HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEW

By Gary Glancy. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Dec 1997:

League I has no pushovers and every game should be tough. Defending league and overall Suffolk champ Floyd (20-3) lost four starters, but returns one of Suffolk’s best in 6-5 point guard Rex Hodgson, an Empire State player who will be asked to shoulder much of the scoring load. J.B. Bennett is a 6-7 sophomore post player and a strong defender. Longwood (9-9) has a talented team returning, led by 5-10 guard K’ai Watkins. Sachem (9-10), which graduated second team All-Long Island forward Jeremiah Schlie and has a new coach in Dom Savino, is always strong, and Brentwood (8-10) should challenge as well. Smithtown (8-11) returns 6-4 forward Chris Lesch.

Mike Kirchner had 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead Longwood to a 68-49 win over Comsewogue. Bruce Lee added 11 points and Brent Lawrence scored a game-high 18 for Comsewogue . Longwood 10 24 12 22 68 Comsewogue 13 9 14 13 49 L: Watkins 3-6-12, Rogers 1-4-6, Kirchner 5-2-12, Hayward 1-1-3, McClurkin 3-0-6, Ryan 2-0-5, Lee 5-0-11, King 1-0-2, Woodson 3-0-6, Alonzo 2-1-5. Totals: 26-14-68. C: Cerami 1-0-2, Lawrence 7-4-18, Nunez 3-0-6, Gomez 0-6-6, Lonigro 3-0-7, Ortiz 1-0-2, Stremich 1-0-2, Kilroy 0-1-1. Totals: 18-11-49. Three-point goals: L 2 (Lee, Ryan); C 2 (Nunez, Lonigro). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 10 Dec 1997

Floyd 11 17 18 16 64 Longwood 17 20 23 21 81 F: Hodgson 4-11-19, Balzer 2-0-4, Street 2-5-9, Marder 3-0-7, Lovelace 4-2-11, Greco 1-0-2, Merz 2-0-4, Yeung 0-2-2, Hawkins 1-4-6. Totals: 19-24-64. L: Watkins 11-1-24, Rogers 4-0-9, Kirshner 1-1-3, Hayward 4-1-9, McClurkin 4-0-8, Ryan 1-0-2, Lee 2-0-4, King 3-0-6, Woodson 2-0-4, Alonzo 5-2-12. Totals: 37-5-81. Three-point goals: F 2 (Marder, Lovelace); L 2 (Watkins, Rogers). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 17 Dec 1997

Brentwood’s Rally Topples Longwood: Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 20 Dec 1997:

Jeff Agosto scored all of his 12 points and A.J. King added seven in the fourth quarter as Brentwood rallied from a three-point deficit and went on to a 65-51 League I boys basketball win over Longwood yesterday in an early-season test for both teams. The league was considered wide open this season after Sachem (11-1 in 1995-96) and Floyd (12-0 in 1996-97) dominated the past two seasons en route to the Suffolk Class A title. Longwood, which beat Floyd on Tuesday, was considered the favorite.

Longwood began the game with a 12-0 run but the Indians rallied and scored 13 unanswered points for a one-point advantage and led 18-16 after the first quarter. Brentwood extended the lead to 34-29 at halftime, before Rob Hayward scored all four of his points in the third to help Longwood outscore the Indians 15-7 and take a 44-41 lead.

King finished with 17 points and nine rebounds and teammate Jerry Murat added seven points and seven assists. Vernon Alonzo led Longwood with 15 points. SUFFOLK LEAGUE I Longwood 16 13 15 9 51 Brentwood 18 16 7 24 65 L: Watkins 3-1-8, Rogers 3-0-8, Kirchner 4-0-8, Hayward 2-0-4, McClerkin 2-2-4, Lee 1-0-2, King 1-0-2, Alonzo 7-1-15. Totals: 23-4-51. B: King 6-3-17, Murat 2-2-7, Simmon 5-4-14, Henry 3-4-10, McCloud 1-2-5, Agosto 5-2-12. Totals: 22-17-65. Three-point goals: L 3 (Rogers 2, Watkins).

Central Islip 10 13 20 20 63 Longwood 9 18 20 25 72 CI: Robles 3-0-8, Thompson 5-4-15, Olds 1-0-2, Powell 4-2-10, Montalvo 1-2-4, West 3-0-7, Cheeseborough 1-0-2, Simon 4-0-11, Wilson 2-0-4. Totals: 24-8-63. L: Watkins 4-6-14, Rogers 6-0-13, Kirchner 6-2-14, Hayward 1-0-2, Lee 4-0-8, King 3-0-7, Alonzo 5-4-14. Totals: 29-12-72. Threes: CI 7 (Simon 3, Robles 2, Thompson, West); L 2 (Rogers, King).  Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 Dec 1997:

BAY SHORE TOURNAMENT Semifinals Copiague 15 14 25 17 71 Longwood 24 20 23 25 92 C: Rogers 8-2-21, Sims 5-2-12, Giles 4-1-10, Davis 3-3-9, Brereton 9-1-19. Totals: 29-9-71. L: Watkins 7-2-17, Rogers 6-2-16, Kirchner 11-0-22, Hayward 1-0-2, McClurkin 2-0-4, Lee 3-0-6, King 3-1-7, Alonzo 8-2-18. Totals: 41-7-92. Three-point goals: C 4 (Rogers 3, Giles); L 3 (Rogers 2, Watkins). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 30 Dec 1997

Tuesday BAY SHORE CLASSIC – Final

Longwood 18 22 26 26 92 Bay Shore 17 20 13 33 83 L: Watkins 7-5-20, Rogers 12-6-33, Kirchner 1-0-2, Hayward 2-0-4, McClurkin 6-3-15, Lee 6-0-13, King 0-1-1, Alonzo 1-2-4. Totals: 35-17-92. BS: Parker 6-5-18, Martinez 2-0-5, Webber 7-4-22, Stanton 8-2-18, Session 1-2-4, Besondorfen 1-1-3, Frisby 6-1-13. Totals: 31-15-83. Three-point goals: L 5 (Rogers 3, Watkins, Lee); BS 6 (Webber 4, Martinez, Parker). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Jan 1998:

Connetquot 11 15 14 10 50 Longwood 13 21 17 21 72 C: LaMura 2-1-6, Plante 7-3-18, Hughes 0-1-1, Donello 0-2-2, Pasillico 0-1-1, Quaro 1-0-2, Naddau 1-2-4, Weadock 5-4-14, Rediran 1-0-2. Totals: 17-14-50. L: Watkins 8-2-18, Rogers 2-0-5, Kirchner 3-0-6, McClurkin 4-0-8, Butler 1-0-2, Ryan 1-0-2, Lee 5-0-10, Woodson 2-0-5, King 7-1-16. Totals: 33-3-72. Three-point goals: C 2 (LaMura, Plante); L 3 (Rogers, King, Woodson). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Jan 1998:

NON-LEAGUE Riverhead 11 17 16 23 67 Longwood 23 16 20 22 81

R: Cowell 7-9-23, Good 1-0-2, Hopkins 2-0-4, Johson 2-1-5, Liebert 1-1-3, Lingon 6-3-15, Poole 0-2-2, Trent 5-2-13. Totals: 24-18-67. L: Watkins 8-3-19, Rogers 6-0-14, Kirchner 1-2-4, Haywood 1-0-2, McClurkin 2-1-5, Lee 8-1-17, King 2-1-6, Woodson 3-2-10, Alonzo 1-2-4. Totals: 32-12-81. Three-point goals: R (Trent); L 5 (Rogers 2, Woodson 2, King).

Bruce Lee and K’ai Watkins each scored 12 points for Longwood (3-1) in its 61-55 win over Sachem. Mike Miller had 26 points for Sachem (0-5). Jan. 14

Roger’s Threes Give Longwood Boost:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 17 Jan 1998:

Good teams find a way to win all types of games. Friday night, Longwood had to win a wild shootout. Thankfully, it had Dyrell Rogers.

Rogers nailed three of his school-record eight three-pointers in a two-minute span midway through the fourth quarter as Longwood extended its lead to 16 points and went on to defeat Smithtown, 78-68, in a League I boys basketball game. Rogers finished with 32 points as Longwood improved to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the league.

“He was in the zone,” Longwood coach Dennis Terry said.

Rogers’ heroics were needed, as Smithtown’s James DeStefano also was on fire. The junior had a game-high 33 points, 12 of which came in the frantic fourth quarter as the teams combined for 47 points.

“He was stroking the ball, too,” Terry said. “He’s only in 11th grade! I’ve got to face him again next year, too.”

K’ai Watkins added 14 points and 11 assists for Longwood and Mike Kirchner contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds, 10 of which came in the second half as the Lions pulled away.

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 24 Jan 1998:

Kai Watkins scored 18 points as Longwood (6-1) defeated Floyd, 78-62. Rex Hodgson scored 19 points for Floyd (2-5).

Longwood Boys Keep Pace in League I:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Jan 1998:

Bruce Lee scored seven of his 15 points early in the third quarter to spark a 9-0 run as Longwood took a 21-point lead en route to an 83-61 win over Patchogue-Medford yesterday in a League I boys basketball game. Longwood (5-1) maintained sole possession of second place with the win, one game behind idle Brentwood (6-0).

Dyrell Rogers led Longwood with 23 points, including five three-pointers. Derric Rossy led Patchogue (3-3) with 19 points.

Kai Watkins scored 18 points as Longwood (6-1) defeated Floyd, 78-62. Rex Hodgson scored 19 points for Floyd (2-5). Jan. 24

Inspired Longwood Wins:

By Jason Molinet. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 29 Jan 1998

Longwood boys basketball coach Dennis Terry pulled his players together at the end of Tuesday’s practice and fired their collective souls with inspiraton. Nearly a year ago, the Lions lost senior Mark Leath when he was fatally stabbed during a fight at a birthday party.

It was the second death to rock the program in a month, hitting each player hard. So much so that a wallet-sized photo of Leath was put at the entrance to the locker room prior to games this season. The players tap the photo as they head for the court, effectively carrying their departed friend with them.

So Terry called upon Leath’s memory Tuesday to unify his team once again. “I said to them, “We lost Mark Leath last year,’ ” Terry said. ” `Some of you guys are better than Mark. Some of you guys are not as good as Mark. But if you give the effort Mark gave, then we’ll be all right.’ “

As if the Lions needed any more motivation for last night’s game against League I front-runner Brentwood. But after falling prey to the quick hands of the Brentwood backcourt in the first half, host Longwood came out in the final 16 minutes and seemingly willed itself to a stunning 79-70 victory over the Indians before a crowd of 800.

The Lions are 7-1 and tied for first with Brentwood in League I, and at 12-2 overall, off to their best start of the decade. Brentwood (11-2, 7-1) won the first meeting, 65-51, on Dec. 19.

“We grew up a lot,” Terry said. “Anytime you beat a team as good as Brentwood, it says something about how you are playing. You measure yourself against certain teams. This is one of those teams.”

With eight of his game-high 23 points coming in the first 5:25 of the third quarter, 6-5 senior Jason Mejia (15 rebounds) had Brentwood seemingly in control 52-47.

Then Longwood caught fire.

A lightning quick 10-0 spurt turned the game in the Lions’ favor, capped with an electrifying three-point shot by Dyrell Rogers (nine points) with 43 seconds to go in the third to make it 57-52.

Playing only his second game of the season after fracturing his left wrist in the first practice of the season Dec. 4, Mejia responded with five quick points, including a three-point play to tie the score at 57 with 7:40 to go. But the Indians – shooting a chilly 4-for-15 from the field in the final quarter – could not keep pace.

Lions point guard Vernon Alonzo scored 17 points and had 10 assists, and Michael Kirchner added 12 points – all on tough post play in the second half.

“We believed as a team that we could beat them,” said senior guard K’ai Watkins, who finished with 19 points and eight assists. “The last time we played them, we played scared. This time we came out strong.”

The game began in classic fashion, with each possession critical. Then Bruce Lee hit back-to-back three-point shots in the final two minutes of the opening half – the second pushing Longwood ahead by its largest margin, 34-31 with 53 seconds remaining.

True to the flow of the game, however, Brentwood would take a narrow 35-34 halftime lead, thanks to Alex Nieves’ steal and three-point play with four seconds left. That bit of bad luck did not leave the Lions reeling at halftime, though. They know what real adversity is all about.

“Last year was a tough year to get through, but we came together as a team,” Watkins said. “It’s better for us this year because we’re playing as a team. We just try to keep going forward.”

Brentwood 19 16 19 16 70 Longwood 19 15 23 22 79 B: King 5-2-15, McCloud 0-2-2, Mejia 10-3-23, Murat 4-4-12, Simmons 6-2-13, A. Nieves 1-1-3, Agosto 0-1-1. Totals: 26-15-70. L: Watkins 7-5-19, Rogers 3-1-9, Lee 3-1-9, Alonzo 7-3-17, Kirchner 4-4-12, King 2-1-6, McClurkin 3-1-7. Totals: 29-16-79. Three-point goals – B 3 (King 3); L 5 (Rogers 2, Lee 2, King).

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 31 Jan 1998:

Kai Watkins led Longwood (8-1) with 14 points and King had 12 points, including two three-pointers. Dan Weadock had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. Greg Plante had a game-high 21 points for Connetquot (3-5).

Bruce Lee scored 12 points to lead a well-balanced attack as Longwood defeated Sachem, 70-53. Mike Kirchner added 11 points and K’ai Watkins had 10 for Longwood (9-1), which shot 12-for-14 from the free-throw line. Sachem is 1-9. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 08 Feb 1998:

Smithtown Romps Past Longwood:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 11 Feb 1998:

Junior James DeStefano had 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead Smithtown to a 94-61 win over Longwood yesterday in a League I boys basketball game. Chris Lesch added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls (6-5).

Smithtown, which needed to win to stay alive for a berth in the Suffolk Class A playoffs, took control in the first quarter, outscoring Longwood 24-6.

“We came out on fire,” Smithtown coach Lou Gambeski said. “We’ve really started to come along. This is the type of thing where they know every game is do or die.”

Longwood (9-2) was led by K’ai Watkins’ 12 points and Robert Hayward’s 10.

“This was a must-win for them and they’re a good team,” said Longwood coach Dennis Terry, whose team beat Smithtown, 78-68, on Jan. 16. “Their backs were against the wall where you had to win to get to the playoffs. They were hyped and we were not.”

K’ai Watkins had eight of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including two foul shots to break a tie at 70 followed by a three-pointer, as Longwood (10-2) defeated Patchogue-Medford, 76-73. Derric Rossy scored 22 points for Patchogue (6-6). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Feb 1998

Emotional Victory For Longwood:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Feb 1997:

The Longwood boys basketball team huddled in a conference room before last night’s regular-season finale against Smithtown. They discussed the meaning of an impending game against a team that beat them by 29 points the first time around. They talked about a win and a playoff spot.

Then they went out and put forth an outstanding effort in a

53-44 League I victory over Smithtown before 743 fans.

The Lions did it on Senior Night and for fallen teammates Mark Leath and Adam Hofmann, both of whom died within a month. And they did it for themselves in a tragedy-filled season.

The pregame ceremony included a poem read by student Josie Borges and a letter written by Leath’s girlfriend, senior Jaclyn Vaca; a moment of silence, and a moving rendition of the national anthem by senior Rodney Jackson. Senior players presented flowers to their mothers, and coach Dennis Terry gave Yvonne Leath a bouquet.

K’ai Watkins hit an off-balance layup with 1:21 left for a 48-42 lead and Rocky Smith iced the win with a layup and two steals in the final 1:03. Both scored 13 points. The win clinched a playoff berth for Longwood (9-8, 6-6). Smithtown (8-10, 6-6) also is in the playoffs.

“This win was special,” Longwood guard Acey Boyd said. “We want to keep playing. The school needed this win. This is foreveryone.”

It seemed that each time the healing process started, Longwood was dealt another tragedy. First, Hofmann, a 15-year-old sophomore, was struck and killed by a car while walking near his home on Jan. 10. He played for Longwood during the Smithtown Summer League and his 17-year-old brother Jeff is on the varsity basketball team. His death was felt throughout the Longwood community and was particularly hard on the team.

“You can never really get over it, you can just deal with it,” Jeff Hofmann said. “We played out in front of the house every day – me and him. I miss him a lot. He was my best friend.”

Before anyone could get over Hofmann’s passing, nine days later, co-captain Leath was stabbed at a birthday party and hospitalized. Leath’s life hung in the balance for two weeks as the team rode an emotional roller coaster between life and death. He died Feb. 4 of a respiratory infection from the injury.

“We’d never recovered from Adam’s death and now we were dealing with another tragedy,” Longwood athletic director Don Webster said. “Often we measure athletics in wins and losses. This year we found that it’s more than that – always has been. Forget wins and losses, coach Terry has put in his best year of coaching. He’s stabilized a very difficult situation.”

Terry has been a rock at Longwood. He has been there for his players – spiritually and emotionally. And at times, he said, he’s needed them.

“When you coach, the players become family,” Terry said. “I’ve seen a lot in my years. But never this. I live with their emotions and they with mine. And yes, I’ve drawn strength from them also.”

Terry handled the funeral arrangements for the Leath family, which also was aided by the support of the Longwoodcommunity and school district. When health teacher Bill Scheffer went to Rico’s Clothing for Leath’s suit, the owner reduced the bill to cost and then handed over an envelope with a donation for the family. It was that type of warmth and generosity that surrounded Leath’s passing.

“The funeral procession was over a mile long when they buried Mark on Feb. 8,” Webster said. “The outpouring of support was a reflection of who Mark was and what he represented. He touched all aspects of the community and the school. He was part of a team that really cared about each other.”

The Longwood team always prays before games. Even before the Hofmann tragedy, Terry instilled a belief system in his team and a set of values that he believes can carry them throughout their lives.

“There is so much more to coaching than X’s and O’s,” Terry said. “And we’ve seen that. We filled out goal cards before the season and Mark’s said he wanted to reach the playoffs and see how it goes from there.”

So with that motivation the Lions closed out the first quarter with a block by Tim Reany and his short jumper for a 17-8 lead. They continued to stifle the Smithtown offense in the second quarter and took a 23-14 lead at halftime.

“We were so full of life, so full of energy,” Watkins said. “When we play like that we can beat any team. We wanted so badly to do it for Mark. And we did.”

Smithtown also showed its support. Team captains Joe Tartamella, James Buontuno and Chris Lesch presented Terry a plaque in Leath’s memory before the game to be given to the game’s MVP (Smith). It was coach Lou Gambeski’s tribute to the memory of a fine player.

“I was really taken aback by that,” Terry said. “I had to leave the court because I broke down.”

When the game ended, Terry, tears in his eyes, retired to the privacy of the athletic director’s office, unbuttoned his white-collared shirt and let his emotions flow. He spread his shirt wide, shot a huge smile, looked upward and said, “Thank you.” He was wearing No. 40 – Leath’s home jersey – under his suit.

“This win was for Mark,” he said. “It’s all been about Mark. I’d take 20,000 players like him.”

And then he excused himself.

Smithtown 8 6 13 17 44 Longwood 17 6 14 16 53 S: Tartamella 1-0-2, Lesch 7-2-16, Buontuno 2-0-5, O’Reilly 4-4-12, Wenzel 3-3-9. Totals: 17-9-44. L: Boyd 4-3-11, Smith 5-2-13, Watkins 4-5-13, Rogers 4-0-8, Reany 3-0-6, Kirchner 1-0-2. Totals: 21-10-53. Three-pointers: S 1 (Buontuno); L 1 (Smith).