Mercer County CYO opens 71st basketball season with Mass and awards
November 10, 2023 at 7:00 a.m.
The 71st season of Mercer County Catholic Youth Organization basketball once again tipped off in a thought-provoking and celebratory manner with the CYO Basketball & Cheerleading Opening Day Mass Nov. 4 at the Monsignor Toomey Annex in Yardville.
A Mass and some inspirational words were offered by Father Pierre Alabre of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, for the players, cheerleaders, parents and board members in attendance. Mass was followed by the presentation of the 2022-23 awards celebrating the CYO Scholar-Athlete Team, Athletes of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Father Pierre Alabre of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony distributes Holy Communion to those in attendance at the Mercer County CYO Basketball & Cheerleading Opening Day Mass. Rich Fisher photoDuring his homily, Father Alabre reminded the players to cherish the opportunity provided to them, saying, “It is very important you understand how lucky you are to have this place to develop your basketball skills.” He added that they are fortunate to be surrounded by caring adults who wish to help them during their journey.
Father Alabre also noted that basketball does not come easy for those who wish to succeed.
“If you are to become good basketball players,” he said, “you must be willing to make sacrifices.
Following communion, CYO Athletic Director Quincy Walzer handed out awards to last season’s winners.
The Female Athlete of the Year went to Maia Davis, who played basketball for St. Paul’s, Princeton. Davis was the leading scorer in the Varsity Division and league MVP after helping St. Paul’s to the CYO playoff finals. She was also selected for the CYO All-Star team.
“Playing for CYO the last five years has been really fun and my dad has been able to coach me, a lot of it goes to him because he’s been there for me every step of the way,” Davis said. “ CYO has always been, on the weekends, kind of like your own family. You have your school team, but when you’re playing other schools you’re able to create different friendships because you’ve been playing each other since you were little in CYO. It’s definitely a rivalry but you also know you’re friends.”
The major CYO basketball award winners for 2022-23 were (from left) Male Player of the Year Angelo Pesce of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square; Volunteer Coach of the Year John Brovak of St. Raphael-Holy Angels, and Female Player of the Year Maia Davis of St. Paul Parish. Rich Fisher photoThe West Windsor resident plans to go out for basketball but her main sport is soccer. As a freshman this fall she was a member of The Pennington School's varsity soccer team that won the NJISAA Prep and Mercer County Tournament championships. Her sister, Olivia, also played on the championship Red Hawk team.
Angelo Pesce, who played for St. Gregory the Great, Hamilton, was the Male Athlete of the Year.
Pesce, a Hamilton resident, has two sisters who have gone through CYO and played sports for Notre Dame High, Lawrenceville. As a member of St. Greg’s Blue team, he was the league MVP and playoff MVP in leading his squad to the championship. He was also a CYO All Star.
“I was a little surprised,” Pesce said of winning his award. “It means a lot. CYO is a fun experience. I always loved it. I was always excited to come to the games and the practices.”
And he felt the experience improved him beyond the court.
“Playing in all the games and when you’re on a new team and meeting new people, you make friends,” he said. “That helps make you a better person.”
Pesce broke his finger playing football for the Notre Dame freshman team, but it healed up and he plans on trying out for basketball.
The Volunteer Coach of the Year went to John Brovak of St. Raphael’s/Holy Angels of Hamilton. Last winter Brovak coached the Gold Boys to the varsity playoff finals, and was lauded by Walzer as “a positive role model who leaves behind a wonderful program.”
Brovak did not take his coaching honor lightly. “It’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s pretty much a culmination of a lot of years of hard work. It started basically with my father, he’s 84. He was with the program for many years. I came through the same program playing basketball for St. Raphael’s’ so it meant a lot to me.”
It’s no surprise Brovak did so well, considering he learned under one of the best to ever come through the CYO.
Mercer County CYO Athletic Director Quincy Walzer provides some words about the Scholar-Athlete and Player of the Year award winners. Rich Fisher photo“I got a lot of my coaching experience from the Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lanzi,” he said. “I learned a lot from him, just watching how he did things, how he treated us as basketball players. I really wanted to instill the same things within my players throughout the years.”
John’s son, JR, who will play freshman basketball at Bordentown, was one of the league’s 11 Scholar-Athlete award winners.
“That’s one of the things we preach with our program; is school before athletics and making the academic portion a priority,” Brovak said. “There’s that whole holistic aspect of coaching. Not just making them better players but it’s preaching the academic portion of it.”
Other Scholar-Athlete winners were St. Paul’s Adriana Cano (soccer) and Felipe Samuel (basketball, soccer); St. Raphael’s Sophia Clugston (cross country), St. Ann of Lawrenceville’s Robert Connolly (cross country) and Isabella Maldari (cheerleading), St. Gregory’s Timothy Ellingston (cross country, basketball) and Grace Marrone (basketball), OLS-St. Anthony’s John Kopera (basketball) and Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy of Hamilton’s Miguel Quijada (basketball, soccer) and Joy Sloh (cheerleading).
_______________________
The 2023-24 season opened after the Mass, and the results of games played at the CYO Center in Trenton were as follows:
Boys freshman: St. Ann’s defeated Princeton Academy, 12-11, as Chase Kleespie scored 6 points.
Girls JV: St. Paul’s White defeated Stuart, 21-15, as Elizabeth Foley collected 11 points
Boys JV: St. Gregory’s Blue topped St. Raphael’s Gold, 35-13 as Joseph D’uva tabbed 11.
Girls Varsity: St. Gregory’s Blue got 13 from Bella Rosa in a 22-14 win over. St. Paul’s White
Boys Varsity: OLS defeated TCA White, 49-14 behind Mateo Iezzo’s 10 points, and TCPA Blue got 14 from Coby Welch in a 38-35 win over St. James, Pennington.
Kaitlyn O'Neal of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, delivers a reading at the Nov. 4 CYO Opening Day Mass. Rich Fisher photo
Joann Sciarrotta (left) supplied the organ music and Rosemary LaMachia provided the vocals during the Mercer County CYO Basketball Opening Day Mass. Rich Fisher photo
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The 71st season of Mercer County Catholic Youth Organization basketball once again tipped off in a thought-provoking and celebratory manner with the CYO Basketball & Cheerleading Opening Day Mass Nov. 4 at the Monsignor Toomey Annex in Yardville.
A Mass and some inspirational words were offered by Father Pierre Alabre of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, for the players, cheerleaders, parents and board members in attendance. Mass was followed by the presentation of the 2022-23 awards celebrating the CYO Scholar-Athlete Team, Athletes of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Father Pierre Alabre of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony distributes Holy Communion to those in attendance at the Mercer County CYO Basketball & Cheerleading Opening Day Mass. Rich Fisher photoDuring his homily, Father Alabre reminded the players to cherish the opportunity provided to them, saying, “It is very important you understand how lucky you are to have this place to develop your basketball skills.” He added that they are fortunate to be surrounded by caring adults who wish to help them during their journey.
Father Alabre also noted that basketball does not come easy for those who wish to succeed.
“If you are to become good basketball players,” he said, “you must be willing to make sacrifices.
Following communion, CYO Athletic Director Quincy Walzer handed out awards to last season’s winners.
The Female Athlete of the Year went to Maia Davis, who played basketball for St. Paul’s, Princeton. Davis was the leading scorer in the Varsity Division and league MVP after helping St. Paul’s to the CYO playoff finals. She was also selected for the CYO All-Star team.
“Playing for CYO the last five years has been really fun and my dad has been able to coach me, a lot of it goes to him because he’s been there for me every step of the way,” Davis said. “ CYO has always been, on the weekends, kind of like your own family. You have your school team, but when you’re playing other schools you’re able to create different friendships because you’ve been playing each other since you were little in CYO. It’s definitely a rivalry but you also know you’re friends.”
The major CYO basketball award winners for 2022-23 were (from left) Male Player of the Year Angelo Pesce of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square; Volunteer Coach of the Year John Brovak of St. Raphael-Holy Angels, and Female Player of the Year Maia Davis of St. Paul Parish. Rich Fisher photoThe West Windsor resident plans to go out for basketball but her main sport is soccer. As a freshman this fall she was a member of The Pennington School's varsity soccer team that won the NJISAA Prep and Mercer County Tournament championships. Her sister, Olivia, also played on the championship Red Hawk team.
Angelo Pesce, who played for St. Gregory the Great, Hamilton, was the Male Athlete of the Year.
Pesce, a Hamilton resident, has two sisters who have gone through CYO and played sports for Notre Dame High, Lawrenceville. As a member of St. Greg’s Blue team, he was the league MVP and playoff MVP in leading his squad to the championship. He was also a CYO All Star.
“I was a little surprised,” Pesce said of winning his award. “It means a lot. CYO is a fun experience. I always loved it. I was always excited to come to the games and the practices.”
And he felt the experience improved him beyond the court.
“Playing in all the games and when you’re on a new team and meeting new people, you make friends,” he said. “That helps make you a better person.”
Pesce broke his finger playing football for the Notre Dame freshman team, but it healed up and he plans on trying out for basketball.
The Volunteer Coach of the Year went to John Brovak of St. Raphael’s/Holy Angels of Hamilton. Last winter Brovak coached the Gold Boys to the varsity playoff finals, and was lauded by Walzer as “a positive role model who leaves behind a wonderful program.”
Brovak did not take his coaching honor lightly. “It’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s pretty much a culmination of a lot of years of hard work. It started basically with my father, he’s 84. He was with the program for many years. I came through the same program playing basketball for St. Raphael’s’ so it meant a lot to me.”
It’s no surprise Brovak did so well, considering he learned under one of the best to ever come through the CYO.
Mercer County CYO Athletic Director Quincy Walzer provides some words about the Scholar-Athlete and Player of the Year award winners. Rich Fisher photo“I got a lot of my coaching experience from the Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lanzi,” he said. “I learned a lot from him, just watching how he did things, how he treated us as basketball players. I really wanted to instill the same things within my players throughout the years.”
John’s son, JR, who will play freshman basketball at Bordentown, was one of the league’s 11 Scholar-Athlete award winners.
“That’s one of the things we preach with our program; is school before athletics and making the academic portion a priority,” Brovak said. “There’s that whole holistic aspect of coaching. Not just making them better players but it’s preaching the academic portion of it.”
Other Scholar-Athlete winners were St. Paul’s Adriana Cano (soccer) and Felipe Samuel (basketball, soccer); St. Raphael’s Sophia Clugston (cross country), St. Ann of Lawrenceville’s Robert Connolly (cross country) and Isabella Maldari (cheerleading), St. Gregory’s Timothy Ellingston (cross country, basketball) and Grace Marrone (basketball), OLS-St. Anthony’s John Kopera (basketball) and Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy of Hamilton’s Miguel Quijada (basketball, soccer) and Joy Sloh (cheerleading).
_______________________
The 2023-24 season opened after the Mass, and the results of games played at the CYO Center in Trenton were as follows:
Boys freshman: St. Ann’s defeated Princeton Academy, 12-11, as Chase Kleespie scored 6 points.
Girls JV: St. Paul’s White defeated Stuart, 21-15, as Elizabeth Foley collected 11 points
Boys JV: St. Gregory’s Blue topped St. Raphael’s Gold, 35-13 as Joseph D’uva tabbed 11.
Girls Varsity: St. Gregory’s Blue got 13 from Bella Rosa in a 22-14 win over. St. Paul’s White
Boys Varsity: OLS defeated TCA White, 49-14 behind Mateo Iezzo’s 10 points, and TCPA Blue got 14 from Coby Welch in a 38-35 win over St. James, Pennington.
Kaitlyn O'Neal of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, delivers a reading at the Nov. 4 CYO Opening Day Mass. Rich Fisher photoJoann Sciarrotta (left) supplied the organ music and Rosemary LaMachia provided the vocals during the Mercer County CYO Basketball Opening Day Mass. Rich Fisher photo