By Five Boro Sports
Like a kid on Christmas morning, Ben Chobhaphand couldn’t help but flash a toothy grin. The Forest Hills’ basketball coach didn’t have an extra glass of eggnog and he wasn’t given a Lexus for the holidays.
Yet he felt extra festive — and that was before the Rangers held off Canarsie 59-52 in the fourth annual Queens Jam Christmas Classic at John Bowne High School in Flushing, their second win over a Brooklyn AA school in one week Saturday.
Despite losing two starters — seniors Alex Hall (unspecified disciplinary reasons) and Tyler Clarke (foot injury) — Forest Hills has won five in a row. Andre Armstrong garnered MVP honors by scoring 17 points and ever-improving sophomore Maurice Harkless added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
But it was the play of the underclassmen — 5-foot-2 point guard Antoine Tutt, bruising forward Sunny Kadisha and reserve guard Nick Padgett — that had the coach beaming.
“It was a like a gift in disguise,” Chobhaphand said of losing Hall and Clarke. “They’re learning and maturing.”
The three were virtually forced into playing major minutes when Hall, the Rangers’ second-leading scorer behind Armstrong, and Clarke, a stabilizing factor at point guard, weren’t available.
“With the seniors out,” Armstrong said, “they all stepped up.”
Junior Vernell Blackman led Canarsie (3-4) with 15 points and senior Ojed Mcinnis had 14.
Hall and Clarke should be back for the Rangers’ next game — Jan. 5 at Beach Channel. But the youngsters have played so well, the coach said, that the two seniors will come off the bench at the start. It will only add to Forest Hills’ depth, an obvious weakness.
Chobhaphand said replacing Hall was more difficult than Clarke. Tutt, despite his stature, has played at a high level for years. At JHS 231 in Jamaica, he was on the same team as Christ the King’s Corey Edwards, Campus Magnet’s Sasha Clarida and St. Benedict Prep’s Mike Poole — three budding stars. Plus, he led the JV team to an undefeated regular season last winter as a freshman.
“He gets the ball to people in the right spots,” Armstrong said.
Against Canarsie, Tutt controlled the game’s pace, pushing it when opportunities were there and slowing it up on other occasions. He knocked down two big free throws when the Chiefs had cut the lead to five in the final minutes and broke the press almost single-handedly, finishing with six points and 11 assists.
“Every day he comes out to prove himself,” Chobhaphand said.
Tutt said he and the fellow sophomores never discussed their increased role when the sudden losses took its toll. They simply had to learn on the fly. Padgett scored 19 points and hit the game-winning shot over Bayside Dec. 4. After a slow start, Kadisha (nine points) has found his offensive game to go along with solid defense and rebounding, helping to fill the void left by Hall.
“They’re playing with passion,” Armstrong said.
But there were some losses, Armstrong said, that could’ve been avoided. Then again, the invaluable experience the newcomers gained should bolster the Rangers come March and perhaps even sooner.
“I feel better playing in crunch time,” Tutt said, adding of his fellow underclassmen: “We’re all playing together and playing like older guys.”
It is why, with Hall and Clarke returning soon and Tutt, Kadisha and Padgett getting better every day, Chobhaphand sported an ear-to-earn grin. In the near future, Forest Hills (6-5) will be well-balanced, able to go big or small — a blend of talented, battle-tested veterans and youngsters. Senior role players Damir Beharovic and Chris Larmond, who scored eight points apiece, have begun to emerge, too.
“We can match up with anybody,” Chobhaphand said. “Next week is gonna be beautiful.”
Armstrong took it a step further. Trailing Cardozo and Edison by just one game in Queens AA, he feels the sky is the limit. The lofty pre-season goals, established before the Rangers’ roster was decimated, haven’t gone anywhere.
“We,” the shooting guard proclaimed, “can be championship contenders.”
