A new era has dawned for the Huntington High School boys’ basketball program with the appointment of varsity head coach Jordan Ioviero and assistant coach Todd Jamison. Blue Devil alum Patrick Reilly is returning for his third season as the junior varsity team’s head coach.
“We are all very excited to get to work,” Ioviero said. “Our moto this year will be ‘Earn Respect’ and we plan on doing that by being tough, physical and aggressive. Both Todd and I are football coaches and we plan on bringing the energy and passion that it takes to be successful on the field and using it on the court.”
Appointed to the district’s faculty by the Huntington School Board last summer and assigned to teach physical education at J. Taylor Finley Middle School and Woodhull Intermediate School, Ioviero has impressive basketball coaching credentials.
His 13 years of basketball coaching experience includes six seasons as a JV head coach and three years as the varsity assistant at Half Hollow Hills East. Ioviero won a pair of JV Coach of the Year Award during seasons in which he compiled a record of 31-3, losing all three games by a grand total of four points.
In three seasons at the varsity assistant coach at Hills East the team won three league titles and reached the Suffolk County finals every year. Hills East won two Section XI crowns and reached the championship game last year, losing in the final 46 seconds. Hills East made a pair of Long Island championship game appearances losing the first year by one point and winning the next before finishing as the New York State runner-up after dropping the state title game by five points.
“Our goal this year is to reach the playoffs,” Ioviero said. “Anything can happen once you are in the bracket; we just need to get there. We will take a one game at a time approach and we will fight to win a minimum of six league games. We are also already working hard to get youth into basketball. As a Finley Middle School physical education teacher, I have begun to establish some great relationships with the seventh and eighth graders.”
Open gyms at the high school and Finley drew dozens of players to both sites this fall. A core group of eighth graders has been especially impressive.
“The goal of the varsity will be to make playoffs, strive for a winning atmosphere and ignite passion in the school for the program," Ioviero said. “We hope to generate big crowds at our home games, excitement in the basketball community and a love for the game with our youth population. We invite everyone to come to all our games and we appreciate any and all the support we receive.”
Tryouts for the two Finley basketball teams begin on Monday afternoon. The JV and varsity teams will hold their tryouts starting on Tuesday, November 12.
“We are excited to get to work,” Ioviero said. “The varsity program will be doing a lot of team bonding events, including group trips, team dinners and various other activities throughout the year. Players should also expect to work hard and be coached by three coaches who will never give up on them. We have a lot of work to do, but we are excited to face every single challenge head on until we reach our goals.”
Jordan Ioviero
Jordan Ioviero was hired last summer to teach physical education in the district. He has been working at J. Taylor Finley Middle School and Woodhull Intermediate School. He is also on the football coaching staff at Finley.
A 2007 graduate of John H. Glenn High School, Ioviero obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and adapted PE at Dowling College in 2011. He earned a master’s degree at Touro College in 2015. Prior to being appointed in Huntington, he worked as a physical education teacher at Riverview School-PS 277Q in Queens since September 2015
Ioviero has coached football at John H. Glenn, Locust Valley and Smithtown West high schools, winning county and Long Island championships along the way. He was an assistant varsity basketball coach at Half Hollow Hills East, again winning county and LI titles and reaching the state finals.
Todd Jamison
Cable Todd Jamison is very comfortable being the center of attention. The former Huntington and St. John’s University football great frequently had all eyes in the stadium on him when he quarterbacked the offense of those respective teams.
Jamison, who is known as Todd, is employed as a security guard at his alma mater, Huntington High School. His family has its roots in Huntington and many of his family members still live in the community. He was an All Long Island football quarterback and All County basketball guard for the Blue Devils, graduating in 1979.
During his first year of college, he played football at Hofstra University. After taking a year off due to the death of his father, he transferred to St. John’s University. While playing there, he was a three-time All-American quarterback and was voted NCAA Division III Player of the Year.
Jamison followed up his collegiate career by signing with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent and later with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars, playing four games with each team. He then inked a pact to play free safety in Italy, but was unable to fulfill the commitment due to injuries. The close of his competitive career spurred Jamison into “giving back” to his community. He began coaching high school football at Huntington in 1986 and has been involved in the program in one way or another ever since.
While working at the Housing Authority, Jamison was a member of Leadership Huntington’s first graduating class. He has participated in many community organizations, including co-chairing of the Drug Free School Zone committee and serving on the Family Service League’s board of directors.
Following his tenure at the Huntington Housing Authority, Jamison bought a lawn care business, which he operated for many years. He’s been a Huntington UFSD security guard for the past 11 years. He has also been the high school’s speed, strength and conditioning coach for many years. He even did a stint coaching the JV softball team.
Jamison and his wife, Lisa have been married for more than 20 years. He takes joy in spending time with her and their son Clayton, a Huntington Class of 2018 member who is currently a sophomore at Hobart College where he plays on the football team.
Patrick Reilly
A graduate of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, Patrick Reilly is returning for his third season as the Blue Devil JV coach. A member of Huntington’s Class of 2013, he lettered with the varsity soccer, football, basketball and lacrosse teams during high school.
Reilly earned All-Division honors in football, kicking countless extra points and field goals as the Blue Devils marched into the playoffs. He captained and helped lead the basketball team deep into post-season play in 2013, winning All-Conference recognition in the process. He also captained the lacrosse team, playing a key role on a squad that reached the Suffolk finals. He was a two-time lacrosse All-Division honoree and a member of the 2013 All-County team.