Baymen Celebrate Winning Season

Every year, the coaches get together and select one coach in the conference to honor as “Coach of the Year.” This year the coach of the year for Boys Varsity Basketball is Oyster Bay High School Coach Jim Frauenberg. Coach Frauenberg led the Baymen Basketball Team all the way to the Count Championship Final game. The Baymen fell to Wheatley in a heartbreaker to end their season. It is always hard to shake the memory of a loss that ends the season, but once the dust has settled, the team can look back on the season as a whole and be very proud of a tremendous effort.

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When asked, Coach of the Year Jim Frauenberg commented on the season and his hopes for the future.

“Saturday was really tough for the kids. They played their hearts out, but it just wasn't our day. This year was very exciting and my most enjoyable. It was very refreshing to come to practice and be around a group of kids that worked hard every day and wanted to get better. Our senior leadership was second to none. David Carl was an All-County selection and led the team in scoring this season. He is a three year Varsity starter and the heart of the team. Watching David grow into a leader was a thrill to watch. He came to practice every day and made sure the guys were giving 100%, often asking his defenders to play him harder so he could get better. David Carl is a great kid and as a graduating senior, he will be missed.

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Jason Velasquez, an All-Conference selection, was a match up nightmare for all teams we played this year. His unique ability to drive to the basket and create easy shots for everyone was a big key to our success. He was a tough kid that rebounded, played defense, and made the hustle plays for us.

Austin Seaman was our defensive leader this season. His offense really came alive late in games for us, often leading in scoring in games down the stretch. Austin was the back line to our defense and was often asked to guard players 4 or 5 inches bigger than him. He always stepped up to the challenge.

Getting over the loss in the county championship has been tough, but the future looks bright. We are returning three starters including All-County player Nick Carbone. Nick was second in Nassau County in three pointers made with 59. He is a hard working kid that will be our leader.

We also are returning our point guard, and All-Conference player Rob Venegas. Rob had an excellent junior year and was top five in Nassau County in assists.

Our third starter is Chris Papantoniou. He was called up as a freshman and started in our playoff game. He injured his ankle and missed six games this year and was still or third leading scorer. We are expecting a big year from him with a full Varsity season under his belt.

Our JV team, coached by OBHS Alum Dustin Abbate, had their best finish in the last five years, finishing second in the conference. What bodes well for next year is that the team finished very strong, going 5-2 in their last seven games. It took some time for them to adapt to high school basketball, but their hard work and persistence paid off with a great year.

We have experienced players as well as a blend of newcomers next year and it has me excited for the future. We will be asking all returning Varsity players to step up and be leaders for our younger guys and continue to have exciting, winning seasons.”

The Baymen performed so well in a tough conference. They ended the season as Conference Co-Champions. They shared the honor with Wheatley, the team that won the County Championship. The Baymen can be proud of winning the Tom Robinson Basketball Tournament in December where the faced off against schools from other conferences and much bigger schools.