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Ivezik Provides Light at End of PV Hoop Tunnel
Senior hits for 36 in win over Clark Academy; Haldane's Fleming 4th in downtown scoring
by Ray Gallagher
 | | Putnam Valley's Nick Ivezik drives the hoop in Tigers' win over Harrison Monday night. |
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At 4-12 this season and little hope for anything much better than say… 5-15 or 6-14 at best, the Putnam Valley High boy's basketball team has had little by way of celebration this season, much like Tiger teams of the past. History says the Putnam Valley boys may never win more than a handful of games in any given basketball season, what with six relatively fruitless varsity seasons under its belt (no more than four wins in a season).
The only thing anyone can ask for in a situation like this is for a program to take baby steps in the direction of improvement. In Putnam Valley's case: A two-game winning streak in boy's basketball is a Neil Armstrong-like step. That's why Monday's 65-52 win over Class A Harrison was huge for the Class B Tigers; because it matched a high-water point in program history. The two-game winning streak is to Put Valley boy's basketball what consecutive World Series' are to the Yankees. It's a pretty big deal for any coach, player or fan of the program. They did it last year, beating woeful Ardsley back-to-back shortly before Christmas. Imagine what they went through down there when the Tigers laid them out on the 11th and 15th of December. Wasn't a pleasant place for anyone between Lucy's Deli on Ashford Ave. and the Ardsley Luncheonette off Saw Mill River Rd, much less the athletic department.
Former PV coach Gerry Carlin gave it a go at first in 2000-'01, finding the waters choppy and leaving after two seasons to spend more time with his boys. The Tigers turned to former Walter Panas mentor Pete Kelly for help, but Kelly's old-school approach failed miserably with that particular unit and lasted just one forgetful year. Now, Ralph Smith entered Year 3 in the fall of 2006 with an eye on making the first sectional tournament in program history, and that, too, has not worked out as scripted.
"A lack of size," "average speed at best," "a lack of commitment," "no feeder," "we can't even hit our foul shots," "poor form"… these are just some of the excuses tossed about regularly by those Saturday morning basketball fanatics at the town's parks & recreation program and others in and about the township who wonder aloud: When and if boys basketball will ever blossom off Peekskill Hollow Road, just a stone's through from basketball-hallowed Peekskill.
But nobody brought up much of that on Monday evening after the Harrison victory, just two days after last Saturday afternoon when senior Nicky Ivezik beat the buzzer with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. Ivezik hit a put-back bucket that sent the Clarke Academy home a 57-55 loser and sent the Tigers into a mild form of delirium when his 36th point of the night - a school record in a regulation game - cleared the net. The 6'2" swingman also became the first in Valley history to throw one down in a game, according to Smith. And he dropped another 21 on Harrison, sparkling during a 26-16 fourth-quarter run that put the Huskies down for good. If he keeps this up, people other than family members, close friends and those paid to, might actually come out to watch.
"What a stretch of games for Nicky," Coach Smith said. "He made the first breakaway dunk in Put Valley history and his numbers were terrific (against Clark)… 11-21 from 2-point land (52%), 2-3 from 3-point land (67%), 8-10 from the line (80%), 3 steals and 2 assists."
In his last six games, against several strong, established like Walter Panas, Pleasantville, and Briarcliff, Ivezik (17.6 PPG overall) has averaged an eye-popping 26 PPG, 11 more than he had averaged over the first 10 games of the season. That includes the 27 spot he laid on Briarcliff, ranked No.1 in the state at the time, in a 68-64 loss. So while some may look at 4-12 and say, "Yeah, Putnam Valley stinks again", the keen eye might focus on the fact that the Tigers have made ardent strides; despite the fact that All-League guard Vinny DeCosta has had a sub-par senior year due to injury and a lack of playing time. The keen eye might look at the fact that the Class B Tigers also had state-ranked Pleasantville on the ropes in a one-point loss where the potential game-winner rimmed in and out. The keen eye would also note a pair of wins over Class A foes (Harrison & Hendrick Hudson) and appearances in two tournament championship games this season.
The sharp mind might wonder if this was something worth building upon, something the kids in the Valley could sink their teeth in to, something that might trigger a cosmic event… like an in-house basketball feeder league this summer for ages 12-to-16 to play their games in the Town Park under the lights on summer nights… the start of a dedicated feeder program that might soon branch into a traveling AAU-type program by the fall of '07.
It'll take some time, no doubt; before the Valley reaches a consistent, competitive level, but it won't happen without a full-blown jump start at the youth and junior varsity levels, and I know a guy at the Parks & Recreation office willing to run the whole show. Anybody interested?…
Speaking of running the show: Haldane girl's basketball Coach Rich Desiderio turned the reins of his 14-time defending sectional champion show over to senior guard Brittany Fleming (9.6 PPG), who has converted from two-guard to point guard. Fleming, who has stretched Section 1 defenses with long-range prowess the past two seasons (1st in 3-bombs in 2006 with 54, and currently fourth in 2007 with 34), will now be the primary set-up girl to All-NYS junior Brittany Shields, who leads the section in scoring with 23.3 PPG (and ranks #41 in the country).
Fleming and Shields will have to join forces with teammates Liz Skrelja, Kylie McConville, Scotti King and the rest of the 13- 2 Blue Devils in an attempt to stave off what appears to be a two-horse race for the Class C crown between state-ranked (No.10) Haldane and suddenly-surging Dobbs Ferry (from 0-5 to 6-6), which handed Haldane an eye-opening 17-point setback on January 16. With 5'9" senior Lauren Emerson back in the lineup after missing Dobbs' first nine games, the Eagles are legit. Haldane won the season-opener for both squads back in December by 18 points, and something tells me that Round 3 will be decided at the Westchester County Center during the first week of March when 17 points is subtracted from 18 and one point decides the outcome while time runs out on one of the two in what should be an entertaining finale. The team that plays the best "Team Defense" will be the one that faces state-ranked (No.8) Millbrook for the right to dance at the state Final 4.
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