A year ago, the Boys Junior Varsity Basketball team finished with just one win in a tight battle against School of the Future. Entering the 2025-26 season, adjustments were necessary, and the team showed clear improvement as the year felt far more hopeful than before.
The playoffs are always the goal going into any high school sports team’s season—and for the expectation. However, for the Junior Varsity team improvement was the most important, and they were able to accomplish that.
During the 2024-25 season, the team wasn’t dominant over School of the Future, splitting the season series one game apiece. This season, though, the Blue Devils opened with a commanding 45-28 win over School of the Future, raising hopes for a more successful campaign and starting the season 1-0.
But it wouldn’t come easy for the Blue Devils following the win, only scoring 81 total points over their next three contests, resulting in a three-game losing streak, even giving up 76 points against Bayard Rustin, who was considered the team to beat in the division. Junior Varsity couldn’t just blame poor performance for the rough start, though, as they were at some points of the season short-handed when it came to roster availability.
In their game against East Side, the game remained competitive throughout, as both teams displayed similar levels of play. Availability again played a key role. The team was without one of its top players, center Nebosja Jovic, whose presence could have helped close the gap. Additionally, sophomore Michael Antino exited the game with a lower-body injury, leaving the squad even more short-handed. The team ultimately fell 59-44.
The team would end up getting two straight wins — one against Chelsea and another via forfeit against School of the Future — bringing playoff contention into legitimate consideration.
Looking at last year’s team, the playoffs were out of the question very early into the year, but this year, they had hope. After allowing 92 points in a loss against Bayard Rustin, though, the next game, the chances started to seem slim for any chance at playoff contention. The team would drop another loss to East Side before closing out the season strong with another win against Chelsea, bringing their record to a not top-class but respectable 4-6.
Once the season ended, there were plenty of good things to look at; We saw improvements in sophomores like guard Hugo Mandelbaum and new freshmen being able to contribute like guard and forward, Eli Bermejo. The team may not have reached a .500 record or secured a playoff berth, but it demonstrated clear progress and resilience. Some years, the season ended before it would reach game six, but this year, there was something to look out for the entire way, offering a sense of optimism and setting new expectations for the seasons ahead.
