Gulliver Prep boys’ basketball wins as Coach Gary DeCesare records 500th victory
When the Gulliver Prep boys’ basketball team defeated Pinecrest Prep 89-42 on Monday, it marked a momentous occasion.
Coach Gary DeCesare reached a milestone, his 500th high school victory as the Raiders improved to 5-9 on this challenging season.
DeCesare began his high school coaching career in 1987 at St. Raymond’s High School in the Bronx. He spent 16 years at St. Raymond’s, winning nearly 300 games, with four city titles (‘91, ‘93, ‘00, ‘01) and two state championships (‘93, ‘01).
DeCesare spent seven years in the college ranks at Richmond and DePaul. He then returned to high school basketball, taking the reins at St. Rita in the Ashburn neighborhood of Chicago for 10 years. There he amassed almost 200 wins, five CCL titles (‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘19) and two regional championships (‘17, ‘18).
In 2019-20, he joined Miami Gulliver Prep and led the Raiders to a regional final, going 23-7. Most importantly, throughout his journey, he has assisted approximately 50 young men in pursuing their college basketball careers at the NCAA Division I level.
Gulliver Prep athletic director Ira Childress said: “That’s a great accomplishment. The Gulliver Prep athletic department was really happy to see Gary get his 500th win [Monday] night. Congratulations to him and the boys’ basketball coaching staff.”
In the milestone victory Monday, Jordan Bankston had a game-high 26 points with eight rebounds and three steals. Alejandro Brillembourg added 12 points and four steals, and Ray Allen (eight rebounds) and Will Bettridge each scored 10 points.
MORE BOYS’ BASKETBALL: Palmer Trinity 76, Marathon 13: PT(7-5): Waldman 23, D. Fumagalli 17, Pottinger 12, Friedland 8, Rodz 8. Mar: D. Cruz 5, Coleman 3. Halftime: PT 59-10. 3-ptrs: Waldman 4, Pottinger 2, Friedland, Rodz, D. Cruz. Rebounds: D. Fumagalli 10, Lopez 5, Waldman 4, Rodz 4. Steals: Waldman 6, Rodz 4, Friedland 2. Assists: Waldman 7, McCray 5, Friedland 3.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL: Somerset Silver Palms 62, American Heritage (Delray) 45: SP: Martinez 14, Mateo 12, Hunter 11, Sanchez 8, Vega 6, A. Williams 5, J. Williams 3, Hardisson 3. 3-ptrs: Martinez 4, Mateo 4, Hunter 2, Sanchez 2, Williams 1, Hardisson 1.
Somerset Silver Palms 64, Dillard 53: SP (13-8): Hunter 21, Vega 13, Mateo 11, Sanchez 7, Hardisson 6, Martinez 6. 3-ptrs: Hunter 3, Martinez 2, Mateo 1, Vega 1, Sanchez 1.
Carrollton 62, Keys Gate 20: CARR (2-0): Gaby Garcia-Pons 18, Sofia Travieso 17, Sela Travieso 7, Sara Perez 7, Vero Larrea 5, Bianca Barreiro 4, Emmy Moss 2, Sharella Lee 2. Rebounds: Sofia Travieso 7. Assists: Sofia Travieso 8. 3-ptrs: So. Travieso 3, Garcia-Pons 1, Sela Travieso 1, Larrea 1.
GMAC Quarterfinal: Miami High 57, North Miami Senior 34: MH (8-6): Danajah Peterson 15 points; Kiara Cruz 12 points; Joelle Wilson 10-points, 8-rebounds; Janay Quinn 9 points, 10 assists, 5 steals.
GMAC Quarterfinal: Krop 69, Killian 27: KR: Lindsey Weingard 27 points, 5 assists, 4 steals; Lauryn Hornstein 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists; Mai-Lisa Atis 11 points; Emmy Mills 11 pts, 15 rebs, 6 blks; Neyida Michel 8 points, 7 rebs, 5 stls. KIL: Khaliyah Simms 10 pts.; Jada Beneby 10 pts.
MORE GMAC Quarterfinals: Norland beat Ferguson, and Central beat Palmetto.
GIRLS’ SOCCER: Miami Springs 4, Hialeah Gardens 0: Rebecca Baldemar 3 goals; Omayra Garcia 1 goal, 1 assist; Wanda Garciadeleon 1 assist.
Pines Charter 14, McArthur 0: Francesca Brito 4 goals, 1 assist; Lexi Moscoso 2 goals, 1 assist; Alexa Robles 2 goals, 1 assist; Tiffany Murillo 1 goal, 1 assist; Maddie Martone 1 goal, 1 assist; Natali Brito 1 goal; Eliana Salama 1 goal; Veronica Jaramillo 1 goal; Leyla Molina 1 goal. PC (4-2).
LaSalle 1, MAST 0: Deanna Prieto goal; Nabila Osman assist; Ashley Fonseca fourth shutout. LaSalle (4-6-2).
Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
(jvarsallone@miamiherald.com).
Wrestling coaches
To nominate 2-3 top high school wrestlers of the week, email hssports@miamiherald.com. Include school, first and last name, weight class, what the wrestler did. Varsity only.
Submit varsity game results
For high schools in Broward and Miami Dade counties, if you have varsity game results for this column, email hssports@miamiherald.com. Varsity only.
All-County varsity forms
A link for All-County ballots were emailed to athletic directors. Varsity coaches and athletic directors, if you still need an All-County link/ballot for Fall sports, email jvarsallone@miamiherald.com. Deadline to submit selections is Jan. 22.
Recognizing varsity athletes who did not compete due to COVID
We will be doing a feature that will coincide with our All-County Teams to recognize those varsity athletes who might have otherwise been contenders for All-County but were not able to play because of COVID-19 concerns or if their teams opted out of playing. A link was sent to athletic directors for that purpose. Varsity coaches and athletic directors, if you still need a link/form for Fall sports, email jvarsallone@miamiherald.com. Deadline to submit that info is Jan. 22.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 11:32 AM.
