2021-22 HERALD High School Basketball Preview
V.S. SOUTH Falcons seek flight to playoffs By TONY BELLISSIMO
W
ith only five games last season and limited practices due to Covid protocols, Valley Stream South boys’ basketball head coach Mike O’Brien said he began the
Brady Manning TO ADVERTISE CALL 516-569-4000
offseason program much earlier than usual. “We played in some tournaments over the summer and had double-digit workouts where the turnout was solid,” he said. “One really nice thing so far is how competitive the kids have been against each other in practice. I think we’re going to go pretty deep into the bench.” O’Brien feels the Falcons’ conference is “completely up for grabs” and said he’d be disappointed if they weren’t participating in the Nassau Class A playoffs come mid-February. They’ll tangle with Academy Charter, Bethpage, Floral Park, Mineola, Lynbrook and Plainedge twice apiece. A starting backcourt of seniors Brady Manning and Ralston Campbell, and freshman Brady Delvalle at the point, will look to set the tone, O’Brien said. Manning and Campbell bring similar skills and both got a taste of what it takes to get the job done at the varsity level. “Brady [Manning] has a ton of skill and is probably our best shooter,” O’Brien said. The coach noted Campbell improved his game by leaps and bounds over the summer, especially his jumper to go with aggressive moves to the basket. Delvalle is a standout twoway player who will lead the man-to-man defense and make smart decisions with the ball. “He’s young but he’s got tremendous basketball IQ and has a chance to be our top all-around player,” said O’Brien, who added junior Richard Irotugo provides depth. Projected major contributors up front, senior Amir Green and junior Nicholas Parisi, are both around 6-foot-4. Green has guardtype skills and his jumping ability makes him tough on the boards, while Parisi is a typical power forward with strong rebounding and physicality. Senior Andrew Francis brings a combination of energy and toughness.
FALCONS FOCUS ON BUILDING FUNDAMENTALS Just getting on the court last season was satisfying enough for Valley Stream South’s girls’ program, which is struggling with participation numbers and went without a JV team. “It was just a blur,” head driving to coach Deirdre Gordon said of the shortened spring season. “We were the basket,” Gordon said. super young and didn’t get all the games in, but everyone was really happy to be playing.” Elizabeth Traill With 18 girls in the program, Gordon expects to slide some back and forth between the varsity and JV so everyone gets playing time at some level. “We’re focusing on fundamentals and hoping some of the chemistry carries over from the spring,” she said. “We’re trying to build up the individual skills and be as competitive as we can be.” Senior captains Elizabeth Traill and Sierra Harris lead the way for Schedule the Falcons, who face a difficult BOYS conference schedule that includes December MATT GUILFOYLE Floral Park, Plainedge, Lynbrook, 14 @ Academy Charter 7:00 p.m. North Shore and Bethpage. Traill will 17 Bethpage 7:00 p.m. 21 @ Floral Park 5:00 p.m. run the show from point guard and January has senior Liz Singh and junior Laura 8 @ Lynbrook 12:00 p.m. Cardona as backcourt mates. Harris 11 Mineola 7:00 p.m. brings a solid inside/outside game. 14 Plainedge 7:00 p.m. 19 Academy Charter 7:00 p.m. “Elizabeth is a very good 22 @ Bethpage 12:00 p.m. leader with a strong sense of the 28 Floral Park 7:00 p.m. game,” Gordon said of Traill. “She February has shooting range and is going to 5 Lynbrook 12:00 p.m. 8 @ Mineola 6:45 p.m. do everything in her power to make 11 @ Plainedge 5:00 p.m. things happen.” Harris can do some of the dirty GIRLS work in the paint and also shoots December well from the outside. “She’s not a 16 @ Bethpage 5:00 p.m. 21 Floral Park 7:00 p.m. big scorer but she’ll contribute and moves well without the ball and January rebounds,” Gordon said. 5 @ North Shore 5:00 p.m. 7 Lynbrook 5:00 p.m. Junior LaMya Mays is a return11 @ Mineola 6:45 p.m. ing starter at forward and will be 14 @ Plainedge 5:00 p.m. 22 Bethpage 12:00 p.m. counted on to crash the boards and 28 @ Floral Park 5:00 p.m. get some points on putbacks. At February center, junior Christina Barkolas is 2 North Shore 7:00 p.m. 5-foot-11 and expected to log major 3 @ Lynbrook 4:45 p.m. 8 Mineola 7:00 p.m. minutes after getting her feet wet at 11 Plainedge 7:00 p.m. the varsity level last season. “She’s working on her post moves and
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Photos by Ron Manfredi
December 30, 2021 — 39
