STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you’ve attended a McKee/Staten Island Tech or St. Peter’s boys’ varsity basketball game during the 2025-26 season, chances are you’ve seen Ray Guerriero sitting in the front row somewhere.
No, we’re not talking about the Ray Guerriero who is putting up impressive numbers for MSIT these days. Instead, we’re talking about his grandfather, who is technically Ray Jr.
The elder Guerriero hardly misses, if ever, one of his grandson’s games. The same holds true for his other grandson, Christian Wiese, who plays for St. Peter’s these days.
McKee/Staten Island Tech senior Ray Guerriero, right, attempts to get off a shot while St. Peter’s junior Christian Wiese — Guerriero’s cousin — tries to get a hand in his face during the SIHSL Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026.(Annie De Biase for the Advance/SILive.com)
MSIT and St. Peter’s didn’t play during the regular season this year, but the Seagulls and Eagles matched up against each other during Saturday’s Borough President Vito Fossella SIHSL Tournament quarterfinal games at Petrides HS in Sunnyside.
To grandpa Guerriero, it must have been like hitting the daily double: SIHSL Tournament, one venue, two grandsons.
Ray Jr., who would teach his children the ‘1,000-point shot’ in their West Brighton driveway, is no stranger to attending games. He was a phenomenal athlete himself back in the day and the father of six was fortunate enough to see his children achieve immense success on the high school hardwood back in the 1980s-90s. His daughters — Cathy, Clare, Dot and Cindy Lou — were each 1,000-point scorers and Advance All Stars from Curtis. Ray Jr.’s son, Ray III, was a tough-as-nails hoopster for the Warriors as well.
Ray Guerriero of West Brighton never missed his children’s games when they played high schooll basketball in the 1980s-90s and he often attends his grandchildren’s games these days. Last Saturday, he got to see grandsons Ray Guerriero IV of McKee/Staten Island Tech and Christian Wiese of St. Peter’s square off against each other.(Advance/SILive.com | Charlie De Biase Jr.)
When Saturday rolled around and the Seagulls and Eagles started warming up for the third game of a quadruple-header, there was grandpa Guerriero sitting front and center.
Ray IV, of course, is the son of Ray III and Wiese is the son of Cindy Lou.
Ray IV is averaging 15.5 ppg in 15 games so far this season. The starting guard, who is a strong rebounder and defender, has scored in double digits in 12 games with a career-high 27 in a PSAL 3A win over Norman Thomas just over a week ago.
St. Peter’s junior guard Christian Wiese (2) squares up for a three-point shot that went down during the Eagles’ 77-51 SIHSL Tournament quarterfinal victory over McKee/Staten Island Tech on Saturday.(Annie De Biase for the Advance/SILive.com)
Wiese, meanwhile, is playing his first year of varsity ball and comes off the bench for the Eagles. The guard earned a spot in the their rotation a few weeks back.
When Wiese entered the game midway through the first period, he was assigned to guard his cousin in St. Peter’s man-to-man defense. The junior not only made his cousin earn his points, but he played a role in the Eagles’ quarter-ending 12-2 run.
Wiese, in fact, nailed his only basket of the game — a left-wing three-pointer — as the Eagles owned a 25-12 advantage going into the second period.
Grandpa Guerriero, without a doubt, was doubly proud. Not only did Ray IV finish with a game-high 24 points, but he canned two threes and nailed 8-of-12 free-throw attempts. He also grabbed six rebounds and never took a play off.
McKee/Staten Island Tech senior Ray Guerriero, left, attempts to drive to the basket against his cousin — Christian Wiese of St. Peter’s) — during the first half of a SIHSL Tournament quarterfinal game on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2026.Annie De Biase of the Advance/SILive.com
Wiese, meanwhile, turned in some valuable minutes guarding his high-scoring cousin and added a big trey during a run that helped give the Eagles some separation en route to a 77-51 victory.
He also showed good sportsmanship as well. When his cousin took a hard hit and fell to the floor in the third quarter, it was Wiese who raced over to give his cousin a helping hand as he got back to his feet.
Ray Jr., who has seen hundreds of games involving his children and grandchildren through the years, had yet another chapter to add to his family’s storied sports legacy.