Thursday, October 1, 2026
The East Rockaway boys’ basketball team appeared to be finally righting the ship entering the stretch run of the 2019-20 season when it encountered its toughest opponent – the dreaded flu bug.
About seven Rocks and one assistant coach were hit with the virus that was going around the high school at one time or another last month, and the result was a three-game losing streak that halted a run of five wins in seven tries. It got so bad that JV coach Frank Altamore had to fill in next to varsity bench boss Paul Collins for a time.
It didn’t help that the Rocks entered the harder part of their schedule, facing three of the top teams in Conference BC, including defending Nassau B champion Cold Spring Harbor, B finalist Malverne and first-place Academy Charter. But as the players’ health got better, so did the team’s game as East Rockaway reeled off a second three-game winning streak – all on the road – to ease any concerns.
“It’s very hard for us to continue to be strong and play the game we want to play while guys are going out with the flu,” said Collins. “Not only did guys have to come back, but they have to get back in shape.”
The resurgence began with a hard-fought 46-44 win over second-place Wheatley on Jan. 24, keyed by two tiebreaking free throws by senior Joe Acampora with 15 seconds left, followed by a 55-34 rout at Oyster Bay three days later. That was followed by a 55-44 victory at Carle Place behind 30 points from leading scorer Franklin Infante.
Beating Wheatley was especially satisfying for Collins because it validated his team’s double-overtime loss to the now 12-4 Wildcats in mid-December.
“Losing to them in double overtime really hurt,” he said. “To come back and beat them was to start this last three-game win streak. To beat them shows we can hang with the big boys.”
Infante, a junior, is averaging just over 20 points a game and has had a pair of 30-point efforts, including a season-high 34 in a win over Seaford on Dec. 28.
“We knew going in that Franklin was the engine that runs us,” Collins said. “Our offense puts him in good spots. He’s a very smart player who knows when to take advantage of those spots.”
Senior Aidan O’Connor has provided secondary scoring with a 15-point average. He has six games of at least 20 points and his two free throws in the final minute against Shelter Island propelled the Rocks to a 50-45 victory on Dec. 14.
“Aidan is a very clutch player,” said Collins. “He’s the one as the shot clock is going down or as the quarter is going down, he’s either making the shot or making a very good pass to get us the shot. He’s our leading rebounder too.”
East Rockaway has already matched last season’s win total (eight) at press time and will conclude the regular season this Friday at Academy before heading to the Long Island Class C title game.
