Boys Basketball: New Hyde Park 2012 Preview

The boys basketball team may not have a lot of height on their roster, but they have speed, athleticism and a strong committment to excel.

"We have some good athletes returning to our team this year," Coach Don Rood said. "Our guys are committed and focused and you will hear a lot of coaches say it but we expect to get to the county championships."

Returning players: If the Gladiators hope to remain atop a tough conference A-1, they are going to have to rely on their three main players.

KEVIN TOWEY: Towey was an All-Conference player last year in his junior season. As a senior and team captain this year he will be a leader for his teammates. Towey plays as a combo point guard and shooting guard.

FAIZAL HUSSEIN: Hussein is a three-year varsity starter who will use his bulk in the small power forward position.

ADAM PRIEST: The lanky senior plays at the small forward position. He is a solid player who scored a team high of 14 points in the playoffs last season against eventual Nassau County champion Manhasset.

The Gladiators also have another junior athletic player, Josh Lee and senior Alex Chandli will also be a big contributor.

Expectations: The Gladiators hope to make it back into the Nassau County playoffs.  after losing in the first round of last year's playoffs to eventual County Champion, Manhasset. They will have to navigate through a tough conference A-1 schedule in order to do so.

Quote: "We will have a pretty deep team this year," Rood said. "We're not a tall team but we will have some tough guys on our squad who can run and compete with anybody."

First Game: The Gladiators will take on Bellmore-JFK on Dec. 13 at 4:45 p.m.