As the high school basketball season swings into mid-season, a handful of young men are well into their second season of play. Thanks to the devoted efforts of CYO Boys Basketball Coordinator Tom Rudolph and Head Coach Keith Gessner, a Corpus Christi sponsored Tyro team of committed high school freshmen and sophomores dot the rosters of local varsity and junior varsity squads. These adolescents honed their talents during a successful 7-3 fall campaign making them competition ready for winter tryouts at their respective schools.

The Tyros sprinted through their first four games rattling off consecutive victories in convincing fashion. Veteran point guard TJ Gessner controlled the rock averaging 6 assists a game as one of three Mineola Varsity underclassmen on the Corpus Christi roster. Newcomer TJ Winters, a Mustang JV starter, tallied 12 and 10 points in his first two contests. Kellenberg Junior Varsity standout Joe Spollen cleaned the glass with 10 rebounds a game to match his double digit scoring pace in the early going.

Facing the class of the league in the middle portion of the schedule, Corpus Christi took some bumps and bruises. Soundly beaten by perennial favorite St. Agnes, the team had significant contributions from guard Ryan McGuckin of Holy Trinity and Mustang Varsity power forward Mike Diglio. A late midweek road contest at the home of NBA journeyman Mike James and current Hofstra standout Antoine Agudio of St. Matthew's saw a defensive standoff in a tight loss. Shamar Stephens of the Lutheran High Varsity squad led a big fourth quarter comeback that would fall just short.

The team rallied down the stretch, losing only in a rematch with St. Agnes, with solid performances against St. Patrick and St. Raymond. Chaminade frosh Alex Ward had his best game of the year with 8 points in the finale while Mustang Varsity member Terry Mooney took control in a rout with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Stephen Gaffney, the Mineola JV starting point, was a mid-season roster addition that complimented the group. Chaminade alum Jimmy Murtha closed the season with a remarkable 19 point and 21 rebound story line. Assistant coach, and Holy Cross High School/SUNY - New Paltz star Mark Venus was instrumental in molding this unit during his Monday evening sweat shop practice sessions.

While missing the playoffs by a single game, the staff and players are proud of their accomplishments. The roster of ninth and tenth grade students are scattered among five public and private schools in the vicinity excelling in both their game and their studies. TJ Gessner used the Tyro preseason slate to propel himself to the starting point guard position on the Mineola Varsity - rare for a sophomore. Diglio and Mooney, as promoted Varsity Mustangs, and Winters and Gaffney, as JV stalwarts, paint a bright future for our hometown institution. Spollen has earned a starting spot at Kellenberg while Stephens sports a Varsity letter at LuHi. Coaches Gessner and Venus are commended for their time and commitment to build solid foundations for these young men as both athletes and citizens.