Thursday, October 1, 2026
It’s been quite a turnaround for Copiague boys’ basketball, which last season endured a 14-game losing streak before closing on a positive note with a win over North Babylon to finish 4-16.
Now with just one full-time returning starter back in the fold, the Eagles are serving notice.
“Every team has its own personality,” longtime head coach Steve Rebholz said. “I knew we’d have a nice blend of guards and forwards, and also a good mix of seniors and young kids. They’ve been phenomenal with each other and it’s showing in the results.”
Copiague needed just nine games to double last season’s win total and didn’t take long to prove it’ll be a factor in the Suffolk League II race by knocking off each of its first seven rivals including a 15-point road victory at Ward Melville Dec. 6 — its third game in five nights out of the gate.
Freshman point guard Ethan Abello hit for 29 points to lead the fireworks, including four shots from behind the arc in the 72-57 decision. Seniors Martely Lemoine (13 points, 10 rebounds) and King Moore (10, 10) both added a double-double, and Devin Barnes chipped in 9 points for the Eagles, who outscored the Patriots 24-11 in the third quarter to take command.
“Any of the better teams I’ve coached has had a strong defensive mindset,” said Rebholz, in his 26th season at the helm and with a pair of county championships (2005-06 and ’06-07 seasons) plus one Long Island title on his resume. “A lot of our offense comes from our defense.”
Moore, a combo guard versatile enough to play any position, has improved by leaps and bounds from last season when he started and averaged 10 points per game. So far he’s up to a 15 ppg clip. “King comes from a basketball-rich family and he’s been playing at a high level,” Rebholz noted.
The coach said Lemoine, a forward who had some spot starts a year ago, assumed a leadership role and has been the lynchpin of Copiague’s 9-2 start. “He’s such a key to what we do on the court and is always positive with teammates,” Rebholz said.
Barnes, also a forward, is a rim protector and rebounder on defense as well as an improved scorer. First off the bench for the frontcourt is senior 6-foot-7 senior Frandi Fernandez.
There’s experience and youth in the backcourt with Abello, senior Aiden Boswell and another freshman, Devin Gibson. All can run the point. “Ethan’s basketball IQ is immense and he might be a freshman on paper but he’s a returning varsity player with a lot of talent,” Rebholz said of Abello.
Boswell has some starting experience and is a crisp passer, and Gibson is a defensive ballhawk and the epitome of the grit the Eagles like to bring.
Despite a defense-first mentality, Copiague has produced back-to-back 79-point efforts, defeating Lindenhurst by 31 Dec. 19 and Newfield by 20 eight days later. Newfield beat the Eagles twice last winter.
“We’re playing well and starting to get some notoriety,” Rebholz said. “None of these kids care where the points come from, as long as we get the win.”
