Out in the Round of 16

The American Heritage Basketball season officially concluded last night in the round of 16. We lost a good game with district rival Pine Crest, who played well last night. PC earned the win, and I give them credit. I also give a ton of credit to our players, who certainly came to play and played extremely hard. It is tough to take (as is any loss), but I am proud of my team and our season.
I am especially thankful to our seniors, who leave here as the most successful class in the history of American Heritage Basketball. Eloy Vargas will be missed tremendously and will always have a special place in my heart and here at Heritage. Jordan Katz, Brandon Hando, and Jamal Ferguson are all multiple year athletes that have sacrificed much to be a Patriot, and for that we thank you. Our junior class is tremendous - led by all world Kenny Boynton who showed me this year not only what a great player he is (the best), but is a better person and student. Everton Chin, Bill Slade, Raymond Taylor, Justin Day, Jared Wheeler, Cameron Simmons and Nick Lyon, thank you for everything. As your junior season has concluded, I consider you seniors and look to you to provide Senior leadership. Our sophomore class is ready to shine - Jake Wheeler, Brett Buzzard and Jake Silver - keep working hard and making strides - just as you did this year. I am so excited to see you guys shine.
To my coaches - thank you. I am demanding of the players, and I know I ask a lot from you. Thank you for all you did for the students and players at American Heritage. We are better because of you.
To our parents and supporters - wow - thank you for all you did to support not only your child, but all the children and players associated with this program. You were wonderful.
To our managers - thank you for doing so much for us. I know it often goes unnoticed to most people, but believe me when I say that anyone who is around here knows how hard you work and how much time and effort you put in. Arlene Imbert - boy will we miss you tons. Elise Costa (Go Gators!) - thank you so much. Angel Petrillo, & Mina Amini - lets get started on next year already!
To my administration here at Heritage - thanks for all of your support. I am lucky to work for Coach Walker, whom I consider the best Athletic Director around. Thanks for everything.
I am lucky enough to work with Coach Sibio, who is the girls coach here at AHS. Sibs is a loyal friend, and for that I say thank you. To my peers here at Heritage - teachers and deans - thanks for your support and friendship. To Matt Sacks and "The Perfect Rotation" - thanks for your hard work for our players and our program. To my own family and friends - thanks for your understanding of why I love what I do so much. You keep me smiling.

Senior Night 2008

Senior night last night honored four senior players and two senior managers. Last night we honored Elise Costa, Arlene Imbert, Brandon Hando, Jamal Ferguson, Jordan Katz, and Eloy Vargas. The crowd was terrific, and we had a great atmosphere for the ceremony and the game. We tried something new this year - we put on a tailgating party complete with a live musician - "Yonni" (who has been featured on MTV's The Hills and other shows) played as we had free food and drinks for our "SUPERFANS" before the game. Our seniors were also honored before the game with a great pregame meal at Chili's, and were given gifts during the ceremony. I hope they enjoyed the evening. The basketball part was great, too. We were able to win the game by a 83 - 48 margin, our JV team won their game, so all in all it was a good night. My thanks to those six students at American Heritage for making this Senior night a lot of fun.