Young Dragons begin their journey

Kofi Kordie (left) / Din Islam

The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering Boys’ Basketball team kicked off their season opener with a 67-22 loss against Fiorello H Laguardia on December 4th at City College’s Nat Holman Gymnasium. Ten of the team’s total 13 athletes are underclassmen, which more closely resembles a junior varsity squad. Despite the loss, the game offered the young team valuable experience in varsity competition.

The game was also the first for head coach David Scheiman with the Dragons. Previously, Scheiman coached at Richard Green High School of Teaching from 2004-2012. During his time there, Scheiman won back to back division championships in the ‘07 and ‘08 seasons, as well as moving the team to the A-Division. Scheiman saw this game with an optimistic eye.

“I think we’re a very young team," Scheiman said. "For a lot of them, this is their first time playing varsity basketball. I think they got good exposure today. I think we did alright the first half. I think the second half we went out of gas. It’s important for them to learn the process of what its like to play on a high school varsity team."

From opening the team’s scoring with a three pointer, to finishing the game with 11 of his team’s 22 points, senior guard Kofi Kordie demonstrated his leadership.

“I think Kofi had a really good game today and really showed heart,” Scheiman said.

Kordie's ability to shake off any pre-game jitters of playing in front of the home crowd enhanced his performance during the game.

“I wasn’t really nervous during this game," Kordie said. "I guess that’s the reason why I shot a little bit better today."

Freshman point guard David Li showed flashes of future promise, dishing out two assists, but also made some careless turnovers.

Dionys Gutierrez (right) / Paul Lee

“I need to not turn over the ball as much and keep my head up” Li said. "I can improve on my passing and my scoring.”

One of the things missing from the Dragons’ game was their ability to capitalize off of turnovers and defensive stops. A series of crowd-raising blocks by senior center Dionys Gutierrez failed to result in any points in transition. His defensive presence alone will not be enough to push this team forward unless they can find a way to convert easy shots near the basket.

This is the beginning of a rebuilding process for the Dragons, after the graduation of 1,000 point scorer Kavan Edwards. With ten underclassmen, HSMSE's team has a promising foundation to build upon in the upcoming season.

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

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 

Gutierrez a hope for HSMSE voleyball team

In a volleyball scrimmage against Bronx Science's "B" team on Wednesday, HSMSE won 3-0. Sophomore middle blocker, Dionys Gutierrez did not get a lot of playing time, but when he was in the game he made some positive plays. Although his two attacks never resulted in kills, Gutierrez did use his height as an advantage when he blocked a ball that resulted in a kill. He also did not commit an unforced error.

A problem that seemed to occur for Gutierrez was his aggressiveness. On one play, a pass looked intended for Gutierrez to spike but he let the ball go, and another player had to quickly react and was only able to lob the ball over the net. A possible spike was not made, but Gutierrez saw a little lack of aggression as a good thing because after the game he said, “I got out of people's way. Last year I didn't do that." 

The HSMSE volleyball team looks promising and is hoping to improve from a 5-7 record last year. Even though Gutierrez may not get a whole lot of playing time, a few key kills can be the difference in a game.