The Offseason

By Joseph P. (12)

Now that the basketball season is over for the Blue Devils, they are now reflecting on the season.

As a player in any team, you’ll have to look back on the season and point out all the strengths and

weaknesses of your game. The Blue Devils had a tough season this year on both ends, the Boys’

losing their playoff chance in the final games, and the Girls’, losing the first round of the playoffs. It

was a valiant effort, but it wasn't enough to push the Baruch teams to the top.

On a personal note, this was the best season I’ve ever had. Averaging almost 17 points per game

with almost 10 rebounds, my summer practice had truly showed. I was doing what I was supposed

to be doing, but I wasn’t entirely great. My defense was atrocious compared to my offense. And

even in my offense, I forced many shots and had costly turnovers. It was learning experience, and I

will be trying to play college ball.

As many of the seniors on both teams will be leaving, it will make the team different, as they can’t

rely on players to do things for them. They’ll have to do it on their own now. They have to use

everybody, even if they weren’t even close to what the seniors had done. It’s a matter of

teamwork and understanding what someone is capable of doing.

It’s now time to bulk up, to practice your game in whatever sport you played. Practicing by yourself

is key. It’s sacrificing time of your own to become better.

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Crunch Time

As the final weeks of regular season basketball began, the Boys’ basketball team had one thing in mind: getting to the playoffs. As hard as it sounded, we knew we had the potential and determination to win, and to be recognized as a team that could win. Our first game of the week was against East Side Community. Back in our first meeting, the Blue Devils fell short, losing by 6 in the final, crucial moments of the game. But with a new mind set, we easily set off to a big lead, and never gave up the lead, easily striding over East Side Community, 57-46.

We then played against PACE, who we had also lost to before by 12. A game where Joseph Park exploded for 29 points, but still could not fend off the PACE basketball team. Two starters were injured, and the game started off with numerous amounts of turnovers. As the game progressed, we were able to shorten the lead, but still lost 73-47, showing how losing two key players dug a hole for our team.

ICE, another good team, had beaten us the first time, but the game was forfeited, and Baruch had come up with the win. But ICE did not have the previous energy they had in our first meeting, and the game was close for the first half. But as the second half started, we lost control  of the game, and easily let ICE pass through our defense, losing the game, 62-43.

As we waited for our next game, against American Sign Language, we were determined to win. We had lost to ASL the previous game by 2, because we (AS A TEAM, NOT AN INDIVIDUAL), could not come up with 2 crucial rebounds. But for this game, we had no practice, and as the game started, we were off to a terrific lead, 29-13 in the first half. But all the magic had gone from our fingers, and by the end of the third quarter, we were trailing 37-36. As the game painfully wore on, turnovers and missed shots pushed up away from ASL, as they finished the game, 60-52.

That was the end of our playoff dream. Had we won that game against ASL, we could’ve gone to the playoffs, but our team could not win together, and as we look forward to our last game against M.H.S, all we could think about is finishing the season with pride. It was a great run, and even though we fell short, we all improved, which was the key to most of our success.

-Joseph P (12)

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2-1 & 3-3

2-1

A great start to the new season, the boys won at home against Henry Street 62-44. The Boys’
team is currently on a 2 game winning streak, and we’ll see to it that it will continue to rise.

The game started off with the Blue Devils winning the tip, and easily rallied for a 6 point lead
early on. As halftime came, we were still up by 6, but as Coach Soskind had said, “we should not be
winning by 6, but rather, by 16.” The game was close at the half, just like the game we had against JKO,
but as the second half started, we were easily sliding through their defense, getting steals, simple plays,
and although our defense wasn’t working correctly, we were able to manage an 18-point lead against a
team we had to beat. The game was another improvement both offensively and defensively. Everyone
played in the game, except for those that were injured, and we were able to use everyone to score, to
do anything that would help win us the game. In the end, the fans were a great support to our team,
and we’ll continue to win!



3-3
As the season for the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team continues, the final record as of this week is 3-3. This
week was a bad week of basketball, since we lost 3 straight games. (The game against ICE was forfeited
because ICE did not have their roster up, which means an automatic defeat, even if they won the game).

On Tuesday, we opened up a game against East Side Community, who was off to a poor start in the
season. The intensity level for East Side was overwhelming our team, and we were down early, giving up
12 easy points to East Side in the 1st quarter. The whole game, East Side had held the lead until the 4th
quarter, where we started to make a run, and eventually at the final minute, Peter Lok stole the ball and
scored the game-tying lay-up. Then we fouled, and they were up by 1 point. I lost the ball at the end of
the game, which caused us to lose, but when the scores were checked again, we had actually lost by 6,
so we would have never came back.

The next game was against PACE, and we started off with amazing intensity, and PACE was not ready
both defensively and offensively. As the game continued however, we began to lose intensity, and our
defensive plays were not going well. We weren’t rebounding by boxing out, and we weren’t playing with
confidence. We lost the game by 12, but it should’ve been a close game.

The final game was against Eleanor Roosevelt Huskies, who proved to be a tough team from the start.
They were intimidating, with a 6’6” center, but height doesn’t win games; the better team wins. We got
off to a poor start, scoring only 3 points nearing the end of the first quarter. As the game progressed, we
were able to get some points here and there, but ultimately, ELRO dominated the entire game, and we
lost by double digits for our second straight game.
We need to play better as a team and make the right decisions. We were not controlling our tempo, but
making our own plays which weren’t working. We’ll continue to improve, and we hope to see more fans
come out to our games!

-Joseph P. (12)

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2-1

                A great start to the new season, the boys won at home against Henry Street 62-44. The Boys’ team is currently on a 2 game winning streak, and we’ll see to it that it will continue to rise.

                The game started off with the Blue Devils winning the tip, and easily rallied for a 6 point lead early on. As halftime came, we were still up by 6, but as Coach Soskind had said, “we should not be winning by 6, but rather, by 16.” The game was close at the half, just like the game we had against JKO, but as the second half started, we were easily sliding through their defense, getting steals, simple plays, and although our defense wasn’t working correctly, we were able to manage an 18-point lead against a team we had to beat. The game was another improvement both offensively and defensively. Everyone played in the game, except for those that were injured, and we were able to use everyone to score, to do anything that would help win us the game. In the end, the fans were a great support to our team, and we’ll continue to win!

Joseph P. (12)

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Boys Varsity pre-game practice (against Henry St.)

The Lui brothers. On the left is Edward Lui (the older brother) and on the right is William Lui (the  younger brother). 

Individual shots of players shooting around. 

William Lui, sophomore. 

Joseph Park, senior, and Spencer Tibbals, senior. 

Peter Lok, senior. 

Kenny Li, sophomore.

Edward Lui, senior, and James Davis, senior.

Brendon Chan, sophomore. 

The boys working on press breaker. 

The boys working on press breaker. 

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Scrimmages 2 and 3

On Tuesday, the boys’ varsity team had a scrimmage against another division A team. It was an away game, up in the Bronx, and we weren’t entirely ready for it, especially their full court presses. But we needed to see what to work on before we entered our league games.
The games started off with a 3-pointer by me, but the quarter didn’t go well from there, and we trailed early, 11-5. It seemed like a game that we could catch up in, but the game was slowly loosening from our grip, and soon we were done by double our score.
Eventually, in the fourth quarter, we started to pick up, pressuring the ball and forcing turnovers. But by then it was too late, and we fell, 46-32 (not entirely sure what the score was, the scoreboard was weird). We hadn’t improved at all, except on our defense, which was still lacking in many areas.
The third scrimmage we had was at home, on Wednesday, the day before thanksgiving break. It was against another division A team, Beacon. We wanted to improve again, but this game wasn’t the game to improve upon. We started the quarter off slow, trailing again.
As the game progressed, we could barely scrape up points, until the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, we’re usually active. We got the game a little closer, but ended up losing, through a scratchy game.
But what we took away from this was that we saw our weaknesses, and how our team wasn’t on the same pace. But we’ll still improve from there, because the game is about making you and your teammates better, not just winning games.

Joseph Park (12)

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First Scrimmage

                Last week on Friday, the boys’ varsity team had a scrimmage against an out-of-league team. They were a division A team, and we were in division B, so it looked to be a challenge.

                The game started off slowly, both teams making bad passes, and no one really playing with intensity. Then Peter Lok scored, and the other team did as well. It was 2-2, and from there, we started to pull away. Peter Lok scored again, and then I (Joey P) scored 7 points to end the quarter at 11-4. We had shut them down on defense.

                But when the second quarter began, we lost our touch. After the first 5 minutes had come and gone, we still hadn’t scored. The other team had already caught up and passed us, and from there, we were never able to recover.

                The intensity level had gone, and we couldn’t break done their defense, and in the end, the boys’ team lost 33-44, but we had proven that we can do well against a zone defense. We will continue to work harder to break down any kind of defense, and build up our intensity along the way.

                Come out and support the team! We will be posting game dates as the season goes along. C:

 Joseph P.

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The importance of a drill

Basketball tryouts had taken place last week, starting form Monday and ending on Friday. The
Head Coach, Howard Soskind had said that he doesn’t even know who will be cut, but that shouldn’t
stop us from playing basketball. Michael Jordan was cut from his High School basketball team, but that
didn’t stop him from being one of the greatest basketball players ever.

Tryouts had started out with simple drills, and a scrimmage. It may have seemed easy enough,
but what we didn’t think about was what a drill was trying to teach us. A passing drill may be fairly easy,
but if you don’t understand certain points about a passing drill, you fail to throw/catch a pass in a real
game. When we pass the ball, you shouldn’t be standing in one place and passing the ball, but moving
with the ball. The player who is catching the ball doesn’t just stand in one place, but rather moves
towards the ball to make it both an easier and safe pass. You don’t want the opposing team going right
through the passing lane, getting a steal, and scoring an easy lay-up.

We take too many things for granted in basketball, instead, what matters are the small,
important fundamentals of the game.

Joseph P. (12)

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Basketball Try-outs/practice - Boys & Girls

BOYS

The boys first started out with some light stretching individually and then a light jog around the perimeter of the gymnasium for ten laps. 

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After then, they move on to some arm stretches and more leg stretches - with 16 seconds each. James Davis of the senior class lead these stretches and he took turns with the rest of the group to count sixteen seconds per each stretch. 

[Images]

After the warm up, the boys went on to practice some lay-ups. Starting with some right hand lay-ups then moved on to left hand lay-ups. These were lead by the seniors including, Peter Lok, Jeremy Nadel and others with some help from juniors like Brian Chu and William Yu. It might seem easy, but it can become very complicated with the boys circulating and several balls bouncing at the same time. 

[Images]

Next, they practiced some jump shots. 

[Images] 

Following the jump shot are handles, which is basically dribbling with one hand after the next hand. 

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Defense drills came next including defense stances- sliding along the perimeter of the line. 

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Horseshoe shots were next. They slowly distant themselves away from the hoop as they took turns taking shots.

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Subsequently are practice games! It can be pretty intense, boys against boys divided into teams of shirts and skins. 

[Images/Videos]

By Kristy M. (12)

Images and videos will be uploaded ASAP - Please be patient!

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Practice vs. Game

That first game you play in, you don’t know what to expect. You’re teammates think they know
what’s going to happen, but they’re wrong. The first game, you think you’re prepared, but you never
are. Practice and a real game are different. You may be making every shot in practice, you may be doing
all the drills correctly, but in a game situation, doing a drill correctly won’t help you win a game. Players
and athletes can tell the difference as soon as they step onto the court.

I remember my first game; I had only attended a couple of practices. My teammates felt pretty
confident in winning. They kept saying, “How much should we win by? 20? 30?” And I kept quiet. I had
no intention of becoming part of this nonsense. It’s the first game, how do you know what’s going to
happen?

As the first game came and went, we lost by 28. All I could think of was, Who knew? My
teammates felt out-of-place when they changed out of their uniforms in the locker room. I had a pretty
decent game, but it had not felt like anything we did in practice, except maybe the running. The drills we
had practiced came into play here and there, but ultimately, it’s about chemistry, about your own game
when you play. So before you think you can win a game because you had good practices, think twice.
Don’t let talk get in the way of what you know that you can actually achieve.

Joseph P. (12)

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Your Team

Image by Michelle Yan (2011)

               Every time I step onto the court, I feel like we have a chance to get the win. But after the 1^st half, and we’re down by let’s say, 10, we all start to shoot angry words at each other. Words such as: “You have to keep moving” or “They suck, we’re just not getting stops.” And I have to admit. They don’t suck. If they do suck, what does that make you? Trash? I don’t see why people try to say that the other team can’t play. If they couldn't  why are they on the team? So before you open up your mouth and say something you know isn't true, then don’t talk at all. It’s not the other team, it’s you. The same thing can be said if you’re up by 10. The other team doesn't suck, you’re just playing better.

                Teammates know that in order for your team to win, you have to stay with each other and not shoot someone down. If the other team scored on a turnover, don’t put your head down and let your other teammate make you feel like poop. Talk back, “Why didn't you defend him on the fast-break ” It’s all about your team, and how you play with your team.

Joseph P. (12)

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What defines a Super Star?

                As many sports fans know, there is a time during the middle of a season in which the “best players” in the league come together and play a game. The fans vote for the players who they think represents a superstar, but in reality, do the fans really know what a super star is?

                When you ask someone what a super star is, they will probably say, “a really good player” or “the best in the team/league”. But after all the times I’ve watched different sports and seeing the individual who should be called a super star, it’s not just the good player. It’s more than just scoring the most points in the game, or hitting the most home runs. It’s about how that individual can make the other players around him/her better.

                Many sports analysts agree that a star is a good player, but a super star is someone who makes everyone in their team better. When you see someone sacrifice their time and effort into perfecting their game, you know they’re working hard. But to sacrifice their time to help someone else makes them the better person.

                It’s the same thing with Soskind’s quote of: The individual is not the star, the team is. It’s not about that one person coming out of the pack and standing above everyone else, it’s the whole team. So when you think that this certain sports player is a super star, make sure he’s getting his team up with him/her.

By Joseph P.

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Is Being Good Enough, Enough?

Varsity Practice - 2010 Credits: Former Baruchian, Michelle Yan

                When you see your name on the list of players for the team, you feel accomplished, that you know you can play as well as any of the members on the team. But does that make you good enough to play? Absolutely not. The only way someone can play in a real game is not by being “good enough”, but rather by putting hard work and practice to be able too. When coaches talk about who their favorite players are, it’s the players who work the hardest. You might have the potential to become a great player, but in order for you to achieve that goal, you have to work hard. In basketball, when you miss half the shots you put up (which isn’t bad), you shouldn’t say, I did good, but instead you should say, I have to work on my jump shot. I remember when I was in JV, I missed practices because they were early in the morning, but I see every other player, every day, sweating as they walk into school, because they want to play, this is their passion. So the next time you watch a sports game, think about how hard they work, rather than how “good” they are.

Joseph (Joey) P.

"Never mistake activity for achievement." 

- John Wooden

(Introduced to us by Mr. Soskind)

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