Mattituck Tuckers basketball players and coaches weigh in on expected challenges and goals this season.
Mattituck hoopsters expect to compete despite youth
The freshmen-heavy squad will face top-tier competition this season.
For the third consecutive year, the Mattituck boys basketball team will be forced to punch above its weight.
Instead of playing against Class B, C and D schools, the Tuckers will be tasked to compete with larger Class A squads and some B teams in Suffolk County League VI.
There are two ways to look at the challenge.
The Tuckers could struggle against the schools with larger enrollments, but that could prepare them to do well among Class B schools and reach the playoffs. Regardless of the team’s overall record, Mattituck will need at least a .500 record against B sides to accomplish that.
Head coach Paul Ellwood has become accustomed to the challenge.
“We’ve always had Southampton, Center Moriches in our leagues, which is good, because kids see great basketball from those schools,” he said. “It always raised our program because it made the kids work harder, because they knew what a good basketball team looks like. The frustrating part is now that they’re Class A. We could have been with a B, C, D league, which would have been perfect, playing local rivalries.”
Southampton defeated Bayport-Blue Point for the county Class A title and won the Long Island championship last season.
“Either one of those teams could win the state in Class A,” Ellwood said.
Added senior guard Owen Searl: “I’m looking forward to facing those teams, because that’s going to be our best competition. That’s really going to show us where we’re at and what we can do.”
Mattituck (7-13, 4-10 last season) will have a younger look this season, playing for today and building for the future.
“We definitely have a lot of young talent coming up,” said 5-11 guard Justin Fox, the lone returning senior who saw significant playing time last year. “We have a heavy freshman class. We’ve got a couple of great seniors that will definitely be supporting the team. We still have a lot of great talent. We can definitely make a good run.”
Senior Andrew McKenzie, a 6-3 forward who backstopped the Tuckers lacrosse team to the 2023 Class B championship, is expected to see significant playing time.
“We definitely have the weapons,” McKenzie said. “We have the play makers and shooters.”
The Tuckers will be bolstered by the return of a former player and a promising freshman.
The 5-11 Searl played on the Tuckers JV for two seasons before transferring to Westtown School in West Chester, Pa., last year.
“I think he’s going be an impact player right off the bat,” Ellwood said.
Searl said that he was “ready to do whatever the team needs of me, both on and off the court. Communicating on the court is going to be huge for us. Just doing all the little things that it takes to hopefully try to get some wins. The goal is to make playoffs.”
In the 55-47 Class B semifinal loss at Babylon last year, 5-9 eighth-grader Antonio Sparacio sank a three-pointer only 13 seconds after entering the game in his varsity debut.
“My goal is to just get better every day and for the team just to keep winning,” Sparacio said.
“An eighth-grader who’s been in a playoff game, that’s a great experience,” Ellwood said. “He’s going to continue to get better,”
Ellwood noted that Searl and Sparacio were “two nice additions to add into what was a little bit of a thin roster. It solidifies us, gives us a little depth.”
Juniors expected to contribute included center Tyler Brown and point guard Michael Buckley, a member of the All-League VII golf team who led the JV hoops squad last year until he broke his wrist.
Another newcomer is freshman guard Connor Searl, Owen’s younger brother, who earned All-League IX soccer honors (eight goals, six assists).
“He’s very athletic. He’s a natural basketball player, a natural athlete,” Ellwood said. “He’s going to be an asset for us. He learns fast.”
The focus usually is on scoring, but Fox felt that defense could define the Tuckers’ success.
“We should definitely have a lot of stops on defense,” he said. “I think that’s where we’ll shine the best.”
After four non-league contests, the Tuckers will begin their League VI season at Babylon on Dec. 12 at 4:30 p.m.
“The good news is there are a lot of young players,” Ellwood said. “After this year, we’ll have guys around for two, three years. We do have some senior leadership, but we also have a nice mix of youth. We’ll be trying to be competitive this year, but also building towards the future at the same time.”
Tuckers look to repeat as county basketball champs
With several top players back on the court, the girls Mattituck Tuckers have a tough act to follow — themselves.
After capturing the Suffolk County Class B title last year, the girls basketball team has aspirations of repeating this season.
“I think that we’re going to make it just as far as we did last year,” said star point guard Claire McKenzie. “We definitely have a lot of players who are younger that can step up and play the part.”
“I’d love to have that happen again,” senior guard-forward Paige Rittberg said.
Head coach Steve Van Dood was a bit more cautious, but still optimistic.
“The group and depth that we have, I’m not going to say we can win the championship, but we’re going be in the fight,” he said. “We’re going to be in the mix. We’ll be one of the better teams in the league.”
The Tuckers’ No. 1 weapon will be McKenzie, a two-time All-Conference selection who averaged 12.2 points a game as a sophomore.
“I’m still playing point guard, but we might have someone else dribble down the court so I can go to the side, knock down some threes and get to the basket,” McKenzie said.
The 5-foot-11 junior demonstrated her versatility last season.
“She really knows how to work the ball around, and she shares a pretty even hand,” senior guard-forward Riley Corrigan said. “She’s always kind of selfless.”
McKenzie has added a few things to her repertoire.
“She’s even gotten better,” Van Dood said. “She’s got a step-back jump shot. She sees the court very well. She’s looking to pass. Claire puts in the time in the off season. I think she’s going to have a good year. Teams are going to be gearing up for her, trying to cover her and take her out. We do have some other kids that can contribute to scoring this year.”
McKenzie will have some help from three seniors on a Mattituck squad (15-8, 12-2) that lost to Carle Place in the Long Island championship game.
That trio — Rhianna Lutz (5-feet-6-inches), Rittberg (5-5) and Corrigan (5-8) – will play either guard or forward.
“With Paige helping out dribbling, that’s going to help Claire getting off the ball,” Van Dood said. “Riley Corrigan … can score 10 to 12 points a game just on quick jump shots. Rhianna adds speed, quickness, deflections and steals. Those veteran players are going to be fitting into the type of defense and offense I have envisioned for his team.”
Added Rittberg: “We’re all pretty good shooters. Everyone can work the ball well. We’re all pretty good defenders. We definitely lost a lot of height from last year, but we’re really an athletic team this year.”
Lutz, a member of the Mattituck/Southold/Greenport soccer team that competed in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, will do double duty this winter. She is also a member of the Tuckers’ indoor track team.
“I just came from track practice,” Lutz said after a basketball training session. “It’s a lot, but I think if you really care about it, you’ll make time for everything.”
The Tuckers also will be bolstered by standout soccer player and senior Casey Szczotka, who is expected to help out on the boards.
“She provides a toughness that’s going to be helpful,” Van Dood said.
Juniors Page Kellershon and McKenna Clark, two members of the lacrosse team, also are in the mix.
“We have a lot of new people playing that have never played basketball before,” McKenzie said. “They’re really athletic. They all play soccer and lacrosse, and they’re really good that we can put on defense.”
Mattituck’s most intriguing League VII games likely will involve Greenport/Southold. The rivals split their two regular season contests last year before the Tuckers won the semifinals, 46-29.
Mattituck will host the Porters on Monday, Dec. 9, at 5:45 p.m. before visiting Greenport on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 5:45 p.m.
Due to the proximity of the schools, many games are fiercely contested, but given that many of the girls play together either in the Brookhaven Summer League or on the combined soccer and lacrosse teams, it makes for a unique dynamic.
“On the court, we obviously all bring it to the table,” Lutz said. “We all want the win. But when we see each other outside of school, after the game, we’ll all hug, catch up with one another. There’s never any hard feelings about it.”
