Hall of Famer Omar Vargas returns to CCNY

Louis Brandeis’ boys’ volleyball coach Jose Omar Vargas returned to CCNY, coaching his team to a narrow 27-25, 25-19 victory over the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering on April 29. Vargas was inducted into CCNY’s Hall of Fame in 2009 after starting the college’s mens’ volleyball team, and winning both the CUNY mens’ and womens’ championships.

Jose Omar Vargas points to his Hall of Fame plaque / N. Diunte

“Quite frankly it is like returning home,” Vargas said.

Brandeis' captain and outside hitter Joel Ortiz played extremely well, recording five digs and nine kills. Vargas praised Ortiz after the game.

“He’s always hustling on the court, talking to the kids and making them better,” Vargas said. “He’s a true leader and I love him for that.”

Vargas has transformed Brandeis into a school where volleyball is a popular sport, with more people trying to make the team. Coach Vargas has also established a work-hard philosophy for the team.

“I have the reputation of being a disciplinarian,” he said. “I’m a nice guy, but I don’t play any games. If you give me your time, I’m going to respect you.”

Although Vargas has retired from teaching at Brandeis, he continues to coach the boys’ volleyball team. He cites his true love for the game as the reason he keeps coaching.

“I’m no longer coaching to win a game, I’m coaching for life,” he said. “That’s my legacy; to make young people better, to appreciate the game, and to enjoy it for life.”

Contributed by Michael Stern and Velid Mulic

HSMSE Dragons win against Lab Museum's Gators

On December 20th, the HSMSE Dragons faced off against the Lab Museum's Gators and produced a 51-40 victory over the Gators. The game seemed easy for the Dragons as they were constantly ahead throughout the entire game. The Dragons made great passes leading to beautifully executed assists.

The Dragons opened up the game strong, exercising their superior physical abilities in terms of height and speed. The Dragons were able to get down the court and execute their plays with ease. The Gators let them into the paint making scoring for the extremely tall Dragons a breeze. The Gators also let many of the players remain undefended allowing for easy three pointers. During the second quarter the Dragons lost their lead because of the sluggishness they showed on the court after seemingly tiring out from the first quarter.

Throughout the second half of the game the Dragons were able to rack up the points, but not without cost. The Dragons racked up nine fouls, giving the Gators the points that they needed. Eli Auslander of the Dragons said, “Fouls were our Achilles heel of the game and we gave up shots and without them we would have done much better.” That is the main thing that the Dragons needed to work on.

Overall the Dragons played excellently and have been doing very well this season in general standing 3-1. A much better position than they were last season and they have been improving over the past few years in general. It is still early in the season, but we are all hoping for a very successful for the Dragons.