By Anthony Bosco
After having watched the NBA All-Star game this past weekend, it got me thinking about what would a Queens all-star team look like. And much to my amazement, a team consisting of nothing but active Queens professional basketball players would be a pretty darn good one.
There is one stipulation, however. On this list of players, 12 in all, I have included St. John's University alumni. This is a technicality, I know, and I can field a starting five without them, but 12 is a nice number for a roster.
The Queens all-stars, nicknamed the Shady Thuggz by my sports-writing cohorts Dylan Butler and Domenico Montanaro, would be coached by a Queens native. Rick Pitino, the former head man for both the New York Knicks and the Kentucky Wildcats, is currently with the Boston Celtics, but few people realize he grew up in Cambria Heights. His inclusion on the team makes the club a bona fide contender.
Pitino would not have to look far for his point guard. Archbishop Molloy grad and NBA superstar Kenny Anderson, currently playing for Pitino on the Celtics, would be the team's starter at the No. 1 spot. He can score 20 points per game if needed and dish out assists with the best of them.
Backing up Anderson at the point – and occasionally starting – would be current Indiana Pacers' point man Mark Jackson. Jackson is rooted firmly in Queens. While he grew up in the borough, he ventured to Brooklyn's Bishop Loughlin for high school, before returning to Queens to attend St. John's. He is a former NBA Rookie of the Year and the Shady Thuggz guard post threat.
The shooting guard position is a little bit of a weak point on the team. On the first unit I would have to go with former St. John's standout Felipe Lopez. Lopez, who grew up in Manhattan, is getting fewer and fewer floor minutes for the Vancouver Grizzlies lately, but I believe he can still play.
If you don't like Lopez as a starter, you can flip-flop him with the Shady Thuggz second two guard Ron Artest. Another St. John's grad, Artest has played himself into the Chicago Bulls' starting line-up as a rookie, but is really more of a swingman than a true No. 2 guard. His size would certainly create some mismatches.
Backing up all the guards would be the Milwaukee Bucks' Rafer Alston. A point guard out of Cardozo High School, Alston only recently came off the injured list for the Bucks, replacing the waived Haywoode Workman. He can play the point or he can score, making him a viable backcourt player at either position.
The small forwards are the team's strong points. In the starting lineup I would have to go with Los Angeles Clipper rookie Lamar Odom. Out of South Ozone Park and Christ the King High School, the 6-foot-11 Odom is a force in all aspects of the game. He can shoot, dish, rebound and play defense.
His backup is no slouch either. Malik Sealy, the No. 2 scorer in St. John's history, has had a stellar career, even though he has done it in relative obscurity. He was never the star on any of his pro teams and those teams never really did anything in the playoffs. On the Shady Thuggz, Sealy provides a scoring threat off the bench.
On the other side of the lane, former Springfield Gardens High School star Anthony Mason gets the start at power forward. Once a rough and tumble player for the Knicks, who earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors, Mason now plays for the Charlotte Hornets. He is a fine rebounder with surprising offensive skills. No doubt Mason would be this team's blue collar hero.
Backing up Mason would be the all-time leading scorer in St. John's history, Indiana Pacer Chris Mullin. While past his prime now, Mullin can still shoot the lights out of any gym. He may not be able to give the team 40 hard minutes night in and night out, but when he is on his game, Mullin can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.
The center position would have to go to Jayson Williams by default. Even though the former St. John's and Christ the King star has been on injured reserves for the better part of two years, he is still a clear favorite to win the starting job.
Backing up Williams would be former St. John's star Bill Wennington, who won several championships with the Bulls, and former Cardozo star and current backup for the Miami Heat Duane Causwell. Neither are stars in the NBA, but they would be role players on the Thuggz as well.
There are several other Queens natives who deserve a place with the Thuggz. The team president and director of operations would have to be former Andrew Jackson High School star and NBA legend Bob Cousy, who grew up in Queens Village.
Doing the play-by-play for all home games would be two other Queens natives, Mike Tirico and Kenny Smith, with Cardozo High School alum Howie Rose doing floor interviews at halftime.
So there you have it, a pro team comprised solely of former Queens residents. If you ask me, this team can play with anyone in the NBA and would certainly be a playoff team. But then again, I am biased. As principal owner of the Shady Thuggz , I have to be.
