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Local Boys Basketball Squads Aiming to Show Improvement

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Sleepy Hollow captains Sam Labovitz, Evan Bowen and Declan McCarthy.

November 30, 2023

By Tom Pedulla—

The Hudson Independent previews the local boys’ basketball season. Here is the outlook for each team:

DOBBS FERRY

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The Eagles must overcome the loss of five seniors. It did not help when a team that already lacked size lost forward-center Braden Hawkins to a major knee injury that required surgery.

That being said, Coach Scott Patrillo has ample talent to work with and makes the most of what he has. Senior guard-forward Jerel Outlaw is able to finish with both hands when he slashes to the basket. He will become even harder to defend if he improves from three-point range. Senior point guard Drexel Lewis III possesses a great understanding of the game and sees the court well. More scoring would be welcome from him.

Senior forward Luke Arone possesses a nice mid-range game and does all of the little things necessary to win. Junior guard Colin Dubilier came on in preseason to push for a starting role. Sophomore Anthony Ficarrotta’s continued development will be key after he gained valuable experience by starting as a freshman. “He still has a lot to go, but we’re starting to see what he’s capable of,” Patrillo said.

Juniors Chris De Leon and Jake Broccoli will look to provide sparks off the bench as the Eagles work to avoid scoring droughts that plagued them last season. “We want to make sure we are consistent with our offense,” Patrillo said. “We need to avoid single-digit quarters.”

Dobbs Ferry hopes to build momentum as it works its way through a challenging schedule. “Having a decent regular-season record would get you a decent seeding in the sectional tournament and give you a chance to compete when it comes to February,” Patrillo said. “That’s what we’re looking to do.”

HACKLEY

The Hornets made an impressive jump last winter, going from eight wins to 16. And there is a major shift in player expectations since Coach Zach Kuba arrived six years ago.

“We definitely have a culture where kids are excited about basketball, most importantly, and we have way more of a competitive edge,” Kuba said. “When I first got here, it was almost as if we expected to lose close games. Now, we expect to win close games.”

The program will be severely tested because it lost four seniors, three of them starters, and 6-10 center Ian Randall decided to transfer. Experience and size are hard to replace.

Hackley will put out a solid backcourt in fast and feisty point guard Caleb Bae and Jake Hendelman, a veteran starter and extraordinary shooter. Mac Broaddus is tenacious at center. Junior wing Jack Perlman has made great strides as a shooter and is very active defensively.

Reserve center Charlie Perlman is expected to see significant minutes. Senior Matt Kearns, an outstanding all-around athlete, wants to provide a lift once he returns from a thumb injury sustained during football season.

Much may depend on the progress of two exciting young prospects, high-flying sophomore wing Jelani Middleton and Alex Nuzum, a freshman who will open the season as a reserve point guard. Kuba said of Middleton, “He made an impact as a freshman. I expect him to be one of the better players in the league.” In time, the same can likely be said of Nuzum.

It all makes for a lot of optimism. “Teams will see that we lost all the size and they are going to underestimate us,” Kuba noted. “But we expect to be just as good as last year. We are going to play faster, quicker, smarter.”

IRVINGTON

The Bulldogs made some noise last winter, falling one game shy of reaching the promised land, the County Center. They may be hard-pressed to get that far again.

Five seniors graduated, including difference-making big man James Oley. The good news is that an outstanding backcourt returns in junior point guard Jonny Guerrero and classmate C.J. Steinberg. Guerrero has started since he was a freshman and is adept at running the offense. Freshman Henry Levine is a capable understudy to Guerrero. Steinberg possesses a sweet outside shot that can be even more effective if he attacks the basket more.

Senior swingman Taiog Cypher provides another sharpshooter while high-energy junior center Jaden Jarrett offers needed size at 6-4. Senior forward Steve Rittmeyer will be asked to take on a bigger role. Junior forward Alex Hempstead, the top player at the junior varsity level, transitions to varsity. Guard Scott Edwards has distinguished himself as the team’s best defender and will be asked to make critical stops.

“Our goal is to win the league championship,” said Coach David Boykin. “Our key is playing hard and playing fast. We’re small, so we’ve got to make up for that with a lot of pressure on defense and just moving the ball.”

MASTERS

This downtrodden program showed signs of life last season under first-year coach Joey Kuhl, a former aide to Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino when Pitino was at Iona. Now, Kuhl is looking for much more than that following a 7-12 record.

“I expect to see improvement,” said Kuhl. “Last year, we spent a lot of time building a culture, building a foundation. We still have a long way to go, but it’s been a fun group to coach. They speak my language now and they understand what I want, so it’s been good.”

Masters returns its top two leading scorers in the backcourt tandem of Adam Bello, a senior, and Jake Raab, who displayed great potential as a freshman. Both not only create their own offense but are adept at setting up teammates.

Senior forward Nathan Lothian is a rugged rebounder who must assert himself inside. Sophomore transfer Omari Levy, a 6-4 wing, is a huge addition to the roster. The coaching staff is very encouraged by the progress of junior guards Azzan Thomas and Edward Tam. “They have really improved and could take big steps forward,” Kuhl said.

Everything appears to be in place for this team to make a major move up in the standings. “I’m excited. I think a lot of things are night and day different since I took the job,” Kuhl said. “Now, we’ve got to go prove it.”

SLEEPY HOLLOW

The Horsemen lost 11 – count them, 11 – players from last year’s team. Senior forward Declan McCarthy is the lone returning starter as he comes back from a season-ending injury last January. Forward Sam Labovitz must overcome a preseason injury following a strong offseason.

The transfer of senior guard Evan Bowen represents a huge addition to the program. Although Bowen has not played formal basketball since he excelled as an eighth grader, he wasted no time showing he will be an impact player.

“He had a great preseason,” Coach Chris Starace said. “He brings a whole other set of athleticism to our team that we really haven’t had the last couple of years.”

Burly center Quincy Newland must provide a strong inside presence and rebound well to trigger an up-tempo attack. Sophomore guards Ben Meyer and Gilbert Onwe complete the starting lineup. Meyer has the all-important role of orchestrating the offense at point guard.

“We have a lot of faith in Ben that he is going to put us in position to win games,” Starace said. Onwe drained six three-pointers in the first pre-season game in a hoped-for sign of things to come.

Gibby Poll, best known for his baseball talent, should provide energy off the bench.

“We don’t have a great deal of experience,” Starace said. “With that being said, it’s a great group of kids and they play extremely hard. We’re very athletic and I think we’re going to surprise some people.”

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