There will still be turkey leftovers in the refrigerator when the 2024-25 Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) boys’ basketball season begins at the end of this month.

The Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) stretches throughout the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn. Teams are divided by diocese into three leagues based on the strength of their programs: AA, A, and B.

Most teams’ schedules are focused within the archdiocese or diocese, but some choose to schedule regional and even national opponents. The season culminates with a diocesan playoff and champion, intersectional playoffs between New York and Brooklyn for an overall CHSAA winner, and perhaps, as this year, a final between the Catholic high school champion and New York City’s top public high school team.

“I’m excited about it. It’s a new year, and all the schools participate. It’s a very competitive league,” CHSAA President Kevin Pigott told The Good Newsroom in an interview, 

In the 2024-25 Boys Basketball Media Pre-Season Poll, three of the seven teams are from the archdiocese: Archbishop Stepinac (1), St. Raymond (3), and Iona Prep (5). The Good Newsroom takes a look at the early contenders to raise the end-of-season trophies.

Archbishop Stepinac High School

Located in White Plains, New York, Archbishop Stepinac High School has become a destination for local basketball talent over the last decade. Stepinac Coach Patrick Massaroni, CHSAA 2023-24 Coach of the Year, sees good things ahead for the new season. “The veteran guys have gelled well early on, we hope to use that to our advantage,” he told The Good Newsroom. Massaroni said the team is challenging itself with nine non-league games, including the Crusaders’ opener against Maryland’s St. Frances Academy on November 30, at Stepinac. “We need a group that wants to compete every year,” Massaroni said of his players and the tone he seeks to set.

Stepinac remains the Archdiocese of New York’s team to beat, but as the season gets underway, they likely will faces a more crowded field of potential champions.

Who to watch: Danny Carbuccia, point guard, senior. Stepinac’s sole returning senior will have some weight on his shoulders this season. “Winning a lot” is his goal for the year, Carbuccia said. Having already committed to play at the University of Massachusetts next year, Carbuccia’s longer-term future is secure, but pressure awaits over the next few months. “This is Danny’s team,” Massaroni said of his senior player.

Iona Preparatory School

Iona Prep‘s Tim Philp is a veteran CHSAA coach but was new to the New Rochelle school last season. Describing his team, he called his players “young,” but added, “They’re smart, they’re gym rats. They love to practice, always want to be in the gym.” He complimented his school and its approach to athletics. “Iona has an aura around it. [The boys] are expected to act like student-athletes,” Philp said.

The New Rochelle school will represent a mid-season challenge for others with title aspirations and come the playoffs, be positioned to make a run toward the finals. Iona Prep begins its season away at Fordham Preparatory School on November 29.

Who to watch: Senior Nate Shillingford is just finishing his season on Iona Prep’s varsity football team as basketball starts up. Expect him to import his size and speed to the court once he hangs up his helmet. He and fellow senior Johnny Keenan look forward to settling in during Coach Philp’s second year.

St. Raymond’s High School for Boys

When opportunity knocked for St. Ray’s during the archdiocesan final in March, Coach Jorge Lopez and his team swung the door open, winning 57-51 over Stepinac. Lopez’s players are already hanging out in the doorway at the start of the new season.

“I love our chances,” Lopez told The Good Newsroom. “We are returning almost our entire team from last year. We’ve got depth. We’re looking to take advantage of that,” he said.

St. Ray’s gets a later start, opening December 8 at St. Peter’s Boys High School in Staten Island. The word Lopez didn’t use was “hungry,” but it describes his team after a taste of a trophy last season. Look for the Ravens to represent the Bronx both mid-season and in the playoffs.

Who to watch: Senior point guard Tai Turnage “can’t wait” to play Stepinac and Brooklyn’s Nazareth. Turnage and teammate Brandon Stores Jr. combined for 30 points and 13 rebounds in St. Ray’s archdiocesan championship win. They’ll look to turn it up in their final year for the Ravens.

Look for The Good Newsroom‘s CHSAA girls’ basketball preview, coming next week.