Girls basketball spotlight: Mia Padula, Gabby Himmelstein, Kay DeRose and Brianna Deputy have changed St. Dominic's culture

Mia Padula, left, Kay DeRose, Lily Onorato, Gabby Himmelstein and Brianna Deputy. All but Onorato transferred into school last season. Credit: Jonathan Singh/Jonathan Singh
In professional and college sports, athletes teaming with one another for the chance to change a culture or build something together has become more common. This philosophy has infiltrated the St. Dominic girls basketball team in recent years and as it has on the professional level, it’s brought immediate success.
Mia Padula and Gabby Himmelstein grew up playing basketball together in Syosset. From youth leagues to CYO to club basketball, they’ve always been a dynamic duo. After their freshman season at Syosset, they decided they wanted something different. They transferred to St. Dominic, a program without much success in girls basketball in recent years, and joined their outside coach Paul Bianco, who was taking over as coach.
“We wanted to try to turn the St. Dom's teams around and do it together,” Padula said.
“We really wanted to make a legacy there,” Himmelstein added.
Padula, Himmelstein, Kay DeRose and Brianna Deputy all transferred into St. Dominic together last year in Bianco’s first year. The Bayhawks increased their win total from four to 12 games last season and are off to an 11-3 start. Along with Lily Onorato, who was already at St. Dominic, the Bayhawks starters had experience playing with one another before stepping foot on a varsity court. Deputy is a senior with the other four in their junior years.
“Not many teams have that many players who are talented ballplayers and have the chemistry to be unselfish on the court the way they are,” Bianco said. “So it has absolutely changed the trajectory of the program.”
St. Dominic doesn’t have a clear go-to scorer and that depth makes them a challenge to defend. Deputy averages 12.1 points with Himmelstein and DeRose both at 10.9 points and Padula at 10.6 points per game.
“It definitely helps with trusting each other on the court,” said DeRose, who plays on the same club team as Padula and Himmelstein. “Like on defense, I’m normally the top of the press and I trust and know that any time I step up, if I get beat, Mia and Gabby will be there to help because we know the positions. We know where each other is going to be.”
The chemistry has reached a point where at practice, Bianco puts Padula and Himmelstein on separate teams because they’ll continuously find one another and dominate even with their own teammates knowing what’s coming.
“There are so many times where Mia gives me a look on the court and I kind of already know what she’s thinking,” Himmelstein said. “Whether to go back door or cut and I always know she’s going to hit me.”
The Bayhawks hope this leads to sustained success for the program.
“The teamwork, the friendship, the comradery, the way they build each other up is just fantastic,” Bianco said. “Not only their individual skills but the way they play together.”
Local girls nominated for McDonald’s All American Games

Payton Dulin of Baldwin is one of the nominees for the McDonald's All-American Game to be played April 1 at Barclays Center. Credit: David Meisenholder
Payton Dulin was scrolling Instagram when a particular post truly took her back. That was when the Baldwin senior learned she was one of just 22 basketball players from New York nominated for consideration to play in the 2025 McDonald’s All American Games. Dulin was one of 805 nominees for both boys and girls.
“I’m just really honored,” Dulin said. “This has always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I’ve aspired to be in positions like this.”
Dulin, along with St. Mary’s Sofia Kammas and Sky Priester, are the only three Long Island girls in consideration for the McDonald’s Game, which will be played on April 1 at the Barclays Center. The 24 girls selected to play will be announced later in January.
“It’s always something I’ve worked toward,” said Dulin, who is committed to play at George Washington. “It’s always been a dream of mine. I’m excited to just be considered for it but it’s always something I knew I could attain if I worked hard.”