Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
When people think of high school athletics in the city, especially basketball, their thoughts immediately go to leagues like the CHSAA (Catholic High Schools Athletic Association) and the PSAL (Public Schools Athletic League), which are the two leagues where many of the city’s best players duel it out.
Out of the 30 schools in the Catholic League, 25 reside in the boroughs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. IN the public school scene, there are 200+ with four divisions.
However, there is another type of school system that is alternative to both that is on the rise and there are kids making noise from those institutions.
These schools are charter schools, which are schools that receive government funding, but operate independently. Throughout the five boroughs, there are many of these schools from various networks, many of whom have multiple campuses citywide and some of whom have various schools around the country.
One of the newest charter schools on the block is the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, which is based out of the Pelham Bay section of The Bronx and has just had their first graduating class this year.
Named after Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and New York Knicks legend Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, the school has an enrollment of around 440 students and has an academic curriculum designed around the game of basketball and has courses and experiences that expose them avenues within the sport that don’t involve competition, but involve areas like coaching and sports management. It is also in this school that these students learn about the NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) movement that is prevalent in today’s society.
Off the court, the students are involved in a variety of activities. Just recently, they were in the New York Times, as several of them created a streetwear brand called, EVNTLLY, which was also displayed in the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
As far as on the court, the school has been a force in the CSAA (Charter School Athletic Association), as they have won multiple CSAA state titles in the past couple of years under head coach Kenneth Miller, who’s been known for player development, as he has trained San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper and more high-level athletes and has been a coach for the New York Rens AAU program.
This season, Earl Monroe made their presence felt by going 37-8 overall and played a large number of games against a bunch of schools such as Sankofa Freedom Academy out of Philadelphia, national powerhouse The Patrick School from New Jersey, Nazareth from East Flatbush, Brooklyn and Cardinal Hayes of The Bronx.
A top-tier player out of Earl Monroe that has prospered has been Raymond Kinnard, who recently graduated this past June, as he was one of New York City’s most under-the-radar players. Because he played in the charter school scene, many didn’t get to see him in action.
But held his own in summer leagues throughout the city and also played for Dyckman in the regular season of the NY vs. NY tournament. His presence was felt whenever he was on the playgrounds, as it showed many in the city why he was the best kept secret. This coming season, he will be showcasing his skills on the Division II level, as he will be playing for Molloy University out in Rockville Centre, Long Island.
Another standout that graduated, Damair Burton, will be playing Division III basketball at Elmira College, a private college in upstate New York that also plays in the Empire 8 Conference.
Devin James, another recent graduate, chose to go the prep school route and will be playing for Springfield Commonwealth Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball and the home of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
As for Earl Monroe, there is definitely going to be some more gems coming out of there. Just recently, the program received a talented transfer in junior guard Chase Henry, who helped lead Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers to the CHSAA “B” city and Catholic state championships. Another junior, Ibrahim Kamara, just transferred in from Bronx Prep.
Also, in Fall 2026, the school will be transitioning from their current location in the Pelham Bay section of The Bronx to a new location on Third Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the borough.
It’s only the start of something special.
Then in the PSAL, there is one school that showcased itself and finished on top when all was said and done and is now on the come-up.
For those that may not know about Achievement First, it is another charter school network that has schools based in not only New York City, but also schools in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
At this particular one at 1485 Pacific Street in Crown Heights, there’s plenty of greatness going on in and out of the classroom. As one of two schools in the building along with Uncommon Charter High School, which is a part of the Uncommon Schools network, it is one of the nicest school buildings in not only the borough, but in the city.
Once you reach the third or fourth floor, you know you’re in basketball heaven, as they have a nice gym that can seat around 1,000 spectators. When the gym is filled up, it gets to rocking. Throughout the last few years, the gym has been a site to a host of events, such as the PSAL Borough Championships and also the rain site for the NY vs. NY tournament, put together by Nike. Also, MADE Hoops, a company that specializes in putting together camps and high-level grassroots basketball tournaments, has had their events in here. It’s safe to say, that this is a haven for good hoops when in Brooklyn.
However, the host school ain’t bad either, as they have been successful the last couple of seasons. But this past season, they put themselves on the map. This season, they went 21-10 overall and ended up winning the PSAL AAA championship.
In league play, they went 13-1 and in their non-league schedule, they played tough against teams such as Xaverian, a CHSAA AA powerhouse from Bay Ridge, The Bronx’s own James Monroe Campus, which plays in the PSAL AAAA division and also New Rochelle High School, a school located in Westchester County that plays in Section 1 of the NYSPHSAA. They were also one of the first teams from the city invited to the inaugural Hoophall Invitational in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The story on the program starts with head coach, Trevon Hamlet, a Brooklyn native and a 2009 graduate of Bishop Loughlin High School in the Fort Greene section of the borough that went on to play Division II basketball at both Southern Connecticut State University and Post University, respectively. As one of the younger coaches in the PSAL, he is able to connect with the players and get them to buy in to his tutelage.
And speaking of his players, the Panthers have a great crew of returning players coming back that plan on shaking the city up in junior Jayveon Jones, an athletic player known for his ferocious dunks and also seniors Mario Romain and Jahlil Murray, both of whom were key catalysts for last year’s title team. But if there is one player coming back that had plenty impact is junior Tyler Romeo, who has been holding his own against some of the city’s best competition in various summer leagues.
And then there is another newcomer in senior Taiveon Anderson, a transfer guard from Grady, a vocational high school out of the Coney Island section of the borough. With Romain, Romeo and Anderson, the trio has a chance to be one of the city’s best backcourts.
On August 19th, during the Smartball Classic, they were matched up with CHSAA AA finalist, St. Raymond, a national powerhouse which hails from the Parkchester section of The Bronx, in the second round.
For a large portion of the game, the Panthers gave the Ravens everything they could handle, as they kept scoring and finishing in transition. Although the Ravens took back control of the game late in the second half and won off of two missed free throws, the Panthers showed that they were not to be taken lightly.
As many know, nothing is sweet in Brooklyn. Achievement First is ready to battle whoever whenever. If they can continue on their road to excellence, they will make plenty of noise and hopefully move up to the AAAA division, which is the highest classification in the PSAL and where they will take on the likes of the aforementioned Canarsie, and other foes like Eagle Academy II, Brooklyn Collegiate, Boys & Girls and last, but not least, the defending city champions, Thomas Jefferson Campus.
But everything will happen in due time.
Another charter school program that has been making noise has been is north of New York City. The Charter School for Educational Excellence, or CSEE as it is commonly referred to, is based out in Yonkers, in Westchester County. Yonkers, which is also the third-largest city in the state of New York, borders the Riverdale section of The Bronx.
The Owls, which is the school’s nickname, play in the City Schools Sports Association (CSSA) and the Hudson Valley Schools Sports Association. However, they also have played against schools in the CHSAA such as Sacred Heart, which is also in Yonkers, and played them close despite being on the losing end. They also would beat the now-defunct All Hallows of The Bronx, which recently closed in June.
They would also play against Section 1 public schools such as Alexander Hamilton in Elmsford, Port Chesterand Tuckahoe.
Overall, they went on to an 18-5 record and a 12-0 record in league play. They went on to play in the CSAA state championship game against the aforementioned Earl Monroe.
The Owls graduated two talented seniors in Alioune Dial (Westchester Community College), Trashaun Reynolds (SUNY Orange) and Raymond Jones. They will return some talented players in Raymond Jones and Andre Grant.
All of their success goes to show that there is something special happening on Warburton Avenue. Not only is it a great institution for academics, but it’s also great to see them shine on the athletic scene.
With the rise of the charter school scene, there’s plenty of good, unsung talent on the rise. Because of Catholic schools nationwide closing their doors due to lack of money and debt, there will be many of these charter schools popping up.
Also, the basketball teams in these schools are going to be on the rise as well, from the middle school scene and even on the high school scene. That just goes to show that there’s another option for educations and athletics.
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