Welcome To The Club: 1,000 Points A Destination For Many In EST

To the vast majority of athletes, the most important stat is the letter in the W/L column - as it should be. However, the one individual accolade that no scorer will deny its personal importance is the 1,000 point plateau.

Many players will list it as an individual goal. When someone is getting close, they know. Not only do they have the count going in their head, they're hearing about it often. Whether it's from teammates, classmates/teachers in the hall, or league coordinators tweeting about it (sorry), the buzz is all around.

Many of these athletes that participated in the inaugural Empire State Takeover summer showcase leagues have either surpassed the 1,000 point plateau this year, already did so before last summer, or are rapidly approaching it now. A total of 15 boys that participated have scored 1,000 points, with 10 coming this season; 10 girls have also crossed the barrier, with 7 doing so this winter. A number of players on both sides are quickly getting there. A quick rundown of these elite scorers:

Boys

- All-EST 2nd Team Ty'Jon Gilmore (Watervliet 2016) scored his 1,000th point on December 22, in a 21 point performance against Ravena. His current point total was not readily available, but is in the 1,150 range.

- All-EST Honorable Mention Mitchel Wayand (Stillwater 2016) was the 2nd to surpass it this year, doing so in a 27 point game on January 5 against Tamarac (putting him at 1,000 exactly). His current career point total stands at 1,204, as of February 18.

- All-EST 2nd Team Tyler Lamport (South Kortright 2017) reached his 1,000th the day after Wayand, also in a 27 point performance against Roxbury. He's kept up his pace since then, currently sitting at 1,208 career points as of February 18.

- Zach Hilton (Berne-Knox-Westerlo 2017) got his 1,000th point on January 13, scoring 25 points against Schoharie when he was just 1 point away to start the game. Hilton's current point total is now 1,186, as of February 18.

- Danny Reidell (Northville 2017) scored his 1,000th point just 2 days later, on January 15. Sitting at 988 career points, he finished with 29 against Johnsburg. He's since worked his way up to 1,144 career points as of February 18.

- The youngest on the list is All-EST 1st Team Joseph Girard III (Glens Falls 2019), who scored his 1,000th in a 47 point performance against South Glens Falls on January 26. He needed all of them, not just for his individual number (953 going into the game), but also for the team, which won 81-77 in 2OT. With 4 games under his belt since then, he's at 1,132 career points as of February 18.

- The 7th from EST to hit 1,000, and the 2nd straight All-EST 1st Team to do so, was Zac O'Dell (Schalmont 2016, Swarthmore 2020). His 12 point game in a blowout W over Watervliet on February 2 was enough to bump him into the 1,000 point club. As of February 18, his total is in the 1,065 range.

- Kory Bergh (Amsterdam 2016) punched his ticket to the 1,000 point club as part of a very active week for this accomplishment, and one of two that played in EST to do it on the same day. He finished with a team high 19 points against Green Tech on February 5 to hit the mark. As of February 18, his total is in the 1,060-1,070 range.

- On the same day as Bergh, Justin Houck (Berne-Knox-Westerlo 2016) became not only the 2nd to do it on February 5, but the 2nd BKW player to hit 1,000 on the season - after the aforementioned Hilton. Houck had a game high 16 points in a victory over Mayfield to reach the milestone. His scoring total is in the 1,020-1,030 range, as of February 18.

- All-EST Honorable Mention Tyler Bertram (Cooperstown 2018) killed 2 birds with 1 stone using a 39 point performance on February 8, becoming the 4th boy that participated in EST to score his 1,000th point in a 7 day stretch. Before hitting that mark, which he needed all 39 of those points to achieve, he broke Cooperstown's single-season scoring record in the 2nd quarter. The previous record was 581, held by former Colgate standout Seth Schaeffer; as of February 18, Bertram's single season total stands at 675, and his career mark is 1,069.

A few were members of 'the club' before this season. Those participants are:

- All-EST Honorable Mention Adam Jaquish (Moriah 2016), who came into this season with 1,147 career points. He's now up to 1,503, and he's also joined the much more uncommon 1,000 rebound club as well (1,058) - both totals as of February 8.

- All-EST Honorable Mention Kobe Lufkin (Argyle 2017), who started off the season with 1,060 points. With another full season remaining, he's sitting at an incredible 1,882 points.

- Chris Boucher (Fort Edward 2016) started the season with 1,069 points to his name. After another prolific season, he finished a stellar high school career with 1,824 points.

- Dyaire Holt (Life Prep (KS) 2016) was a member of the 1,000 point club at Troy before transferring this year.

- Andrew Platek (Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) 2017) is a member of the 1,000 point club at Guilderland, where he achieved it last year before transferring.

Some names to look out for include:

- Louden Porter (Canton 2017)

- Taylor Slattery (Moriah 2016)


Girls

- Emily Padalino (Albany Academy for Girls 2016) scored her 1,000th point in a 21 point performance against Voorheesville on December 11. She kept up her scoring pace - after a 1st round sectional loss, she finished her career with 1,421 career points.

- All-EST Honorable Mention Cassidy Albright (New York Mills 2016) scored her 1,000th point on December 29 in a win over Oriskany. She needed 26, and finished with 27. After winning a Section 3, Class D championship & eventually falling in the regional final, Albright finished her career with 1,303 career points.

- All-EST 1st Team Saeeda Abdul-Aziz (Mohonasen 2017) was 1 of 2 juniors to achieve this milestone on December 30. Her 25 point game against Ichabod Crane, needing a dozen to hit the millenium mark, did the job. With her junior season in the books, her career scoring total is 1,292 - 44 away from tying the Mohonasen career scoring mark.

- The other junior to write her name in school history books on December 30 was Olivia Marshall (Stockbridge Valley 2017), who started the day off with 999 and had 31 points in a W over Otselic Valley. The only 1,000 point scorer to ever play at Stockbridge - boy or girl - finished off her junior campaign with 1,303 career points.

- Shiane Irwin (Poland 2017) is the most recent girls' addition to the club, doing so on January 29 with a 19 point performance against New York Mills - featuring the aforementioned Albright, who was her AAU and EST teammate with Lady Knicks. She wrapped up her junior campaign with a 23 point performance in a tough Section 3, Class D quarterfinal loss, putting her at 1,114 career points with a season to go.

- All-EST 2nd Team Natalie DiSalvo (Canton 2016) reached the millenium mark in the first game of their playoff run in Section X, Class B. Needing 21 to reach the mark, she dropped 22 in the 1st half & 27 in the game to blow past it in a blowout semifinal W. Heading into state semifinals, DiSalvo is sitting at 1,027 career points.

- Lexi Tubbs (Madison 2016) became the 7th girl that participated in EST to reach the 1,000 point mark in the 2015-16 campaign, and the 10th to do it in general, during her Section 3, Class D quarterfinal win over Hamilton. She came in with 994 career points, and despite facing a triangle & 2 against her for much of the outing, she finished with 8 points to hit the mark. Her 1,000th came on a free throw, completing a 3 point play in the middle of the 3rd quarter. She finished her standout career with 1,015 career points.

- All-EST 2nd Team Nina Fedullo (Amsterdam 2017) became her school's first ever female 1,000 point scorer on February 20, scoring 27 points in a Section 2, Class A quarterfinal win over Mohonasen. She started off the game needing just 7 to hit the millennium mark. After a loss in the sectional finals, she wrapped up her junior year with 1,059 points. She also became Amsterdam's girls career scoring leader on February 1 with a 23 point game. The previous record, set in 1989, was 954.

Three hit the 1,000 point mark last year. And they are:

- 2015 EST MVP Danielle Migliore (Frankfort-Schuyler 2016, St. Bonaventure 2020), who's working her way into record books beyond her high school. She started off the season with 1,299 career points, and a huge scoring senior year brought her career total up to 2,019. She's now the career scoring leader at Frankfort-Schuyler, girl or boy, and is 9th on Section 3's all-time scoring list in girls' hoops.

- Liz Millea (Cooperstown 2016, Adelphi 2020) came into her senior year with 1,188 career points. Another productive year in the scoring column for her has bumped that total to 1,762 and counting, recently surpassing the Cooperstown all-time career scoring mark held by former Colgate standout Seth Schaeffer (1,719) - she already has the all-time girls' mark, achieved earlier this season.

- All-EST Honorable Mention Abby Fountain (Catholic Central 2016) scored her 1,000th point late last season. Many of those came before her transfer, as a member of the Waterford girls team. A career point total wasn't readily available, but she's in the 1,350-1,400 range.