VSN off to impressive start

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After making a memorable run to the Nassau Class A boys’ basketball semifinals a year ago and racking up 17 wins, including thrilling playoff triumphs over Valley Stream South and Garden City, Valley Stream North is off and running in the 2016-17 campaign. 

The Spartans earned their ninth victory in 10 games, including three in a row against Conference A-III rivals, by going on the road to defeat Bethpage, 55-34, on Jan. 5. Junior point guard Taliq Abdul-Rahim led the way with 16 points, while senior John Alimo netted 14.

“We’ve got a focused group of kids and they’re doing everything it takes to succeed,” VSN head coach Dan Achatz said. “They practice hard and watch a lot of film.

“We’d like to win the conference again, get back to the semis and change the outcome,” he added.

A strong backcourt is usually the ticket to a long basketball season at any level, and the Spartans boast as talented a starting tandem as any in the county with senior Noah Shy and Abdul-Rahim. They both can fill a boxscore, and not just in the scoring column although through 10 games Shy is averaging 15.5 points and Abdul-Rahim’s at 13.7.

“Noah’s so consistent,” Achatz said. “He gets rebounds, assists, and eventually finds a way to score 15 or 20 a game. He has the ability to take over games and is a natural leader.” Shy hit for a season-high 25 points in North’s 62-50 victory over Freeport on Dec. 16.

Achatz feels Abdul-Rahim is flying under the radar a bit despite possessing all the tools. “He’s our all-around best player and runs the show from the point,” Achatz said. “He’s been getting the toughest defensive matchups this season because he’s that much improved defensively. Offensively, there’s nothing he can’t do.” 

Abdul-Rahim’s season high of 20 points came in North’s only defeat, 61-59, to South Side on Dec. 14. The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points and led in the fourth quarter before the Cyclones re-rallied to win. “We didn’t handle the press early and they jumped on us,” Achatz said. “It was a game we learned a lot from.”

Freeport and South Side were part of a challenging non-conference schedule that included West Hempstead, St. Anthony’s and Massapequa. All but one of those came before North’s 70-57 conference-opening win over Glen Cove on Dec. 19. Alimo had 19 points and Abdul-Rahim added 17.

Alimo, a transfer from Lawrence Woodmere Academy, played with the Spartans during the summer and fit right in, Achatz said. He’s averaging 14.5 ppg and becoming more of a factor in Achatz’s man-to-man defensive scheme.

Up front, returning starter Omar Baxter, a senior, and junior Shomari Griffith are getting the job done in the paint. Junior Jon Francois, a transfer from Carey, usually gets the first call off the bench, and classmates Anthony Collura and Nafis Khan are also providing quality minutes.

The Spartans have a key matchup against Floral Park at home this Saturday at 12 p.m.