Gompers star Carlos Galan was held to 10 points. (Robert Cole)
You knew there was something amiss last winter when Johnny Mathis didn’t talk about Madison Square Garden other than taking in a Knicks game.
The legendary John F. Kennedy boys basketball coach always talks about getting to the Garden, site of the PSAL Class AA finals, but with a diminished roster, it was unrealistic. Tuesday, after the improved Knights opened the league season with an impressive 71-53 victory over Gompers, he was back at it.
“The ultimate goal is to win the big one,” he said.
That, more than the victory, spoke volumes about Kennedy, which manhandled Gompers though talented wings Terry Larrier and Bashier Ahmed didn’t find their groove. Instead, the Knights received balanced scoring – five different players scored at least nine points – with Larrier leading the way with 14, Ahmed following with 12, Jason Nunez had 10 and David Hardy and Alfonso Davis notched nine apiece.
“We’re trying to have a bounce-back year,” Nunez said.
Nunez made the play of the evening, flying out of bounds to save a loose ball while landing across a chair and water cooler, which led to an uncontested layup for Ahmed. The two points didn’t make much of a difference – Kennedy was comfortably ahead at that point – but it displayed Kennedy’s hunger so early in the year.
“As Coach says, hustle never has a bad day,” the junior said, smiling.
Mathis was most impressed with his team’s defensive effort on Gompers star Carlos Galan. The high-scoring junior guard, who averaged 25 points per game last year to lead Bronx AA, was held to just 10 points. Kennedy (2-0, 1-0 Bronx AA) forced the ball out of his hands, double-teaming him on the wing with the long-armed Larrier or Ahmed and a quick guard.
“We take a lot of pride in our defense,” said Nunez, the younger brother of Louisville freshman Angel Nunez. “We’re not gonna let anyone come into our gym and light it up.”
Jordan Webb led Gompers (0-1, Bronx AA) with 16 points. The Panthers got within 61-51 late in the fourth quarter, but Kennedy answered with eight straight points.
Kennedy got out of the gate slow, until a 13-0 run to end the first half created a 35-23 margin at halftime. Larrier, a transfer from Sacred Heart in Yonkers, and Ahmed showed what they are capable of at points. Larrier sank back-to-back long 3-pointers while Ahmed did a little bit of everything, from finishing inside, rebounding and leading Kennedy in transition and creating opportunities for his teammates.
“He’s a talented player,” Mathis said of the versatile 6-foot-5 sophomore. “There will be points during the year we use him as our [point] guard.”
Last season’s fourth-place finish and second-round playoff loss didn’t sit very well at Kennedy, which is used to winning, Mathis said. Early in the year, the Knights seem prepared to bring back that tradition. Part of that would be a Bronx AA title.
“I would like to win it,” Mathis said. “But our main goal is to get ready for the main picture.”