By Rob Potter
MONTICELLO — March 28, 2006 – Dozens of members of the Monticello community came together Friday for an evening of hoops action at Monticello High School.
Students from Monticello’s Academy of Finance and Sports & Entertainment Marketing Class worked with the Village of Monticello Parks and Recreation Department and the Monticello Police Benevolent Association (PBA) to hold a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.
Several weeks ago, the 40 students from the Academy of Finance and the 19 students Sports & Entertainment Marketing Class and their teachers discussed holding the tournament. They then contacted the Monticello PBA and Betsy Conaty, who is the Director of the Monticello Parks and Recreation Department.
The students also worked with local businesses to sponsor a program for the event.
The Academy of Finance is a two- year program to help students learn more about banking and finance. In the first year, the students take classes in Accounting and Financial Services/Business Economics. After completing that first year, students have the opportunity for a paid summer internship. During the second year, classes in Entrepreneurship and Financial Decision Making, as well as college-level courses, are taught.
The Sports & Entertainment Marketing Class studies sports and entertainment from the perspective of management and marketing. The basic management functions of complementing, controlling, organizing and planning are covered as they relate to college, amateur and professional sports.
Wendy Levinson, who is the Director of the Academy of Finance, noted that the proceeds from the event will be used by the students for a beautification project at the high school in conjunction with Sullivan Renaissance’s “Spruce Up Your Schools” program.
She was pleased with how well the evening went.
“It’s a wonderful example of the students from the two programs working with the community to hold a successful event,” Levinson said.
In addition to the students who played in the tournament, several students from the Academy of Finance and Sports & Entertainment Marketing Class, assisted with everything from keeping score of the games to selling refreshments to charging admission and handing out programs at the door.
Those students included: Miles Berens, Jesse Campanaro, Robert Crawford, Billy DeCarlo, Albulena Djonbalic, Austin Gager, Matt Goldsmith, Johnny Goodin, Alex Levine, Lashawn Moorer, Missy Pinto, Pedro Rodriguez, Jillian Smith, Todd Sonnenschein, Anna Stein, Martha Retana and Loren Wohl.
Also helping to ensure the event was successful were Monticello High School Assistant Principal Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Carpinone (who teaches the Sports & Entertainment Marketing Class), Mrs. Nutters, Mr. O’Neill and Mrs. Swaine. In addition, high school basketball referees Jonathan Hyman, Edwin Perez and Ira Simon volunteered their time to officiate all of the evening’s games.
“We have a lot of kids here tonight,” said Alex Levine, a junior who is in the Sports & Entertainment Marketing Class. “It’s a successful event.”
While it was a 3-on-3 event, each team was allowed to have a maximum of five players on its roster. However, each squad was limited to one Monticello varsity boys’ basketball player.
After several qualifying games, the “final four” of Teams 1, 2, 5 and 9 squared off in the semifinals. Team 1, which was the top-seeded squad in the qualifying rounds, and Team 2 advanced to the final game.
While the opening contests were seven minutes long and played on one basket, the final was a 12-minute game at one basket. As in the earlier contests, whenever a team scored a basket, it kept possession of the basketball.
But in the last five minutes of the game, players who had been fouled stepped up to the free-throw line – which simulated the pressure of making foul shots in a real high school game.
Team 1 grabbed an early nine-point lead and recorded a 20-13 victory.
The members of Team 1 included Brad Cooper, Rafiq Johnson, Derick Miller, Ana Rivera and Ernie Rosado.
Members of Team 2 included: James Eason, Jonathan Hernandez, Dennis Stafford, Eric Walker and Tyrus Walker.
Team 3: Ryan Brown, Arton Gashi, Joseph Jones, Wess Olivo and Mike Panos.
Team 4: Sean Conaty, A.J. Jacobs, Alex Levine and Robert Venditti.
Team 5: Chris Anthony, Johnnie Davis, Wayne Fletcher, Quanne Mizelle and Kevin Watson.
Team 6: Dior Jackson, Tyler Hutchens, Devon Mathis, Angel Torres and Louis Torres.
Team 7: Mike Blount, Omar Diaz, A.J. Johanes, Brian Murray and Shane Vennee.
Team 8: Mike Hughes, Chris Ketcham, Dan Siegel, Zack Siegel and Logan White.
Team 9: Anthony Ng, Josh Roberts, Paul Sumner, Cameron Tompkins and Mike Washington.
Following the final game, special awards were presented to four players. Brad Cooper received the Most Outstanding Player Award, Quanne Mizelle received the Sportsmanship Award, Josh Roberts received the Defensive MVP Award and Eric Walker received the Offensive MVP Award.
Since Friday night’s event went so well, Conaty and Levinson have already discussed hosting a second annual 3-on-3 hoops tournament next spring.
Levinson also invites anyone in the Monticello community who would like to donate money or time to the school’s Sullivan Renaissance project to please call her at the high school at 794-8840, ext. 10848.