After the dramatic Orange Bowl victory Jan. 9 that secured a date in Monday’s NCAA national College Football Playoff championship, University of Notre Dame senior quarterback Riley Leonard found himself directly in the media spotlight. Grinning ear to ear, Leonard did not mince words when ESPN asked him to explain his second-half resurrection that turned a 10-3 deficit into a 27-24 victory over Penn State.
Bob Uecker, known throughout the United States as “Mr. Baseball” died January 16 at the age of 90.
Pete Sweeney, a former Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) athlete and student at Our Lady of the Snows, North Floral Park, has covered the Chiefs since 2014, a tenure that has included Super Bowl victories in 2020, 2023, and 2024. Sweeney’s love of sports began in the CYO, where he played basketball and soccer at the parish.
The holidays are all about traditions, and there’s nothing more traditional in the local boys’ high school hoops scene than the annual Msgr. King Memorial Basketball Tournament. The 54th annual tournament returned to the iconic green floor at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Flatlands, from Dec. 26-30.
After another competitive season of Catholic High School Football League action, The Tablet’s Brooklyn/Queens CHSFL All-Star team is back. Players were selected from the four high schools that field football teams in the diocese: Christ the King H.S., Middle Village; Holy Cross H.S., Flushing; St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows; and Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge. Special thanks to the league’s coaches for providing nominations and statistics.
In sports, we’re always talking about Mount Rushmore — the top four players ever for a given team, program, or league. We know CHSAA boys’ basketball league in the diocese has seen its fair share of absolute greats, so as another high school hoops season is upon us, here’s a look at the Mount Rushmore of the local Catholic League.
Two coaching legends at St. John’s Prep, Astoria (formerly Mater Christi H.S.), will live forever in the school’s gymnasium. On Nov. 24, the school hosted a court-naming ceremony during the boys’ varsity basketball game to honor longtime coaches Jim Gatto and the late Ed Flood — both of whom dedicated their lives to the school’s community. Former student-athletes, teachers, administrators, and family members returned to celebrate these two coaching titans.
It almost was a certainty that Lou Carnesecca, the beloved former St. John’s University men’s basketball coach, would reach the age of 100 on Jan. 5, 2025. Sadly though, he fell a few weeks short.
Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, held its Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Nov. 16 to honor a group of individuals who have made their old stomping grounds very proud.
Lou Carnesecca, a Catholic and hall of fame basketball coach most known for his two-plus decades at the helm of the St. John’s University men’s basketball team, died on Saturday, Nov. 30 at the age of 99, the university announced.
