Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
This installment of The City Game, is about the St. Raymond Ravens squad, which is undergoing a thrilling season in which they have had some big wins and have been making plenty of noise in the CHSAA “AA” Archdiocesan division.
When one thinks of basketball in The Bronx, they first think of one school that stands out above many. The white, orange & blue uniforms always hit heavy and always resonate in the minds of many. St. Raymond High School is the one place that has produced plenty of talented players and continues to do so.
There’s many ways to get to 2151 St. Raymond Avenue. You can take the 6 train to the Castle Hill Avenue train station and walk a few blocks or take the BX 22, BX 40 and BX 42 MTA buses and the school will be within walking distance. Around the school is an area called Parkchester, known for its quiet community and beautiful condos.
When you get to St. Raymond’s, you see a building that resembles a castle with gates in front of the school and around the parking lot. You get the feeling that this school is completely different from many of the other schools in this borough.
The one thing that makes it interesting that many basketball fans, players and enthusiasts can attest to is their gymnasium, which is also more attractive than many others in The Bronx. Of course, the old gym was much smaller, but it was more intimate, and many people packed it out in the 1980’s and 1990’s. In 1997, that gym was renovated for $4 million and became one of the best venues in the city. The intoxicating aura of greatness that you can see at the Ravens’ Nest is comparable to no other.
In the gym, there is the skybox, where the alumni and administration sit to watch the games. And then there also the banners from past championship teams from different sports teams. On the walls of the gym are also the jerseys of a lot of the players that came out of St. Ray’s that went on to play Division I schools, including high-majors such as Texas, Minnesota, Arkansas, Seton Hall, North Carolina State, Villanova and Syracuse and Pittsburgh, to name a few. Also on the walls are the jerseys of three alums that played in the McDotnald’s All-American Game: Kareem Reid (Class of 1994), Majestic Mapp (Class of 1999) and Julius Hodge (Class of 2001).
When it comes to coaching, there are a few that have gone on to coach on the college basketball scene and on the high school scene. In fact, two of their very own in Orlando Antigua (Class of 1991) and Jose “Chuck” Martin (Class of 1988) are both on the staff at the University of Kentucky.
The man that put the program on the map nationally was Gary DeCesare, who coached the Ravens from 1985 through 2002. Also a graduate of St. Raymond (Class of 1981), he took pride in building a successful program at his alma mater, as he led the Ravens to four CHSAA championships (1991, 1993, 2000, 2001) and two New York State Federation championships (1993 & 2001).
Following DeCesare’s departure to the college ranks in 2002, another St. Raymond graduate took over in Oliver Antigua (Class of 1993). During his 10 seasons at the helm of the Ravens, Antigua won three CHSAA championships (2003, 2004 and 2012) and produced some big-time players that ended up playing collegiate basketball, such as Gavin Grant (North Carolina State), Brian Laing (Seton Hall), Ricky Torres (St. John’s), Frank Elegar (Drexel), Darryl “Truck” Bryant (West Virginia), Gerald Colds (Drexel), Daniel Dingle (Temple) and Kerwin Okoro (Norfolk State).
Just like his predecessor, Antigua also moved on to coach in the college ranks in the spring of 2012, giving way to the next act.
When Jorge Lopez is on the sidelines, you see a guy that’s passionate and driven. The passion stems from wanting to see perfection from his players and making sure that the game is played the right way. At times, he can be fiery, but he’s also someone that is willing to teach.
That’s because he’s come a long way, and also because he was once a hooper himself. A native of the Inwood section of Manhattan, which is most commonly referred to as Dyckman or part of Washington Heights, Lopez was a 1992 graduate of Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, where he played on the varsity basketball team. After graduating from the University of Albany in 1997, he began his journey at St. Raymond in 2000, as a teacher, and has been there ever since.
Aside from the court, he’s taught religion, Spanish and social studies. On the court, he’s also carried a good resume. As coach of the varsity B squad from 2001 through 2003, he led the squad to a championship. From 2003 up until his promotion to head coach of the main team, he was the head coach of the freshman team, whom he led to a 152-62 record.
Since his appointment as the varsity “A” head coach 12 years ago, he’s had plenty of talent play for the Ravens, such as the late Darius Lee (Houston Baptist), Omar Silverio (Manhattan College) and most-notably, Isaiah Washington, who was named New York Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2017 and carried a large visible presence on social media. Washington would play at the University of Minnesota, Iona College (now Iona University) and Long Beach State University.
Two notable alums that are currently playing college basketball out of St. Ray’s are both playing in the Atlantic 10 Conference. They are Luis Kortright (Rhode Island) and Malachi Smith (Dayton), both of whom are currently juniors.
With all of the gems that have come through St. Ray’s in Coach Lopez’s time, there is only one thing that eludes him, and that is winning a city championship. Although Lopez was an assistant coach on the 2011-12 Ravens team, the most recent team from the school to win a city championship, he has had some good teams, but none have gone further than the quarterfinals.
In the 2019-20 season, when Smith was a junior, the Ravens were amongst one of the most dominant teams in the CHSAA. It looked as if they would finally make an appearance in the city title game for the first time in eight seasons. However, as fate would have it, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, ending any hope of the Ravens getting a chance to compete for the title.
However with this year’s team, there is a good chance that they can make it very far, even further than the quarterfinals.
On this year’s team, there are plenty of young and talented players on the squad. But everything starts with the two players that have been the cornerstone of the team since they were freshmen.
The players in question are junior guard Tai Turnage and junior forward, Brandon Stores, Jr., both players that are All-CHSAA caliber players and are future Division I players in their own right. At the present time, Stores is currently down to his final three choices of schools in Xavier, Georgia Tech and Rutgers. Turnage currently has offers from NJIT, Northern Illinois, St. Peter’s, UAB and Robert Morris, to name a few.
Then there are is also senior guards Elijah Cherry and Amari Constantine, senior forward Shamoi Tonge, junior forward Colin Phang and a solid crew of sophomores in forward Luis Carillo-Moss, & guards Kamari Whyte, NaJay Bess and Hassan Cisse. And there’s another talented newcomer who is one of the best young talents that the city has in freshman guard Anderson Diaz, who has been making a name for himself from day one and learning from the upperclassmen.
With all of that, you have a mix of some good, promising players that make up the St. Raymond Ravens.
From the beginning of the season, it was apparent that the Ravens would look to avenge last year’s dismal 10-17 record, which could be attributed to youth and inexperience.
Around Thanksgiving weekend in November, the Ravens struck lightning at the Hoopfest, a national showcase in Duncanville, Texas, with wins against two of the Lone Star State’s best teams in Lancaster and Legacy School of Sports & Sciences.
Then on Dec. 5th, they would play against Cardinal Hayes, a rival that had the Ravens’ number throughout the last couple of seasons. Through most of the game, St. Ray’s remained close with the Cardinals, but then when the fourth quarter came, it was smooth sailing as they broke the game wide open and left the Grand Concourse with a 20-point win, 85-65.
So far this season, the Ravens are at 19-4 overall and 11-3 on the season after last night’s against East Flatbush, Brooklyn’s own Nazareth, who is in their first season in the “AA” division.
Throughout this season, aside from the aforementioned wins at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest, they have scored other wins, such as an overtime win against Jersey City’s own Hudson Catholic, on Dec. 27th at the Jordan Holiday Classic at Baruch College in Midtown Manhattan, a six-point win against Chicago’s own De La Salle Institute in their home gym, on Jan. 5th, in which ironically, they honored Coach DeCesare and the Ravens’ 1999-00 and 2000-01 championship teams.
Other wins included, a close, two-point win against Pennsylvania’s Archbishop Carroll on Dec. 29th at the Slam Dunk to the Beach Classic in Lewes, Delaware, and against Springfield Central High School at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts on Jan. 12th.
In the most recent rematch against Cardinal Hayes on Feb. 2nd, Whyte had a major performance in a rout over the Cardinals, as he scored 52 points, which is second all-time for scoring points in a game behind Washington, who scored 54 points, ironically, against Hayes during his senior season in 2016-17.
In the Catholic League, the Ravens have steamrolled through the comp, but only one team has been fortunate to knock them off, and that’s the first-place Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders, who have already played the Ravens twice this season. However, there is a chance that both teams could meet up again this season, possibly in the CHSAA “AA” Archdiocesan championship game at Mount St. Michael Academy in The Bronx on Feb. 24th.
But at the present time, the Ravens are taking step-by-step and game- by-game. When a team has been down for so long, you can’t help but want to root for the underdog. But as you can see, the underdogs always rise to the occasion in the biggest moments. Who knows where the Ravens could be in the playoffs this year. But one can bet, it won’t be another early playoff exit. But rather, with their poise, tenacity and grit, it will be a much further trip this time around.
All the Ravens have to do is grind, play hard for 32 minutes every game moving forward and continue to make their presence felt in every game. Who knows? If all goes well with them, maybe they can hoist another orange trophy at the Ravens’ Nest in the beautiful gym at 2151 St. Raymond Avenue. However, it’s not time for the complacent. The playoffs are coming. Now, it’s time for the blue and orange to show & prove.
Look out for the next installment of our series, “The City Game,” as we will be talking about the Eagle Academy I squad, which has been one of the best teams in not only the PSAL, but throughout the city, compiling a record of 23-1 this season and showing how tough they can be.
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