BY JOE SCOTCHIE
jscotchie@antonmediagroup.com
The 2015-16 Roslyn High School boys’ basketball season is over, but not before giving their fans a whole new set of fresh memories while also giving them a preview of more winning basketball to come.
After compiling an impressive 13 and 6 record in the regular season plus an 8-2 conference mark, second only to South Side High School, the Bulldogs, as with other teams, had to deal with the often-bizarre playoff schedule. Playing at home on Feb. 13, Roslyn battled back from an eight-point deficit, only to fall short of their bid to advance in playoff action, losing to Sewanhaka, 65-62.
The leading player in that game, as in most contests, was senior guard Keandre Augustine, who had 23 points, including several timely three-pointers that kept Roslyn within striking distance. The game was the last of Augustine’s prolific high school career at both Roslyn and John Glenn High School, one that saw him score over 1,000 total points. Looking back at the winning season, head coach Craig Murphy found plenty to praise in the senior guard.
“Keandre is a great kid, a special kid,” Murphy told The Roslyn News. “We tailored our entire system around him. We were able to push and press the ball. He was a great competitor. He never wanted to come out of a game. I predict great things for him in the future.”
For Augustine, success at Roslyn High is all in the family.
“Coming back to Roslyn my junior year to finish my high school education was the best thing for me to do,” Augustine told The Roslyn News. “I wanted to be with my family and friends. After leaving a extraordinary sophomore basketball program at John Glenn where I was able to lead my team to a Suffolk County and Long Island Class A championship and a trip to the state semifinals, I didn’t think playing anywhere would top that. But playing at Roslyn gave me back the love of the game that I thought I lost. Playing with a great group of guys for the last two years made my final high school season all worth the hard work and time. We became a family. I always believe that my best is yet to come. Basketball is in my blood. My mom played for Roslyn back in the 1980s and her team made to the state championships. My sister Tiarra was a 1,000-point scorer when she graduated from Roslyn in 2005. It was just my time to shine and leave a mark at Roslyn. Now that my season has ended, I look forward to what the future may hold. I will be heading to college in the fall, making my decision before the March signing day deadline and playing college basketball.”
In all, Murphy praised the great year the Bulldogs enjoyed, especially in light of the fact that they lost seven seniors from the 2014-15 squad, including such stars as Noah Nardone and Thomas Davis.
“We didn’t feel we lost our last game,” Murphy said of the defeat to Sewanhaka. “They just beat us. That helped to ease the pain.”
For now, it’s on to next year. The team, Murphy said, will be returning no less than 10 players, including such contributors as Omar Burns, Austin Reimer, Jared Cohen, Jonah Tenner, Joe Cinque, Spencer Markbreiter, Ben Perez and Jacob Buchbinder. Burns was a force in the middle all year and looks to anchor the team’s offense next year. Tenner provides more muscle in the middle. Reimer runs the offense with great skill and Cohen’s outside shooting will also be a major plus for the Roslyn offense. Perez played solid ball off of the bench all year and Markbreiter stars on both ends of the court.
“Our kids are chomping at the bit,” Murphy added. “We have a good culture of kids who want to work hard.”
