ATHLETICS:NEWs:Archive

 THE 2007-2008 TEAM

Senior Evan Murphy
Ev is just an over-all great athlete, period! She's a star softball, soccer and basketball player. Evan led the Varsity team last year at the point, and she does so again in her final year at SBHS. Evan is a master basketball player who is fearless in her approach to the game. Evan is
one of the best defenders in the league… Oh, and that is A Division. Actually, Evan is one of the best players…if not THE best player in
the league this year! She scored 31 in the opening game this season,
and she may score like that all year. Evan has an uncanny ability to
read defenses, and she can get to the hoop whenever she wants, posing major problems for the opposition.

Senior Michelle Mullen
MM provides stability under the hoop, able to rebound with a presence around the basket. Michelle, at this point, has participated in just about everything there is to do here at the school. I mean, this bear would
have trouble keeping up with her!! An experienced basketball player,
the key to her season is to stay out of foul trouble (if you see Michelle, remind her of this). The Bears need her on the court as much as
possible, as she is a strong rebounder who can score as well.

Senior Stephanie Chiarucci
Steph provides help off the bench if any player gets into foul trouble. Having already played during her Freshmen year, Stephanie gives the team some depth in the "Experience" category. Stephanie has a good touch 10-12 feet from the basket and can handle the ball.

Junior Alyssa McFadden
Let's say this: Alyssa is a gggrrreeat basketball player. She was beset by injuries last year, but when she was on the floor, she excelled.
McFadden has a natural ability to read the ball off the rim, making her one of the best rebounders the school has seen. As a matter of fact, Alyssa has a ton of natural ability to play this game: she can shoot, dribble, rebound, defend, and drive to the hoop with the best of 'em.
At any given moment, Alyssa can take over the game. She can score 20, 25 points on any given night. Rumor has it she may have even beaten
this bear once in a one-on-one, but I can't seem to remember that.

Junior Jessica Finn
…SWISH… J-Finn is playing her third season at the school and will be
a major factor this season. She can shoot with anyone in the league,
often going on streaks from behind the three-point line. Jessica has
a great touch on her shot, and can shoot under pressure. An experienced ball-player, Finn can also dribble, rebound and defend well. You'll usually find her setting up, waiting for the pass… Watch out for J-Finn as she's about to shoot another three…

Junior Julia Cuffy
Julia is playing her third season as a Basketball Bear. Julia has the potential to have break-out season with both her physical skills and mental approach to the game. Cuffy has been honing her game for
a couple of years, and the results are starting to show. She's already
a very good basketball player, with positive ratings in her shooting,
ball-handling, passing and defensive skills.

Junior Sade Francis
Sade is also a Junior, playing her first season on the basketball team. Have you seen how quick Sade is? Not many have…that's how fast
she's moving. I couldn't even finish her last name, Francis, on her
title-line! Although somewhat new to the game, Sade is a natural
athlete who will be a defensive force this season.

Sophomore Elaina D'Andrea
Elaina is playing her second season for the Barnabas Bears after helping to lead the J.V. team last year. D'Andrea is both quick and smart as a player, and her ability to maintain speed while dribbling makes her an important factor off the bench. She can usually nullify a press-defense
by cutting through defenders down the court. Elaina can also become
hot from behind the three-point line!

Sophomore Gabrielle Francis
Gabrielle provides some much needed height to the team, boosting the team's ability to control the "paint.” Gabby, as she's known around SBHS, is a naturally-gifted basketball player with the potential to
change the game. The sky's-the-limit for this Sophomore, because
Gabby can already score, rebound, and defend.

Freshmen Chelsea Matias and Amanda Ramirez give hope for the future as young students of the Varsity game. Since I haven't seen them play yet, I can't really say too much about them.

Winter 2007/2008 : 2nd Edition
Basketball Season has ARRIVED!

By: The Barnabas Bear

            Forget the New York Knicks (which is pretty easy to do nowadays) as the real story around these parts of town is the Varsity Basketball team for St. Barnabas High School. After a very strong Fall sports season, which included playoff appearances for BOTH the soccer and volleyball teams, the basketball team takes center-stage, and this
bear couldn't be happier!

            The team this year is coached by Roger Murphy, who has many years of experience coaching in the Woodlawn area. St. Barnabas is
very happy to have him on their roster of coaches! Led by Senior Evan Murphy and Juniors Alyssa McFadden and Jessica Finn, the Varsity
team has opened its season participating in the Byram Hills Pre-Season Tournament, which the team won last season. On Thursday, November 29th, the team played its first game of the tournament and won the
game 60-45, with Evan scoring 31 points! Wow, now that is impressive.

Fall 2007

Fall Sports Kick off - Barnabas Serves & Scores
By: The Barnabas Bear

St. Barnabas High School is back in session!! I love this time of year....as a bear, it gets lonely in the gym all summer. But now I get to travel to all the Barnabas games - and write about what I
see - in this column of the Sports Section. So as they say, let the games begin. Well, they actually did begin, last month! I’ll tell
ya, things move quickly around here. Shall we?

SOCCER

Let’s start with the Soccer team, coached by Mary Murphy. The team is off to an incredible 4-2 start in a very competitive
division, shared with Mt. St. Ursula, Blessed Sacrament and St. Catherine's. The team is led by Julie Brattesani and Leslie
Borum on offense, and Evan Murphy, Cynthia Coronel and Melissa Del Vecchio on defense. It is hard to single these players out though, as this team plays together and relies on each person to get the job done. As a basketball Bear, I don’t know as much about soccer as some other bears, but I do know you have to be
in great shape to run up and down that field. These girls are fast! Coach Murphy has done a great job getting this team to work hard, and their efforts are showing on the field and in the league standings.

The Soccer Bears, on a 3 GAME WIN STREAK, next play on: 10/2, 10/5, 10/11, 10/12 and 10/15. Goooooooooaaaaaaal!!

VOLLEYBALL

Coach Crockett is back to lead our Volleyball team again this year, and boy are we grateful. Although it is early in the
volleyball season, it is easy to see how good the Varsity and Junior Varsity might be. As both a Bear and volleyball fan, I can appreciate the ability to serve and dig. These girls are good at
what they do. I’ll begin with the Varisty, who are led by experienced vets Michelle Mullen, Jessica Feeney, and Alyssa McFadden. What is so great about this team is their work ethic and discipline. And by the way, have you seen Elaina D’Andrea serve?! So far, the team has lost to Sacred Heart and beat Scanlan High School. The J.V. has shown great potential, matching the Varsity record of 1-1. Led by the intensity of Junior Jamie Schmidt and balanced skills of Freshmen Sarah Marques, this team has the potential to finish the season in excellent fashion.

At 1-1, the team next plays: 10/1, 10/2, 10/5, 10/9, 10/11, 10/18, 10/19, and 10/23.