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.

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Bay Shore was 19-1 this year — the defending Long Island champions. They made it all the way to the state finals, while the Blue Waves had just three wins all of last year. 

Riverhead fought. They were without their leading scorer in Deshawn Watkins but that didn’t matter. The Blue Waves showed heart and given the urgency of their opponent’s timeouts, they definitely worried the Bay Shore coaches during the game.

With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, junior guard Peter Lagnena hit two consecutive threes — one from so far behind the three-point line it could have come from another planet — and it electrified the Riverhead crowd at Bay Shore High School. It cut the lead to six, and after a Landon Zaleski free throw, the lead was only five. 

“I really felt that was a game changer for us,” Riverhead head coach Pat Fabian said. “I think it really sparked a belief in our guys that we can hang with a team like this.”

Sophomore point guard Anaiis Mitchell was running on fumes trying to keep pace with the Bay Shore offense, a classic run-and-gun type team. He registered 13 assists in the game and never came off the court. Depth was an issue for the Blue Waves all season And without Watkins, that made things even tougher.

Fabian used just a six-man rotation against Bay Shore, and everyone on the court was simply exhausted and slowing down. That fatigue really set in during the fourth quarter. Zaleski would hit a triple to close the deficit to six points again, but that’s as close as Riverhead got.

“The guys really left it all out there,” Fabian said. “They gave it everything they had. I’ve never been more proud of a group. I’ve coached for 10 years, and today was my proudest moment.”

Bay Shore got into their typical fast break offense after coming away with turnovers by pressing and trapping the Blue Waves. Riverhead just didn’t have the experience nor the energy to stop the bleeding. At one point in the game, there were three sophomores and two juniors on the court at the same time. Bay Shore posted an 18-5 fourth quarter to run away and advance to the semifinals.

Lagnena and Zaleski both scored 16 points for the Blue Waves. Liam Lennon, the lone senior in the starting lineup, scored nine and Mitchell added eight.

Nobody pegged Riverhead (8-4 League I, 12-10 overall) as a playoff team this year. Three players who were expected to be part of the varsity team this year left the area. There was also a first time head coach in Fabian, who was the assistant last year. But the Blue Waves exceeded those early expectations and even took it a step further by winning the first round game against No. 10 Commack.

There were a lot of unknowns going into this season. This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year by all intents and purposes. But the players in the gym felt otherwise. 

“We knew we were going to need to bring up younger guys from JV,” Fabian said. “They were going to be a part of the team anyway but not to this extent and to have roles this large. Our young guys had to grow up fast this season and this year’s experience only helps us going into next year.”

Nobody on this roster had ever tasted the varsity playoffs before. This was all new for everyone. But it’s really encouraging to return most of the squad next year. Zaleski, Mitchell and Jack Bartolo are all sophomores. Lagnena and Sentrell Hires are juniors. Yes, they lose Lennon and Watkins — a major part of the success this season — but the majority returns next year.

“Before the season I said that our success wouldn’t be dictated by wins and losses,” Fabian said. “But after this year’s run, we need to reshape our expectations. We know we belong with the best in Suffolk County. And we’re going to work like hell this offseason to make sure our expectations get met.”

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