By Dylan Butler
York men’s basketball coach Ron St. John didn’t mince words. If the Cardinals are to be successful in 2001-02 and have a chance to return to the Division III NCAA tournament for the first time in five years, they will rely on 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior center Quincy Oudkerk.
“He is our big low-post presence,” St. John said of Oudkerk, out of Jamaica High School. “Quincy was real lazy in the beginning, but I think he has the fire under him. If he wants it, he can be a phenomenal player. It just comes down to work ethic.”
St. John believes Oudkerk, who is York’s leading returning scorer (11 points) and rebounder (eight rebounds), is on the same level as College of Staten Island 6-foot-5 senior David Paul, the CUNY Preseason Player of the Year.
If it appears St. John is applying a heaping helping of responsibility on Oudkerk’s shoulders, it is for good reason. Gone from last year’s team that went 14-12 and 7-6 in conference before being upset by eventual CUNYAC tournament champs CCNY, are its top two scorers with the graduation Stanley O’Neil (17 ppg.) and Alex Malone (11 ppg.).
Expectations are also high for 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Roberto Tapia. The former Campus Magnet star scored four points per game last year, but St. John likes his outside touch.
“Not only can he shoot the ball, but he can put it on the floor as well,” St. John said of Tapia, who will be considered the first option along the perimeter.
The Thompson cousins, sophomores Khama (6-foot-6) and Michael (6-foot-3), are also expected to start in the frontcourt for York, picked to finish second behind CSI in the South Division in the preseason coaches poll.
Joining Tapia in the starting backcourt should be junior point guard Jason Daniel, who averaged nine points, four assists and three rebounds per game last year.
“This is one of the more versatile teams I’ve had here,” said St. John, a 1980 York graduate. “We will be attacking and pressing a lot. We’ll look to release and run when we can.”
Also back for the Cardinals is the coach’s son, Brandon St. John, a 6-foot-3 junior forward who averaged four points per game last season, Thimothy McLeod, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, who averaged four points and four boards per game last year, and 5-foot-9 sophomore guard Jesse Cotton, who averaged two points per game last season.
Also returning to the team after a one-year hiatus is 32-year-old Dwayne Uriri, a 6-foot-3 senior.
“We have to get back to another [CUNY] championship game,” St. John said. “We can’t settle for less. We’re planning on going back to the game, our motto is we’re going to be there.”
York, who opened the season with a pair of losses in the Salem Bank and Trust tournament in Salem, Va., will play St. Joseph Tuesday before opening conference play Nov. 28 at Medgar Evers.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
