Basketball Team Displays Deep Talent on the Court

The Raiders vs. Rye on December 10, 2021. Raiders came out on top, 63-51.As the Scarsdale Boys Varsity A Basketball team anticipated their game against New Rochelle on January 19 at home and entered the midway point of their season, players looked back on what they have been doing well and reflected on what could be improved.

Due to strong performances by senior captains Hunter Miller and Dylan Manin as well as standout sophomore Carlos Rodriguez and junior Asher Krohn, Scarsdale’s record of 8-3 is one of the best in recent memory. Under Coach Joe Amelio, young talent has been developing better than ever. According to senior Hunter Miller, this increased depth has been Scarsdale’s biggest strength down the stretch, “I think our team's greatest strength right now is the variety of options we have. We have a deep rotation with many different types of players that are all complementary to one another.” The team’s on-court performance does nothing but further this claim. When watching any game, it is obvious that the chemistry and depth the team has is matched by few other teams. Whether it be seniors Adrian Duval and Michael Levy or juniors Danny Pillete and Jody Alter, the talent coming off the bench is nothing to scoff at. In particular, Coach Amelio is especially proud of sophomore A.J. Booth, saying he is “Very happy with the progress of AJ Booth in just a short few months. Makes timely shots and just a win-first mentality.”

However, not everything has been perfect for this basketball team. Two tough losses against White Plains and Mamoroneck have given the players an opportunity to reflect on some mistakes and correct them. When asked about the team’s weaknesses, Adrian Duval, Dylan Manin and Michael Levy all had the same response: Rebounding. The team understands that some of rebounding has to do with height and Scarsdale is a shorter team in comparison to most of their competitors. However, the part the team can control is their effort to box out their opponents and get good positioning, which they have been heavily focusing on during practices.

One of the biggest challenges this season has been off the court. Navigating COVID and quarantines has been tough. The team had a few positive cases scattered throughout the season, however, no events have been canceled due to COVID unlike other Scarsdale High School teams, including track and field. The main issue for the basketball team is the uncertainty that a player could test positive on any given day. Although this possibility of an outbreak is a real fear, the increased restrictions including masking and social distance protocols have allowed the team to be a little less concerned with the transmission of the virus.

One of the downsides of the pandemic was the no spectator rule at the games. Michael Levy said, “One of the greatest advantages of playing at home is the fact that all the fans come out to cheer us on. Them not being there is a big blow to our team.” However, on Tuesday January 19, the administration announced that each player will be permitted two spectators, and this should boost morale for the team’s playoff push.

What the team has done in such a short amount of time is truly impressive. Last year, the team had only two wins the entire season. This year, they have quadrupled their wins in half the time. Their stellar record is a testament to the coaches and the hard work the players are putting in at practice. As the regular season winds down, Scarsdale looks to the playoffs with high aspirations for success.