The Massapequa varsity basketball team has had a tremendous start, winning their first 13 contests with no signs of slowing down. After having been a playoff caliber team in previous seasons, the Chiefs have put together a team loaded with upper classmen that have propelled them to championship contender status. The team's resounding success thus far has come as no surprise to the players.

"I was very confident in this team because of how much we played with each other over the summer. We went to two camps together and played over 60 games in summer leagues," said senior Phil Lipari.

"There was no doubt in my mind this was going to be the best team in a while since it is composed of strictly basketball players who play all year round," added senior Dan Birney.

While chemistry has played a big role in the team's fast start, a few personal additions have also proved to be invaluable.

"I think an addition to our team that's helped us greatly this year is Tim Grannas. He's a great rebounder and a solid offense player. He has been our defensive stopper this season," said Lipari.

Junior Kevin Vosilla has been one of the most valuable players on the team, giving them a huge presence at the center position while consistently having points and rebounds in double figures.

"I think we have great team chemistry. It helps that everyone on our team can be put in the game and be effective," said Vosilla.

The future looks bright for the Chiefs, but there are still many potential roadblocks along the way.

"I think Elmont is a very tough team at full strength and they are probably the best team in our conference. Up ahead in the playoffs, teams like Freeport and Uniondale will also be tough," said Birney.

If Elmont is one of the top teams in the conference, the Chiefs showed they can match up pretty well, winning the first meeting between the two teams 70-58 on Jan. 13.

The man in charge of leading the team is veteran Coach Martin Voigt, who has guided the team to a playoff berth last season and hopes to go even further this year.

"Coach Voigt has kept everything the same from last year. I really feel by him always being on us, it gives us that extra edge over teams," stated Lipari.

"The coaching has been really important. They scout all of the other teams so we know what they will do, but from last year to this year the team's philosophy has been the same. Defense is the main focus," added Vosilla.

The rest of the roster has also been instrumental to the success of the Chiefs this season. These players include seniors Brent Schlesinger, Adam Bloom, and Nick Fuchs. The juniors are Chris Martin, Dave Podomani, Mike Aldrige, Steve Fregosi, and Kevin Butt. The lone sophomore is Evan Witt.