Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, product Jaylen Palmer is back in Brooklyn this season with the Cyclones. The infielder-turned-outfielder was called up last season to the Cyclones, the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets.
Longtime Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, teacher, basketball coach, and baseball coach Jim Kerr died April 2 at the age of 80. He also was a longtime parishioner at Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park, L.I., where his children played Catholic Youth Organization sports. In 1979, Kerr was named the varsity basketball coach for the Knights and manned the bench for 17 more seasons until 1996.
Draft Dreams
Congratulations to former St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows, girls’ basketball star Emily Engstler on being drafted No. 4 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA Draft on April 11. The 21-year-old recently helped guide the University of Louisville, Ky., women’s basketball team to an NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance. Engstler was a McDonald’s High School All-American at the Prep.
On the men’s college basketball side, local hoops standout Julian Champagnie of St. John’s University, Jamaica, announced his decision to declare for the 2022 NBA Draft. The former Bishop Loughlin H.S., Fort Greene, star averaged 19.2 points per game as a junior en route to being named First Team All-Big East for the second consecutive season.