Sleepy Hollow's Best Excelling with Greater Role

When you lose something you thought you would always have, you tend to appreciate it more when you get it back.

That's the case for Sleepy Hollow 6-foot-1 senior guard Justin Best. Best is a co-captain who is averaging 18 points per game for the Headless Horsemen this winter. He missed a significant amount of time last season with a knee injury.

Sleepy Hollow improved its record to 11-3 after a thrilling 54-53 win over league rival Hastings on Jan. 21. It was the second time Sleepy Hollow defeated Hastings this season, winning the first game 50-47.

"That was a very big win for us," said Best, who led Sleepy Hollow to the victory with a game-high 26 points. "It was a hard-fought league game, just like the first time when we played them. It was the type of game that you had to keep focused throughout, not get too low or too high when something bad or good happened."

Those are the type of games Best relishes so much more after missing a significant amount of playing time last year when he suffered a knee injury.

"I appreciate everything, from every game to every practice," said Best, a three-year varsity player. "I don't take anything for granted."

After what happened to him the previous season, he stresses to his teammates the importance of going all out each and every day in practice and games. Best said his teammates have helped him become the proficient scorer he has been this season.

"My teammates do a great job in getting the ball to me in the right places," said Best, who would like to play in college but doesn't know where he'd like to go yet. "My teammates are also good at setting screens for me. I try on my end to get points in transition, whether it's after a turnover or a rebound."

Besides getting help from his teammates, Best also credited first-year Sleepy Hollow coach Tony Baxter for fostering a positive attitude that has enabled the team to have the success it has enjoyed season.

"Our coach keeps us focused," Best said. "He makes sure that we are focused on the task at hand and that we don't get too ahead of ourselves. He keeps telling us to make sure to concentrate on what we are doing at the moment and to not look too far ahead."

That can be tough to do, especially when the Sleepy Hollow fan base has thoughts of playing in the Section 1 Final Four at the Westchester County Center in White Plains during the postseason. The way Sleepy Hollow has played this season, no one could blame the fans for having those thoughts.

Even Best admitted the thought of his squad playing there in the postseason is enticing.

 "After going 8-32 the last two years, going to the County Center this year would be great," Best said. "But we have a lot of work to do before then."