By Tom Jordan
But things haven't gone according to plan not even close.
Before the season even got underway, five of the players DiBassy and coach Ed Dempsey were counting on suddenly quit the team, leaving a group already lacking in size much smaller, both in stature and number.
They were all key players. They all had big roles to fill, DiBassy said. We've had to play much of the season outmanned and outsized.
The Sailors haven't gotten many breaks in the early going, starting with the mass exodus. The lack of real size, already a problem, has been punctuated with the starters running themselves ragged.
DiBassy knows what a mess his senior season has become. He knows it will take a lot for the team to rally to break even. He also knows there's still a chance and a chunk of the schedule yet to be played. The Sailors will play Long Beach at home on Jan. 29 and Great Neck South on the road three days later. Uniondale, Herricks and another game with Great Neck South will follow.
I'm going to stick it out with the rest of the guys, DiBassy said. We have a good group and we're doing the best we can. We're not out of it yet and we still have some really winnable games left.
The team's tri-captains DiBassy, Jim Herold and Rich Fryzel have done what they can to keep to keep the Sailors in games. One of the three has led the team in scoring in all twelve games they've played this season. Unfortunately, ten of those games have ended with Oceanside on the losing end. Six of those losses have been decided by a combined 23 points.
Even after falling to Baldwin 97-39 on Jan. 15, the captains refused to call it a season. They came back three days later and gave it all they had against a good Hicksville team. DiBassy kept firing and finished with 15 points. The Sailors held a slim lead going into the final quarter, only to come up 3 points short.
DiBassy had a hot hand from the start, scoring 14 points in a loss to Lynbrook to open the non-conference schedule Dec. 5. He scored 15 in a 76-51 loss to Bethpage two days later, and followed with 21, 18 and 21 in successive games after that.
Against Herricks on Jan. 4, DiBassy scored 22 points and the Sailors earned their first league win of the season their only win in league play so far. For the season DiBassy is averaging close to 19 points a game.
Herold started a little slower, scoring nine and six points in the teams first two games. He got going with a 22-point outburst on Dec. 14 against Bellmore JFK, but the Sailors fell by seven. He scored 30 on Dec. 27, leading the Sailors to a 70-60 win over Valley Stream North. He's been a double-digit scorer in six of seven games since. His 14.3 scoring average is on par with last season's output.
Fryzel, the point-guard, has run the offense efficiently. But with a two-man bench, and no real big man to help with the rebounding, the Sailors have stretched themselves to the limit.
DiBassy said he'll push for the playoffs until the team is eliminated. And there are a few other things DiBassy will play for: I'm playing to represent my school, my coach and my teammates. There's still a chance.
