The Huntington High School boys’ basketball program is one of Suffolk’s oldest and everyone involved in it now is striving to return the Blue Devils to a position of prominence in the county. Late last week, coaches and players gathered to honor three special seniors during a pre-game ceremony that was livestreamed for parents and family members.
Huntington head coach Jordan Ioviero spoke about Zachary Gordon, Chad Rowe and Adrian Brooks during a ceremony held prior to the final home game of the season against visiting North Babylon.
“This has been a crazy year, but together we made the best out of a tough situation,” Ioviero said. “A few months ago, we were told that we wouldn’t have the opportunity to play the game we all love due to the corona virus. Immediately I thought about our three seniors. It broke my heart to think that I wouldn’t have one last chance to coach them and to see them finish their careers here at Huntington High School. I reached out to each senior and personally thanked them for their hard work and dedication to the program. I then made sure to express to them how much I wished we could have been back on the court together.”
When basketball returned to the court in early February, the Blue Devils were among those rejoicing. “I would like to thank our school district, our administration, our athletic director Georgia McCarthy and everyone else behind the scenes that helped make that wish a reality,” Ioviero said. “This was a collective effort and together we were able to give our seniors the opportunity to play again. I am so thankful that I had this extra time with the three of you.”
Ioviero was joined on the court by assistant coach Ken Parham and JV coach Patrick Reilly. Each of the seniors was asked to step forward one at a time as Ioviero made his heartfelt remarks.
Rowe was the first of three seniors to be recognized. “Chad and I met on the football field and immediately I knew he could make a big impact in our basketball program,” Ioviero said. “The rest of the team knew it also and because of that, Chad was voted as one of our team captains by his teammates. I am going to miss his smile and the energy he brings to our team. Chad plans to play football in college where I know he will excel. He hasn’t decided where he will be going just yet. A short list of schools he is considering include Utica, Kentucky Wesleyan and Wingate. He plans to study either aviation or physical education. I highly support both career paths, one because I would love to coach or possibly teach with him one day and two because he promised me he would fly me to Hawaii.”
Gordon then stepped forward. “Zach is an exceptional baseball player, which we all know very well here on the varsity. Anyone who has ever practiced or played with Zach knows that he passes the basketball as if he was throwing a baseball. He never missed a practice; is always on time and always puts in the extra work to help make our basketball program better. Zach plans on playing baseball in Minnesota next year at Carleton College. He intends to major in economics or political science and hopes to either get into politics or work on Wall Street. I am sure he will be successful whatever he decides to do.”
Brooks was the last of the trio to be honored. “Adrian, where do I begin?,” Ioviero asked. “From the first time I saw him play, I immediately knew I had a very special talent in the program. Adrian has an exceptional understanding of the game of basketball. He sees things before they happen. He brings speed, toughness and pure athleticism to this program. His basketball skills are truly special. Adrian was also voted by his peers to be a team captain.
He plans on playing basketball at the next level and this coaching staff will do whatever we can to help him achieve this goal. He plans on possibly attending prep school next year to help him get into a high-level basketball program in the future. Adrian plans to study engineering and I know he will be successful in that as well. Adrian, our journey wasn’t always easy, but we helped move this program in the right direction and I am very proud of that.”
