Of course, there was a Brooklyn connection to the New York Knicks\u2019 NBA championship.<\/p>\n
Did you even have a doubt?<\/p>\n
Rashid Davis, principal of Paul Robeson Campus remembers the Knick-Robeson connection very well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn \u201999,\u201d he said, \u201cI had tears of sorrow. Today, I have tears of joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1999, the Knicks made NBA history by becoming the first No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals. Coached by Jeff Van Gundy and fueled by a labor lockout that condensed the season to 50 games, the underdog Knicks captured the Eastern Conference before falling to the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n
And 27 years later, the Knicks defeated those Spurs for the NBA title.<\/p>\n
But what stands out in Davis\u2019s mind is Patrick Ewing visiting the little school on Albany Avenue, and watching the basketball team. \u201cHe watched the boys team play on the road, and we had a chance to host him at the Paul Robeson Campus,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n
As for Ewing, he achieved a major milestone that season \u2014 becoming only the 10th player in NBA history at that time to record at least 22,000 points and 10,000 rebounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Robeson,\u201d Davis said, \u201cWe built a sustainable ecosystem where Brooklyn\u2019s youth could thrive both academically and achieve athletic success in the Public Schools Athletic League is a direct vibrant manifestation of that foundation grit. The blueprint established over a decade ago remains intact.\u201d<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
The most recent success at Paul Robeson is on the track with junior Janelia Williams. She placed first in the New York State Championshipswith an 11.81 time in the 1A Girls 100-Meter Dash Finals. She was the lone New York City PSAL runner to place in the top seven.<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
There\u2019s another Brooklyn-Knicks connection \u2013 this from former Tilden High basketball coach Jeff Schrier.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout 40 years ago,\u201d Schrier writes, \u201cJay Wright was the basketball coach at Hofstra. Most of my players were from the Caribbean Isles and I had minimal talent; but we played good team ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jay\u2019s assistant, Tom Pecora \u2013 later head coach at Fordham \u2014 would come to all of the Tilden games Schrier recalls.<\/p>\n
One day, says Schrier, Pecora walks into the gym, and I say, \u201cYa know, Tom, one day you\u2019re going to come to one of my games and actually recruit one of my players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pecora laughed, and replied: \u201cYou don\u2019t have any Division One players.\u201d Schrier agreed, and then added: \u201cHow come every year Tilden makes the playoffs and some of the talent you\u2019re scouting doesn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pecora: \u201cBecause you\u2019re a great coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not the reason, Schrier said. \u201cEvery player you scout, Tom is averaging 25 points-per-game. Suppose they all went to Hofstra. You\u2019re going to have a bunch of disappointed players. There\u2019s only one ball. Get one great player and surround him with players who are willing to give up the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll my players average no more than 14 points-per-game,\u201d Schrier continued. \u201cThey\u2019ve bought into the concept \u2013 hit the open man. That\u2019s how we win and make the playoffs every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, we don\u2019t know if Pecora went back and discussed this philosophy with Jay Wright \u2013 but when Wright went to Villanova and won two national championships, he did it with players that were not household names.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to think that on some cerebral level,\u201d Schrier said, \u201cI had something to do with Jay\u2019s success at Villanova and by further extension, maybe an iota of the Knicks\u2019 championship can be traced back to the way many Tilden kids played and won.\u201d<\/p>\n
After all, the Knicks started three of Jay\u2019s kids \u2014 Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges \u2013 the Nova Knicks \u2013 who played on the Wildcats two national championship teams.<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
Now there\u2019s another side to Schrier. After reading the Brooklyn Eagle recently, he exploded: \u201cStunt?\u201d \u201cPlate?\u201d \u201cThe PSAL has rugby? What the hell is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came from an era where sports were being curtailed,\u201d he said. \u201cNow there\u2019s competition for championships in sports I\u2019ve never heard of. Sorry, Double Dutch is jumping rope \u2013 but not for city championships. Thank goodness I\u2019m retired in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
And this from Danny Lynch, Jr., the former baseball coach at Brooklyn\u2019s St. Francis College.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 2026 Knicks\u2019 Watch Parties were tremendous,\u201d he writes, \u201cBut who was at the 1970 Knicks-Lakers \u2018Watch Party\u2019 at Bishop Ford High School?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he adds, \u201cThe Willis Reed limping out of the tunnel game. This \u2018party\u2019 with 200-plus basketball fans \u2013 New York Knicks fans. And if I remember correctly, Richie Suarto consumed 26 hot dogs that day.\u201d<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
Long Island University\u2019s Northeast Conference football schedule for the Fall 2026 season includes three home and four road games.<\/p>\n
The Sharks open NEC play Oct. 3 with Mercyhurst University at Shark Stadium. LIU\u2019s home conference games include Stonehill (Oct. 24) and Central Connecticut State (Nov. 14).<\/p>\n
LIU makes road trips to Duquesne (Oct. 10), Wagner College (Oct. 17), the University of New Haven (Nov. 7), and Robert Morris (Nov. 21) in conference play.<\/p>\n
The 2027 season will make its debut Thursday, Aug. 27, at the University of North Dakota, marketing the first-ever meeting between the Sharks and Fighting Hawks. The non-conference schedule also includes road trips to the University of Kansas (Friday, Sept. 4) and Florida International University (Sept. 26), the two Football Bowl Subdivision opponents on the schedule.<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
LIU will also play the University of Albany (Sept. 12) and Villanova University (Sept. 19) at home in non-conference competition.<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
Ron Cooper enters his fifth season as head coach. The Sharks finished 6-6 last season, compiling the most overall wins in a single season of the program\u2019s Division I tenure. The season was highlighted by a 28-23 win at Eastern Michigan University, the program\u2019s first-ever victory over an FBS team.<\/p>\n
The Sharks won five of their final six games a year ago.<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
Ryan Mather has been named LIU\u2019s head men\u2019s Volleyball Coach and Tony Trifonov has been named Director of Volleyball.<\/p>\n
Over the past two seasons, Mather helped guide the Sharks to back-to-back NEC Tournament appearances. Mather takes over the men\u2019s volleyball program after two seasons as an assistant coach at LIU.<\/p>\n
Trifonov will provide oversight of the men\u2019s program while continuing as head coach of women\u2019s volleyball.<\/p>\n
Last season, Trifonov led the Sharks to an NEC Championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while posting a 20-9 overall record, a 15-1 conference record, and 12-1 mark at home.<\/p>\n
In his 27 seasons as a Division I head coach, Trifonov has won 21 conference regular season titles, 12 conference tournament championships and NCAA Tournament berths, and has been named conference coach of the year eight times across three separate conferences.<\/p>\n