Newsday's All-Long Island boys basketball second team 2024
(From left) Joey McLaurin of Floyd, Jackson O'Brien of Friends Academy and AJ AbuSaab of Syosset.
AJ AbuSaab, Syosset, G, 6-1, Sr.
AbuSaab led Syosset to the Nassau Conference AAA-I title with a 12-0 record and the county AAA semifinals, shooting 50.5% percent from the field and averaging 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds. Coach Greg Cardona lauded the point guard’s ability to produce at a high level through double teams and called him “a force on the defensive end.”
Jagger Bascombe, St. Mary’s, G, 6-2, Sr.
Bascombe, the NSCHSAA Player of the Year, posted 20.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He had three 30-point games, including a 39-point game against Suffolk Class AA champion Half Hollow Hills East on Nov. 29 and a 31-point game against state champion Chaminade in the league semifinals on March 3. Coach Ira Hunt said he “won’t be denied” and is a “bad dude” on the court.
Isaiah Blunt, West Hempstead, F, 6-4, Jr.
Blunt, who was the varsity’s starting point guard as a freshman, then transferred to Lawrence Woodmere Academy for his sophomore year, then transferred back to West Hempstead, averaged 18.1 points in just 20.6 minutes per game. He scored 25 against Pierson in the Long Island Class B title game on March 4 and 28 in the Rams’ overtime loss to Woodlands in the regional final on March 9. Coach Eric Rubin praised Blunt for his ability to “score any time we needed a basket” and to block and alter shots.
Devin Dillon, Chaminade, F/G, 6-1, Sr.
Dillon led the CHSAA Class A state champion Flyers at 13.6 points per game — including team-leading totals of 20 vs. St. Mary’s in the NSCSHAA semifinals on March 3 and 19 in his MVP performance against St. John the Baptist in the league final on March 5 — and averaged 5.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and a team-high 2.1 steals. “He defines what it means to be the Most Valuable Player,” coach Dan Feeney said.
(Clockwise from left) Devin Dillon of Chaminade, Jagger Bascombe of St. Mary's and Ja'Quan Morgan of Hempstead.
Joey McLaurin, Floyd, G, 5-9, Sr.
McLaurin was the senior leader and captain of the Colonials, who went undefeated in the regular season. He averaged 13 points and hit 31 threes total, and he averaged 4.1 assists in the regular season. Coach Will Slinkosky said McLaurin “did exactly what we asked day in and day out and played unselfish basketball all year long.”
Jack Melore, Smithtown West, F, 6-2, Sr.
Melore averaged 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.1 steals and 1.2 blocks. He hit 41 three-pointers, including three games with at least five threes. The Marist football commit scored 40 points against Holy Trinity on Dec. 4.
Ja’Quan Morgan, Hempstead, G, 6-2, Sr.
In his only season with Hempstead, Morgan averaged 19.9 points, five rebounds, four assists and 2.3 steals. Coach Jared Weir said Morgan’s “impact was immediate” and he “always insisted on guarding the other team’s best player.” He hit 30 three-pointers and had six 25-point games.
James Notias, Manhasset, G, 6-1, Sr.
Notias averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals, and he shot 54.8% from the field and made 33 three-pointers. Coach George Bruns called the Farmingdale State College commit, who scored 40 points against Glen Cove on Jan. 18, an “outstanding shooter and passer.”
Jackson O’Brien, Friends Academy, F, 6-5, Sr.
O’Brien averaged 15.6 points and 8.3 rebounds, helping the Quakers win Nassau Conference A-VII, county and Long Island titles and reach the Class A state semifinals. Coach Matt Johnsen praised O’Brien's rim defense and called him a “matchup nightmare,” a player who could “shoot it from outside but also attack over the rim and play with his back to the basket.”
Luke Seltzer, Pierson, G, 6-4, Sr.
Despite being double- and triple-teamed every game, Seltzer averaged 21.8 points for the Whalers, who won the Suffolk Class B title. He had six games with at least 25 points, including 39 against Bayport-Blue Point on Jan. 23 and 28 vs. West Hempstead in the Long Island title game on March 4. Seltzer will spend his next school year at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
(From left) Chase Timberlake of Baldwin, Luke Seltzer of Pierson and Vasilis Triantafyllou of North Shore.
Chase Timberlake, Baldwin, G, 6-1, Jr.
Timberlake rose from Baldwin’s sixth man as a sophomore to its best player as a junior, averaging 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and four assists for the Nassau Class AAA champion Bruins. Timberlake could score from the perimeter or at the rim, and he guarded the opposition’s best athletic wing player. Coach Darius Burton called him a “great two-way player” and said he is “lucky to have him for one more year.”
Vasilis Triantafyllou, North Shore F, 6-5, Sr.
Triantafylllou averaged 20.4 points despite consistently seeing double teams and 9.8 rebounds in leading the Vikings to the Nassau Class A final. He needed 40 points to reach 1,000 going into a game against Lawrence on Jan. 29 and got all 40. Coach Ryan Berglin also praised his defensive work and added, “We relied so heavily on him to do so many things. Other teams knew that and he still was able to perform at an incredible level.”
