Rams Basketball Needs 'New Guys to Step Up'

The Rams basketball team returns only two of its starters from last year's team, and Head Coach Ed Cosgrove hopes that will be enough to get them back to the Nassau County playoffs.

"We return Tyree [Glascoe] and Pat [D'Haiti] from last season. That's it," said Cosgrove. "We're going to be small and athletic, and we're going to need some new guys to step up for us if we're going to be competitive in this conference."

One of those new guys includes sophomore Darren Davy, who is the brother of recent graduate and four-year starter, Darnell Davy. He will be asked to step right into the Rams starting-five lineup.

There are also some new players who were moved up from the JV team who are going to need to get their feet wet quickly.

"We will be carrying large numbers on this year's squad, but we also have a lot of inexperience among our players. We're going to try to be more of a running team due to our lack of size and try to utilize our speed and athletic ability rather than make it a half-court game," said Cosgrove.

Returning Players:

TYREE GLASCOE: Glascoe was an All-Conference player last season and is one of two returning starters to the team. He will be heavily relied on for his scoring abilities.

PAT D'HAITI: D'Haiti is the only other starter returning to the team. He, along with Glascoe, will have to set the tone for some new players.

Departing Players:

DARNELL DAVY: Davy was one of the main scorers for the Rams last season. His ability to drive to the basket and his outside shooting will be missed.

TOM VALERIO: As a point guard, Valerio was deadly from three-point range. He also was fluid passer who helped distribute the ball to his teammates in the right spots.

Expectations:

Just like every other team in their conference the Rams hope to play well enough to get back into the playoffs, but it is going to be a tough road with teams such as Manhasset, Great Neck North and Floral Park in the mix.

"Those are some of the final four teams from last year," said Cosgrove. "Class A is probably one of the toughest groups in the County. We'll have our work cut out for us this season."

Opening Games:

The Rams will host a non-league game against Valley Stream North on Friday, De. 2 at 4:30 p.m. Then, they will have the second game in a varsity basketball double-header next week at home against Hewlett on Dec. 9. (The varsity girls will play at 5 p.m. and the boys at 7 p.m.) Fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the games, which will be donated to the "Toys for Tots" drive, sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. The Student Council will be there collecting the gifts from the start of the girls game until the beginning of the boys game.