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FEBRUARY 2006

Noel Steps Up Big For Midwood Hornets

By Richard Kagan

Recently, Midwood High School in Brooklyn defeated South Shore High School 62-60 in a Public School Athletic League basketball game that put the Hornets into the Publick School Athletic League (PSAL) playoffs.  Greg Noel had a great game scoring 10 points, grabbing 18 rebounds, and drawing six charges by the opposing team.

A charge is player control foul on the offense and the ball is awarded to the team on defense. As a result, Noel helped his team get six extra possessions in the game.

What is noteworthy about Noel’s play in that game and this season is that he is a freshman who starts in Brooklyn’s 3A division, featuring some of the best teams in the PSAL like Boys & Girls High School, Paul Robeson, and Canarsie. At 6’4”, Noel plays power forward, leading the team in rebounds, and shows great hustle on the court. Noel also can score in the low-post near the basket.  His coach, Victor Gjecaj, who has been at the helm for 10 years, says Noel is a rare find. In his ten years at Midwood, Gjecaj has only started four freshmen, and ironically, three of those are on this season’s squad.

Khaleef Allicott, now a senior point guard, who averages 25 points and 12 assists a game is one of the bona fide point guards in the city. He has played all four years for Midwood.

So has Andre Frenkel, a 6’5” senior who chips in with 14 points a game.

Noel is one to watch.  He averages eight points and 12 rebounds a game. He is only going to improve as a player. “I feel overjoyed that I made it this far,” said Noel. “My friends told me you’re going to be on the bench and won’t play until your senior year. I’ve proved them wrong.”  Gjecaj recalls a game earlier this season when Noel scored 24 points and had 23 rebounds and fouled out of the game midway through the third quarter against Thomas Jefferson HS.  The more Noel is in the game, the more opportunities he has to help the team. The last five games, Noel hasn’t fouled out.

Now that the playoffs are around the corner, Gjecaj hopes Noel can continue to make

positive contributions. “He’s a great rebounder,” Gjecaj said. “The most physical kid we have on the team.”  Midwood currently has a 16-6 overall record and is 7-5 in its division. Last season the Hornets were ranked No. 12 in the PSAL playoff seedings but were upset in the first round. This season Gjecaj hopes the team can stick around longer. “We could do very well,” said Gjecaj about his team’s playoff hopes.

Noel has been working on his stamina. When the season started he said he got winded going up and down the court.  Now he’s getting stronger and is ready to go as playoffs will soon start to crown the best Brooklyn team in the PSAL. After that, it’s the city-wide PSAL playoffs.  That’s a lot of pressure-packed games for a freshman.  Noel said he’ll see “the playoffs for the first time in my life.” This time he’ll be in them.#

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