66 The QUEE NS Courier • december 12, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com sports HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ATTENTION EMTS FANS! CARDOZO CHOCK FULL OF TALENT BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier The Benjamin Cardozo boys’ basketball Die-hard Mets fan? First ever Queens Baseball Convention set for January BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com Baseball may be out of season, but Queens residents can still enjoy the game this winter, thanks to a trio of die-hard Mets fans. Shannon “Shark” Prior and Keith Blacknick, the pair behind blog site Metspolice.com, have teamed up with Darren Meenan of The 7 Line clothing brand to bring the first ever Queens Baseball Convention (QBC) to McFadden’s bar in Citi Field on January 18. The event is a fan fest for Mets fans of all ages to enjoy and meet team legends, including Ron Darling, who was on the 1986 World Series team, and Ed Kranepool, who was on 1969 Championship squad. “Even if I wasn’t involved it in I was going to be there,” Meenan said. “It’s something that will bring fans together, whether you’re a young kid or someone who just likes jerseys. There’s something for everybody.” The idea came together after Blacknick and Prior considered how fun it would be for the Mets to have a fan fest, much like numerous teams around the league. The pair contacted Meenan, who has a record of bringing Mets fans together, for designs and for the marketing aspect of the event. Then they started to create fun events for the QBC and advertising it. They expect to have many events there, including a baseball jersey parade, a children’s drawing contest, a panel discussion about the Mets, a banner parade, and an award ceremony for Mets players, among others. Kranepool and Darling will also hold autograph sessions, as well. The QBC trio is still adding more events and planning for more appearances, but aren’t saying what just yet. The Mets have not signed on to the event as of the writing of this article, but Prior said they are in discussions with the organization. “Right now I just want to do the first year,” Prior said. “I am hopeful that this becomes an annual event that everyone can enjoy.” Prices for the QBC are $35 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. It will run from about noon to 7 p.m. team has a bone to pick with those who doubted them. After top-notch transfer Jaquan McKennon left the team preseason, media outlets dropped the Judges in the PSAL rankings. But behind two key players and a solid roster they still believe they will be one of the city’s top teams. The Cardozo Judges (2-0) proved just that in their home opener against Martin Van Buren High School (2-1) on Monday, December 9, routing the Fighting Vee Bees, 76-40. Senior Francisco Williams scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the team, and sophomore guard Rashond Salnave had 20 points and six assists in the game. “They said we weren’t going to be that good, so every game we play we got to show out,” Williams said. “Without him (McKennon) we are still going to be a good team. We’re going to win with or without him.” Williams, who started his high school basketball career at Cardozo, transferred due to personal issues and a health problem with a family member. But following his hiatus he has returned for this final high school year and played his first-ever home game with the Judges against Van Buren. He wants to help the team go far this year. “I want to take it to the Madison Square Garden,” Williams said, referring to the location of the PSAL city championships. The Judges’ other breakout player is Salnave, who is becoming a top-notch guard in the league. In just his first two games on varsity, the 15-year old combo guard is averaging about 23 points and 5.5 assists. Besides these two players, the Judges are chock full of talent this year. Senior Carl Edoua Balthazar is a long, lanky forward and a defensive presence on the floor. In the match against Van Buren he finished with 12 rebounds, six blocks and six points. “Carl is a shot-blocker,” Salnave said. “If we get beat, although it’s not something good to brag about, we know Carl has our back.” Having coached basketball at Cardozo for more than 30 years, head coach Ron Naclerio knows that the competition will get stiffer as the season drags on. He believes in his team’s strength, but doesn’t want to be cocky. “I try to say be humble and be hungry,” Naclerio said. “Things could change. Today we were on the north side, but we had some scrimmages where we were on the south side.” THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Behind sophomore Rashond Salnave and senior Francisco Williams the Judges are looking to compete with top teams in the league.
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