NYC PSAL: Early Season Standouts in Staten Island

<p>While the NYC school year is practically over, the Public School Athletic League, after being delayed months on end, is finally getting its basketball season started up. While athletes haven’t played interschool in over a year, these first couple of games absolutely prove that they have not missed a step! Here, we take a look at some Staten Islanders who have carved out a role for themselves in the PSAL.</p> <p><strong>Frank Barbato | Tottenville</strong></p> <p>Frank Barbato has always been a great three-point shooter. Last season, he actually made more three-point field goals than two-pointers, and colleges took notice, with Barbato being invited to attend, and then committing to CUNY’s John Jay. This season, Barbato has shown more confidence in his game. He’s both shooting more from deep and going to the hole more consistently, and it has been showing, with Barbato averaging over 25 points through four games.</p> <p><strong>Qadir Martin | Curtis</strong></p> <p>The freshman out of Curtis, Martin’s freshman season was probably the most hyped freshman season this year. His brother, Malik Martin, became the all-time leading scorer at Curtis by the time his senior year was over, won the Jacques Award for two consecutive seasons, and now plays at D1 Rhode Island. Their older brother, Hassan Martin, also won the Jacques Award while at Curtis, and then went on to play four years at the same Rhode Island before Hassan would go pro, playing in Japan, Germany, Southeast Europe, and now at Olympiacos Greece. Qadir, looking for a legacy of his own, has gotten off to a hot start as a freshman, averaging over 18 points. Definitely keep an eye on him.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1047233" first="Michael" last="Oyekanmi"] | Curtis</strong></p> <p>The junior out of Curtis is no stranger to varsity ball like his teammate Qadir. Rather, he can already be considered a veteran with this being his third season at the varsity level. Oyekanmi has brought the same skillset to the table this year, just with added efficiency. He is a tremendous defender and is great on offense as a pick and roll and paint threat, all leading him to be a double-double threat every game. This year, he even has shown a bit of the three-ball, and if that can stay consistent, he might just be one of the top forwards in the city.</p> <p><strong>Iguehita Izevbuwa | Port Richmond</strong></p> <p>There’s being a double-double threat every game, and then there’s being a guaranteed double-double, and Izevbuwa certainly falls into the latter category. So far, Izevbuwa has been insane this season, with a stat line of 20.50 points per game and 15.83 rebounds per game. There’s more to it than the stats suggest, as Izevbuwa is the farthest thing from a defensive liability and has a great fingerprint on the offensive with his screening ability.</p>