Jamboree Selection Show

What's the noise you hear? It's the buzz surrounding SportsTime's latest and greatest production: The 2008 Bergen Jamboree Selection Show!

We reveal and breakdown the Bergen County boys tournament brackets, interview coaches and players, and even tell you who will win! You can view it here: NJSportstime.com

Let us know what you think! Drop me a comment here or email us at twsportstime@gmail.com

My prediction this year is Don Bosco Prep. Who's your pick?

Boy, is she good!

Last Thursday, Julia Schneider made history at Dwight-Englewood, pouring in her 1,383rd point to set a new all-time school scoring record. The old record was held by Josh Williams who played on the great 2000 and 2001 Bulldogs teams. Yup, Julia Schneider took away the school scoring record from a boys team member. Anyone know how many schools' scoring records are held by a female baller?




Congratulations to Julia, who truly deserves the honor.

Athlete of the Week

Congratulations to Lawrence Jackson Junior, our latest local athlete to garner Athlete of the Week honors from The Record.

Junior bowled his first career perfect game last week against St Mary (sorry Junior, we got the school wrong on the show). He followed that performance by leading Leonia to a win against Weehawken. Thanks to Junior, Leonia has picked up right where it left off last year, and looks like a favorite to repeat as BCSL Olympic champions.

Here's a refresher on what Lawrence can do:

Who's in Your 5?

First off, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you're enjoying the holiday season.

Secondly, with Isiah Thomas's recent announcement that he will be shaking up the Knicks' starting lineup, I wanted to take a look at who should be in Isiah's top 5.



Center: David Lee

Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry have proven that they are incapable of playing together on the court. When those two black holes get too close, they combine into one enormous basketball-sucking celestial being. David Lee is the opposite of a black hole (a white dwarf? red star? maybe this metaphor has gone a bit far...) Lee plays defense--the Knicks are last in the NBA in blocked shots--doesn't need a lot of touches, and brings energy to the lineup. It's time Isiah gave Lee his shot at starting.

Power Forward: Zach Randolph

Randolph is a proven scorer. Randolph is a proven rebounder. Unfortunately, he's also a proven shot-taker and poor defender. No one's perfect, and NY needs the scoring.


Strong Forward: Renaldo Balkman

The Knicks are a bit weak here. Q-Rich has been starting but can't hit the 3 (which was supposed to be his strength), is not a lock-down defender, and seems to have lost a step. Jared Jeffries doesn't bring much to the floor. Wilson Chandler? Randolph Morris? Malik Rose? No. Renaldo Balkman is not a starter for most NBA teams, but he fits in here because of his hustle, defense, and energy.


Shooting Guard: Jamal Crawford

At this juncture a year ago, Crawford was seen as the cancer of this team, but now he is the Knicks' most indispensable player. Crawford is the go-to-guy now. He takes the big shots, creates in the lane, and seems to be the leader on and off the court. At least someone has improved since last year.

Point Guard: Not Applicable/Nate Robinson

Let's face it, Nate is not a point guard. I'm not saying he'll never be, but right now, he does not have that pass-first mentality. But besides him, the Knicks don't really have a point guard. Stephon Marbury has never been the kind of guy that makes the players around him better. And besides, who knows when he'll be back on the floor and in a condition to focus entirely on basketball. Fred Jones is more of a 2-guard. Crawford takes too many shots. So Nate gets the call. Just like David Lee, Nate has paid his dues and deserves a long look at a starting role. Although, undersized, Nate doesn't hate playing a little D, and is a capable scorer.

So there's my proposed starting lineup. Hopefully Isiah is reading this. What do you think? Who's in your top 5? Drop me a comment.

Welcome to the "Locker Room"

Jack and I are broadcasting a weekly podcast for Northjerseysports.com. We'll chat about North Jersey high school sports, talk with local players and coaches and take your phone messages and emails!

Check it out: Northjerseysports.com

Send us an email at: lockerroom@northjerseysports.com

Lee Clark Court

What a great opening night at Leonia! Before they faced off with New Milford, Leonia dedicated their court to former coach Lee Clark. Clark coached the Lions boys basketball team for 30 years, averaging 13 wins per season and winning the 1976 Group 1 state title. Now in his 70’s, Clark is the 6th-winningest coach in Bergen County history.
Dozens of former players, friends, and colleagues showed up at the game, mingled at the pre-game reception, and swapped stories about the golden years at Leonia. Bergen Catholic is the only other Bergen County School to name their court after a former coach and you could tell Coach Clark was truly touched.
The game vs. New Milford marked the first time in four years that the Lions would not have the services of Ahmad Hassan. The big question coming in was how would the Lions transition from a one-player dominated offense to a team game? Answer: by splitting scoring duties between Chaz Portera, Chris Carillo, and Austin Levy. Portera scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, Carillo recovered from an awful first half to chip in 13 points including 9-9 from the line, and Levy looked like a stud at point guard. Leonia won 58-49 and should be a serious threat to Park Ridge in the BCSL Olympic.
Leonia is now 1-0 on Lee Clark Court.

Some Bball Predictions

Local Area teams with the best shot at the county tournament:

-Wood-Ridge boys
-Fort Lee boys
-Englewood boys
-Leonia boys
-Dwight-Englewood girls
-Fort Lee Girls
-Leonia Girls


Local Area players to watch:

-Chaz Portera, Leonia
-Chris Carillo, Leonia
-Josh Morales, Ridgefield
-Warren Murphy, Ridgefield Park
-Amadou Bah, Fort Lee
-Sandy Burgos, Fort Lee
-Julia Roldan, Ridgefield
-David Mofunanya, Dwight Morrow
-Julia Schneider, Dwight-Englewood
-Kenny Andrade, Wood-Ridge
-Mary Haines, Ridgefield Park

BSCL League Winners:

-BCSL National Boys: Wood-Ridge
-BCSL National Girls: Becton
-BCSL Olympic Boys: Park Ridge (with Leonia close behind)
-BCSL Olympic Girls: Cresskill
-BCSL American Boys: Queen of Peace & Dwight Morrow (tie)
-BSCL American Girls: Rutherford (also Bergen County champs)

Disagree? Drop me a comment.