Long Beach Marines

from Basketball Preview 12-22-2022

by Richner Communications, Inc

West Hempstead Rams

LONG BEACH

Marines eye conference title

By VINCENT MATULA

For the last two seasons, Long Beach boys’ basketball has qualifi ed for the Class A-1 playoffs. After a third-place fi nish and their second straight fi rst-round exit, the Marines are highly motivated to compete for a conference title in 2022-23. Long Beach features a roster of 14, with six being seniors. That group is led by All-Conference selection Jack Shields and Jeff Conway. Shields averaged just over 11 points per game and had 38 three’s last season while Conway brings his own leadership qualities after serving as the semifi nalist football team’s quarterback. “Shields gives us a lot of options offensively,” head coach Scott Martin said. “Conway is more of a follow by example type of leader.” The Marines will look to use a strong group of depth coming up from JV to their advantage. Players like Blake Salice Mitchell, Cameron Graham, who has amazed Martin with his athleticism in scrimmages, and Chris Rodriguez are some names in particular poised to make their presence felt. A new name to watch is Federico Manarin. The senior is a transfer exchange student from Italy and is ready to make an impact in North America. “He’s a good addition because he knows how to play and he’s been training for a while,” Martin said. Third-year varsity performers Blake Bernstein and starting point guard Mike Main headline a strong junior group. Main, an All-Conference selection, averaged nine points in 2021-22 and led the Marines in assists at 3.5 per game. Long Beach will look to carry its strong defensive effort from last season and convert on foul shots to bolster their chances of winning the conference as six of their 11 losses were within two possessions. “With a lot of these athletes and young players from JV coming up, we feel that we can make a push for the championship,” Martin said.

LONG BEACH SEEKS BETTER START

As for the Long Beach girls, they’ll look to return to the postseason after fi nishing with a 5-12 record in 2021-22. The team

dropped eight of its fi rst nine contests, so a strong start this winter is crucial. A good portion of the rostered players are underclassmen, however all enter the season with prior experience from JV or competing on last year’s varsity. A trio of sophomore guards in Reagan McCarthy, Delaney Chernoff, and Franky DeCicco, who averaged just over 12 points per game, are returning for year two and will look to provide a youthful spark. All three players share similar skills that will make it a headache for the opposition to defend against. “Shields gives us a lot of “All my guards are tall and fast,” head coach Kristin Ciccone said. “It’s going to be really hard for opponents to guard them.” Junior Ava Main, a lacrosse standout, is a returning starter and slasher. She’s qucik and one of the team’s top defenders, Ciccone said. Five juniors will make the jump from JV as Ella Timperio, Emma Larson, Kiera Lawson, Fabiana Boncina, and Jess Vobis all look to make an impact. Despite its young group, the confi dence is still high that this team can win games. “We’re very young again, but I know by the end of the season we’re going to be winning some big time games,” Ciccone said. Just two seniors will lace up for the Marines as Hailey Brandt and Shamia Williamson are looking to do contribute plenty in their last dance. “They defi nitely want to do something special in their senior year,” Ciccone said. The Marines fi nd themselves in A-1, a strong conference that features Calhoun, Great Neck South, MacArthur, Mepham, and New Hyde Park. “We might not get the ball in the basket as often, but I think we can outplay teams with hustle and heart,” Ciccone said.

for a while,” Martin said. Third-year varsity performers Blake Bernstein and starting point guard Mike Main headline a strong junior group. Main, an All-Conference selection, averaged nine points in 2021-22 and led the Marines in assists at 3.5 per game. Long Beach will look to carry its strong defensive effort from last season and convert on foul shots to bolster their chances of

Mike Main

winning the conference as six of their 11 losses were within two possessions. “With a lot of these athletes and young players from JV coming up, we feel that we can make a push for the championship,” Martin said.

LONG BEACH SEEKS BETTER START

As for the Long Beach girls, they’ll look to return to the postseason after fi nishing with a 5-12 record in 2021-22. The team dropped eight of its fi rst nine contests, so a strong start this A good portion of the rostered players are underclassmen, however all enter the season with prior experience from JV or competing on last A trio of sophoand Franky DeCicco, who averaged just over 12 points per game, are returning for year two and will look to provide a youthful spark. All three players share similar skills that will make it a headache for the opposition to defend against. “All my guards are tall and fast,” head coach Kristin Ciccone said. “It’s going to be really hard team’s top defenders, Ciccone said. Fabiana Boncina, and Jess Vobis all look to make an impact. Despite its high that this team can win games. and Shamia Williamson are looking