By Marc Raimondi
Omar Calhoun was already the winningest boys’ basketball player in Christ the King history, the only one to ever win back-to-back CHSAA Class AA intersectional championships.
On Friday, the UConn-bound senior guard became the school’s all-time scoring leader in a 76-69 win over Burke Catholic in Middle Village, surpassing former NBA player Khalid Reeves, who is actually an assistant coach with the team this year. Calhoun had tied Reeves with 1,676 points last week in a victory over Holy Cross.
“He is one of the most highly decorated players in Christ the King history,” Coach Joe Arbitello said of Calhoun.
Needing one point to break the mark, Calhoun converted a putback with 2:46 left in the first quarter. The game was halted at the next whistle and Reeves, who held the record for 20 years, came out and handed him a framed poster, signifying the achievement.
“There are a lot of great players to have come out of Christ the King,” Calhoun said. “To be mentioned in the same breath as those guys is really an honor.”
Calhoun finished the game with 32 points and now has 1,708 for his career. He drained a dagger three-pointer with 2:02 left in the game to put Christ the King ahead 65-57. Reeves, a former McDonald’s all-American and star at Arizona, says Calhoun has a bright future.
“He’s very athletic,” Reeves said. “Nowadays, athleticism is where it’s at. He has a great chance to be an NBA player and take his game to the next level.”
Jon Severe had 12 points, including a vicious dunk on a hapless Burke defender in the second quarter. Zach Rufer had 27 points, Billy Garneau had 21 points and Stan Buczek added 14 for upstate Burke Catholic.
Christ the King now heads into the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens tournament. The Royals will play the winner of a quarterfinal game between Bishop Loughlin and Archbishop Molloy.
Calhoun didn’t play varsity as a freshman. Since then, he has been arguably the top player in the city, with two CHSAA titles and Christ the King’s first New York State Federation title since 1989. Now he can add all-time scoring leader to his myriad of accomplishments.
“Coming into Christ the King, I knew about Khalid Reeves, Erick Barkley, Derrick Phelps, Lamar Odom, Omar Cook — guys like that,” Calhoun said. “I had a lot of expectations. I just wanted to achieve those high expectations and goals.”
Added Arbitello, “He’s had a better career than all those guys as far as winning is concerned and scoring is concerned.”
