Newsday's Long Island All-Decade boys basketball players: The 1980s
Kenny Wood of East Hampton, Billy Donovan of St. Agnes and Tom Gugliotta of Whitman.
Part 4 of Newsday’s look back at Long Island’s best basketball players for each decade, a series that will take you through seven decades for the boys and five decades for the girls.
The selection committee consisted of two longtime sportswriters, Gregg Sarra and Mike Candel. Sarra has covered high school sports for 40 years. Candel covered high school and college sports from 1976 until his retirement in 2002.
The 1980s produced some of the best boys basketball players to come off Long Island — high school stars, college stars and professional stars. Five of the 10 players wound up in the NBA and two of them, Tom Gugliotta and Bill Wennington, had long, highly successful careers.
Then there’s Kenny Wood, who graduated with the New York State career scoring record. And there’s two-time national champion coach Billy Donovan, now with the Chicago Bulls, and Kenny Atkinson, currently coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers to the best record in the NBA.
All told, an excellent decade.
Kenny Atkinson shouts instructions to his Cavaliers team on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit: AP/Phil Long
Kenny Atkinson, St. Anthony’s
He grew up in Northport but transferred to St. Anthony’s as a junior. A standout guard who was on the first Long Island team to beat New York City in the Newsday Classic. A four-year starter and star player for Richmond who is in the school’s Hall of Fame. He coached the Nets and now the Cavaliers in the NBA.
Matt Brust, Babylon
The physical 6-4 guard/forward was a two-time Newsday All-Long Island selection. He went to the University of North Carolina and transferred to St. John’s, where he had a solid three-year career.
Billy Donovan coaches the Bulls on Thursday, Feb 9, 2023. Credit: Brad Penner
Billy Donovan, St. Agnes
A Newsday All-Long Island guard at St. Agnes while leading his team to the NSCHSAA title, he was an extraordinary shooter. His three-point shooting helped Providence reach the NCAA Final Four in 1987. He played briefly with the Knicks and then coached Florida to back-to-back NCAA titles. He now coaches the Chicago Bulls.
Tom Gugliotta, Whitman
A Newsday All-Long Island first-teamer who kept getting better and better. He starred at North Carolina State, where he became an All-American. He played 13 seasons in the NBA and was an All-Star in 1997.
Andre Hawkins, Malverne
A 6-8, 240-pound behemoth who carried the Mules to a pair of state championships. He was MVP of the state tournament and was named the state’s Player of the Year in 1981. An absolute beast on the boards and a three-time Newsday All-Long Island honoree. He was a four-year starter for Syracuse.
Hempstead's Kyle Ivey-Jones dunks on Feb. 22, 1989. Credit: Newsday/Julia Gaines
Kyle Ivey-Jones, Hempstead
Ivey-Jones had an unprecedented high school career. The four-year starter was the Tigers’ best player on four straight Long Island championship teams. He led them to two state Class A crowns and was MVP of the state tournament. The Newsday first-team All-Long Island pick played for Rhode Island.
Shelton Jones, Amityville
A 6-9 point guard who was Amityville’s version of Magic Johnson, he had uncanny ballhandling skills for a player of his size. The Newsday first-team All-Long Island pick was the state Player of the Year in 1984. He starred for St. John’s and played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State in the NBA.
Tim Kempton, St. Dominic
A 6-10 center/forward who led St. Dominic to a state title. He was named the state Player of the Year and was a Parade All-American. He started for Notre Dame and spent eight seasons in the NBA.
Bill Wennington during his time at St. John's. Credit: AP/Ron Frehm
Bill Wennington, LI Lutheran
A 7-foot Canadian import who was the main reason Lutheran was ranked among the top high school teams in the country. He was the state Player of the Year. He played in the 1985 NCAA Final Four for St. John’s and was a three-time NBA champion with the Bulls. He spent 15 years in the NBA.
Kenny Wood, East Hampton
A legendary figure in Long Island basketball, Wood scored what was then a state-record 2,613 career points and was the state Player of the Year in 1989. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island first-teamer played for Richmond and was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame.
Coach: Ted Adams, Hempstead
Adams led his teams to seven Nassau titles and five Long Island Class A crowns in the 1980s. The Tigers won 17 Nassau championships, 12 Long Island titles and three state crowns under Adams. His teams won 517 games and he was Newsday’s Coach of the Year seven times.
