Rye Neck Basketball Heads to County Center

While their neighboring schools just a couple of miles down the Post Road at Mamaroneck HS and Rye HS have been the ones in recent years who, rightfully, have been garnering press and accolades for their strong boys basketball programs, it is Rye Neck who will be sending a team to the County Center this winter season.

“It feels great being the only team in the area to make it to the County Center honestly,” states RN All-Section player RJ Hutt. “It was a bummer seeing Mamaroneck come just short in making it in their tough loss to Scarsdale. It would have been a better feeling if both our teams we able to make it together.”

Rye Neck is headed to “The Mecca” where they will face #1 seed and Top 10-state ranked Valhalla Monday night February 27th at 8:15. Oh, and Valhalla beat Rye Neck by double digits in their two regular season meetings. One would think the Panthers would be nervous but these boys seem to have zero fear entering the game.

“We’re not going to let the moment pass so easily,” comments senior point guard Ronan West. “We’re playing our best right now because the team is closer than ever off the court.”

Any sports fan knows confidence is crucial. And Rye Neck is feeling it right now.

In Round 1 of the playoffs, RN hammered Blind Brook with a 21-1 first quarter that quickly turned a rivalry game into a blowout. Then in Round 2, Briarcliff felt the full fury of Rye Neck’s defense as Briarcliff had only 8 points at halftime and were losing 44-13 entering the 4th quarter. The final score was 55-25.

The team has of course been decent all season with a 14-6 record but a flip has been switched in the playoffs. The emergence of athletic big man Jaden Snow, a college-commit decathlete, has paired him with another powerful athlete in co-captain Luke West to patrol the paint and clean the glass. And the return of co-captain do-it-all Ronan West after a 4-game injury layoff means the team’s rotation is tight but versatile. Plus one must add the serious “dog in him” tenacity of guards Ethan Lithgow and Evan Janowitz.

Defense and senior leadership have been the big drivers of the success.

“Our seniors have just been making sure that everyone is locked in for the big moment,” states Hutt with conviction. “We know we have the team to do it, we just actually have to lock in.”

“The key during this run is with our defense,” chimes senior guard Ethan Lithgow. “Every game we’ve set the tone on the defensive end which translates to us scoring.”

The coaching staff have been relying on the seniors to set the tone. “RJ, Luke and Ronan got us locked in late in the year,” says Coach Mike Denman. “The practices and focus have been great.”

Rye Neck’s resurgence in the past two years deserves recognition. All small schools like Rye Neck can endure a roller coaster effect of wins and losses as limited grade sizes and fluctuation of talent have a major impact. But Coach Denman has overseen a major turnaround since he took over the program last year.

Under Denman’s guidance, Rye Neck has a regular season record of 31-9 and now an appearance in the Final Four. Prior to Denman’s arrival, the program hadn’t had a winning record for 8 years. The last RN team to play in the County Center was the iconic senior-heavy team led by Matt Franks in 2014.

It helps that All-Section player RJ Hutt is on the squad. The “20+10” senior is a long, jump-shooting talent who has flourished in Denman’s system, using an incredible shooting stroke to keep opponents throwing their hands up in frustration as he drops buckets from all over the court.

Can Rye Neck pull off the upset over Valhalla?

“We’re staying focused and determined to go all the way. We all have the same goal and it’s motivated us to push each other,” states Lithgow.

With this team being the only hoops squad from the Mamaroneck-Rye area still alive, a lot of local fans sure want to see them get that County Center win.