BY RICHARD KUSHNER | The Seward Park High School boys varsity basketball team is flourishing this season. Their in-conference record is 9-1, the best in many years.
They are coached by Wallace Simpson, a North Carolina native who came to New York City 10 years ago. Simpson has had a lot to learn about Big Apple basketball but was able to pick it up fast. His assistants, Eddie Lau, Brian MacCullum and Pete Markovics, have been instrumental in bringing the team to its current pinnacle.
The young Seward Park players have a mix of backgrounds and hail from the local neighborhood and the boroughs. All races are included on the roster.
The senior class boasts D’Andre McLamb, the team’s star and high scorer. D’Andre has had several college scouts at the team’s games watching him, and we hope he receives a scholarship from one of them.
Drew Billingsley, who transferred in this year, along with point guard Xavier Jennings, have also gotten considerable attention. Rounding out the starting five is Gabriel Jacquez at center and Kevin Won, the team’s three-point specialist.
The Fire Island Basketball Tournament has somewhat adopted the Seward Park boys because of my interest in the team. I’m the commissioner of the Fire Island Tournament, which occurs in Ocean Beach on three weekends at the end of each summer. I started consulting for Coach Simpson five years ago, and from then on have been an integral part in helping the young men in areas related and unrelated to basketball.
I have gotten the men from the Fire Island Tournament to watch the team and help out in turning these young boys into men and letting them see some of the world outside of their immediate neighborhood. Our Fire Island players acting as mentors to the boys has enabled some of them to get jobs and get into college.
We sincerely hope that the Fire Island Basketball Tournament will continue to assist and mentor these young men in the future and give them some of the opportunities that we were blessed to have.
Continuing their winning ways, last Thursday, Seward Park beat Stuyvesant High School handily, 68-48.
Stuyvesant is always well coached and prepared, and has been Seward Park’s nemesis for several years. However, this season and last the tide has turned. The Bears from Grand St. also trounced the Peglegs 61-24 back on Dec. 3.
