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Public vs. Catholic hoops is long overdue

Public vs. Catholic hoops is long overdue
Photo by William Thomas
By Joseph Staszewski

The newly formatted Mayor’s Cup basketball game has a chance to be something special.

For the first time in 50 years the best male and female seniors from the PSAL and the CHSAA squared off in a sanctioned game against each other. The first two years of the Mayor’s Cup events saw just public school players competing against each other, until the mayor’s office got both leagues on board.

It was something that was long overdue and will only get bigger.

“There’s always been that competition between the PSAL and the CHSAA,” said JoAnn Arbitello, the Mary Louis and CHSAA girls’ team coach.

The event got off to a good start Friday night at Baruch College with nearly all of the city’s top seniors suited up on both sides in front of a large crowd. The CHSAA girls’ team won 100-66 and the PSAL boys claimed a 148-136 overtime win.

“It was big for us to show who was the best in the city,” Bayside senior Austin Williams said.

That is what gave this game meaning and a credibility that only has a chance to grow. The players bought into its importance so everyone else involved should, too. It was for bragging rights on Facebook and Twitter and in the gyms with their counterparts and a chance to prove exactly who was best. The CHSAA girls’ teams considered the game a must-win.

“We established that in the locker room,” Archbishop Molloy guard Amani Tatum said. “We were not losing. We didn’t come here to lose. We came out and did what we had to do — spank them.”

There are plenty of offseason all-star games, including the upcoming Wheelchair Classic, which groups players by borough. The Metro Classic in the fall pits the city against its Long Island and upstate counterparts. The Mayor’s Cup may be unique as probably the only place the two leagues will square off.

“I was waiting for his game,” Christ the King guard Malik Harmon said. “It was fun.”

The format was attempted at last spring’s Battle 4 the City event, but the Catholic League discouraged its players from participating because neither league sanctioned the event.

Friday night was only a start, though. Playing the game consistently and continually will be the only way to make it a much-watch and must-attend event. It’s only then the kids will remember what happened the year before and either want to keep their league winning or get a victory can in their column.

For one night, at least, all involved were winners.