The Section 1 SuperBracketology Tournament, presented by KDJ Media and LocalLive Networks, is here. Our journey to decide the best boys basketball team in each class is since 2000 can begin.
We begin with Class AA. Yes, there’s a LOT of Mount Vernon. Before we reveal the brackets, a look at the rules, format, and how the field was determined for each class:
- Field is broken down into four: Class AA, A, B and a combined C/D
- 21 Section 1 champions from 2000 through 2020 in Classes AA, A, B and C received “Automatic Bids”
- 11 Section 1 teams from 2000 through 2020 in Classes AA, A, B, C and D were selected as “At-Large Bids”
- Four additional teams received At-Large Bids in Class A (because it was way too deep and competitive), which means there will be four Play-In games to determine the four No. 8 seeds in the bracket
- Each bracket is single elimination
- Before 2004, NYS only had four classifications, the largest being Class A. For the sake of balance and organization, the bids from 2000-2003 were all moved up a class (ex: Mount Vernon won Class A in 2000 but will be placed in the AA bracket for this project; Tuckahoe won Class C in 2003 but will be in the Class B bracket).
- Please print out the PDF version of brackets below and fill out. There will be polls for each game as well as my own simulation to determine the winners for each round. Those will begin on Thursday and Friday.
Now that the rules and format are all mapped out, here are the brackets for each class:
SuperBracketology: Class AA
Automatic Bids – Champions of Class AA
2020 – Horace Greeley (21-3)
2019 – Mt Vernon (19-5)
2018 – Mt Vernon (23-3)
2017 – Mt Vernon (23-5)
2016 – Fox Lane (22-4)
2015 – Mt Vernon (19-4)
2014 – Mt Vernon (21-2)
2013 – New Rochelle (16-10)
2012 – Mt Vernon (23-3)
2011 – Mt Vernon (25-2)
2010 – Mt Vernon (17-6)
2009 – Mt Vernon (20-4)
2008 – Mt Vernon (23-4)
2007 – Mt Vernon (24-5)
2006 – Mt Vernon (23-5)
2005 – New Rochelle (26-2)
2004 – Mt Vernon (27-3)
2003 – Mt Vernon (26-1)
2002 – Mt Vernon (25-2)
2001 – Mt Vernon (20-7)
2000 – Mt Vernon (28-0)
The No. 1 Seeds:
2000 Mount Vernon (28-0): Ben Gordon, NYS Federation champs, undefeated, nationally ranked. No need to say more.
2004 Mount Vernon (27-3): The Keith Benjamin and Dexter Gray version of the Knights featured the young talents of Chris Lowe, Jonathan Mitchell and Michael Coburn. The team that beat Sebastian Telfair in Glens Falls.
2006 Mount Vernon (23-5): After losing the Gold Ball the previous season, Mitchell and Coburn returned and brought along the phenoms of Kevin Jones and Sherrod Wright. This team beat Lance Stephenson in Glens Falls.
2011 Mount Vernon (25-2): Maybe the most unheralded of the great Mount Vernon teams. Jabarie Hinds lifted the Knights past Boys & Girls and Christ the King to capture the first of back to back Federation crowns.
At-Large Bids: Class AA
2000 Poughkeepsie (23-1): The best team of this era to not win a section championship. Undefeated and possibly favored going into the section final against a Mount Vernon team went on to win everything behind Ben Gordon.
2001 White Plains (21-2): Led by the late Markus Austin, the Tigers were the No. 1 seed in the postseason.
2003 White Plains (18-5): The Tigers had a young Devon Austin around a strong nucleus of stars in Quentin Martin, Mike deVere and Spencer Ridenhour
2004 White Plains (20-4): Basically the same squad as the 2003 team with another year of experience.
2005 Mount Vernon (20-4): Exceptionally talented Knights team that got beat by New Rochelle in the final and featured a underclassmen Jonathan Mitchell, Michael Coburn, Kevin Jones, Chris Lowe and Sherrod Wright.
2006 Suffern (21-3): One of the great Class AA teams from Rockland County of the 2000s. The Mounties knocked off Poughkeepsie in the semis and had a terrific senior quartet of Kevin Buono, Stanley Francios, Wes Poppe and John Oakes.
2007 White Plains (21-3): If 2000 Poughkeepsie was the best team since the turn of the century not to win, this White Plains squad was a close second. The rotation of Sean Kilpatrick, Rashad James, Jamell Cromartie, Jordan Griffith, Rishawn Johnson and Spencer Smith ranks with any non-Mount Vernon team of the era.
2008 Poughkeepsie (20-4): Duane Clark was a sophomore sensation who unfortunately never played for the Pioneers after this season. The roster was loaded with young starts in Dayvonne Whitaker, Elijah McLaurin, Moquan Dickens, Terrell Carr and others.
2010 New Rochelle (19-2): The dynamic tandem of Antoine Mason and P.J. Torres plus an array of talented guards allowed the Huguenots to defeat Mount Vernon twice in the regular season before falling to the Knights in the semis.
2013 Mahopac (17-4): The Indians had a terrific run of teams into the section final four. This group, led by Brendan Hynes and Matt and Ryan Simone, lost in the Section 1 semis to eventual champ New Rochelle.
2016 Saunders (16-7): Section 1 Mr. Basketball Derek Felder had a stellar group around him with Anthony Miller, Sean Bresnan and Nick Nolan. They lost to Mount Vernon in the semis but had a blowout victory over Fox Lane in the regular season.
Regions: Cimmino Region, Mayfield Region, Murphy Region, Roff Region
Categories: Uncategorized
Pretty good list. The only addition I’d make to the list is I’d argue to put 2005 New Rochelle in the top 4 or at least right behind 2000 Poughkeepsie at large bid. That was the Geoff McDermott, Terrance Parkes and Ray Rice squad. They ran into an abosolute buzz-saw in the state championship game against arguably the best non-nyc public school team in NY history (the 2005 Niagara Falls Wolverines with Paul Harris and Johnny Flynn.) Tbh I think 2000 & 2004 Mt. Vernon could’ve beat that Niagara Falls team but no one else could’ve. That New Ro team also beat one of the best Poughkeepsie(Doug Herring, Ty Stroman, Rasheed Harrell) teams and a solid Mt. Vernon(Coburn, Mitchell, Jones, Wright) and Brentwood teams on the way to get to Glens Falls. In fact I think the 2005 New Ro team beats the 2010 (PJ/Antoine) team 8/10 times easily. 2005 New Ro is easily the best New Ro team in history.