LI_WIN_II_2013 by UA MEDIA

suffolk league ii champs

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Ultimate Athlete Magazine

Dear Readers,

he results are in for 2012-2013 high school winter athletics. On the mat, cheerleading teams danced and tumbled while individual wrestlers grappled for top spots in front of enthusiastic audiences. Proud parents and coaches, younger fans, and college recruits admired from the sidelines. The winter season came to an end- from Cheerleading Nationals in Orlando, Fl, to the New York State wrestling championships in Albany, NY.

PUBLISHER/CEO EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Paul Corace N.J Comanzo

MANAGING EDITOR

Britney Grasman

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Desiree Keegan

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR

Adriana Kijko

SENIOR MEDIA DESIGNER

Ponnuthurai Jeyathas

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR (UA MEDIA)

Lisa Harden-Stone

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Sachem athletics faired well all-around this season. Not only do Sachem North and East share a mascot; they also share the thrill of success this season. On the cover this edition are four wrestlers from Sachem North High School, just minutes before competing at the Suffolk County finals. The black and gold league II champs went undefeated in the regular season, beating out fierce competitors. Sachem East wrestling also swept their league and are sitting at the number-one spot in League I.

SENIOR VIDEO EDITOR

Anthony Anastasiou Alice Wei Louis Quach Nicholas Herms

VIDEO EDITOR

John Callejas

But wrestlers weren’t the only athletes who pinned their goals this season. Cheerleading teams represented Long Island at nat ionals in Orlando and many came back with more than a sun-kissed tan. A handful of teams tumbled their way to finals and a few, including Hauppauge, Sachem North, Rocky Point and Mt. Sinai, placed in the top-five for their teams size and divisions.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Accomplishments should not sneak by unnoticed. Just as we do at the end of every athletic season, we’ve put together a list of top-ranking teams, including boy’s and girl’s basketball. Congratulations to all of our young athletes as we roll up the mats for the season and head outdoors for spring athletics. Britney Grasman Managing Editor Ultimate Athlete Magazine

Josh Rosenman DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Desiree Keegan

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Richard Brooks Dan Atkinson Matt Modzelewski Dr. Tom Ferraro Mike Mejia CSCS Jerry Del Priore Sandy Sarcone Jaclynkelli Kronemberg Jamie Bolettieri

Desiree Keegan Luis Vasquez Kristin Cacchioli Mariel Carbone Miscelleana Rhinehart Kylie Cremer

Britney Grasman IN HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Morgan Harrison Hannah Singleton CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Adil Borluca Kristen Hoffman

Dana Cama

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Morgan Harrison

How to contact us Phone: 1-800-680-3213 Email: info@ultimateathletemagazine.com Ultimate Athlete Magazine (ISSN 1931-5295) is published 12 times a year by Ultimate Athlete, Inc., 24 Woodbine Ave, Northport, New York 11768. All contents copyright 2012 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 properties of thier respective owners. Although the writers and the publishers have exhaustively researched all sources to ensure the accuracy and the completeness of the information contained in this publication we aassume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. The opinions expressed in all materials are those of authors and do not neccesarily represent those of Ultimate Athlete, Inc or Long Island’s Ultimate Athlete Magazine.

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CONTENTS

t o

rl uc a

LONG ISLAND

WINTER 2013 VOL. II

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PG 10

DEER PARK

PG 12

SACHEM NORTH

PG 16

HISTORY OF

PG 20

JERICHO

PG 22

GARDEN CITY

PG 26

FREEPORT

PG 32

LONGWOOD

PG 34

MASSAPEQUA

PG 36

CENTRAL ISLIP

PG 40

WALT WHITMAN

PG 44

EAST ISLIP

PG 46

NUTRITION

PG 48

UA TRAINING

PG 50

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

Girl’s Basketball Wrestling

Basketball

Boy’s Basketball Wrestling

Boy’s Basketball Girl’s Basketball Ice Hockey

Boy’s Basketball Girl’s Basketball Girl’s Basketball Multivitamin

Spring Cleaning

High Stress World of Coaching

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>>> Photo by Morgan Harrison

SPE ED

SHUT TER

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Story by Kylie Cremer Photos by Morgan Harrison

he Deer Park High School girl’s basketball team has hatched a number of Falcons this season: eight new members to be exact. The 12-person team now consists of two freshmen, six sophomores, one junior, and three seniors, making it the youngest and most diverse team head coach Mike Gennaro has had the pleasure of working with. And while Coach Gennaro has faith that the team will come together, this entirely different team dynamic has presented a challenge for him. With an overall record of 10-8 and a League IVs conference record of 8-6, the Falcons are clawing their way through the season--fighting for each and every win. Though he acknowledges that all his players are extremely talented and bright kids, there is quite a difference in age. His players range from 14 to 18 years old, most of whom have never played together prior to this season. “Our biggest obstacle right now is us trying to come together as a team,” Coach Gennaro said. “There is such a gap between all of our kids. I’ve never had a team this spread out, and they haven’t been working together for that long.” Last year, the Falcons graduated three very important seniors who had been with Coach Gennaro during their 2011 win in the Suffolk County Championship, including the team’s 5-year starting point guard, Andrea Desvignes. Over her career with Deer Park, Desvignes scored over 1,200 points, and was the school’s top scorer. All-League center, Kelsey Dillon, and forward Kristen Fischer, were also among those graduated seniors who played key roles in the Falcon’s winning strategy. Out of the team’s current 12 players, only one was a member of the 2011

County Championship team. Senior Nicole Gomez, is the Falcon’s toptier competitor, averaging 13 points per game, and has been doing her best to carry on the legacy that she helped to create over the past several years. Coach G e n n a r o is very pleased with his “up-and-comers,” as he likes to call them. Replacing Desvignes as the team’s point guard is sophomore Kristy Vitucci. As the sister of assistant coach Holly O’Donnell, Vitucci comes from a strong basketball background and has a “very high basketball IQ,” according to her coach. She has been averaging 10 points per game and is a strong force on the side of the Falcons. “I’d go as far to say that she’s the best pure shooter I’ve coached in 21 years,” Coach Gennaro said. Another sophomore, Sabrina Grunseich, is the team’s starting forward. Competing at the varsity level for her very first season, Grunseich has been averaging six points and seven rebounds per game. “We look for big things from her in the future. She’s been a real bright spot for us this season,” the coach said. According to her coach, sophomore Juliet Quirindongo is his “sixth man.” “She’s super athletic. She’s a spark plug off the bench and she gives us instant offense,” he said. “She’s another one of the best pure athletes we have on the team.” After losing the team’s key bench player, Laura Gomez, to a knee injury, Quirindongo has filled that void and has come through in clutch situations for the team this season. She is predicted to play a very strong role as the Falcons make their way down the stretch trying to earn a spot in the playoffs.

Because the team is so young and unfamiliar with competing at a varsity level, Coach Gennaro said that the Falcons “need that experience factor right now.” Many of the younger players are timid, and not as aggressive as they could be, but he attributes that to their youth and familiarity with how the game is played at the JV level. But it is not the JV mentality that will make them better and more competitive against their opponents. His players have bought into the idea that experience will get them back to the County Championship. Ten out of the team’s 12 players play for the Amateur Athletic Union basketball league in the Spring. “I think that’s a really important factor in trying to build consistent winners,” Coach Gennaro said. And the Falcons prove they have have begun to gain that experience needed to win games, as the team was on a 4-game winning streak, prior losing 43-66, to Bellport. The coach has complete faith that his team will win again. Just as their name denotes, the Falcons are vicious on the court and consistently work hard both in games and in practice, to meet their long-term goals. “We’re hoping th at w e ’ l l g e t b a c k t o a County Championship in the next couple of years through this young core of hard-working kids who I really enjoy working with.”

SACHEM NORTH HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

THE JOE DAVIDSON MEMORIAL DUALS O

n December 28 and 29, the Sachem North varsity wrestling team attended their own Joe Davidson Memorial Duals. Not only did they compete, they dominated the competition, finishing with an overall record of 31-1 over the past four years the tournament has been run. Contending against wrestlers from Bayport-Blue Point, Deer Park, East Islip, Eastport South Manor, Farmingdale, William Floyd, Newfield, ShorehamWading River, and West Babylon, Sachem North finished 8-0 with four of their wrestlers going undefeated. The 220-pound Steve Mills’ winning matches earned him the record of 15-0 this season, while Sean O’Hagan, Matt Marino, and Gio Santiago held off any and all competition that faced them on the mats. While the wrestlers rejoiced in their win, the coaching staff also had reason to celebrate. Head coach Ray Pickersgill and assistant John Aebly rang in their 100th win with this tournament, joining the group of only 51 other coaches in the history of Suffolk County to ever reach this milestone. To the other competing teams, this was merely another tournament on the schedule. Not to the

Story by Kylie Cremer Photos by Morgan Harrison

Flaming Arrows. Because this tournament was created as a means to honor the team’s former coach and wrestler, Joe Davidson, Sachem North takes pride in perennially being dominant on their own mats. “I always feel that it’s important that wrestlers don’t forget where they come from and that they don’t forget the tradition the program has,” Coach Pickersgill said. “Especially in a place like Sachem.” Joe Davidson, who passed in 2005, is a fine representation of what kind of wrestling program Sachem upholds. A Sachem wrestler himself, Davidson was the Suffolk County Champion in 1974, and went on to continue coaching as the assistant to Jack Mahoney, who the wrestling room is now named after. “We worked very well together, the same way we did when he was a wrestler,” Mahoney said. “And he worked well with the kids. Joe was very patient.” Mahoney thought so highly of him, that due to his nomination, Davidson was awarded most outstanding assistant high school coach in the nation by USA Wrestling Magazine. Coach Pickersgill, who wrestled under Davidson, said the coach was skilled, and always trying to improve the way the game was played. “He always

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“I always feel that it’s important that wrestlers don’t forget where they come from and that they don’t forget the tradition the program has, especially in a place like Sachem.” - Coach Pickersgill

had the kind of mind where he would look at a move and he would wonder if there was a way to make it better,” Coach Pickersgill said. “He himself was a really successful wrestler, and he tried to impart that on his guys. So even guys who may not have had the ability that he had, because he was a tremendous athlete, he still looked to help out.” Coach Pickersgill remembers Davidson as being a coach who was always there for you and who would be willing to put in that extra effort when you needed help. “If practice ended at five, he would stay there with you until seven o’clock,” he said. “He would come in on days that we didn’t have practice. Any time you needed the extra help, Joe would be there to do that.” The coaching duo of Davidson and Mahoney believed in hard work, dedication, and simply enough, winning. They set the bar high for the programs to come, and this is something that the Flaming Arrows have come to embrace and use as a source of motivation. Since their dynasty, awards and scholarships have been created by the current coaching staff in the former coaches’ names. The Joe Davidson award and scholarship goes to a senior wrestler who emulates the spirit and talent that Davidson himself exhibited as a high school wrestler. The Jack Mahoney coach’s award

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goes to a wrestler who, while an exceptionally hard worker, did not necessarily have the most success. It was kids like these that Jack Mahoney admired and cared about, because while they did not win counties or make it to states, it was their continued dedication to the program that made them outstanding wrestlers to work with. With these standards being set, the coaching staff notes that there are several wrestlers who seriously put in the extra effort by spending additional time in the weight room and even competing and training in the off-season. Precedents have been made regarding what the Sachem North wrestling program stands for, and together, the current coaching staff and wrestlers have created a culture dedicated to sustaining it. Mahoney approves of the direction that this team has taken under his former wrestlers. The complete coaching staff includes Coach Pickersgill, John Aebly, Lance Banfi, and Michael Falcon, all of whom wrestled under Mahoney and Davidson. “The coaching staff has done a great job,” Mahoney said. “They’ve carried on the tradition, and they do a lot of the same stuff we used to do. But they’ve added a lot of their own stuff that they’ve learned elsewhere, which they should.” And the result is the powerhouse that is the Sachem North wrestling program, which time and time again has made its presence known at the Joe Davidson Memorial Duals. The Flaming Arrows’ performance at this tournament has annually set the tone for the remainder of their season. Because there are eight matches over the two day tournament, the majority of the team gets to compete and prepare for their league season matches. Coach Pickersgill explains that not only does this tournament give both the wrestlers and coaching staff an idea of where they are at as a team, but who will be successful and who has certain skills left to work on--this acts as a team builder. “It’s better than an individual tournament where you have people standing around and you may or may not catch everyone’s match,” Coach Pickersgill said. “Everybody is sitting on the side of the mat pulling for the guy that’s wrestling.” It looks as though Sachem North wrestling is in a fantastic place collectively, with an overall undefeated record of 10-0 and a 6-0 record in Suffolk County League II conference play. The team has big, and quite frankly, realistic expectations for the 2012-2013 season. Heading into Division I championships on February 9, the Flaming Arrows fully intend on winning--putting them in a great position for the county tournament. Coach Pickersgill explains that his current team is three years in the making after putting sophomores on the mat at the varsity level. He notes that everyone has put in their time and hard work, and with the way he predicts his wrestlers to improve over the course of the season, the county title looks feasible. “The message has always been with us, if you don’t expect to win, don’t bother competing,” Coach Pickersgill said. “And in order to expect to win, you have to prepare to win.”

HOW BASKETBALL HAS CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS Story by Ed Krinsky

teams and all the major colleges had freshmen teams. I have remained close to Harvard’s basketball program for many years. Until the mid-1970’s, Harvard coaches were not permitted by the university to recruit off campus. Consequently, the recruiting of prospective athletes was assigned to alumni. It was my responsibility to recruit basketball prospects and the recruiting of one well known high school basketball player, current television sportscaster, James Brown, is an often told story among Harvard basketball alumni. Following is the story of the successful recruitment of James Brown. The Harvard coach at the time was Bob Harrison, a former NBA player with the Minneapolis Lakers. Bob called me and told me that he was very interested in James Brown, a great high school player at DeMatha in Washington, D.C. The problem was that Notre Dame was also interested in landing James and it looked as though he was headed in that direction. Bob asked me to do what I could to convince James that he should apply to Harvard. Since at that time, the NCAA permitted alumni contact with high school prospects, I enlisted the help of two of my Harvard classmates, John Culver, who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa, and Ted Kennedy, the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. Both readily agreed to get involved with the recruitment of James Brown and, within a few days, invited James to have lunch with them. The rest is history. James was thrilled to be recruited by Senator Kennedy

ast April, I had the unexpected pleasure of attending the first round games of the NCAA basketball tournament in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was one of three former Harvard basketball players who were invited to attend the Harvard vs. Vanderbilt game as guests of the Friends of Harvard Basketball. I was the “youngster” of the three invitees. I captained the Harvard basketball team during the 1953-54 season. Basketball has been an important part of my life from my early childhood. My father was an All American player on legendary coach Nat Holman’s CCNY team in 1920 and he went on to play professional basketball during the early 1920’s, before the advent of formal professional basketball leagues. He later enjoyed a long career as a coach and referee. He introduced me to basketball at a very young age. From the time I was five years old until I left for college at the age of seventeen, I rarely missed a high school, college or professional game at the old Madison Square Garden at 49th Street and 8th Avenue. On many Saturdays, I watched the five high school games during the day and the college doubleheaders that were played Saturday nights at the old Madison Square Garden. I played basketball and baseball at James Madison High School in Brooklyn, NY, before going on to Harvard College, where I played varsity basketball and varsity baseball for three years. In those days, freshmen were not eligible to play on varsity

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and filed his successful application for admission to Harvard. He eventually led Harvard to some of its best seasons up to that time. While James was selected in the NBA draft following his senior year, he went into broadcasting and is now one of the best known sportscasters on TV. While I never experienced a winning season at Harvard, I played on the 1954-55 U.S. Army championship team at Fort Dix, New Jersey and on a very good U.S. Army team while stationed with the 4th Infantry Division in Frankfurt, West Germany. I was a member of the 4th Infantry Division All Star team, which also included the following noteworthy players: Don Donoher, who went on to coach Dayton University. His 1966-67 team lost to UCLA in the NCAA finals; Roland Todd, who went on to coach UNLV and the NBA Portland Trail Blazers; and Dennis Miller, who played for Coach John Wooden at UCLA, but is best known for his acting roles as “Tarzan” in the movies and in “Wagon Train” on TV. Dennis later appeared as the bearded Gorton fisherman in TV commercials and print ads. Basketball has gone through many changes since my playing days. Most notable of course is the number of players who stand six feet six or taller, including several seven footers. When I began watching basketball, the tallest centers were DePaul’s George Mikan (6’9”), Bowling Green’s Don Otten (6”11”) and the first seven footer, Oklahoma A & M center, Bob Kurland. Consequently, many of the rule changes during the 1940’s were aimed at limiting the dominance of these exceptionally tall players. One of the first such changes was to outlaw “goal tending.” Starting with the 1944-45 season, defensive goal tending was prohibited. If a player interfered with the downward flight of a shot, it was counted as a goal and two points were awarded. The

advent of Lew Alcindor (a.k.a. Kareem Abdul Jabbar) led to a “no dunking rule” aimed at limiting his effectiveness. The no dunking rule was rescinded commencing with the 1976-1977 season and dunking is now a common occurrence in games at all levels. Another rule aimed at limiting the dominance of the tall centers was the three-second rule, which prohibited an offensive player from remaining in the free throw lane for more than three seconds. In the 1940’s and earlier, the free throw lane was only six feet wide. Beginning with the 1956-57 season, the lane was widened to twelve feet. Note that until the 1956-57 season, the two spots closest to the basket on a free throw were occupied by one offensive player and one defensive player. Commencing with the 1956-57 season, both spots were occupied by defensive players. It brings to mind a situation that occurred in a Harvard vs. Cornell game at Cornell during my junior year. Harvard was trailing by three points with two seconds remaining in the game and I was fouled on a drive to the basket. If I made the two free throws, we would still be behind by a point. We called a time out and came up with the following strategy. First of all, I had to make the first free throw. That would put us behind by two points. I was instructed by my coach to miss the second free throw and to have the rebound go in the direction of my teammate who had the inside position under the basket. I succeeded in doing so and my teammate rebounded the ball and was fouled in the act of shooting as time expired. He made both free throws and the game went into overtime. Unfortunately, Cornell went on to win the game despite our last second heroics in the closing seconds of regulation time. Perhaps the two most significant rules changes in the history of

and then went on to a successful career as both a high school and college coach. Joe DePre captained the 1969-70 St. John’s University and played two seasons with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Dennis Duval earned All American honors at Syracuse University during the 1973-74 season and then played two seasons in the NBA with the Washington Bullets and the Atlanta Hawks. Following his NBA days, he joined the Syracuse Police Department and retired a few years ago after serving for five years as the Chief of the Syracuse Police. I also coached baseball at Westbury High School and one of my former Westbury High School baseball players, Tom Donohue, played two seasons with the California Angels and caught one of Nolan Ryan’s one-hitters. Basketball took me to other parts of the world as well. My most memorable international coaching assignment took me to Egypt during the summer of 1980. The Egyptian Basketball Federation hired me to serve as a consultant/coach and I spent two months helping to train the Egyptian National Junior Team for the African Games that were to be held later that summer. My time in Egypt was well publicized, because I am Jewish and it was considered highly unusual for the Egyptians to hire a Jewish coach after their many years of military conflicts with the State of Israel. Apparently, it was so newsworthy that I was invited to appear on the “Today Show” with Tom Brokaw a few hours before boarding the plane to Cairo. In November, 1983, the Egyptian National Team came to Long Island and played a series of games against local college teams. I helped their coach, Fouad Abul El Khier, prepare the team for the African games that would be held prior to the 1984 Olympics. The Egyptians won the tournament and qualified as the African representative in the Olympic Games at Los Angeles. Coincidentally, their first opponent was West Germany, coached by Ralf Klein, the coach of Israel’s FIBA championship team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. At the time, I was the U.S.A. representative of Maccabi Tel Aviv, responsible for recruiting and signing American players for their team. The night before the Israel vs. Egypt game, I was contacted by a Los Angeles newspaper reporter who wanted to interview me because I was the “common link” between the coaches of the Egyptian and Israeli Olympic teams. I felt very proud to be a bridge between these Mideast nations who spent so many years at war with one another. While I have touched on some of the rules changes that have occurred during my sixty plus years in the sport, I am sure that there will be more rule changes in the future. In any case, I have had an enjoyable career in the sport as a player in high school, college and the U. S. Army; as a coach and scout on the high school, college, international and professional levels; as Director of Operations of the United States Basketball League (USBL); and most importantly, as a fan. Basketball is a great game at all levels and the players are getting better and better all the time. And while it was invented in America, by an American, James Naismith, it is extremely popular throughout the world.

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WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL Story By Mariel Carbone | Photos by Morgan Harrison

SHUTT ER

SPEE D Photo by Morgan Harrison

Story by Kristin Cacchioli Photos by Hannah Singleton

ally Bachman, coach of the Jericho High School boys’ basketball team, adheres to a strict guideline of coaching and m a n a g ing offensive plays, which has resulted in him being one of the most successful and innovative coaches on Long Island. For 40 years he has been molding young basketball players into selfless, sportsmanlike athletes and he got his start at Jericho 20 years ago. With about 380 career wins under his belt, Bachman has led the Jayhawks to four County Championships, one Long Island Championship and eight conference championships, as well as the runner up position in the semifinals for at least three years. “We have a pretty good history of success in Jericho basketball and our goal is always to run the Jericho system that has been instilled here. That system has been very successful over the past 20 years and the players run the program very well,” said Bachman.

he “Jericho system” that the seasoned coach refers to involves equal stardom for all his players. He doesn’t let the power get to any single player’s head and makes sure to involve all his players in the success that Jericho has been achieving. “It is a very interesting system. Our strategy involves a lot of passing, cutting and moving without the ball,” explained Bachman. “Ball movement is extremely important to us and we have multiple plays involving screens, as well as being pretty good on defense. We focus on moving the ball because we want everybody to get their hands on it and for everyone to have the opportunity for baskets. We believe in balanced scoring and try to have at least three or four players in double figures. We don’t believe in a star system at Jericho.”

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By passing the ball and giving each player a chance to shine, it eliminates selfish players and allows underdogs to step up and show their talents instead of being overshined by one or two all-stars. After graduating their starting point guard last year, Bachman had to find someone to take his place since there was no back-up on the team already. “We started the season without a point guard,” said Bachman, “but David Orr had to fill in and replace Cory Miller from last year. Having that replacement and having him improve as the season goes on has made us where we are today.” Orr has been making his team proud, scoring every game and reaching 14 points against Westbury on December 18. With Jericho’s strategy of continuously passing the ball, it allows Orr to bring the basketball up the court, pass then cut toward the basket for easy lay-ups or 5-foot jumpers. His teammates helped him out while he attempted a new starting position and that has helped lead to his success. Passing the ball up and down the court only works if the team has speed and luckily, Jericho has plenty of that. “Our strength is definitely being able to get the ball up the court extremely fast which allows us to score a lot of points during games. We recently scored 75 points and have been up to 81/82 points in a game. Our speed and our fast breaks are really quick

since we like to get the ball up the court right as quick as possible for easy baskets,” said Bachman. High scoring games are made possible due to the help of Senior MVP Garrett Johnsen. Bachman said he is their most valuable player and averages 22-23 points a game. “He is a very, very good player and a deadly 3-point shooter. He is a second team All Long Island Player and three year varsity starter,” said Bachman. The energetic coach hopes to keep up the Jericho system next year after Johnsen and other seniors graduate and he expects the younger players to step up and fill the shoes of those who have left. “I feel very strongly that if we stick to running our system and kids stay within the system that we will continue to be very successful,” said Bachman. The infallible system that Bachman has been working on each year has allowed Jericho to beat rival, Roslyn High School, 61-48, and participate in exciting games like the one against Wantagh this year. Wantagh was undefeated at the time and Jericho walked all over them from the start. With 23 points to their 11 in the first quarter alone, Jericho set the tone for a beat down on the undefeated basketball team. Jericho held onto their lead the entire game and finished 75-54. Garrett Johnsen had 22 total points and Derek Medolla finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds. Adhering to the

Jericho philosophy of multiple star players, Erik Kanzer also had 13 points and David Orr scored 11. Bachman never loses faith in his team and believes that their “togetherness” in combination with the 25 different offensive sets they execute will lead to victory and build the Jericho system stronger each year. Only a coach with a genuine love for the game and its players could successfully create 25 plays and teach everyone on his team to memorize them and work hard to make sure they result in a lot of baskets come game time. “I love practice,” said Bachman. “Being with the kids every day, practicing every day and building team chemistry is something I feel very strongly about. Togetherness and working as a group leads to success. And that’s us! Jericho basketball is a system that has been going on for a while and I feel very good about it.”

TROJANS GRA ILLNESS S Story by Desiree Keegan Photos by Hannah Singleton

fter a strong 2011-2012 season, Garden City High School’s wrestling team was forced to say goodbye to 15 seniors. “It was far more than we normally have,” Reid Sclafani, co-head coach at Garden City, said. “Seniors help. We haven’t really had that in the past, where there was such a big group that sticks it all the way out through senior year.” Despite the loss, Coach Sclafani said his new team worked hard to pick up where they left off. “This group did a pretty good job and stayed with it. We weren’t really sure what to expect,” he said. “We know the value of seniors and we talk about that all the time because we only have five of them on the team.”

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APPLE EARLY SETBACKS guys have come back, and, for the most part, are healthy again. We’re focused on the end of the season events. I think we did pretty well over the weekend at the qualifier tournament. We have nine guys that qualified for the counties, so that’s a pretty decent showing. I don’t know if we’ll equal last year’s five who placed in the counties, but we hope to come close to that.”

Three of these seniors were huge assets to the team this season.

The team finished tied for fourth in the conference out of seven teams. The coach said the season was frustrating because of illness and and injury. He felt like his guys

“Matt Schmelzinger and Matt Vitale-those two seniors really racked up a lot of wins and a lot of points for the team,” the coach said. “And then we have another guy Kevin Patalano who did a great job in the lineup and filled in all over the place-kept us strong when we needed it. But three guys who are regularly in the starting lineup are not enough seniors to carry you through the though times.”

A flu bug spread through the team at the beginning of the season, and caused many of the players to miss several key conference matchups. “It really hurt us a lot. We wound up 2-4 in the conference, and that was very disappointing, and we expected to do better. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way,” Coach Sclafani said. “But the

Matt Vitale was another talented athlete who, at 295 pounds, had close to 30 wins this season. He lost a tough match in the qualifier tournament, but hopefully will wrestle well and play for counties. Unfortunately, in wrestling, Coach Sclafani explained that the lineup is all you have. There is a limit to how far a guy can go up or down in terms of weight class, so there ends up being a lot of limitations compared with other sports where you can easily change guys around. Another issue faced by some star players was changing weight classes. Twin brothers Tom and Jack Reina both placed at counties last year--Tom placed fifth at 106 pounds and Jack placed third at 113. Both made jumps in weight classes this season as Tom moved up to 126 and Jack to 132 pounds.

And Garden City had some tough times. “Unfortunately the biggest weakness this season was illness and I don’t know what you could do differently for that one,” Coach Sclafani said. “The good thing about being around for 17 years is at least we know that we didn’t do anything differently this year than other years, and other years we’ve had no problems. So I think you sometimes just get hit.”

because of the Long Island’s being delayed,” Coach Sclafani said. “But he was a great asset to the team. He won a bunch of matches and placed in the Eastern Sates Classic. He was a captain, a leader and really valuable.”

in the lineup could have produced better showings if everybody was healthy. But the team still had some talented wrestlers.

Although both took large leaps, Coach Sclafani said both have been on the winning side of things, but also adds that it can be difficult, because once you step

At the 145 pound weight class was Matt Schmelzinger, the team’s senior captain. Schmelzinger, according to the coach, at minimum, tied the county record for being a six-time qualifier tournament champion. This means that from seventh through twelfth grade, he has won the qualifier tournament. He also came second in counties last season, placed in the county championship before that and was also an All-County football player. “Unfortunately, with that group, that meant he didn’t finish playing football until early December,

above the 120 pound weight class the style of fighting changes.

“In between 120 and 145 or 152 is almost a different style of wrestling than lightweights or heavyweights,” Coach Sclafani said. “It’s common to see a guy who could even be a state champ as a 99 pounder, the next year, he’s 113 to 120 and doesn’t even place in states. It’s not usual, so these guys are figuring it out and hopefully we’ll shine this weekend.”

upset the No. 2 seed, but then got hurt and couldn’t finish the tournament,” his coach said.

And the coach believes with the team’s rising talent, and better conditioning, Garden City wrestling can continue to work on improving at the end of this season and into the next.

“I think there’s an expectation. Around here, if a varsity team is simply a conference champion, the other high school students look at that as an unsuccessful season. The expectation is that you’ll be, at minimum, a county finalist. So that attitude is a winning attitude,” Coach Sclafani said.

Tim Schmelcigner, Matt’s younger brother, is a freshman at 126 pounds. He finished fifth in the qualifier last season and fifth this season, and the coach hopes he gets a chance to compete at counties. Other hopefuls include Christian Irwin and Dylan Hughes, both freshman who wrestle at 99 pounds. Dylan made the qualifier, finished high enough in the tournament to make it to counties, and Irwin unfortunately was injured during the tournament when he had to bump up to 106. “He did a great job, actually

Coaching at Garden City and being a member of Garden City athletics can also be difficult for the team not just because they need to make up for the loss of so many seniors, but because at Garden City, the athletics program dominates.

“From one season to the next, the kids lead a team that has a tremendous amount of success and they expect to be a part of another team that has a tremendous amount of success. They look at practice as prepar a tion for competition, they work v e r y hard, they’re always scholar athletes . It’s not just what they do for the team, it’s what they do in the classroom as well. And success breed success, so it helps.” Coach Sclafani believes it’s been a positive experience he’s had as a wrestling coach for 17 years, and also a girl’s golf coach for 12 and girl’s and boy’s soccer coach on and off for many years.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “The kids are great, the parents are very supportive. The whole school atmosphere is one of participation and expect to be successful. You can feel the pressure to be successful as the coach, but the vast majority of the time we recognize how lucky we are to be here as coaches.” He said that with more off-season matches, and the more clinics and camps you go to, the better you’ll be the following season. “That’s how you separate yourself from the competition that’s returning. As far as doing things better we’re always looking to improve. You look to improve on your conditioning, you look to improve on your technique, your overall health. One of the things that we’ve learned is, the high school season is mostly about conditioning and competing. The guys who become great, become great in the off-season. They work on their technique the other nine months of the year, they develop the moves that work best for them, they really study the art in the off-season. The more matches you have, the better you tend to do as the season goes on,” Coach Sclafani said. “What we’re hoping for is strong finishes by a bunch of individuals so they have success where they deserve it. These guys have worked really hard and are good enough to place high or win the counties, so we hope they finish strong and do just that.”

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Red Devils

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Heating Up the Court

Story by Desiree Keegan Photos by Hannah Singleton

he Freeport High School boy’s basketball team is looking to best last season’s record.

With a record of 12-7 and a Nassau Conference AA-I record of 8-5, the Red Devils came close to topping last season’s 12-5 overall and 7-5 conference records. “We lost in the quarterfinal round to Uniondale,” 21year head coach Bob DeBonis said of last season. “We had a couple of very good players, we graduated two All-County guards, Leondre Simmon and Jere Brown, and also Isaiah Barnes—all three were starters and were very good players. We lost a few more seniors, but those were the main guys that we lost.” Coming into this season, Coach DeBonis said that it was really a question mark. “We had one starter back, Kyhiem Chaplin, who’s been very good for me, and Jovanni Moreno started some of the games last year,” the coach said. “And everyone else were all JV kids or kids who did not play at the varsity level last year, so, there were a lot of question marks coming in.” The coach said he feels his team is ready to make it to the postseason, to go deep into the playoffs and fight for the title, despite some ups and downs with a tough loss to Lynbrook in the second game of the season. “They were definitely the better team that night, but I knew we were going to play teams like Uniondale, Hempstead and Farmingdale, and even Massapequa, and Oceanside, Syosset—all the teams in our league, I felt were better than Lynbrook. And we got beat thoroughly by Lynbrook; we lost by

17. They played extremely well, I don’t think we played very well at all,” Coach DeBonis said. “But after that game, I was wondering when our next in was going to come. And it was an eye-opener for us, realizing that if we play together we play well, and if we do the little things right, we’re a pretty good team. But if we don’t do the little things right, we’re a very average team. And I told my guys that all the time, and we proved it. We can beat anybody, but we can lose to anyone, and the Lynbrook game really showed that.” But the team had a strong defense and some key offensive players that helped the team straighten out after what the coach called “a rude awakening,” as the Red Devils went on to win the next five games after the loss to Lynbrook. “I think defensively we play very, very hard—that’s the important thing that we stress very much. There will be times when you don’t shoot the ball well, you have trouble scoring, but you always defend,” the coach said. “We have one very good offensive player in Kyhiem Chaplin, and other guys at other times have stepped up and played well, and that’s why we’ve been successful.” The coach said Chaplin, a senior guard, was the team’s “main guy” this season. “When he plays and we defend, we can play with anyone,” Coach DeBonis said. Chaplin stood at the top of the team with 19.1 points per game; followed by junior forward Te’Korey Smith, at 9 points per game; and junior guard Nino Rodriguez, at 7.9 points per game. According to his coach, junior guard Davelle Hook is in the mix to be a top player for the team in the future. “Hooks adds to our good mix of four interior guys, along with Glen Tweneboah, and two of our biggest scorers, [Jovanni] Moreno and Smith.” Coach DeBonis said that junior guard and forward Moses Fletcher is also in the mix to be a top-tier competitor for the team in the future. “He’s a very good defender who is very good with transitions,” the coach said. The Red Devil’s goal was to try to advance as far as the team can into the playoffs, according to their coach. “Nobody is going to give you anything. Obstacles are every team of the way. We have to be on our game, we have to play well, we have to defend, and hopefully they can make more baskets than the other team makes,” he said. “Our goals and our obstacles are sort of the same thing—to try to advance as far as you can.But then again, you’re going to play a good team no matter who it is.” With most of the teams being in the same league for the past

three years, the coach claims that the season had been tough, but also said that it’s a friends rivalry. “A lot of the guys have played with each other in outside leagues like with players in Farmingdale and Uniondale,” he said. “It’s a friendly rivalry where a lot of the guys want to show that their school is better than the other school.” And Freeport showed that they have what it takes to outbeat their competition. With a coach who has been in the district for 33 years, and was inducted into the C.W. Post Hall of Fame in 2009—in baseball, for batting average and RBIs, and basketball, for leading his team in scoring and assists—the players know they have a natural born leader to help them along the way. Coach DeBonis coached at the college level in-between his work as a coach at the high school level as well, and went on to win 87 games. This season, Coach DeBonis recorded his 300th win of his high school coaching career.

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“It means I’ve been around a while. It means that I’ve had pretty good players,” the coach said of his achievement. “You have to have good players to win games. There are a lot of coaches out there who do a great job, but if they have a little lesser talent, they don’t win as many games. I hope the guys leave my program as better basketball players, but it’s more important to me that they leave as better people. Ireally think that sports are a great experience for life lessons. It’s about hard work, dedication, about getting along with others and teammates. Hopefully these are the things they’ve learned—being a part of the sport and the team, and

carry it with them forever.” The coach said it’s been enjoyable to watch his players progress over the years too, as he is also a middle school gym teacher. He gets to see his players grow and mature at the sport over the years until they reach the varsity team. “It’s really been a nice fit. I hope I instilled some of the ideas in them when they were sixth grade, so that when they get to the high school level, they know what I’m all about,” he said. Coach DeBonis’ father was also a principle, so he stresses the “student-athlete” aspect of the sport to be of the utmost importance. “I’m very diligent in the fact that they better make sure they maintain their grades. They better make sure they work hard,” he said. “What was most important was that I was a top student in the school of education at C.W. Post, so I tell my athletes ‘don’t tell me you have too much work and that you can’t get it done.’ I’ve been there. I tell them you can. I was lucky, because my dad was a principle, so it was always instilled in me, academics first. I try to bring that to my players. Hopefully I’ve been that throughout the years. Whether they play ball or not is really secondary to the fact that they’re getting an education and being a productive citizen.” Coach DeBonis said he is proud of this team both as players and as individuals. “I’m very pleased with where we are now. I wasn’t really expecting us to be this good,” the coach said. “But the bottom line is, the guys have really stepped it up and played well, to put us in the position we’re in right now. We’re not a flashy team by any means, we grind games out, and everyone has a responsibility to play. And the guys have done exactly that. It’s been tough.”

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2013 BASKETBALL Story by Miscelleane Rhinehart Photos by Morgan Harrison

he Longwood Varsity Basketball team has come together for a n other year of extreme basketball. Just as Coach James Castiglione has watched the growth of his team, so have its many fans. Of the different players on the Lions, one particular player on the Longwood girl’s High School Basketball team has taken the court by storm—Kiersten West, better known as “Kiery”. West has started on the Varsity team since her freshman year at Longwood. With an average of 16 points per game, it’s no surprise that this 16-year-old star has earned her spot on the starting line-up. Out of the previous 35 games dating back to December of 2011, Kiery has been the scoring leader 28 times. When combined with her average 14 rebounds and 2 steals per game, it’s no wonder that she already has close to a dozen college offers. But this comes as no surprise to Coach James Castiglione who is the first to talk about what a valuable player West is to his team. “As a player, Kiery is the most gifted a t h lete I have ever coached—male or f emale. Her athleticism is off the charts. She possesses a competitive spirit that is unmatched. Her game is only scratching her limits. When she realizes how good she can be, the sky is the limit.” He went on to say that this year she has shown off her incredible skills, stating that West is a “very good defender who has exceptional length and quickness,” and an “incredible rebounder and shot blocker. She has division one lift on her jump shot and has increased her range, having hit five three pointers against rival Sachem East in one game.”

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your anger out on the other team.

What is your biggest challenge as an individual player this year so far? My biggest challenge as an individual player this year would be, first, being consistent throughout the season and, second, leading my team to win a league title.

Any professional players you look up to? Pro players I look up to would be Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and Maya Moore, because they get their whole team involved during a game.

What was the best advice you ever received?

With colleges such as Maryland University, South Carolina University, Marquette, Seton Hall University, Duke University, Delaware State, and many more looking to recruit West, she has plenty of options to choose from as she goes into her senior year. Because of her value on the team, it was important to learn about West’s goals and the challenges she faced this year firsthand. I had the pleasure of speaking to Kiersten West and finding out some details about her life and her thoughts about basketball as she continues to play for her coach, herself and her team.

How old where you the first time you picked up a basketball? I was about three years old when I first picked up a basketball and have been playing ever since.

How do you set your goals for games and practices? I set my goals by figuring out what I can work and improve on for games and practices.

What is it about basketball that you enjoy so much? I like basketball, because it’s fun and exciting and there’s always action taking place on the court. You can always take

The best advice I ever got was that “if you work hard on defense, your offense will come, eventually, on its own.”

play with her unified team and supportive coach for another year and a few months before moving on and taking her talents to whichever college destination she ends up choosing. Coach Castiglione summed up how he feels about West as not only a player but as an individual, when he said, “[She is a] very u n s elfish player, almost to a fault. I constantly have to remind her to look to score. She is the face of our program, and one of the main reasons why we are competitive again. [I am] truly blessed to have been able to coach Kiery. [She is a] better person than [a] basketball player [and a] very good student who comes from a tremendous family and has a bright future ahead of her. So proud to have her as my player!”

Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by? My motto that I live my life by would be “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

What do you want to do in the future? In the future, I want play in the WNBA or become an entrepreneur. West also spoke well about her team, saying “I think my team works very hard in both practice and games. We don’t dwell on our losses. Instead, we are motivated to do better the next time around.” As for her coach, West knows how hard he works for her team: “He is a good coach, because he cares about all of us, and he always tries to put us in the best position to win.” West knows where the challenges have been this year not just for herself but for her team as well. She named the game against Sachem East on February 5 as her most memorable game so far this year. The game was played at Longwood, and although West says “we played our best game as a team,” Longwood lost 52 – 58. With so many new and exciting things coming to Kiersten West, she will continue to

CHIEFS FIGHT TO REGAIN STRENGTH Story by Luis Vazquez

assapequa High School ice hockey has been defined by a solitary figure who has coached young skaters for over 30 years. Armed with a philosophy that was passed on from his father, Coach Tony DeMayo finally attained a prize he had been working towards—the Chief’s first New York State Amateur Athletic Club championship, last season. “I pretty much have done this on my own. My wife is not so happy I am still doing this,” Coach DeMayo said with a laugh. “Winning the championship has been quite a sole journey.” Coach DeMayo has a history with the school, having played hockey in his youth for Berner High School before it merged with Massapequa. Despite the loss of 11 seniors, the team has started off this season with a record of 8-3-1, but have still felt the strain of defending a title. But the Chiefs still have a number of great weapons including leading scorer and team captain, James Jiritano, a forward who has scored

nine goals this season. Along with forward Philip Jewel, who has scored seven goals this season, and assistant captain Bobby Oldmixon, who scored six goals this season, the team has been slapping hard shots and clutch goals. “We have three solid lines. We can compete with everybody,” Coach DeMayo said. “Bobby is a big part of what we do. We can do well without him, but not quite as well as we have.” Massapequa continues to rely on speed to win games. The team knows it needs to work on its conventional defensive skills, but with a solid goalie, the team continues to pressure other teams who try to keep up. “We have a lot of depth. We still retain s u f ficient experience in defense, especially with Brett [Ansbacher], who is solid and steady,” Coach DeMayo explains. “Our only problem is transitional defense, back checking. Once we have control of the puck we are more than fine.” Ice hockey coverage has been sparse, and it’s something the coach

Photos by Adil Borluca

would like to see improve. “I think we don’t get enough coverage, even locally,” the coach said. “Until you get to the playoffs, hockey is usually low on media attention.” But with the team’s addition of a female goalie, the team is a slight exception when it comes to being covered in the media. Dana DeMartino has broken gender barriers as she comes into her final season with the Chiefs. Her skill set is undeniable, and has made her the number one goalieregardless of gender. She was

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one of the essential pieces that allowed Massapequa to win the championship and maybe another. And along with a new goalie, junior Thomas Calcagno, the team has top defenders who help Massapequa fight to remain on top. “We have two No. 1 goalies. Dana plays the position very well, she knows her angles, and is fundamentally one of the best goalies.” Coach DeMayo said. “Thomas has just stepped up—we just have to see what he can do.”

Many years have passed since Coach DeMayo has been in touch with his father, but his actions and his father’s words have never left him. It has been something he has carried on, in his role as a coach, and something that has been the shining light that has illuminated through three decades of coaching. “I wanted to win a title but it’s just a part of it,” the coach said. “I model myself after my father. I want to

see the kids succeed. “It was my father’s philosophy. ‘If you keep kids doing something, they are not out there getting into trouble.’” Expectations for this season remain high, but DeMayo can look back on last season to see that there is still hope for this season, despite being No. 4 in the New York State High School AAU Club rankings. The coach felt the team was strong enough, but did not live up to his expectations during the regular season. “I was disappointed. But in the tournament we were a different team,” the coach said. “They were ready and they wanted it. They willed it to happen.” And the coach thinks that they can do it again this season. “I think we can qualify for the state tournament,” he said, “and then see where it goes.” Nothing is guaranteed, but after 31 years and a championship at Massapequa, and a wealth of young, wellmolded men, Coach DeMayo is okay with that.

Story by Jaclynkelli Kronemberg

ast year, the Central Islip boy’s basketball team went undefeated at home and ended the season 17-1 overall, losing their last game of the season at Bay Shore. And this season, the Musketeers look to continue where they left off, beginning the season with a 7-game winning steak. “We want to defend our home court,” senior captain Tim McKenzie said. “We have been undefeated at home since last season and we want to try and stay undefeated at home.” The team made it all the way to the Suffolk County Class AA championship game. The team ranked No. 5 going into that final game, and fell 53-45 to the No. 2 ranked William Floyd. This year, the M u s keteers are looking to r e m a i n u n defeated at home and hopefully win the league title for the third season in a row. “We want to three-peat in the league,” McKenzie said. “It is g o ing to be tough but I believe we can do it.” So far this season, the team has kept to that goal, remaining undefeated at home despite a close home game against Northport where the Musketeers eked out a 53-52 win. The team remains No. 2 in League II with a record on 10-2 and an overall record of 15-3. Central Islip looked to avenge its final match of last season against Bay Shore, but unfortunately received their first League II loss to the Bruins on January 1, with a 37-57 loss. Winning the league title again, was thought to present a challenge for this Central Islip team,

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because League II is loaded with a multitude strong teams. “League II might be the strongest league on Long Island,” head varsity coach James Mott said. “Bay Shore and Northport have big guys and are strong teams, not to mention Walt Whitman, Connetquot, Lindenhurst and Half Hollow Hills East all have good players.” And senior captain Shaun Alexander said earlier in the season that he too though the season was going to prove to be challenging. “We are going to have tough games this season” he said. “We don’t take anyone for granted. We need to work a little harder, fix a couple of things and we will have a good season.” The team has exceeded any and all expectations this season, and remain at the No. 1 spot over Northport who is 8-1 in league play. These two teams dominate the league this season, as the No. 3 spot, held by Bay Shore, is several games behind with a league record of 5-4. With the help of Coach Mott, who is on his 13th session as head coach of the M us keteers, the team is proving to b e u n stoppable. Coach Mott has also been involved in the Central Islip basketball program for 32 total, starting as a junior varsity coach, b e fore moving up to a varsity a s s i s tant coach and taking over as the head varsity coach in 2000. Mott has also been teaching in the school for 29 years. “Coach is one of the best coaches I’ve had,” Alexander said. “He expects more out of us and pushes us to play to our full potential.” And despite all the glory the team has been basking in this season, you would never know that the Central Islip Musketeers lost six seniors to graduation last year, two of which, were key staters. “We lost two unique leaders of this team to graduation last year,” Coach Mott said. “This year, we are trying to find that leadership we had.” The coach said at the beginning of the season that the team struggled to find leadership and that the team was less-experiences in the point guard position with two sophomores, but claimed that they were getting better every day. This season the Musketerrs have seven seniors, three of which are starters. McKenzie, a 6-foot-4-inch, 180-pounder,

averaged a double-double last season, with 10 points and 11 rebounds per game. He made the All-Long Island second team last year, and this season, McKenzie is averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game. “It is not very often you get a second team All-Long Island team player,” Coach Mott said. “Tim runs the floor great and goes to the basket well. He is a lefty and that makes him hard to defend. Tim is long and great in the press defense we play.” Alexander is senior captain that plays the wing position, and because Central Islip does not have a lot of height, Alexander is forced to play in the bottom of their 2-3 zone defense. “Shaun is a good captain,” Coach Mott said. “He is a good leaper and plays tough defense.” Ishiah Booker, the team’s s third senior captain, plays both the guard and wing position. Booker made All-Conference last season, and is the best shooter on the team and averaging 12.5 points per game. “Ishiah has unlimited range,” Coach Mott said. “He has quick hands and is a hawk on the ball--always deflecting passes. He makes the other teams uncomfortable.” Running the point guard is McKenzie’s younger brother, sophomore David McKenize. He started on the team last season as a freshman, and has learned to fill his role. “David has stepped up nicely,” his coach said. “He is growing every game and is key to our up-tempo play.” This Central Islip team comes out aggressive and the players never let up. The Musketeers full-court press teams from the start of the game, disrupting the other teams’ game plan. “Other teams don’t like preparing for full court pressure,” Coach Mott said. “We extend the floor and play aggressive pressing defense and that tends to wear teams down.”

to end the season. Central Islip has been to the Suffolk County Championship game in 1999 prior to their appearance last session. They are hoping they can get back to the County Championship game and get the win. “This season we are going to enjoy the competition League II brings at us and hopefully compete with them,” the coach said. “We want to get better and play hard every day. This is a good group of kids to be around and they love the game. We want to enjoy playing basketball.”

If it isn’t crazy out there Coach Mott is not happy. He wants to see his players all over the ball and wants to wreak havoc on their opponents. “It is fun playing for this team,” Booker said. “We play hard all the time, our practices are good and we have great chemistry. We want to win and love playing at a fast pace.” The team was able to finally beat out Bay Shore in a 50-44 win on January 29, and have a touch match against Northport, followed by a hame against Walt Whitman

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Story By Kristin Cacchioli Photos By Hannah Singleton

ead coach Daniel Trebour has been building a winning combination of hard work and enjoyable basketball at Walt Whitman High School for the last 14 years. The Wildcats “take basketball seriously. They work hard and they want to win,” Coach Trebour said. “They’re really good teammates to each other and this year’s group is an especially fun group to work with. They have a really good understanding of when it is time to get down to business at practice, but when it’s not business time it’s a lot of joking around.” Team chemistry continues to build at Walt Whitman High School and is part of the reason the girls have been so successful this year. As a former player at Walt Whitman High School, Trebour brings a love and excitement to the game that other coaches cannot relate to. “It’s great coaching at your alma mater,” he said. “I’m very comfortable at Whitman and I love watching the girls work hard and seeing their desire to get better with each game.” The girls have come a long way since the season opener when controlling the ball proved to be a struggle for the young athletes. After a long offseason, the Wildcats were a little rusty and unable to hold onto the ball and dominate on offense. “We weren’t very good with the ball at first--we had a lot of turnovers. In our last few games, and especially against Northport, we’ve been taking better care of the basketball,” Coach Trebour said. The game against Northport on January 4 was “a really good high school game,” the coach said. Despite the loss, Trebour believes that has been his team’s most exciting game so far. The longtime rivalry amongst the two schools made for a highly anticipated and competitively played game. Before January 4, Northport, as well as Walt Whitman, were both undefeated in league play. “They are a very good team and a very good program. Their coach has over 500 wins in his career,” Coach Trebour said. He recalls how anxious he was to play them. The teams met on January 4 not only to see who would hold onto their undefeated title, but to participate in Coaches vs. Cancer, a fundraiser game to raise money for The American Cancer Society. “Even in the loss, it was a great day,” the coach said. “Everything together created a really good high

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school atmosphere and it was just a really good game. We were only down three at the end of the third quarter.” he said with some regret. Northport was able to hold onto their lead, as well as their undefeated record. But while the Wildcats walked away with their first loss, the girls kept their spirits high. “Traditionally, they have always been our biggest rival,” Coach Trebour said. “Northport has always been the top team in the league and we’ve always been that second place, or occasionally third place team right there next to them. We’ve always been knocking at their door and every year is a competitive, exciting game with a good atmosphere and a great crowd. Year after year, there is winning back and forth between the two of our teams, but unfortunately Northport took the win this time.” The coach added that the team will be ready and look forward to playing Northport again later in the season. And on January 29, that time came. In again another close matchup, the Wildcats took the win over Northport in a 52-46 victory. Having their first loss did not deter the Wildcats from looking at the bigger picture for the year. Their longtime goals were still intact and their chances of making it into the playoffs were far from jeopardized. “Our goal this year is to make it deeper into the playoffs. As long as we learn from these losses, I’ll take them,” Coach Trebour said. If the Wildcats capitalize on their strength and athleticism, Coach Trebour’s goals are well within reach. “Unfortunately, we aren’t very big, but we’re athletic. The girls are strong for their size and they jump well. We can create matchup problems for some teams,” he said.

Kelly Bilodeau is a 6-year varsity player and 5-year starter who is averaging about 14 points a game, according to Coach Trebour. “She is very close to reaching 1,000 overall points and she will definitely pass the 1,000 point barrier at some point this season. She is an extremely hard worker who plays relentless defense. She’s having a really nice year,” Coach Trebour said. And Bilodeau successfully made that feat. On January 15, in a 52-20 win over Connetquot, Bilodeau scored her 1,000th point in the first quarter of the match. Bilodeau, who has been on the team since seventh grade, finished the game with 13 points.. Essence Casey, a 4-year varsity starter and 5-year player, is a really strong player who has helped Whitman achieve the results they have seen this season as well. Coach Trebour described her as “very strong under the basket.” Her coach said, “Over the last year, she has really developed a perimeter game by hitting 15-foot to 17-foot shots and a handful of three pointers. She is a tremendous offensive rebounder and really physical underneath the basket.” The coach said he has faith in his team, which have proven they deserve to be in the position they are in after multiple wins and hard fought losses. After the Wildcat’s final win of the season over Central Islip, they stood at 14-2 overall, with a league record of 10-1. The team beat out William Floyd and later Bellport, in the first round of playoffs. Unfortunately, the Wildcats suffered a loss to Sachem East High School, who went on to win the Suffolk County Championships. Despite the post-season loss, Walt Whitman undoubtedly dominated the court this season.

Several of the girls on the team have been playing for Coach Trebour at the varsity level for over four years, and these athletes have a solid understanding of the game. They’ve seen Walt Whitman girl’s basketball develop over the past years. Senior captain

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She Be But Little, But She is

ierce Story by Jamie Bolettieri Photos by Morgan Harrison

ast Islip girls’ basketball has exhibited exceptional talent this year. The team is comprised of skilled and capable players who cut through the competition and plan to bring the team to the top of the league. The Redmen finished the season 9-5, achieving the wins they intended to. There are only eight athletes on the roster, so it is was smaller and more closely-knit than past years. Despite the small size of the team, they were able to achieve a large number of victories. There two captains, are seniors Elizabeth Vetter and Faith Padro. Second-year head coach John Caraccia deemed his most valuable players to be the seniors on the team, due to their strong leadership. He didn’t name specific athletes as being the best players, since that is not what working together as a team entails, but Captains Vetter and Padro and senior Mariah Cullen would be most valuable to the team effort due to their compelling guidance. Caraccia believes that players who work together to help one another are far more valuable than a single hotshot. Captain Faith Padro was named by her coach as most motivational to the team. “She’s a constant worker. She’s always trying her hardest so I think that she motivates the other girls, in practice and in games, to play up to her level,” he asserted.

Padro’s unrelenting focus and fortitude were an inspiration to her teammates. She always played her best game, and the example she sets encouraged her teammates to try their hardest as well. An up-and-coming player who is rising quickly within the basketball ranks is freshman Alexa Mattera. Despite her humble status as a freshman, Mattera started for the East Islip team. Her coach had faith in her abilities, stating, “I think she’s going to be a special player over the next few years for us.” The East Islip team gets to keep her for the ensuing three seasons, and Mattera has ample time to refine her gameplay so that she may become one of the team’s vital players. One of East Islip’s biggest accomplishments this season was their home win over Riverhead on December 20. Riverhead, who finished No. 2 in the league, were also the defending Long Island champions. Regardless, East Islip was able to defeat the basketball colossus by five points. “That was a big win for our program and our team,” announced their coach. “We haven’t beaten them in a long time, so it was nice to win one against them.” As far as rivals go, Riverhead is a team they always strive to beat. Yet there is another school that is considered East Islip’s main rival. The Redmen have an ongoing WWW.ULTIMATEATHLETEMAGAZINE.COM

nights it’s Alexa Mattera,” Coach Caraccia said. “We all work together, and somehow we get the job done.”

rivalry with neighboring school West Islip in nearly every sport. “Anytime we say West Islip, we kind of get a little excited to play them,” affirmed Coach Caraccia. East Islip is eager to prove the better of the two teams. Their most important goal was to win one more game so that they may enter the playoffs; after that, they conceived that anything is possible. “We want to get in the playoffs and continue to be competitive throughout the year. We keep on striving to get better as the season goes on,” Coach Caraccia said. According to Coach Caraccia, East Islip girls’ basketball team was a force of unyielding solidarity. “I think we play as a cohesive unit,” he said. The Redmen did not have one single star that the team relied on for constant victory. Instead, the key players changed with each game. “Every night there’s a different kid that steps up for us, whether it’s in scoring or defense. Some nights it’s Mariah Cullen, while some

As successful as any team may have been, there is always room for improvement. Coach Caraccia wants his team to improve both their defense and their rebounding. He saw room for improvement in the aforementioned areas and said he believed his team would do well if they perfected those areas. Coach Caraccia also believed the team could improve in playing consistency. “Sometimes we struggle with playing four quarters. We have a lapse for two or three minutes where we take our foot off the gas,” he said. Coach Caraccia thought the team had a good chance of improving that. “We just want to play, and one of our goals here is to play a more complete game towards the end of the season in all four quarters and in all facets of the game.” The girls did improve their play and achieved their goal—making the playoffs. Unfortnuately, the Redmen lost to Brentwood in the first round. Coach Caraccia said he grew fond of his team. He believed the athletes were a good group, and appreciated the amount of hard work the athletes put in during the off season. “They’ve really been the foundation to what I’m hoping is going to turn into a strong program here,” the coach said. Before Coach Caraccia was in charge, the girls’ basketball team hardly participated in anything during the offseason. For example, the girls never went to team camp or participated in outside games. Since Coach Caraccia took over, the girls have participated in a staggering 50 offseason games this year alone. “That’s really a positive for this team,” Coach Caraccia said, “and I think they’re going to really lay the foundation for the years to come.”

NUTRITION

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DO YOU NEED A MULTIVITAMIN? Story by Sandy Sarcona

ost of you probably grew up taking a vitamin as part of your daily routine, whether encouraged by your parents or your pediatrician, it was insurance to grow up big and strong. When the teenage years come, parents tend to back off their reminders and now many of you may not include that vitamin ritual. The question is, “Do you still need a multivitamin every day?” As student athletes you definitely have greater nutrient needs. If you are eating a balanced diet, including three meals and snacks and following daily food plans from MyPlate, (www.choosemyplate. gov), then you are probably getting enough nutrients. Many of you may also be eating energy bars and cereals that are chock full of vitamins, so check the labels. However, Vitamin D, Calcium and Iron are commonly shortchanged in most athletes’ diets. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin D is 600 IUs per day and is found in only a few foods. One cup of milk has 100 IUs and some yogurts have Vitamin D and some do not. You can also get Vitamin D and Calcium in orange juice if it is fortified. So if you are not drinking 6 cups of milk or fortified OJ, you are not getting the Vitamin D you need. Vitamin D’s close partner, Calcium, which is a mineral, works with D for bone health. Calcium is found in dairy foods like milk, but it is also abundant in all yogurt and cheese products; one serving will provide around 300mg of Calcium. Most of you will find it difficult to get the needed 1300mg/day if you do not consume any dairy; therefore, a supplement is recommended. The good news is that tasty combinations of Vitamin D and calcium exist in the form of flavored chews or a vanilla flavored pill; taking one to two of these per day will insure strong bones and decrease risk of stress fractures.

Vitamin D You can also get Vitamin D and Calcium in orange juice if it is fortified.

Calcium is found in dairy foods like milk, but it is also abundant in all yogurt and cheese products; one serving will provide around 300mg of Calcium.

Lastly, for the girls, iron is lost monthly with menstruation and if you are not a meat eater, you are probably not meeting the RDA of 15mg (14-18 year old) and 18mg (19 -30 year old). You can get a less absorbable form of iron in your breads and cereals, but you may need a supplement. Not getting enough iron will deprive oxygen transport throughout your body and leave you feeling tired. You can take a separate iron supplement or take a regular multivitamin (mvi) that has iron added; make sure it is USP approved for quality and purity. Boys most likely will not need extra iron, but may want to take a regular mvi if you do not have a consistently balanced food intake. Take home message: Vitamins are not magical and do not provide extra energy, but if you are deficient you may be a more sluggish performer. Before heading to the drug store, review your regular diet and if you are consuming a variety of foods with enough calories to meet your energy needs, you should be getting all the nutrients you need.

Calcium

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Story by Sandy Sarcona

UA TRAINING Story by Mike Mejia, CSCS

1. Make mobility a priority: After an off-season of sitting around or doing mainly traditional strength training, you may have lost a little in terms of movement efficiency. This means that working to increase range of motion around key joints like the hips and ankles will be essential to your ability to sprint and change direction effectively. It will also help you get into the proper position when doing explosive exercises like Olympic lifts and lower body plyometrics. Drills like the squat to stand and pike ankle mobilization will go a long way towards helping you achieve those objectives.

Squat to stand: Set your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Begin by bending over and touching your toes with your legs straight, but not locked. Keep your hands on your feet as you lower your hips into a squat position. Hold for a second and return to standing. Repeat for 8-10 reps.

Pike Ankle Mobilization: Get down into a push-up position and then rest one foot on your opposite Achilles tendon. Next, push your hips up into the air with your legs straight as you attempt to flatten the sole of your foot to the ground. Hold for a second and then return to the starting position. Repeat for 8-10 reps before switching sides.

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2. First things first: Speaking of explosive movements, make sure that you’re doing exercises like the one’s listed above in the early part of your workout when you’re energy levels are at their highest. The period following a thorough dynamic warm-up is the time to focus on explosive strength – not towards the middle to end of your workout when your muscles are already fatigued. So if you plan on making Olympic lifting, plyometrics and explosive medicine ball work part of your routine, do them early on and save your more traditional strength training for either later in the workout, or another day. The same holds true if you plan on doing any speed and agility work in the same session as your lifting. Training such as this with its high nervous system demand is not something that can be effectively done after serious strength training. In fact, engaging in this type of training when your muscles are already partially fatigued from hitting the weights can actually train your body to move more slowly – which is the absolute last thing most athletes would want!

3. Focus on compound movements: One of the biggest mistakes I see young athletes make in the weight room is chasing after smaller muscle groups with isolation exercises. When athletic performance and injury prevention are your primary goals, exercises like biceps curls, leg extensions and crunches offer little, if any benefit. This holds especially true if these types of exercises are done using machines, which often only lock you into a set, limited range of motion. Do yourself a favor and focus on big, compound lifts like squats, lunge variations with an upper body component (such as torso rotation), rows and overhead presses – leave most of the other stuff you see in those glossy magazine pictorials to your fellow gym rats.

5. Fuel properly to support your training efforts: What you eat in the time leading up to and immediately following your workouts can have a huge impact on your results. Going into the gym either having not eaten in several hours or being full of high-sugar, fat-laden foods is a great way to sabotage your workout. In the first scenario you’ll lack the energy needed to train hard and in the latter, you run the risk of cramping and other types of gastro-intestinal distress. So try and stick to mainly complex carbohydrates that contain lots of fiber with moderate amounts of protein and low fat during the pre-workout period. Good choices include things like slow cooked oatmeal and a couple of scrambled eggs, whole grain breads and cereals with low fat milk, or lean meats (chicken and fish) with whole wheat pasta and vegetables. The post workout period is an equally important time, as this is when your body is most receptive to replenishing energy stores that were partially depleted during the workout. During the first 30 minutes after your workout, look to consume some fast-acting protein (such as whey) with simple sugars in the form of fruits, or fruit juices, as these offer some of the quickest ways to replace what you lose during workouts and facilitate muscle recovery.

4. Prehab to avoid rehab: About the only time you’ll actually want to direct your attention to smaller muscle groups is when you’re doing specified work to help prevent injuries. Things like external rotations, various neck strengthening drills, hip abduction and core stabilization exercises can all help shore up weak links in your physique that often get the short end of the stick from a training stand point. These types of drills can best be done towards the end of your workouts or as supplemental exercises you can do on off days from the gym.

Using this type of streamlined approach to your training should result in quicker, more effective workouts. Best of all though, it’ll prepare your body for the rigors of competition and not just help you look good in a bathing suit; because as desirable a goal as that may be, it won’t do you much good out on the playing field!

ULTIMATE ATHLETE MAGAZINE.COM 49

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

The high

stress

world of coaching (And how to manage it )

“

Story by Dr.

Tom Ferraro

A man works from sun to sun, but a mother’s work is never done.

“ Players often regress and act like children who need much attention from the coach. And this is only one source of stress.

The world of the coach is filled with constant demands put upon them from every side.

he poem you just read is the one our mother would recite to us kids every day. There were five kids in our family and I guess she was tired all the time. Not that we paid much attention to that. Well this little poem is more aptly sung by coaches. “A player works from sun to sun, but a coach’s work is never done.” I can think of no other job that brings with it more stress and aggravation then coaching.

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First you must deal with the pressure of competitive sports. If you are a football coach you understand that the game is dangerous and even violent and you must prepare your team, train them and discipline them in order for them to be ready for the war that is coming.

You are playing for a school, a community or even a state and this brings with it pressure as well. There will be media attention and fans in the stadium that will either cheer you on or boo you off the field.

reasons

Thirdly there is the inevitable and natural tendency for your players to regress and to act like little children demanding attention. This unconscious group process is common and very draining for the coach who must manage these childlike demands from more than thirty players.

There is also the predictable tendency for the team to form cliques, to act out, to use drugs and to create crises at the worst possible time.

he result of these pressures is unmitigated stress. The kind of pressure that is felt by all coaches will produce anxiety, anger, poor sleep, exhaustion, illness, irritability, psychosomatic problems,, overeating, fantasies of early retirement, depression or overuse of alcohol. But drinking only produces more problems.

Solution:

Coaches experience many symptoms of stress including illness, anger, anxiety or exhaustion.

1. One must realize that the coach experiences tremendous feelings of helplessness during the game and has no way to ventilate or to express these feelings. The players expend their stress and anger on the playing field but the coach must contain this feeling and control it. The best way to manage this is with your own physical fitness regimen. TIffeny Milbrett was a World Cup and Olympic gold medal winner in soccer and is now a coach of a strong U-12 team on the west coast. She told me â&#x20AC;&#x153;you have no control over what goes on in the field during game time. You must have patience, no sense of urgency and self-control. You must find a way to ventilate this stress and I do it with a physical fitness routine every day. â&#x20AC;&#x153; 2. As a psychotherapist I strongly recommend and believe that every professional coach should be offered at least twice weekly confidential supportive therapy throughout the season. This allows them to ventilate emotions and stress, obtain support and solace, receive encouragement, clarify their stance on the various crises they must cope with and come to terms with tough decisions. The value of doing this in a therapy process is that it helps the coach to avoid other and more inappropriate ways of coping such as angry outbursts or alcohol use. This process is invaluable, career saving and helps to build up much needed ego strength and defenses.

Coaches need and deserve a place to ventilate emotions and to problem solve daily issues. Coaches are bombarded on every side by demands and problems. This is the nature of their work. Players, GMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, media and many others want their time. It takes exceptional strength to manage all this and I believe that the only real way to cope is to establish great physical and also mental health.