nothin He Sank It For “Tank” | New Haven Independent

He Sank It For Tank”

Allan Appel Photo

Teammates swarmed Roderick Jones after he scored a championship game-winning basket with two seconds left — and dedicated the crown to a friend killed on the streets.

The excitement took place before 200 kids, their families, teachers, and school staffers Tuesday night in the Wilbur Cross High gym. It was the capstone to the season for the Public Schools Alternative Basketball League, comprised of alternative high schools too small to field varsity teams.

Jones (at center in photo above) plays for Cross Scholars, which has dominated play, winning three out of the four past years. With a 10 – 0 record, they were undefeated and played a big shoot and run game. They faced High School in the Community’s team, in its first year in the league. HSC brought more of a control game, and only one defeat. Yup, to Cross Scholars.

So tensions were high.

The nail-biting finish was just one reason the game was special. To its star, and to many in the crowd, it honored the memory of their friend, Thomas Tank” Daniels, who wasn’t there — because someone gunned him down in the Hill last year.

The game also highlighted a different approach to team sports taking place among New Haven’s niche high schools.

Unlike in varsity leagues, no individual scoring stats are kept in the Alternative League. No individual fouls, although team foul rules do apply and result in the additional free throw. Everybody plays, too, with no reliance on stars.

In many cases, players didn’t even have names or numbers on their jerseys. It was all about team effort. Oh, and it’s nominally co-ed, although no girls were competing this year.

It reduces animosity with kids from neighborhoods that might not normally connect,” said volunteer coordinator and founder John Vigliotti, who was for a dozen years the principal of the Quinnipiac School in Fair Haven Heights.

HSC’s coach Dave Clough said the league has resulted in kids talking to each other in the hallways who might have walked right by each other. It’s like we turned on a light switch.”

Cross Scholars Coach Robert House characterized the play this way: It’s competitive but it’s a lot more about character building.”

Tuesday night’s championship game was also about trading baskets, as expected with these evenly matched squads. Cross’s Melquan Horton sank a quick basket, which HSC answered immediately. Cross’s run and gun style was held in check by HSC’s tenacious defense and control game, which began to pay off.

Toward the end of the first half, Cross missed a three pointer. HSC’s Darius Rountree hit a three at the buzzer, giving the HSC upstarts 32 to Cross’s 23.

HSC’s Alonzo Talley (pictured going up, with teammate Cameron Wright behind him) said playing on the team made him feel like he was in a brotherhood. He plays football for Hillhouse. (He’s allowed because HSC has no football team either.) Wright echoed the sentiment, saying we turned into a family this year.”

After a wild start to the second half, Cross Scholars’ shots began to fall. They pulled within four points with 12 minutes left. HSC called a time out. When play resumed Wolfgang Collins evened the score for the Scholars with a long, beautiful arcing shot from the corner. He was fouled, and missed the shot. With five minutes left, the score was tied at 39.

The seesawing that had characterized the start of action resumed. The buzzer went off frequently to mark the many substitutions that characterized the play.

Every foul throw mattered, but many were missed, by both sides. With 15 nail-biting seconds left to go in regulation, HSC’s John Clarke tied the game at 51with a nifty shot in traffic in the lane. However he missed what would turn out to be a fateful foul shot.

With seven seconds to go, HSC’s Angel Mercato fouled Horton. Cross got the ball. With under two seconds left, Roderick Jones got free and lofted the winning jumper from 20 feet out.

HSC’s coach Clough complimented his young men for a tremendous effort: For our first year, and losing by only one basket! We’ll be back.”

Across the gym now filled with cheers for the Scholars, Jones was at pains to tell a reporter the winning hoop was dedicated to his friend Thomas Daniels, known as Tank. The whole season was for him,” John said.

I used to play with him at the YMCA,” said Jones of Daniels

I love you, Tank,” he said, and other kids chimed in.

After Jones and the Scholars left, Jones’s cousin Tyler Smith said he too had been a friend of Tank. He was at the game cheering for Scholars but also for Daniels, or his memory. Thomas Daniels was gunned down on Hurlburt Street in the Hill. Smith’s pin, attached to his hat, read I love you Tank, I’m gonna miss you.”

Smith remembered the date of the killing: March 15, 2009.

The league trophy will be transferred from its current owner, Riverside Academy, to Cross, in a ceremony next week. The other schools participating in the league are Co-Op, New Haven Academy, New Horizons, Metropolitan Business, the Sound School, and one charter, Common Ground High.

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