St. John's Alumnus Signs Contract with Houston Rockets

Basketball
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In addition to teaching math at St. Raymond's High School in the Bronx, New York, Paul Gilvary is chairman of basketball and soccer for the Catholic High Schools Athletic Association and umpire assignor for the Public Schools Athletic League. An alumnus of St. John's University, Paul Gilvary enjoys following the school's athletic teams in his free time.

Although he wasn't selected in the 2019 NBA Draft, St. John's guard Shamorie Ponds has an opportunity to earn playing time with the Houston Rockets in the near future. The Brooklyn, New York, native originally signed a two-way training camp deal with the Rockets, but later had his contract converted to a one-year, league minimum contract so that he could be designated to the Rockets' G-League affiliate in Rio Grande. He will also receive a bonus and earn more money than he would have while signed to a two-way contract.

Ponds showcased his abilities in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged seven points per game and assisted on 13 percent of his teammates' made field goals. He also had seven steals. Through three seasons at St. John's, Ponds averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.

St. Raymond's High School Student Receives $180,000 Marine Scholarship

Paul Gilvary is an educational professional with years of experience in the field. He began this work as a substitute teacher at St. Andrew Catholic Academy, a position he held for five years. Paul Gilvary now serves as a math teacher at St. Raymond's High School in the Bronx, a Catholic educational facility that has served students for over five decades.

St. Raymond's focuses on developing a student's overall character to set him or her up for future success, which is coming early for some of its Spring 2019 graduates, as several of them have been offered substantial scholarships at a variety of institutions. One of these is Brandon Santiago, who was awarded an NROTC Marine Corps Scholarship, which is worth $180,000. 

Mr. Santiago is a Marine Corps Recruiting station graduate, having entered the program in his sophomore year at St. Raymond's, and was accepted into the Marine Corps Summer Leadership and Character Development Academy last March before he graduated. He notes that he will attend either George Washington University or the Washington-based Catholic University, and looks to continue his path to becoming a Marine.

The AARP's Advice on How to Spot a Phishing Scam

Beyond working as a math teacher at St. Raymond's High School in New York, Paul Gilvary has been involved in high school athletics since 2001 as chairman of soccer and basketball with the Catholic High School Athletic Association. In addition, Paul Gilvary holds membership with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

As the leading professional organization for individuals over the age of 50, AARP works to enact social change to better the lives of its members. It also provides its members with a variety of programs and resources, including tips on how to avoid being the victim of fraud. To that end, AARP operates a free helpline (877-908-3360) that members can call if they suspect themselves or a loved one has been targeted for a possible scam. Moreover, its website has a Fraud Resource Center with information on dozens of types of scams, including robocalls, medical identity theft, home improvement scams, vacation scams, and phishing. 

The goal of a phishing scam for the perpetrator is to acquire valuable financial and personal data, which can then be leveraged to steal the victim's identity and/or money. Although mostly associated with email, phishing attempts can come via text message, phone, or pop-up website ads. Generally, phishers either promise free products or services or threaten legal or financial harm by referring to supposed unpaid bills.

One of the most obvious signs of a phishing scam, especially those attempted via email, is when the greeting says "dear customer" as opposed to the targeted victim's name. Other signs include vague language such as "payment issue," promises of cheap travel deals, and requests to click on a link or open an attachment. 

To avoid phishing scams, always be sure to check the sender's email address, vary passwords for online accounts, and use anti-virus software and firewalls to block malicious files.

St. John's Basketball Player Earns All-Big East Honors

Paul Gilvary is a New York-based teacher who has also held management roles with high school athletics since 1988. An alumnus of St. John's University, Paul Gilvary continues to support the school's athletic teams.

The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team reached the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, but was unable to secure its first tournament win since 2000 as it dropped a 74-65 decision to the Arizona State Sun Devils. Shamorie Ponds scored a game-high 25 points for the Red Storm, capping off what was a memorable season for the junior guard. Less than two weeks prior, Ponds was named to the 2018-19 All-Big East First Team for the second consecutive season.

A native of Brooklyn, Ponds averaged fewer points per game this season (19.7) than he did in his sophomore campaign (21.6), but improved in other areas. Most notably, he set a career-best mark in assists (5.1), steals (2.6), and field goal percentage (45.4). His three-point field goal percentage of 35.3 was also significantly better than the 25.3 he registered last season.

Ponds is eligible to return for his senior season at St. John's, but it's possible that he could decide to enter the NBA Draft. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie projects that Ponds would be drafted 31st overall.

Understanding Soccer's Offside Rule

Paul Gilvary is a math teacher at Saint Raymond’s High School in the Bronx, New York. In addition to his work as an educator, Paul Gilvary leads the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) as chairman of basketball, chairman of soccer, and as an umpire assignor.

For fans and new players, soccer’s offside rule can be difficult to understand, particularly as it plays out in real time. While the rule might at times seem to exist only to stop exciting fast break goal scoring opportunities, it has actually been designed to prevent offensive players from camping near an opponent’s goal and waiting for a long downfield pass to take a virtually uncontested shot on goal.

There are two key elements to the offside rule in soccer, the first being the offensive player’s positioning. A player is at risk for an offside call if they have positioned themselves closer to the opposing goal line than both the ball and last defender, excluding the goalkeeper. However, standing in this position does not automatically constitute an offside violation.

The second aspect of the ruling maintains that a player should only be called offside if they are targeted for a pass. In other words, a player can in fact remain next to the opponent’s goal, as long as they do not receive the ball.

There are a few other important elements of the offside rule. For instance, a player cannot be called offside if they receive the ball in their own half of the field or are receiving the ball from a throw in. Furthermore, if the offensive player is in essentially the same position as the second to last defender, he or she is not offside.

St. John's Basketball Team Scores First Win at Georgetown Since 2003

In addition to working as a math teacher in New York, Paul Gilvary serves as chairman of soccer and basketball for the Catholic High Schools Athletic Association and umpire assignor for the Public Schools Athletic League. An alumnus of St. John's University, Paul Gilvary continues to follow the school's athletic teams.

Through its first 15 games of the season, the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team boasted a win-loss record of 14-1, which marked the team's best start since the 1982-83 season. On January 5, the team traveled to Washington, D.C., and defeated the Georgetown Hoyas in come-from-behind fashion to secure its first road win over its conference rival in 13 meetings. The last time the Red Storm defeated the Hoyas in the nation's capital was back in January 2003. 

St. John's trailed by as many as five points with less than one minute remaining in regulation, but Shamorie Ponds and LJ Figueroa each made a pair of free throws at the 14- and 11.3-second marks, respectively, to send the game to overtime. After a 7-1 run to start overtime, the Red Storm held on for a 97-94 victory. Ponds was the standout star in the game, as he made 6 three-point shots and finished the game with 37 points and 5 assists.

Red Sox Sign Nathan Eovaldi to Four-Year Contract Extension

The recipient of a master's degree in secondary education from St. John's University, Paul Gilvary is an experienced teacher who also holds multiple administrative roles with New York-based high school sports associations. An avid sports fan, Paul Gilvary counts the Boston Red Sox as his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team.

The Red Sox won the 2018 World Series, and one of the biggest contributors to that victory was recently re-signed to a four-year, $68 million contract. Nathan Eovaldi was originally acquired by the team on July 25 from the Tampa Bay Rays and, after registering a win-loss record of 3-3 to go along with a 3.33 earned run average (ERA) in the regular season, he was dominant in the playoffs en route to Boston's second World Series win in six seasons. 

The 28 year old regularly reached 100 miles per hour on the radar gun and allowed only four earned runs through 22-and-one-third innings in the playoffs. He came out of the bullpen during the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but picked up wins as a starting pitcher during the ALCS against the Houston Astros and ALDS against the New York Yankees. Through 156 career regular season games, the right-handed pitcher has a record of 44-53 and an ERA of 4.16.