Somehow I managed to go all season without doing a feature on Saniya Chong. That’s been fixed.
The Ossining sophomore has been the subject of more debate than any player in recent memory. Despite being one of the great performers in Section 1 history—yes I said history—she has her share of doubters.
I address that debate, as well as her amazing talents, in a feature from Sunday’s paper.
41 Comments
Jake,
I read that in yesterday’s paper. Nice piece!
nice job jake….spoken like someone who knows what they are talking about. niya is every bit the team player. she wants to win and she will do whatever it takes to do so.
All
Great player, seems like the sky is limit if she keeps working. Is SAniya staying with the Hoopers or moving on to Ricci
she plays for both(at least thats what she did last year)..Riccis AAu team doesn’t do the whole July viewing period tour-think he does Penn State thats it but thats just what I heard from reliable sources(not him) and Chong on the interview with Jake said she was playing Hoopers
This is a Rumor, because I don’t know if it’s tue or not, but is Riley leaving the Lady Knicks? If u hav no clue what I’m talking about, totally disregard.. If he is my daughter is in limbo.. How r the Hoopers anyone? If for nothing else they r closer to home then the city?
No, I don’t believe Coach Reilly is leaving the Lady Knicks. He was at the Lady Knicks sign-ups a few weeks ago. I’m curious as to where you heard that…........
There is no doubting that Saniya Chong is a great player and anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t know what they are talking about. The doubters have said that she is not a true sophomore and they have also said that Coach Ricci doesn’t give her a second to rest eventhough at times she is gasping for air (ask her own mother). How about clarifying that up Jake. Is she a true sophomore or should she actually be a junior?
As far as AAU goes Saniya does play for Ricci as does every girl that plays Ossining High School Basketball. She also plays for the Hoopers and Ricci can not do much about that.
Maybe he’s leaving because he had enough of your daughter.Good luck at Hoopers.
Jake, I’m not so sure she has ANY doubters. Although I have been tough on her COACH I have never criticized this very special young lady. I don’t care about which grade she’s in. Saniya is one of the most complete players Section 1 has ever seen. And for the record, I’d let her take over the game anytime necessary if I was the coach.
Think chong is the best sophomore around…if she was a junior(who cares) she would still be tops..if she was a senior would put her as top 3 in section 1…but will go out on a limb and say by her senior year(2013) she will have scored a boatload of points,win 2 gold balls but will be the best girls basketball player to come out of section 1(period)....I know people will mention other names (port ell ,walker,whitaker,chambers,etc)but after seeing her play the last 2 years of hs ball,and last years aau she will fulfill this prediction!
If Saniya stays healthy she will have rewritten every record in the books for Section 1. I have seen her play every game except 3 over the last two years and each game she surprizes me and her opponents with something new! She is that good and no matter what team she were to play with she would be the same scoring machine. Whether or not she is a sophomore, junior or whatever she is simply the best player in the section hands down. She is truly gifted. She is THE NATURAL! It is a pleasure to watch her and her team mates go about their business.
Chong should play with a top 10 aau team. She’s putting together a resume that could make her a Mcdonalds all american. She wont be that travelling with the Hoopers.
go to Hoopers website..they are traveling all over to high quality aau tournaments…think she will do just fine! she should stay where she is !
She will not play top 10 because she won’t be #1and they won’t stand for all that shooting.Trust Me so be Real her momma knows what I’m talking about.
I don’t know 1 coach in section 1 that has a kid shooting for the whole team.Porsha Postell didn’t even get that type of green light and hands down she was a better player.
#1 postell-no friggin way…she was one of top 10 to come out of Westchester(section 1) but chong is already as good(if not better)
It’s not about hating -Its facts Her coach knows the hype and how to work you fools
My kid play on aau team with her and it didn’t go down like high school .Coach luck ran it like a team. at timesi she struggle with the competition.Great player but the hype is just that HYPE
Jake – great article. Chong is without a doubt a talented player. She has improved her game in alll aspects (especially the passing). But you need a team to win. I have said this before, her surrounding cast needs to step up and get the necessary stops to win at County Center so bbdad can present her with the MVP.
You guys are all haters where is Porsha Postell right now WCC shes ten times worse then Chong. Chong has gotten letters from UCONN the best program in the land I guess they believe the hype?
In fairness to Porsha, she really went to Kentucky. I think she had some problems there and that’s why she came back home.
U-conn needs bench warmers and water girls for BRIA the real deal
This is like bowling….set them up to knock them down. Just remember Sinaya, it doesn’t matter what they are saying as long as they are talking about you!
Porsha was on Kentucky for two days and couldnt handle the practices and the coach so she left because she is a quiter. Saniya is not a quiter and she will be a star in college unlike Porsha. By the way Kentucky wouldn’t even consider Porsha anymore now that they are a big time team and have Samarie Walker transferring their next year but they definetly would take Saniya
Bobby boy your a dreamer but if that’s what it takes to make your day go by more power to you
@#1-Postell…seriuos question here-how did Porsha play at WCC this year and is she looking to move onto to a 4 year college??
Postell#1
@#1-Postell…is that your response???just wanted to know how she did and any future plans
Not to change the subject and everyone has there own opinion-but there was a girl who didn’t get a lot of press from Section 1 a few years back that I thought was one of the best to come out of section 1(hands down) and is now staring at BC-Caitlin Moran of John Jay CR-now that girl had it all and was a treat to watch play
Lets be honest here!!! Sofia Roman, good section 1player, played for Gauchos, where did it get her? Asia Jackson was top 50in the country in2010(as was Sofia 2009) but they will not play over Gauchous NJ favorites..Lawrence plays for Ringcity, in NJ, but goes to Ursuline.Whittaker played for the Knicks, but got signed to Rhode Island bcuz of the Hoopers..Kim Hanlon bounced around where did it get her,probably back to the Pride… The point is when u choose an AAU program choose carefully..Top10 programs aren’t playing your kid bcuz she is scoring 90 on so and so.. They,along with college coaches, want to see you score 15-20 on Quality talent and defend… If the program has good coaches, is going to major showcases, good relationships with colleges, and good academic standards, top 10or not your kid will do well.. Hoopers is a BlueStar Organization which is why my kid plays their.. No other organization in our area is.. That’s not a knock it’s a fact.. Not Knicks, pride, knights, vipers, breeze, hornets,etc….and they still sent some girls to college on D1,2,3 athletic/academic scholarships.. Let’s not get to hyped over “Top Ten” programs.. Most of them have a ton of talent but other issues!!!!(Seniority,grades,Favortism)
Thank you for pointing that out Hooper parent. A lot of top10 programs hav a bunch of mess with them.. Some organizations, like ours, do very well, and are not a “Top 10” club. We train the girls, get them looks, and that’s what it’s about. We are Rivals but I can say that I hav done my homework on you guys and the Hoopers stress academics first which I commend..You also hav alot of talent and decent coaching..it’s gonna take u some time to get to our status but your on the right track it seems and a lot quicker than we expected. I’m not a “HATER” I’m a realist so keep up the good work. Ughhhh I just gave props to the enemy… It must be a long morning!!!
The last 2 posts are the way I envisioned this blog-people pointing out subtle differences,but praising each other for the effort and hard work put out by the kids,coaches and directors of aau….Lady Knicks is the standard to which a lot of aau programs have set out to reach and I think the Hoopers are on the right track
Love the Hoopers. Treat my Daughter well and delivered on promises. Knicks run a nice org. as well. Both groups have good players. The difference is probably the amount of travel. Hoopers travel more and generally play against tougher competition more often. Knicks do also play in some tough tournaments. It comes down to finding the right fit….this is not a zero sum game. They can coexist and both enjoy good reputations.
Here’s some truth—I often work the book for Ossining and Breeze (AAU) games. Last AAU season, coaches and parents from teams we weren’t even playing (and sometimes even refs from other games) would stop me to find out the name of “that girl”. No hype, no agenda, no ulterior motive … just people who understand the game seeing the real deal. End of story.
Well said basketball Jonze & playball… I honestly believe they can co-exist as well.. Our area shouldn’t have to resort to our girls going anywhere else.. These are the top 2programs(in my opinion) in our Area with the best talent with excellent grades… I don’t think we played the Hoopers last year.. Would be a fun game!!
Postell was a quitter. She was also a crybaby. Never forget the act she put on at the county center a couple of years ago with the ankle…and mom on the floor…for the hype. Saniya is light years better than postell and has two more years to excell before she is recruited to every basketball program in the country. She can play with any team any where and be a star. She will prove it at the County Center this weekend…..not that she has anything to prove. She is gifted….she sees the court like noone i have ever seen at this level. She’s not my kid and my kids don’t play for Ossining or any aau program so I have nothing to hype except a great program and great kids.
It’s a good thing there are a bunch of AAU programs to choose from. We don’t need any of these kingmakers waddling around thinking they hold the only ticket to college ball.
Answer: People that cannot spell spewing hate at a child in public with private references, conclusions and character assassination.
Question: Why LoHud blogs are viewed as garbage.
Then why do you go on it “realthing”?
If I waited for my child to get picked up forget about it..know one ever called me and said hey would your kid like to play here….so we need to have the kids spread out and the way these blogs are ..you would not even think we had any sense..bad mouthing these kids…please…talk about the coaches even refs…but about these kids ..they are doing what most of our lazy butts are not doing..going out there and taking a beating ,working out..homework and all..oh let me say it again they are kids…and this site in itself should be shut down.
the parents and “no it alls” on here are pathetic. Never stick to a comment on programs..The Lady Knicks and The Hoopers are second rate programs striving to be on the level as Ring City, New Heights and or Guachos. It is very important for kids to be seen and nutured and guided through the aau season and yes the top programs will always have issues but thats what everyone else is striving to be. Hoopers are always trying to worm their way and accumulate players from other programs but there schedule is to weak and being a “blue-star” program is no prize. The point is, its about the kids, as long as the kids do well thats all that matters and parents who have personal issues because their kids can’t play with the “top 10” programs need to either help get their kids game up or stay in their lane…Not everyone can play at every level and when parents become realist all this nonsence about other programs will cease…..