basketball preview 2011 - 2012 - december 15, 2011

DECEMBER 15, 2011

2011-12 H I G H S C H O O L2011-12 H I G H S C H O O L

P R E V I E WP R E V I E W

Prospects Forthe ‘11-12 Season

Coverage ofBoys & Girls

Featuring22 Schools

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Published by Richner Communications, Inc. 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530 (516) 569-4000 • www.ilherald.com

Basketball PreviewA special advertising supplement to the HERALD Community Newspapers

DECEMBER 16, 2010

PublishersCLIFFORD RICHNERSTUART RICHNERExecutive Editor

JOHN C. O’CONNELLSection Editor

TONY BELLISSIMOEditorial Designer

JEFFREY A. NEGRINProduction Manager

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SHEAUWEI PIDDArt Director

CRAIG CARDONEPhoto Editor

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JANIE FAHEY-MAGEEPage Editors JEFF BESSEN

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Account Executives MIMMA BARONE

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ON THE COVER

Cover Design - Jeffrey A. NegrinPhoto by - Kathy LeistnerCover Photo - Brooke Gerstman

Lynbrook High School

THE COURTOne more game, one more shot

Baldwin Bruins ....................................3Calhoun Colts (Bellmore-Merrick) ....... 4Carey Seahawks (Franklin Square) ..... 5Clarke Rams (Westbury) .................... 6East Meadow Jets .............................. 7East Rockaway Rocks ......................... 8Elmont Spartans ................................ 9Freeport Red Devils .......................... 10 Hewlett Bulldogs .............................. 11Kennedy Cougars(Bellmore-Merrick) ........................... 12Lawrence Golden Tornadoes ............. 13Long Beach Marines ......................... 16

Lynbrook Owls .................................. 17Malverne Mules ................................ 18Mepham Pirates(Bellmore-Merrick) ........................... 19Oceanside Sailors ............................ 20Sewanhaka Indians (Floral Park)....... 21South Side Cyclones (Rockville Centre) ............................. 22Valley Stream Central Eagles ............ 23Valley Stream North Spartans .......... 24Valley Stream South Falcons ............ 25West Hempstead Rams .................... 26

INDEX

CONTRIBUTING SPORTSWRITERSTony Bellissimo, Andrew McClure, Steve Siniski, Tom Jordan

Find the latest local sports news

and photos at

RYAN SPADAFORDSouth Side High School

Photo by Jeff Wilson

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RYAN SPADAFORDth Side High SchoolPhoto by Jeff Wilson

A nyone who has ever been passionate about basket-ball knows the deal. You never leave the gym with-

out making your last shot, and you always push to play another game of pickup ball in the driveway or on the schoolyard. It's a ritual known to all hoops junkies. Perhaps the most famous last shot of all belongs to a young man named Wes Leonard, a high school star from Michigan. Leonard was the prototypical All-American boy: quarterback on the football team, and the point guard on the basket-ball team. Leonard's greatness on the field and court enabled him to be the young-est varsity starter in both basketball and football in state history. Wes was the pride of Fennville, Michigan. But it wasn't just his remarkable athletic ability that set him apart from the others. It was said that he epitomized sportsmanship, and carried himself like a role model. In a day when arro-gance and self-centeredness is seemingly the norm in professional sports, athletes are rarely looked upon as role models, Leonard was a breath of fresh air. The young boys in Fennville, Michigan, a small town of 1,500, didn't want to be like Mike, they wanted to be like Wes. Fennville entered its final regular season game of the 2010-11 basketball season with a 19-0 record. The Fennville High gym was jam-packed for the matchup with the Bridgman Bees. Bridgman was a serious opponent. The Bees had already won their conference title, and were looking to put a blemish on Fennville's perfect season.

It was a back-and-forth clas-sic. In fact, four quarters wasn't enough to decide the outcome; the game went to overtime. Leonard was achy and exhausted. He had been feeling the effects of flu-like symptoms all week long. But he wouldn't let down the hometown faithful. With the clock winding down, and the score knot-ted at 55, Leonard took two dribbles left, crossed over, hit a seam in the defense, and rolled in the game win-ner. The Blackhawks had their perfect season. The euphoric crowd stormed the floor, and Wes's team-mates, in Rudy-like fashion, carried the hero on their shoulders.

It would be Leonard's last shot. The celebra-tion lasted just minutes. Leonard collapsed on the court. He had remarkable athletic ability, good looks, and perfect manners, but he also carried something that nobody knew about. He had an enlarged heart. Moments after making the biggest shot in Fennville basketball history, sudden cardiac arrest brought on by dilated car-diomyopathy, claimed Wes’ life. Leonard's memory is being carried on through the Wes Leonard Heart Team. His fam-ily and friends are carrying on his legacy by try-ing to save others from being taken long before their time. The WLHT hopes to ensure that each and every youth athletic event has an automated external defibrillator (AED) available and main-tained, and a qualified individual responsible for the AED on site. The goal is to honor Wes every day by providing others with a chance at just one more game. For information on the Wes Leonard Heart Team, visit www.wesleonardheartteam.org.

High School Sports

ANDREW McCLURE

Basketball Preview is an advertising supplement to the HERALD Community Newspapers. Copyright © 2011 Richner Communications, Inc.

By STEVE SINISKI

I t’s become a pparent that not e ven a Snickers bar can quenc h the hung er Baldwin has for success on the basket-

ball court. That much is e vident after the Br u-ins advanced to the Nassau Class AA title game for the fifth consecuti ve season. Though they came out on the shor t end of a 32-29 defensi ve battle with Elmont in the finals, Baldwin returns several key members to the f loor who hope to mak e it six straight appearances and give the Bru-ins their second c hampionship during the streak. “The guys look forward to carrying that winning tradition,” coach Darius Bur-ton said. As with most Bald win teams under Burton, there’s a type of versatility that few teams can ma tch for 32 minutes. But the Bruins’ teams all ha ve a common denominator — a str ong point guar d. To that end, senior Brandon W illiams, an All-Conference honoree — is bac k to r un the show. He’ll get plenty of help from senior shooting guard Andres Gonzales, a major-league three-point threat and junior Travis Hylton, the backup at the point last season. Senior Mykeil Tzule has also r eturned to the district and the team. “W ith the defen-sive pressure we put on the ball I think we’re going to cause c haos,” Burton said. “We’ve got a lot of great shooters and can do a lot of things.” Senior Kyle Richardson, an All-County honoree after scoring team-high 13 points per game, returns at small forward along with senior center Kirk Staine, who’s made dramatic strides and can pla y both inside and out. Ev en three-pointers aren’t out of the question f or Staine. Senior trans-fer Rashid Lasane is a v ersatile small for-ward or power forward that creates mis-matches not only because of his strength but because he’s also a lefty. Senior Myles Ojeikere is in the mix a t power forward along with junior Jordan Williams. Seniors Jared Francis and Hassan Keita, as w ell as juniors Mik e Abraham and Mike Butler, another lefty ar e also expected to contribute.

Lady Bruins reload after L.I. title

I s there a better time to be a Bald win basketball fan? The Lady Bruins are coming off a Long Island Champion-

ship campaign tha t also inc luded a sec-ond consecutive Nassau County title . The loss of six seniors, including an All-Long Island honoree and a pair of All-Coun-ty performers leaves the team y ounger and with a slightl y different look, but the expectations haven’t necessarily changed. Senior point guar d Alex Hampton, a two-time All-County honor ee and second team All-Long Island selection, r eturns for her fifth varsity season and fourth run-ning the of fense. “Last year and the y ear before she was more of a facilitator,” coach Tom Catapano said. “She averaged 10 or 11 points and her primary role was to run the team. This year she’s going to score more.” Sophomore Mariah Butler is looking a t an expanded role in the bac kcourt, where she’s going to defend the opposing team’s point guar d. She’s also going to spell Hampton at times in the of fense allowing the senior to play off the ball and get into better position to fill the hoop. Senior guard Amber Harrison, an All-Class AA honor ee, enters her fourth varsity campaign, and like Hampton has a long list of big-game experience. Sophomore guard Tyra Har rison is a three-point shooter and slasher w ho will come off the benc h, while senior Ashley Sobel is a defensive stopper. Jade Aponte, a freshman, is also in the backcourt mix and like Harrison can help str etch defenses with her outside shooting. The frontcourt is anc hored by junior Janae DeGraff, who can dictate the tempo of the g ame with her r ebounding and defense. “She’s so impor tant to the team’ s success,” Catapano said. “She’s always the first to hit the floor when the ball’s loose.” Joining DeGraff in the paint will be senior A yanna Hudson and junior Chelsea May. Both ar e athletic and will

provide additional shot-blocking prowess on defense. Junior Ashley McAdams, sophomore Mariah Brown and eighth-grader Lames El Gammal are also expected to contribute up front.

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BRUINS Baldwin aiming for a title

Photos by Jeff Wilson

2011 - 12 HERALD High School Basketball Preview

BRANDON WILLIAMS

ALEX HAMPTON

ScheduleBOYS

December16 V.S. Central 7:00 p.m.20 @ East Meadow 7:00 p.m.

January3 Hicksville 7:00 p.m.6 @ MacArthur 6:15 p.m.10 @ Plainview 4:45 p.m.13 Port Washington 7:00 p.m.17 @ Calhoun 6:30 p.m.20 @ V.S. Central 6:30 p.m.27 East Meadow 7:00 p.m.31 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m.

February3 MacArthur 7:00 p.m.7 Plainview 7:00 p.m.10 @ Port Washington 6:30 p.m.13 Calhoun 7:00 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 @ V.S. Central 6:30 p.m.20 East Meadow 7:00 p.m.

January3 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m.6 MacArthur 7:00 p.m.10 Plainview 7:00 p.m.12 @ Port Washington 6:30 p.m.17 Calhoun 7:00 p.m.20 V.S. Central 6:30 p.m.27 @ East Meadow 7:00 p.m.31 Hicksville 7:00 p.m.

February3 @ MacArthur 6:30 p.m.7 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m.10 Port Washington 7:00 p.m.13 @ Calhoun 6:30 p.m.

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C alhoun hit the hardwood with a little extra bounce in mid-No vember and for good r eason. The Colts, coming

off their first pla yoff appearance since 2005, are moving up to Confer ence AA-II and doing so with a team r eturning plenty of experience. “The guys worked extra hard so we’re starting [this season] where we left off last [season],” coach Jay Kreutzberger said. “We hit the g round running and we’re a little ahead of where we’ve been.” Senior All-Conference point guar d Danny Trepel enters his third varsity cam-paign as the f loor leader. With two prior years of experience in the system, he’ s almost become an extension of the coach-ing staff. Junior Tommy Murphy has carved out a big ger role for himself after being one of the first players off the bench at shooting guard and has a str ong jumper and good feel f or the g ame. Junior Dean Brownworth, termed a “jack-of-all trades” by Kreutzberger is an asset on both ends of the floor, while sophomore Chris Melito is versatile enough to pla y in the bac kcourt or either of the two forward slots. Sopho-more Kyle McGinley, last season’s scoring leader for the junior varsity team, is devel-oping as a point guard but also able to play off the ball. “We’re not a big team,” said Kr eutz-berger, whose team will f ace Baldwin, MacArthur, East Meado w, Hicksville, Plainview, Port Washington and Valley Stream Central twice a piece. “We’re much more athletic and quick and our style of play will reflect that.” The frontcourt, much like the bac k-court, possesses strength in numbers and a decent amount of size, too. Junior Tom Joannou, an All-Confer ence honoree, is back and ready to take his game to the next level after an of fseason spent impr oving his offensive game.

Brian Downey, one of four sophomores on the v arsity team, can shoot the thr ee or put the ball on the f loor, while 6-foot-3 classmate Muneeb Babar provides imme-diate shot-blocking in the paint. J unior Kevin Hiss is also 6-3 and can bang in the paint or step out on the perimeter.

Lady Colts loaded with experience

Aseason after making the pla yoffs as the No. 11 seed, Calhoun r eturns 11 players to a roster of 14 and the experi-

ence is a hug e plus as the Lad y Colts take their game up to Confer ence AA-II fr om Conference AA-III. “At times we’re going to start four seniors,” coach Dave Radtke said. “And the senior cr ew is going to be very important for us.” Sophomore point guard Nora Charidah will be joined in the bac kcourt by senior shooting guard Danielle Losee, and scoring from the perimeter is going to be a must for Calhoun. “T he shooting frees up a lot inside, because teams won’t be able to pack in a zone [do wn low],” Radtke said. “[As a team] we may make a lot of shots, we may miss a lot of shots, but we’re going to take a lot of shots.” The focus is simple , and it comes thanks in larg e part to a str ong group of jumpshooters led b y, but not limited to , Losee. “She’s a hug e key,” Radtke said. “She has unlimited rang e and can shoot with the best of them. Senior Dana Silvester, the best on-the-ball defender, can be pesk y on the f loor, but it’s an attribute Radtke and the r est of the Lady Colts love since they’re all in the same uniform. “You love her when you’re on her team,” Radtk e said. “And you hate her [if you’re] on the other team.” Senior Talia Charidah is also sla ted to see time in the bac kcourt, while senior Jessica Ruggiero returns to the paint look-ing to build on last season ’s success. Like Losee, Ruggiero, who has a nice touc h around the hoop, is going to be counted

on to fill the bask et and will be a f ocal point of the of fense. Senior Erica McLeod is also part of the mix up front. “Everyone has played well and under-stands their r oles,” Radtke said, noting another positive of the returning experi-ence. “There’s no deer in the headlights [look] when they go in.”

COLTS Calhoun athleticism makes for tough matchup

Photos by Kathy Leistner


ERICA MCLEOD

DANNY TERPEL

ScheduleBOYS

December16 MacArthur 6:45 p.m.20 @ V.S. Central 6:30 p.m.

January3 Plainview 6:30 p.m.6 @ East Meadow 6:30 p.m.10 Port Washington 6:30 p.m.13 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m.17 Baldwin 6:30 p.m.20 @ MacArthur 6:15 p.m.27 V.S. Central 6:30 p.m.31 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m.

February3 East Meadow 6:45 p.m.7 @ Port Washington 6:30 p.m.10 Hicksville 6:30 p.m.13 @ Baldwin 7:00 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 @ MacArthur 4:30 p.m.20 V.S. Central 6:30 p.m.

January3 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m.6 East Meadow 6:45 p.m.10 @ Port Washington 6:30 p.m.13 Hicksville 6:30 p.m.17 @ Baldwin 7:00 p.m.20 MacArthur 6:45 p.m.27 @ V.S. Central 6:30 p.m.31 Plainview 6:30 p.m.

February3 @ East Meadow 7:00 p.m.7 Port Washington 6:30 p.m.10 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m.13 Baldwin 6:30 p.m.

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G oing into a season without a go-to player to call on to knoc k down clutch shots with the g ame on the

line would worry most coac hes, but Car-ey’s Marty Kelly isn’t fretting. “This team has mor e depth than an y team I’ve coached,” Kelly said. “We’ll go at least nine dee p, and honestly I’m comfort-able with any of them. On an y given day, any one of them could be the str ongest player on the team. Ha ving this type of depth and versatility allows us to do a lot of different things on both ends of the court. I like this group a lot.” Carey, which will play a f ar more up tempo style than it has in the past, will compete in Conference AA-III with defend-ing Nassau Class AA c hampion Elmont, Bellmore JFK, Long Beac h, Herricks, Mepham, Westbury and Great Neck South. The top four finishers will ear n a playoff berth. Senior Carl Ricaurte will r un the offense for the Seahawks. Ricaurte is a tough, scrappy guard who does a little bit of everything. Senior Andr ew Gentile, a three-sport athlete, goes to the bask et hard and has a str ong perimeter g ame. Kelly will look for Gentile to put the ball in the hole. Senior Sean Mason has ter rific bas-ketball IQ and can f lat out shoot. Expect Mason to be one of Carey’s top perimeter scorers. Hard-working senior Da vid Cedeno is a stalwart defender w ho fills the sta t sheet with rebounds and steals. Offensive-ly, nobody goes to the bask et harder than Cedeno. Danny Sadloski, a 6-f oot-4 senior is strong enough to guar d big men in the post, and athletic enough to match up with guards. Talented forward Adrian Denner is the Seahawks’ most versatile player. He has a good handle for his size and a nice shooing touch. Sophomore Andrew Ris can pla y

both guard and forward, and can hea t up from the perimeter. Juniors Vinny Maura and James Harrison are both ca pable shooters who will be par t of the rotation.

Lady Seahawks aim for playoff berth

T here’s optimism for the Lady Seahawks after a disa ppointing 2010-11 season. Coach Theresa Schmidt returns a pair

of girls who earned postseason honors , and a be vy of versatile, athletic players that could mak e the dif ference in c lose games. Schmidt is hopeful the team can be among the top f our finishers in a confer -ence made up of Elmont, Bellmor e-JFK, Long Beach, Herricks, Mepham, Westbury and Great Neck South. Me pham is the favorite on paper. “We’re going to look to r un and push the ball up the f loor, play pressure defense, press on defense, and use our a thleticism to make things ha ppen,” Schmidt said. “If we play as a team, communica te, and play hard from start to finish, w e can be very competitive. It’s been a while since we made the playoffs. Hopefully, this will be the year.” Freshman Victoria Porcasi, an All-Con-ference recipient as an eight-g rader, will run the point. P orcasi has impr oved her perimeter game and is a solid defender . While Porcasi will continue to look to set up teammates, Schmidt will need her to be a little less unselfish on the of fensive end. Senior Angela Terrezza and junior Erin Gilroy are both pesky defenders who make life difficult for opponents. Sophomore guard/forward Kasey Ilardi is a v ersatile player who has excellent court sense. Two-time All-Conference honoree Liz Osowiecki will be one of Carey’s go-to players. The 5-foot-10 senior f orward has improved her outside g ame, and has devel-oped a knac k for creating her own shot. Senior Caitlyn Barrett made some tr emen

dous strides last y ear, and contin ues to show improvement on both ends of the floor. Megan Mannle, a 5-f oot-11 sopho-more, is a three-sport athlete who provides Carey with another inside presence. Hard-working freshman Keva Moore is an a ggressive player who is the first to dive on the f loor after loose balls . Junior Hannah Mutum provides depth at forward. Junior Stefanie D’Amato, and eighth-grad-ers Brett Robison and Mackenzie Nyitray all give the Lady Seahawks athleticism off the bench. Junior Amanda Andrade will also contribute.

SEAHAWKS Carey hopes for strength in numbers



DAVID CEDENO

LIZ OSOWIECKI

ScheduleBOYS

December10 @ Elmont 1:00 p.m.16 @ G.N. South 6:45 p.m.20 Long Beach 4:30 p.m.

January3 @ Mepham 6:15 p.m.5 Westbury 4:30 p.m.10 Herricks 4:30 p.m.13 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.17 Elmont 4:30 p.m.20 G.N. South 4:30 p.m.27 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m.31 Mepham 4:30 p.m.

February4 @ Westbury 4:00 p.m.7 @ Herricks 7:00 p.m.10 Kennedy 4:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 G.N. South 4:30 p.m.21 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m.

January3 Mepham 4:30 p.m.6 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.10 @ Herricks 6:30 p.m.13 Kennedy 4:30 p.m.17 @ Elmont 4:30 p.m.20 @ G.N. South 7:00 p.m.27 Long Beach 4:30 p.m.31 @ Mepham 6:15 p.m.

February3 Westbury 4:30 p.m.7 Herricks 4:30 p.m.10 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.13 Elmont 4:30 p.m.

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By TOM JORDAN

T he Rams will star t this season with a fresh start and a ne w coach. Matt Weinman, a f ormer junior-varsity

coach at Cold Spring Harbor and a one-time graduate assistant at Hofstra Univer-sity under Tom Pecora, takes over a team that won just once last season. After topping Plainedg e last Dec . 9, their third game, they lost their final 12 and bottomed out with 14 losses. They were outscored 972-659 in 15 games. But Weinman is energ etic and ea ger and likes what he sees. “The team is work-ing hard and g etting better every day,” he said. “We’re trying to change the culture.” Weinman will r ely on a star ting five that will prob ably include Joe Fusco at point guard, Chris A ppell at shooting guard, Rich Losco at small forward, Mike Martiello at strong forward and Tommy Potamitis at center. Michael Viscount, a junior, is expected spell Fusco a t the point, and Jonathan Hess and J ohn Fogarty will play some center. Seniors Peter Rodriques, Connor Donnelly and J oe Buffolino will also contribute a lot of playing time. The roster also includes Matt Seelinger, Justin Gonzalez and Matthew Appenzeller. Weinman likes that his r oster is dee p and athletic, though it onl y boasts average size. “Jon (Hess) and T ommy (Potamitis) are big,” he said, “and w e have a decent amount of athletic seniors.” Weinman plans to pla y a Princeton-style offense, with a lot of passing and cut-ting. That type of offense requires patience and intelligence, and he thinks he’ s got the players to r un it. “We’ve come a long way in practice,“ Weinman said. Much will depend on the pla y of the guards. Clarke will also play a zone defense. The Rams will tip of f their Conference A-IV season a gainst Valley Stream North on Dec. 16. Their first home game is sched-

uled for Dec. 19, against newcomer North Shore. They play both of those teams, as well as Mineola, Island T rees, Roosevelt and Seaford twice eac h. The top f our teams in the confer ence make the play-offs.

Lady Rams focusing on the positives

L ike the bo ys’ team, the Clar ke girls’ basketball team will have a new coach as it tries to impr ove upon a tough

2010-11 campaign. Jessica DiBiola tak es over a team that lost all of its 17 g ames a year ago and was outscored 1016-608 in the pr o-cess. That’s not to say the Lady Rams weren’t at all competitive; they lost a heartbreaker, 49-47, to R oosevelt and by just nine points to East Meadow. They also came out on the wr ong end of lopsided scores, like their 66-22 loss to Island Trees, but there should be more of the former and less of the latter this season with a good mix of seniors and younger players comprising the roster. While acknowledging that she and her players have a lot of work to do, DiBiola focuses on the positi ve. “We’re working together to g et better,” she said. “Right now it’s a ma tter of recognizing what we’re good at.” They do ha ve some solid pla yers to build around, and those pla yers will be hungry for wins. The Lady Rams showed some toughness on the defensi ve end and played well offensively in spur ts in a recent scrimmage against East Meadow. As for a blueprint of how she’d like her team to play, DiBiola said, “W e’re going to run a lot and pressure the ball defensively.” DiBiola expects good things fr om her guards, seniors Alyssa Colletti and Dani-elle Ferrara. Colletti is the point guard and Ferrara the shooting guar d, and both ar e the team’s leaders on and of f the cour t,

DiBiola said. Junior Maryann Khan is the team’s leading post pla yer, someone who can control the paint and r ebound. Sopho-more Amanda Gargiulo is a v ersatile play-er DiBiola will pla y alternately at guard and forward in or der to cr eate matchup problems. Clarke opens its Conference A-IV season on Dec. 16 at home a gainst Valley Stream North, then will tak e on newcomer North Shore in its first road game on Dec. 19.

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DANIELLE FERRARA

JOE FUSCO

ScheduleBOYS

December16 @ V.S. North 8:00 p.m.20 North Shore 6:30 p.m.

January3 @ Mineola 7:00 p.m.1 0 Island Trees 6:30 p.m.13 @ Roosevelt 6:45 p.m.17 Seaford 7:00 p.m.21 V.S. North 12:00 p.m.27 @ North Shore 6:45 p.m.31 Mineola 7:30 p.m.

February7 @ Island Trees 6:45 p.m.10 Roosevelt 7:30 p.m.13 @ Seaford 7:15 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 V.S. North 6:00 p.m.20 @ North Shore 6:45 p.m.

January3 Mineola 6:00 p.m.10 @ Island Trees 6:45 p.m.13 Roosevelt 6:00 p.m.17 @ Seaford 7:15 p.m.21 @ V.S. North 12:00 p.m.27 North Shore 6:00 p.m.31 @ Mineola 4:45 p.m.

February7 Island Trees 6:00 p.m.10 @ Roosevelt 6:15 p.m.13 Seaford 7:00 p.m.

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By STEVE SINISKI

A major turnover on East Meado w’s roster — six players graduated from last season’s team that finished run-

ner-up to Baldwin in Conference AA-II and earned a first-round playoff bye — has also brought about a change in system. Unlike years’ past, w here the J ets looked to pr ess and tra p on defense and force the tempo on of fense, coach Barry Dickson has used training camp to install a new scheme. Offensively, East Meadow is moving to the triangle offense, which Dick-son hopes will mak e good use of the Jets’ talents. “The movement is hard to defend especially if you have a good passing cen-ter like we have,” he said. “You have to get the ball inside a lot.” On the other side of the f loor, it’s going to be less a bout full-court pressure and more about manning up, though the defense expects to pic k up its a ggression once the ball crosses halfcourt. The center in the middle of the cour t — and the of fensive plans — is junior J oe Campay, a 6-f oot-4, 210-pounder w ho not only rebounds well and b locks shots b ut can also knock down outside jumpers and most importantly, pass the ball. “W e’re building the offense around him,” Dickson said. Senior Marvin Cajoles will tak e over the reins at point guard, where his unself-ish play and quickness are perfect for the new offense. After lo gging consistent time off the benc h as an eighth-g rader, fresh-man Cody Zafran now jumps into the start-ing lineup a t shooting guar d. A physical player, Zafran is also a str ong perimeter shooter. After missing last season due to injury , senior guard Matt Castaneda is looking to carve out time in his first v arsity cam-paign, while senior Andrew Cunningham, another shooter, had a str ong showing in the team’s first scrimmage.

Joining Campay in the paint will be power forward Dishan Selv aratnam, a 6-1 senior with g reat leaping ability, and senior 6-foot-2 senior Ma tt Jones. Senior Alex Melnyczuk returns and has the versa-tility to play either guard or forward.

Lady Jets youthful and talented

T he Lady Jets had plenty up f or grabs during a quic k preseason, but regardless of how the playing

time was going to shak e out in camp , there were likely going to be plenty of minutes to go around. An influx of young talent is ready to hit the f loor for an East Meadow team that missed the pla yoffs by one slot — it finished fifth in AA-II and the top four teams qualified. “I think tha t this year, being so young, there’s a lot of poten-tial,” coach Bethany LeSueur said. Junior center Jen Gundrum is back for her third varsity season after leading the team in r ebounding and is k ey in an up-tempo attack that looks to tak e advantage of her skills on the glass . “She r uns the floor well,” LeSueur said of Gundrum, who can also knoc k down jumpers fr om the high post. “Of f of a r ebound we’re going to try and g et out of the g ates [in transition].” Senior point guard Jenna Dragoon and senior Meg Cleary return to a bac kcourt that could also see considera ble contribu-tions from a pair of sophomores, Nicole Moniello and Mar rol Cajoles. Dragoon and Cleary are solid outside shooters and their veteran experience is expected to help steady the team while the newcomers get acclimated. “We’re hoping to use our athleticism to create points of f steals and turnovers,” LeSueur said. Sophomores Amanda F ranzese and Kristina Sanicola ar e guards but long enough to pla y small f orward or e ven in the paint if the Lad y Jets are look-ing to cr eate mismatches, while sopho-more Jenna Borresen, brings the type of

athleticism that translates well in the East Meadow attack. “She’s so aggressive and so athletic,” LeSueur said of Borresen. Returning senior Christina Gogh and transfer Lynette Arshad are also expected to con-tribute. “We young and athletic, and I think this is a group we can grow with,” LeSueur said. “There are a lot of kids working hard and we’re excited.”

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athleticism thattranslates well inthe East Meadowattack. “She’s soaggressive and soathletic,” LeSueursaid of Borresen. Returningsenior ChristinaGogh and transferLynette Arshad arealso expected to con-tribute. “We youngand athletic, and Ithink this is a groupwe can grow with,”LeSueur said.“There are a lot ofkids working hardand we’re excited.”

JETSEast Meadow employs triangle offense

Photos by Ron Manfredi


JOE CAMPAY

JENNA DRAGOON

ScheduleBOYS

December15 @ Port Washington 6:45 p.m.20 Baldwin 7:00 p.m.

January3 @ V.S. Central 6:45 p.m.6 Calhoun 6:30 p.m.10 Hicksville 7:00 p.m.13 @ MacArthur 7:15 p.m.17 Plainview 7:00 p.m.20 Port Washington 7:00 p.m.27 @ Baldwin 7:00 p.m.31 V.S. Central 7:00 p.m.

February3 @ Calhoun 6:45 p.m.7 @ Hicksville 4:45 p.m.1 0 MacArthur 7:00 p.m.13 @ Plainview 4:45 p.m.

GIRLSDecember15 Port Washington 7:00 p.m.20 @ Baldwin 7:00 p.m.

January3 V.S. Central 7:00 p.m.6 @ Calhoun 6:45 p.m.10 @ Hicksville 4:45 p.m.12 MacArthur 7:00 p.m.17 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m.20 @ Port Washington 6:45 p.m.27 Baldwin 7:00 p.m.31 @ V.S. Central 6:45 p.m.

February3 Calhoun 7:00 p.m.7 Hicksville 7:00 p.m.10 @ MacArthur 6:30 p.m.13 Plainview 7:00 p.m.

7


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By TONY BELLISSIMO

A fter a cameo appearance in the Nas-sau Class B pla yoffs, it’s back to Class C for East Rockaway and that

means a winner-take-all county title g ame against Friends Academy in late February. That’s too f ar down the r oad, Rocks coach Joe Lores said, and the Confer ence B-C regular-season schedule remains the same: F riends Academy, Carle Place, Wheatley, Cold Spring Harbor, Oyster Bay, Malverne and Locust Valley twice apiece. “We graduated four key contributors and the big gest thing for us right no w is jelling,” Lores said. “We have a little mor e size but perhaps not as muc h speed, b ut I’m confident we’ll be competitive in every game. “Most of these guys ar e coming of f a great football season that saw almost every game come down to the final min ute,” he added. “Whether we make enough plays in crunch time to win our share, we’ll see.” The Rocks, who went 9-9 last season and lost in the Class B semifinals to e ven-tual champion Malverne, will get an early look at Friends Academy in the conference opener Dec. 16. The Quakers and the rest of East Rock-away’s opponents will ha ve to deal with a backcourt led by junior shooting guar d David McClure and senior point guar d Joey Lores. McClure is capable of scoring in double figures every game and brings a quality outside shot and an a ggressive move to the rim. Lor es can also find his way into the paint, b ut it’s as a distrib u-tor and hard-working defender where his skills will really benefit the Rocks. Senior Mikey Lores is an outside scor -ing threat and someone who makes defend-ers work hard. In the frontcourt, senior power forward Danny McClure is tough on the glass and can score inside, and 6-f oot-4 sophomore center Kevin Blessington is athletic with a

soft touch around the basket. Seniors Justin Jonas and Sean Bohan are two more quality rebounders, while the coach is trying to figur e out what roles seniors Luke Farenburg and Tommy Dolan will play.

Lady Rocks seek better results

C oming off their toughest sea-son in a long time tha t saw just two notches in the win column,

the Lady Rocks return 10 pla yers and coach Karin Leary is looking for the close outcomes to go in their f avor more often than not. “We had a chance in just about every game last season,” she said. “W e had trouble scoring and lost a lot of close ones. Every game will be a c hallenge again. My goal f or this season is to get over the hurdle and win the c lose ones.” The Lady Rocks are hungry to succeed and should benefit fr om a positive summer league experience. “We’re not a big team, b ut we’re going to hustle and pla y with deter-mination,” Leary said. “We’re going to look to run like we always do.” Senior Shannon Pujol, an All-Confer -ence selection last season, is the team’ s top all-around talent and a pla yer the coac h wants to see with the ball in her hands . “Shannon’s going to be a t the point most of the time,” Leary said. “I’m comf ortable and confident with her r unning things. She shoots w ell from the perimeter and also drives to the basket.” Pujol is backed up by senior Kerrianne Vulpis, who’s aggressive at both ends of the floor. Leary is excited about the potential of junior Taylor Cussen, who can play guard or forward. Cussen, who brings some v ar-sity starting experience to the ta ble, added a few inches and worked hard during the offseason. Senior guard Marykate Vulpis

is an intense defender , and junior Anais Marmol is a fundamentall y sound player expected to be an of fensive spark off the bench. Senior Ali Lar k heads the f orward group and works well with Pujol, the coach said. Lark will “ideall y score in doub le digits” and contribute some rebounds on a consistent basis . Junior Gianna Cillufo gives the Lady Rocks some height in the low post and she’ ll need to c hip in some points and rebounds. Juniors Jessica Dep-tulski and Jessica Cerasoli will also con-tribute.

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ROCKS East Rockaway will try to be clutch



SHANNON PUJOL

MIKEY LORES

ScheduleBOYS

December15 @ Friends Aca. 6:30 p.m.20 @ Carle Place 7:30 p.m.

January3 Wheatley 7:15 p.m.6 C.S. Harbor 7:15 p.m.10 @ Oyster Bay 7:00 p.m.13 Malverne 7:15 p.m.17 @ Locust Valley 6:30 p.m.20 Friends Aca. 7:15 p.m.27 Carle Place 7:15 p.m.31 @ Wheatley 6:30 p.m.

February2 @ C.S. Harbor 7:00 p.m.7 Oyster Bay 7:15 p.m.10 @ Malverne 7:00 p.m.13 Locust Valley 7:15 p.m.

GIRLSDecember15 Friends Aca. 7:15 p.m.20 Carle Place 7:15 p.m.

January3 @ Wheatley 6:30 p.m.6 @ C.S. Harbor 7:00 p.m.10 Oyster Bay 7:15 p.m.13 @ Malverne 6:00 p.m.17 Locust Valley 7:15 p.m.20 @ Friends Aca. 6:30 p.m.27 @ Carle Place 7:30 p.m.31 Wheatley 7:15 p.m.

February2 C.S. Harbor 7:15 p.m.7 @ Oyster Bay 7:00 p.m.10 Malverne 7:15 p.m.13 @ Locust Valley 6:30 p.m.

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By ANDREW McCLURE

E lmont is coming of f a banner season that saw the Spar tans win the first county championship in school his-

tory before dropping a 79-75 doub le-over-time heartbreaker to Half Hollow Hills West in the Long Island title game. The Spartans lost all of their star ters and a few key reserves to g raduation, but still figure to be the team to bea t in Confer-ence AA-III that includes of Carey, Great Neck South, Westbury, Mepham, Herricks, Bellmore-JFK, and Long Beach. Coach George Holub hopes the y oung Spartans will jell into a team tha t can com-pete with the best in Nassau come pla yoff time. “We’re a very young team, but when February comes ar ound, we won’t look like a team of first-year varsity players,” Holub said. “We’re going to look to pla y an up tempo style, and make things happen in transition. We’re going to mak e mistakes and turn the ball o ver early on. Hopefully we’ll be able to correct those mistakes, and be a stronger come February.” Point guard Tristan Brown will run the offense. Brown, who gave Elmont some good minutes as a freshman, is a pass-first point guard who should put up some gaudy assist numbers. The lightning-fast sopho-more is outstanding in transition, and has improved his perimeter shooting game. Senior Christian W atson is a head y player who will bac k up Br own. Watson has a nice touc h from the field. Senior Michael Dugue should complement Br own well in the bac kcourt. Dugue shoots the ball well from the outside and is solid on the defensive end. While Elmont doesn’t have a go-to play-er, it has a sle w of interchangeable play-ers with talent. J unior Timothy Lewis can shoot from the perimeter or slash to the basket. Daniel Alexander is as quic k as it gets. The fleet-footed junior thrives in tran-sition.

Joshua Previlon, a 6-foot-5 senior f orward, is a good shot blocker and rebounder. Previlon finishes well in the paint and can contrib ute offen-sively. Junior guard Marc Anthony Campbell is another threat from the perim-eter.

Lady Spartans should battle for top spot

A fter a season tha t saw the Lady Spar-tans crowned co-champions in their conference before falling to Farming-

dale 52-41 in the quar terfinal round of the Class AA playoffs, Elmont returns a team that is vertically-challenged, but one with enough talent to compete for a title. The guard-heavy Lady Spartans will be challenged by Mepham, Bellmore-JFK, Long Beach, Westbury, Carey, Herricks, and Great Neck South in Confer ence AA-III. Tom Magno, who begins his fifth y ear as coach, returns three girls who honored in 2010-12, but he won't have a deep bench. "We don't have much depth at this point, and there's no a lot of height, but it's good to have senior leadership," Magno said. "These girls have been through the battles. We're going to hope to g et more people involved. When it comes do wn to cr unch time, if we can execute and make shots, we should be ok." All-County forward Bria Fisher, who averaged 11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds, should be a handful in the paint for opposing defenses . The 5-foot-8 senior can handle the ball w ell, and has improved her game away from the basket. Senior Elesha Joseph provided some siz e off the bench for the Lady Spartans. Senior Goldie Harrison, an All-Classifi-cation honoree as a junior, returns at point guard for the Lady Spartans. Harrison (8.3 points and 3.5 steals per g ame) is a ter rific ball handler with good bask etball IQ. An improved perimeter g ame should f orce

opponents to come out and defend her. Cassandra Cherry joins Harrison in the backcourt. The junior guard is a slasher, and Elmont's top thr eat from the perim-eter. Magno would like to see Cher ry, an All-Conference performer as a sophomor e, blossom into a more consistent scorer. Senior Kyra Ridley is a defensi ve spe-cialist who will look to contrib ute more on offense. Senior Beatrice Pierre is small in stature, but huge in energ y. Pierre wreaks havoc on the defensi ve end of the f loor. Sophomore Sahadia Cadet will contrib ute off the bench at guard.

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SPARTANS Youthful Elmont learning on the job



CHRISTIAN WATSON

BRIA FISHER

ScheduleBOYS

December10 Carey 1:00 p.m.16 @ Herricks 7:00 p.m.20 Kennedy 5:00 p.m.

January3 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.6 @ G.N. South 6:45 p.m.10 Long Beach 4:30 p.m.13 Mepham 4:30 p.m.17 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.20 Herricks 5:00 p.m.27 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.31 Westbury 4:30 p.m.

February3 G.N. South 4:30 p.m.7 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m.10 @ Mepham 6:15 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 Herricks 4:30 p.m.20 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.

January3 Westbury 4:30 p.m.6 G.N. South 4:30 p.m.10 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m.12 @ Mepham 6:15 p.m.17 Carey 4:30 p.m.20 @ Herricks 6:30 p.m.27 Kennedy 5:00 p.m.31 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.

February3 @ G.N. South 6:30 p.m.7 Long Beach 4:30 p.m.10 Mepham 4:30 p.m.13 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.

9


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RED DEVILS Tough guard play to lead Freeport



By ANDREW McCLURE

D efending Conference AA-I champi-on Freeport is coming off a 14-4 sea-son that ended with a disappointing

55-54 loss to Hempstead in the quar terfinal round of the Nassau Class AA playoffs. The Red Devils bring bac k one of the top backcourt tandems in the county , but not much size or de pth in a confer ence once again including Uniondale, Mass-apequa, Farmingdale, Oceanside, Hemp-stead, and Syosset. As always, hard-nosed defense and scor-ing in transition r emains the formula for Freeport coach Bob DeBonis. “We’re going to be pr etty undersized, so w e’ll have to grind it out,” DeBonis said. “We don’t have a deep bench, so staying healthy and keep-ing out of foul trouble will be impera tive. Our guard play will be very good. We have a pair of guards who I will put up a gainst any backcourt in Nassau. W e’re going to rely on them a lot f or scoring, defense, and leadership.” Senior captain Leondre Simmon is a terrific playmaker who has improved his outside shooting to go along with the r est of the package he brings to the f loor. Sim-mon is a loc kdown defender who wreaks havoc on opponents . His bac kcourt part-ner, senior captain Jere Brown, is a slasher who can take his man of f the dribble, or step back and hit the thr ee. Brown, who along with Simmon was an All-County recipient as a junior, is as tough as a bar of iron on defense. Shooting guard Kyhiem Chaplin gives the Red Devils another out-side threat. Chaplin has been a pleasant surprise in the preseason, DeBonis said. Forward Isaiah Bar nes is a solid inte-rior defender with a knack for rebounding. DeBonis will look f or the senior tri-ca p-tain to provide some offense off put-backs. Junior Jovanni Moreno is an a thletic for-ward with tr emendous upside. Moreno, who can score on the inside and fr om the perimeter, will be an important component

on the of fensive end of the f loor. Senior Brandon Jones and Anthon y Priest will give the Red Devils some minutes off the bench.

Lady Devils looking for special season

F reeport took another ste p forward in 2010-11. The Lady Devils qualified for the Class AA pla yoffs and won their

postseason opener before falling to repeat county champion and sta te semifinalist Baldwin in the quarterfinals. With a dee p, experienced roster, and talent in both the bac kcourt and in the paint, Freeport should be a tough f oe for Conference AA-I opponents and has potential for a dee p playoff run. The Lady Devils will battle Massapequa, Farmingdale, Oceanside, Union-dale, Hempstead and Sy osset twice apiece once a gain, with the top four earning a playoff berth. Coach Meredith Jones is opti-mistic. “We have a roster filled with basketball players as opposed to gir ls who play basketball from November to February,” Jones said. “We’re a step closer to figur-ing out how to win consistent-ly. The girls know they’re talented, no w they just need to pr ove themselves on the court. We have high expectations.” Senior point guar d Monique J ones, a four-year starter, will r un the show on offense. Jones is quic k off the drib ble, takes the ball har d to the rac k, and can step back and bury jumpers. On the defen-sive end of the f loor, Jones is a bout as tough to shake as it gets. Joining Jones in the backcourt is senior Sabria Grayson and junior A ysha Harris. Grayson has terrific basketball IQ and has improved her scoring touc h. Harris is a threat from downtown, and also has the ability to take it to the hole . Both Grayson and Harris are terrific defenders. Junior Breanna Kuar, sophomore Taylor Miller,

and eighth-grader Etalyia Vogt will all con-tribute at guard. In the paint, 6-f oot-1 senior Deasia Goodson can be a force. Goodson is terrific in the post, and has impr oved her g ame from the perimeter. On defense, Goodson is a shot-blocking machine. Senior Monique Fitzgerald is all hustle . Fitzgerald gets after the loose balls, defends well, and con-trols the boar ds. Junior Sydney Harris provides size and strength at forward. Deja Hooks, a 6-2 sophomore, and freshman A.J. Smith will both see time in the frontcourt.

LEONDRE SIMMON

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MONIQUE JONES

ScheduleBOYS

December16 Hempstead 4:30 p.m.20 @ Syosset 6:15 p.m.

January3 @ Massapequa 7:00 p.m.6 Oceanside 6:15 p.m.1 0 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m.17 Farmingdale 6:15 p.m.20 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m.27 Syosset 6:15 p.m.31 Massapequa 6:15 p.m.

February3 @ Oceanside 7:00 p.m.7 Uniondale 4:30 p.m.13 @ Farmingdale 4:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m.20 Syosset 6:15 p.m.

January3 Massapequa 6:15 p.m.6 @ Oceanside 7:00 p.m.10 Uniondale 6:15 p.m.17 @ Farmingdale 4:30 p.m.20 Hempstead 4:30 p.m.27 @ Syosset 6:15 p.m.31 @ Massapequa 6:15 p.m.

February3 Oceanside 6:15 p.m.7 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m.13 Farmingdale 6:15 p.m.

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By TONY BELLISSIMO

A year ago at this time the Bulldo gs were without a r eturning starter, but that didn’t stop them fr om

qualifying for the Nassau Class A pla yoffs for a sixth consecuti ve season and gi ving third-seeded Seaford a scare in the opening round. “We have a mor e experienced g roup and I expect us to hit the g round running,” coach Bill Dubin said. “W e’ve been c hal-lenging for a confer ence title and in the playoffs six years in a r ow, and I don ’t see any reason why we can’t continue those trends.” After bursting onto the scene to crac k the starting five and lead the of fense as varsity newcomers, talented under class-men Weldon Irvine and Avery Feldman are back to give Hewlett arguably the best 1-2 punch in the frontcourt in Conference A-II. Irvine and Feldman both averaged bet-ter than 15 points and 10 r ebounds per game on the way to earning All-Conference honors. “They play well inside and shoot well from the outside,” Dubin said. “W el-don’s improved his shooting touc h and Avery’s agility is better. If one of them happens to g et doubled, we should be OK because we’ve got a good supporting cast.” In the bac kcourt, senior Har rison Brenner is bac k to r un the system fr om the point. He has a g reat handle, passing skills, court vision and impr oved quick-ness, Dubin noted. Sophomor e shooting guard Dmitry Ba ptiste, one of the Bull-dogs’ strongest defenders, will be one of the fastest players on the court every game and can get out on the fast break and score. Up from JV, junior Nico Leguillo is certain to contribute and versatile enough to pla y both guard spots. Junior Kevin Dehaney is pr ojected to be the star ting center after a midseason call-up allotted him v aluable varsity expe-rience a year ago. Depth in the fr ontcourt

comes in the f orm of sophomores Bryan Eckerle and Josh Netto Rosen, while junior guards Matt Isaacs and Nic k Almonte can provide instant offense off the bench. “We have to stay healthy and out of foul trouble,” Dubin said.

Lady Bulldogs bring speed, energy

A fter struggling through a winless 2009-10 campaign, the Lady Bulldogs made

considerable strides on the cour t last season and were far more com-petitive while banking three wins. Coach Tommy Johnson received strong contributions from underclassmen Saman-tha DiSalvo, Gabrielle Casanova and Val-erie DeNapoli, and the trio r eturns to lead the way along with seniors J enni Rogoff and Sami Schechter. “Our defense and passing w ere the two big things w e improved last season and now we’ve got a lot of girls back,” Johnson said. “We don’t have size, but we’re going to use our speed and a thleticism to our advantage.” Johnson is looking f or Hewlett to show growth heading into J anuary and hang tough with Confer ence A-II rivals. While South Side and L ynbrook switched confer-ences, Division is a c hallenging newcomer to go along with La wrence, Sewanhaka, Bethpage and Plainedge. “As a coach I can’t ask for a better group of girls,” Johnson said. “T hey’re working really hard and excited to get some games under their belt.”Rogoff and Schechter will be counted on to provide leadership and solid all-ar ound play. Rogoff is a shooting guar d who can put the ball in the bask et, while Schechter

does a m yriad of things — passes, defends, sets scr eens — not f ound in a bo xscore. DiSalvo gave the of fense a shot of adrenaline as a v arsity rookie, averaging 15.9 points per g ame to rank among the Top 15 scorers in Nassau, thanks in par t to her defense and a bility to slash to the bas-ket. “She’s a relentless defender who gets steals and tur ns them into bask ets at the other end,” Johnson said. Casanova is a complete pla yer who makes everyone around her better, John-son said. Like DiSalvo and DeNapoli, Casa-nova can play point guar d or slide up to forward. DeNapoli, the likely starter at the point, is one of the best a thletes in school and another intense defender. Up from the JV , juniors Nicole Rizzo and Lindsa y Wasserman bolster Hewlett’s depth in the frontcourt. Seniors Danielle Kandel and Ric ki Stu-macher will be counted on to r ebound and defend. Kandel, the lik ely starting center, can also scor e from inside the paint and trigger the transition of fense. Senior Elan Yochai is a har d-working forward who can chip in offensively and under the boards. “We’re not going to have anyone average 10 rebounds a game like last season, so it has to be a collective effort,” Johnson said.

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BULLDOGS Hewlett no stranger to playoffs


WELDON IRVINE

JENNI ROGOFF

Schedule

BOYSDecember16 @ Jericho 7:00 p.m.22 South Side 7:15 p.m.

January6 Sewanhaka 7:15 p.m.10 @ Bethpage 5:00 p.m.12 @ Lawrence 6:30 p.m.17 Plainedge 6:30 p.m.20 Division 7:15 p.m.27 @ Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m.31 Bethpage 6:30 p.m.

February3 Lawrence 7:00 p.m.7 @ Plainedge 6:30 p.m.10 @ Division 6:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember14 Hempstead 5:30 p.m.20 @ Jericho 4:30 p.m.

January6 @ Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m.10 Bethpage 7:00 p.m.12 Lawrence 7:00 p.m.17 @ Plainedge 7:30 p.m.20 @ Division 6:30 p.m.27 Sewanhaka 7:00 p.m.31 @ Bethpage 6:30 p.m.

February3 @ Lawrence 4:30 p.m.7 Plainedge 7:00 p.m.10 Division 7:00 p.m.

Photos by Susan Grieco

11


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unity Newspapers

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Here's to a Winning Basketball Sports SeasonGO HEWLETT BULLDOGS!!

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By STEVE SINISKI

A ny team trying to r eplace all five starters in one fell s woop is going to have big shoes to fill. But in the

case of Kennedy, which finished 12-7 and knocked off MacArthur in the first-r ound of the Nassau Class AA pla yoffs last sea-son, the statement is particularly true. On top of losing three-time All-Confer-ence guard Joey Karo, and All-Conference forward Adrian Rose, the Coug ars have to replace the production of 6-foot-10 All-County center Brian O’Gorman. “Scoring is a concer n and it will tak e a group effort to replace Karo, O’Gorman and Rose,” coach Rory Block said. As the Coug ars move forward in Con-ference AA-III, which includes newcomer Westbury, they look to f our returning var-sity players and an inf lux of new talent, including senior Chad Fusc hillo, who’s even new to the sc hool. The two-guard is expected to pr ovide immediate help in the scoring column fr om the perimeter. In terms of filling the nets in the paint, the bulk of the points ar e going to come fr om 6-foot-3 senior center Ben Canaric k and 6-2 senior forward Zack Hecht. With size and good court awareness, Hecht has the v er-satility to battle for points down low and also drain jumpers . The catalyst for the offense is senior point guard Keith Safon, a speedy dynamo who’s expected to make life difficult for the opposition on the defensive side of the floor. Junior Ralph Faiella and senior Bran-don Lerner are pushing for time at small forward, and Kennedy is welcoming three additional members from last season’s JV team along with Faiella. All juniors, Ethan Jones, Tyler Mer ron and Chris Racalb uto are expected to contrib ute in a v ariety of ways. Jones has the v ersatility to play any position from point guar d to po wer for-ward, while Merron’s shooting makes him an asset in the backcourt.

“If we are to be successful, the r eturn-ing players will have to ste p up big time and we must receive a hug e contribution from Jones, Faiella, Racalbuto and Mer-ron,” Block explained.

Lady Cougars pressing for playoff return

B link and you might miss the Lady Cougars.That’s exactly what they’re hoping

happens with opponents, too, when they hit the hardwood in 2011-12. With a hand-ful of players returning from last season’s team that made the Nassau Class AA play-offs and an entire roster loaded with ath-leticism, Kennedy’s going to play one way on the court: fast. “We are going to be up-tempo , pressure people and cr eate turnovers,” first-year head coach and one-time assistant coac h John Dellolio said. “T he way we want to play, we’re going to pla y until everyone’s tongue is hanging out. In or der for us to win, we need everyone to play.” Senior point guar d Victoria Ferry returns and pr ovides stability in the backcourt where her leadership and court sense mak e her a solid f loor gen-eral. Shooting guard Kerri Baum, a return-ing junior, is Kennedy’s quickest player and also covers opposing point guar ds on defense. Juniors Nicole Hoffman and Paige Nowicki and sophomores Carly Klein and Kylie Honigfeld are also expected to con-tribute in the backcourt. In the paint, senior Melissa Coluccio , like Baum, is a top-f light defender, and a long reach coupled with quic kness makes Coluccio a key player on presses and traps. Senior Shelby Blaine is a spot-on shooter from the perimeter, while senior Heather Hulkhower is a veteran who brings experi-ence to the floor. Sophomore Samantha Milazzo has already proven to be fear less on the f loor despite being an under classmen. “We’re a

team by committee,” Dellolio said, not-ing the overall versatility of the players on the roster. “Most things we run, anyone can end up [playing] almost any position.” Seniors Samantha Finkel and Lindsey Klein and sophomor e Danielle Hansen are also par t of the mix a t forward for the Lady Cougars, who earned the No. 9 seed in last y ear’s playoffs. “I think coac h [Debbie] Cipolla-Menafo did a g reat job building the program and developing the players,” Dellolio said. “We hope to keep it going and capitalizing on the success.”

COUGARS Kennedy welcomes lots of new faces

Photos by Jeff Wilson / Victoria Lodi


VICTORIA FERRY

ScheduleBOYS

December16 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.20 @ Elmont 5:00 p.m.

January3 G.N. South 7:00 p.m.6 Long Beach 7:00 p.m.10 @ Mepham 6:15 p.m.13 Carey 7:00 p.m.17 @ Herricks 7:00 p.m.19 Westbury 7:00 p.m.27 Elmont 7:00 p.m.31 @ G.N. South 7:00 p.m.

February3 @ Long Beach 7:00 p.m.7 Mepham 7:00 p.m.10 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.13 Herricks 7:00 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 Westbury 7:00 p.m.20 Elmont 7:00 p.m.

January3 @ G.N. South 7:00 p.m.6 @ Long Beach 8:00 p.m.10 Mepham 7:00 p.m.13 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.17 Herricks 7:00 p.m.20 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.27 @ Elmont 5:00 p.m.31 G.N. South 7:00 p.m.

February3 Long Beach 7:00 p.m.7 @ Mepham 6:15 p.m.10 Carey 7:00 p.m.13 @ Herricks 7:00 p.m.14

BEN CANARICK

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By TONY BELLISSIMO

A fter winning 17 g ames last season and reaching the county finals f or the first time in more than 20 years,

Lawrence brings back a wealth of talent to the hardwood along with a f amiliar face to guide it. Joe Supple, who coached the Golden Tornadoes to a Nassau Class A pla yoff appearance in 2008-09, has r eturned after spending the past tw o seasons on the Oceanside staff. “I’ve known most of these kids a long time and I’m glad to ha ve the oppor tunity to come back,” Supple said. “We’re going to be as athletic as anyone in the county. We don’t have too much size, but it’s not a big concern and we’re working on being mor e physical down low.” The Golden Tornadoes will make things happen when junior Eddie R obinson has the ball in his hands. The All-County point guard averaged 15.1 points last season and is as unselfish as he is d ynamic. “Eddie’s an all-around physical guard who creates mismatches,” Supple said. “T here’s noth-ing he doesn’t do well.” Sophomore shooting guar d Dwayne Daniel moves into a star ting role after providing instant of fense and tenacious defense off the benc h last season w hile earning All-Conference honors. “He r uns the floor w ell and is probably our best shooter,” Supple said. “He’ s aggressive on defense and can tak e gambles because of his quickness.” Junior Clifton Lyerly leads the wa y in the frontcourt and comes of f an All-Con-ference campaign tha t saw him average 10 points. He’s athletic and versatile, and able to defend the lo w post. “He’s been a leader in practice and has potential to tak e a major leap,” Supple said. Two starting spots are up for grabs. At guard, seniors Kwadwo Agyapong and A.J. Gallo filled r eserve roles last season and

the experience should serv e them well. Up fr ont, junior center Rand y Wallace was dominant at the JV level and can be a pr esence in the paint, while senior Will Helicher, a newcomer, is 6-foot-7 and bound to contrib ute down the road.

Four starters back for Lady Golden Tornadoes

The Lady Golden T ornadoes figure to challenge for the Confer ence A-II crown with the r eturn of four starters

from last year’s team that qualified for the playoffs and dropped a Class A first-r ound game to North Shore. Replacing Farrah Desvereaux, who ran the offense from the point f or four sea-sons, is the big gest dilemma f acing coach George Klein b ut he’s optimistic all the pieces will fall into place. “One of the best qualities we have is unselfishness ,” he said. “We share the ball w ell and I lik e what I’ve seen in so f ar in scrimma ges. Our tempo might be a little mor e deliber-ate compared to past seasons and w e have to control the ball and limit turnovers.” In the frontcourt, juniors Nicole R obin-son and Natalie Legere, and senior Reshma Ramdhanie back to lead the wa y. Robin-son, a tr ue center, can dominate at times and it’s important she avoids foul trouble, Klein said. “Nicole can scor e, rebound and defend,” he said. Legere, a forward and one of the team’s best shooters, will also be asked to contrib-ute in the lo w post and pr ovide assistance on the boards. “Natalie does a lot of things well,” Klein said. Ramdhanie, also a f orward, plays an aggressive style on both ends and lik es to crash the boar ds. Klein is counting on some of her rebounds — and fr om junior Shaquira Goudy — to tur n directly into points via put-backs. At guard, senior Ga bi Golan had a few huge offensive performances last season and brings plenty of energy

and a reliable outside shot. J unior Olivia DelGrosso, coming off a strong JV season, is ready to contribute to the bac kcourt. At the point, sophomore Dina Goldstein and junior Tiffany Pedlar will both see action and are quality distributors. Conference newcomer Division, the Class A runner-up, is the f avorite on paper but Klein believes it’ll be a wide-open race. The conference also includes Sewanhaka, Hewlett, Bethpage and Plainedg e. “We’re looking to get a little better eac h game and each week,” he said.

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Lawrence built to contend again



CLIFTON LYERLY

NICOLE ROBINSON

ScheduleBOYS

December15 St. John The Baptist 6:30 p.m.23 Chaminade 4:00 p.m.

January6 Bethpage 7:00 p.m.10 @ Plainedge 6:30 p.m.12 Hewlett 6:30 p.m.17 Division 6:45 p.m.20 @ Sewanhaka 6:30 p.m.27 @ Bethpage 7:00 p.m.31 Plainedge 6:30 p.m.

February3 @ Hewlett 7:00 p.m.7 @ Division 6:30 p.m.10 Sewanhaka 6:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember14 @ Mineola 5:00 p.m.19 V.S. North 4:30 p.m.

January6 @ Bethpage 6:30 p.m.10 Plainedge 4:30 p.m.12 @ Hewlett 7:00 p.m.17 @ Division 8:00 p.m.19 Bethpage 5:00 p.m.20 Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m.31 @ Plainedge 8:00 p.m.

February3 Hewlett 4:30 p.m.7 Division 4:45 p.m.10 @ Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m.

GOLDEN TORNADOES 13


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CONFERENCE AA-I 1. Farmingdale Dalers2. Freeport Red Devils3. Hempstead Tigers4. Massapequa Chiefs5. Oceanside Sailors6. Syosset Braves7. Uniondale Knights

CONFERENCE AA-II1. Baldwin Bruins2. Calhoun Colts3. East Meadow Jets4. Hicksville Comets5. MacArthur Generals6. Plainview Hawks7. Port Washington Vikings8. V.S. Central Eagles

CONFERENCE AA-III1. Carey Seahakws2. Elmont Spartans3. G.N. South Rebels4. Herricks Highlanders5. Kennedy Cougars6. Long Beach Marines7. Westbury Green Dragons

CONFERENCE A-I1. Garden City Trojans2. Jericho Jayhawks3. New Hyde Park Gladiators4. Roslyn Bulldogs5. South Side Cyclones6. Wantagh Warriors

CONFERENCE A-II1. Division Dragons2. Bethpage Golden Eagles3. Hewlett Bulldogs4. Lawrence Golden Tornadoes5. Plainedge Red Devils6. Sewanhaka Indians

CONFERENCE A-III1. Floral Park Knights2. Glen Cove Big Red3. G.N. North Blazers4. Lynbrook Owls5. Manhasset Indians6. V.S. South Falcons7. West Hempstead Rams

CONFERENCE A-IV1. Clarke Rams2. Island Trees Bulldogs3. Mineola Mustangs4. North Shore Vikings5. Roosevelt Rough Riders6. Seaford Vikings7. V.S. North Spartans

CONFERENCE B-C1. Carle Place Frogs2. C.S. Harbor Seahawks3. East Rockaway Rocks4. Friends Academy Quakers5. Locust Valley Falcons6. Malverne Mules7. Oyster Bay Baymen8. Wheatley Wildcats

KRISTEN O'BRIENMephamPhoto by - Jeff Wilson

BASKETBALLRANKINGS

2011-12 Nassau County2011 - 12 HERALD High School Basketball Preview

15


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BOYSNassau Class AA Championship GameElmont 32, Baldwin 29

Nassau Class A Championship GameManhasset 73, Lawrence 59

Nassau Class B Championship GameMalverne 69, Wheatley 49

GIRLSNassau Class AA Championship GameBaldwin 39, Farmingdale 37

Nassau Class A Championship GameGarden City 46, Division 40

Nassau Class B Championship GameCold Spring Harbor 42, Wheatley 36

CROWNINGMOMENTS

2010-11 Nassau County2011 - 12 HERALD High School Basketball Preview

MALVERNEClass B Champions

BALDWINClass AA Champions

ELMONTClass AA Champions

Photo by - Jeff Wilson

By TONY BELLISSIMO

W hile figuring out ho w to account for the departure of 90 percent of its offense from last season, Long

Beach will try to mak e the most of every possession and bring a high le vel of inten-sity on defense. “Scoring is a concer n, but we’re going to use our siz e in the half-cour t and push the ball every chance we get,” coach T.J. Burke said. “We usually focus on defense, anyway, and we’re going to use tw o differ-ent systems based on w hich players we have on the floor.” The Marines ar e part of a wide-open Conference AA-III tha t includes defend-ing Nassau Class AA c hampion Elmont, newcomer Westbury, Great Neck South, Carey, Kennedy and Me pham. “We’re not discussing playoffs or an ything like that yet,” Burke said. “We’ve missed out tw o years in a r ow and we’d like to g et back, but improvement game-by-game is the only thing we’re concerned with at this point.” A pair of sophomores will pla y key roles. Six-foot-7 center Tariq Cole should prove a handful in the paint after g etting a taste of varsity ball last season, and guar d Stefan Pitts is a lockdown defender. “Tariq is a beast under neath and some-one who can put up a doub le-double every game,” Burke said. “He does a nice job opening up the of fense. He kicks the ball out if he’s unable to get a shot off.” Pitts has quick hands and feet and will get the toughest defensi ve assignment in the backcourt. He’s also ca pable of chip-ping in some buckets at the offensive end. Senior guard Daryl Br own is Long Beach’s X-factor. He’s a tremendous shoot-er and cr eator and pla yed lights-out in the summer lea gue. “He’s doing the right things off the court and can r eally help us on the cour t,” said Burke, who will have Brown or senior Will Sims run the point. Senior Kevin Rourke and sophomor e Tyquan Scott will contrib ute plenty up

front, and de pth comes in the f orm of juniors Thomas Patrick, Desmond Moore and Eric Weiner.

Intense defense to spark Lady Marines

L ady Marines coac h Lori DeVivio is look-ing for a new defensive

attitude and scheme to spark a fast start out of the g ate and lead them into the playoffs for the first time in f our seasons. “We really want to star t strong,” DeVivio said. “We played well towards the end of last season and the summer lea gue served as an extension into this season. We have more experience and c hemistry, and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t finish at least fourth to make the playoffs.” On paper, Mepham appears the cream of the cr op in Confer ence AA-III b ut Elmont, Kennedy, Carey, Great Neck South, and newcomers Herricks and Westbury, won’t be a walk in the par k, DeViVio said. “It’s a r eal tough confer ence,” she said. “We’ll have to earn every win we get.” The majority of practice time has been spent working on man-to-man defense , which DeVivio hopes will bring more turn-overs and f ast-break points. “We’ll still play some zone b ut we want to be mor e aggressive,” she said. Junior forward Molly Martin, an All-County selection, leads Long Beac h’s tal-ent field and can pla y any position on the court. She’s the team’s top scorer, hitting for double digits in almost e very game a season ago, as w ell as its best defender . “Molly was alr eady a str ong all-around player, and she’s completely elevated her game from last season,” DeVivio said. Senior Caitlin O’Connell and sopho-more Liz Rourke also r eturn at forward. O’Connell is a le gitimate outside thr eat and improved in the open floor, and Rourke

is a quality r ebounder. Sophomore center Perri Steiner was one of the main benefi-ciaries of the summer lea gue and ready to be a factor down low. At guard, senior Bridg et Gilbert, an All-Conference selection, drain shots fr om the outside and defends . Sophomore Mary McDonnagh got quality min utes last sea-son and can burn defenses from the perim-eter. She may see time a t the point along with junior Kristen Barani, w ho brings an accurate shot and intense defense.

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MOLLY MARTIN

TARIQ COLE

ScheduleBOYS

December16 Mepham 4:30 p.m.20 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.

January3 Herricks 5:00 p.m.6 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.10 @ Elmont 4:30 p.m.13 G.N. South 4:30 p.m.17 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.20 @ Mepham 6:15 p.m.27 Carey 4:30 p.m.31 @ Herricks 7:00 p.m.

February3 Kennedy 7:00 p.m.7 Elmont 4:30 p.m.10 @ G.N. South 6:45 p.m.13 Westbury 4:00 p.m.

GIRLSDecember15 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m.21 Carey 4:30 p.m.

January4 @ Herricks 6:30 p.m.6 Kennedy 8:00 p.m.10 Elmont 4:30 p.m.12 @ G.N. South 5:00 p.m.17 Westbury 4:00 p.m.20 Mepham 4:30 p.m.27 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.31 Herricks 5:00 p.m.

February3 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.7 @ Elmont 4:30 p.m.10 G.N. South 4:30 p.m.13 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.

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Let’s GoMarines!

OWLS New foes to challenge Lynbrook



By TONY BELLISSIMO

L ynbrook seeks a r eturn trip to the Nassau Class A playoffs after coming within a victory of qualifying for a

third straight season under coac h Chris Rube, who is looking f or defense to k eep the Owls in every game. But a switch to Conference A-III figures to bring a muc h tougher road to navigate. Lynbrook’s new rivals include defend-ing county c hampion Manhasset, F loral Park, Glen Cove, Great Neck North, Valley Stream South and West Hempstead. “It’s a very tough and competiti ve con-ference,” Rube said. “We’re familiar with some of the teams and w e’re not going to make it easy on an yone. We’re looking for-ward to the challenge.” The Owls boast plenty of senior leader-ship but also have some under classmen they’ll need to pr oduce to be successful, especially sophomore guard Michael McVeigh. An All-Confer ence selection a year ago, the left-handed shooting McVeigh averaged 9.8 points per g ame off the bench and brings a tr emendous amount of upside. “He’s a hard worker with g reat range and poise,” Rube said. McVeigh and junior Ma tthew Murphy are interchangeable, Rube said, and both can run the point. Murphy started at times last season and was a standout during summer and fall league action. He cr eates scoring opportunities for himself and oth-ers. Senior Johnny Emmerich is a r eturn-ing starter stepping into a big ger role. He too can play the point, b ut he’s versatile and tenacious enough to guar d opposing centers. “He’s athletic and tough ar ound the rim,” Rube said. Seniors Matthew Strobel and Bran-don Peresiper are expected to comprise the starting frontcourt and play key roles on the boar ds. Strobel is a big-time lead-er, Rube said, and P eresiper is a str ong defender who can also contrib ute offen-sively.

Lynbrook’s depth is solid with seniors Rocco Scibelli, Patrick Geiger, Tim Keegan and Cesar Osses. “We’re small, b ut tough,” R ube said. “Our goal is al ways to be better a t the end of the year, and I fell tha t’s going to be the case with this group.”

Backcourt is key for Lady Owls

H aving reached the Nassau Class A championship game and semifinals in consecutive seasons, the Lad y

Owls are no strang ers to dee p playoff runs and coach Heather Manikas is hope-ful another is in the works. “It’s a big y ear for us,” Manikas said. “We’re down two starters we thought we’d have back, but we still have talented players. Not everyone has to scor e 20, b ut everyone has to contribute and handle their roles.” Lynbrook does fea ture a player capable of scoring 20 every time she ste ps on the floor. Senior Brooke Gerst-man, a two-time All-Coun-ty guard, poured in 18.5 points per g ame last sea-son and is the complete package. “Brooke is not only a phenomenal athlete but a g reat kid,” Manikas said. “She has b lossomed into a tr emendous team player. She can scor e from anywhere and she’ s also unselfish in every way. It’s OK when teams doub le her because she’ ll find an open teammate.” Gerstman and senior point guard Shannon Baker are out -standing press-b r e a k e r s a n d passers. Baker, another shooting threat from the out-side, is confident in

her ability, Manikas said, and someone the Lady Owls need to put the ball in the basket. “It’s important for Shannon to hit shots and take pressure off Brooke,” Mani-kas said. “If she’s left alone and sees an opening, she can do damage.” The coach is also counting on senior Amanda Coughlin, sophomor e Meghan Montine and fr eshman Kiera Gor don to make backcourt contributions. Coughlin is

one of the team’s hardest work-ers, while Montine and Gor -don will be used to boost the tempo. At forward, seniors Danielle Amaya and Chris-

tine Randazzo are strong on the boards and Manikas is

looking for them to be aggressive with put-backs. Junior for-ward Joelle Church moves well in the post and will ha ve

a more defined

role on of fense, Manikas said.

New to Con-ference A-III, the Lady Owls appear to be the f avorite on paper. “Hopeful ly we’ll be a ble to win the conference and make a r un to the f inals,” Manikas said.

SHANNON BAKER

ScheduleBOYS

December16 G.N. North 7:00 p.m.20 @ V.S. South 7:30 p.m.

January3 @ Glen Cove 7:00 p.m.6 @ Floral Park 6:30 p.m.10 @ Manhasset 6:30 p.m.18 West Hempstead 7:00 p.m.20 @ G.N. North 7:00 p.m.27 V.S. South 7:00 p.m.31 Glen Cove 7:00 p.m.

February3 Floral Park 4:45 p.m.7 Manhasset 7:00 p.m.13 @ West Hempstead 6:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 @ G.N. North 6:15 p.m.20 V.S. South 7:00 p.m.

January3 Glen Cove 7:00 p.m.6 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m.10 Manhasset 7:00 p.m.18 @ West Hempstead 6:30 p.m.20 G.N. North 7:00 p.m.27 @ V.S. South 7:30 p.m.31 @ Glen Cove 7:15 p.m.

February1 3 Floral Park 6:30 p.m.7 @ Manhasset 7:00 p.m.13 West Hempstead 7:00 p.m.

the Nassau C lass Agame and semifinals

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New to Con-ference A-III,the Lady Owls appearto be the favorite onpaper. “Hopeful lywe’ll be able to winthe conference andmake a run to thefinals,” Manikassaid.

SHJOHNNY EMMERICH

17


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By TONY BELLISSIMO

M alverne’s stranglehold on Nas-sau Class B contin ued with the Mules winning their sixth con-

secutive county title and se venth in eight seasons, but the quest f or a fifth straight Long Island championship was denied b y Mattituck in heartbreaking fashion. The bitter taste of the 68-67 loss a t the buzzer to the Tuc kers hasn’t disappeared for coach Darrol Lopez & Co., and Glens Falls remains on the radar despite a r oster with some unproven players at the varsity level. “We always set lofty goals ,” said Lopez, who guided the Mules to 18 wins last sea-son. “This might be the first season I can remember where we’re rebuilding more than reloading. We’re counting on a lot of seniors who didn’t play a ton of minutes in the past.” While the Mules will r un-and-gun at times, Lopez is unsure if it will be to the usual extent or if they’ll spend more time packing into a zone. It all depends, he said, on early results. With three guards likely to be on the floor at all times , Conference B-C rivals may still have trouble keeping up with Malverne’s preferred pace. Senior lefty Jef-frey Voltaire will run the point and brings a nice combination of size and quickness. “His main r esponsibilities are as a dis-tributor and defender,” Lopez said. Senior Marc Jean can handle the ball, but he’ll be utilized more as a shooter after spending countless hours during the sum-mer sharpening his skills . “He’s really developed his shot and has g reat range,” said Lopez, who is also looking f or big things from senior guard Tim Pr uitt and for contributions from senior J erry Vol-taire. In the middle, big man Andr e Berry is a talented junior with a tough inside g ame and shooting touch from the outside. He’s

joined up front by 6-foot-4 sophomore Aaron Jackson, a transfer fr om St. John The Baptist who brings tremen-dous upside and scoring ability. The Mules w elcome Elmont, Law-rence and West Hempstead to the ann u-al Hank Williams Memorial Tournament Dec. 27 and 29.

Lady Mules done with growing pains

A fter working through a season with-out the benefit of a senior on the r os-ter and filled with g rowing pains, the

Lady Mules are ready to become more of a factor in Conference B-C and challenge for a playoff spot. “We were close in e very game in the fourth quarter,” coach Michael Pelan said. “We got some wins w e can b uild on, and we’re way ahead of last year’s pace as f ar as the lear ning process goes. The playoffs isn’t an easy goal to r each, but we should make a run.” Nassau Class B is rich in talent. Defend-ing champion Cold Spring Harbor a ppears the team to bea t again, and P elan said Locust Valley and Whea tley also boast their share of returning players. Carle Place, Oyster Bay, and Class C r epresenta-tives East Rockaway and Friends Academy round out the regular-season schedule. Malverne will rely heavily on its star t-ing frontcourt tandem of senior captains Amanda Masson and Kar en Ulysse to lead the playoff push. “They’ve been in the pro-gram four years and were part of the vol-leyball team that reached the finals,” Pelan said. “We need them to show the way.” Masson, a lefty w ho can scor e and rebound, averaged 11 points and se ven rebounds last season and P elan believes she’s the most a thletic forward in the con-ference. Ulysse is a defensi ve stopper who causes turnovers, and she’ll also be expect-ed to chip in some points along with senior forward TionTaye Noel, another r eturning starter with a knack for rebounding.

At guard, freshman Alexis Lope z has a smooth stroke and two years of experience under her belt. She a veraged eight points last season and hit fi ve three-pointers in a game against Oyster Bay. Freshman Steph-anie Gee, who missed 90 per cent of last season due to injury, will r un the point along with junior Rac hel Meachem. Pelan said the Lady Mules feed of f Meachem’s defensive energy. Additional contributions will come inside from freshman Jaclyn Chinchilla, and outside fr om sophomore Richelle Cardoza.

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MULES Malverne sets lofty goals once again



AMANDA MASSON

JERRY VOLTAIRE

ScheduleBOYS

December16 @ Wheatley 7:00 p.m.20 C.S. Harbor 7:00 p.m.

January3 @ Oyster Bay 7:00 p.m.6 Friends Aca. 7:00 p.m.10 Locust Valley 7:00 p.m.13 @ East Rockaway 7:15 p.m.17 Carle Place 7:00 p.m.20 Wheatley 7:00 p.m.27 @ C.S. Harbor 7:45 p.m.31 Oyster Bay 7:00 p.m.

February3 @ Friends Aca. 7:00 p.m.7 @ Locust Valley 7:00 p.m.10 East Rockaway 7:00 p.m. 13 @ Carle Place 7:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 Wheatley 6:30 p.m.20 @ C.S. Harbor 7:00 p.m.

January3 Oyster Bay 6:30 p.m.6 @ Friends Aca. 5:00 p.m.10 @ Locust Valley 6:30 p.m.13 East Rockaway 6:00 p.m.17 @ Carle Place 7:30 p.m.20 @ Wheatley 6:15 p.m.27 C.S. Harbor 6:15 p.m.31 @ Oyster Bay 7:00 p.m.

February3 Friends Aca. 6:15 p.m.7 Locust Valley 6:15 p.m.10 @ East Rockaway 7:15 p.m. 13 Carle Place 6:30 p.m.

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By STEVE SINISKI

B acked by an entire starting lineup of seniors and se veral key upper-classmen coming of f the benc h,

Mepham is hoping to mak e some noise on the hardwood in Conference AA-III. "We are really well-rounded and have good basketball knowledge," coach Rich Wojcieski said. Senior All-Conference point guard Kyle Wechsler is back for his third varsity cam-paign, and on top of having good cour t vision and playing unselfishly, his on-court intensity is a k ey attribute. As a 6-f oot-2 shooting guard, senior J.T. Elsasser poses matchups problems for opponents in a variety of ways, especially when he crash-es the boar ds against undersized defend-ers. His siz e and ball handling skills will also allow Wojcieski to move him up to the frontcourt. Senior Dan Kaminsk y packs offen-sive punch at small forward where he can help soften defenses with his shooting range. Matt Morrow, another senior and third-year varsity player, takes the cour t at power forward. If there's an X-f actor for the Pira tes, it just ma y be a t center, where senior Kris W aldron has made big strides entering his second season. At 6-6, he's a str ong rebounder and defend-er, with a larg e wingspan tha t can be a difference-maker. An of fseason of work has helped improve his overall game. "He really crashes the boar ds and works real hard," Wojcieski said. "He's r eal physical on defense. If we get over-aggressive [on defense] he can slide and help." The bench, much like the star ting lineup, is full of experience, although sophomore David Gilroy is an under class-men that could have an impact. A v olley-ball player in the f all, Gilroy is versatile enough to play at shooting guard, or one of the two forward slots. His talents — name-ly leaping ability and athleticism — trans-

late well to the har dwood. Junior guard Cam Brennick is slated to lo g minutes in the backcourt along with junior shooting guard Nick Martinez. Both ar e entering their second v arsity campaign, and Mar -tinez made several spot star ts due to inju-ries last season. Senior Chris Br ucato is in the mix up front.

Lady Pirates shoot to thrill

Mepham fans may want to heed this bit of advice: Don’t attend a g ame tired. Because you’ll be worse for the wear

after watching the Lad y Pirates’ five-guard rotation pushing the ball up and down the court. Plain-and-simple, the system works. They’ve advanced to the playoffs in each of the last four sea-sons and for the 2011-12 campaign boast the r eturn of two All-Coun-ty players, senior Kristen O’Brien and junior Nicole Castaldo. O’Brien, who was also named the Conference AA-II Player of the Year, enters her fifth v arsity campaign after scoring a team-high 16 points per game and pulling down six rebounds. “We’re going to play a five-guard system and have the ball in Kristen ’s hands a lot,” coach Jim Mulvey said. “She can handle the ball and play off the ball.” Castaldo, like O’Brien, is coming of f knee injury, and is lik ely to be one of Mepham’s anchors in the lo w post along with junior Christina Rieb l. Junior Mary Galgano is bac k after ear ning All-Class honors, while junior Samantha Hishmeh comes off an All-Confer ence campaign. “We know we can shoot and [now] we have even more shooters,” Mulvey said of gen-erating offense. The best of the b unch could be fr esh-man Megan Anderson, w ho had a big impact as an eighth-g rader and also put in extensive work to improve defensively during the of fseason. “She takes pressure off of the other gir ls [with her shooting]

because teams can’t help [on defense],” Mulv ey said of the spot-on out-side shooter. In ter ms of defense, senior Alexa Rinaudo , the varsity soccer goalie, brings a physical presence, and eighth-grader Ally Murphy, the f astest player on the team, is a str ong on-the-ball defender. Freshman Nicole Moccio ma y also make her mark on the defensi ve side of the floor, while sophomore Erica Miller is working to g et into the r otation in the paint. Junior Alexis Lemanski, fr eshman Alexa Morris and eighth-g rader Taylor O’Brien are also vying for time in the play-ing rotation.

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PIRATES Experience key to Mepham’s success


KYLE WESCHLER

NICOLE CASTALDO

ScheduleBOYS

December16 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m.20 Westbury 6:15 p.m.

January3 Carey 6:15 p.m.5 @ Herricks 7:00 p.m.10 Kennedy 6:15 p.m.13 @ Elmont 4:30 p.m.17 @ G.N. South 7:00 p.m.20 Long Beach 6:15 p.m.27 @ Westbury 4:30 p.m.31 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.

February3 Herricks 6:15 p.m.7 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.10 Elmont 6:15 p.m.13 G.N. South 6:15 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 Long Beach 4:30 p.m.19 @ Westbury 6:15 p.m.

January3 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.6 Herricks 6:30 p.m.10 @ Kennedy 7:00 p.m.12 Elmont 6:15 p.m.17 G.N. South 6:15 p.m.20 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m.27 Westbury 6:15 p.m.31 Carey 6:15 p.m.

February3 @ Herricks 6:30 p.m.7 Kennedy 6:15 p.m.10 @ Elmont 4:30 p.m.13 @ G.N. South 6:30 p.m.

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By TONY BELLISSIMO

T hough built around defense and rebounding, coach Dan K eegan believes the Sailors can pla y at a

faster tempo than last season w hen All-County point guar d Gene Gara y was always a step ahead of the competition. Garay averaged 23 points per g ame, but Oceanside still fell shor t of reaching the Nassau Class AA pla yoffs thanks to a br u-tal conference schedule. “Not making the playoffs was disappointing,” said Keegan, “but it was mor e of a product of playing in the toughest confer ence in the county. Every game is like a playoff game.” The competition hasn’t changed. Union-dale, Freeport, Farmingdale, Hempstead, Massapequa and Syosset will put the Sail-ors to the test once a gain. “We have our work cut out, b ut we have playoff poten-tial,” Keegan said. “We’re untested in the backcourt and nobody’s going to score 23 a night for us, but we have more experience and our scoring will be balanced betw een the perimeter and post.” Oceanside boasts a str ong inside pres-ence in the f orm of 6-foot-7 center Hunter Sabety, a junior w ho last season a veraged seven points and se ven rebounds. “Hunt-er’s very athletic and played a ton during the offseason,” Keegan said. “He’s excel-lent in transition and in the half-cour t game. He’s as good of a shot-blocking pres-ence as I’ve seen in 10 years.” Junior forward Jonah Kaplan is a text-book defender and rebounder, and his foot-work and left-handed touc h in the post equips him with dif ferent ways to put the ball in the bask et. “Last season’s experi-ence should serve him well,” Keegan said. Junior forward Brian Lau is one of the top athletes in school and a tenacious rebound-er, and senior R ob Aiello can crash the boards. In the bac kcourt, senior Dennis T re-anor will start or provide fireworks off the

bench. “He’s a str ong perimeter shooter who hustles all o ver the place ,” Keegan said. Senior Eddie Lall y and sophomor e Casey Kelly can both r un the point, senior Jimmy Keane is an acti ve defender who brings energ y, and senior Brandon Katzman can play either guard spot.

Lady Sailors will rely on experience

A fter a better sho wing the second time around last y ear’s Conference AA-I schedule, the Lad y Sailors will look

to use their experience and siz e to their advantage and push for a playoff spot. “The biggest thing we struggled with was handling pressure,” coach Jason Man-ning said. “It took some time to adjust to the speed of Conference I. We bring back a lot of players and I’m confident our defense will keep us in games.” The roster features a mix of return-ees and youthful newcomers. Oceanside’s strength is up fr ont with junior W oodlyn Daniel, who has ear ned All-County and All-Class accolades over the past tw o sea-sons, and senior captain Ashley Artus. The 5-foot-11 Daniel averaged 12 points and 10 r ebounds per g ame and fea tures a nice outside jump shot and a ggressive moves to the rim. “She’ s tough to guar d and a strong rebounder,” Manning said. The coach noted Ar tus, a tr ue center along with Ma ggie O’Keefe, has made the biggest improvement over four years in anyone he’s seen. Artus hit a c lutch game-winning shot to bea t Syosset last season and will be a serious f actor if opponents try to lock down Daniel. O’Keefe, a junior, will also contrib ute at both ends of the floor. She has good bac k-to-the-basket moves and rebounds well. At guard, sophomore Jeanne Callalan is the top candida te to r un the point after serving as the bac kup last season. She’ s the team’s best pur e shooter, Manning said, and also has the No . 1 handle. “She has a lot of responsibility for a sophomore,

and she’s been c hallenged in practice ,” Manning said. “She has the a bility to han-dle it.” Junior Emily Doherty has solid of fen-sive tools and ma y bring the ball up the floor at times, while senior Me gan Carey has made major strides as an outside scor -ing threat. Senior Deanna Viola will bring defensive intensity and leadership. “We want utilize our size and be able to score more than we did last season,” Man-ning said.

SAILORSOceanside runs with big dogs again



HUNTER SABETY

ScheduleBOYS

December16 @ Massapequa 7:00 p.m.

January3 Uniondale 7:00 p.m.6 @ Freeport 6:15 p.m.10 Farmingdale 7:00 p.m.13 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m.17 @ Syosset 6:15 p.m.20 Massapequa 7:00 p.m.31 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m.

February3 Freeport 7:00 p.m.7 @ Farmingdale 5:00 p.m.10 Hempstead 7:00 p.m.13 Syosset 7:00 p.m.

GIRLSDecember22 Massapequa 7:00 p.m.

January3 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m.6 Freeport 7:00 p.m.10 @ Farmingdale 4:00 p.m.13 Hempstead 7:00 p.m.17 Syosset 7:00 p.m.19 @ Massapequa 7:00 p.m.31 Uniondale 7:00 p.m.

February3 @ Freeport 6:15 p.m.6 Farmingdale 7:00 p.m.10 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m.13 @ Syosset 6:15 p.m.

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INDIANSNew coach to lead Sewankaka



By ANDREW McCLURE

S ewanhaka has had some tr emen-dous success on the bask etball court over the past fi ve seasons, including

winning its first lea gue title since the la te 1950s. But it’s a ne w day for the Indians as first-year head coach Jay Allen takes over a relatively inexperienced team. W ith a new philosophy and a slew of new players, the Indians will look to be competiti ve. Expect Lawrence and He wlett to be the class of Conference A-III. Allen hopes his team will ada pt to his style. “We’re going to look to pla y man-to-man defense and utiliz e the full-cour t press a little mor e than the team has done in the past,” Allen said. “W e don’t have a ton of scorers, so we’re going to need to get points of f our defense. With some big bodies inside, we’ll look to w ork the ball inside, and open up the perimeter game.” Kareem Are, a 6-f oot-6 gridiron star, will be the big man in the paint. The senior captain is solid on the defensi ve end, and is a handful f or opponents to deal with. Senior Mike Cothias may be Sewanhaka’s most versatile player. The 6-1 forward is a good post player who can also scor e from the perimeter. Allen will look f or rebounds and blocked shots fr om 6-7 senior J osh Wilchombe. Pierre Presume gives the Indi-ans depth in the frontcourt. Senior captain Corey Jones will r un the show. Jones is a slasher w ho likes the up-tempo game. He has a knac k for taking the ball to the hole and g etting to the line . Sophomore Jabryl Chin, an intellig ent player who shoots well from the perimeter, will also see time at the point. Hard-working sophomore Phil Repal-one will be look ed upon to car ry the scor-ing load from the perimeter. Expect Repal-one to check opposing team’s top threats. Junior Sean Rust is a versatile player with a nice ste p-back jumper. Junior captain Matt Lugo can play both the point and two-guard.

Lady Indians continue to grow

S ewanhaka has posted bac k-to-back winning seasons, and last y ear pulled off an upset of New Hyde Park in the

opening round of the Nassau Class A pla y-offs. For head coach Alex Soupios, each year is about taking another step forward. With an experienced g roup of upperclassmen, and a talented b unch of newcomers, the Lady Indians should be a team to be r eck-oned with in a conference comprising Law-rence, Hewlett, Bethpage, Plainedge, and county finalist Division. Soupios is ex cited about the r oster. “We’ve got a nice mix of veterans who know how to win, and some talented, young players who are ready to ste p in,” Soupios said. “The program is right where we want it. Winning that first playoff game was big for our growth as a team. It’s excit-ing to have all this experience, and then to have the young girls waiting in the wings . It could be a special year for us.” Point guard Celine Jolicoeur will be the go-to girl for the Lady Indians. The senior captain can slash her wa y to the bask et with the best of them, and has impr oved her mid-range shooting. Expect J olicoeur to emerge as one of the confer ence’s top scorers. Freshman Daniella Ford, the point guard of the future, should learn plenty as Jolicoeur’s understudy. Hard-working junior ca ptain Rachel Wisniewski, the team’s top threat from the perimeter, and athletic junior guard Shan-tell McCall are solid on both ends of the floor. Freshman Michelle Niles is a fearless performer who can beat defenders of f the dribble and take it hard to the rack. In the frontcourt, senior captain Jackie Wisniewski is the ca talyst. Wisniewski brings tremendous energy especially on the defensive end. Senior ca ptain Tima Faison provides strength and smar ts. Junior forward Katlyn Dempsey is a versa-tile player with a knack for scoring. Junior Danielle Georges is a solid r ebounder

who has improved her scoring touc h. Tal-ented eighth-grader Casey Hayes will push the veterans for playing time.

COREY JONES

CELINE JOLICOEUR

ScheduleBOYS

December22 Floral Park 4:30 p.m.29 @ Mineola 5:45 p.m.

January6 @ Hewlett 7:15 p.m.10 Division 4:45 p.m.13 Plainedge 4:30 p.m.17 @ Bethpage 5:00 p.m.20 Lawrence 6:30 p.m.27 Hewlett 4:30 p.m.31 @ Division 6:30 p.m.

February3 @ Plainedge 6:30 p.m.7 Bethpage 4:30 p.m.10 @ Lawrence 6:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember22 @ Syosset 6:15 p.m.29 Carle Place 12:00 p.m.

January6 Hewlett 4:30 p.m.10 @ Division 6:30 p.m.13 @ Plainedge 7:30 p.m.17 Bethpage 5:00 p.m.20 @ Lawrence 4:30 p.m.27 @ Hewlett 7:00 p.m.31 Division 4:45 p.m.

February3 Plainedge 4:30 p.m.7 @ Bethpage 6:30 p.m.10 Lawrence 4:30 p.m.

21


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INDIANS!INDIANS!

By TONY BELLISSIMO

S uffering an upset loss in the first round of the Nassau Class A pla y-offs on the heels of a conference title

made for a long of fseason for South Side, however with every starter back from the playoff defeat to Gr eat Neck North, the Cyclones are reloaded and refocused and likely to make a lot of noise. “We’ve got a hungry team,” coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “The playoff loss stung and stayed with everyone for a little bit. It was one of those things where you’re reminded any team can bea t you if you don’t play your best. “Now we’ve got a new set of conference opponents that I think ar e going to mak e for an interesting season,” he said. South Side’s up in Conference A-II and will tangle with the likes of Jericho, Roslyn, Wantagh, New Hyde Park and Garden City. The new rivals may not enjoy dealing with the Cyclones’ 1-2 punc h of seniors Darren Nickelson and R yan Spadaford, both All-County selections w ho figure to create plenty of chaos. Nickelson, the point guar d, is a g reat decision maker with the ball, a tenacious defender, and all-ar ound filler of the boxscore. He a veraged 13 points , seven rebounds and se ven assists last season. D’Angelo believes Spadaford, a power for-ward who can scor e from anywhere on the floor and averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds, will draw more double teams and allow the perimeter shooters open opportunities to do damage. Senior guards Kevin Coyle and R ob Pichioni can fill the bask et from the out-side and in tur n allow Spadaford to take advantage of one-on-one misma tches. Seniors Nick Bruno and Brian Caulfield will also contribute in the backcourt. Senior Justin Rhodes pr ovided fire-works off the benc h last season and will be asked to do the same as a star ter. “He’s

a good shooter w ho also a ttacks the bas-ket,” D’Angelo said. Senior center Bob by Akeson can rebound and shoot, and runs the f loor well, and senior Tim Gangedeen will be a defen-sive presence in the paint.

Lady Cyclones set for new challenges

F inding different ways to scor e and offensive balance are two keys it’ll take to crank the Lad y Cyclones’ engine a

season after they reached the Nassau Class A semifinals. A bump to Conference A-I makes play-offs a dif ficult goal to ac hieve, but coach Katelyn Dunn has her sights set on a top four finish and a return to the postseason. “We’re absolutely a different mold than last season,” Dunn said. “W e can’t just pack into our half-cour t offense. We’re going to need to g enerate more offense off the press and g et some scoring fr om everyone.” South Side doesn’t return any full-time starters, but the r oster isn’t void of experience. Guards Cait-lin Wallace and Ali Bannon w ere solid members of the backcourt and ready to assume starting assignments on a regular basis. Wallace is a strong out-side shooter, can drive the lane and g et to the foul line. Her quick feet also come in handy on defense. Bannon, who runs the point, came along nicely last season, Dunn said, and got a feel f or the type of pressure opponents will bring. “Ali has more control and confidence,” Dunn said. Wallace, Bannon and Maggie McGowan will provide important senior leadership for an o verall youthful team. McGo wan, a forward, has made larg e strides since last season and brings all the intangib les it takes to help a team be successful. She’ s an outstanding rebounder who shoots and passes well, and sets screens. “Maggie does whatever it takes,” Dunn said. Sophomore guard Julianna Pellegrini

has been impr essive and could crac k the starting lineup. Up fr om the JV, sopho-mores Bridget McFadden and Hannah Merrifield give the Lad y Cyclones some size in the frontcourt. Dunn said she’s excited about the move to Conference A-I, which includes defend-ing county c hampion Garden City, Want-agh, Roslyn, New Hyde Park and Jericho. “We have some jelling to do ,” she said. “We’re going to be scra ppy, and if we get our press working well we’re going to be competitive.”

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CYCLONES South Side has a winning formula



MAGGIE MCGOWAN

DARREN NICKELSON

ScheduleBOYS

December27 Tournament 4:30 p.m.28 Tournament 4:30 p.m.

January6 @ Roslyn 7:00 p.m.10 @ Wantagh 7:00 p.m.13 New Hyde Park 7:00 p.m.17 Garden City 7:00 p.m.20 @ Jericho 7:00 p.m.28 Roslyn 6:00 p.m.31 Wantagh 7:00 p.m.

February3 @ New Hyde Park 7:00 p.m.7 @ Garden City 7:00 p.m.10 Jericho 7:00 p.m.

GIRLSDecember14 Bethpage 7:00 p.m.22 Carle Place 7:00 p.m.

January6 @ Roslyn 7:00 p.m.10 Wantagh 7:00 p.m.13 @ New Hyde Park 5:00 p.m.17 @ Garden City 7:00 p.m.20 Jericho 7:00 p.m.28 Roslyn 4:00 p.m.31 @ Wantagh 7:00 p.m.

February3 New Hyde Park 7:00 p.m.7 Garden City 7:00 p.m.10 @ Jericho 6:30 p.m.

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V alley Stream Central coac h Hay-ward Alfred is a plainspok en man. Ask him what he hopes to accom-

plish this season and he tells y ou, straight out, “Our goal is al ways to compete f or a county championship.” Ask him a bout his method and he sa ys, “We have to be the hardest-working program.” Ask him w hat kind of players he f avors and he sa ys, “I want players who compete. I want a har d-working team.” There’s no beating around the bush with Alfred. So when the ball is tossed up f or the opening tip a gainst defending Nassau Class A c hampion Manhasset in a non-league game, it will signify the star t of a journey that Alfred believes will tak e his team to the final f our. Along the wa y, Alfred will count on big things fr om senior Mike Russo, an ex cellent shooter and expert ball handler. He’ll expect a lot out of Johna Grimsley, a 6-2 shooting guard with a soft shot and long ar ms, a finisher at the basket. He’ll want contribu-tions from 6-foot senior combination guard Jalen Cobb, and f orward Eriq Williams and guard Kwesi Harrison. Williams is a 6-4 sophomor e with a nice touc h and a good handle. Harrison, the quintessential athlete, plays quarterback and shor tstop and point guard. He’s also got some leader-ship skills. Then Alfred will look to his benc h for contributors, guys w ho want to pla y defense, guys with a hot hand, guys w ho give him a ma tchup he wants. Mostly he’ll look for guys willing to w ork hard. After hosting Manhasset, the Ea gles play at perennial power Baldwin, one of its new Conference AA-II rivals, on Dec. 16, home against Calhoun and then East Meadow. The Eagles finished 4-11 last season, losing three straight in ear ly February before finishing up with a f our-point win over Carey. Now Alfred wants them to take

the next step despite a bump in conference. Baldwin, the heavy favorite, has made the Class AA final fi ve years in a r ow. MacAr-thur also figures to be tough.

Lady Eagles on the move

T he Lady Eagles are a young team in a new conference, but that hasn’t diminished their enthusiasm an y,

and it surely hasn’t altered their goals. Coach Mary P arisi thinks her crew, which includes eight under -classmen, can be a pla yoff team despite its r elative inexperience and despite a mo ve up to Confer ence AA-II. She sa ys the team’s immediate challenge, even before opening the regu-lar season a gainst two-time defending Nassau Class AA c hampion Baldwin on Dec. 16, is to find a way to blend all of their new talent with their experienced perform-ers. “But our goal is still to mak e the playoffs,” she said. The Lady Eagles fell just shor t of the playoffs last season, finish-ing fifth in Confer ence AA-III with a 5-9 record. With a str ong nucleus returning, headlined by Christine Rivera and Nikole Williams, they look lik e a good bet to g et to the postseason this time ar ound. That task has become mor e difficult with the conference switch, but Parisi is interested in results and not excuses. “We have good senior leadership and we have talent,” she said. “Ev erybody on the team kno ws that whether they play three minutes or thr ee quarters, they’re going to ha ve a c hance to contrib ute.” In addition to Ri vera and Williams, the Eagles will rely on sophomore forward Bri-anna Hendrick, senior forward Leslie Wil-liams and sophomore point guard Chynna Scott. Katie Dascher, in her second year on the varsity, is a c lutch shooter, and eighth-grader Mikala Casimir will g et some time at guard. Sophomores Nia Outlaw and Kal

lie Demas, and seniors Lheia Doc k and Jennifer Mayhew, add de pth. Demas, an excellent soccer player, is playing varsity basketball for the first time . She fits into Parisi’s style because she is f ast and ath-letic. The Lady Eagles do not have tremen-dous height, but Parisi hopes to generate a lot of points on the fast break. After hosting Baldwin, the Ea gles play at Calhoun on Dec. 18. They split with Cal-houn last season w hen both were part of AA-III.

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EAGLES V.S. Central sets sights on playoffs



MICHAEL RUSSO

CHRISTINE RIVERA

ScheduleBOYS

December16 @ Baldwin 7:00 p.m.20 Calhoun 6:30 p.m.

January3 East Meadow 6:45 p.m.6 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m.10 MacArthur 6:45 p.m.13 @ Plainview 4:45 p.m.17 @ Port Washington 6:30 p.m.20 Baldwin 6:30 p.m.27 @ Calhoun 6:30 p.m.31 @ East Meadow 7:00 p.m.

February3 Hicksville 6:30 p.m.7 @ MacArthur 6:15 p.m.10 Plainview 6:30 p.m.13 Port Washington 6:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember16 Baldwin 6:30 p.m.20 @ Calhoun 6:30 p.m.

January3 @ East Meadow 7:00 p.m.6 Hicksville 6:15 p.m.10 @ MacArthur 4:45 p.m.13 Plainview 6:30 p.m.17 Port Washington 6:30 p.m.20 @ Baldwin 6:30 p.m.27 Calhoun 6:30 p.m.31 East Meadow 6:45 p.m.

February3 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m.7 MacArthur 6:45 p.m.10 @ Plainview 4:45 p.m.13 @ Port Washington 6:30 p.m.

23


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T here’s a b uzz around the Athletics Department at Valley Stream North, and the Spartans will try to keep the

success going on the har dwood after the fall teams made plenty of noise in the play-offs. “Expectations are very high,” coac h Fabian Jara said. “We reached the second round of the playoffs with a y oung team and the kids kno w where the bar stands . Two of our goals are to win the conference and go deeper in the playoffs.” Jara is looking f or the team’s speed to make a dif ference and k eep Conference A-IV rivals Seaford, Island T rees, Roos-evelt, Clarke and Nor th Shore a ste p or two behind. “Everyone we have can move well,” he said. “We also have good size and shooting ability, and I think w e’ll be tough to defend.” The likely starting lineup will con-sist of junior Anthon y Martelli and f our seniors: C.J. Byron, Marvin Ev eillard, Corey Jacques and Dondr e Irving. “We have great chemistry with this g roup and they know what it takes to win,” Jara said. Martelli, a three-year starting shooting guard, averaged a team-best 16.3 points per game last season while earning All-Confer-ence honors. “He’s an intellig ent athlete who knows how to use his str engths to his advantage,” Jara said. “He’s so well-con-ditioned. He can go 32 min utes if we need him to.” Eveillard’s athletic ability is also of f the charts. To go with his outstanding quickness, the point guar d grew a fe w inches during the of fseason and will pr es-ent a considerable matchup problem most of the time. Jacques likes to slash his wa y to the basket and brings intensity to the defensive end as w ell, while junior Cur tis Mensah provides depth in the bac kcourt and can run the point if necessary. Bryon, an All-Conference forward, has

size, strength and quickness, and the a bil-ity to dominate in the paint. Irving’ s man-tra is defense, but his of fensive game has improved, Jara said. Junior Ayo Fagbemi is the top forward off the bench.

Lady Spartans seek playoff return

O ff their second Class A playoff appear-ance in three seasons, the Lady Spar-tans bring back seven players includ-

ing a cor e group that’s played together for a n umber of years. Based on c hem-istry and f amiliarity with the competi-tion, second-year coach Geoff O’Connell’s team has a goal of returning to the playoffs and earning a seed higher than the lo west available — No. 16. “We’re going to try to utiliz e what worked well for us last season and incor -porate some new things based on the oppo-nent,” O’Connell said. “As a coach, I know a lot mor e about the competition. T he surprise factor has been elimina ted and I think we’ll be better off for it.” Senior Madeline Nelson is the dri ving force for North, which will battle newcom-er North Shore, Clarke, Roosevelt, Island Trees and Seaf ord in Confer ence A-IV. North Shore won A-III last season. An All-County guard, Nelson averaged 15 points and 3.5 assists last season and is someone who makes others around her better. “She has a knack for finding an opening and hit-ting [her shot],” O’Connell said. At the point, senior Elyse Zappia comes off an All-Class campaign and can tak e the scoring b urden off Nelson. “El yse stepped into her r ole last season and ran with it,” O’Connell said. “She had a b unch of big games and her confidence g rew as a result.” Junior forward/center Alexis Contr e-ras will see a considera ble uptick in min-utes and will be counted on to rebound and chip in some points. She and junior guard/forward Dana Morg ante provided sparks off the bench last season. O’Connell said

the pace of games will automa tically increase when Morgante’s on the floor. Athletic sophomores Danielle Ev an-gelista, Sarah Miller and Chelsea Alexan-der-Taylor are all in the mix to contrib ute either as a starter or top reserve. “We lost some r ebounding and suppor t in the low post, but we’re going to pla y at a fast tempo and hopefull y make it up in transition,” O’Connell said. “We’re excited to get started and pic k up w here we left off.”

SPARTANS Pieces in place for V.S. North



MADELINE NELSON

ANTHONY MARTELLI

ScheduleBOYS

December14 Island Trees 6:30 p.m.16 Clarke 8:00 p.m.

January3 @ Roosevelt 6:30 p.m.6 Seaford 7:45 p.m.13 @ North Shore 6:30 p.m.17 Mineola 8:00 p.m.21 @ Clarke 12:00 p.m.27 @ Island Trees 6:30 p.m.31 Roosevelt 8:00 p.m.

February3 @ Seaford 7:15 p.m.10 North Shore 8:00 p.m.13 @ Mineola 4:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember14 @ Island Trees 6:30 p.m.16 @ Clarke 6:00 p.m.

January3 Roosevelt 7:45 p.m.6 @ Seaford 7:00 p.m.13 North Shore 7:45 p.m.17 @ Mineola 4:30 p.m.21 Clarke 12:00 p.m.27 Island Trees 7:45 p.m.31 @ Roosevelt 6:30 p.m.

February3 3 Seaford 7:45 p.m.10 @ North Shore 6:30 p.m.13 Mineola 7:45 p.m.

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M issing the Nassau Class A pla y-offs on tiebreaker criteria was a tough pill for Valley Stream South

to swallow after it w on 10 g ames in Matt Johnsen’s first season as coach. “Six of our losses came to teams tha t reached the semifinals,” said Johnsen, who noted the postseason success of Confer-ence A-III rivals Manhasset, the county champion, Floral Park and Gr eat Neck North. “We’re in the toughest ‘ A’ confer-ence. We have five returning players and our JV went 15-2, so our goal is to make the playoffs.” The Falcons boast a nice b lend of out-side shooters and inside siz e, and Johnsen is looking for them to play unselfishly and at a fast pace. “We’re going to pressure the ball on defense and g et out there and r un with it when we can in transition,” he said. Keeping up with South’ s quickness in the backcourt won’t be easy for the compe-tition. Senior Jeyson Jones has earned All-Conference honors in back-to-back seasons and is a handful a t both ends of the f loor. He can get to the rim or knock down a shot from the perimeter, and he’s also a loc k-down defender. “Jeyson can be a 15-point, eight-assist player any given day,” John-sen said. “He’s always been a str ong point guard who creates openings for others.” Jones can move to the tw o-guard when talented eighth-grader Dana King r uns the point. King, w ho plays year-round, is pushing f or a star ting spot and has a strong all-around game. Also r eturning is junior Die go Maldonado, a sniper fr om long range who was called up to v arsity at the midway point last season. “ All Diego needs is a little bit of space,” Johnsen said. Senior center T homas Meaney will do the g runt work in the paint and be among the conference’s leading rebound-ers. He’s one of a number of big bodies on the roster. Senior Jack Pallsechi (6-foot-6) and junior Andrew Castano can c lean the

glass, and junior Nnamdi Nwaigwe will see action at guard and forward.

Lady Falcons share scoring burden

The Lady Falcons return all b ut one starter from last year’s team that fin-ished .500 in Confer ence A-III and

lost a first-r ound playoff game to e ven-tual county champion Garden City. How-ever, the g raduation of leading scorer and rebounder Ugo Nwaigwe, now at Wagner, means it’s all hands on dec k for coach Dan Drumm. “Anyone can be our leading scor er any given game,” Drumm said. “We need every-one to contribute, and we’re going to ha ve to get steals and score in transition.” Senior point guar d Angela Aragona, an All-Conference selection last season, will assure South plays at a fast pace. “She might be onl y 5-feet tall b ut she always finds a way to get her shot of f and score,” Drumm said. “She lo ves to push the ball and we have players able to run with her.” Senior forward Christie DeMarco gets up and down the cour t very well and can fill the score sheet with transition b uckets alone. She’ll also draw the toughest defen-sive assignment in the fr ontcourt and be asked to chip in with r ebounds and avoid foul trouble. At 5-10, junior Erin Meaney is another key up front. She possesses a left-handed shot, rebounds well and hustles all o ver the court, Drumm said. Under classmen Alana Williams and Janise Hernandez will see plenty of action as w ell. Williams, a freshman, started every game for the JV squad last season and is a str ong defender and shot-blocker. The athletic Hernandez, a sophomore, stands to benefit fr om last year’s varsity experience and can pla y multiple positions. Senior Jessica Liberato is the team’ s best pure shooter and someone w ho needs to provide consistent scoring. She can hit from the outside as well as drive to the rim and finish.

Drumm said r eturning the pla yoffs with a seed higher than last season’s No. 15 is a goal. “W e brought a good cr ew back,” he said. “We have a ton of quality athletes and more depth. It’ll be a ma tter of how fast we can mesh.”

FALCONS V.S. South seeks playoff spot



JEYSON JONES

ANGELA ARAGONA

ScheduleBOYS

December20 Lynbrook 7:30 p.m.

January3 @ West Hempstead 4:30 p.m.6 G.N. North 7:30 p.m.10 @ Manhasset 7:00 p.m.13 @ Glen Cove 7:00 p.m.17 Floral Park 7:30 p.m.19 Manhasset 7:30 p.m.27 @ Lynbrook 7:00 p.m.31 West Hempstead 7:30 p.m.

February3 @ G.N. North 7:00 p.m.10 Glen Cove 7:30 p.m.13 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m.

GIRLSDecember15 @ Manhasset 7:00 p.m.20 @ Lynbrook 7:00 p.m.

January3 West Hempstead 7:30 p.m.6 @ G.N. North 6:45 p.m.13 Glen Cove 7:30 p.m.17 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m.20 Manhasset 7:30 p.m.27 Lynbrook 7:30 p.m.31 @ West Hempstead 6:30 p.m.

February3 G.N. North 7:30 p.m.10 @ Glen Cove 7:00 p.m.13 Floral Park 7:30 p.m.

25


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W est Hempstead not onl y replaces seven seniors fr om a team tha t lost a hear tbreaker to e ventual

county finalist Lawrence in the opening round of the Nassau Class A pla yoffs, but it is also dealing with a lack of skyscrapers on the roster, and a key injury to a starting guard. In a conference that comprises defend-ing county c hampion Manhasset, F loral Park, Great Neck North, Lynbrook, Glen Cove, and Valley Stream South, the Rams will be in a do gfight for one of the f our playoff slots. With no siz e to speak of in the fr ont-court, coach Ed Cosg rove knows utilizing the team's best attributes will be the key to success. “What we don't have in size, we'll have to make up with athleticism and hard work,” Cosgrove said. “Size will be a pr ob-lem for us, but we have athletes. We'll need to play a bit big ger than we are, and make opponents work hard for every shot they get. The goal is to be one of the top four.” Junior Tyree Glascoe r eturns to han-dle point guar d duties. Glascoe, who has increased his str ength and lea ping abil-ity, will be a handful f or opposing defens-es. He's a pla ymaker who gets teammates involved, and plays outstanding on-ball defense. Senior guar d Ray Alexander’s ability to light up the scor eboard makes him a ter rific complement to Glascoe in the backcourt. An injury to junior guar d Tayvon Hall during football could force him to miss the entire basketball season. Senior Dann y Sheeler, who missed the entir e 2010-11 sea-son with an injury, is a thr ee-sport athlete who gives the Rams ex cellent court sense and another threat from the perimeter. In the frontcourt, senior Pat D'Haiti is a solid rebounder and shot blocker. D'Haiti has also impr oved his perimeter g ame. Darren Davy plays above his 6-foot-2 frame. The Rams will look f or the sophomor e

forward to play beyond his years as well, and they’ ll need contrib u-tions from senior Dimetri F rancis and juniors Vinny DiLorenzo and Mike Petrizzo.

Lady Rams’focus is on defense

C oming off a disappointing season that yielded just four wins, a young, athlet-ic team will take the floor for the Lady

Rams in 2011-12. With just tw o seniors on the r oster, coach Chris V an Kovics will need the underclassmen to adapt to the varsity level quickly if they’re to ca pture one of the conference’s four playoff spots. The Lady Rams will ba ttle with L ynbrook, Floral Park, Great Neck North, Manhasset, North Shore, Glen Co ve and Valley Stream South. Van Kovics hopes his team is up for the challenge. “It’s a matter of fol-lowing the blueprint and sticking with the plan,” Van Kovics said. “We have to take care of the ball, put up good shots , and play good team defense. We’re going to mix it up on defense , and use some tric k-ery. I like to think we’ll compete for a play-off spot.” Twin sisters Nicole and J ackie Chris-tenson provide the Lady Rams with v ersa-tility, scoring ability, and strong basketball IQ. Both are three-sport athletes who can play guard, forward, or center. Nicole is not afraid to g et into the paint and mix it up in the post. J ackie can shoot fr om the perimeter or take it to the rack. Van Kovics will use a pair of point guards with different skills. Senior captain Amanda Gabayan is a har d-nosed, athletic player who likes to drive and dish. Sopho-more Kara Lynch, who will also r un the offense for the Rams, provides a little more scoring ability. Lynch is one of West Hemp-stead’s perimeter threats. Junior Miranda St. Hilaire is as quick as it gets. She should be an impor tant factor in the defensi ve press.

Senior forward Kelly Walsh will be counted on f or rebounds and put bac ks. Jamie Rodriguez, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, is athletic and as tough as nails . Van Kovics likes the way Rodriguez reads, reacts, and gets after it. Ashley Someria and J ack-ie Tartaglia can both hit the open shot. Rachel Pallas and Cind y Davis provide depth.

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AMANDA GABAYAN

PAT D'HAITI

ScheduleBOYS

December20 @ G.N. North 6:30 p.m.

January3 V.S. South 4:30 p.m.6 Glen Cove 4:30 p.m.11 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m.13 Manhasset 4:30 p.m.18 @ Lynbrook 7:00 p.m.27 G.N. North 4:45 p.m.31 @ V.S. South 7:30 p.m.

February3 @ Glen Cove 6:30 p.m.7 Floral Park 4:30 p.m.10 @ Manhasset 6:30 p.m.13 Lynbrook 6:30 p.m.

GIRLSDecember20 G.N. North 6:30 p.m.

January3 @ V.S. South 7:30 p.m.6 @ Glen Cove 6:30 p.m.11 Floral Park 6:30 p.m.13 @ Manhasset 6:30 p.m.18 Lynbrook 6:30 p.m.27 @ G.N. North 6:15 p.m.31 V.S. South 6:30 p.m.

February3 Glen Cove 6:30 p.m.7 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m.10 Manhasset 6:30 p.m.13 @ Lynbrook 7:00 p.m.

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