Blue Devils Ready for another Run at Suffolk Crown
The Huntington girls’ basketball team emerged as a state ranked power last winter when the Blue Devils won their first 21 games before dropping a one-point decision to Harborfields in the Suffolk Class A final. Now, nine months later, the team is ready to make another run at the crown.
“We return seven players from last season’s team,” said head coach Brad Reminick, who will be assisted by Kim Betz. “Obviously we will be led by Kerry Hicks, Casey Scully, Julie Forster and Maria Marascia.” Those four players are among the best in the county and Huntington needs each of them to perform in order to be serious contenders for the Suffolk title.
The Blue Devils will again face a tough league slate, but the team will also be challenged by non-league foes and that’s just what Reminick wants. “Our non-league schedule will be the most competitive we have played in a number of years,” he said. “Kings Park returns most of their players and we have developed quite a rivalry with them over the last two years. Herricks will be one of the strongest teams in Nassau this year and the Northport Shootout will feature six of the best in Suffolk. I think it will help us when we go down the stretch and hopefully in the playoffs.”
The 2006 Blue Devil team was the best in the school’s history, but as remarkable as the season was, that was then and this is now. “We have committed to the idea that last season is dead,” Reminick said. “We don’t even want to talk about it this year. We want to finish what we started last year. So 21 games in a row was nice, but in the end we came up short. The captains all said that the end result is what matters.”
Scully, Hicks and Forster will captain the hungry squad. Players have all bought into the “team first” philosophy of Reminick. Huntington’s “Big Three” are each very talented in their own right and when they are on the floor together make up a strong nucleus with Hicks being the floor general, Scully one of Suffolk’s top defenders and Forster a threat on both ends of the court. Add in Marascia, who came off the bench last winter to spark numerous wins and who has a place in the starting lineup this year, and the Blue Devils are an impressive group.
Two key players from last winter will be missing. Kailene Abt (Notre Dame) and Morgan Hughes (Univ. of New Hampshire) are college freshmen and Reminick is working with his cast to fill their slots.
“Losing Kailene and Morgan will hurt but someone will have to fill those roles,” Reminick said. “Matte Scully and Jane Mitchell will have every opportunity to win a starting spot. We will rely heavily upon our guard play. Casey will be the catalyst of the defense and Maria, Kerry, and Julie will be the backbone of our team on both ends.”
The roster also includes Meredith McCourt, Caitlin Ortiz, Lauren Visbal, Lisa Marino, Cecilia Reyes and Liz Northcote. Each of the players will be called upon to contribute in some way.
The Blue Devil girls’ team became the new buzz in town last winter and as the season wore on, crowds grew larger and larger with each game. Several crowds neared standing room only. That is expected to continue with another strong team.
“We are going to be fun to watch and obviously we want to run the Huntington fast break,” Reminick said. “Defense will be the key to the season. We have to play faster than we did last year and I think we can do it. It’s time for Julie and Maria to become stars on this team. If they both continue to grow, then the sky is the limit for this team. They both should be shooting for All-county honors this year.”
Reminick expects Harborfields, Sayville and Eastport-South Manor to be formidable league opponents, but doesn’t plan to take any team for granted. It was Harborfields that nipped the Blue Devils last winter for the county crown.
Huntington’s players and coaches have an ambitious set of goals for the season, including qualifying for the playoffs and winning league and county championships. “Our goals have changed over the years and I think we are ready for the pressure,” Reminick said. “Obviously we don’t care what the score is this year, we just need ‘one more point’ and I think that is the motto this year. We came up one point shy our last game. This year we try to win out.”
Blue Devil Notes: Reminick enters his fifth season with a career mark of 43-35, including 34-8 the past two years . . . Hicks was named All-State last winter . . . Huntington’s league title in 2007 was the school’s first in the sport in 12 years.
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