Malverne Mules

from Basketball Preview 12-22-2022

Seaford Vikings

MALVERNE

Mules regroup after key losses

By BRIAN KACHARABA

The Malverne boys’ basketball team cruised through the regular season with a 17-2 mark but failed to capture its second county championship in as many full seasons after falling to Friends Academy in the Nassau Class B fi nal. It was also the fi nal chance for Trey Robinson (17.9 ppg) and DeAndre Blagrove (13.2, 13 double-doubles) to go out on top before they graduated and now the team must fi nd a way to replace that offense while continuing to play at a high level. “The question is, how are we going to make up at least 30 points,” associate coach Walter Aksionoff said. “We have to get 30 from somebody else and then someone else has to score.” Senior Farvens Ulysse (9.7 ppg), who had 11 double-digit point games last season, will be looked upon to fi ll the void in a different role. “He has the capability to be that guy,” Aksionoff said. “Last year, with [Robinson and Blagrove], I had him on the outside. But you have to get it inside. I want him there because he’s got that little extra height where we can get the ‘and-ones’.” Senior Joshua Croom (7.5 ppg) should also get his share of points this season and while also contributing on the boards. He had two double-doubles last year and fell a rebound short of getting two more. Senior Sylvain Castin and sophomore Lorenzo Maione are expected to start as well as junior forward Will Hartley. Chad Wesley will provide a spark off the bench as the sixth man and the team is high on eighth grader Malachi Hudson. Kevin Estime and Jordan Blue provide depth at forward. Aside from Conference B2 division foes Seaford, West Hempstead and East Rockaway, Malverne has a challenging non-conference slate that includes Nassau fi nalist Garden City, semifi nalist Port Washington, and Suffolk champion Half Hollow Hills East in a Bay Shore tournament.

MALVERNE LEANS ON EXPERIENCE

Malverne’s girls’ team fi nally found their way into the win column last season and there could be more to come this winter with a more experienced lineup and the acquisition of some transfer students who may make an immediate impact. The Mules’ losing streak that dated to Jan. 17, 2020, ended at 20 with a win over West Hempstead Jan. 12 and the team strung together two more victories before ending the campaign with seven straight defeats. Leading scorer Princia Ulysse (16.6 ppg) graduated, but head coach Amanda Masson is using the departure to formulate a more balanced offensive attack led by senior Jamila Smith (8.7) and junior Mikayla Johnson (5.8). “We had a big loss from Princia, someone who handled the ball a majority of the time,” Masson said. “Now it’s more of changing the offense so everybody can get touches, less dribbling, move the ball more and getting the ball faster up the court.” Masson is also excited about the growth of sophomore Hazel Whitfi eld (4.1), who has a high basketball IQ and knows where to position herself in transition in order to get high-percentage shots. But defense and rebounding may be Malverne’s forte with senior Anissa McKay and sophomore Tyzanae Reed being joined by senior newcomer Elisa Salce to form a formidable trio. Junior Jahairah Arnoux, Salce’s teammate at Holy Cross High School, is a solid one-on-one defender who can also get points offensively. Another transfer student, junior Ayanna Simpson, is a quick guard from West Hempstead who is “defensively savvy” and adept at causing turnovers. “Defense is defi nitely going to be our biggest thing,” Masson said. Malverne will have to fi nish in the top two in Conference B2 to make the playoffs and Masson believes her team will be in the hunt come February. “Each year is always different,” she said. “It’s a different set of girls.”

Leading scorer Princia Ulysse (16.6 ppg) graduated, but head coach Amanda Masson is using the departure to formulate a more balanced offensive attack led by senior Jamila Smith (8.7) and junior Mikayla Johnson (5.8). “We had a big loss from Princia, someone who handled the ball a majority of the time,” Masson said. “Now it’s more of changing the offense so everybody can get touches, less dribbling, move the ball more and getting the ball faster up the court.” Masson is also excited about the growth of sophomore Hazel Whitfi eld (4.1), who has a high basketball IQ and knows where to position herself in transition in order to get high-percentage But defense and rebounding may be Malverne’s forte with senior Anissa McKay and sophomore Tyzanae Reed being joined

Joshua Croom Jamila Smith

Schedule

BOYS December

13 @ West Hempstead 5:00 p.m. 21 Seaford 7:00 p.m.

January

3 Locust Valley 7:00 p.m. 6 @ Wheatley 7:00 p.m. 11 @ Carle Place 7:00 p.m. 13 @ East Rockaway 6:30 p.m. 20 West Hempstead 7:00 p.m. 28 C.S. Harbor 12:00 p.m. 31 @ Seaford 7:00 p.m.

February

8 East Rockaway 7:00 p.m. 11 @ Oyster Bay 12:00 p.m.

GIRLS December

13 West Hempstead 5:30 p.m. 21 @ Seaford 7:00 p.m.

January

3 @ Locust Valley 7:00 p.m. 6 Wheatley 5:30 p.m. 11 Carle Place 5:30 p.m. 13 East Rockaway 5:30 p.m. 20 @ West Hempstead 5:00 p.m. 28 @ C.S. Harbor 10:00 a.m. 31 Seaford 5:30 p.m.