Just Another Day in Nassau
So, I had a long workweek of waking up at 4am to get to work by 5am and then sleepwalk my way through a long day of reporting, but who’s complaining? Saturday arrives and I have a day off. Should I sit back and relax, maybe lay around in my jammies (who says jammies anymore?) and sleep all day or maybe play some PS2? Nah, never rest on your laurels, it’s High School Championship season and I have a hankering for some basketball. I trekked over to SUNY Old Westbury to catch the Nassau County Class “A” and “AA” Championships. Over the next few weeks I’ll be rockin’ and rollin’ throughout Long Island as these youngsters chase their dreams on a 94-foot hardwood floor. Each winning team will face-off against Suffolk County’s finest in 2 weeks (Suffolk Championships are next weekend). All aboard, the title train is in motion. Next stop is…
Nassau County Class AA Championship:
Uniondale Knights 67 – Freeport Red Devils 52
Kahiem Seawright! That’s really the only name you need to know about in this game. 29 points, 18 rebounds, 9 blocks, 8-12 on free throws. The kid is for real. Kahiem Seawright! I think he just scored another bucket. He dominated the game from the beginning, putting up 17 and 9 in the FIRST half. Kahiem Seawright! Did I mention he’s only a junior? Kahiem Seawright! He’s a 6-7, 195 pound forward. Kahiem Seawright! Remember the name, you’ll be hearing a lot from him in the future. Seawright has deft touch on the blocks, is a fantastic defender, and leads his team, both through basketball actions and vocally. If there is a knock on him, it would be his handle is a little suspect and his outside shot is nothing to write home to mom about, but don’t forget, he’s a only a junior. Oh yeah, there WAS a game played as well. These two teams split the earlier home and home this season (each winning at their own home court). It was close most of the first half (40-32 in Uniondale’s favor). Senior point guard for the Knights, Jason LaMarre did a solid job running the show, adding 12 points and 5 assists. In the second half, he was robin to his batman on a showstopper. On the break, with a defender to his rear, LaMarre lobbed a pass off the backboard to a trailing Peter Lawal (10 points, 7 rebounds), who put it down with monstrosity. That basket made the score 52-34 with 4 minutes left. Game, set, match.
Nassau County Class A Championship:
Southside Cyclones 62 – Jericho Jayhawks 47
The early game wasn’t as much of a treat, but nonetheless, it had its moments. The game started off with a ferocious block by Southside Senior, Nate Smith (4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks). This would be indicative of things to come. Cyclone senior forward, Alex Anderson patrolled the lane to the tune of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Anderson has some good footwork and some nice touch down low, but will be undersized in college (I don’t see him as more than a D-2 level player). Southside senior guard, Matt Simoneschi, averages double-digit points, but only mustered up 3 points in the win. In a post-game interview he boldly stated, “We’re not done, now we need to knock off Amityville in the Long Island Championships.” This is going to be a tough task, provided the matchup occurs. Southside may not be on the talent level of an Amityville, but they play together as a team, and that can be hard to beat. Jericho is a very young team (only 2 seniors). The Jayhawks are lead by sophomore point guard, Michael Sinn, who was quite impressive (10 points). He rushed things at times, but mostly did a very apt job as a floor general. It should be interesting to see if he grows a little (he’s about 5-10 and 160, soaking wet) and if his game continues to mature.
