Gators Fall on Senior Day: Game Report by Louie Dane

The evening began much like many other game nights for the 2008-2009 LMU Gators Varsity Basketball team. The players ran lay-up lines, ran pre-game drills, and prepared mentally for their final regular season home game before the much awaited PSAL playoffs. Only today's game would be a new experience for eight of the Gators. Seniors Adam Leventhal, Terrick Waiters, Nelson Vergara, Travis Winograd, Sam Becker, James Peterson, Karim Obaid, and Emilio Ramos were honored by Master of Ceremonies Alan Duffy minutes before the opening tip. It was quite an emotional night for many of these seniors, who will forever cherish their opportunity to represent their school on the court.

"Some of the best days of my life were game days," says Leventhal, a four-year Varsity athlete. "Being able to play with my friends and classmates was a great experience. My first two years were kind of a disappointment, but as an upperclassmen we really turned some heads. I'm glad we could have made such a difference when we got our shot."

Two sub-.500 seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07 set up the Gators two-year run as the Cinderella of the Manhattan B Division of PSAL Basketball. Last season, under coach Carmine Giovino, the Gators accomplished the best record in school history, posting 9 victories before falling in their first post-season opportunity to Aviation High School. Last season's success was believed to be short lived after the September departure of the Gator coach, but this year's class of leaders did not want to buy in to the theory. Newly hired gym teacher and basketball coach Ben Newman took a team with an established identity and made them hungry for more.

This season's 13-3 mark not only eclipsed last season's success, but has guaranteed the Gators a first-round home playoff game. After yesterday's game against Coalition for Social Change, many fans left the gymnasium believing that the Gators are capable of a different result.

An opening tip mishap left many players and fans caught off-guard wondering why LMU Forward Nelson Vergara was dropping easy lay-ups into his own team's basket. Says Vergara, "My adrenaline was rushing and as soon as I saw Terrick win the tip, I jumped at the chance to put some points on the board. It may not have been for the right team, but at least I looked good doing it." Having not adequately pointed out each team's baskets, the referees called a restart, and Vergara's bucket was taken off Coalition's score sheet. It was an omen for a night where the refs would have a bigger impact on the game's outcome than any of the players could have expected.

Vergara's first quarter contribution of 4 points, along with junior Sam Album's 12-point run in the second gave the Gators a 4-point cushio n at halftime after a sloppy half of basketball. In the third quarter, freshman stud Shane Richards and senior playmaker Karim Obaid electrified the home crowd with outstanding displays of athleticism in strong drives the basket. Richards added a few three pointers along the way, but poor defensive efforts by the Gators in the fourth quarter failed to neutralize Panthers big-man Brandon Pichardo in the post. Point Guard Porforio Lizardo gave the Gators' man-to-man scheme problems with high-flying moves on drives.

The real story of the game, however, was the missed free throws by the Gators in the final minutes of the game. Junior Guard C assius Naylor hit a clutch three-pointer with less than two minutes remaining, but a combined five missed opportunities from the charity stripe left the game tied with less than

10 seconds left. Coalition's Christopher Batista found the open look from three-point range in transition and nailed the bucket as the final horn sounded. Gators Center Terrick Waiters sat in a

mazement at center court afterward, staring up at the score board, which read 70-67, Panthers.

Even with the poor end to a stellar regular season, the Gators have a lot to look forward to in their second straight post-season appearance. A strong contingence of leaders on the team are more eager than ever to rebound from the disappointment. Waiters, who averaged a double-double in points and rebounds over his four years as a Varsity starter, will definitely want to make up for his missed opportunities down the stretch in a game that truly matters. This is a man that wants the ball when the game is on the line. Watch him, and the Gators. This is sure to be a season to remember.

Photos provided by Lindsay Kent