Nassau AA-II boys basketball preview

Baldwin's Shane Gatling goes in for the shot past Uniondale's Talek Butler in the Nassau Class AA boys basketball final on Saturday, March 7, 2015. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Baldwin Bruins
Coach: Darius Burton
Last season: 19-2
Key players
G Jabeon Bivins 6-0 Jr.
G Shane Gatling 6-2 Sr.
F Jared Rhoden 6-6 Jr.
F Zion Stephens 6-5 Jr.
C Justin Caldwell 6-7 Sr.
Outlook: Defending county-champion Baldwin, which has played in nine of the last 10 finals, is expected to compete with the best in Nassau County again -- led by senior guard Shane Gatling, who averaged 14 points, five rebounds and four assists last season.
East Meadow Jets
Coach: Barry Dickson
Last season: 6-11
Key players
G JR Howell 5-10 Jr.
G Joey Minucci 5-10 Sr.
F Tom Zitzmann 6-4 Sr.
F Austin Birnbaum 6-6 Sr.
C Will Ayers 6-5 Jr.
Outlook: JR Howell is the Jets’ floor general and looks to lead the motion-based offense. The Jets hope to utilize its combination of size inside and ability to shoot from beyond the arc.
Hicksville Comets
Coach: Phil Essigman
Last season: 6-12
Key players
G Connor McPartland 5-11 Jr.
F Raymond Pietzak 6-1 Sr.
F Steven Pavlak 6-2 Jr.
F Anthony Rolston 6-2 Sr.
C Cody Norman 6-5 Sr.
Outlook: Hicksville returns junior standouts Connor McPartland (11 points, three rebounds, three assists) and Steven Pavlak (11 points, seven rebounds) from last year’s team which rallied to win five of its last seven games to reach the playoffs.
Plainview JFK Hawks
Coach: Michael Harris
Last season: 11-6
Key players
G Brendan Fitzpatrick 6-2 Sr.
G Thomas Flynn 6-0 Sr.
G Kevin Pastier 5-9 Sr.
F Justin Lambert 6-1 Jr.
F Bryan Safer 6-2 Sr.
Outlook: The Hawks return leading scorer senior Brendan Fitzpatrick, who averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists last year. Plainview JFK thrives with half-court pressure, man-to-man defense and a motion-based offense.
Port Washington Vikings
Coach: Sean Dooley
Last season: 7-11
Key players
G Jake Block 5-10 Jr.
G Xavier Merriweather 6-1 Jr.
F Adam Mizrahi 6-2 Jr.
F Zach Jimenez 6-4 Sr.
C Kevin Hazan 6-5 Sr.
Outlook: Returning four of five starters, Port Washington hopes to build off last year’s injury-riddled playoff season -- led by senior Zach Jimenez and junior Xavier Merriweather.
Valley Stream Central Eagles
Coach: Hayward L. Alfred, Jr.
Last season: 8-8
Key players
G Nico Serrano 5-11 Sr.
G Jaison-Patric Gordon 6-1 Sr.
G Amir Stevens 6-2 Sr.
F Jermaine Fraser 6-4 Sr.
F Amenrah Reid 6-4 Sr.
Outlook: The all-senior, balanced starting lineup looks to improve on its .500 season from last year. Nico Serrano runs the offense at point guard and Jermaine Fraser and Amenrah Reid averaged, seven points and eight rebounds and eight points and seven rebounds per game, respectively.