[Eyes On City Hall]At a recent City Council meeting, Majority Whip Inez Dickens was joined by her colleagues in awarding a proclamation to the Rice High School Raiders Varsity A Basketball Team for its championship season, as well as a citation to each individual team member for their outstanding sportsmanship.
“Rice High School is a perennial presence on national top 25 lists of the best high school basketball teams in the country,” said Council Member Dickens. “All these young men are successes in life as well. Next year many will be moving on to colleges around the country, and those who will be returning for their senior year will have an opportunity to defend their title under the tutelage of Coach Maurice Hicks.
"These young men are shining examples of the teamwork, self-sacrifice, camaraderie and the champion spirit of the Village of Harlem and the great City of New York,” she continued. Turning to the young men, Dickens concluded, “We salute you and say thank you.”
As the proclamation spells out, Rice High School has been a hallowed institution in Harlem since it was founded in 1938. This Catholic college preparatory school fortifies young men with a meaningful education that addresses their spiritual, academic and personal needs, including lessons in good sportsmanship.
The Rice High School Raiders have clearly learned that with teamwork, commitment and hard work, one can overcome obstacles and accomplish anything. In the most recent Catholic High School Activities Association Intersectional Championship, the Raiders held off relentless opponents and were rewarded with a 77-50 blowout victory and the title of New York State Champions.
The Raiders Varsity A Basketball Team is comprised of the following stellar players who support each other both on the court and off: Charles Fenner, DeVaugn Reid, Durand Scott, James Cook, Joshua Gomez, Jack Middleton, Jemaine Sanders, James Stukes, Jonathan Williams, Kadeem Jack, Kevin Nashimento, Richard Council, Scott Arias, Shamel Williams, Yeuri Santos, Shane Southwell.
The team also owes its successful season to Head Coach Maurice Hicks and Assistant Coach Dwayne Mitchell, who guided them with unwavering dedication. As a result of these coaches abilities, the names of former Raiders players have regularly dotted the rosters of the top Division I programs in America. They include Dean Meminger, Tom Gorman, Felipe Lopez, Edgar Sosa, Curtis Kelly and Kemba Walker.
Accepting the City Council proclamation on behalf of the Raiders, Coach Hicks noted that they really weren’t expected to win this year since, during pre-season, they were number four or five in the league. “But these guys worked hard from day one,” he declared, “and I can tell them now, ‘Hard work pays off, right guys?’” Hicks ended by thanking Inez Dickens and the other councilmembers for honoring the team.
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