Three takeaways from the start of the Long Island high school boys basketball season
Chase Timberlake of Baldwin scores off a fast break during the first quarter of the Nassau Class AAA boys basketball final against Port Washington at Farmingdale State College on March 2. Credit: James Escher
1. Returning All-LI talent thriving
Six players from the 2024 Newsday All-Long Island basketball team are back as seniors.
Perhaps no one has had a better start to the season than Baldwin guard Chase Timberlake, who is averaging 30.5 points in the Bruins’ 3-1 start.
Timberlake, who helped lead Baldwin to a fourth straight Nassau title last year and was named an All-LI second-teamer, posted 38 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a 69-59 win over Jericho on Monday. He had 38 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 64-52 win over Long Beach last Friday.
“I think him being a three-year varsity player, he understands the legacy the program holds,” coach Darius Burton said. “He doesn’t want to be (in) that group not to do it, trying to win a title for the fifth straight time. He’s closing in on 1,000 points … and he obviously wants to play at the next level, so he wants to make some noise in his last year of high school.”
West Hempstead forward Isaiah Blunt has also put up monster numbers, averaging 24.3 points for the Rams (5-1). Blunt, an All-LI second-team pick, dropped 40 points in an 80-56 win over Island Trees on Dec. 9.
Bay Shore guard Carter Wilson, the reigning Newsday Suffolk Player of the Year, is averaging 16.3 points for the Marauders (3-0).
Floyd forward Jawuan Smith, an All-LI first-team selection, was a double-double machine last year and already has an 18-point, 16-rebound performance against Smithtown East on Dec. 5 for the Colonials (5-1).
Long Island Lutheran guards Nigel James and Kayden Mingo were also All-LI first-team selections. Playing against some of the nation’s toughest competition, Mingo is averaging 12.9 points and James is averaging 12.3 points for LuHi (3-5).
2. Super sophomores
The season is young, and the youth movement featuring sophomore stars is prevalent.
Freeport guard Noah Patterson stands at about 5-5, according to coach Daryl Johnson, but he has made a big name for himself in Nassau League I. Patterson, who played for the St. Mary’s freshman team last year, is averaging 23 points in the Red Devils’ 4-1 start.
“The kid is tough as nails,” Johnson said. “… He’s a great defensive player, great shooter, he can shoot the three. There’s not a shot he can’t make. He can get any shot he wants.”
Hank Williams, a guard for Lawrence Woodmere Academy White, is averaging 20.4 points. Anderson Diaz, a guard for LWA Blue, is a four-star prospect who has helped power a 6-0 start.
Friends Academy guard Eyan Valadez helped lead the Quakers to the Long Island Class A title in March. His sophomore leap has included a 31-point showing in a 72-66 win over Valley Stream South on Monday.
Guard Tristan Mitchell, averaging 13.3 points, and Valley Stream North are off to a 6-1 start.
Knox guard Ahmad Giles is averaging 17.2 points in his first season after transferring from Christ the King.
Both Kings Park guard Kyle Edmundson (14.8 points per game) and Southold guard Kyan Olsen (17.2), each voted Rookie of the Year by their respective league’s coaches as freshmen, are among 10th-graders also taking jumps.
3. First-year coaches leading turnarounds
Coach Laurence Reid has led Carey to a 4-1 start after the Seahawks went 1-19 last season. Coach Pat Fabian and Riverhead are 4-2 after a 3-16 season last year.
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.