By Rob Potter
CALLICOON — June 22, 2007 — The Democrat recently contacted all of the varsity boys’ basketball coaches at area high schools to request their help in selecting the 2006-2007 Sullivan County Democrat boys’ basketball all-star team.
Each coach was asked to nominate players from their own team as well as players from the other varsity basketball teams in the county – Eldred, Fallsburg, Liberty, Livingston Manor, Monticello, Roscoe, Sullivan West, Tri-Valley – as well as The Family School.
The coaches nominated players for Most Valuable Player,
first team, second team and third team. Votes were tabulated on a 3-2-1 basis (3 points for a MVP or first-team vote, 2 points for a second-team nomination and 1 point for a third-team nomination).
The coaches also provided statistics such as points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, blocked shots per game, etc.
And the members of the 2006-07 Sullivan County Democrat boys’ basketball all-star team are…
MVP:
John Merchant,
Tri-Valley, Senior, Forward
Merchant was a first-team selection on the 2006 Democrat all-star team.
During the 2006-2007 season, he was one of the Bears’ top scorers and rebounders as the team won the Section IX Class C championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class C tournament.
In the Bears’ sectional title triumph over the Millbrook Blazers on March 2 at SUNY New Paltz, Merchant scored a team-high 20 points.
First Team:
Lakarri Byrd,
Liberty, Senior, Guard
Byrd was also a first-team selection for last year’s Democrat all-star team.
He received the Ivan Richards Award as the boys’ basketball Most Valuable Player at the recent Liberty Central School Block “L” Athletic Awards Banquet.
Kevin Cappiello,
Sullivan West, Senior, Guard
This is the second straight season in which Cappiello has been named a Democrat first-team all-star.
Cappiello directed the Bulldogs’ offense from the point guard position during the 2006-2007 season, dishing out an average of eight assists per game. He was also the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16 points each contest.
Derek Hahn,
Sullivan West, Senior, Center
Hahn was a member of the Democrat all-star second-team in 2006.
This past season, he averaged a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds per game in helping the Bulldogs qualify for the Section IX Class B Tournament.
Mike Norman,
Monticello, Senior, Center
Norman was a second-team Democrat all-star in 2006.
This past season, Norman led the Panthers in scoring and rebounding. He averaged a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Dustin VanLieu,
Tri-Valley, Sophomore, Guard
VanLieu was a second-team Democrat all-star in 2006.
During the 2006-2007 season, he directed the Bears’ offense from the point guard position. In T-V’s Class C regional victory against Section I champion Alexander Hamilton on March 7 at SUNY New Paltz, Van Lieu made a couple of early 3-pointers to help the Bears take the lead. He netted a team-best 17 points on the evening.
Second Team:
James Baker,
Liv. Manor, Junior, Guard
Baker led the Wildcats’ offense this season by averaging 16.3 points per game.
Jayson Harris,
Roscoe, Junior, Forward
Harris scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Blue Devils to victory in their 2006-2007 regular season finale against the Eldred Yellowjackets.
Mike Hendrickson, Livingston Manor, Sophomore, Forward
Hendrickson averaged a double-double of 12.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game during the 2006-2007 season.
Fred Moore, Tri-Valley, Senior, Forward
Moore was an honorable mention selection for the 2006 Democrat all-star team.
This season, he scored a game-high 21 points to help the Bears defeat the Chester Hambletonians on February 28 in a Section IX Class C semifinal game.
Andreas Petrou, The Family School, Senior, Forward
Petrou was the Falcons’ leading scorer during the 2006-2007 season, averaging 14 points per game. He also grabbed an average of four rebounds and dished out two assists per game.
Third Team:
Darius Buckner, Fallsburg, Junior, Forward
This was Buckner’s second year on the Comets’ varsity team. Buckner, who was one of the team’s co-captains for the 2006-2007 season, scored a team-high 19 points in a December game versus the Sullivan West Bulldogs.
John Scully, Eldred, Junior, Forward
Scully scored a game-high 14 points to help the Yellowjackets defeat the Roscoe Blue Devils in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI game back in January.
Chris Story, Sullivan West, Junior, Forward
Story was a starting forward for the Bulldogs during the 2006-2007 season. He had six points in the Bulldogs’ semifinal victory against the Livingston Manor Wildcats in the 2006 Billy Moran Tip-Off Classic Basketball Tournament.
Paul Sullivan, The Family School, Senior, Guard
Sullivan, who was one of the team captains for the Falcons this past season, averaged eight points and nine rebounds a game. He also blocked an average of two shots in each contest.
Kojo Williams, Eldred, Junior, Guard
Williams scored 13 points to help the Yellowjackets defeat the host Family School Falcons in an OCIAA Division VI game back in January.