There was a flurry of coaching movement Wednesday in the New York area.
St. Peter’s assistant coach John Morton has been offered an assistant coaching position under Tom Pecora at Fordham and is expected to take it.
Morton, a Bronx, N.Y. native, played on the 1989 Seton Hall team that reached the NCAA championship game before losing to Michigan.
He replaces Van Macon, who left Fordham to join Mike Rice’s staff at Rutgers.
Meantime, Kimani Young, the athletic director of the New Heights AAU program, will join the Rice High School staff under new coach Dwayne Mitchell while retaining his position at New Heights.
Mitchell was a longtime assistant to Moe Hicks, who recently became the Director of Basketball Operations under STeve Lavin at St. John’s.
Young worked at Rice two years ago and also served on Norm Roberts’ staff at St. John’s.
“Rice is a great program to be a part of,” Young said. “I worked on the staff two years ago under Moe Hicks and Dwayne Mitchell. It was a great experience. Dwayne and I have great working relationship. I’m excited and honored to be a part of his staff and just build on the success that Rice has had over the last 15 years.”
GOLDEN HOOPS RETURNING TO NYC IN AUGUST
After fifteen years, NYC will once again experience its greatest grassroots basketball tournament with the resurrection of the legendary Golden Hoops on August 8, 2010 in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
The reinstated signature program marks a commitment to youth basketball and will bridge the gap between the legacy of NYC basketball past with the current youth basketball experience. A collective of the city’s prized youth basketball leaders and the New York Daily News will host the one-day tournament with the top high school boys and girls competing for NYC bragging rights.
Golden Hoops 2010 marks the revival of the signature tournament initially launched by the New York Daily News in 1985, modeled after the successful “Golden Gloves” amateur boxing property. Similar to the initial program, Golden Hoops will reclaim its position as the premiere tournament for NYC elite boys basketball. The top 40 NYC area prospects will be organized onto 4 teams, with players, coaches, current and former NYC-bred NBA players and Golden Hoops alumni competing for bragging rights and resolution on the ultimate question in town: “Which borough breeds the best ballplayers in NYC?”
Golden Hoops 2010 also marks the introduction of an All-Girls NYC tournament with the top 20 high school girls competing for the same hotly contested debate of borough greatness.
Under the new format, both boys and girls divisions will be led by notable coaches from the world of AAU youth basketball. NYC-bred NBA and WNBA players will act as honorary coaches including NBA legend and Queens native, Kenny Smith and the Chicago Bulls’ star center, Joakim Noah.
“New York players take pride in our city and within that, we take pride in our borough. I grew up in Queens in the Aim High program under my brother Vince. No question, Queens produces the best players in the city. Golden Hoops will prove this fact. I can’t wait to be involved, and I am excited Vince will be honored for his dedication to kids, to New York basketball and to the game,” says Smith, Archbishop Molloy alum.
With the renewed support of the New York Daily News, Golden Hoops 2010 will maintain its roots and focus on elevating the game of grassroots basketball. During its initial reign from 1985-1995, Golden Hoops attracted countless elite young basketball players, many of whom moved on to celebrated collegiate and NBA careers including Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury, Roderick Rhodes, Bobby Hurley, Lamar Odom, God Shammgod and Ron Artest.
Golden Hoops 2010 signifies NYC grassroots basketball’s continued commitment to the youth game. This mission has attracted the support of notable past participants, such as NYC basketball legend Kenny Anderson.
“Golden Hoops was a tournament I looked forward to playing in every summer,” says Anderson, who will participate this year as an Honorary Coach. “Every year, it brought together all the best players from the NYC metropolitan area. Great competition. Great atmosphere. I am excited Golden Hoops is coming back and I look forward to being a part of it this summer.”
(Photos courtesy St. Peter’s Athletics)
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
