Local H.S. Basketball Teams Share Common Bond

2015 might not seem long ago to an adult. But to a junior in high school, 7 years ago is almost half his life.

It was then that a group of boys from Mamaroneck played basketball on an unconventional team for a short period. And now, in 2022, though divided into two separate local high schools, the boys are seeing their common bond resurface.

“That very first Machine game we ever played in 3rd or 4th grade we played against Edgemont, it took us like the whole half to even score. But then it was on. That really started my basketball career,” says Mamaroneck’s Aidan Roy, the team’s leading scorer. “I think I’d be a total soccer kid if not for those first teams.”

The boys varsity basketball programs at Mamaroneck and Rye Neck have some obvious similarities in this 21-22 season: the programs are thrilled to be playing given the dark cloud of COVID the past two seasons; they share a home town; and they both sport very impressive records to start the season (Mamaroneck is 10-3, Rye Neck 11-2 as of press time). The similarity continues in the players themselves.

10 total players on these varsity squads, including 7 starters, were members of the same youth basketball team as youngsters going back to 4th Grade. The Machine was the name of one team, formed to play anywhere, anytime against opponents from NY, NJ and CT. The other was the Mamaroneck Tri-County Basketball team, a travel team from the area. Some boys happened to live on different sides of Mamaroneck Avenue. Now, as juniors, this bunch of ballers has risen through the ranks to be the leading scorers and form the cores of their varsity high school teams.

While Mamaroneck plays in the AA conference for the largest teams in Section 1 and Rye Neck in Class B with other small schools, their paths will not cross on the hardwood this winter. Yet the boys don’t lack for confidence should they meet up.

“It’s not even fair!” yells Aaron Bard when asked who’d win a Mamaroneck vs Rye Neck game. “I think if we play Rye Neck it’d be a massacre,” echoes Aidan.

“I think it’d be us," counters Rye Neck’s leading scorer RJ Hutt. “We have good players and have good enough of a team to win.”

Friendly bravado and ridiculous teasing rises to the surface as the boys think back on one another as young kids: “the Bards are total goofballs!” “Big Boy Ronan!” “Isaac was so chill!” “Ethan was sneaky obsessed!”

A major theme emerges when listening to these players talk about their journey from youngsters to high school players. The topics of discipline, confidence and hard work continue to rise to the surface. These players definitely know that the game of basketball is mental.

“Confidence really matters. I think a lot of kids get down on themselves for any mistake. I used to get down on myself. But we built toughness back then and now I try to really just move on from mistakes,” says Isaac Friedman, Mamaroneck’s combo guard. “I think if my teammates didn’t keep grinding, then I’d probably stop grinding as well. When Aidan works out, it encourages me to want to work out, encourages Ethan to work out, and down to everyone.”

“Toughness is important,” chimes in Nate Bard of Mamaroneck. “We learned that early on.”

In different discussions with different players, one word kept popping up: discipline.

“We were a very disciplined team back then. With us four on varsity here in Rye Neck, I think you see that in our character. We’ve never really changed. We don’t question the coach. We play really hard,” states Alex Musicus of Rye Neck. “Working hard is key. We used to have hard practices and hard games when we were young. So working hard is crucial to our progress right now,” claims RJ.

Another thing that was baked into these players: winning. The Machine and Tri-County squad went undefeated for 2 years at the Hooperstown gym in Mt Vernon, beating teams in leagues, AAU tourneys, and even earning a ranking as one of the top teams in the Northeast.

Like all high schoolers, the present is what matters now, though. When talking to them for this piece, the boys all were bursting with pride to play for their town and school. Their memories of watching high school games as youngsters morph into the reality of being the stars themselves. “I remember we played at halftime of the Tiger Tournament. We were so little! And Coach Carver came around to fist bump us. He said we looked good! Those varsity players were heroes and now it’s us. That’s a great feeling,” reminisces big man Ethan Glassman.

“When we were kids, we idolized the high school players. That’s who we looked up to. But now being in this position it’s a little humbling. Playing in front of my friends and family, it’s really nice, it’s a really great atmosphere,” says Musicus. “Our team chemistry is very good this year. It’s a wild experience playing on varsity with friends who I’ve known for so long. Its finally here and we’re ready.”

Luke Bates of Mamaroneck drives the point home: “Our familiarity makes our chemistry a lot better.”

How this 2021-2022 high school basketball season ends for the boys, well, who knows? Injuries, unusual schedules, COVID … those are just some of the X factors impacting any sports team right now. The Mamaroneck and Rye Neck squads are on track to complete very strong seasons as the playoffs loom in February.

But this group of juniors have already had an impact on their programs. Not all of the players are stars and there are, of course, very strong players in other grades on their teams who didn’t share the same youth team experiences. Yet these 10 players seem intent on leaving their mark in ways that go beyond wins and losses. Two of the most fiery and competitive players back then and still to this day, Aidan and Rye Neck’s Ronan West sum it up best:

Aidan: “We’ve created an atmosphere because we’ve been together this long, on and off the court. This is our time and we’re working hard to create it.”

Ronan: “It’s all about culture and attitude. You have to love the game, the practice, the guys, the bus, the road trips. You have to be driven and disciplined if you want to create something special.”