This is the expectation now for the Roslyn boys basketball program.
Having a wonderful season, filled with things like a 14-game winning streak, winning their league, that’s not the byproduct of a miracle or a fluke.
This is the standard that head coach Greg Tull and his staff, and players have set. For two of the last three years, the Bulldogs have reached at least the county semifinals, and Saturday night had a chance for the school’s first Nassau crown in the sport since 2009.
“We felt really good going in and that we were playing our best ball,” Tull said. “Everybody had belief.”
Unfortunately for Roslyn, though, South Side had just a little bit too much. After jumping out to an eight point lead in the first quarter, the Bulldogs missed some shots and the Cyclones got contributions from their whole lineup, and it was South Side snaring an 82-67 win.
Senior Benji Rubin scored 22 points and Ben Pnini added 14, but South Side ripped off a 20-2 second-quarter run to seize control of the game, and Roslyn (19-4) never could get back in it.
“Our defense was at its best at the start, but they hit some shots they don’t normally make and we missed a bunch we normally do,” Tull said. “Turnovers hurt us too when we were trying to get back in the game. But they’re a great team, they made adjustments and we weren’t able to slow them down in the second half.”
Tull’s Bulldogs have been as hot as any team on Long Island for the past month; after playing a tough non-league schedule that included a two-point loss to powerhouse Holy Trinity, Roslyn ripped off victory after victory in January and February, with most wins being blowouts.
Roslyn beat Garden City by six in the semis, but ran into a buzzsaw in South Side. The Cyclones’ Trevor Walsh scored 23 points, while Kieran Vetter added 14 to lead a balanced attack.
“We fashion ourselves as one of the tallest teams around, but they have great height too and they made it difficult for us,” Tull said.
Davon White had 12 points and Brody Konigsberg chipped in 11 for Roslyn.
It was a bitter end to another wonderful season for Roslyn, and Tull was quick to shout out the dedication of his seniors.
“I’m super proud of these guys; they sacrifice a lot, they love the game, and they love being with one another,” Tull said. “We’ve built a culture built around love and hard work; you mix those two things, you’re going to see it pay dividends.”
Asked what it will take for Roslyn to take that final step and become a county champion again, Tull didn’t hesitate.
“Even more commitment, even more buy in, from some of the guys in the program, some of the parents, in order to be on par with the other programs,” Tull said. “We’ve got to get away from the sleepaway camp mentality, because we lose the seven weeks every summer (when kids go away).
And really it’s more about the eight months over the course of a high school career that we lose, when kids go away. But I think we’re making progress and seeing more kids make that commitment over the summer to staying and training and working hard.”
