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Awright… We’re off to a nice easy start to boys basketball season, just two days and there’s really been nothing too crazy out there, no upsets, and just few interesting events and numbers to chew on as we dig out of our second Nor’easter of the week.

Before I begin, here are the links to Connecticut Post’s first two days of call-ins.

Day 1: Wednesday, December 12
** Game story: Good debut for Desantis, ND

Day 2: Friday, December 14

Here’s what we know so far…

1. Steve Zazuri of Masuk is off to an incredible start, while doing his best Jovan Holden impression. Drive, make layups or make all of your foul shots. He’s scored over 40 in both games and has made almost every one of his three dozen foul shots.

2. Central may be young and small, but they dumped 90 on McMahon on opening night to offset a 27-point night from Shawn Simmons, who was plagued by early foul trouble (we hear he had four in the first quarter… if that’s possible).

3. Anyway, Simmons of McMahon turned right around and dropped 11 (ELEVEN) 3-pointers on St. Joseph and scored 41 points. But McMahon lost, 84-82, and St. Joseph–which had its four best players in double figures–is 2-0.

4. Greg DeSantis musta been eating his spinach in the offseason. Not only does he overshadow teammate Matt Maya’s hot-shooting night with a scorching 34 points, he leads ND past a Bunnell team many have pegged to contend for a league title. …

5. But Newtown must be pretty good itself, holding Notre Dame down and getting four players in double figures, led by Matt Maher’s 19 and P.J Cochrane’s 16 to win their tournament final.

6. Bunnell needs some serious help in the guard department. We all knew that was going to be the case when we learned that seniors Taylor Lasko and Dan Paolini weren’t going to play this season. But those were FAR too many turnovers in that Newtown Tipoff tournament loss to Notre Dame.

7. I got an email from somebody on the inside who told me “NOT” to sleep on Notre Dame-WH this year and that it could be a special season.

8. Jury’s still out on Kolbe Cathedral. They hung with NFA on the road, but they couldn’t stop R.J. Evans and lost by eight. Then they beat Berlin 64-48, also on the road.

9. The NVL is the toughest conference in the state, with Holy Cross, Torrington, Crosby, Sacred Heart and Wilby all hoping to contend. Makes you feel for Seymour and Ansonia who probably would have a shot at the state tournament every year in any other conference.

10. Everybody’s saying that New Canaan is legit this year. Judging by the sudden surge of New Canaan calls to report their scores (we don’t take NC boxes unless they’re playing a local team), I’d say that the NC coaching staff believes they’re legit, too. An 80-63 victory over Ludlowe certainly perked a few ears around here.

11. I’ll leave the rest of the observations to the new top Top 10 from Birdseye Sports’ Tommy Razor, who for some reason or another can’t get onto our blog site.

(I told him to dump iexplorer 1.0 circa 1996 from his IBM PC XT, but no word on if he’s done so.)

TOMMYRAZOR’S TOP 20 RANKINGS
Rank/School/Last Week’s Rank/Record
1. Hillhouse-New Haven: (2) (0-0) IDLE This Week: (12/18 @ Hamden, 12/21 vs. Guilford)

2. Crosby-Waterbury: (3) (2-0) Bulldogged their way over Woodland-Beacon Falls 87-36 and Kennedy-Waterbury 95-53 This Week: (12/18) @ Wolcott, 12/21 vs. #13 Sacred Heart-Waterbury)

3. Weaver-Hartford: (1) (0-1) Lost to Hartford Public-Hartford 77-67…Down 2 starters to begin the game (SG Moreland: DNP-CD for first half, PF Talbert: DNP-Illness) the Beavers struggled against the ‘Pub, a late comeback kept them close. This Week: (12/18 vs. Bloomfield, 12/21 @ Hall-West Hartford)

4. Windsor: (3) (0-0) Hall-West Hartford (No Score Reported) This Week: (12/18 @ Conard-West Hartford, 12/21 vs. Wethersfield

5. Hartford Public-Hartford: (7) (1-0) Put one on Weaver-Hartford 77-67…Hartford High looking for some respect after this game…PG Lawhorn (Sophmore) looked outstanding and the Owls frontline was devastating. This Week: (12/17 vs. Enfield, 12/18 vs. Rockville, 12/21 vs. South Windsor)

6. Trinity Catholic-Stamford: (5) (2-0) Cruised to easy victories over Trumbull 75-42 and Westhill-Stamford 88-59…Crusaders proving they still are the class of the FCIAC. This Week: (12/18 vs. Bassick-Bridgeport, 12/20 @ Danbury)

7. St. Joseph’s-Trumbull: (6) (2-0) Crushed Warde-Fairfield 79-37 and escaped the hot shooting Senators hot shooting SG Simmons by beating McMahon-Norwalk 87-85. This Week: (12/18 vs. Westhill-Stamford, 12/20 @ Trumbull)

8. Wilbur Cross-New Haven: (9) (1-0) West Haven 75-60…Markus Wright was a beast but had help in PG Pittman. This Week: (12/18 @ Shelton, 12/20 vs. East Haven)

9. New London: (8) (1-0) Dominated Wheeler-North Stonington 81-36…The Whalers toughest games might be played out of conference. This Week: (12/21 vs. St. Bernard’s-Uncasville)

10. Holy Cross-Waterbury: (10) (2-0) Pasted Wolcott 67-40 and Ansonia 81-44…Coach Generali has the Crusaders ready for another title run. This Week: (12/18 @ Woodland-Beacon Falls, 12/21 @ Seymour

11. Maloney-Meriden: (11) (1-0) Survived at #19 East Hartford 72-70…Spartans looking to get healthy after losing PG Vereen (Head injury-will return)…SG/SF Bunch is a sick athlete who holds them together. This Week: (12/18 vs. Newington, 12/21 @ Bristol Eastern-Bristol)

12. Torrington: (12) (2-0) Bombed on Watertown 86-44 and Seymour 85-55…Red Raiders face an early test when they travel down route 8 Tuesday. This Week: (12/18 @ #13 Sacred Heart-Waterbury, 12/21 @ Ansonia)

13. Sacred Heart-Waterbury: (16) (2-0) Overpowered Ansonia 79-62 and finished off Wilby-Waterbury 69-66…Super sophomore SF Turner and the Hearts have a very tough week ahead-NVL title like conditions. This Week: (12/18 vs. #12 Torrington, 12/21 @ #2 Crosby-Waterbury)

14. East Catholic-Manchester: (13) (1-0) Humbled Cheney Tech-Manchester 58-22…Eagles look to be on cruise control until after Christmas. This Week: (12/17 @ Plainville, 12/20 vs. Rocky Hill)

15. Norwich Free Academy-Norwich: (18) (2-0) Subdued then #20 Kolbe Cathedral-Bridgeport 62-50 and destroyed St. Bernard’s-Uncasville 65-21…SG Evans putting up big time numbers. This Week: (12/18 vs. Windham, 12/21 @ East Lyme)

16. E.O. Smith-Storrs: (15) (0-0) IDLE This Week: (12/18 vs. RHAM-Hebron, 12/21 @ Rockville)

17. Northwest Catholic-West Hartford: (14) (1-0) Gutted out a tough win against Bristol Central-Bristol 72-69…PG Prescott (32 points) may have lost the duel with PG Brooks (33 points) but his Indians won the war. This Week: (12/18 vs. Middletown, 12/20 @ RHAM-Hebron)

18. Glastonbury: (17) (1-0) Smashed Newington 69-48…PF Pinone Jr. and friends can legitimize their ranking later this week. This Week: (12/18 @ Manchester, 12/21 vs. New Britain)

19. East Hartford: (19) (1-1) Lost to #11 Maloney-Meriden 72-70 and stung Bloomfield 75-49…Fabulous freshman PG Jernigan and sensational sophomore C McCallop are looking to be CCC title contenders. This Week: (12/18 @ New Britain, 12/21 vs. Southington)

20. Notre Dame-West Haven: (NR) (2-0) Annihilated Derby 87-40 and routed East Haven 76-54…C Mangano can do just about everything. This Week: (12/18 vs. Cheshire, 12/20 @ Fairfield Prep-Fairfield)

Dropped out: Kolbe Cathedral-Bridgeport (20) (1-1) Lost to #15 Norwich Free Academy-Norwich 62-50 and tamed Berlin 64-48. This Week: (12/21 @ Weston)

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Just an FYI as we’re bombarded with snow on this Thursday morning.
Naples (14-0) is in the Class 3A Final vs. St. Augustine (you know, of Ponce De Leon and Fountain of Youth Fame).

It will be shown on Fox Sports Atlantic at 1 p.m. on Friday. So, if you’re not doing anything…

3-A Update: Naples was ahead 7-0 on a short touchdown by Carlos Hyde, which was set up by a long interception return.

But St. Augustine came right back with a 51-yard field goal by Caleb Sturges and a 30-something-yard touchdown pass to Rashard Hall toward the end of the second quarter. Naples was on the St. Augustine 30 with 10 seconds left but couldn’t score.

St. Augustine was ahead 10-7 at halftime.

QB Craig Wingate, who has been hobbled a bit since injuring his leg in the Sectional Finals, has tried to go but has only had 17-yards of passing to go with Naples 96 rushing yards. St. Augustine, led by QB Kawaun Jakes, outgained Naples 160-103 in what has become a defensive battle here in the third.

Wingate got picked off early in the third quarter, but St. Augustine gave it right back when Antwan Harvey picked off a pass by senior QB Kawaun Jakes at the goal line. But Naples fumbled it right back with just under 5 minutes left in the third.

It’s still 10-7 as we head to the fourth quarter. Naples still hasn’t been able to do much with the pass game, which hurts since Greg Pratt, the killer of the Greenwich game, has only been able to do so much.

On the second play of the fourth quarter, Wingate is chased and goes down hard just as he releases the ball and injures his right leg again. That looks as if it will bring in junior Juno Brudhomm, the fourth-quarter hero of a 27-24 win over Glades Central in the regional finals and then a 28-21 victory over Cocoa.

10:00–But only if Naples can get the ball back. Jakes hits Hall (who now has six catches for 130 yards) on a key third-and-long situation to their own 40 with 10 minutes left and St. Augustine is driving.

8:57–Naples forces a fourth-and-20 and disaster strikes St. Augustine as a high snap flies over the head of their punter and lands inside the 10, where the punter kicks the ball out of the end zone for a safety that cuts the lead to 10-9 with 8:57 left.

7:58–Harvey, who’s going to South Florida, returns the ensuing free kick 52 yards into St. Augustine territory. One play layer, Pratt races 34 yards for the go-ahead touchdown on a sweep. Pratt races in for 2 and a Naples 17, St. Augustine 10 score.

Just before that score, the FSA announcers said Wingate had refused treatment and was going to tough it out.

6:43–Naples stops St. Augustine with time winding down. A punt, puts the ball at the Naples 21 and a chance to ice the game.

4:03–Faced with a fourth and 2 on the St. Augustine 42, Naples tries to draw them offsides but takes a penalty instead and punts. With 3:58 remaining, St. Augustine, which beat its last eight opponents by an average margin of 34 points, must now go 80 yards to tie the game.

1st-10, SA 20: 3:41Fumble by Jakes and, a loss of 14.
2nd-24, SA 6: Screen pass to Brown for a pick up of 14.
3rd-9, SA 21: Jakes throws to Devin Martin on a crossing route for a 19-yard gain and a first down
1st-10 SA 40: Jakes hits hall for a 20-yard gain to the Naples 40 with 2:02 left.
1st-10 N40: Jakes remains perfect, lofting a 21-yard pass to Lewis at the Naples 19.
1st-10 N19: Jakes lofts a pass to Hall at the 1, but Harvey helps break it up.
2nd-10 N19: Naples Chris Zahn slips through the line and sacks Jakes for a huge loss of 11 and St. Augustine is forced to take its last time out with 1:23 left.
3rd-20 N30: Jakes rolls right, runs out of a blitzing tackler to the left and throws into double coverage. Incomplete.
4th-20 N30: Jakes fakes a hand off, and then tries to throw to the back out of the backfield.

It’s picked off by Naples’ Kyle Lundquist with 1:04 left.

Final: Naples 17, St. Augustine 10
Naples is your Class 3-A champion, for the first time since 2001.

spb

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I’ll admit I’m still a little hungover from football season and, with an all-star team to put out, we’re still not finished with football.

Ready or not, basketball season tips off tonight.

So here’s what we managed to scrape together for a preview of our regional teams (remember, we shrink back the boarders after football season, leaving coverage of teams beyond greater Bridgeport to the Advocate of Stamford and the NewsTimes of Danbury

Anyway, here’s everything you need to know about our regional teams, the preseason poll and (NEW!) my run down of tonight’s schedule.

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You know what they say about opinions, comparing their prevalence to a certain abundant body part. Well that sentiment goes double on the internet where you’re inevitably barraged with more opinions than a weeks worth of op-ed pages.

So when Joe fan gets involved on blogs and chatboard such as these, banding about his opinion behind the comfort of typographic anonymity, you always have to consider the source and calculate the bias.

Some kooks are dismissed easier than others. Others not so much.

After a while if it seems like some of the louder voices behind the letters knows what they’re talking about, people start listening and the online experience turns from a virtual soapbox to balcony overlooking a square.

Hence the case of a Mr. Thomas Razor, a.k.a. TommyRazor (you can just call him Tommy) a longtime poster and basketball nut on BirdseyeSports.com. Yes, fan board posters are a dime a dozen. But over the last year or so Tommy’s proven that his thoughts are worth more than two cents.

I got to meet him last year during my one and only state championship appearance (Class M, Weston vs. Waterford, so yeah I had plenty of time to chit chat) and just by the way he answered questions (with the right answers, btw), you knew he knew what was what.

Anyway, LONG story short, knowing he knows far more than most sportswriters in the state (especially since most of us were preoccupied with football) I solicited Tommy’s opinion on who was what in the state so I could vote semi-intelligently in “Hoops” Morelli’s Top 10 poll without feeling like I sold somebody short.

With much fanfare for the Bird’s Nest community, Tommy released his TommyRazor’s Top 20 today. He shares it with me and Connecticut Post readers as well:

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I know everybody’s got their favorites, and there’s bound to be plenty of subregional and conference bias, but here’s your chance to give me what you think are the best players in the Greater Fairfield County region covered by the Connecticut Post.

I’ll be working with coaches over the next few weeks to come up with our extremely tough postseason awards. To give you an idea of how tough, this is who qualifies:

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As we dive quickly into basketball season, here’s where you can keep up to date on all regional hoops alumni in college.

I’ll be adding more players over the next few weeks as I get the chance. Feel free to send me links to your favorite player.

Here’s a taste of the few for now. The players’ name followed by their graduation year:

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Here’s the final Media Poll from my spies in New Haven and and The Day of New London’s Coaches Poll, studiously and unselfishly released by Ned Griffen.

Nothing shocking. Ansonia is No. 1 in both polls. As the media’s champion, Ansonia becomes the first school in history to earn four No. 1 rankings.

Both polls are also exactly the way I voted 1 through 7.

Here’s the NHR final poll (added Tuesday: points/1st votes/last/others)
FINAL MEDIA POLL 2007
Team-rec-1st place……………………pts……last
1. Ansonia 13-0 (18)…………………..596…….1
2. Greenwich 11-1 (2)…………………560…….2
3. Bunnell 13-0………………………….520……5
4. Seymour 11-1……………………….442…….9
5. New Canaan 10-2…………………..419…..NR
6. Hand 11-1……………………………359……..3
7. Shelton 10-2…………………………349…….7
8. Ledyard 11-1………………………..287……NR
9. New London 11-1…………………..272…….4
10. Staples 8-2…………………………232…….8
Dropped out: Bristol Eastern (6), Southington (10).
Others receiving votes: Masuk (10-3), 222; Southington (9-2), 207; Central (8-2), 132; Berlin (10-2), 131; Bristol Eastern (10-1), 112; Tolland (9-3), 68; Woodland (8-4), 34; Conard (9-2), 32; Newington (9-1), 25; Cromwell (10-1) and Law (9-1), 22; Cheshire (6-4), 19; Pomperaug (8-2), St. Joseph (7-3) and Weaver (9-2), 8; Northwest Catholic (8-3) and Stratford (8-2), 7.
The following voted: Bob Barton, New Haven Register; Bill Bloxsom, Hersam-Acorn; Sean Patrick Bowley, Connecticut Post; Bryant Carpenter, Meriden-Record Journal; George DeMaio, WELI; Mike DiMauro, The Day of New London; Matt Doran, Norwalk Hour; Noah Finz, WTNH-8; Jim Fuller, New Haven Register; Brian Girasoli, Norwich Bulletin; Ned Griffen, The Day of New London; Mark Jaffee, Waterbury Republican-American; Hal Levy, Shore Line Newspapers; Ken Lipshez, The Herald of New Britain; Joe Morelli, New Haven Register; Paul Nichols, Middletown Press; Mike Pucci, New Haven Register; Erin Quinlan, Manchester Journal-Inquirer; Paul Rosano, Hartford Courant; Dave Ruden, Stamford Advocate.

A few things on this one: I knew Ansonia was gaining two first-place votes, but the question was it going to lose any? The answer was no as the Chargers finished with 18 of the possible 20 from the voters.

I’m also curious what led some voters to rate New London, which beat Ledyard 41-8, behind the Colonels.

Good for Staples sneaking in there. They did, after all, go 1-2 against state championship teams.

And here’s the full Day poll.

The Day of New London Top 10 state coaches football poll

Team-rec-1st place……………………pts……last
1. Ansonia 13-0 (9) ……………………….380…….1
2. Greenwich 11-1 (2)…………………….364…….2
3. Bunnell 13-0 (2) ………………………..346…….4
4. Seymour 11-1…………………………..276…..10
5. New Canaan 10-2………………………272…..NR
6. Hand 11-1………………………………..236…….3
7. Shelton 10-2…………………………….224…….7
8. Ledyard 10-1…………………………….213…..NR
9. Masuk 10-3………………………………170…..NR
10. New London 11-1…………………….140…….5
Dropped out: Bristol Eastern (6), Staples (8) and Southington (9).
Also receiving votes: Central (8-2), 138; Southington (9-2), 125; Bristol Eastern (10-1), 106; Staples (8-2), 96; Berlin (10-2), 68; Conard (9-2), 45; Cromwell (10-1), 42; Tolland (9-3), 28; Woodland (8-4), 24; Weaver (9-2), 14; Northwest Catholic (8-3), 8.
The following coaches voted: Chris Anderson, Woodland; Jim Buonocore, Fitch; Dave Cadelina, Central; John DeCaprio, Notre Dame-West Haven; Chuck Drury, Pomperaug; Steve Filippone, Hand; Tanner Grove, Montville; Jude Kelly, St. Paul-Bristol; Tim King, Valley Regional-Deep River; Bill Mella, Southington; John Murphy, Masuk; Marce Petroccio, Staples; Bob Zito, Maloney.

Only thing mildly surprising is Bunnell’s two first-place votes and Masuk eking its way into the proceedings. Ledyard still over New London. Staples gets bumped.

And the crowd goes wild.

Who’s No. 1 in hoops? anyone?

SPB

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Today’s when the state voters vote for their top 10. I’ve watched every game except the Greenwich-Shelton and Ledyard-Berlin (unfortunate, but no choice)

But having made up my mind about who was No. 1 before that game I was able to send out my votes.

Now it’s your turn.

I tried this at the beginning of the year and got very few responses. I’m going to try it again:

What is your Top 10?
Please feel free to add SHORT comments on why you ranked the teams the way you did. And PLEASE, keep it short and sweet and, most of all civil. People are becoming way too testy and angry on this site, lots of name calling and such, which is unnecessary.

Add: Just so everyone knows, my elite eight isn’t the top 8 teams in the state. It’s the top teams in our area.

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Still kinda getting my head together after last night’s proceedings. I have a wrap-up column to write for Monday and such. So here’s a quick look at the carnage.

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