BSGE’s 2014-15 basketball season was concluded during the first week of February, with the girls’ last game on the 5th and the boys last game on the 6th. It was an exciting season to say the least, with the girls finishing with 6 wins to 11 losses and the boys with 6 wins to 12 losses. Both teams performed its very best in BSGE basketball history, in terms of total losses, wins and standings.
The girl’s team, which has always performed quite well in the past, beat six different teams this year (Wagner, Aviation, American Studies, Frank Sinatra, High School for Construction, and Metropolitan Campus), which contrasted with the boys who although won six games as well, only beat four different schools (Frank Sinatra, Cambria Heights Academy, Information Technology High School and Academy for Careers in Television and Film) because they beat Frank Sinatra and Academy for Careers twice.
Throughout the season, the ladies showed an immense amount of skill and effort both on and off the court. Jamie Carroll ’16, who came out with a 6.909 PGP (a technique designed to measure a player’s overall contribution to a team’s victory) and a free throw percentage of 50, explained her immense satisfaction with the team’s performance.
“I’ve been on the basketball team since my freshmen year and I don’t think the team has ever had as much chemistry and talent as we did this season. I must admit, we got off to a rocky start, but it was amazing how by the end of the season we were beating some of the best teams in our division. I hope that next year we can try to practice a little more and possibly get off to a smoother start.”
Carroll continued, “Mr.Potter is also an amazing coach. I couldn’t imagine where the team would be without him. The girls on this team have great heart for the game. I’ve never been on a team where I’m surrounded by girls who don’t care about winning or losing, but about being the best players they can be on and off the court. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us as a team and I’m excited for the next season.”
Carroll’s excitement for the future of the girls team is quite understandable, with some of the team’s highest earning GPG players such as Makeila Jamison ’17, Claire Bergerson ’17 and Carroll herself, seeming to only improve in their moves on the court. However at the same time, saying goodbye to one of the team’s beloved players, senior Kara Fallon ’15 who will be graduating BSGE in June, is equally as disheartening.
As for the boys basketball season, it was an especially thrilling one considering that the team had went from a consistent 0 wins each season to now 6 wins in one season. Additionally, out of the Queens B West league for public high schools, BSGE came out in 7th place out of the 10 schools, surpassing Information Technology High School, Academy for Careers in Television and Film, and BSGE’s overall school rival: Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.
Boy’s basketball team member Amar Omeragic, who earned the highest Player Game Percentage of a whopping 12.071 and an impressive free throw percentage of 63.043, commented on the conclusion of the season and his unfortunate departure from the team.
“As a senior, it’s sad to say that this is my last year on the basketball team, but this year was by far the best of my years on the team. Great support from students as well as teachers helped us win many games and the whole team is thankful for that.” He continued, “The bond that we’ve developed helped us become the most successful boys basketball team in BSGE history, which is a great accomplishment for us all.”
BSGE’s support for the team through its student body and staff that Omeragic mentioned was very much seen throughout the season, with many games, notably the Frank Sinatra High School vs. BSGE game, bringing in quite an uproar. The team’s head coach and BSGE English teacher, Mr. Matthew Anderson, was very much committed to this need for a school presence at the boys games as seen from his announcements and flyers letting students know of the upcoming schedule.
With 11 out of the 17 players being seniors, many members of the class of 2015 was present at these games. One of these 11 seniors on the team was Aamel Unia, who finished the season with the second highest PGP at 8.857 and a free throw percentage of 51.667. Unia also gave his thoughts on the team’s overall performance.
“Though we didn’t make the playoffs, I think the season was overall very much a success considering the fact that the team had only won two games in all of its history.” He added with pride, “6 wins in one season led by the class of 2015 will forever be in the BSGE record books.”
Derek Chu, another Senior on the team, remarked on his last season of the team. “Ending the season as a senior is very bittersweet. While I will probably never play basketball this seriously, being part of the transformation from BSGE having consecutive 0 win seasons to setting a record 6 wins is an honor. I think ultimately there is still significant work for next year’s team to accomplish, this is where it all begun.”
Indeed there is work for next year’s basketball teams, but with a strong team and a supportive student body and staff, the future looks bright.
The BACC Rag 