Blue Waves boys hoops looking to build on last year’s success

Pat Fabian’s first year as head coach of the Riverhead boys hoops squad saw the team go from a 3-16 record to 12-10, earning its first playoff berth since 2019. The Blue Waves even won their first-round playoff matchup against Commack.

It was a tremendous turnaround for the program, but entering into a new season, Riverhead is looking to build on that success and prevent a year-two hangover.

“The main thing is, I need the kids to understand that it’s a new season,” Fabian said. “Just because we had success last year doesn’t mean we are obligated to have the same success this year. We still have to have the same mentality of playing hard for the whole 32 minutes, every game.”

This year presents a major hole in the lineup. Riverhead lost two of its stars to graduation in Liam Lennon and Deshawn Watkins. Lennon was the team captain and voice of the team. He provided size, heart and hustle. He led by example. Watkins was a threat to score every time he stepped on the court. He averaged 16.1 points per game and scored as many as 41 points on one occasion.

“Those are big shoes to fill,” Fabian said. “Those guys were leaders on our team. We have a lot of talent returning, and everyone is going to have to chip in to have success. We need our top guys to be the leaders this year.”

Three starters return to the unit from last year. Peter Lagnena is entering his final year as a Blue Wave and in scrimmages thus far has been lighting up the net from deep. The shooting guard averaged around 12 points per game last year and is going to be stepping into a major role this season.

“We’re doing our best to put the best product on the floor,” Lagnena said. “We’ve all been working hard all off-season, trying to get better and blend together as a team. We’re truly a family on and off the court.”

Anaiis Mitchell, who has been the facilitator at the point guard spot since his freshman year, will need to take on the scoring load in his junior season. He’s shown flashes of his ability to get inside and finish strong at the rim — occasionally throwing down dunks in transition. He scored as many as 21 in a game last season. 

“I’ve always been a pass-first point guard,” Mitchell said. “I love to get everybody involved in the offense. But losing two of our big scorers, we all need to get more aggressive, including myself. I think we got a lot of great players this year and can find the same success if we believe in ourselves.”

In the off-season leagues, Landon Zaleski stepped up as a major contributor in the scoring column. He routinely scored 20 points a game by hitting outside jumpers and finding his way into the paint. A junior this year, Zaleski will be a major part of this offense and defense. 

Two transfers headline this year’s team. Josiah Rodney, who previously played at Riverhead before transferring to Southampton last year, is back this year. In his senior season, he’ll be able to score with the best of them and provide that key player inside for crucial rebounds. Arnezz Rountree, a guard from Bellport, will round out the starting five for Fabian. He’s got scoring ability, hustle and bounce.

“We definitely missed Josiah last year, so we’re thrilled he’s back with us,” Fabian said. “We expect him to be a major contributor. He can score off the ball and run the floor well. Arnezz is a flat-out true basketball player. He’s got a motor. He’s long. He’s lanky. He’s fast, and he works really hard.”

A major change this year has been the interest level in basketball in general. This year, the varsity team has 16 players and the JV team has 18. 

“The buzz is back in school,” Lagnena said. “People want to be on a winning team. I think last year showed what we can do and more want to be a part of it.”

Fabian couldn’t go deep in his bench last year and had to rely on the starters to play big minutes. In big games, the starting five would stay out the entire 32 minutes, barring foul trouble. By the end of the game, legs were gone, but they pushed through.

“We truly have depth now,” Fabian said. “I don’t mind going 9 or 10 deep in a game now. It’s going to be a massive difference in our ability to finish games. I have confidence in all the guys on the team.”

Also expected to be major contributors who played big minutes last year are Jack Bartolo and Sentrell Hires. The rotation is still being worked out, but everybody will have a role.

“Our job as returners is to make everyone feel comfortable,” Mitchell said. “The faster we can get a feel for what everyone’s role is going to be, the faster we’ll be able to find success. We did a great job this off-season figuring out what we have. Now we just need to put it all together.”

Riverhead opens its season on Thursday, Dec. 4, in a non-league home game against Ward Melville at 4:30 p.m.