The Cross Island Sports and Cultural Organization, a not-for profit organization consisting of children from our local community, has qualified three teams for the 2003 AAU National Championship.
The Bayside Titans 15U boys’ basketball team qualified for a chance to play in the 2003 AAU Division I National Championship in Tennessee, the New York Pride 16U boys’ team has qualified for the Division II Nationals in Houston, and the New York Pride 17U boys have also qualified to participate in Orlando, Fla.
The AAU Metropolitan Regional was held at Island Gardens in West Hempstead, L.I. In each age group, the teams had to finish in the top three positions to earn the right to represent Queens, New York in the National Championship.
In only their second AAU Regional Qualifier, our teams of all local Bayside kids competed against most of the major programs in New York state, which are made up of all recruited kids.
The Bayside boys made Bayside proud by representing their community and gaining the three spots in the AAU National Championships, where they will get a chance to play against some of the best basketball teams in the country.
For the teams to be able to compete against the best teams in the United States, the organization needs to raise the necessary funds to send these worthwhile young men on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
The following is a list of some of the local kids on the team who in the neighborhood and who are representing the community:
Vincent Falzone, Kevin Garlan, George Kunkle, Eric Lastres, Milan Prodanovic and Victor Rosario, of Archbishop Molloy High School; Ryan Eisner, Patrick Hazel and Steven Naftaly, of Bayside High School; Scott Ventimiglia, of IS 25; Brian Geffen and Mike Marin, of St. Francis Prep High School; and Ryan Alexander, Gilbert Montalvo, James Mutlu and Sabastian Sabella, of St. Mary’s High School.
The Cross Island Sports and Cultural Organization is looking for sponsorships or donations to help the children of our community compete against the rest of the United States for the right to become national champions.
For more information on the Cross Island Sports and Cultural Organization’s basketball teams or to contact the group about sponsorship or donations, you can send your e-mails to Baysidetitans@aol.com, attention: Harry Roth.
You can also visit the organization’s Web site at www.eteamz.com/baysidetitans.
To contact the organization by telephone, please call Harry Roth at 212-216-8258 or 917-318-8129, or Mitch Eisner at 516-481-5800 or 718-229-7495.
