One of college basketball's most revered cathedrals, the Rose Hill Gymnasium has hosted its fair share of memorable collegiate contests in its 100 years of existence. In New York City, the Rose Hill Gym holds another special significance, as some of the city's greatest high school games have taken part inside those weathered gothic bricks. Next month, that tradition will continue, as Fordham will play host to a number of Catholic High School Athletic Association Playoff Games.
Beginning on March 3, the Rose Hill Gym will host the CHSAA Varsity "A" and "B" Championship games beginning at 6 p.m.
Two days later on March 5, Fordham will host the four quarterfinal matchups for the Varsity "AA" playoffs beginning at 1 p.m.
The following weekend on March 11, Fordham will host five games in the CHSAA State Playoffs, as the Girls "AA," "A" and "B" finals will take place in the Bronx, as will the Boys "A" and "B" title tilts.
The list of legendary high school games to take place at Rose Hill is star-studded and seemingly endless.
In 1965, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, played his final high school game for Power Memorial inside the Rose Hill Gym before heading to UCLA and embarking on one the most storied careers in the history of the game.
Just over two decades later in 1988, the Rose Hill Gym again played host to one of the city's most legendary prep games,
as Tolentine defeat Archbishop Molloy, 70-65, behind 26 points and 10 rebounds from Malik Sealy. For the Stanners, Kenny Anderson also posted 26 points to go along with four assists.
Six years later, Felipe Lopez, the nation's top-rated recruit, led Rice High School to the 1994 CHSAA Championship inside the Rose Hill Gym over another McDonald's All-American in Arkansas-bound Kareem Reid of St. Raymond.
In 1996, Fordham-bound Bevon Robin sank a coast-to-coast layup with 1.3 seconds to go, giving Rice an upset victory over an undefeated Christ the King team that featured three future NBA players in Lamar Odom, Erick Barkley and Speedy Claxton.
In 2010, Christ the King defeated Bishop Loughlin in a triple-overtime thriller that featured future Fordham 1,000-point scorer Branden Frazier for Loughlin.
Led by five future Division I players, Stepinac won its first CHSAA title since 1960 in 2018. R.J. Davis (North Carolina) and A.J. Griffin (Duke) were named to the All-Tournament Team. Joel Soriano, who played his first two years of college ball at Fordham, was also a member of that squad.
Tickets to the CHSAA playoffs will be available on-site.
