By TONY BELLISSIMO
It's a lot easier the second time around, said second-year coach Pam Bankey. The kids know me and they know what's expected of them. We're way ahead of where we were at this time last year.
The rise in conference, and a potential season-ending injury to All-County junior point guard Tiera Smalls, are two things that could stand in Long Beach's way.
The Lady Marines are seeded seventh in the 12-team conference and will face perennial powers such as Massapequa, Farmingdale and Freeport. Worse yet, they may be forced to do so without Smalls, their best-overall player who suffered a knee injury a month ago.
Switching conferences makes things a bit tougher because all the teams we played last season and might have known a thing or two about are not on our schedule, Bankey said. We just have to deal with the new opponents as best we can.
The availability of Smalls will be known prior to the Dec. 19 Conference I opener at home versus Massapequa. She has not practiced.
We're planning to play the season without Tiera, Bankey said. If she gets the okay to play, it'll be a bonus. We'd miss her, that's for sure. Not only can she score, but she's a floor leader.
With or without Smalls, the Lady Marines will be competitive. Good news comes in the team's depth at guard. The backcourt includes senior All-Division performer Lauren Moriarty, junior Sheldina Dendy, sophomore Krista Yulfo and freshman Kristin Ciccone. The starters at forward are junior Jackie Dugan and freshman Erin Brady.
We're going to be balanced when it comes to offense, Bankey said. I expect us to get scoring from the guards and forwards, which would make us difficult to defend. The biggest question is whether or not we can play consistently well.
Young Marines likely to challenge
Long Beach boys basketball coach Wandy Williams has never paid too much attention to pre-season seeding. He knows, in the end, they really don't mean much.
What matters is where you finish, not where you're seeded at the beginning, said Williams, who is looking to guide a team loaded with 11 underclassmen back to the playoffs. We're seeded fourth, and I think that's where we should be. We'll find out for sure in a couple of months.
Reaching the playoffs has become old hat for Long Beach, but it's going to be a challenge for this season's young squad. Uniondale, Baldwin and South Side figure to be the cream of the crop. However, the Marines can never be taken lightly.
There are some excellent teams out there, so it's going to be interesting, Williams said. We only have three seniors. The rest are juniors and sophomores. Hopefully the younger kids will adjust to the intensity and quickness and help out the seniors we're going to be counting on.
All-County forward Gerard Burns, All-Conference forward Lorenzo Pitts and guard Matt Taylor are the veterans of the team and comprise three-fifths of the starting lineup.
Usually when the seniors get their chance to step up, they do, said Williams, citing many of his former players. Hopefully these guys will rise to the occasion.
The supporting cast includes Leroy Poole, Garland Johnson, John Isola, Greg Dugan and Marcus Johnson.
Non-conference games versus Woodmere and Far Rockaway, along with the Malverne Tournament on Dec. 26 and 28 should get the Marines ready for Conference I play, which begins Jan. 4 at top-seeded Uniondale.
