“We think this year has the chance to be very special,” claims Coach Carmine Giovino, about the upcoming boys varsity basketball season.  This year’s team is unique for many reasons, and hopes for the season are very high.  In the past, BC has gotten progressively better each year, going further into the playoffs and making the state tournament.  Coach Giovino explains, “The ultimate goal is to win the first ACIS championship in school history,” and seeing the team’s development over the past few seasons, this goal is well within the their reach.

Much of the team’s recent success can be chalked up to senior and leading captain, Shane Pearley, and junior, Shaun Hicks, who has a chance to be one of the best players in all of New York City when he graduates.  Both Shane and Shaun have been starters since the beginning of their Berkeley Carroll basketball careers. However, Coach Giovino explains that one of the team’s greatest strengths is their depth.  “We can truly go 15 deep when it comes to quality players,” he says.  Some of these players include the other two captains: seniors, Josaiah Murrell and Will Reagan, as well as juniors Eugene Clark and Chris Harper, and sophomore Jimmy Council. Other solid players include seniors Benno Batali, Matrieya Punukollu and Kyle Graber, juniors Richie Palacios and Danny McCormack, and sophomores Ryan Hubbs, Davis Conger, and Devin Gilmartin.  Something that makes this team so special is that they are a particularly hard working group, and they have great team chemistry.  Because of the team’s great ability to communicate, they will able to employ a different type of offense and defense this season. The team is hoping the chemistry and the communication will pay off, especially against some of their biggest competitors, such as defending league champion, Packer, and Staten Island Academy.

“This current team has come together in many different ways,” says Coach Giovino.  After the enormous growth of the past four years, and with excellent leadership from its captains, both of whom might break the 1,000 point barrier this season, Berkeley Carroll’s basketball team will surely make a run for the league championship.