Thursday, October 1, 2026
As a kindergartener at Franklin Early Childhood Center, Justin Ortiz made a bold proclamation about his future to Andrew DeBernardo.
“I’m going to be your best player one day,” Ortiz said.
DeBernardo laughed at the time, but now the Hewlett boys basketball head coach is a believer in the senior guard, who became the eighth player in the program’s history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in his career.
“Every year, we talk at the end of the year about what he needs to work on to get better, and every year he does that,” DeBernardo said. “He’s just relentless. He’s a competitor, he’s emotional, but he works hard. He’s a true dog.”
Ortiz was presented with the game ball from the Dec. 26 win against the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety last Saturday, before the team’s non-league tilt with Long Beach.
Scoring 1,000 points, though, wasn’t Ortiz’s ultimate goal in his high school career.
“My goal has always been the school record,” Ortiz said, referring to David Fogel’s mark of 1,445 points. “One thousand points is just a step towards the way, but it’s a very big accomplishment. I’m very grateful for it.”
Sitting around the dinner table on Christmas, Ortiz said his family all made the plan to attend his game the next day. What better game, he thought, to reach that milestone.
Trending towards a third All-County season, Ortiz got off to a hot start, scoring eight of his team’s first 12 points. On a half-court buzzer-beating heave, he had 26 points — one shy of 1,000.
With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Ortiz missed his first two shots of the third quarter. But then, off a pass from point guard Brendan Fahy, Ortiz shot his way into Hewlett history.
“I caught it, let it go, and it was just magical,” he said. “It felt amazing.”
Ortiz, who wears a wristband with “E4D” on it in memory of his father Efrain, who died when he was six months old, also has his eyes on a first county championship in Hewlett history, and he’s a big reason why the Bulldogs have won nine of their first 11 games.
But he’s not the only reason.
In last Saturday’s 77-59 win over Long Beach, Ortiz and senior Maxon McKenniss scored 23 points apiece. McKenniss, who returned to Hewlett after the closure of Lawrence Woodmere Academy, has been a “Godsend” according to DeBernardo.
“He got right into the mix, he knows his role,” DeBernardo said. “He’s a scorer, he could shoot, he could drive. He’s our second-best defender behind Ortiz.”
Gabe Bowery has been a force inside for the Bulldogs. In a 63-50 win over Great Neck North on Jan. 5, the sophomore center had a triple-double of 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks.
Stefano Borsellino, the quarterback of the football team and a Molloy-bound lacrosse standout, is a leader on the court and in the locker room. Kobe Cox is a rebounding force and tenacious defender off the bench who may slot in the starting lineup now with starting point guard Christian Champagnie sidelined for the next month due to injury.
After a hot start, Hewlett now faces midterms on the court with showdowns against Roslyn, Garden City, and Mepham on the horizon.
“That will be the true test of our season,” DeBernardo said.
