New York is an undisputed high school basketball hotbed, home to 33 players who took the court in NBA games during the 2021-22 season, including Carmelo Anthony, Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris, Donovan Mitchell and Kemba Walker among many others.
The Empire State produced the No. 7 high school basketball team in the MaxPreps Top 25 this year in
Cardinal Hayes (Bronx), which went 28-1 en route to the New York Federation state title.
This led us to question where the Cardinals stack up against the top teams in the state since the turn of the century. Evaluating resumes, national rankings and talent on the rosters, we put together a list of the top teams in New York since 2000. See the complete breakdown below.
Andre Curbelo playing for Long Island Lutheran during his senior year in 2020.
File photo by Catalina Fragoso
Top 10 teams in New York since 2000
Record: 28-1
National Ranking: No. 3
Notable Players: Johnny Flynn, Greg Gamble, Rob Garrison, Paul Harris, Tyrell Lynch
Rundown: The most talented team out of the Empire State in the 2000s was guided by first team All-State selection Harris, who averaged 19.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists while overcoming a broken thumb on his shooting hand. Alongside Harris, sophomore point guard Flynn led a strong supporting cast. The Wolverines captured the City of Palms Classic title before impressing all season.
Record: 27-1
National Ranking: No. 2
Notable Players: Jack Leasure, Marty O'Sullivan, Ryan Pettinella, Tyler Relph, Andrew Struble
Rundown: Given the moniker "Second Best to LeBron" after spending much of the year ranked second in the nation behind LeBron James led St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio). The Knights drew crowds of over 10,000 fans three straight days at the Blue Cross Arena for sections with lines forming down the streets. An experienced group was led by New York Mr. Basketball Relph.
3. Rice 2001-02
Record: 29-2
National Ranking: No. 6
Notable Players: Shagari Alleyne, Christian Brown, Keydren Clark, Russell Robinson, Jason Wingate
Rundown: Despite playing without 7-foot-2 center Alleyne and two key reserves due to academic or disciplinary reasons and starters Robinson and Brown fouling out with over two minutes to go, the Raiders defeated Henninger (Syracuse) 61-53 in the Class A title game. Rice was paced by 16 points, four assists and four steals from Clark, while Wingate scored six straight points down the stretch to secure the win.
Record: 29-4
National Ranking: No. 11
Notable Players: Darwin Ellis, Justin Greene, Khalif Staten, Lance Stephenson
Rundown: Captured the programs second consecutive Federation Class AA state title 86-67 over Holy Cross behind a balanced effort that saw a team-high 20 points from Ellis while Stephenson chipped in 16 points and 12 rebounds and Staten had 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Stephenson went on to be named New York Mr. Basketball as a senior and set a new state record for scoring with 2,946 career points. His record that was broken by Joe Girard III in 2018.
Record: 22-3
National Ranking: No. 10
Notable Players: Hugo Bergstrom, Andre Curbelo, Zed Key, Drisssa Traore, Kacper Klaczek
Rundown: An experienced group was led by an elite one-two punch as third team MaxPreps All-America selection Curbelo averaged 16.7 points, 8.1 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 steals, while fifth team MaxPreps All-America selection Key averaged 18.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. The Crusaders had a record of 95-10 during an impressive four-year run for their senior core.
6. Rice 2008-09
Record: 24-3
National Ranking: No. 7
Notable Players: Kadeem Jack, Jermaine Sanders, Durand Scott, James Stukes
Rundown: After dismantling Lincoln 77-50 in the semifinals, Rice was pushed to overtime in a 70-68 victory over Newburgh Free Academy in the Class AA title game. Senior guard Scott knocked down a clutch 3-pointer to tie things up with 15 seconds remaining in regulation, while Stukes had eight of his 18 points in the fourth quarter prior to Scott's heroics. Scott finished with a team-high 23 points.
Record: 26-3
National Ranking: No. 7
Notable Players: Tobe Awaka, Elijah Moore, D.J. Victory, Ian Jackson, Tarique Foster
Rundown: The Cardinals faced a rugged schedule that saw them split the season series with Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains) and St. Frances Prep (Fresh Meadows). Cardinal Hayes was led by senior forward Awaka who averaged 17.6 points and 14 rebounds to earn a MaxPreps All-America honorable mention nod and MaxPreps National Sophomore Player of the Year Jackson who averaged 19.8 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Record: 27-3
National Ranking: No. 7
Notable Players: Keith Benjamin, Dexter Gray, Shanty Robinson
Rundown: This group forced Sebastian Telfair's illustrious career to end in frustration as they forced the highly regarded point guard into 10 turnovers to defeat Lincoln 66-52 in the Class AA State Federation championship game. Mount Vernon was paced by Robinson (19) and Gray (16) in the title game triumph.
9. Lincoln 2002-03
Record: 31-4
National Ranking: No. 13
Notable Players: Jamal Dart, Tone Pena, Deshawn Summers, Sebastian Telfair
Rundown: Although star junior Telfair fouled out with 5:12 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Royals immediately took a 65-57 lead with 4:23 left in the contest, the Railsplitters showed resilience to push the contest into overtime and escape with a 75-73 victory over Christ the King (Middle Village) in the Class A Federation title game. Pena, a 6-7 sophomore, proved to be the hero, scoring eight of his team's 10 points in the overtime period.
10. Rice 2007-08
Record: 24-4
National Ranking: No. 17
Notable Players: Dorvell Carter, Chris Fouch, Jeff Harris, Durand Scott, Kemba Walker
Rundown: Although this group lost 64-62 to Holy Cross (Flushing) in the Class AA city championship game, the talent was undeniable led by future NBA all-star Walker and junior guard Scott. Walker was selected to the McDonald's All American game after averaging 18.2 points and 5.3 assists as a senior. Rice went 51-8 with a pair of national top 25 finishes during his junior and senior seasons.
