LI_WIN_III_2012

Editor Letter From The Editor

Ultimate Athlete Magazine

Dear Readers, As we turn the clocks ahead after a mild winter and look towards the spring sports season, let’s not forget about the accomplishments of the local high school basketball teams.

These teams started practicing in the fall and continued through many dark and cold nights during the winter, hoping that their efforts would pay off come playoff time. For a select few it did.

Read our stories about the girls and boys county championship games from both Nassau and Suffolk. See how impactful Riverhead’s first girls county championship since 1984 was - not only the school but the entire town. Find out how William Floyd’s Anthony White took a Colonial team in which he was the only returning starter all the way to a county championship.

Out at Hofstra you had two boys programs – Southside and Baldwin – looking to end county championship droughts. In the case of the Bruins it was a drought that came with three straight heartbreaking county title loses before this years breakthrough.

All this years county winners went on to battle for Long Island and match up against some of the best teams in New York State.

Take the time to bask in their county victories that helped them earn bragging rights and raise a banner to the rafters.

We hope you enjoy this issue and stay tuned for our first issue of the spring in the coming weeks.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR EDIT SPORTS EDITOR EDIT

Mike Browning Gene Morris Luis Vazquez

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR

Ponnuthurai Jeyathas

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

KAITIE MONDA Adriana Kijko Josh Rosenman REBECCA CANESE JESSICA FISHER

SENIOR VIDEO EDITOR

Nicholas Herms Josh Rosenman John CALLEJAS

VIDEO EDITOR

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Taylor Woods Richard Brooks

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Mike Browning Gene Morris Jerry Del Priore Joe Pietaro Mike Meija INHOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER:

Thanks for reading,

Paul Corace N.J. Comanzo

PUBLISHER/CEO PUBLISHER/C

Dr. Tom Ferraro Sandy Sarcona Jaclynkelli Kronemberg Luis Vazquez MORGAN HARRISON

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Gene Morris

Adil Borluca Gene Morris Bruce Feeley Kyle Reitan R

Natalie Hedley Josh Rosenman Sam Barretto Jane Bishow-semevolos

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Morgan Harrison COVER DESIGN BY

Josh Rosenman

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ultimateathletemagazine.com ultimate Ultimate Athlete Magazine (ISSN 1931-5295) is published 12 times a year by Ultimate Athlete, Inc., 40 Woodbine Avenue, Northport, New York 11768. All contents copyright 2009

by Ultimate Athlete, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or part of the content without the prior written consent of Ultimate Athlete, Inc. is strictly prohibited. All logos and trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Although the writers and the publisher have exhaustively researched all sources to ensure the accuracy and the completeness of the information contained in this publication, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. The opinions expressed in all materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Ultimate Athlete, Inc or Long Island’s Ultimate Athlete Magazine.

Conten

ntsFeature Features 14 Nassau Girls Class AA Champions Baldwin Basketball

22 Nassau Boys Class AA Champions Baldwin Basketball

30 B & C Title Winners 38 Suffolk Boys Class A Champions Harborfields Basketball

52 Suffolk Girls Class A Champions John Glenn Basketball

62 Nassau Girls Class A Champions Northshore Basketball

72 Suffolk Girls Class AA Champions Riverhead Basketball

82 Nassau Boys Class A Champions Southside Basketball

92 Suffolk Boys AA Champions Wiliiam Floyd Basketball

112 UA Training Back In Action

118 Nutrition

Fuel The Road trip

122 Sports Psychology Tips For Basketball Players

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Photo by Adil Borluca

The swarming Center Moriche’s defense was a key in the teams Class B Suffolk County Championship

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Baldwins Alexandra Hampton goes to the basket for two of her game high 24 points in the nassau AA Final.

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Both Baldwin basketball teams celebrate together after bringing home county titles.

Photo by Morgan Harrison

Story by Mike Browning Photos by Adil Borluca

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Spectators would never see Massapequa gain momentum, as Baldwin had the edge all game long, a far cry from the 36-35 nail biter over Uniondale in the county semifinals.

“I thought our big kids did a tremendous job, you know they have four very good big kids,” Head Coach Tom Catapano said.

“I thought our big kids rebounded tonight. [Massapequa] got no second-chance opportunities, and I think our guards won the battle between the guards.”

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assapequa, arguably the most storied program in Long Island girls Hoops, finally found themselves back where fans are used to seeing them: the second seed in the Nassau class AA title game at C.W. Post. Bringing a title home would be a nice cap to a resurgent season, one that had some wondering if destiny was guiding them to unprecedented heights.

Not so fast; two-time defending champion and first-seeded Baldwin are not romantics, and were hungry for the three-pete. The outsized Lady Bruins would not be outhustled nor intimidated by the Chiefs, going on to dominate all facets of the game en route to a decisive 62-41 victory.

From the opening tip-off, Massapequa was unable to use their size advantage to convert baskets in the paint, getting backed away from the basket, forced into missing several layups and unable to grab offensive boards. It wasn’t until five minutes into the game that the Chiefs were able to get on the board with a 3-pointer after numerous attempts to score inside.

The team won the small battles, but senior guard Alexandra Hampton did the rest. She helped set the pace early by contributing to a flurry of first quarter 3-pointers that established a lead Baldwin would not relinquish, finishing the game with a career-best 24 points.

The play of Hampton and senior forward Amber Harrison, who scored 15 points, frustrated Massapequa, and incited numerous bad shots and unnecessary fouls. Hampton was more than happy to take advantage of the opponents’ mistakes, hitting six of seven free throws in the final stretch to seal the game—and her second county championship MVP award.

“This one feels the greatest because we were probably underestimated because we lost a lot of talent,” Hampton said.

“Everybody stepped up and I wanted to step up, as well. We just really executed well.”

Massapequa will be back in contention next season, with more experience under their collective belt 15 WWW.ULTIMATEATHLETEMAGAZINE.COM

and desire to exceed this season’s results here. Every year, people tell me you lost after coming so close to a county title. too much. I love our kids in big games.

“I love our kids in big games,” They have been here before.”

Catapano gushed after the game. “They were amped up out of their minds.

Against Uniondale, we didn’t play that well,” Catapano said. “We got by that game and here we played like champions.

When I first started, all these kids were

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Suddenly the Bruins lost their composure and the ability to make free throws.

Story By Gene Morris Photos By Gene Morris

Baldwin head coach Darius Burton walked out onto the court at Hofstra University and into familiar territory. It was the sixth straight year the Bruins were playing for the Nassau County boys class AA basketball championship.

For this senior class of Bruins it was a game that would define their legacy. Heartbreaking losses to Elmont and two losses to Uniondale had ended Baldwin’s season in this very spot each of the last three seasons.

The Bruins had come so close to recapturing the county title in all three years, only to be beaten by a buzzer beater in 2009, have a comeback fall just short in 2010 and lose a defensive slug fest in 2011.

So excuse everyone on the Baldwin bench if they weren’t ready to celebrate up 50-38 with just 2:31 left in the game against familiar foe Uniondale on March 3. The previous three seasons made it impossible for Baldwin to think about victory before the final buzzer sounded.

A Uniondale 3-point basket made it 50-41 with just over two minutes remaining. A quick foul sent the Bruins to the line but they came away empty, missing both free throws. Uniondale scored quickly again to make it 50-43. Senior Kirk Staine then went 1-of-2 from the line and Uniondale’s Shaq Mosley converted a lay up down the other end to claw the Knights back within 51-45.

“I was definitely nervous but I feel like nervous is good,” Burton said about his emotions as Uniondale charged back. “I told my players just to relax, take your time like we’re in practice and knock down your free throws - if you make your free throws you’ll win the game.”

When senior point guard Brandon Williams committed his fifth foul at the top of the key early in the shot clock for Uniondale things looked bleak.

But even watching from the bench, Williams was confident in the outcome. “I had complete faith in my team,” he said.

“There was a different feeling about this game then the last two years. I knew we were going to get it.”

Uniondale continued to battle. Eventually a Mosley corner 3-pointer drew the Knights to within two, and it looked like Baldwin was a minute away from another devastating county title loss.

That was until senior guard Mykeil Tzul stepped to the line and buried two free throws to steady the ship. Baldwin’s suffocating defense showed up once again on the next Uniondale possession and the Bruins held on for a 57-53 win.

“It hasn’t fully hit me yet,” Williams said after the game. “It feels amazing. We lost the first time to Uniondale and the second time to Elmont and we beat both those teams to win this and it feels great.”

Much of the hype coming into the game centered on the top notch point guard match up between Baldwin’s Williams and Uniondale’s Mosley, two of the top point guards on Long Island.

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helped swing the victory the Bruins way.

“That’s a great match up, I love playing against Shaq,” Williams said. “I’ve known him all my life. People love to hype it up before the game but you have to keep your head and think about your whole team, you can’t think about yourself and just get the W.” It was a match up that did not disappoint.

Williams led his team with 18 points and Mosley had 22.

“I told ( Williams) don’t make it personal, just do what you’ve been doing all year and play Brandon Williams basketball and that he did,” Burton said.

While the play of the point guards neutralized each other, it was Baldwin’s interior prescience of senior Kirk Staine and Kyle R ichardson who

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“Kirk Staine was unbelievable,” Burton said.

“He neutralized Woodard off the glass and that was one of our goals - we had to neutralize their front court and Kirk was all over the glass and did a great job.” hen the final buzzer sounded the Baldwin Bruins could finally let down their guard and celebrate a championship that was four years in the making. They piled on top of each other and were joined by the girls team, which had also won a county championship, cheerleaders and the coaching staff.

“It feels unbelievable,” Burton said. “I’m especially happy for these guys. They’ve worked their butts off since November and this was our goal and we got it done.”

Story By Gene Morris

County championship.

Photos By Adil Borluca

A 3 6 - 3 5 overtime victory over Port J eff in the first round wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.

The halers advanced to play the o. 1 seed Stony Brook in the championship game.

Center Moriches Captures Suffolk Boys Class B Title The Center Moriches boys basketball team faced a tough challenge on the road to the Suffolk County Boys Class B championship.

They first had to defeat a talented yandanch team in an out bracket game. Thanks to an explosive fourth quarter and a 22 point effort from Maleek Harris the R ed Devils overcame a two point deficit entering the final period and came away with an 8 1- 6 6 win.

Things got tougher in the next round as the team had to travel to Southampton to play a road game against the No. 1 seed.

The last time these two teams met, at Center Moriches, the R ed Devils blew a 17 point lead entering the fourth quarter.

The semifinal game was tighter throughout than the previous meeting. The R ed Devils led by three at the half and held on for a 7 1- 6 9 victory to vanquish their toughest opponent.

The final challenge came against Babylon. Center Moriches were just one game away from an elusive county championship. Akyse Brown and Timothy R owland combined for 4 5 points and the R ed Devils knocked off Babylon at Farmingdale State to advance to the Long Island championship.

Pierson Wins Suffolk Boys Class C The Pierson boys basketball team earned the second seed in the Class C bracket and used their signature suffocating defense to capture the Suffolk

That game saw even less points scored as the halers knocked off Stony Brook 34-32 behind 11 points from Forrest Loesch to win the Class C Crown.

Southampton Girls Win Suffolk Class B Southampton was a convincing No. 1 seed in the Suffolk County Girls class B championship. The team went a perfect 12-0 in league play and finished the regular season with only four losses overall.

No small school on Long Island was able to add to Southampton’s loss total as the girls rolled through the playoffs en route to a Suffolk County championship.

Paris Hodges led the Mariners with 15 points in a 4 6 - 3 3 victory over enter Moriches in the semifinal and Theresa Carey scored 14 as Southampton defeated Hampton Bays 3 5 - 3 1 at St. J osephs college to earn the County title.

Southold Victorious In Girls Class C Melissa R ogers 14 points led Southold to a dominant 4 6 - 19 victory over Pierson for the Class C Girls Suffolk County championship.

Southold got off to a 14 - 4 lead after the first quarter and led 21- at the half.

Kelly Bosco contributed eight points, including two three- pointers.

Locust Valley Wins Nassau Boys Class B Locust V alley saw an unexpected opponent across from them when they entered the assau ounty lass B final at LIU Post.

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It wasn’t seven time defending county champion Malverne, but instead the No. 5 seed Cold Spring Harbor, who had to win an out bracket game and then upset Malverne to get to that point.

Cold Spring Harbor had nothing to lose, and nearly pulled the upset in a defensive minded affair. But the Locust V alley seniors did just enough to lead their team to a 27 - 24 county championship.

Matt Campanella led the Falcons with nine points and fellow senior Alex R awa contributed eight.

E ast R ockaw ay Wins Boys Class C East R ockaway upset the No. 1 seed Friends Academy 4 2- 3 9 in the assau boys class final to capture the county title.

The team was led by Mikey Lores, who scored 12 points. J ustin J onas added 10 and Mikey’s brother J oey added six points in the victory.

Cold Spring H arb or Victorious in Girls Class B The Cold Spring Harbor girls basketball team capped a perfect 14 - 0 league season with the Class B Nassau County Championship.

The Seahawks defeated both Wheatley and Locust V alley en route to the title. Cold Spring Harbor held Wheatley to just 19 points through three quarters of the semifinal game. ean Atkinson led the

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Seahaw ks w ith 1 8 points as they held on to w in 5 6 - 4 7 .

In the finals the Seahawks knocked off upstart Locust V alley with a balanced scoring effort that saw three players score in double digits. Kelly V assallo led Cold Spring Harbor with 12 points and Katie Durand and Kelly Gubitosi added 11 points each.

F riend s A cad emy Champs of Nassau Girls Class C Lindsey O ’Sullivan scored a career- high 25 points to lead Friends Academy to the Nassau Class C championship over East R ockaway.

Friends was able to come back from a 30-2 deficit entering the fourth quarter to pick up the 4 6 - 4 2 win.

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HARBORFIELDS WINS CLASS A

games are assured of playing for the ong Island championship in their respective classes - the games are more for bragging rights.

Story By Gene Morris Photos By Adil Borluca arborfields

ins lass A

The arborfields boys basketball team set its goals high early in the year. After a loss in the 2011 ew ork State lass A championship game the Tornadoes would not be satisfied with anything less than a return appearance to len alls. arborfields completed the first step towards the state championships with a 8- 4 victory over Amityville in the Suffolk ounty title game on ebruary 24 at armingdale State.

As usual, it was senior point guard ucas oodhouse who led the way for the Tornadoes, scoring 21 points, assisting on numerous other baskets and making key defensive plays down the stretch.

Amityville kept the game closer for a much longer period of time than any of arborfields most recent opponents but key plays made late by the senior class were enough to push arborfields one step closer to the state championship. ustin ingen complemented oodhouse with 15 points.

Before going for the ong Island championship against assau ounty champion South Side the Tornadoes had two more games to settle any debate on which team was best in Suffolk ounty. Although rather ceremonial - the teams in these

irst up for arborfields was lass B champion enter Moriches. The Tornadoes jumped out to a 311 lead after the first quarter and went on to crack the century mark, scoring 102 en route to a 102victory and the title of Suffolk ounty small school champion. It was the third year in a row that arborfields was able to stake claim to that title. oodhouse once again amazed, scoring 18 points to go along with 18 assists. ohn atron led the Tornadoes with 24 points while collecting 12 rebounds.

The bigger challenge was supposed to come against illiam loyd, the Suffolk ounty AA large school champion. But even the olonials, with a superstar guard of their own in Anthony hite, could not stop the arborfields train from rolling over another opponent. hite scored 18 for loyd but was surpassed by avid Ba and atron, who each scored 21, and by oodhouse, who put forth another stellar effort with 24 points and 11 assists.

The game was tight at the half with arborfields holding just a 3733 lead, but they exploded in the third quarter, scoring 28 and holding loyd to just eight points. That was enough to give the Tornadoes a comfortable lead that they would not relinquish, winning 80-58,

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arren ickelson of South Side ies to the hoop during the assau Boys Class nal

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ucas oodhouse of ar or elds glides towards the asket for a layup against mity ille

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arren ickelson of South Side ies to the hoop during the assau Boys Class nal

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Glenn Girls Win Suffolk Class A

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Story By Gene Morris Photos By Morgan Harrison here was little doubt which two teams would meet for the girls Suffolk County Class A title in 2012. ohn lenn and arborfields dominated allcomers down the stretch of the season, setting up a collision course for two of the top programs in the county.

The game was a struggle throughout, with neither team leading by more than five at any point.

Even as lenn was looking to put a wrap on the game, up 43-3 with a little over 30 seconds remaining in the contest, things were still difficult.

Tanna Mohammed, who scored 12 points in the game, went to the line shooting a one-and-one. The first free throw came up short and she charged after the rebound, committing a foul which sent arborfields to the line at the other end in the process.

The Tornadoes sunk both free throws and the lead was cut to 43-41.

As Glenn inbounded the ball Emma Kliss got trapped under the basket. She was able to get a pass out to senior Allison McKenna, who tossed the ball down court in the direction of Mackenzie Sivilli.

But the ball was in front of Sivilli and bounced out of bounds, setting arborfields up with a chance to tie and prompting lenn head coach Andrew Athanas to put his hands on his head and exclaim, “O h my god! ” The Tornadoes went for the lead and a threepointer but the shot was off and the rebound came to Kliss. This time she held on for dear life and was fouled right away, going to the line for two of the biggest free throws of her life.

She calmly sank both ends of the one-and-one, giving her team some breathing room and a four point lead with .7 seconds remaining. nce again arborfields stayed in the game when exi ’ onnor hit her fifth three-point shot of the game, drawing the Tornadoes back within one.

The ball was inbounded to Kliss, who was again fouled. Down the court she went to shoot what quickly became the new biggest free throws of her life.

“I knew I had to stay focused and I knew our team had worked so hard from the beginning of the season until now and I had to win it for us,” Kliss said.

Calmly, she sunk both.

“There was ice in the veins, Athanas said about Kliss right after the game. ow with only 3. seconds left arborfields was in true desperation mode. O ’Connor bounded down the court, launched into a shooting motion and drew a whistle. The crowd erupted, believing that O ’Connor was about to go to the line with the chance to tie the game with three free throws.

But after a lengthy referee conference it was determined the foul was committed on the oor, meaning O ’Connor could not tie the game from the line.

She made the first and intentionally missed the second, but Glenn scooped up the rebound and with it the Suffolk County championship.

“It was really amazing, I was so excited, Athanas said. “I told arborfields head coach uss Tietjan, who’s a friend and a great coach, that it was a shame somebody had to lose the game. It was really a shame that somebody had to lose. It was a great game.”

It was a rematch of last years great lass A Suffolk championship in which lenn won 45-41.

“We knew they were going to come out and want to beat us really bad and we knew we had to come out strong and just keep our composure,” McKenna, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds, said. “It feels great to go back to Long Island to try and win it this year because we fell short last year.” lenn held only a 23-22 lead at halftime and did so without the presence of McKenna dominating the game. But when the second half got underway that all changed.

“We tried to get the ball to the big kid a little bit

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more,” Athanas said. “I also tried to get her to go to the basket on the dribble when she got it. She did that a couple of times and got fouled.”

With McKenna featured more in the post in the second half the Tornadoes had no choice but to throw double teams her way. When the double team was late to get there McKenna got to the hoop, drawing fouls and grabbing offensive rebounds. When the double team was in place, she was able to find open teammates for easy baskets.

“In the first half I didn’t really play well, McKenna said. “They were double teaming me and thankfully our shooters hit their outside shots. In the fourth quarter I knew I had to do something as a senior to get to the foul line, drive to the basket, anything I could do to help my team.”

It certainly helped that guards R achel Miller and Sivilli were able to get the ball inside to their -foot-

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2 senior forward.

“I think our guards are our strength,” Athanas said. “I think we have the best guards around. e’re ranked number one in the county on defense. I think it’s because we have Allison in the middle and we have quick guards on the perimeter.”

Still, it was McKenna’s strength and determination to carry her team back to the ong Island championship game to try to avenge last years loss that was the deciding factor.

“She gets us so pumped up on offense,” Kliss says. “She always scores when we need it and after she scores we play great defense and it carries on.”

It’s carried on all the way to the championship.

ong Island

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Nassau County Girls Class A Champions ULTIMATE ATHLETE MAGAZINE

Story By Mike Browning | Photos By Adil Borluca rom the tipoff, the atmosphere of the Nassau County Class A girls basketball championship game was manic.

Both defenses held a fervent full- court press the entire game, forcing both offenses to score in transition, denying them the option to set up. The crowd, like a wave, pitched and yawed with the ow of the game, exploding with each basket or questionable call.

Both teams brought the intensity to win, but the difference wore number 10 for North Shore.

Garden City held a 17 - 15 lead after the first quarter, but the V ikings senior forward Amanda J ohansen took the game over. Determined to bring home her school’s first-ever County Championship, she made the largest impact of any player, leading her team to a 7 4 - 6 4 victory and securing the game’s MV P award.

J ohansen set the tone early, leading a 10- 0 charge to begin the second quarter that secured a lead the V ikings would not relinquish. R ebounding like a towering center, running the court like a guard and drawing fouls like a dynamic small forward, Garden city had no answer for the 5 - foot- 11 senior.

“She does it all,” Head Coach Keith Freund said.

“Forget the best athlete at North Shore High School; she’s the best athlete on Long Island. She doesn’t like to talk about it, but she is.”

At the start of the third quarter, J ohansen found another gear, using her unmatched athleticism to spike her team’s momentum and send the crowd into a frenzy. After a decisive block and sharp outlet pass by sophomore forward Caroline R obertson, J ohansen took the ball, blew by Garden City defenders and drew a foul on a layup to put her team up 14 points with 3 0 seconds to go in the third quarter— the largest lead of the game.

“R ight when our team starts making our shots, we always get so pumped up we can feel the win coming, the county championship coming,” J ohansen said. “We just want to keep coming and score and it worked out for the best today.”

Garden City mounted a comeback and seemed to reclaim some of the highly- contested momentum, cutting the deficit to five with 2:1 left to play in the game, but J ohansen’s outburst at the end of the third quarter proved too much to overcome. The V ikings were hitting their free throws, keeping the prospect of a comeback just out of reach.

The frantic pace of the game wore down Garden

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city, while North Shore’s deep bench kept legs; especially those of J ohansen, fresh throughout.

“We know what to expect when we go hard like that,” J ohansen said. “We have a great system and know we’re going to get tired, but we know we have a great bench and anyone can replace us at any time in the game, so our subbing system works well for us. We always stay fresher than the other teams, so it works out great for us.”

J ohansen’s MV P performance included 21 points and 11 rebounds and a ton of accolades. “[ It] feels great, but basketball is a team sport and I’d take the country championship over the MV P any day,” she said.

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d a he y

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l n o o i f suf champe t b aHarlrisoln aa b a s oks by Morgan s P h ot s l i r r r e Mo g i y G en

St o r y

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b

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he Riverhead girls basketball team entered 2011-12 with high expectations. The team entered the Suffolk County Class AA championship game riding a 20 game win streak and a “Blue Wave” of momentum.

The Riverhead faithful had made the trek west to Farmingdale State to see if its girls basketball team could capture the program’s first county title since 1984.

Behind the three headed monster of Shanice Allen, Melodee Riley and Jalyn Brown the Blue Waves did just that, handing Hauppauge its first loss of the season, 60-52 in front of a sea of blue clad supporters.

“We said this from day one - our first goal was to get the league championship and we did that,” Brown said. “Then we were like, ‘hey let’s make it to the Final 4’ and we did that and then, ‘hey let’s win the county championship’ and we did that.”

Allen, Riley and Brown were too much for the Hauppauge defense to handle. The trio combined for 53 of Riverhead’s 60 points, with Allen leading the way with 24. She also surpassed 1,000 career points in the fourth quarter.

game with their offense, could not keep up with the quickness and athleticism of their Riverhead counterparts.

“We knew coming into this match up that Hauppauge is a very athletic team just like us,” Brown said. “They love to run and gun after they get the rebound and we saw that today. They’re also amazing three point shooters so we knew we had to get out on their shooters and make them go to the basket.”

The speed at which Riverhead got into the lane posed enormous problems for the Happauge defense.

It did not come without consequence though - both Brown and Allen had to leave the game briefly in the second half due to injuries - Brown’s a violent midair collision that saw her head smack off the court. Those moments just gave the Riverhead leaders a chance to show that not only are they extremely talented, but they’re tough as well.

“I sort of blacked out a little bit and opened my eyes and saw my trainer and my coach,” Brown said. “They asked if i was ok and i said ‘yeah, i just want to go back in this game.”

Riverhead jumped out to an early 16-14 lead after the first quarter. It was in the second quarter when they were able to open the game up thanks to the offensive exploits of Riley, Brown and Allen.

While Brown was out the Eagles crept back into the game, using a 7-0 run to get within 33-31 in the third quarter. But the Blue Waves held it together and scored the next eight points, effectively putting the game out of reach.

It became apparent that the Hauppauge guards, while shooting well and keeping the Eagles in the

“They still didn’t catch us,” Riverhead head coach Dave Spinella said he told his team when Hauppauge

got close. “They still haven’t caught us and we score in bunches, we’re a streaky team that way. I knew our run was coming. They had their run and we were going to have ours.

I t’s basketball, it’s a game of runs and we had the last one.”

Spinella knew his team was destined to continue its playoff run as long as Brown, Allen and Riley were in control.

“We want them with the ball in their hands,” he said. “They just have a never say die attitude and weren’t going to let it get away.”

The Blue Waves knew that a county championship meant nearly as much to the community as it did to the individual players, which is something that gave the team even more motivation.

“This is really big not only for my team but the whole town,” Brown said, noting the support from the school administration and town politicians. “We haven’t won a county championship since 1984 and we wanted to make history today and we did.”

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Story by Gene Morris Photos by Morgan Harrison

Southside boys basketball

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nassau class a CHamps

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which were decided by a total of 10 points. Each team had won on the others home floor - South Side 62- 8 on anuary 2 and ericho -4 on February 1 - and were now meeting on a neutral court at Hofstra U niversity.

But when they looked across the court before the tip off of the championship game on March 3, they were staring at one of the teams they had lost to, just a month earlier.

The teams battled through a defensively dominated first half with South Side taking a 2 -18 lead into the locker room. It was the ericho defense that faltered first during an 18- third quarter that allowed South Side to pull away and eventually secure the county title.

South Side and ericho finished atop onference -I in N assau and had previously engaged in two tight games

“It’s very fulfilling head coach erry ’ ngelo said. “ e set ourselves a goal on the first day of practice this

he South Side Cyclones entered the N assau County Boys Class A boys basketball championship as the favorite after grabbing the N o. 2 seed in the tournament. They only lost two games all season and routinely blew teams out of the water.

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year to get to a county championship game. I t’s very fulfilling to get here and reach our goal.

It wasn’t easy. ach basket was a battle and things got especially chippy in the second half as South Side began to pull away. The Cyclones were able to keep their composure thanks to seniors like Darren N ickelson, Bobby keson and yan Spadaford. “ his senior group has been together and and and since they were in fourth grade ’ ngelo said. “I’m sure for them it’s a very satisfying feeling and it’s a goal I know they always wanted. hey were ninth 84 ULTIMATE ATHLETE MAGAZINE

graders the last time we reached counties so they were watching from the stands so I’m sure they’re very happy with themselves.

South Side came out in the third quarter and built their lead to 1 at -2 . ericho answered quickly but the yclones then rolled off an 11- run to all but seal the victory. “ e had a five point lead going into the half and coach ust said keep building and come out strong on defense and we got a couple of steals and pushing the ball and got a big lead Spadaford said.

South Side, which hadn’t been in a N assau County championship since 2009, fed off the support given to them by the vocal fans in the stands. “Everybody at the school had confidence in us winning and we got the job done,” N ickelson said.

According to D’Angelo, the lead in the second half came thanks to its depth, which eventually overwhelmed Jericho.

“I thought our bench played outstanding,” he said. “They hit some big threes and I thought our bench energy allowed us to keep the intensity going for four quarters.”

This senior group has had success but was never able to get over the hump. “I was happy to just get back here,” Spada Spadaford said. “N ine of us have been working hard for three years and we’re just happy to get a county win.” he monkey is finally off the yclones back. N ow they can be known as county champions.

“We’ve had so many good teams in the past that have made it here but just couldn’t produce,” Spadaford said. “We’re happy to be the team that did.”

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William FLoyd ULTIMATE ATHLETE MAGAZINE

Suffolk County class aa Champions Story by Gene Morris Photos by Morgan Harrison WWW.ULTIMATEATHLETEMAGAZINE.COM

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y Anthony White’s account he struggled to find his shot in the Suffolk ounty lass boys basketball championship against entral Islip. o hite the performance lacked his usual consistency. “I didn’t have my best game - it was one of the worst games of my life he said. “I knew I ust had to keep playing and we would win some how. ut ask any of hite’s teammates or the people in attendance and they will tell you about a player who dominated on the glass ran his teams offense and made countless game changing defensive plays. hite finished the contest with 1 points 2 rebounds assists and blocks to lead Floyd to its first ounty championship since 199 .

“He got rebounds he blocked shots he made free throws he

made passes for assists Floyd head coach ob Hodgson said.

“I don’t know what else he can do. He did every aspect of the game. e’re not surprised by it because for the last four years we’ve seen him do it. e’re happy for him he deserves it. He’s an even greater person than he is basketball player.

Floyd got off to a quick 1 start ust 1 8 into the game by playing suffocating defense and striking quick in transition. Senior forward aShon ashington had si of the early 1 forcing entral Islip to call a timeout and to regroup before their dreams of a county title slipped away in the blink of an eye.

Hodgson a veteran coach knew that on this stage his team would need to remain focused on the task at hand. “I said don’t get comfortable with this we’re only two minutes into the game

Hodgson said. “ hey’re going to come back and boy did they ever.

Floyd led 2 -1 after the first quarter and was up by si at the half. ut entral Islip who came into the game with a 2 -1 record came together in the locker room at the half and came out firing to begin the third quarter. hey e ceeded Floyd’s game opening 1 - run with a 1 - run themselves taking a 8- 1 lead midway through the third quarter. “ e were disoriented and a little sloppy and you have to give entral Islip all the credit for that and the way they played defense Hodgson said. ust as entral Islip looked out of sorts at the beginning of the game Floyd was having trouble getting good shots and getting back in transition on defense.

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“We lost a lot of momentum and I always feel like we can pull it out but it was getting scary,” senior captain and guard Derek Haase said. “The crowd was going crazy and everything but you just have to trust in your teammates and know that you can get the job done.”

I t’s easy to put that trust in a player like White. Despite his self professed down game, White led the charge to get the Colonials back in the game and eventually on top.

An offensive rebound and put back by White late in the third broke the Central I slip run and a Jason Rivera corner threepointer brought the Floyd crowd to its feet and seemed to stun the Musketeers.

After taking a three point lead in the fourth quarter, White put a stamp on the game in a way that very few players on L ong I sland could even imagine.

White started on the defensive end, swatting a shot in close

by Central I slip, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, but he was not done. He gathered the ball, dribbled down court through the defense and went up for a layup.

Finding himself very near a defender in mid-air he leaned his body to the right and swooped back to the left for a lay up that nearly blew the roof of the arena at Farmingdale State.

“That’s just Anthony, he can do it all,” Haase said.

Still, Central I slip did not give up. They were able to

tie the game at 45 before an acrobatic left handed tip in by Washington gave the Colonials a lead they would not relinquish.

“L aShon had the game of his llfe,” Hodgson said. ashington finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

After that it was all free throws, with White and Floyd hitting the shots and making sure another Central I slip comeback was not in the works. s the final bu er sounded the Floyd team walked onto the court, hugging and happy, but not overjoyed. Without a doubt the win was big, but the Colonials still have other goals to reach before their season is finished.

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“( We can go) as far as we want, nobody can stop us,” White said. “O nly we can stop ourselves.”

I t’s been a year of achievement at William Floyd. This team, which graduated four starters from last years squad that was one of the top teams in L eauge I , looks to match its football counterparts by winning a L ong I sland championship.

“I t’s been a lot of work and it’s been a fun journey the whole way from the beginning until now,” Hodgson said. “We talked about now being a possibility, that today could be a possibility, but when we started the season it wasn’t. We had to build it to get to this point.”

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O ne more win would send the team to G lenn Falls for the shot at a state championship, something that would prove to N ew Y ork State that William Floyd was not just a football school and reward a hardworking team that was built from the ground up.

“I so hoped because I think these guys have been a special group that we’ve had come through our program that they could win to elevate themselves as a team of great achievement,” Hodgson said.

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Photo by Morgan Harrison

orth shore’s manda ohanson ottles for a loose all against arden City in the assua Class inal

SPEED

SHUTTER

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Photo by Morgan Harrison

MJ Sivilli goes up strong on defense for Glenn in the Suffolk Girls Class A Champions against ar or eld’s

SPEED

SHUTTER

>>> Photo by Morgan Harrison

Melody riley dri es down the lane in i erhead’s County nal win o er auppauge

SPEED

SHUTTER

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UA TRAININ UA Training

Back in Action.

Young athletes need to devote more time working the muscles they can’t see.

T

By Mike Meija There’s no arguing the fact that the mirror plays a pretty big role in the life of a teenager. Whether you’re using it to check your hair, or make sure that new outfit looks good before heading off to school, some of you spend more time looking in the mirror than you do on your homework. As if the potential impact it can have on your grades isn’t bad enough, too much time in front of the mirror can also pose major problems when you’re in the gym. Devoting the bulk of your attention to the muscles on the front of your body, like your pecs, abdominals and quads, can set the stage for some serious imbalances to develop- imbalances that can negatively impact your performance on the playing field. The only way to avoid this scenario and realize your full athletic potential is to start thinking backwards!

Prioritize your posterior.

Targeting the muscles on the back of your body might seem sort of counterintuitive, but it really is one the best ways there is to improve both joint integrity and athletic performance. By strengthening areas you hardly ever think about, like the back of your neck, your upper back and even something called your posterior chain, you can help offset the overuse of the same muscles and movement patterns you’re continually engaging in your sport. Everything from shooting free throws, to blocking an opponent, to swimming freestyle, places a heavy demand on the muscles located on the front, or anterior portion of your body. So, when it comes time to train, going into the gym and giving these same muscles priority just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense- especially if one of your goals is to help prevent injuries.

The following exercises are designed to target areas that often get overlooked by young athletes. It’s important to note the use of the word “areas” here, and not necessarily “muscles”. As athletes, you need to start thinking in terms of training more functionally, by using groups of muscles together to produce desired movements, rather than chasing after individual muscle groups like a body builder would. Combined with regular flexibility work, this will not only help restore balance to your physique, but you’ll probably notice some substantial improvements in stability, strength and speed as well.

The Band Row:

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Hook a resistance band to a stable object that you know isn’t going to move- like a squat rack in the gym, or a staircase banister if you’re training at home. After positioning yourself far enough away to ensure that you have some initial tension on the band, make sure that your knees are slightly bent and your core is braced.

Next, with your palms facing the ground, initiate the pull by pinching your shoulder blades together and you sticking your chest out, as you simultaneously pull with your arms until both handles are at the sides of your chest. In the finish position your elbows should be slightly behind you torso, and pointed out away from your body, with your forearms parallel to the ground. Pause for a second and then repeat for 10-12 total Repetitions. Remember to try and do as little pulling as possible with your arms, you’re really trying to target the scapular retractors of the upper back here, by brining your shoulder blades back and down.

ULTIMATE ATHLETE MAGAZINE

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The Upper Back: I’ll actually be highlighting a couple of different drills here. Although they serve the same purpose- to strengthen muscles that stabilize the scapulae (shoulder blades), both are worth including in your routine. The first, called the TW will target your middle and lower trapezius, along with your external rotators. The high repetitions required for this drill (8 reps, in each of four different positions) will help increase the endurance of these muscles, making the entire region more resistant to fatigue and better able to withstand the rigors of sports participation. The second, the band row, will target this same area, while also incorporating the arms to help increase pulling strength. When combined with regular stretching of your pecs, lats and better postural awareness, these exercises can improve things like throwing mechanics and overhead activities like shooting a basketball, or serving in tennis.

The YTWL: *Start out with just the weight of your arms on this exercise and progress to light dumbbells as you get stronger.

Back on Track

ie prone face down over a stability ball with your arms extended out in front of you and knees bent, so that your thighs are touching the ball. eeping your back flat, begin by raising your arms thumbs pointing up so they form the letter with your torso. Try to use the muscles between your shoulder blades to do this and avoid allowing your shoulders to “ride up” towards your ears. Hold at the top of for a second (where your arms are hopefully at least parallel to the ground), and then lower and repeat for 8 reps.

Next, bring your arms to your sides so they’re in line with your shoulders, and your palms are facing your body. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, pinch your shoulder blades together and down, as you raise your arms up until they’re once again at least parallel to the ground, forming the letter T with your torso. Hold the top for a second, then lower and repeat for 8 total reps.

Immediately after that, bring your arms to the front of the ball and bend them approximately 0 degrees, with your palms facing the floor. nce again, pinch your shoulder blades together and down as you raise your arms up to form the letter W. ake sure you rotate your palms so that the pinky side of your hand is higher than your thumb at the top of the movement. Hold for a second and lower and repeat for 8 total reps.

Finally, bring your arms back to the sides of the ball and bend them 90 degrees so that your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. eeping your upper arms perfectly still, rotate your forearms until they’re as close to parallel to the floor as possible to form the letter at the top. Pause for a second and then lower and repeat for the final reps.

By taking a slightly different approach in the gym, you can make some major changes to way your body looks, feels and performs. Start paying more attention to the stuff that you can’t see in the mirror and I promise you won’t be disappointed with the results. You can still include some of your favorite exercises like bench presses and squats, just don’t make them the focal point of your routine. In the end, I’m sure you’ll find that this kind of backwards thinking will bring your athletic abilities even more to the forefront 113 WWW.ULTIMATEATHLETEMAGAZINE.COM

UA TRAINING UA Training

The Posterior Chain:

It may sound like something that you’d get serviced at a body shop, but your posterior chain is actually one of the most important areas of your body when it comes to guarding against injures. By working the muscles that extend your hips and lower back as a functional unit, instead of isolating them with exercises like leg curls, you’ll be better able to replicate the way you use them during competition. It will also cut down on the number of hamstring pulls, hip flexor strains and non-contact knees injuries that often plague young athletes- especially females who suffer ACL (anterior cruciate ligaments) injuries up to 6 times more frequently than males. Besides genetic factors, some of this is also due to the quadricep dominant nature of many athletic conditioning programs.

The featured exercises here include the unilateral Romanian deadlift and the step up. While any deadlift variation will be of benefit, a one-legged version will incorporate more balance and stability into the movement, as well as help you identify and potential strength imbalances that may exist between limbs. As for the step-up, even though it does also involve the quadriceps to a certain degree, hip extension can be emphasized depending on how you execute the step. Making a concerted effort to drive through the heel, instead of off the ball of the foot, can dramatically change the effect of the exercise.

Unilateral Romanian Deadlift: Stand holding a light medicine ball, or dumbbell in your hands while balancing on one leg (your other foot should be just a couple of inches off the ground). Keeping a slight bend in your working leg, begin the movement by bending at the hips as you lean over with your arms extended towards the floor. As you lean over, try and keep the same amount of bend in your working leg, while simultaneously keeping your back flat and raising your back leg straight behind you. At the bottom of the movement your torso should be just about parallel to the ground, with no rounding whatsoever in your back. Pause for a second and then drive through your heel to stand back up. Continue for 8-10 reps and then switch sides.

Step Ups:

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Stand in front of an exercise bench, or platform that is just slightly below the height of your kneecap. Holding some light dumbbells at arm’s length, begin by placing one foot completely on the step. Next, keep your torso nice and straight as you step up, being sure to emphasize pushing through your heel to maximize glute and hamstring involvement. Lightly tap your other foot on the step at the top, and then step back down with the same foot, followed by your working leg. Continue on the same side for 10-12 reps before switching over.

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The Calves: They might be relatively small, but the calves play a major role in both knee stability and explosive power production. Not that I want to see you doing hundreds of reps of calf raises, like a body builder. But, it is a good idea to incorporate some more functional calf strengthening exercises into your routine, to help improve your ability to generate force from different angles, and on different surfaces. Let’s face it; in the midst of competition, you’re not always going to land from either a jump, or a running stride, perfectly even every time. Having the stability and mobility to be able to compensate for these landings and still push off with great force can often make the difference between making the play and not. Reason enough why you’ll not only want to make your calves stronger, but strengthen them in such a way as to augment your athletic ability.

The Balancing Calf Raise: Position yourself on a step so that only the ball of your foot is on the step, with your heel hanging off. Keeping your other foot off the ground, maintain your balance while rising up as high as you can onto the ball of your foot. Pause for a second and then lower back down until your heel drops below the step to get a good stretch. Pause for a second and then continue until you’ve completed 10-12 reps and switch sides.

The back of the neck:

The Chin Tuck:

Admit it. You didn’t see this one coming, did you?

I mean, who really needs to worry about the back of their neck when they’re in the gym? Well, if you’re among the legions of young athletes that walk around with forward head posture, then you do. When your head juts forward so that your ear is lined up in front of your shoulder from a profile view (have a friend, or coach check this for you), it places a lot of strain on the back of your neckwhich has to work overtime to keep your chin from dropping down on your chest. The answer here is an exercise called the chin tuck. In one simple move it helps stretch and alleviate the strain on the back of the neck, while simultaneously requiring an isometric contraction of the flexor muscles on the front, which are typically the weak link in this scenario.

Stand with your feet about a foot in front of a wall and lean back on it. Making sure your entire back is in contact with the wall, simply “tuck” your chin towards the back of your head. I’ll usually tell my athletes to envision a cash register drawer closing to get a sense of the movement. Then hold this chin in the tucked position for 5 seconds per rep, as you gently press the back of your head into the wall. Relax for a second and continue until you’ve done 8-10 reps.

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Compe Competition Nutrition

FUEL THE ROAD TRIP

By Sandy Sarcona

R

Road trips are part of an athlete’s life. Sometimes you take a short jaunt to another high school for a game and other times you are traveling to another state for a tournament. Any time you travel it is important to plan the healthiest way to add fuel to energize your body.

Without a plan, a stop at a convenience store or a fast food restaurant is the easiest and fastest way to get food when you are hungry, but the high fat, calorie dense selections may slow down your running game.

A trip to the grocery store is in order to stock up on quick energy items to keep in your back pack for short excursions to your games. The following high carbohydrate, low fat snacks can come in handy before a competition or for recovery after your event: pretzels, cereal in a box or bagged, fresh fruit (apple, orange, banana or grapes), cereal bars, bagels, or crackers.

On a longer road trip or when you play all day in a tournament you should have a cooler to keep items cold: water, sports drink, cheese sticks, sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly or turkey). If you need to get a full meal and you are stuck in trafďŹ c on the N Turnpike, then a fast food restaurant is your only choice. You can still choose foods with adequate protein and carbohydrates, but lower on the fat content.

The biggest mistake an athlete can make when traveling is to play on an empty stomach. Your muscles cannot perform without an adequate store of carbohydrate and even your brain needs fuel to think and make decisions. So, plan your food strategy before each event to get the most competitive edge.

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etition GO FOR THE FOLLOWING CHOICES MORE OFTEN

grilled chicken sandwiches plain hamburgers pizza with regular cheese or vegetable pizza broth-based soups chicken Fajita bean or chicken burrito baked potato with chili, salsa, broccoli fruit salads frozen yogurt JUICE LOW_FAT MILK OR LOW-FAT CHOCOLATE MILK

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Psyc Sports Psychology

By Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. Exclusively for Ultimate Athlete Magazine All rights reserved

How To Make Eighty Percent Of Your Foul Shots Nine Tips For Basketball Players, Coaches And Parents I get calls all the time from basketball players who want to improve their foul shooting.

Some of these players are young children. Some are high school players. Some are college players.

And some are playing at the professional level.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from a manager of an experienced NBA player. This athlete had more than ten years of playing experience and had been an all star player in the league. Yet, he too, was struggling with his free throw shooting.

There was nothing I could teach him about the physical and mechanical aspects of free throw shooting. However, there were some things he could learn about the mental part of shooting foul shots. He was quite concerned about choking

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and missing shots under game pressure.

He lacked the confidence, focus and relaxation you need to make free throws. He was fine in practice, but was quite uneasy in game situations.

When a player can shoot free throws efficiently in practice but struggles in a game, it is a clear sign that something mental is getting in his or her way.

In some instances, the same may hold true for outside shooting as well.

Of course, how a player responds to a defender or a defense is another important factor where shooting form outside is concerned. Making an open shot is a different issue than is making a shot where you are being guarded closely and can not create an opening for your shot.

Basketball players call me because they realize that making foul shots has a lot to do with what is going on in their head before they get to the line and once they get to the line.

Like some other tasks, “Foul shooting is a matter of a few inches. The inches between your ears.”

Shooting foul shots is quite mental, once you master the mechanics of holding the ball properly, aiming properly, using your legs, maintaining your balance and imparting some backspin on the basketball.

cholog Here are a few more tips to help you be more consistent and efficient at the foul line during game conditions: Develop a consistent routine when you step up to the foul line. Your routine needs to enable you to be relaxed, confident and focused. Taking three deep breaths before you get to the line can be quite helpful.

Practice foul shooting with distractions. Some coaches teach their players to make foul shots with fans screaming and waving towels and banners behind the backboard. They stimulate these conditions in practice. Learning to manage these kinds of stimuli will help make you a better foul shooter.

Practice shooting with your eyes closed. This will help you to develop touch, feel and confidence.

Try to get your foul shooting to the eighty percent level in practice.

Spend some time every day imagining yourself sinking foul shots. If you like, imagine that you are your favorite basketball player who is at the line is an NBA game.

If you miss your first free throw, remind yourself that the most important shot is the next one that you are about to take.

Remember, there is nobody guarding you at the foul line and you get the opportunity to get set, get comfortable and find your shooting eyes, your shooting touch and your shooting mind. The pace during a basketball game is very different than the pace when you are at the line. So, take enough time to get ready to sink your free throws.

Learn how to let go of a missed shot. A missed shot is history.

Learn how to place yourself into the zone at the line by mastering self-hypnotic techniques. The zone is an ideal state of mind to make free throws from consistently. Basketball players love my “http:// www.stayinthezone.com/shop-stay-in-the-zone/6shop-stay-in-the-zone/55-get-in-the-zone-andstay-there-with-self-hypnosis.html” zone program and they especially like the chapter on developing accuracy.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a Psychotherapist in River Edge, New Jersey and the Founder of www.StayInTheZone.com. Dr. Granat has coached top athletes from around the world in virtually every sport. He has been featured in many major media outlets including The New York Times, Golf Digest and Good Morning America. He can be reached at 888 580-ZONE or at info@stayinthezone.com.

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