Tip-Off Tournament, Round I Glenn 19 15 20 20 74 Longwood 13 27 7 21 68 Glenn: Greene 9-8-26, Goode 6-4-18, Grier 2-2-6, Lahens 6-1-13, Brandon 3-0-6, Hendrickson 1-0-3, Chatfield 1-0-2. Totals 28-15-74. Longwood: Simpson 8-5-21, Cochran 1-1-3, Carlos 5-5-15, Shaw 2-0-4, Johnson 4-0-8, Josephberg 6-1-13, Neiss 0-2-2, Wilson 0-2-2. Totals: 2616-68. Three-point goals – Glenn 2 (Goode 2, Hendrickson).  Dec. 12

Billy Russo scored 18 of his 33 points in the second half as Newfield extended a one-point lead and defeated Longwood, 65-57, in the consolation game of the Newfield Tip-Off Tournament. Russo also pulled down nine rebounds and had four steals. Newfield Tip-Off Tournament (Consolation) Longwood 12 14 17 14 57 Newfield 15 12 14 24 65 Longwood: Simpson 8-5-22, Josephberg 1-0-2, Johnson 1-0-2, Cochran 1-2-4, Davis 8-3-19, Wilson 3-2-8. Totals: 22-12-57. Newfield: Favia 0-2-2, Lopez 1-2-4, Russo 153-33, D. Spizuoco 4-3-12, J. Spizuoco 4-2-10, Nelson 0-44. Totals: 24-16-65. Three-point goals – Longwood 1 (Simpson); Newfield 1 (D. Spizuoco). Dec. 13

 Longwood 16 19 11 17 73 Copiague 18 18 19 21 76 Longwood: Simpson 9-5-24, Johnson 3-0-6, Shaw 6-0-12, Josefberg 4-3-11, Wilson 2-1-5, Dillon 1-0-2, Heredia 1-13. Totals: 26-10-63. Copiague: Spencer 5-0-10, Taylor 53-15, Ham 6-0-12, Hundley 2-0-4, Jackson 6-2-18, Vincent 1-0-2, Rolle 4-1-9, Inkpen 3-0-6. Totals: 32-6-76. Three-point goals – Longwood 1 (Simpson); Copiague 6 (Jackson 4, Taylor 2). Dec. 16

Longwood 11 10 7 17 45 Southampton 16 7 14 21 58 Longwood: Simpson 10-4-25, Josefberg 1-0-2, M. Johnson 3-1-7, Wilson 1-1-3, Shaw 1-0-2, Dillion 0-1-1, Neiss 0-1-1, Woodly 1-2-4. Totals: 17-10-45. Southampton: Narvez 5-3-13, C. Franklin 4-0-8, Sendlenski 2-0-4, Dozier 2-0-5, B. Franklin 0-3-3, A. Johnson 4-0-8, Short 0-22, Hughes 1-2-4, Cameron 0-1-1, King 1-0-2, Green 3-2-8. Totals: 22-13-58. Three-point goals: Longwood 1 (Simpson); Southampton 1 (Dozier). Dec. 19

Copiague 20 21 19 28 88 Longwood 16 25 17 17 75 Copiague: Spencer 12-8-32; Taylor 7-11-25; Ham 1-0-2; Hundley 6-0-13; Jackson 3-2-8; Foster 1-0-2; Wilson 11-5; Lewis 0-1-1. Totals: 32-22-88. Longwood: Simpson 4-5-14; Josefberg 6-6-18; Johnson 3-0-6; Davis 9-4-23; Wilson 1-0-2; Shaw 3-0-6; Cochran 1-4-6. Totals: 27-1975. Three-point goals – Copiague 2 (Hundley, Wilson); Longwood 2 (Simpson, Davis).

Sachem outscored Longwood 13-4 in the second quarteron the way to a 64-44 win over Longwood. Sachem 12 13 24 15 64 Longwood 11 4 15 14 44 Sachem: Wilden 5-2-12, Collins 3-4-10, Sullivan 6-3-15, Ruais 4-3-11, Delvallez 2-0-4, Mann 1-3-5, McCabe 0-1-1, Hilton 1-0-2, Walker 1-2-4. Totals: 23-18-64. Longwood: Simpson 5-2-14, Josefberg 3-3-9, Johnson 2-1-5, Heredia 2-1-5, Shaw 2-0-4, Cochran 0-3-3, Davis 1-0-2, Woodley 1-0-2. Totals 16-10-44. Three-point goals – Longwood 2 (Simpson 2). Jan. 6

Peter Correale had 11 of his 16 points in the first half to lead Connequot past Longwood, 82-57, in League I. Longwood 15 11 12 19 57 Connequot 25 22 25 10 82 Longwood: Simpson 4-5-13, Josephberg 2-4-8, Johnson 3-0-6, Heredia 2-0-4, Shaw 2-1-5, Cochran 2-1-5, Davis 13-5, Neiss 2-0-4, Dolan 2-0-4, Baker 0-1-1, Snead 1-0-2. Totals: 21-15-57. Connetquot: D. Alecia 3-5-11, L. Alecia 4-4-12, Correale 6-4-16, Keating 3-0-6, Grable 3-1-5, Bayer 5-2-13, Kreuscher 2-1-5, Wright 1-3-5, Smagorinski 1-0-2, McGee 1-1-3, Manger 1-0-2. Totals: 30-21-82. Three-point goals – Connetquot 1 (Bayer). 1. Jan. 8

Alfonso Woods scored a game-high 30 points yesterday as Brentwood topped Longwood, 71-58. Only five Brentwood players scored, but four of them were in double figures. Brentwood 23 14 22 12 71 Longwood 14 20 12 12 58 Brentwood: Woods 15-0-30, Hines 4-2-10, Pickens 5-616, Fantauzzi 6-1-13, McCoy 1-0-2. Totals: 31-9-71. Longwood: Simpson 9-6-24, Wilson 1-0-2, Cochran 2-04, Davis 7-5-19, Snead 0-1-1, Dolan 3-2-8. Totals: 22-1458. Jan. 13

Longwood 8 18 10 12 48 Ward Melville 19 20 26 19 84 Longwood: Simpson 3-5-11, Josefberg 5-0-10, Cochran 3-2-8, Davis 0-1-1, Wilson 0-2-2, Snead 0-3-3, Shaw 2-0-4, Dolan 1-0-2, Neiss 1-0-2, Baker 0-5-5. Totals: 15-18-48. Ward Melville: Hanson 2-4-8, Jost 5-3-13, Manning 6-719, Frost 2-0-5, Gallagher 5-3-13, Cody 1-3-5, Betcher 01-1, Carroll 4-0-8, Michaels 2-0-4, Lackowski 1-1-3, Lasky 0-1-1, Troiano 2-0-4. Totals: 30-23-84. Three-point goals – Ward Melville 1 (Frost). Jan. 15

Ron Guzas hit a three-point field goal with one second left to play to rally PatchogueMedford to a 64-62 victory over Longwood. Stacy Simpson hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds left, giving Longwood a 62-61 lead. Patchogue-Medford 12 20 16 16 64 Longwood 19 21 13 9 62 Patchogue-Medford: Valentin 2-3-8, Simpson 3-2-8, Guzas 3-2-9, Rupolo 3-0-6, Hansen 2-0-4, O’Connell 7-216, Scott 1-0-2, Hulbert 4-0-8, Jefferson 1-1-3. Totals: 26-10-64. Longwood: Simpson 4-5-14, Josefberg 5-11-21, Cochran 2-1-5, Shaw 3-1-7, Heredia 5-1-11, Snead 2-0-4. Totals: 21-19-62. Three-point goals: Patchogue-Medford 2 (Valentin, Guzas); Longwood 1 (Simpson). Jan. 20

Stacy Simpson scored eight of his 21 points in the fourth quarter when Longwood pulled away from Floyd for a 69-52 victory that snapped its 11game losing streak. Floyd’s high-scorer Jeff Bottari fouled out near the end of the third quarter with 19 points and Longwood outscored Floyd 24-13 in the final period. Floyd1311151352Longwood1416152469 Floyd: Bottari 7-5-19, Colleary 3-3-11, Semindoff 4-0-8, Laylor 1-0-3, Burse 2-0-4, Combs 2-2-6, Compton 0-1-1. Totals: 19-11-52. Longwood: Simpson 5-11-21, Josefberg 5-2-12, Cochran 1-3-5, Shaw 4-0-8, Heredia 7-3-17, Snead 3-0-6. Totals: 25-19-69. Three-point goals – Floyd 3 (Colleary 2, Laylor). Jan. 24

Longwood 7 9 14 14 44 Sachem 26 19 15 15 75 Longwood: Simpson 4-4-12, Josefberg 1-0-2, Cochran 12-4, Shaw 2-3-7, Heredia 2-1-5, Dolan 1-1-3, Neiss 1-2-4, Baker 0-1-1, Dillon 3-0-6. Totals: 15-14-44. Sachem: Wilden 7-2-16, Collins 1-1-3, Sullivan 2-2-6, Ruais 1-6-8, Delvallez 1-2-4, Handy 2-0-4, Mann 1-4-6, Bergamino 04-4, White 1-1-3, McCabe 4-0-8, Hilton 2-2-6, Walker 1-02, Bettridge 2-0-5. Totals: 25-24-75. Three-point goals – Sachem 1 (Bettridge). Jan. 28

Chris Keating and Rob Grable combined for 14 fourth-quarter points as Connetquot held off Longwood, 83-72. Seth Josefberg’s 26 points had helped Longwoodcut a 10-point deficit to two midway through the fourth quarter. Connetquot 21 22 18 22 83 Longwood 11 14 27 20 72 Connetquot: D. Alecia 5-0-12, L. Alecia 5-2-12, Correale 5-0-10, Keating 7-1-15, Grable 9-3-21, Bayer 4-0-9, Kreuscher 2-0-4. Totals: 37-6-83. Longwood: Simpson 4-6-14, Josefberg 11-4-26, Cochran 3-0-6, Shaw 4-0-8, Wilson 1-0-2, Heredia 4-2-10, Neiss 3-0-6. Totals: 30-1272. Three-point goals – Connetquot 3 (D. Alecia 2, Bayer). Jan. 30

John Fantauzzi scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Brentwood toppled Longwood, 80-69.  Longwood 17 16 13 23 69 Brentwood 16 25 24 15 80 Longwood: Simpson 9-4-22, Josefburg 8-8-24, Cochrane 0-1-1, R. Davis 1-0-2, Wilson 1-3-5, Heredia 2-4-8, Woodley 0-1-1, Neiss 1-0-2, Baker 0-2-2, Dillon 1-0-2. Totals: 23-23-69. Brentwood: Woods 5-1-11, Hines 5-5-15, Fantauzzi 9-2-20, Pickens 6-4-16, O’Casio 3-2-8, McCoy 1-0-2, Rodriguez 1-2-4, Brown 1-0-2, Williams 1-0-2. Totals: 32-16-80. Feb. 3

Ward Melville 16 17 17 26 76 Longwood 14 17 12 18 61 Ward Melville: Hanson 4-10-18, Jost 1-2-4, Manning 76-20, Michaels 6-4-16, Gallagher 2-0-4, Lederer 1-3-5, Cody 3-2-8, Carroll 0-1-1. Totals: 24-28-76. Longwood: Simpson 9-3-21, Josefberg 2-3-7, Cochran 2-0-4, Davis 7-0-14, Shaw 1-2-5, Wilson 2-0-4, Heredia 2-2-6. Totals: 25-11-61. Feb. 5

Stacey Simpson’s 13 fourth-quarter points helped Longwood draw to within one point with 2:30 to play, but Kevin Geilman and Tyrone Gordon each hit two foul shots to help Lindenhurst stay ahead and record a 79-73 win. Lindenhurst’s Keith Jaklitsch had 19 rebounds.  Lindenhurst 21 18 18 22 79 Longwood 14 18 20 20 73 Lindenhurst: Jaklitsch 11-6-28, Geilman 6-4-18, Adams 1-0-2, Gubinski 3-1-7, Parker 1-0-2, Gordon 7-4-18, Woodhull 1-2-4. Totals: 30-17-79. Longwood: Simpson 10-9-32, Josefberg 10-01-21, Cochran 0-2-2, Wilson 3-0-6, Herida 1-0-2, Neiss 2-2-6, Dolan 1-0-2, Dillon 1-0-2. Totals: 28-14-73. Three-point goals – Lindenhurst 2 (Geilman 2); Longwood 3 (Simpson 3). Feb. 7

T.J. O’Connell scored eight of his 10 points in the first quarter en route to Patchogue-Medford’s 46-34 win over Longwood. Longwood 7 6 12 9 34 Patchogue-Medford 13 9 14 10 46 Longwood: Josefsburg 8-3-19, Davis 2-8-12, Wilson 02-2, Neiss 0-1-1. Totals: 10-14-34. Patchogue-Medford: Valentine 2-2-6, Simpson 6-1-13, Guzas 4-0-8, O’Connell 4-2-10, Hansen 2-0-4, Rupolo 1-0-2, Hulbert 0-1-1, Brooks 1-0-2. Totals: 20-6-46. Feb. 10

Mike Colleary and Jeff Bottari scored 14 points each in the first half to help spark Floyd to its first League I win, an 80-42 decision over Longwood. Colleary totaled 29 points and 11 assists and Bottari collected 18 points and 12 rebounds.  Longwood 9 9 10 14 42 Floyd 23 16 23 18 80 Longwood: Josefberg 4-6-14, R. Davis 0-4-4, Baker 18-10, Heredia 1-2-4, Neiss 1-0-2, Dolan 1-0-2, Woodley 0-2-2, C. Davis 1-0-2, Galarto 0-2-2. Totals: 9-24-42. Floyd: Bottari 7-4-18, Colleary 9-11-29, Semendoff 20-4, Drumgold 4-4-12, Thorp 4-1-9, Burse 1-0-2, Friedman 0-3-3, Cooke 0-1-1, Lalor 1-0-2. Totals: 28-24-80. Feb. 12

Coaches Who Made Choice of a Lifetime: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition]

By Rich Cimini. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 18 Feb 1988: 

Russ Bastin had to make a difficult decision: Should he report to the FBI or to a high school basketball game? That was the dilemma he faced 32 years ago.

Bastin, then a rookie coach at Henniker High School in New Hampshire, was scheduled to appear at an induction ceremony on a Saturday morning at the FBI’s Boston office, but it meant missing his team’s game. Bastin decided the FBI could wait.

“I had passed all the qualifying tests and all I had to do was go to Boston to get sworn in, but I picked the game over the FBI,” Bastin recalled. “That’s when I knew basketball was going to be my life.”

He was right. Bastin has been coaching ever since, the last 28 years at Uniondale.

Bastin is among a handful of men on Long Island who have dedicated their lives to coaching high school basketball. Harry Friesleben of East Rockaway, Joe Lettera of Roslyn, Ambrose Moran of New Hyde Park, Bob O’Neill of Longwood, Ed Petrie of East Hampton and Gerry Smith of West Islip have been coaching boys basketball for at least 25 years.

They are the deans of coaching, the links to Long Island’s basketball heritage. They’ve seen the great players come and go – the Ervings, Rulands and Kupchaks. They’ve seen the game change, yet remain so much the same. They’ve seen the set shot and canvas Pro Keds be replaced by the slam dunk and Air Jordans.

Why stick around for so long? Most of them had an opportunity to move on to the college ranks, but for various reasons they remained at the high school level. Family obligation and job security were factors, but they all said high school basketball is the purest form of the game, the best way to fulfill their passion for the sport.

“It’s like taking a walk in the woods – you never want it to end,” Bastin said. “You want to keep walking, smelling, touching and enjoying the delicacies.”

Petrie, a varsity coach at Pierson and East Hampton for 29 years, said: “I really enjoy the high school level. I like the teaching part. You have an opportunity to mold the kids and teach them values.”

Teaching has become increasingly more difficult, the coaches said. Generally speaking, they said today’s players lack proper dedication. Too many distractions, they said. Bastin called it “the VCR age . . . too many distractions at their fingertips.”

“Kids have changed,” said Lettera, the Roslyn coach since 1958. “Their intensity and commitment to the game has changed. Kids today are more individual. You can’t be rigid and coach like you did 20 years ago. Nowadays, you have to be able to bend.”

Of course, some things haven’t changed. For instance, Lettera recently didn’t take four starters to a game because the players were late for the team bus. Roslyn lost, but learned a lesson.

“I was criticized for it, but people have to realize that we’re educators, too,” Lettera said. “Some coaches think everything revolves around winning and losing, but that’s not what it’s all about.”

Interestingly, the coaches said the game has not changed much over the years. Except for the three-point shot, it’s basically the same game as a quarter-century ago.

“I’m using the same defenses that I did in the ’60s,” said Moran, the New Hyde Park coach since 1957. “I don’t find them outdated at all.”

The skill level has improved in certain areas, they said. Players today are bigger, stronger and faster, but they lack the defensive and ballhandling skills of the players from yesteryear.

“We have some fantastic players,” Bastin said, “but not as many as we used to.”

For better or worse, these six men have continued to coach. They still get a charge out of reporting for practice every day at 3 p.m.

“I’ll be back next year,” said Moran, who is 63. “And I’ll keep coming back until it’s not fun anymore.”