Nine months later, the outlook is brighter
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Kevin Parma, an all-league senior forward, and his Southold teammates have a chance to make an impact in League VIII.
But a new, brighter day has dawned in Southold. After spending one season of hard knocks in League VII, the First Settlers are returning to the kinder, gentler world of League VIII as a battle-tested team.
"We got pushed around too much last year," said Gino De Jongh, a senior who can play center or power forward. "We're trying to be the bullies this year."
Gino De Jongh, a 6-foot-5 senior, pulled down a rebound during Southold's practice on Monday.
All of that spells an opportunity for the taking.
"If they can check their egos at the door and say, 'We want to be a team,' they can be dangerous," Coach Jeff Ellis said in an interview after Monday's practice.
"We expected to be really good," said Cepelak, a senior small forward. "We worked really hard, but it just didn't come together. We didn't expect the kind of competition that we faced. I think it made us stronger and it pushed us to get better. We didn't want to lose any more."
The sense among the First Settlers is that the team has progressed. Of the team's six returning players, Cepelak, De Jongh and Parma, a senior forward, were starters. Cepelak averaged a team-leading 11.6 points per game, and Parma averaged 11.0. De Jongh was the team's leading rebounder, averaging 5.9 boards per game.
Trevor Perry, a senior forward, and Winston Wilcenski, a sophomore shooting guard, should also be of assistance. Southold will need something out of junior point guard Sal Manno, who bounced back and forth between the varsity and junior varsity teams last season. He will fill the position vacated by the graduation of Rob Clausen.
"I think, one, with seniors, the light switch is on, and they get it," Ellis said. "And, two, they've played in a tough league and they realize if they want to be good, that's where they have to get to, and they've dedicated themselves."
De Jongh said: "We all know we have one goal this year. That's what we are practicing for. We are practicing to make the playoffs and maybe go deep into the playoffs."
That's quite a leap from where the First Settlers were at the end of last season. What a difference nine months can make.
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