Hampton Bays Boys Basketball Team Could Catch Competition by Surprise

This year, senior Isaiah Lattanzio said he and the rest of his Hampton Bays boys basketball teammates will be playing with a chip on their shoulders.

That’s because they’ve heard a lot of whispers of doubt in what their Baymen squad will be capable of following the graduation of eight seniors, including the second-highest scorer in Suffolk County in Kazmin Pensa-Johnson.

“A lot of people are looking down on us this year without one player,” Lattanzio said. “Losing those seniors hurt us. But they were great leaders on and off the court, which is what us seniors are going to do this year. So I feel great with the team we are returning. That doubt just gives us more motivation and helps us work harder every day.”

Lattanzio, a 6-foot, 5-inch forward, is one of two four-year starters returning to the team, along with 6-1 senior guard Pat Donahue. Senior point guard James Powers has also played on varsity for three seasons.

“I am super excited for this group of guys,” head coach Noah Brown said. “They are veterans. They have good experience, and are great basketball players.”

What helps, the coach said, is that his student-athletes play basketball year-round, competing in fall, summer and spring leagues. He said he is expecting a lot from his three captains in particular, who all bring a different personality and set of skills to the squad.

“Since James is a point guard, he handles the ball and sets the tempo, where Patrick is quiet on the team yet constantly dunking the ball and has a nose for the dramatic while also being a great three-point shooter,” said Brown, adding that Donahue was also a top-scorer in Suffolk, averaging 16.9 points per game. “And Isaiah is the base of the team. The offense runs through the 6-5 kid that’s been on varsity for four years. He is more vocal than the other two, but each has their own role.”

Helping fill the void of those who graduated, like Kazmin-Johnson, who averaged 25.2 points per game, and the Baymen’s other graduated starter, Gianni Scotto, are senior guards Frank Galeas and Danny Wilson.

“The pair didn’t get as much playing time last season, but the two of them love the game and work hard,” Brown said. “I’m expecting a lot from each of them.”

New to the varsity team are Lattanzio’s younger brother Luca, a sophomore guard, and freshman guard Xavier Johnson.

“They are great athletes, and they will learn a lot from the seniors,” Brown said.

Lattanzio already put up 18 points behind Powers’s 24 and Donahue’s 21 in a 73-60 nonleague win over Shoreham-Wading River on November 30. Donahue recorded another 19 and Isaiah Lattanzio had 15 points in a 63-57 nonleague victory on the road at Eastport-South Manor on December 2. The Baymen travel to Westhampton Beach for a final nonleague matchup on Friday, December 8, at 6 p.m. and open Division IV play against Sayville on the road on Monday, December 11, at 4 p.m.

“I feel great with where we’re at,” Donahue said. “We have a group of guys who are willing to put in the work to get us back to the playoffs and, hopefully this time, a league championship.”

The goals for this year remain unchanged, but the dynamic of the team is, which in many ways should prove beneficial. First, is the relationship between the Lattanzio brothers. Isaiah found Luca for multiple easy buckets in that first outing.

“They have a good family knowledge of each other,” Brown said. “Isaiah seems to find Luca in the wide-open spots. There’s that familiarity of playing together for 10-plus years.”

Then there’s all the experience and athleticism from a team that made it to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2011 — like that behind junior baseball standout and basketball newcomer Seamus Smith that also aids in filling the void of last year’s senior class.

“We are a well-balanced and well-rounded team,” Brown said. “A lot of teams last year game-planned for us by looking to stop Kazmin. This year, if you try to stop Isaiah, it frees up Donahue or Powers, and the same goes for the others — it’s a kind of pick-your-position scenario this year. We are going in with the same philosophy and goals we had last year, but I think that people are not expecting much from us this year, which I think is great that we can fly under the radar, and I know we’ll surprise some teams.”