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.

Leading Dragons anchor their teams

Kavan Edwards / T. Henning

No team is complete without veteran players. There’s always one player that is there to teach the newer players the basics, and someone who can take a double team and make a shot with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Leah Cabrera and Kavan Edwards are the essential anchors to their respective basketball teams at the High School for Math, Science and Engineering..

Leah Cabrera, senior co-captain of the HSMSE girls’ basketball team, has been a part of the team since her freshmen year of high school. She uses her experience to guide the younger players into organized basketball. Cabrera helped the newcomers understand and improve in the sport. When people think of team leaders they think of people like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, players that could make every basket when it counts. Cabrera is a social leader that helps the team come together even after disappointing losses. Even after those disappointing games what mattered was self-confidence, “[I was] making sure everyone was doing well,” said Cabrera.

The quality of leadership demonstrated in the HSMSE girls’ basketball team is also seen in the boys’ basketball team by their leading scorer Kavan Edwards. He is their captain; a senior who has played since his sophomore year. Throughout his high school basketball career, Edwards has been crucial to the team’s offense. He has averaged 19.8 ppg over the three years he played.

Leah Cabrera (Right) / K. Marlowe

This being the last season for both players, puts into question how the team’s performance will be in the following season. Both leaders have suggested that the current juniors can possibly keep their team together. It is up to the current juniors to step up and take leadership next season. “As a senior you have to let the under classmen know how serious the team is,” said Edwards.

Contributed By Sadeon Martin

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

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.