Boys’ Basketball:

Athletic Director Bobby Starks has brought in new coach Kevin Snider to try to lead the boys’ basketball team to State. Snider previously worked at Whitney Young, where he won two State championships and one City championship. He also formed NBU Athletics, a travel basketball organization that has won three AAU championships. Coach Snider looks to bring that success to Parker, which has never had a basketball team go to State. Senior captain Marc Taylor, without fellow seniors and ex-captains Casey Barr and Nicky Kupferberg, guides the team into an exciting season, hoping to finish with a better record than last year’s 7-15. Taylor will try to build off his individual success from last year, improving on the stats he amassed as leading scorer, rebounder, and blocker – before missing half of the season because of a partially torn achilles. “I’m really hoping the team can string wins together this year,” Taylor said. “I know I’m ready for that. I’m here. I’m back. It’s time Parker basketball does something big.” The team began practice on Monday, November 7 and had its first game on Monday against Maine East.

Girls’ Basketball:

After not fielding a team two years ago, the girls bounced back last year, finishing with an impressive record of 17-4 despite having only six girls on the team. Captains Morgan Harler, a senior, and Elisabye Slaymaker, a sophomore, are hoping for another great year as new players get to know the system. With the coaches now in their second year, and some of the girls having worked with them during softball, it should be a more coherent start to the season. “We are relying a lot on the freshmen to help us,” Harler said. “They had a decent amount of girls last season, and we really need those reinforcements.” The freshmen definitely provided the much needed help: over twenty girls reported to practice on the first day, and all of them––including nine freshmen––are still on the team. The team chemistry is something that needs to be built, and while a senior and sophomore captain pairing is rare, these girls can make it work because of their close relationship. Said Harler, “We really bonded last year as co-captains and have carried that into this season.” The girls’ season started on Monday, October 31, and the squad had its first matchup on November 16 against Ida Crown.

Indoor Track and Field:

Though the captains are not yet set, it seems as though the team will be led by seniors Will Polsky, Graham Silverman, Lauren Goodman, and Zoey Gardner. Polsky, also the captain of the Cross Country team, looks to change his long distance stamina into sprinting stamina. Last year, Jack McNabola, a current junior,  and Rebecca Ross, class of 2016, each made it to State, breaking records along the way. Ross broke the record for long jump, while McNabola set a new record for the mile. Then-sophomore Ed Polsky became the third best discus thrower in Parker’s history, and Silverman is now the second best shot putter in our history. McNabola looks to repeat his success from Cross Country this year by winning the ISL and going to State in track and field as well. “I’m really excited for this season,” Silverman said. “I think we’re all going to have a great time, and win some meets while we’re at it.” Though this season starts in late January, it is still considered a Winter sport. The calendar has not yet been released.