How New York is headlining the hardwood

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

New York City is balling out, but the impact of local hoops is being felt across the country. The Knicks are red hot, former Johnnies are playing big postseason roles, and Brooklyn’s past youngsters are forging paths forward.

Jose hoops at home

Brooklyn native and former Christ the King standout Jose Alvarado laced up his shoes at the Mecca for his first playoff series as a Knick. Jose played five of the six games against Atlanta, scoring 5 and picking up a steal on average in 9.6 minutes played.

While most of the heavy lifting was done by Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges, the Puerto Rican point guard helped keep NY’s energy and effort with the rest of the Knick reserves.

On Monday night Jose picked up another 5 points as well as an assist, a rebound, and a steal as the Knicks trounced the Philadelphia 76ers by 39 points.

Daniss in Detroit

Daniss Jenkins went undrafted after a stellar senior year at St. John’s. The guard followed Rick Pitino from the Iona Gaels to the Red Storm for his final year, where he averaged 14.9 points and 5.4 assists.

Now with the Detroit Pistons in his second year as a pro, Jenkins is starting to make a name for himself. He knocked down a huge buzzer-beating three against Orlando to help Detroit overcome a 3-1 series deficit, leading all bench scorers with 16 in the Game 7 win.

Jenkins isn’t the only former Johnnie playing postseason ball this year. Julian Champagnie spent three years in Queens, standing out in his sophomore and junior seasons. While it took the sharpshooting guard some time to settle, he’s finally carved out a significant role for the San Antonio Spurs. Champagnie cemented his role over the past two seasons, playing all 164 regular season games with 68 starts this past year.

Pitino’s stars blossom

Pitino’s other stars are also starting to blossom on the NBA stage. In the 2nd round, Jenkins took on the Cavs, featuring one of Hall of Fame coach’s top performers at Louisville, Donovan Mitchell.

For the upcoming NBA draft, Pitino’s recent senior standouts have been invited to the combine this month. BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor will be hunting a first round selection, accompanied by Dillon Mitchell, who hopes to impress with his defense, athleticism, and potential.

A first round selection would be the first out of St. John’s since Philadelphia drafted Moe Harkless 15th overall in 2012 (Dom Pointer was a 2nd round pick in 2015, but only played in the NBA Development League and abroad).

BK’s past powers Cavs

The Brooklyn Nets of years past have their fingerprints all over Cleveland’s Game 7 win against Toronto. Leading the charge was Kenny Atkinson, who coached Brooklyn during some pivotal years. Atkinson picked up his second playoff series win, also advancing out of the first round last season.

The difference-maker in the winner-take-all game was Jarrett Allen. The former Nets 1st round draft pick recorded a monster double-double with 22 points and 19 rebounds. Allen averaged 11.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game in the series.

A few other former Nets filled out the Cavs roster. James Harden averaged a hair over 20 points per game with 6 assists and 5.3 rebounds. Dennis Shroder also added some minutes off the bench for Cleveland, 

Cloudy skies ahead

After what seemed like an eternity, Natasha Cloud has put pen to paper. The veteran guard will be with the Chicago Sky for the 2026 season, joining another former NY fan favorite in Courtney Vandersloot.

Cloud averaged about 10 points and 5 assists in her one year with the Liberty. Between her contagious energy and unshakable passion to speak on social issues, Natasha stands out despite joining New York after their championship season and playing just over 40 games.