See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Nazareth boys’ basketball coach Todd Jamison saw a change in his team after an overtime loss to Bishop Ford in early January.
The defeat and a .500 record at the time sparked a renewed seriousness in the defending Catholic Class A state champions. The Kingsmen went on to win the next 16 games straight.
“Before Bishop Ford, I feel like I didn’t have their attention,” Jamison said. “After the Ford loss, the practices have been more businesslike.”
Like the business of winning, that is.
Nazareth ended the regular season with a 64–59 come-from-behind non-league win over Brooklyn Collegiate on Jan. 20 on senior night. It enters the playoffs as the clear favorite to repeat as city champions, and will then try to earn its third-straight trip to the state Federation tournament. The Kingsmen won the Class B crown two years ago.
What’s made the run more impressive is that Nazareth has won without Manhattan College-bound center Samson Akilo, who was benched with excess fluid in his leg. The 5-foot-8 senior has been back for the last five games, but is still not back to 100 percent. He will still be a valuable piece moving forward.
“He missed some chippies,” Jamison said. “He’s not moving laterally great. We have to get him together. We need him for the stretch run.”
The team has gotten here on the strength of star seniors Samson Usilo, who is also headed to Manhattan and Ahmed Alkhulaidi. Usilo scored 17 points after the break to erase Brooklyn Collegiate’s halftime lead.
Strong play from those two was expected, but it is the development of the team’s players that has taken Nazareth from a good team that struggled early on to one that ran through the league.
Senior-sharpshooter Tishsean Emmanuel has provided the Kingsmen (20–4, 14–1) with a consistent third scorer in Akilo’s absence. Jamison also praised the development of senior guard Brandon Mignott. He proved to be a versatile piece, who can play point guard or shooting guard.
“I wasn’t using [Mignott] early in the year,” Jamison said. “He’s developed into someone we can depend on to give us some major minutes.”
Sophomore wing Kobe Telford has also become a consistent contributor. He had nine points in the win over Brooklyn Collegiate.
The team still has some major goals to accomplish if its season is truly going to be a success. That starts with a city title when the playoffs begin for them in the quarterfinals on March 1. Teams like Xavier, Monsignor Scanalan and Monsignor McClancy still stand in their way of reaching the Federation tournament. Jamison knows his team is determined to finish strong.
“They want to go out on top,” Jamison said. “They don’t want the season to end early.”