Thursday, October 1, 2026
Valley Stream North boys basketball can seal the playoff deal this week with three key games – at defending Nassau Class A champion Floral Park Tuesday, Senior Night versus Plainedge Wednesday, and rival Valley Stream South on the road Friday.
With five league games left, the Spartans can clinch another playoff berth. And then, Valley Stream North (4-3 in League 6, 10-5 overall) may loom as an outside threat.
“If we can make the playoffs, then we’re a dangerous team,’’ head coach Mike McVeigh said. “We have a good guard who can make the plays. We have good guard play, we play together and we have experience being in the playoffs the last two years.’’
The backcourt of senior Vin Rienzie (16 ppg) and Tristan Mitchell (14 ppg) have played solidly. The X-factor has been senior center Noah Obukwelu, who keyed its season’s biggest win over Wantagh on Jan. 23 in a 56-30 blowout. Wantagh had prevailed in the initial meeting on Dec. 12, 47-44.
“They’re a pretty good team,’’ Obukwelu said of Wantagh. “That game was really important to us. We lost to them by 3 the first time. It was in the back of our minds. We wanted that win.’’
A 6-foot-1 center, Obukwelu, racked up 14 points and 13 rebounds. A third-year starter, he’s averaging 8 points and 6 boards while playing out of position.
“He’s accepted the challenge of playing as a big man when he’s really a guard,’’ McVeigh said. “It took a little bit because it’s an adjustment, but he’s been awesome the last two weeks, especially in his role and as a leader.’’
“He had a great game versus Wantagh, really active,’’ McVeigh added. “He’s an undersized big who played really well.’’
Obukwelu plans to play college basketball.
“I’m filling my role – whatever is needed, scoring points or forcing turnovers,’’ the senior said. “I’m doing my best to do whatever it takes for the team to win.’’
And the Spartans may be built to win in the postseason, though Floral Park will be a very tough first challenge Tuesday.
”I would say we’re just a bunch of dogs,’’ Obukwelu said. “We go to practice each day looking to compete hard. We try to play hard and scrappy. That’s what we strive for as a program.’’
Two other players are providing that grit in junior Kai Fields and senior Matt Hunt. “They’re doing so much on defense,’’ McVeigh said. “They don’t get the headlines because they don’t get the stats, but are so crucial to our team.’’
However, things aren’t perfect when the defense lags when shots aren’t falling. “The offense isn’t always going to be there,’’ McVeigh said. “On an off-shooting night, we have to find a way to still guard somebody.’’
The regular season now hits its crucial moment. “We have really good potential going forward,’’ Obukwelu said. “We’re going to be ready to get at least two wins. It’s the lock-in time of the season right now.’’
The coach has the confidence the postseason will be attained. “We got to play well, execute, do the right things,’’ McVeigh said. “There’s a possibility if we play well, we can be in the right spot.’’
