He can score the ball better than almost anyone in the country, but that’s not just what makes Omar Calhoun a special player.

This year, the Christ the King junior did a lot of the other things to help his team win a second consecutive CHSAA Class AA intersectional title.

“He started rebounding the ball better, he took some charges and did some of the intangibles,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello. “He definitely improved his jump shot.”

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard actually tried to do too much with point guard Corey Edwards suspended for the first month of the season.

Calhoun, who led the CHSAA ‘AA’ in scoring averaging 20.1 points per game, became just the second player in Christ the King history to reach the 1,000-point plateau as a junior, joining former Arizona great Khalid Reeves.

Calhoun was at his best when the lights were brightest. He turned a corner in a nationally-televised game against Westchester Country Day (N.C.) at the Hoophall Classic on Jan. 17 with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

“He showed how far he came during the year, it showed how much he matured,” Arbitello said. “That was just the start of him playing really great.”

Calhoun, who counts Connecticut, Arizona and Florida among his 15 Division I offers, dropped 33 points in an overtime loss to Mount Vernon in the New York State Federation Class AA final.

“Without him we might have lost that game by 40,” Arbitello said. “Omar’s greatest attribute is that he doesn’t let things get to his head. That’s what helped him in the beginning of the year and it’s what is helping him now.”

Omar Calhoun has forged a reputation as an assassin beyond the arc, one of the top spot-up shooters in the city.

But when it came down to reaching the 1,000-point plateau for his career, the Christ the King junior guard went with a little more flash.

The 6-foot-5 guard threw down a dunk on a baseline drive with a little more than two minutes left in the second quarter and helped the Royals to a 73-46 win against St. Peter’s in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinals Thursday night at St. Francis Prep.

“That’s the way to get your 1,000th point,” Christ the King senior guard T.J. Curry said. “That’s a lot of style.”

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Omar Calhoun scored his 1,000th career point on a dunk.

Calhoun scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line and became just the second player to reach 1,000 points as a junior in Christ the King history. Former Arizona star and McDonald’s All-American Khalid Reeves, who was named to The Post’s list of Top 25 New York City high school basketball players in the last 25 years, is the other.

“Everyone knows I can shoot, but to get it off a dunk is very special. It’s just one milestone in my career,” Calhoun said. “The Christ the King pipeline is real special. That’s why I came to the school, so I’m in a position to succeed.”

That individual goal wouldn’t have meant a thing to Calhoun had the Royals been upset Thursday night. And while it never seemed Christ the King was in danger, scrappy St. Peter’s hung around longer than some expected.

By effectively running a patient motion offense, the Eagles, which trailed by 10 at the half, pulled within 35-29 with four minutes left in the third quarter.

“I told [St. Peter’s coach Charlie Driscoll] that if I could get our guys to run motion like they run motion and be as scrappy as them, we’d never lose a game, ever,” CK coach Joe Arbitello said.

But then Christ the King (20-6) pushed the pace and St. Peter’s (19-8), which was led by Stefan Bock’s 13 points, was punished for some turnovers and poor shot selection. The Royals went on a devastating 13-0 run to extend their lead to 19 with 1:29 left in the third.

“We didn’t want to let them get out on the break, but then we let them get out, we made some turnovers, took some quick shots,” Driscoll said. “We stopped running our offense. Suddenly we’re trying to break guys down. We can’t break guys down.”

Calhoun also grabbed seven rebounds, while Curry, who said he had an enjoyable visit to Marist over the weekend, added seven points and five rebounds for the Royals, who take on St. Raymond in the semifinals Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena.

The Ravens won the lone regular season meeting, defeating the Royals in Middle Village, 74-73, in overtime.

“This is redemption,” Calhoun said. “They won the battle in the regular season, but we’re going to win the war. That’s how I look at it.”

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Christ the King's Midnight Madness in Queens, NY.  This event was similar to something you would experience at a major college basketball program.  The event was hosted by former NYC product, NBA Analyst Greg Anthony, and also featured former NBA Champion and Christ the Kings standout Speedy Claxton and WNBA 's Chamique Holdsclaw.  Not to mention the world famous DJ Clue on the "One's and Two's".  The evening started of with a party in the schools cafeteria, then continued in gym with performance from the school band, step team, student singers, a dunk contest, and scrimmage between both boys and girls teams.  Midnight Madness was more than just a pep rally, it was a celebration of Christ the Kings run to the city championship for both girl and boys basketball team last season and also a preview of what to expect this season.  The boys varsity basketball team features junior shooting guard Omar Calhoun, who continues to improve year after year.  Last season in his first year on varsity squad, Calhoun help lead his team to both city and state championships earning MVP honors in the state title game, becoming the third sophomore in the last 10 years to win the NY State Federation Most Valuable Player Award ?  Calhoun has always shown an ability to shoot the ball and defend, but at Midnight Madness he displayed his athletic ability which some thought he lacked. Omar Calhoun easily won the dunk contest, where he converted on the first try on each of his dunks.  The motto for Omar Calhoun and the Christ the King Royals this year is to "Be Unstoppable" which they can be as their my preseason pick to win the CHSAA title this year.

- Ikay Henry   

 http://www.courtcred.com/section-blog/42-features/2262-omar-calhoun-shines-at-ctk-midnight-madness.html

Maurice Wingate & Stacey Davis
NYCHoops.net Staff Writer

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The World Basketball Festival will take NYC by storm this week August 12-15th, featuring a showcase of members of the USA Basketball National Team as well as top high school stars at Rucker Park in the Battle of the Boroughs.

 
On Friday, a double-header will be played at Rucker Park in Harlem. Puerto Rico vs. Brazil National Team scrimmage and then top High School players go at it in the Battle of the Boroughs (Game 1) and(Game 2). In addition there will be a U19 / Grassroots China HS vs. New York HS

4:00pm - 5:00pm Battle of the Boroughs (Game 1) Brooklyn vs. the Bronx
7:00pm - 8:00pm Battle of the Boroughs (Game 2) Harlem vs. Queens

The 2010 Newark Invitational at the Prudential Center drew some of the top teams from Jersey and destinations far and near. One team that traveled from over the river to compete in Newark (NJ) was Christ the King of NYC. CTK was matched up against Jersey City (NJ) power St. Peter’s Prep and the game lived up to expectations as the boys from New York City came away with a 75-72 overtime victory.

Also living up to expectations was Christ the King sophomore forward Omar Calhoun. The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard put on a show in his match-up against highly regarded St. Peter’s Prep junior (2011) guard Myles Davis, both showing why they have bright futures on the basketball court.

Omar Calhoun (21) and Myles Davis (15) could meet again in the Big East in the future (photo credit: Philip Hall/NY Post)
For his part, Calhoun finished with 23 points, displaying a high basketball IQ for a young player and showed off an accurante and picture-esque jump shot, extending out past the three-point arc where he was four of eight on the afternoon. Calhoun has a solid size and a good frame to add more weight before getting to college. His lack of strength and weight made some of his opportunities in the lane more difficult to finish in this contest.

Calhoun scored 11 of his team-high 23 points during a big third quarter for the Royals as they erased an 11-point deficit to take control of a game they would eventually win in overtime. It is that type of performance in a pressure-packed environment against a top-tier opponent that has many big time colleges already taking notice of this young guard.

When asked which schools have shown early interest, Callhoun responded, “A lot of Big East schools, Villanova, St. John’s, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Louisville.”

Calhoun also added that North Carolina, Arizona, UCLA and Kentucky, but even with interest from schools considered to be the elite in the college game he is not going to relax and stop from learning the game he shares a love for with his family.

“My father is always teaching me and teaching me the game, he used to play basketball,” Calhoun told NBE. “My mom, she played, my whole family payed basketball, so we’re constantly talking about the game, reviewing the game and watching the game together.”

NBE next expects to see Omar Calhoun and his Christ the King teamates on Sunday, February 14th when they take on Half Hollow Hills West on the final day of the 2010 Primetime Shootout Schedule at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ). During the spring and summer Calhoun will be making the rounds on the AAU circuit with the always impressive NY Gaucho program We expect to see many college coaches checking him out along the way as well.