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An old Staten Island Advance article details how Borkowski led the early stages of one of his seasons in scoring.Ted Borkowski<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y.\u2014 On Nov. 13, Moore Catholic will induct seven new members into its Hall of Fame, including Ted Borkowski \u2014 a school trailblazer and member of Moore\u2019s first varsity basketball team. He began his tenure as a Maverick in 1970.<\/p>\n
Regarded by his peers as one of the first true star athletes in Moore\u2019s history, Borkowski consistently ranked among Staten Island\u2019s top players, standing alongside borough legends such as Curtis\u2019 Larry Cubas and St. Peter\u2019s John Engles, thanks to his exceptional perimeter-shooting ability.<\/p>\n
But before Borkowski is honored for both his on-court performance and his leadership in helping establish the program, he reflected on the challenges that the team faced in their early stages.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur biggest guy on the team was 6-foot-1; we had no seniors, and it was always like David against Goliath every night, to be quite honest with you,\u201d Borkowski began with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had no glass backboards in the gym, we had a terrible scoreboard; we just went in knowing \u2018Yeah, we\u2019re probably going to lose,\u2019 but the effort and the grit was there. The guys never gave up,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
An old Staten Island Advance article details how Borkowski led the early stages of one of his seasons in scoring.Ted Borkowski<\/p>\n
Perhaps most remarkably, Borkowski understood the challenges that lay ahead even before enrolling at Moore, yet rather than joining an established Island program suited to his skill set, he embraced the difficulty of helping to lead a fledgling team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI separated and went to Moore because my mom convinced me that\u2019s the way I could make a difference for myself, have some impact, stand out in the crowd, and still make a difference on a new program,\u201d said Borkowski, who will go into the Hall along with Kimberly Cantoni (\u201905), Julie Fleschner \u201988, former teacher Jim Grogan, former coach Bill Hodge (posthumously) and teacher Camille Horihan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tough decision, but that\u2019s what I would tell anybody in school today: make something out of it, make a difference in your life, and it\u2019ll benefit you later on down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges of leading an inexperienced program with limited resources, Borkowski fondly recalled some of the team\u2019s memorable victories \u2014 most notably a win over the highly skilled Monsignor Farrell JV squad. They achieved that feat before the team transitioned to varsity, which he famously described as Moore\u2019s version of \u201cthe shot heard \u2019round the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was our first major victory,\u201d Borkowski explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the school had just become co-ed, a lot of people thought, \u2018Oh, wow, a \u2018girls\u2019 school\u2019 just beat Farrell\u2019s JV,\u2019 which was pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, when it came time to face varsity competition the following year, Borkowski recalled a monumental win over New Dorp that left the Island\u2019s sports community stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing that happened to us back then was when we beat New Dorp. At the time, they were undefeated, and and they went on to win the public school championship that year; but we pulled it out,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n
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An article from the Advance illustrates just how momentous Moore’s win over New Dorp was.Ted Borkowski<\/p>\n
Borkowski was pleased to share that in the Advance\u2019s coverage of the game, former sportswriter Joe Nugent opened his piece with: \u201cBefore you begin to read this story, let one and all be warned: You are not going to believe it!\u201d<\/p>\n
He also recalled that, although the Moore community knew the Mavericks would be underdogs in nearly every game, the school\u2019s support sustained their belief that they could still pull off some memorable victories.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had such good school support, with the nuns at the school and the students, even though they knew the odds weren\u2019t in our favor; one nun named Sister Athanasius was probably our biggest fan,\u201d Borkowski warmly remembered.<\/p>\n
After his time at Moore, Borkowski said the lessons of discipline and leadership he learned as a Maverick inspired his later careers in the Marine Corps and with the San Diego Police Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did 40 years in law enforcement, but the people and mentors I had at the school made all the difference. The relationships I built and the teachers who became my mentors \u2014 like Warren Fenley, Rich Potter and Chuck Driscoll\u2014 helped build the foundation for my future success,” he shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went through a lot of struggles becoming a Marine officer and drill instructor, but I learned from those experiences and applied those lessons throughout my career.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Borkowski\u2019s move to the West Coast and his travels as a Marine have kept him from returning to Moore since his teenage years, he wasn\u2019t ashamed to admit that he shed a few happy tears when he learned of his upcoming Hall of Fame induction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be honest with you, when they told me I got it, I cried. This was probably the only other time I cried for a sports award in addition to qualifying for the Boston Marathon,\u201d he poignantly shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s because I\u2019m a lot older. Maybe when I was younger, I might not have appreciated it as much \u2014 it would have been more of a singular thing. But as you get older, you learn through life that you don\u2019t get there without other people. So, you look at it differently at my age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lastly, while Borokowski may have been the face of the genesis of Moore\u2019s program, he made sure to emphasize that he will be dedicating his nomination to all of his former teammates, coaches and mentors who helped him to earn this recognition in the first place.<\/p>\n
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Ted Borkowksi (second from top right) is a a monumental figure in Moore’s basketball history.Ted Borkowski<\/p>\n
\u201cThose relationships and mentors are what developed my personality, my career. I don\u2019t want it to be about me; the award\u2019s going to be enough. I want to recognize these guys I play with because they went through the same struggles,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
While all of the forthcoming Hall of Fame honorees are more than deserving of their places, Borkowski stands out as a reminder of what can happen when you stay committed to building something from the ground up \u2014 an impact that\u2019s still felt within the Moore community more than 50 years later.<\/p>\n
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