Courting a Youth Movement

After a 5–12 record last season, the Long Beach girls' basketball team is working to re-invent itself. With only one senior on the squad, head coach Lori DeVivio will  look team-wide for offensive contributions and insist that defense become their strength. 

"We had a rough year last year," DeVivio said. "And we have a big youth movement going on." 

The lone senior is Raenna Georgopolous, a center who welcomes the challenge of being the go-to girl. 

"Honestly, being the only senior on the team, I take it as a positive," Georgopolous said. "The younger girls come to me for advice. Whenever they need help, they know I'm there for them." 

DeVivio feels that the conference re-alignment that has affected the entire Long Beach High School sports program helps the Marines. "The teams that we're playing against, in my heart I feel we match up well with and we have a better playoff chance," said DeVivio. 

The Marines will be looking out for all three teams in the "Bell-Merrick Triangle," (Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham) as well as Carey, Great Neck South, Elmont and Valley Stream Central. 

"Mepham will be making some noise," said DeVivio. "Great Neck South will be as well. I feel like the conference is wide open though." 

DeVivio was a defensive back for the New York Sharks of the women's tackle football league, so she knows a little about using good defense to generate offense.

"We're going to be a defense-minded team," said DeVivio. "We don't have a proven scorer. That actually makes it better for every girl on this team. They're all going to have an opportunity to step into that role." 

Molly Martin may be the most likely candidate to fill the scoring void. Martin started at power forward as a freshman and worked hard in the offseason, both alone and with the coaching staff.

Martin feels quietly confident that this might be a special season for the team. "I feel good," said the soft-spoken sophomore with the big smile. "I feel like we could go far this year." 

The journey starts with a non-league match-up at Uniondale on Dec. 13. Tip-off is 4:30 p.m. The next day, the Marines return home to take on the Sailors of Oceanside at the same hour.