South Side wins 11 of first 12

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South Side’s boys’ basketball team isn't waiting for its best players to become seniors. With an 11-1 record so far, the Cyclones are ready to compete now, relying on talent and teamwork over experience to maintain a winning tradition in Rockville Centre.

"We're still young," head coach Jerry D'Angelo said. "We make young mistakes, and we're still going to make mistakes as we get closer and closer to playoffs. What I hope is that we learn from our mistakes and get better."

Currently in his 23rd season at South Side, D'Angelo has developed a system that relies on roster depth and detailed preparation. Adapting this to a younger roster has been a project, but the results thus far speak for themselves.

The Cyclones set the tone early with a 66-56 win on the road against defending Class AA state champion Elmont in the Dec. 10 conference opener.

"We try to enforce that the role that we're asking you to do doesn't define you as a personal player," D'Angelo said. "It takes awhile for our kids to buy into that. They think their role is to score, and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's to do other things to make us more successful."

This new-look South Side team is rising from the ashes of a fallen contender. Last year, in the school's first season in the newly realigned Nassau Class AA, a loaded Cyclones roster came up short in the Nassau championship against Elmont. Only five players from that team returned.

Without an experienced core, South Side has leaned heavily on its rising stars. Junior guard John Pericolosi is leading the way. After earning minutes as a sophomore, Pericolosi has come back taller and stronger, commanding the floor as the team's only junior captain. In a 63-41 win over Lynbrook on Dec. 23, he scored a career-high 27 points, shooting 5-for-5 from three-point range.

As with any team coached by D'Angelo, this is far more than a one-man show. Junior forward Ryan Schmitt has made the most of his imposing frame and dynamic shooting to become the team's second-highest scorer. Senior captains Connor Fernandez and Sean Arnott provide much-needed experience, effectively initiating newer players.

Senior guard Charlie Munro has improved on defense to earn more minutes and take over several games from beyond the arc. D'Angelo also described Jack Mullin and Dylan Walsh as relentless hustlers and unflinchingly supportive teammates.

In South Side's lone defeat against Roslyn on Dec. 19, it struggled to make free throws in an unfriendly gym and lost 65-64 in overtime. Due to a scheduling quirk, it was only the Cyclones' second away game. A wild 64-62 win in Manhasset's gym on Jan. 11 kicked off a three-week stretch that will include five road trips.

The morning after their game against Manhasset, South Side players woke up early to volunteer with Hoops for All, a local organization that teaches basketball to children with special needs. It is something D'Angelo has helped organize for the last nine years, another tradition for these new Cyclones to honor as they begin to craft their own legacy.