GLEN FALLS—The extension of excellence continues as the Mount Vernon Fighting Knights won a record setting (for New York State) 9th State Championship. The Knights of Mount Vernon beat the Jamestown High Red Raiders, 62-51. The game was tight until late in the 3rd quarter when the vaunted Knight’s full court press starting causing problems for the Red Raiders. This is coming from a school that sits on the outskirts of a 4.2 square mile town and doesn’t recruit its players. This is also the same school that has had to date 8 players to make it into the NBA and over 15 in total to be drafted by NBA teams. Out of those 8 players, 2 sets were brothers, the Williams brother’s, Gus and Ray and the McCray brother’s, Scooter and Rodney. But there was also a couple of other golden nuggets that came from the Mount Vernon Fabulous. Gus and Ray’s younger brother, David “Scap” Williams was the last cut of the Utah Jazz in 1983. He was in training camp as a free agent after his stint at Boise State University. And Lowes Moore who is one of the Great 8 that made it has a younger brother Curtis “Smiley” Moore that was one of the 15 drafted. He was a sixth round choice of the Portland Trailblazers in 1985. He didn’t make the team but was able to hone his skills playing overseas in Poland. Rudy Bennett started this entire standard of excellence. He was the first megastar of Mount Vernon High School. In 1963 when there was two high schools in the city of Mount Vernon merge into one, Bennett stood out immediately. After a standout career at New York Tech, Bennett was drafted by the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association. And that iis when the uphill climb started. Today’s hero on the Knights is senior guard, Jabarie Hinds who is a 6-foot inch left handed wunderkind. He is also named this year’s New York State, Mr. Basketball and is getting ready to take his talents to the University of West Virginia to team up with former Mount Vernonite, Kevin Jones. Incidentally, Jones was on the last Mount Vernon team that won the state championship in 2007 to which Hinds was an eager 8th grader green behind the ears. The Mount Vernon Knights also have won an unprecedented 28 Sectional titles. And as legendary coach Bob Cimmino has been saying, “we have one more championship than the New York Yankees.” That’s not bad company to have. Hinds was the tournaments MVP and he finished the game with 26 points. Next up for the Knights is the Federation crown played up in Albany, NY. They will be facing, Boys and Girls High School out of Brooklyn, NY.
Jerald L. Hoover
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