RE: Basketball News -
Great article on Chris Ortiz as a senior in high school being a role player and getting his act together. Wonderful kid, tweeted with him and watched his games on line when he was at South Kent Prep School in MA last year. And, he can't be all that bad because he loves chocolate and peanut butter....
Role model: Ortiz finds niche at Christ the King
By DYLAN BUTLER
Last Updated: 4:16 PM, March 26, 2011
Posted: 4:04 PM, March 26, 2011
ALBANY – The role of a senior on a high school basketball team is to lead, either by example or vocally, to take charge both in the locker room and on the court.
By definition, Chris Ortiz is a senior at Christ the King. But, after transferring back to the Middle Village school following one year at Lincoln, he struggled to find his niche.
“When I first came back I was a little shaky, didn’t want to try and do too much,” Ortiz said. “I had to accept I was still a first-year player on varsity, even though I’m a senior. I just tried to fall into place.”
Christina Santucci
Christ the King's Chris Ortiz cuts down the net following the CHSAA Class AA intersectional final.
It’s taken much of the season, but the 6-foot-7 forward has found his place on the Royals and is relishing his role. Corey Edwards is the passer, Omar Calhoun and T.J. Curry score the ball. Terrel Hunt is the enforcer and Ortiz? He’s the force down low.
“Coach told us everybody has a role on the team and I’ll do anything to win,” Ortiz said. “I don’t have to score any points the whole season. I’ll get 500 rebounds if I have to. All I really wanted was a championship. I didn’t want to leave high school without one.”
After being ruled ineligible last year at Lincoln, Ortiz never played for the Railsplitters and also never strayed too far from his brothers at Christ the King. He attended last year’s memorable CHSAA Class AA triple-overtime thriller against Bishop Loughlin and vowed to join his teammates on the court a year later.
Ortiz said his turning point this year came after the Royals challenging non-league schedule, which included trips to Fort Myers, Fla. for the City of Palms Classic, the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, Mass. and two treks to West Virginia.
That’s when he felt the “senior urgency,” that Mo Barrow, a senior last year who is now at Fairfield, described to him. It’s a term passed down from one graduating class to the next.
“That’s when it started kicking in,” Ortiz said. “I looked at the schedule and saw there wasn’t much time left.”
Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello immediately noticed the difference.
“People don’t rate team chemistry enough,” he said. “Teams have to find their way, find what they’re going to be good at and what they’re going to do and I think Chris was able to figure that out after he bonded with the team with the trips.”
Not coincidently, the Royals have won 13 consecutive games as Ortiz has emerged as a force inside while also showcasing his impressive range. Ortiz, who is being recruited by Penn State, Florida Atlantic and Siena but has yet to receive an offer, was instrumental in wins against St. Raymond and Rice. His work defensively set the tone as the Royals celebrated a second straight CHSAA ‘AA’ intersectional title.
This time Ortiz was on the court, not the stands.
“It was like déjà vu,” Ortiz said. “I saw myself with them when they were playing Loughlin, but it feels so much different actually experiencing it rather than just watching it.”
On Sunday, Ortiz will play in yet another championship game as the Royals meet the winner of Saturday’s Class AA semifinal between Boys & Girls and Mount Vernon at the Times Union Center. Christ the King is the defending New York State Federation champion and Ortiz is determined to go out with a bang.
“I’ve got one game left and I’m not trying to lose my last high school game ever,” Ortiz said. “I’m just focused on getting the win and whatever happens after that happens.”
dbutler@nypost.com
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