Baldwin primed for playoff run

When the 2017-18 basketball season got underway, Baldwin head coach Darius Burton had a little more uncertainty to deal with than he’s accustomed to. The Bruins returned just one starter from a team that fell to eventual county champion Westbury in the semifinal round a year ago, and had very few players with varsity experience.

It didn’t happen overnight, but the youthful Baldwin five morphed into a solid unit, went undefeated in winning Nassau Conference AA-II, and earned the No. 2 seed in the Class AA playoffs. It’s the sixth time in the past eight years that the Bruins have won their conference without suffering a defeat.

After a first round bye, Baldwin (13-6 overall, 12-0 in AA-II) opened up the playoffs by hosting No. 7 Calhoun (13-7) in a quarterfinal round matchup. Results were not available at press time. 

“I’m very proud of what this team has accomplished thus far,” Burton said. “We have size, athleticism, and a group of guys that work real hard. They have everything you’d want in a team except for the playoff experience. We relied heavily on our returnees and, of course, we had to show patience.”

Fittingly, the Bruins clinched the league title by knocking off Westbury 58-47 to complete the sweep of the two games against the Green Dragons. Senior forward Nasim Cylin scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the way. Junior guard Rhyjon Blackwell added 12 points, and sophomore Jayden McKenzie had a huge game with 13 points, 10 steals, and five assists.

Cylin, who leads the team with an average of 15.9 points per game, and Blackwell, who has averaged just under 15 points per contest and is among the top sharpshooters in the county with 43 three-point baskets, each earned All-County honors. Juniors Tre Riggins, Peter Bateman, and Marcus Jasmin all were named All-Conference recipients.

Burton, who earned his 300th career win when the Bruins beat East Meadow 66-44 on Feb. 6, was named the Coach of the Year in Conference AA-II. Burton took over as head coach at Baldwin in 2000.

“It was a very proud and special moment for me,” Burton said. “It’s really a tribute to all of the talented, hard-working guys who have played here and made the program what it is.”

Burton credits this year’s success to the same formula that has led his Bruins to eight league titles since 2010. His team bought into the program’s defense-first mantra, and worked extremely hard at getting better on the defensive end of the court. 

“I think we’re playing our best ball of the season at the right time,” Burton said. “We’ve had excellent practices leading up to the playoffs, so we will be prepared. If I have one concern, it’s the lack of postseason experience. This is new to most of them. But, we feel confident and the kids are really excited for the playoffs. We’re ready to go.”