2011 HSMSE Boys Basketball Season Review

Coach Epstein during a timeout / T. Henning

Going into the 2010-2011 season, the HSMSE Dragons had almost a completely new team, returning only four players, none of whom had significant roles on the team. This meant that the new players who had no experience playing together would have a steep learning curve in order to be competitive. The team managed to come together and put up a very respectable 6-6 record which earned them the right to play in the team’s first playoff game in five years. The Dragons will play the High School of Law Enforcement and Public Safety in a first round game on Wednesday evening.

To get to their 6-6 record the Dragons went through some highs and lows, having a stretch where they won four out of five games, but also experiencing a three game losing streak. The team’s greatest win was against the 8-4 Manhattan Village Academy. Senior point guard Nate McGrory hit a game winning three-pointer with just seconds on the clock to give the Dragons a one point victory. The Dragons also had a letdown, losing against 3-9 Fiorello H. LaGuardia, that they had already beaten prior this season.

To make the season as successful as it was, the Dragons needed everyone to step up and contribute to the team. Rookie sophomore forward Kavan Edwards emerged as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. Others making significant contributions were seniors McGrory and Chris Yates and junior Eli Auslander. Teamwork was one area where the Dragons improved significantly from the beginning of the season. Yates stated that he tried to involved his teammates more in the offense opting to be, “more of a ‘Rondo’ than a ‘Kobe’.”

The players credited coach Richard Epstein with much of their improvement. “The coaching was effective because he showed us exactly what he wanted us to do. The problem came when we tried to do it,” stated Yates. Popovic added that Epstein had heavily, “worked with us on our passing and dribbling,” two areas that were key for their successful play.

Although there was a lot of growth on the team, their weaknesses were still apparent. One of which was maintaining their energy level, which showed up in the disappointing loss to LaGuardia after blowing a 13-3 first quarter lead. In order to have a chance in the playoffs, the Dragons are going to have to play hard and stay focused for the entire game, not just the first quarter. In addition, the Dragons will have to swing the momentum from their three consecutive losses going into Wednesday's playoff contest.

Looking forward to next season, the Dragons have the potential to be better than they were this year. Losing only two seniors, they will have the opportunity to grow as a team and build more chemistry. Players like Edwards and Auslander will be able to mature and form a strong core of the team. However, they will need other players who did not get a chance to play much this year to step up and contribute. These contributions could come from players like Popovic, Yassine Khaliqui and Brandon Agyemang.

The HSMSE Dragons developed a lot during the 2010-2011 season. They fought hard and now they have a chance to compete in the playoffs for the first time in five seasons and have a promising future looking forward to next season.


Marcelo Bravo, Matthew Josephs, Hafizul Sarker, and An-Khe Tomer contributed to this article.