Newsday's Long Island All-Decade girls basketball players: The 1990s

By the 1990s, Long Island girls basketball was in full force, turning out one big star after another. There were high school stars such as Nicole Kaczmarski of Sachem, the No. 1 recruit in the country. There was Bethany LeSueur of Garden City, who scored a then-state record 3,167 points. There was a 2,048-point scorer in Our Lady of Mercy Academy's Denise Hammersley. There was four-time first-team All-Long Island selection Paula Bacso of Farmingdale. And last, but certainly not least, was Sue Bird, who played at Syosset and Christ the King and went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the WNBA.

The selection committee consisted of two longtime sportswriters, Gregg Sarra and Mike Candel. Sarra has covered high schools for 40 years. Candel covered high school and college sports from 1976 until his retirement in 2002.

Paula Bacso, Farmingdale

The four-time first-team All-Long Island selection and three-time Nassau Player of the Year between 1992 and 1995 dominated this era. She was the first freshman to earn All-Long Island first-team honors and finished her career with 1,530 points and 1,170 rebounds. She led the Dalers to three straight Long Island Class A title appearances, winning the LI crown in 1992-93. The six-year varsity player went on to play for Boston College.

Sue Bird, Syosset

She undoubtedly is the greatest female basketball player in Long Island history. The skilled point guard earned All-Long Island first-team honors as a sophomore at Syosset in 1996 and then transferred to Christ the King. She led UConn to three Big East titles and two NCAA Division I national championships (2000, 2002). Bird was the first winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award in 2000 as the top point guard in the nation. She won the award three times and captured the 2002 Naismith Award as the college player of the year in her senior season. The trophy case is loaded. The all-time WNBA assists leader (3,234) was a four-time WNBA champion and a 13-time All-Star with the Seattle Storm. She also was a five-time Olympic gold medalist.

Denise Hammersley, Our Lady of Mercy Academy

A point guard who could distribute the ball or hit any shot, she was a two-time All-Long Island first-team choice in 1990-1991 and finished with 2,048 career points, third in Long Island history at the time. Hammersley led OLMA to the state Class D Federation title and was named the state tournament MVP. She played four years for Fordham, totaling 1,331 points and 232 steals, and holds six school records. She was a four-time All-Patriot League selection and led the Rams to two league titles and their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994. She was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1995.

Danielle Hurley, Commack

She dominated inside and grabbed a school-record 1,034 rebounds in her varsity career. The two-time All-Long Island first-team selection was the Suffolk Player of the Year as a senior in 1996. Hurley scored a Long Island-best 447 points, including a 39-point effort in a shocking upset of perennial power Northport. She averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks. Her school record of 1,380 career points fell when Samantha Prahalis (2,372 points) shattered that mark. The 6-4 center played four years for Georgetown.

Nicole Kaczmarski, Sachem

She turned Long Island fans on to girls basketball, packing gymnasiums at home and on the road. Her extraordinary skills were must-see and curious fans flocked to her games. It became Kazmania after she earned the Newsday Player of the Year as an eighth-grader and led Sachem to the state Class A championship. She was a four-time winner of Newsday’s Suffolk top player award from 1995-99. She totaled 2,583 career points and was named the Gatorade national player of the year as a senior. She was an All-Pac-10 freshman at UCLA in 2000 but did not return to college after suffering from Lyme disease and severe plantar fasciitis. In 2003, she was chosen in the third round of the WNBA Draft by the Liberty. She played professionally in Greece and Austria before returning to the United States, where she briefly joined the Los Angeles Sparks in 2005. She had her No. 23 retired at Sachem and was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Bethany LeSueur, Garden City

She was the second player to earn All-Long Island first-team honors as an eighth-grader. The five-time All-Long Island first-team selection was known for her dogged defense and inside scoring ability. She is Long Island’s all-time leading scorer with 3,167 points over five seasons and led the Trojans to three Nassau and three Long Island Class B titles. She attended the University of Virginia for a year before playing three seasons for Georgetown, where she was a two-year captain.

Nora Mitchell, Elmont

The 5-10 forward was a five-year starter for the Spartans and is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,515 points. She averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds during her senior season in 1992. She earned All-Long Island first-team honors twice.

Mary Ranone, St. Anthony’s/St. Dominic

The St. Anthony’s transfer was forced to sit out her sophomore season because of the CHSAA transfer rule. The two-time All-Long Island first-team selection led the Bayhawks to the state Federation Class B  title in 1996 and was named the MVP.  Ranone had 1,173 career points and helped lead St. Dominic to consecutive CHSAA titles and a 35-game winning streak. The 6-1 forward played four years for William & Mary.

Cami Ruck, Northport

The do-it-all point guard led Northport to consecutive Suffolk Class A titles in 1991-1992. The Tigers won the Long Island Class A crown, with Ruck right in the thick of it. The 5-9 guard was the Suffolk Player of the Year and averaged 18 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals. She went on to play four years for the University of Delaware.

Kim Ruck, Northport

Following the footsteps of her older sister, the four-year starter and two-time All-Long Island selection led Northport to the Long Island crown in 1994. She played four years at Cornell University, earning All-Ivy honors in her senior year. The guard/forward scored 1,214 points for the Big Red.

Coach: Rich Castellano, Northport

One of Long Island’s all-time winningest basketball coaches got started in the '80s and blossomed in the '90s. He bridged the two decades, winning three straight Suffolk Class A titles. He enforced a defense/teamwork priority with all of his teams. His record from 1988-1994 was an incredible 135-9. He guided the Tigers to Long Island titles in 1991 and 1994.

Newsday's All-Decade Girls Basketball Teams

• 1970s
• 1980s
• 1990s
• 2000s
• 2010s