Boys Varsity Basketball
Bulldogs head coach Bob Young and assistant coach Tom Baierlein are looking for the Island Trees club to get on the positive side of the .500 mark, after notching a 6-11 overall record last year, including 5-7 in Conference IV. There are six returnees and new players on the squad.
Returning players for the Dawgs include senior guards Gary Martens and Nick Becker, junior center Shane Brunette, junior guard Greg Salvage and junior forward James Sguigna. Newcomers include junior forwards Ron Olivero and Jerry Sampson.
Young, who has been coaching the Bulldogs for 28 years, notes that the sdquad has good ball handlers and better overall size in the middle and at the forward spots. The team is working on inside scoring, the man-to-man defense and foul shooting. That'll be important if the Bulldogs are to compete in a competitive conference that includes Malverne, Manhasset, Friends Academy and The Wheatley School.
Girls Varsity Basketball
Missy Batchelor, the first-year coach of the Island Trees girls varsity squad, says the Lady Dawgs should be competitive in Conference IV.
Among the returnees are senior guard Marie Fusci, senior forward Mae-Ann Llorente, junior guard Elaina Koutsoftas, sophomore guard Lauren Foster and sophomore forward Michelle LaFrance. Newcomers for Island Trees include senior forward Jaime Roche, sophomore guard Jessica Fredericks, freshman guard Cathy Sbarra, eighth-grade center Lisa Macchia, freshman guard Kate Sciacca, guard/forward Kelly Huldie, and sophomore forward Monica Potts.
Fusci, Batchelor noted, is an outstanding player who has signed a contract for an NCAA Division I full athletic scholarship to Marist College. Batchelor expects Fusci to provide team leadership and guidance.
"(The team is) working on intense defense and not turning the ball over," said Coach Batchelor. "We're looking to pound the ball inside to our post players, LaFrance and Macchia. We're looking also to get the ball to our guards, Fusci and Sabarra."
Noting that the Lady Dawgs are a young club, Batchelor is working to build up the underclassmen. "We are counting on our more experienced players to take on a leadership role and help in that area," she said.
Girls Varsity/JV Bowling
Linda Archibald has seven returnees and two newcomers for girls varsity/JV bowling , which lost only one player to graduation.
Among the veterans are seniors Julie Lehmann, Lisa Chang and Christie Brown, sophomore Kathy Curry, and freshmen Kristen Mullervy, Christine Fielding and Lou Ann Koromi. The newcomers include sophomore Denise Jones and freshman Carol Lehmann.
The returnees, positive attitude and desire to improve are the Bulldogs' assets. The team is working on making spares and being more consistent, Archibald added.
Key rivals for the Dawgs, in both girls and boys varsity bowling, are Wantagh and Plainedge.
Boys Varsity/JV Bowling
Archibald also has a positive outlook for Island Trees boys varsity/JV bowling, which as 11 returnees and one newcomer.
The veterans are senior captain Tom Rizzo, sophomores Brett Rottkamp, Brian Beale, Nick Mancuso, Matt Hallas, Joe Carroll and Joe Castro, and eighth-graders Jude Brewer, Chris Caltabiano, Justin Salvage and Greg Thomsopn. Scott Kapica, a ninth-grader, is the program's newcomer.
Archibald is looking to build upon the team's "good positive attitudes," youth, large number of returnees and willingness to improve. Consistency, making of spares and adjustment to lane conditions are the key areas on which Island Trees is working.
