Blue Waves eyeing return to basketball playoffs after another League 1 win

When Anaiis Mitchell took an elbow to the mouth defending a drive to the hoop early in the third quarter on Friday night at Riverhead High School, Walt Whitman had no idea they just summoned what turned out to be a career-best performance from the sophomore point guard. Mitchell was pulled from the game temporarily by the referees because of blood on his jersey but the second he got cleaned up he came rushing back in.
From that point on, Mitchell could not be stopped, scoring from mid-range and inside, netting 12 of his 21 points in that third quarter to lead Riverhead to a 65-56 win and improve the team’s League I record to 4-1 on the season.
“I got real mad about that,” Mitchell said. “They didn’t even call it a foul. It definitely got me fired up. Something clicked in my mind. All my shots started falling.”
“He just flipped a switch,” head coach Pat Fabian said. “He came up to me during the timeout and said ‘keep setting that screen, my mid range is on.’ So he knew he wanted to take over. By all intents and purposes, he won us that game in the third quarter.”
The contest didn’t start out great for the Blue Waves as they fell behind by as much as 10 points in the second quarter before Landon Zaleski checked into the lineup. Though Zaleski is typically the starter, Fabian went with Jack Bartolo against Whitman because of the matchups. Bartolo kept their best shooter in check all game but Riverhead needed a spark. Zaleski came in with a bang, coming up with crucial rebounds and nailing two treys before halftime to give the Blue Waves a one point edge.
“Those threes I feel like really turned it around for us,” Fabian said. “It got the crowd back into it and really fired up the kids heading into halftime.”
While Mitchell was carving up the defense in the second half, he was also finding senior captain Liam Lennon off screens and under the basket to the tune of six assists. Lennon, who has been battling ankle injuries, finally felt 100% coming into the game for Whitman. The senior scored 19 points, corralled seven rebounds, and snatched three steals.
“Honestly the chemistry we have as a team is all the difference this year,” Lennon said. “I think each of us has improved because of it. We’re coached hard and practices are fun. We’re really enjoying this season and the results are showing.”
Fabian, in his first year as head coach, refuses to take all the credit. It’s a collaborative effort that is necessary for success.
“Without my assistant coaches Ryan McCormick and Rich Vlacci I don’t think what we have done this year so far would be possible,” Fabian said. “McCormick coaches the defense and Vlacci helps me on the offense, including the out of bounds plays and transition stuff. Vlacci is also the face the kids see in school and go to for everything. The kids have bought into what we’ve been preaching and it’s starting to show.”
Before the season, Fabian said this year’s success wouldn’t be measured in wins and losses. He wanted to get the team to commit to playing the full 32 minutes every game. He wanted to change the culture. He wanted to inspire belief. About halfway through the season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2019 is now on the agenda. Two more league wins will do it and there are seven games remaining.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids,” Fabian said. “They are the nicest, most respectful kids and to me, basketball skills aside, that’s the most important thing. At the end of the day, they’re here to compete, have fun and work hard. I want them to enjoy their time here and though making the playoffs was maybe more of a long-term goal at the beginning, it’s something we’re definitely talking about now.”