STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — For SIHSL president Charlie Donohue and VP Danny Lee, an anxious week ended last night with a well-earned sigh of relief after they smoothed the way for the 32nd edition of the SIHSL Tournament.
How they got it done – dates, times, gym availability, Plans B, C and D – will eventually be a topic for discussion over several rounds of milk shakes, and we’ll get to all that.
Meanwhile, the tournament seeding committee was sorting through a season’s worth of hoops intel to rank the teams and set up the varsity pairings. Those were announced during last night’s Nobody Cares Sports webcast from Main Street Coffee in Richmond.
Since the tourney’s launch at the end of the 1992-93 season, only five of the 14 schools have lifted the John Singleton Trophy as Island boys’ varsity basketball champ. None of those five are this year’s No. 1 seed. That distinction went to Susan Wagner, which began the work day Saturday 8-5 in the PSAL’s bruising 4A Conference and 15-7 overall.
It has been an anybody-can-beat-anybody type season, so the scrum for seeds 2-10 probably didn’t get settled until these last couple of days.
No. 2 is St. Peter’s, followed by Monsignor Farrell and St. Joseph by-the-Sea. Those three finished tied for first place in the CHSAA Staten Island Division with 4-2 records. The top four get byes to the SIHSL quarterfinals.
Among the challenges for the committee in determining the seeds is that the 14 SIHSL teams play in five different leagues — PSAL 4A and 3A, CHSAA AA and A and the ACIS — so overall records, league records, head-to-head matchups, strength of schedule, momentum and competitiveness all get taken into account.
However complicated that sounds, it was probably a lot easier than what Donohue and Lee had to do to cook up a schedule.
SIHSL President Charlie Donohue speaks to the crowd before St. Peter’s plays Monsignor Farrell in the SIHSL Championship game held at the College of Staten Island in Willowbrook on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)Staten Island Advance
“There were so many question marks, and they kept coming one after the other,” Donohue said. “Danny texted me ‘It’s almost becoming impossible.’ As I read the text, I got nervous (and thought), ‘There’s no way we’re not going to be able to pull this off.’
“And then, next thing you know Danny and I got back on the phone, he said ‘You know, I was talking to (former Curtis coach Tim) Gannon, it just reminded me, we’re never giving up. There’s no chance we’re letting this thing slip by.’”
The stumbling blocks were numerous. They included the PSAL’s JV city playoff schedule landing on the same dates as the SIHSL, and an accommodation for Staten Island Academy, whose ACIS league playoffs include a round the same day as the SIHSL semifinals. Throw in gym availabilities, JV and frosh tournaments and the like and the task is daunting.
Nonetheless, the work got done and the city’s only all-borough boys’ hoop tournament was cleared for takeoff.
The varsity tournament starts Wednesday with a new wrinkle as the bottom four seeds will play what the league, borrowing from the NCAA Tournament, is calling its “First Four.” The No. 11 seed CSI/McCown will play No. 14 Port Richmond and No. 12 Eagle Academy of Staten Island will play No. 13 Petrides.
Wednesday’s winners play the next night in round two, which consists of doubleheaders at S.I. Tech and Port Richmond. Seeds five through 10 will see their first action that night. Staten Island Academy (5) plays the 12-13 winner. New Dorp (6) plays the 11-14 winner, both at Port Richmond. McKee/S.I. Tech (7) faces Tottenville (10) and Curtis (8) opposes Moore Catholic (9) both at S.I. Tech.
The top four seeds get byes to the quarterfinals Saturday at Petrides where they will meet the Thursday winners. Petrides will also host the semis on Feb. 9 and the standalone title game Feb. 12.
Another difference this year is that the JV and frosh championship games will be played as a twinbill Feb. 10 at Petrides. As noted, an early start to the PSAL JV city playoffs created a conflict.
Susan Wagner has been the No. 2 varsity seed the last two seasons. The Falcons have doled out a few lumps and taken a few in the Brooklyn-Staten Island II Division. Among their notable wins was a road victory at Lincoln, possibly the toughest home court in New York City.
St. Peter’s (9-9 overall), Sea (11-8 overall) and Farrell (11-7 overall) went 2-2 against each other.
SIA received its highest seed ever at No. 5. The Tigers (17-2 overall) went 5-0 against Island PSAL teams including 3A Division leader New Dorp and rattled off 16 straight wins to start their season.
“It’s going to be great.” Donohue said. “I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. The reason this tournament is so great because of the community that comes out, the basketball that goes on, and the way people live it. And this year being really, across the board, anything goes. I can’t wait.”
***
NOTES: The tourney has been won by St. Peter’s (15 times including the last seven), Curtis (10), Monsignor Farrell (three), New Dorp (two) and McKee/S.I. Tech (one).
VARSITY SCHEDULE
Feb. 4
Eagle-SI (12) vs. Petrides (13)
Port Richmond (14) vs. CSI/McCown (11)
Feb. 5
Second round
At Port Richmond HS
SIA (5) vs. 12-13 winner,430
New Dorp (6) vs. 11-14 winner, 6
At Staten Island Tech
Curtis (8) vs. Moore (9), 4:30
MSIT (7) vs. Tottenville (10), 6
Feb. 7
Quarterfinals
At Petrides
Game order TBA
Susan Wagner vs. 8-9 winner
St. Peter’s vs. 7-10 winner
Farrell vs. 6-11 winner
Sea vs. 5-12 winner
Feb. 9
Semifinals
At Petrides
5 and 7 pm
Feb. 12
Championship game
At Petrides, 7 p.m.
JV SCHEDULE
(Top 3 receive a bye)
First round
Feb. 3
At SI Tech (game order TBA)
Moore (4) vs. CSIM (13)
Susan Wagner (5) vs. MSIT (12)
Tottenville (6) vs. SIA (11)
At Port Richmond (Game order TBA)
New Dorp (8) vs. Port Richmond (9)
Sea (7) vs. Petrides (10)
Feb. 4
Quarterfinals
At SI Tech
Curtis (1) vs. 8-9 winner
4-13 winner vs. 5-12 winner
Farrell (2) vs. 7-10 winner
St. Peter’s (3) vs. 6-11 winner
Feb. 6
Semifinals
At Curtis
Feb. 10
Championship
At Petrides
FROSH SCHEDULE
(Top 2 get byes)
Feb. 3
Quarterfinals
Moore (3) vs. Petrides (6), 4:30 p.m.
Curtis (4) vs. Sea (5), 6 p.m.
Feb. 8
Semifinals (1 and 2:30 p.m.)
At S.I. Tech
St. Peter’s vs. 4-5 winner
Farrell vs. 3-6 winner
Feb. 10
Championship
At Petrides