Coach Milton Rohm

Jamal Lacour scores.

The Brother Martin Crusaders won the 1987 district title with an 11-4 league record.

• Coach Milton Rohm's hoopsters won the first round with a 6-1 mark.
• Chalmette copped the second round.
• The Saders defeated the Owls in the playoff to take the crown
• The Assumption Mustangs upset Martin in the first round of the playoffs.
• The Crusaders finished the year with a 28-8 record, quite an improvement from the 5-24 mark two years previously.

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Bobby Delpit

The 1951-2 St. Aloysius cagers, led by returning starters Bobby Delpit, senior captain, and John "Boogie" Murret, a junior, won their sixth straight city crown and reached the state AA finals for the fourth consecutive year.

• 1949: Johnny Altobello's quintet completed a perfect 18-0 season with a 36-30 victory over Holy Cross in the championship game.
• 1950: Future LSU and NBA star Bob Pettit and the Baton Rouge Bulldogs captured the title 54-41.
• 1951: The Crusaders downed Istrouma 50-42 in the finals to cop Altobello's third state title and the school's fourth. (Brother Ralph won the first in 1941.)

Some called Aloysius "little Kentucky" because the school dominated Louisiana prep basketball the way the Wildcats controlled the SEC.

The '52 Saints traveled to Natchitoches for the 8-team state tournament.

• With the teams placed in the bracket by lot, the Crusaders drew Lake Charles. No problem - SA romped 56-32 on Friday, March 7.
• In the semifinals the next day, the Saders breezed again, leading 17-3 at the end of Q1 on their way to a 44-30 victory over Bogalusa.

The finals Saturday night seemed a formality, but Bolton from Alexandria had other ideas.

• The Wildcats bolted to a 16-11 lead after one period and continued to pour it on until they led 32-14 shortly before halftime.
• Delpit and Paul Zinser made baskets to cut the margin to 14 at the break.
• The situation was uncannily similar to the 36-20 deficit the Brother Martin Crusaders faced against Captain Shreve in the 1970 final before scoring the last four points of the first half on their way to a comeback OT victory.

A more determined Sader team took the court for the second half.

• C Anthony Imbraguglio won the tip which led to a Delpit basket from the side.
• Bolton decided to slow down the game, but Delpit had other ideas. He stole the ball twice and scored baskets to cut the margin to 8.

• The teams traded baskets until Murret, who picked up four fouls in the first half, returned to action, giving SA more height.
• By the end of the period, the Saints pulled within two, 39-37.

The game seesawed in the final eight minutes.

• Early in the period, Zinser knotted the score with a basket.
• The teams traded hoops until the final minutes when Zinser hit a one-hand push shot from the side to put SA in front 52-50.
• Delpit handled the ball for the last minute and 45 seconds to seal the victory.
• Murret joined Delpit on the all-tournament team which was cosidered the All-State squad.

The thrilling victory proved to be Altobello's last at St. Aloysius. He resigned effective June 1 to become AD and head football, basketball, and baseball coach at De La Salle, which would have a full four years of students for 1952-3.

John Lavie took over the Brother Martin basketball program for 1999-2000. A graduate of LSU, John came to Elysian Fields from McMain.

• Lavie announced: "Our goal will be to return the basketball program to the glory days of the early ‘70s. We want to fill the gym with students and alumni."
• His coaching staff included Bill Gallagher (JV) and two first-year faculty members, Jarrod Kincaid (9th) and Jabbar Juluke (8th)
• John's father, Carl ('46), had coached basketball and baseball at St. Aloysius from 1954-6.

The Crusaders finished the preseason 14-5.

• The season began with four straight victories, including three in capturing the Grace King Tournament championship.
• December 14 brought a 65-60 OT victory over Bonnabel, a state quarterfinalist from the previous season. The Bruins missed two potential game-winning FTs at the end of regulation before being outscored 12-7 in the extra period.
• The Saders also captured the Lovett High School Christmas holiday tournament in Atlanta.

District play brought heavy-sledding.

• Lavie's men dropped their first five, including a 63-61 OT loss to Rummel.
• Finally, a 59-47 triumph over Holy Cross ended an 18-game district losing streak.
• The biggest win of the year came over playoff-bound De La Salle 71-51 to avenge a first round 49-46 loss to the Cavs.
• Eddie Geise's buzzer-beater gave the Saders a 64-62 OT win over Holy Cross to close the curtain on the season with a 17-14 record.

Geise headed the post-season awards.

• Eddie made the All-District team and was voted BM's best defensive player.
• Mark Ganucheau earned the Saders MVP award, leading the team in scoring with an 11.2 average.
• Geise (11.1) and James Olivard (10.0) also averaged in double figures.

Coach John Lavie

Eddie Geiss

The 1946-7 St. Aloysius cagers, in Johnny Altobello's first season at the helm, defeated the Loyola freshman team not once but twice.

• In that era, college freshmen were not eligible for varsity play. So coaches formed freshmen teams to introduce new players to college ball.
• Altobello scheduled a December game with the Wolfpups as part of a doubleheader with the Loyola-Rice varsity game at the Coliseum.

Built in 1922 on the corner of Roman and Conti streets, the Coliseum hosted boxing matches as well as high school and college basketball games.

The Crusaders prevailed 45-37.

• The defeat was Loyola's first in seven games.
• The fact that two senior lettermen, C John Cronin (appendicitis) and G Bobby Piper (ankle injury), missed the game added to the enormity of the upset.
• Nick Revon (a junior in eligibility) led all scorers with 16 points. Senior C Red Davis added 10 while junior F Lou Bravo threw in 8.
• The leading scorers for the Wolfpups were George Vila (SA '46) and Pete Finney (future Times-Picayune sports editor) with 9 apiece.

The teams played again in January at the Crusader gym with similar results. Aloysius won 49-40. The Picayune described the action like this.

Staging a blistering last minute storm, the St. Aloysius hoopsters dealt the Junior Loyola Wolfpack a 49-40 trouncing before an enthusiastic crowd of hardwood followers gathered in the Crusader gym. After gaining a 3-point margin at the end of the first frame, which was cut down to a point at the turn of the second, and ironed out to a 29-point deadlock going into the fourth, the Saints blew the lid off the affair when Nick Revon, Lou Bravo, and John Cronin ripped the nets to put the Crusaders in the safety zone. The Red racers kept the score keeper busy all evening, with Revon stealing into the honor slot with 19 points and Lou Bravo following with 10. Pivotman "Long" John Cronin had 7, the three "Ds," Davis, Duncan, and Drake plus Barbara totaled 13. The All-Preppers of Loyola proved to be a real test for the Knights who were prepping for their all-important meet with Jesuit.

Altobello's first squad swept to the state championship, the school's first since its initial crown in 1941.

Ernie Smith's St. Aloysius Crusaders won the 10th Annual CYO Tournament held December 26-28, 1960.

• Sporting an 11-2 record, the Crimson and White waltzed past West Jefferson 71-37 in the first round. G Gerry Brewer ('62) and F Joe Rink ('61) tallied 13 each to lead the scoring while C Henry Arceneaux ('61) contributed 12.
• Aloysius needed every one of Arceneaux's 24 points to squeak past Jesuit 58-57 in the semifinals.
• In the finals, SA trailed De La Salle 29-28 at the end of Q3 before scoring six straight early in the final period to surge to a 42-35 victory. G O. J. Lacour ('62) led with 10 while Arceneaux added 9.
• Henry won the MVP Award while Brewer joined him on the All-Tournament Team. Another member of the team was Jesuit F Rusty Staub.

The Crusaders barged through district play undefeated before entering the state playoffs.

• Bastrop traveled from the edge of Arkansas to get clobbered 69-47 at Jesuit Gym. Lacour led with 23. Arceneaux threw in 13 along with 8 rebounds while Rink tallied 11 points and 9 boards.
• The Saints motored across town to East Jefferson to slay the Warriors 57-43. Down by 2 at halftime, SA surged in Q3 to take control. Arceneaux hit 22 as the only Sader in double digits.
• Smith's crew drove all the way to Shreveport for the semifinals only to lose to LaGrange of Lake Charles 58-50. Lacour ranked as high pointman with 13.
• The Crusaders could boast the finest record of any AAA team in the state, 28-4.

Henry Arceneaux receives CYO MVP award from Msgr. Screen.

1960-1 St. Aloysius Crusaders

The 1980-1 Brother Martin JV won the district title for the third straight year.

• That brought the five-year record of Coach Tommy Smith ('71) for the last five years to 113-11.
• With sophomore Derek Collins leading the scorers, sophomore Juan Sorapuru rebounding, and junior Byron Alexander assisting, the Baby Crusaders won 25 and lost only one.
• All three would play key roles on Coach Johnny Vitrano's varsity the next season. Collins won the district scoring title with 17.2 ppg and earned a spot on the District 11-AAAA first team.
• As seniors, Collins and Sorapuru would spark Coach Milton Rohm's 1982-3 Saders to the state semifinals and a 29-6 record.

Coach Smith instructs Derek Collins.

1980-1 Brother Martin JV Basketball Team

First row: Dwayne Mohr, Byron Alexander, John Ledet, James Fontenot, Christopher White Second row: Paul Briuglio, Derek Collins, Juan Sorapuru, Joel Price, Lewis, Jean-Louis Valladares, Tim Stemley, David Schexnaydre, Emmanuel Spann, Henry Eiserloh

The 1968-9 St. Aloysius 8th grade basketball team had an outstanding season to help close out the 100-year history of the school on a high note.

• Coach Rod Krentel's squad finished 16-1.
• The only loss came at the hands of Holy Cross in the finals of the St. James Invitational.
• The Crusaders trounced De La Salle 41-20 in their final contest.
• Jay Trapani led in scoring with an 11.5 average.
• Eddie Reese was second in points with 9.6 with Henry Nuss close behind at 9.4. Billy Jones (8.2) and Paul Miller (3.7) completed the top five.
• The squad won the St. John Vianney Tournament.
• Some other victories were: Holy Cross 38-24, Newman 46-39 and 54-46, St. James Major 42-38, De La Salle 48-30, St. Christopher 48-20, and Jesuit 34-18.

Billy Jones goes up for 2.

1968-9 St. Aloysius 8th Grade Basketball Team

1939-40 Crusader

Jay Trapani