CYO Girls Basketball Team Meets NBA Legends
By Megan Searfoss
When the 8th grade girls’ CYO basketball coach, John Morrison, asked his team to come to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, it wasn’t a “take your daughter to work day” outing. He invited them to go to a seminar hosted by his employer about Sports, Leadership and Education. The seminar, moderated by Peter Vecsey, New York Post sports columnist and featured Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Jr., Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1987),Voice of the New York Knicks and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1990), President, Reverse Spin Entertainment Groups. An incredible opportunity for these young women to hear these sports legends share their thoughts on the importance of sports in young lives and how it can build character. No one knew that this opportunity would fall on the day Carmelo Anthony would be traded to the Knicks. The energy in the auditorium to hear these legends thoughts about the trade was tremendous.
The girls donning their St. Mary’s hoodies weren’t sure what to expect. They stood in line to have their pictures taken with the legends and cell phone covers signed, even though they weren’t even born when these men played and perhaps not even understanding their importance. Later the players heard a meaningful lecture about staying motivated, developing fundamentals and what being a role model entails. The lecture hall at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney was filled with suited employees and clients, most remembering the last time the Knicks won the championships, loved hearing the stories such as Clyde’s mink coat being kept in the trainer’s closet. The girls, sitting front and center kept the talk interesting by asking questions that kept the Hall of Famers on their toes. “Who was your inspiration and what kept you motivated?”, CYO player Rachel Corry asked. The legends replied with heartwarming answers about their mothers and the how they worked hard to help their families out of difficult situations. Both said that committing themselves to basketball and getting an education were paramount to giving back to their mothers. The answers intrigued even seasoned columnist Peter Vescey, having never heard this question and answers from the men.
The highlight of the evening was when the discussion turned to what was missing in today’s game. Frazier and Monroe both agreed it was basketball fundamentals. Boxing out, shooting off the dribble, lack of back door plays, absence of rebounding and sportsmanship are missing in today’s game. The St. Mary’s team broke out into smiles and applause as the men said that the best place to see basketball fundamentals is in women’s basketball. With that comment the lecture ended and the girls joined the NBA legends on stage for a last picture, this time knowing that these men understood the importance of their game.
The 8th grade CYO girl will finished their season in 2nd place and will begin the league tournament next week.
Pictured from left to right are the CYO players and a few siblings with the Hall of Famers. First row: Jane Searfoss, Julia Middlebrook, Clare Middlebrook, Maggie Camillos, Katherine Middlebrook, Alyssa Cataldo, Chelsea Morrison, Rachel Corry, Mackenzie Shoff, Sarah Searfoss, Isabel Ziskind, Madison Perrot. Second row: Elizabeth Middlebrook, Andrea Bedard, Earl Monroe, Carly Mercede, Clyde Frazier, and Peter Vecsey