How The News voted: How far can they go?

Throughout the boys basketball season, 10 voters rate Western New York's best teams from 1 to 10 in the large and small school polls. The News has one vote in each poll.

This is the last poll of the regular season; the next one will be the final poll of the year. With the playoffs starting Wednesday, here's how we filled out our ballot, with an eye on how far teams might be able to go:

1. Niagara Falls (19-1) [last week: 1] -- If they play like a team, like they played against Grover, I could see them going to Glens Falls. And winning a game.

2. Grover Cleveland (19-1) [2] -- I filled this one out last. I could see them losing to McKinley. And I could really see them winning a state championship. (Yes, even if Glens Falls regular Peekskill is an overwhelming favorite to win their third straight state title behind Syracuse signee Mookie Jones -- you never know what's going to happen. All I'm saying is that Grover has that kind of talent).

3. Canisius (17-6) [3] --  After seeing them beat St. Joe's, I thought they would beat Nichols the second
time around and could win the Manhattan Cup. Whoops. If there's a third meeting, I still think they can.

4. Riverside (15-5) [6] -- The Frontiers' wins over McKinley and East -- and a superclose loss to Grover -- in the last two weeks move them past Frontier. Their AA road is tough, but some are already hoping for another building-buzzing version of Buffalo taking on the Falls at Buffalo State. They're capable of making it happen.

5. Frontier (16-4) [5] -- Can't get the stumble at Jamestown a few weeks ago out of our head, which deflates their stock a bit here and in our AA guessing game. But if it woke them up, they've got an outside shot at knocking off Falls in the AA final.

6. McKinley (15-5) [4] -- Almost put them at 5 -- maybe if the Riverside loss was closer. Mansa Habeeb, Chandler Williams and Tamere Shannon are veterans who could certainly win a A-1 rematch with Grover.

7. St. Joe's (15-8) [7] -- Two close games in a split with Nichols, two big losses to Canisius. For whatever reason I can't see them winning the Manhattan Cup. But if this year's Cup is as crazy as last year's, who knows?

8. East (13-6) [8] -- Lost very close ones to Grover, at McKinley and at Riverside. If the Panthers develop even half of a killer instinct, they could certainly topple the A-2 competition and get another shot at Grover in the A final.

9. Lafayette (15-4) [9] -- The Mighty Violets are talented and fun to watch. But they're also lined up for possible A-2 semifinal with East, which beat the Violets fairly handily at home.

10. Jamestown (12-8) [NR] -- This has been, by far, the toughest spot to pick in the poll all season. The Red Raiders earned the spot by beating previous resident Williamsville North; plus, they have a win over Frontier. Depew lost to Williamsville South, which lost to Lake Shore and Will North. Hamburg lost to Sweet Home. Kenmore West played Falls tough but loses to Kenmore East. Lackawanna? East Aurora? They split with each other. See what I mean? As for the rest of the way, another part of the reason they're here is that I could see them ending up where they always seem to end up: playing Falls at Buffalo State.

Small schools

1. Nichols (22-2) [1] -- Canisius win was huge in margin and importance -- and confidence. The Vikings return to Manhattan Cup favorite status and a are threat to do damage in the Catholic state playoffs, perhaps even all the way to Glens Falls -- and yes, that's as an A school. 

2. Olean (18-2) [2] -- Another trip to Glens Falls appears extremely attainable, and this is a classification in which Section VI teams have done historically well in at the state level.

3. Maple Grove (18-2) [3] -- A C-2 title seems theirs for the taking after the xx-point win at Randolph, and a C title would seem theirs for the taking as well (no C-1 teams made the poll this year). Red Dragons were schooled in the regionals last year by a living basketball coaching clinic named Campbell-Savona. With that said, if they keep playing the way they've been playing, and keep hitting their free throws, they could win a state championship.

4. City Honors (12-8) [4] -- I will resist the urge to say I will play the Prophet and say they should win the B-1 title. Really, I will. They'll likely have tough tests against Seneca and Wilson, however. But, if the Centaurs and Olean wind up in the B final, it's a fun matchup which include two big men going at it. Maybe Honors could knock them off?

5. Randolph (18-2) [5] -- It's the C-2 final for Maple Grove-Randolph III, and based on the last time, that's where you would think the road will end.

6. Newfane (13-5) [6] -- Definitely some weapons and definitely a well-coached team from a gritty, gutty league. But Olean's been up at No. 2 for a reason.

7. Alden (14-6) [7] -- The Bulldogs have already beaten Akron? Could they beat Newfane? The B-1 bracket should be interesting, even with Olean's favorite status.

8. Niagara Catholic (9-11) [8] -- It's now or never, Patriots. They're the Grover of this poll. I could see them being this year's Cup surprise and even winning the thing. Remember last year? Nichols-St. Francis? Dyrell Dolson could be this year's Kevin Roth. And, on the other hand, the could lose early and miss out on even the Class B berth. Stay tuned.

9. Akron (15-5) [9] -- I want to say that those N-O battles might make the Tigers sturdier for the third matchup with Alden, but the Bulldogs have had plenty of tough-game seasoning in ECIC IV as well. Either way, they're in the same bracket as Olean.

10. Wilson (12-7) [10] -- Top-seeded in B-2 and good enough to be able to back it up. Signs point to a final against the Yale Cup in City Honors or Seneca, which they could win. But if they did that, see the above references to Olean.

-- Keith McShea

Comments

[Blaise O'Connor]

The fact is that, FREDONIA should be traveling in this round, not play a home game. Yes, Olean is a better team and Olean should win, but giving Fredonia a virtual home game was ridiculous. I'm sure that the Olean folks will mention this on Saturday in Buffalo.

[St. Mary's Parent]

Barnhardt had oral surgery and couldn't play against Nichols. (I bet you guys thought he was benched...)

[hsbballfan]

PS to State Champ, who was that who lit up Lafayette last night? Luke Haskell! Almost single handedly beat the Mighty Violets. Don't be so narrow minded, a lot of good ball out there even in the hinterlands.

[hsbballfan]

State Champ, thought you were a Cardinal O'Hara fan. Plus you should open your eyes. There is some good ball being played out there. Luke Haskell from Pioneer would give any of your city guards a good run for their money.

[Sean Bruso]

i was at the game and was wondering the same thing myself about barnhardt. does anyone have any info on this or does this relate to some of the earlier season things that were going on at st. mary's. i didnt see their new athletic director there either as i was hoping to. i would love to know if anybody had any details about this. thanks...

[Box and One]

Does anyone know why Barnhardt did not play last night for St Marys or at least he did not score? I went to the CHS game and they looked pretty good I am looking forward to this Sunday especially with what happened a year ago. CHS is going to have a tough time beating there big rival 3 times in a year. I think the bigger court may favor CHS. Also I will be at the Will North game tonight hoping to see a great ball game.

[cohsalumni32]

I’m not talking about Young/Weppner/Gross as individuals, I know they are good talents and I’m glad they are able to play at NCCC/Medialle/Salsbury Prep, but that has nothing to do with my criticisms. The issue I had is for some reason they were never able to fully integrate themselves as a successful starting unit, and for how much potential they had it was kind of upsetting to watch. That responsibility ultimately falls on the head coach, and I feel they should have had more of a playoff run rather than a one-and-out performance against Niagara Catholic.

And like I’ve said before, I wasn’t criticizing the pre-game preparation. I was criticizing the in-game coaching adjustments that I feel have not been there. My criticisms have nothing to do with what the team does in practice, because I’m not there to see the preparation that takes place. There has to be a better job done of managing the games and adjusting to different situations.

[Coach Sil Dan]

While I want to thank the two who have supported our efforts at COHS someone wrote earlier about contacting the coach instead of hiding behind a screen name, I will welcome cohsalumni32 whom I feel I let down contact me anytime you would like. cohsalumni32 you wrote about last years team and I can proudly say all three players you identified are playing college ball, and do me a favor and contact Mrs Young and see how what I teach and work on has helped Tim Young today. Again I apologize if I let you down and invite you anytime to spend time at my practices and se how we prepare for games.You see I will never forget these are young men who I try and prepare for life outside of basketball and have been very successful so far as this is still "only a game". Thanks Centercourt as you see things and report things as they are,and to COHS BBALL supporter as we will continue to get better.

[COHS BBALL SUPPORTER]

cohsalumni32 sounds lie you know the game-one question why didnt you apply for the opening when it came up? and not sure where any reference to the former coach was made or indicated.Agin my son tells me how practice and games are going and you will never be able to convince me otherwise about Coach Dan , have you tried and contact him and let him know your thoughts? And seeing how you are saying you are an alumni and atended all the games did you once approach him and spaek with him?

[cohsalumni32]

What about last year as well? The team had the same problems getting organized and executing gameplans, and they had a bunch of players with varsity experience...Young (3 year varsity PG), Weppner (great 3 point shooter) and Gross (slasher) were great compliments to Ewing and they looked lost out there at times. They could of made a deep run last year if they could of utilized the tools they had. I'm not trying to bash the players they have now, but last years squad had all the potential in the world to make a Manhattan Cup run and they couldn't put it together.

[cohsalumni32]

I just feel in some of the close games coach Dan didn't make the proper coaching adjustments (especially on defense) to get O'Hara some W's. The game at Niagara Catholic stands out to me the most. Up by six with less than a minute to go he continued to double down Dolson in the post when he was having an off night and leave three point shooters open. Then with 5 seconds left before overtime he calls timeout to draw up an inbounds play and they couldn’t even get a shot off...Brady dribbled up the court with no urgency. Then only down 4 in overtime he just kind of sat on the bench looking lifeless. I think he can be a good evaluator and come up with good schemes before the game, he just has a problem adjusting the game plan after his opponent makes changes.

COHS_BBALL_SUPPORTER… while I can appreciate the things Dan is doing for the players its not like Coach Dyrek wasn't doing those things...he was doing them tenfold. I’m assuming you have only been in the program two years (as long as Dan has been there) but after the standard was set for all those years before Dan got there I wouldn’t expect anything less from an O’Hara coach.

[COHS BBALL SUPPORTER]

Centercourt has some great points and all are true as "you have seen and not heard". I have seen what went on during the transition to Coach Dan and I wouldnt want to even attempt what he did. The kids played in summer leagues,he took them to numerous UB games, out to eat numerous times and many "others" and taught these kids how to play with heart and desire and to be respectfull on the court. I hope he continues to play against the level of competion he has choosen as the winners will be our kids in the program beacuse by playing the best they can only get better on the court as well as off the court.

[centercourt]

cohsalumni32 - If O'Hara lacked the shooters to compliment Ewing and Briggs is a year away, why not save the comments about coaching for when you feel all the tools are there, but not put to use. Hard to fault what they did this season. They played tough against talented large schools and against a NC team that boasted large school talent. Would you rather have the NC situation?

[centercourt]

Champ - you bring your own flavor everytime. You should post more often.

[COHS BBALL SUPPORTER]

Cohsalumni32 comments are his/hers opinions and I have to say just the opposite as Coach Dan did a great job and did change the attitudes and work ethic of all those in the program and as a parent of a JV player moving up I have the most respect and confidence in Coach Dan. I have seen what he has done with my son and I like where he program is headed. And by the way I am going to tell him in person also.

[centercourt]

The problem with the small school poll is that very few of the teams play each other, and there is no actual criteria set forth to base the poll spots on - if there is, what is it? It's not based on just on record (NC). Not based on strength of schedule (Maple Grove & Randolph). Not just based on common sense of who would most likely beat who or MMAA and Yale Cup teams would probably hold top spots after Nichols and Olean. There is also a common opponent angle to consider.
It seems like a combination of these factors is used, along with some form of variety (making sure we include schools from different leagues).
So to say O'Hara deserves no votes should qualified...is it because you would base it on record and theirs is sub par. Because they would beat teams currently in the poll. The only teams currently in the poll I haven't seen are Randolph and Alden. Based on nothing but who has a better team (and a common opponent formula for Alden & Randolph) here is my top 10 small schools, in order:
1. Nichols
2. Olean
3. City Honors
4. Niagara Catholic
5. Newfane
6. Alden
7. O'Hara
8. Maple Grove
9. Akron
10. Wilson

[StateChamps2003]

I'd rather drop dead than watch Sherman, Pine Valley, or Pioneer. I also don't support a high school athletic program whos tuition costs more than a 4 year state college like UB. What I do appreciate is disciplined Buffalo City basketball.

[cohsalumni32]

The problem with O'Hara this year was they didn't have the players to compliment Ewing. Everyone would just crash on Ewing and O'Hara didn't have the perimeter game to take that pressure off of him in the paint. An inexperienced point guard running the show didn't help things this season either. While Briggs has the potential to be a solid point guard the next two years, he sometimes isn’t aware of game situations and has troubles setting up O’Hara’s half court offense.

But like I said before, O'Hara didn't have the outside shooting to take pressure off of Ewing. Brady was their best outside shooter this year and unfortunately he can be streaky and lose confidence if he misses a few shots.

Also, I hate to sound like some whiny parent but Sil had problems adjusting the game plan during games. While I admire what he's trying to do for the community his game management was questionable this year.

With all of that said, I at least appreciated the strides Ewing made as a leader this year. He seemed to be more vocally supportive of his teammates and took on the role of captain better than I thought he would have. I’m not with the team 24/7 but his mentality definitely improved from when he first came in as a sophomore. I also appreciate the service the other seniors put in (Addison/Garner/Jolley/Wilkie) as four-year players and appreciate the contributions that Brady and Hefferon put in while coming in as juniors. This team didn’t lack heart or desire, it just lacked the ability to counter the defensive schemes other teams would throw against them.

[hsbballfan]

So would every other small school team except for Olean and Nichols.

[Enjoy_bball]

I can't imagine how Cardinal O'Hara recieves any votes in the Top 10 polls. I saw get destroy by St Joe's and Canisius. They are not very good, they lack hustle and desire and never play the 2nd half. Time for a change.

[ROUNDBALL]

I get so tired of reading about Catholic School basketball - is everyone here trying to re live their high school days!! How many times do these teams play each other - okay Nichols is a good team - but take the richest families in WNY who have spent many $$$$$ for bball camps/ private lessons/ etc. and put them all on one team - yeah you have a good team. Who wants to go watch them in that tiny gym with all those suits and ties????
You folks spend so much time talking and watching these few catholic teams - go catch some basketball in a place like Sherman, Pine Valley or how about Pioneer. Maybe next year!!!

[Box and One]

I think someone will get upset and I think it might be St. Joe's. I am not overly impressed by either team but St. Joe's sometimes struggle to score. The same can be said for CHS who if not hitting 3's can go long stretches without scoring. I do not see Nichols losing but they might be caught looking ahead facing a winless team in the MMA. St Marys will play hard they just cannot score.

[centercourt]

Is anyone predicting an upset in any of the Manhatten Cup games tonight?

[centercourt]

Blaise -
The change was based on what makes sense for the majority. Besides, Fredonia is slightly closer for Olean. If the Huskies are as advertised this season, it won't matter where the game is played anyway. And remember, Southwestern won at Fredonia in late January this could all be a non-issue.

[TML1000]

The seeds fell into place for the most part tonight. In AA the only upset was OP over Hamburg, not that surprising considering the lack of experience from Hamburg. NT kept it relatively close with Riverside, who will have to play better if they want to win Friday in Jamestown. Ken West returned 3 key players just in time to beat Lockport. They have the potential to give Frontier a real test. Also, the SH/WN game should be a tight affair.

There were more upsets, and near upsets in A1. Hutch-Tech beat Wil South for the 2nd time this year in a big upset according to the seeds. They travel to Lake Shore who was down at half to Bennett, but turned it around. Also, Wil East escaped in OT from a South Park upset. Starpoint upset Grand Island, and will face Ken East, while McKinley rolled. Amherst beat Iroquois and now meets Grover.

In A2, all of the seeds played out, in differing fashion. Lackawanna and East both broke 100, while Maryvale just got past Albion by a bucket and will face Depew. Pioneer scraped past Lew-Port and East Aurora won to set up another heated game versus Lackawanna.

[Blaise O'Connor]

So if this is right, should Olean & Fredonia win on Friday, #1 seed Olean would travel 75 miles to Fredonia State, while Fredonia would have to travel two miles! That seems really fair! I guess it would give Olean more incentive to put it to the Section 6 committee.

[cohsalumni32]

I read in the paper 64-54. I guess Joes played a majority of the game with only seniors, though, considering they were basically locked into the matchup with O'Hara for the playoffs.

I'm kind of irritated to hear that O'Hara's starters played the whole game, now they have less than a 48 hour turnaround to go back to Joes. I'm sure Ewing took a beating in the post last night...I'm not saying sit starters out competely, but just give them limited minutes.

Does anyone know the start time of the game?

[centercourt]

What was the score of the O'Hara / Joe's game last night?

The semifinal format at Buff St. and Fredonia St. on Monday Feb. 25 has changed to a B-1/B-2 split.
Buff St. will host B-1 winners of:
Newfane/Medina vs. Akron/Alden @ 6:00
and B-2 winners of:
Wilson/Roy-Hart vs. JFK/Gowanda @ 7:45

The others halves of the 2 brackets will follow the same format in Fredonia.

[danludwig]

Canisius lost by 12 (59-47) to Nichols, not 22. Get it right!

[Keith McShea]

Whoops. The Florida sun must have melted my brain some. Heh. Thanks. Should have been two close games between Joe's and Nichols.

[cohsalumni32]

So are the MMA matchups confirmed yet? This is what I'm guessing

Nichols vs. St Marys
Canisius vs. St Francis
St. Joes vs O'Hara
Timon vs Niagara Catholic

I believe those are all scheduled for Thursday...does anyone know the schedule after the opening round games?...thanks

[centercourt]

I thought the News might give Jamestown a vote at the #10 spot this week. Will North fans are not going to be happy, but I think the News got it right. If they are as good as good as their fans say, they'll reach the semi and hang around with the Falls. If they get past NW who they only beat by 7 earlier this year, I think Sweet Home ends their season.

[centercourt]

Keith -
St. Joe's only beat Nichols once. Nichols other loss was to Timon.