2002 WINTER SPORTS 
FCIAC WELL REPRESENTED IN 2003 ALL STATE BASKETBALL TEAMS BY RON JONES FCIAC.ORG It's been a banner year in sports for the FCIAC in 2002/2003. The league has been rewarded for it's overall stellar play by placing a number of their top players on the basketball all state teams. The FCIAC boasts two state champions for the 2002/2003 season in Class M champ Trinity Catholic and Bridgeport Central, who captured the Class LL crown after losing one of their top players Shannon Young, who was declared academically ineligible. Trinity, who finished the regular season undefeated, placed Holy Cross bound Torey Thomas and highly recruited junior forward Dave McClure on the Class M 1st team. Thomas was the leader for the Crusaders and will be sorely missed according to Crusader coach Mike Walsh, " Torey has led this team since he was a freshman and he's a major reason why we've enjoyed so much success in the last couple of years. Replacing him might be the toughest thing that I've had to do since I've been at Trinity. We're going to miss him." Stamford's Job Casimir, the fourth leading scorer in the FCIAC, capped off an outstanding junior season with his selection to the LL team. The Black Knights, who lost in Class LL semi-finals, should be in position to make another run in 2004 with Casimir and forward A.J. Stephens. Casimir's back court mate, senior Jared Ashe, was named to the Class LL Academic All- State team. Ashe, who will attend Wesleyan in the fall on a soccer, basketball scholarship, was a major reason for Stamford's success in 2003. Other FCIAC stars chosen for All state honors include Mitchell Gaines of St.Joseph and 6'7 John Baumann of Staples, who led the FCIAC in scoring. They were named to the Class L team. Lisa Etienne and April Jackson of FCIAC champion Brien McMahon were named to the girls basketball Class L team. This talented duo along with Penn State bound center Rochelle Johnson combined to make McMahon the dominant team in the league in 2002/2003. Sacred Heart bound Amanda Pape of Trinity was named to the Class L team. Pape, who scored over 2,300 points in her stellar career, was the top gun for the Class S champs, which boasted four 1,000 point scorers. Fairfield's Maureen Spring and Elizabeth Lalime of Norwalk were named to the Academic All-State team. In a season that provided competitive play in addition to a number of records being broken, many of the stars were rewarded for their heroics with post season honors and it's a tribute to the quality of talent in the league. Congratulations to the 2003 All State basketball selections. STAMFORD HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE WITH CASIMIR AND STEPHENS CASIMIR DRIVES TO THE BASKET AGAINST McMAHON (PHOTO BY STAMFORD ADVOCATE)
BY RON JONES FCIAC.ORG With an 21-3 overall record, the Stamford high school boys basketball team is looking to do great things in the 2003 CIAC state tournament. However, Black Knights coach Jim Moriarty can't be blamed for smiling when he thinks about next year's team. Armed with this year's fourth leading scorer, junior Job Casimir (20.3) and one of the league's brightest young stars in sophomore A.J. Stephens, Stamford should be well stocked for the next couple of seasons. "These are two of the best players that we've had here in a long time. There's been a lot of good players at Stamford high but never have we had two great ones at the same time. They are outstanding athletes that have a wealth of potential and an outstanding work ethic. They love to be in the gym and because of their great competitive nature, they have the talent and ability to play at the next level," Moriarty said about his dynamic duo. Casimir, at 5'9, is lightning quick and can play either shooting guard or the point. He's finished the season tied for 10th place in the FCIAC with 26 three pointers. With the ability to score from inside or out, Casimir has been a nightmare for opposing coaches in 2003. Casimir credits former Black Knights star Ernie Cobb, now a Stamford high assistant coach, for bringing out the best in his game, " Ernie has helped my game a lot because he's played in high school, college and the pros. It's different when he gives you advice cause he's been there. You try to learn as much as you can from him and use it to get better." Stephens started the season at power forward but shifted over to center after former starter Andre Brown left the team recently. At 6'3, he's still in the adjustment phase as he's played on the wing for much of his basketball career but with season averages of 16.8 ppg and over 11 rebounds a game, A.J. seems to be handling the move just fine, " I still have to work on my low post moves but coach Mo (Moriarty) told me early in the season that the 10-15 foot jumper would be my signature shot and so far it's worked out all right," said Stephens. It would seem as though Stephens is destined for stardom as two of his cousins were former standouts in the FCIAC. Clifton Stephens was a high scoring 6'6 guard for Stamford's 1977 state championship team and former Westhill star Enoch Gainer, who averaged over 20 points in his career, was part of many epic battles with assistant coach Cobb in the mid seventies. Unlike his cousins, who were perimeter players, A.J. is known for his rebounding, which he takes great pride in, " I like banging inside and chipping in to helping the team. Since Dre (Brown) left, the team needs me to rebound more than ever. I'm just trying to do my part to help the team," Stephens said. Losing by one point to division rival Bridgeport Central and twice to FCIAC champ Trinity, Stamford avenged the loss to Central by beating the Hilltoppers in FCIAC semifinals but lost to Trinity in the finals, " Those losses were a wake up call for us because at Central, both teams came in undefeated and that first loss kinda brought us back to earth. Then, we lost to Trinity and we had to regroup, but I thought we could have beaten both teams if we didn't turn the ball over," Stephens said. "There were certain things that we could have done in the Trinity game but we'll do better the next time. We took the emotions from that game and used it on the teams we played afterwards. So it might have helped us in the long run," commented Casimir. Regarding crosstown rival Trinity, Moriarty said, " There's a couple of things to consider here. First of all, they are much more experienced than us. Torey Thomas has played in three state finals and none of our players have been past the quarterfinals. Secondly, Trinity's a very tough team, especially at home, and we might have been a little intimidated by the packed house and hostile surroundings. Also, I have to take some of the blame for using the baseline defense although we only practiced it for a couple of days. But, we're a much better team now and we'll be ready to play now no matter who we face in the states." Although the Black Knights three losses are against their division (Central) and city rivals (Trinity), you get the feeling after talking to them that Stamford will be in good hands, now and in the future, with Casimir and Stephens leading the way.
MCMAHON'S APRIL JACKSON REACHES THE 1,000
POINT PLATEAU.
By Ron Jones
JACKSON'S GOAL OF WINNING AN FCIAC
TITLE IN 2003 COULD BE DECIDED BY THE WINNER OF McMAHON AND AMANDA PAPE'S TRINITY CATHOLIC TEAM. BOTH TEAMS ARE UNDEFEATED AND MEET AT TRINITY ON JANUARY 31.
With a 9-0 record overall (7-0 in FCIAC play), Brien McMahon girls basketball coach Ed
Faulkner knows that his TEAM is playing well now. In fact, he brushes off any talk of
individual records, such as his two 1,000 point scorers Lisa Etienne and April Jackson.
Etienne, who reached the 1,000 mark last week against Ridgefield, is one of the most
dangerous 3-point threats in the league. Jackson, a senior, also surpassed the 1,000
point plateau recently but according to Faulkner, these accolades come second to the
team's accomplisments, "They (Jackson and Etienne) understand that these indivdiual
marks wouldn't be possible without the help of their teammates. They are very talented
players who are unselfish and put the team first. It's been a total team effort as we have four
girls averaging double figures in points."
Jackson, in a recent phone interview, commented on reaching her milestone by
saying, "It was pretty cool, pretty exciting, scoring my 1,000th point. Everyone was behind me
so it felt good doing it in front of the home fans."
The pride of the McMahon High school or "Senator Pride" as Athletic director Joe Madaffari
emphatically put it is evident when you talk to anyone involved with the school. When asked
what it meant to her to be a Senator, Jackson replied, " Personally, there's a lot of pride in being
from McMahon. I love the whole environment. My teammates, coaches, everyone is behind
you 100% and they're always there for you. I'm going to really miss that next year."
Despite all of the distractions that come with being a FCIAC title contender in addition to a senior,
Jackson has been able to keep her focus on finishing her high school career with a FCIAC
championship, " This year has been pretty stressful, especially deciding what college I
want to attend but right now, I'm trying to just focus on doing my best for Brien McMahon and
I'll cross those other bridges when I get to them."
McMahon will put their perfect record on the line when they travel to Wilton to take on the (4-3)
Warriors. Game time is 5:15.
MCMAHON'S ETIENNE SCORES HER 1,000TH POINT
By Ron Jones
FCIAC.ORG
Junior guard Lisa Etienne recorded her 1,000th point as Brien McMahon crushed
Ridgefield 65-40 in Norwalk. Etienne, who has teamed with senior April Jackson
to give the undefeated Senators the most explosive scoring duo in the FCIAC
this season, jumped out to a 21-5 first quarter lead and cruised from there. Etienne also made 3- pointers en route to reaching the 1,000 point mark. Jackson finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Rochelle Johnson had 18 points and a team high 11 boards. However, the real story was Etienne, who now has 1,009 career points in her career. McMahon improves to (5-0) in league play, (7-0) overall. The Senators host New Canaan on Friday, while Ridgefield visits Greenwich.
FCIAC WINTER SPORTS REGULAR SEASON BEGINS
By Ron Jones
FCIAC. ORG
The quest for the FCIAC crowns in all of the winter sports is off and running now. Boys and Girls
Basketball are in full swing now and the marquee game on January 7th for the Boys is a Eastern division showdown
between St. Joseph and Bassick. St. Joe's explosive guard Mitchell Gaines (28.5 ppg) will look to protect his
home turf against the dangerous Lions. Bassick (1-1) in FCIAC play, is coming off a 69-58 loss to Harding over the
weekend, and they hope to get back on the winning track against the Cadets (2-0) in the FCIAC, and (4-1) overall.
For the girls, the games to see is 1,000 point scorer Amanda Pape and the Trinity Catholic Crusaders
hosting Staples and Ridgefield vs McMahon. Staples has gotten off to a good start with a 3-1 record in the FCIAC,
5-2 overall. Trinity, coming off a 81-44 thrashing of Westhill on Saturday, looks to continue their hot play. Central division rivals
McMahon and Ridgefield will square off in Norwalk. The undefeated Senators hope that the duo of April Jackson and
Lisa Etienne will carry them to victory once again. The regular season for Wrestling doesn't begin until January 8th, where the
McMahon at Westhill match will attract a lot of attention. Ice Hockey's regular season starts tonight when Wilton visits
Norwalk at the Darien Ice Rink. Stamford has started the season 6-1 and looks to be one of the strongest teams in the
league. Darien and New Canaan look to challenge the Black Knights for the FCIAC crown. Indoor Track began their
season on January 4th with the FCIAC qualifying meets held at Wilton and Staples high schools. Check out the Indoor
track page to see the results of this weekend' action. Boys Swimming started last Friday with Wilton facing Greenwich,
Staples at Trumbull and Norwalk hosting Darien. If the Fall season was any indication of things to come, then the
2002/2003 winter season should be an very exciting time for the FCIAC and their supporters.