Thursday, October 1, 2026
Coming off a 38-28 defeat against Baldwin on Jan. 3, Uniondale boys’ basketball head coach Jaaz Styles was left with mixed feelings. Quick to praise an elite defensive performance, he had little to say about the Knights’ dreadful showing on offense in their first game back from the holiday break.
Styles had a week to sharpen his players for a high-profile matchup with Massapequa last Saturday. The Knights warmed up with a cruising 54-42 victory over Hicksville on Jan, 7, but in order to improve to 4-1 and move into a tie for first in Nassau AAA League 1, the Knights were going to need more against Massapequa. Junior guard Dylan Hickman answered the call.
In a virtuoso performance, Hickman scored 32 points against the Chiefs, all without a basket from beyond the arc. Down by as much as 12 in the first half, Hickman essentially carried the Knights to a roaring comeback, sealing a 55-47 victory in overtime.
“He scored more than half of our points,” Styles said. “If someone does that, you can call it a pretty good night. So, 32 out of about 55, he definitely carried us, and we needed every bucket to take a nice eight-point win in overtime.”
According to Styles, Hickman scored all of Uniondale’s points in the second quarter, keeping the Knights in contention at a crucial point. In their last two losses against Baldwin and Farmingdale, Uniondale had not managed to score more than 34 points as a team.
Before conference play began, Styles went out of his way to prepare his players with tough non-league competition, against which Uniondale showed early promise, taking a hard-fought 55-51 defeat against Chaminade. The coach even arranged a preseason exhibition game against Long Island Lutheran.
Sharp in AAA play from the very beginning, sophomore Jayden Oden has worked right alongside Hickman in lifting Uniondale into postseason contention. A developing presence in the paint, he made an immediate impression with a 26-point performance against Syosset on Dec. 15.
“He's just imposing on the inside, on the offensive glass with his midrange game,” Styles said. “He also puts other teams in tough situations where usually their front court gets in some foul trouble at some point in the game, which helps us. If there was any rim protection, now there's none. He's an enforcer for us.”
With an imposing top pair dominating on offense, others have managed to find opportunities through mismatches and open looks. Sophomore Jayden Barrows was Uniondale’s second-highest scorer in a 53-43 win over Hempstead on Dec. 13, while freshman Cameron Ockimey has caught fire from beyond the perimeter in multiple victories.
Uniondale’s production on offense has been spotty at times, but the defense has been consistently stifling and has defined the Knights to this point. Often anchored by Barrows, they have not allowed more than 60 points through nine games, with Syosset coming closest in a 62-58 Uniondale win on Dec. 15.
With senior Darren Brown expected to retake the floor soon, Uniondale’s starting five might be shaping up just in time. On Tuesday, after Herald press time, the Knights met Plainview-JFK for sole control of first place in League 1.
With a 10-1 overall record, the Hawks will be favorites at home, but Uniondale will get another chance at home on Feb. 10. It’s distinctly possible that those two games decide each team’s season.
