Author: Jim Mancari
Cathedral Baseball Notches First League Win
The Cathedral Prep, Elmhurst, Crusaders varsity baseball team won its opening CHSAA league game of the season with a 12-0 victory over the Bishop Loughlin M.H.S., Fort Greene, Lions Monday afternoon at Juniper Valley Park, Middle Village. The Crusaders batted around in the first inning and relied on aggressive baserunning to establish an early 5-0 […]
CHSFL Coach, Seniors Honored by NFF
The New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation (NFF) held its inaugural “Elite Eleven” scholar-athlete award banquet March 21 at the Down Town Association in lower Manhattan. St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows, head varsity football coach Vince O’Connor received the 2013 Accorsi Award, named for former New York Giants’ general manager Ernie Accorsi. […]
McClancy Softball Earns First Win in Program History
There may not be a better way for a team to earn its first win in program history than how the Msgr. McClancy M.H.S., East Elmhurst, junior varsity softball team earned theirs. In the first game on their brand new field, the Lady Crusaders plated 15 runs in the first inning en route to a […]
Molloy Baseball To Honor Coach’s Legacy
It’s difficult for any high school sports program to replace a combined 2,680 wins. However, it is even more difficult to replace an icon. The Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, community will attempt to do both this spring, as the school continues to mourn the loss of legendary coach Jack Curran, who died peacefully in his […]
New Jackie Robinson Movie Hits Theaters
The new Jackie Robinson movie, 42: The True Story of an American Legend, opened April 12. The film chronicles the Brooklyn Dodgers’ star as he broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947. Robinson faced intense adversity at a time when racial segregation was the norm. Yet his teammates stuck by him as he paved […]
Molloy Grad Wins NCAA Championship
Former Molloy standout Russ Smith and the University of Louisville, Ky., Cardinals won this year’s NCAA men’s basketball championship April 8 with an 82-76 victory over the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. Smith managed nine points on 3-of-16 shooting in the title game, but he played an integral role in getting his team to […]
St. Clare’s Youth Group Revives Living Stations (with slideshow)
The parish youth group at St. Clare’s, Rosedale, performed a live dramatization of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at the church. The 20 youth group members are mostly high school students who are parishioners at St. Clare’s, with a few performers being students at the parish’s elementary school. Father Andy Struzzieri, pastor, […]
Snows’ Principal Wins Distinguished Award
The mission statement of Our Lady of the Snows Elementary School, North Floral Park, is the following: “Our vision is the preservation of our strong Christian environment and high academic standards. We will work conscientiously to realize our ideals in a community that is contemporary, enthusiastic, unbiased, and open to the future.” This statement thoroughly […]
Queens Youth Shaped White Sox Coach
Don Cooper vividly remembers growing up in Maspeth, Queens. He and his buddies played sports every day – mainly as Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) stars in baseball and basketball for St. Mary’s of Winfield, Woodside. He said he didn’t have a care in the world and can still recall the schoolyards, gymnasiums and baseball fields […]