Experience-laden Teams Have Both Hampton Bays Basketball Squads Excited To Start The Season

Both the Hampton Bays boys and girls basketball teams are returning a wealth of experience — and at a time when the teams haven’t played a full season in two years, that could go a long way.

The boys return four of their five starters from last season’s COVID-19 shortened season. There are junior Kazmin Pensa-Johnson and sophomore Isaiah Lattanzio, both of whom give the team great size, each standing 6 feet 4 inches tall. Seniors Chris Sanchez and James Salas also return. Sanchez played in just one game last season due to a concussion and will be a key guard this season, while Salas will be the team’s key defensive stalwart, shutting down the opposing team’s most potent offensive threat. He can also shoot it from outside, according to head coach Noah Brown.

Brown said that his team is a bit loaded at the shooting guard position, with sophomore Patrick Donahue, junior Gianni Scotto and sophomore James Powers all currently battling it out for the starting job. He said all three bring something different to the table.

Tristan Goleski, a junior, returns to the team after taking last season off, and Brown said he will make an impact this season as well.

The rest of the team includes seniors Stephen Sutton, James Kiernan and James Clinton, and juniors William Mendel, Noah Thompson and Zack Hafemeister.

Brown is entering his first full season as head coach after taking over for longtime coach Pete Meehan in last season’s shortened campaign. He said it’s certainly been nice to have a full offseason with the teamm and he’s looking forward to the upcoming season.

“We basically played the month of February last season and that was it, so it’s much different, much better this time,” he said. “Now we get to grow as a program.

“Last year, everything was so rushed. We did have a summer league team that we played in Brookhaven, and all these guys had the opportunity to play together. Our practices and philosophies are different, in that we can now expand our defenses, expand our offenses. Last year was such a rush that we’d throw some plays in and figure out who was going where. Now we can work on fundamentals, layups, man-to-man and zone defenses. Now, everyone has a full season, with a preseason a few weeks before. It’s exciting.”

The Baymen finished 1-7 last season, and Brown thinks that record is what’s going to be able to make his team surprise its opponents this season. They will play in a strong League VI this season with Bayport/Blue Point, Elwood/John Glenn, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, Shoreham/Wading River and Wyandanch.

Hampton Bays hosted Rocky Point in a nonleague game on Tuesday night and is scheduled to play at Mattituck this Friday, December 3, at 6:30 p.m.

“There is a bit of a change of the guard with me taking over, and I think Hampton Bays can easily be overlooked by our competition — and that’s an advantage for us,” Brown said. “I’m trying to teach these guys to try use that in our games, that if you feel disrespected to knock the other team down. Let’s not accept mediocrity.

“And I think they’re buying in to that philosophy. They’ve played together in summer league — we’re not missing much from last year but we’re still young with sophomores and juniors and two seniors. We’re young and energetic. Honestly, I think we’ll surprise a few teams.”

The girls, like their male counterparts, are returning a bevy of experience, but head coach Darryl Johnson was clear: They will go as far as senior Kati Mounts takes them.

The returning All-Conference and All-League player is one of three players, along with Elle Dunkirk and Jordyn Meyers, who are entering their third year on varsity. Since Mounts averaged nearly a double-double last season, a lot will fall on her shoulders.

But Johnson said that for first time in quite a while, Mounts will have talent around her that will force teams to not double-team her, which they did last season. Haley Castaldo returns after opting out of last season, and freshman Asha Pensa-Johnson, who is Johnson’s daughter, also returns.

New to the team this season are juniors Sophia Corredor, Nicole Lupercio, Carly Dunn and Mia Camey, and freshman Victoria Madison.

“We have a lot of high hopes,” Johnson said. “The girls have been working really hard. They have bought into the philosophy of working hard, and it’s good to see them progress every day. The skill level and the knowledge has finally caught up to where it should be at a varsity level, and we finally have some help for Katie. As she goes, we go. She sets the tone on both sides of the ball.

“But with Asha having size, and speed up top with Hallie and Sophia, who can match up against anyone’s ones and twos, we’re going to create some turnovers. We hit six threes in the scrimmage with Pierson the other day. We haven’t made six threes total in the last four years.”

Hampton Bays opened the season with a tournament at Babylon on December 1 and 3 and will host Smithtown Christian in a nonleague game this Monday, December 6, at 4:30 p.m.