A couple of thoughts on the Slam Dunk basketball tournament, which opened today and runs through Saturday.

First of all, you should see the new County Center, with new risers and seats steeped all the way up the stage, and new scoreboards (bought by The Journal News, no less; there goes my raise). The place will be awesome if they ever get a game worth filling it to the walls (4,200 capacity now).

Peekskill is loaded for bear again. The Red Devils beat Cardinal Hayes today, after being down by 14. Don’t know if you were in Glens Falls last March, but Hayes and Peekskill met for the Class A Federation of Champions championship. In that game, Peekskill mounted a big comeback, and with 3.1 seconds left and Hayes up by one Mookie Jones jumped on a loose ball to get a jump call. The possession arrow was going in Peekskill’s direction, or else they were done. Instead, Peekskill took a timeout and Jones hit a three-pointer from the corner at the buzzer to win the championship.

In another game, Port Chester nipped Stepinac (details on LoHud.com tomorrow), but it was easy to surmise two things. One, Port Chester is better than it was in the past few years, playing harder, smarter and more together. From what I understand, the Section 1 Class A championship is going to be very strong this year, and Peekskill should be challenged again.

Two, Stepinac’s Tony Taylor, who almost turned the game in the Crusaders’ favor in the last minute, is easily one of the top three players in the entire area, with Mookie Jones and Kevin Jones (who was in attendance) of Mount Vernon.

And, as White Plains beat St. Peter’s in the nightcap, once again the Tigers’ Rashad James proved he is perhaps the most electrifying, high-flying player in the area, a little guy who plays well above the rim and loves fast break dunks and alley-oops.

There was some news around the arena, too. Jeff Charney, the former Blind Brook and Port Chester coach, was named the coach at Purchase College. That hasn’t been announced by the college yet, but Charney ran his first practice today.