The HSMSE Girls Basketball Team Overcomes Injuries In A Historic Season

The HSMSE Girls basketball team made it to the first round of the 2020 PSAL “B” Division Playoffs after finishing second place in their division. The Dragons maintained a 9-3 record, all while losing two valuable players during the season.

The Dragons were a resilient team, so giving up was not an option. Losing players due to injury did not demoralize the team, in fact, it boosted team morale. They had to play harder in support of their sidelined teammates.

“It gave everyone an opportunity to step up and support their teammates,” coach David Scheiman said.

Before a pre-season scrimmage, starting center Nicole Ogen broke a finger during warm-ups. The Dragons lost another starter midway through the season when shooting guard Barbara Ceci broke her ankle during the first quarter of a league game. Less experienced players stepped up and helped the Dragons take victory.

“[The injuries] makes everyone work harder because everyone wants to come through for that person and win,” junior point guard Agnes Heffner said.

Following the injuries, sophomores Sandy Liang and Taylor Jeffrey filled starting positions, while freshmen Sherry Li and Lily Yan earned more playing time. The Dragons’ ability to deal with adversity sets them up for a strong upcoming season, as their younger players gained valuable experience that will help the team in the future.

- Siddhaarta Venkatesh also contributed to this story.

Eric Abreu’s leadership drives HSMSE boys basketball to playoffs

Eric Abreu’s improvement throughout his four year tenure on the High School for Math Science and Engineering’s boys’ basketball team has propelled the Dragons to their first playoff appearance in five seasons.

In the 2016-17 season, Abreu scored 16.7 ppg, placing him second in his division. His scoring output is even more impressive considering the fact that he has doubled it since freshman year.

“There wasn’t many seniors on the team when I came, so through the years I tried to step into that leadership role,” Abreu said. “[I wanted to] be that leader that we didn’t have.” 

Aside from his on-court contribution, Abreu is also a tremendous asset off the court. He must balance his responsibilities in the Mount Sinai concentration, a medical internship that HSMSE offers that requires the student to spend half the school day at Mount Sinai hospital. Abreu makes sure that his work at Mount Sinai does not interfere with his role on the team.

Teammates show appreciation for Eric
Abreu / T. Henning

“I try to make up for Sinai when I don’t have school,” he said.

As one of only two four year players on the team, he must be a mentor for players who are not as experienced in the PSAL, and try to mold new additions to contributors for the team. Gabriel Culian is a second year player for the Dragons, and he feels his production has increased through Abreu's guidance.

“Certain times when I was working by myself he would come to me and show me certain skills,” Culian said. “He’s pushed me to strive harder in school and he’s helped me when I had trouble.” 

Since the Dragons are heading into the playoffs for the first time since the 2011-12 season, no current member on the team has played a game in the postseason. Despite their lack of experience, Abreu is confident the team will do well.

“Over the years I've been on the team, we've gotten a lot better,” Abreu said. “When the ball is in someone else's hands, they can do something well for the team.”

Authored By Mohammed Kabir, Michael Stern, Matthias Granja

HSMSE Boys' Basketball makes a great leap forward during the 2015-16 season

The HSMSE boys’ basketball team made a tremendous rise during the 2015-16 campaign from last season by way of the Dragons core players developing from overwhelmed underclassmen to effective leaders. Their impact on the team came from taking responsibilities which they did not have prior to this year.

“It was a big adjustment not only from freshman year to senior year, but from every season in between," senior Yonatan Pechter said. "Each year I was given more responsibility.”

The Dragons held a lowly 2-12 record during the 2014-2015 season; however, this season they climbed to 6-10. This improvement came at the hands of the juniors and seniors who made adjustments to their game this season. Players such as Pechter and Lucian Ramnarase made the necessary changes in their game to help the team to more wins than has been seen in the past several years by the Dragons.

HSMSE Boys' Basketball Team / T. Henning

"Maturing seniors [and] developing underclassmen made for interesting possibilities," coach Richard Epstein said.

Ramnarase took the role of the defensive stopper for the Dragons. He greatly increased his offensive and defensive output, averaging six points and six rebounds per game. Prior to this season, Ramnarase received playing time almost exclusively as a defender. This season, not only has he occasionally lead the team in scoring, he has been a locker room leader.

"Lucian [Ramnarase] refused to accept losing, and right from the start, his attitude and effort became contageous," Epstein said. "Once we began to believe we could win, we started winning."

Pechter increased his scoring, taking a larger role within the team’s offensive scheme. He often shot the three ball when the team needed them most. This is a great change from his freshman year.

“My freshman year this team was the first organized basketball I ever played," Petcher said. "I didn’t know how to compete on a competitive team.”

With a mature core of players, Epstein was able to scout and prepare game plans against opponents and have the team execute them. The team's maturation and a hard working culture led to the great improvement in their play.

"We had a group of mature experienced seniors and some very productive underclassmen who learned a lot from the seniors, and developed great work habits, skills, and success," Epstein said.

The beginning of the future for HSMSE basketball

Annabelle Shultz shooting a free throw / Din Islam

Both the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are beginning the start of what appears to be successful futures. The Lady Dragons’ are now 5-5 as of this writing, piling up more wins than their previous three seasons combined. Meanwhile, the 1-8 record of the young boys' team, so far unfairly represents a well developing unit that contains only two upperclassmen.

The key to the great turnaround season for the Lady Dragons’ so far is freshman guard Annabelle Shultz.

“Everything starts with her," said head coach Jeremy Bassie. "She brings the ball coast to coast and finds Donna Fintzi for threes, and goes to the foul line and rebounds. We are very lucky to have her in the program."

Her presence creates a big three for the team similar to that of the Miami Heat. Fintzi and senior forward Mikaela Bloch no longer need to take control of every possession and instead can work more off the ball.

“We have a few freshmen who are more highly skilled than in years past which has allowed for Donna [Fintzi] not to have as much responsibility handling the ball so she can be more set up to shoot, instead of always having to shoot off the dribble and run around to so much. I think that has allowed her to really show off her shot a bit more because she doesn’t have to handle the ball as often,” said co-coach Nick Diunte.

For the boys' team, this season has showcased the vast improvement of a developing team. The team opted to go for a younger squad this year in order to develop players to replace the play of 1,000 point-scorer Kavan Edwards. Their game against Chelsea Career and Technical Education on January 9th, 2014 demonstrated this transition perfectly. Unlike their opening game of the season where senior guard Kofi Kordie was responsible for nearly all the points, the scoring was distributed well among the underclassmen.

“I think we've improved a lot of the whole year,” said coach David Scheiman. “We've improved so much, we’re competitive now. I honestly think that in two years we might have a shot at winning the division.”

It is crucial for for the Lady Dragons to replace the talent of Fintzi and Bloch if they want to continue their success. With Shultz already providing great talent in only her first year, already improving underclassmen may easily increase their contributions next season.

For the boys' squad, it is clear that they have a growing team which will only improve over time. The whole team, sparing the two seniors, have at least another two seasons together before graduation. This large amount of time that the team will be together, almost surely guarantees they will see an improvement over the next few years.

Video footage below of HSMSE boys' basketball team first victory of the season against Manhattan Village Academy on January 11, 2014.

A tough season for HSMSE boys’ basketball team

HSME Dragons / T. Henning

The boys varsity basketball team at the High School for Math Science and Engineering battled hard this season, losing some close games, and finishing 3-9. Although they had a losing record, they gained valuable experience in the process.

This season the team played twice against Chelsea Career and Technical Education splitting the two meetings. The first time HSMSE beat Chelsea by 29 points, but the second game they had a difficult loss, losing by four points. “I was disappointed the first time we played them we blew them out, the second time we played them they had a guy that they didn’t have the first time,” said Kavan Edwards, the team’s captain.

Edwards played a critical role, leading the team in scoring in all of their games. Unfortunately he is a senior at HSMSE, making his shoes that much harder to fill for next season. “Dionys Gutierrez , Kofi Kordie and Maxwell Drogin has [sic] to step up big time next season,” said Edwards.

This season six freshman made the team, which is nearly a third of the team. In the past the team was mainly made up of mostly upperclassmen . “In the past five years, we’ve never had more than one freshman on the boys' varsity basketball team. The skill level varies widely,” said Coach Richard Epstein “There has been tremendous growth and development for all of this year’s freshmen.”

The team is going to have a massive change to their roster next season. With the graduation of the seniors all  the other players will have to improve. “[Their] willingness to learn and to work hard is terrific,” said Epstein.

Shawn Watts
Justin Wu

The new faces of the HSMSE Dragons

Evan Heus / T. Henning

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering Dragons had a surprisingly competitive basketball season despite the loss of many seniors due to graduation. Their replacements were freshmen who contributed greatly this season off the bench. Although they were not even sure if they would make the team, freshmen Evan Heus and William Herman played almost as much as the starters.

“Coming to high school I had no clue what was going to happen and what the team was going to be like,” said Herman. “I just wanted to make the team; I wasn't sure if I would.” Both athletes had experience prior to high school since they played basketball for their middle school teams.

Coach Richard Epstein recruited six freshmen, the most in the last three years. The large turnover of players greatly affected the team this season. “It was a huge loss,” said Epstein. “We lost 12 players to graduation last June, including our experienced players, our biggest players, our best guards and ball handlers.” The two promising freshmen, Heus and Herman, both stepped up and took the place of the seniors. They played in 11 out of the 12 games. “This year we each got a fair amount of playing time,” said Heus. “We were up there with the starters; next year at least one of us will start.”

Next season they will be losing one of the top players in HSMSE history, Kavan Edwards. “It is a tremendous loss. Kavan is one of the best, if not the best player to ever play at this school. His loss will be impossible to replace,” said Epstein. It is up to the underclassmen to step up and take his place. They need to work hard and gain more experience in order for them to have a good season next year.

William Herman / T. Henning

The freshmen felt they improved immensely due to the intense practices. “Dribbling a basketball and shooting four days a week improves a player,” said Herman. If the players work on their basketball skills all year round they will improve emphatically. By doing so, it will determine who the top players will be next year. “The underclassmen need to work and get more experience. It is in the offseason that players improve,” said Epstein.

The Dragons are in for a huge transformation as a team. “We’ll see who steps up and becomes the new stars of the future,” said Epstein. The team needs several people to break through and step in for those who will be leaving. “Honestly I think losing the seniors will help because more people would get more shots,” said Heus. “Kavan was our go-to guy in tough situations; now several people will have to step up and take his place.”

Contributed by Kian Zadeh and Sahar Saedi

Lady Dragons struggle through a tough season

Lady Dragons / Thomas Henning

The High School of Math Science and Engineering’s girls’ basketball team had a tough 2012 season. Even though the team was unable to win any games throughout the season, they were able to develop their skills and gain confidence in their capabilities.

The team compensated for their loss of seniors from last season by recruiting new players. Compared to last season, there were a record number of students trying out for the girls’ basketball team, “About 22 girls tried out for the team,” said the coach Nick Diunte.

Though vast in number, the players struggled with their positions on the court. “The team got nervous during games, dribbling, driving, and taking shots,” said team captain Leah Cabrera.

Towards the end of the season, the players showed that they were getting out of their shells and had increased their confidence. “They became more comfortable as the season went on because they had a greater idea of what to expect on the court,” said Diunte.

Despite their rough season, the players showed great promise. The team is developing chemistry; they cheer each other on and they are not afraid to make mistakes in order to improve and help each other grow. “The team needs to continue to improve their confidence and that will help with everything else,” said junior Mikaela Bloch.

Navigating their way through a losing season, the team was still able to further their skills, build strong bonds and gain confidence. Even though the girls did not win any games they created memorable moments and had fun playing. The team will need to continue to work on their skills and motivate each other in order to do better next season.

Contributed by : Dionys Gutierrez 

Air ball for the HSMSE girls' basketball team

HSMSE girls' team vs the Institue for Collaborative Education
photo form Tom Henning

This season for the girls’ basketball team at the High School for Math Science and Engineering was their worst year ever, with a 1-15 record. The team now needs to step it up and earn back their pride and glory.

The main reason for the bad record is the inexperience of the players. Sophomore forward,  Mikaela Bloch, describes some of the inexperience problem as, “Not looking at the basket when making the shot.” As these fresh members move in, the experienced players graduate. Donna Fintzi, the team’s leading scorer, seems to have most of the pressure on her after five seniors graduated last year and four graduating this year.

However, there were signs of improvement as the season unfolded. For instance, their two games with  Manhattan Village Academy, the HSMSE girls lost by a score of 55-6. During their second game together, the HSMSE girls moved closer to a victory with a score of 45-16.

The second game against Manhattan Village Academy show large improvements made by their members. They showed improvement both offensively and defensively in the second game.

This season is too late for a comeback, but next season is uncertain. A frustrated Fintzi sees the team having difficulties next season with the loss of four players. However, from these steady improvements, the team may rise to one of the best in the B-division.

Frustrating season for the Dragons

Hsmse boys' basketball team / Sara Louie

This season the boys’ basketball team of the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering failed to make the playoffs unlike last year. In the 2010-11 season, the team made it to the playoffs with a 6-6 record and eventually was eliminated in the first round. Going into the second half of this season, the team was 4-2 with high chances of exceeding last year’s record and making it to the playoffs once again. As the second half of the season progressed, the team had a 6-3 record with five games remaining and needed only one win to advance to the playoffs.

The team at that point was at its peak and things fell apart as the team went on to lose their next five games. The team in the end had a 6-8 record with no chance of making it to the playoffs. “We played five very competitive teams, one team on our level, and one team that we should’ve beaten,” said junior forward Kavan Edwards. Edwards, who missed one game this season, led the team in scoring. He felt that other teams adjusted to their style of play when they faced them for the second time. “Our team kept playing the same way through out the season and the other teams seemed to have caught on to our style of play.”

Even though the team didn't make it to the playoffs they put up a great effort and in the end, just came up a bit short. The team will make this season a learning experience for next season and will try to build on the new talent they receive in order to surpass this year’s performance.

HSMSE 1st Annual Intramural Basketball Tournament

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering hosted the First Annual HSMSE Intramural Basketball Tournament on January 26th, 2012, with almost 40 students entering the competition. Following the player draft, both divisions engaged in pool play to determine the eventual playoff rankings.

After the smoke cleared, the teams captained by Dylan Ageymang and Kavan Edwards emerged as finalists in the "A" division and those led by Donna Fintzi and Nancy Zhu battled for the "B" division championship.

In a spirited battle, Edwards' team, which also was comprised of Jeremy Wain-Hirschberg and Luis Carmona were victorious by an 11-7 margin. 

On the other side of the gym, Fintzi's team, which included Alex Long and Felicia Kunherich, scrapped their way to a 7-5 victory.

Both winning teams were presented with championship t-shirts as prizes for their entry. Mr. Diunte would personally like to thank all of the students who came out and played in the tournament.

Below are some photos capturing the events of the day.