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Fair Khan nets 1,000th point for injury-plagued Jets
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Standing at 1-6 in Conference AA-II (4-7 overall) after a 53-48 loss to Great Neck South at home last Friday, however, the Jets can proudly say they are led by a history-maker of sorts on the offensive end of the floor.
Senior Azfar Khan scored the 1,000th point of his career on a free throw in a 70-60 loss to Oceanside on Jan. 14, becoming the first player in the program to accomplish the feat in more than 30 years. A five-year member of the varsity, Khan scored just 40 points in his first two seasons combined before his game took off as a sophomore. "It's a great accomplishment for any kid especially for one at a school not known for hoops," coach Barry Dickson said, noting the last time a Jet had achieved the feat was in the 1977-78 campaign. "It's an attention-changer."
A combo guard that's equally effective at shooting from behind the arc and driving to the basket, Khan netter a game-high 17 points in the loss last Friday, and his aggressiveness to the hoop netted him 13 free-throw attempts and nine conversions. "He goes to the hoop pretty hard and he can get to the basket," Dickson said.
Trailing by nine at the half to the Rebels, the Jets switched from their customary zone defense and the man-to-man approach helped them clamp down and climb back into the game. They outscored Great Neck South 22-18 in the second half, but the comeback bid against the second place team in the conference fell short after forward Matt Gundrum, who had scored 18 points, went down with a season-ending ankle injury with 2:00 to play.
Gundrum's injury is a big hit to East Meadow on both sides of the floor, because the junior had become an excellent complement to Khan on offense, averaging nearly 13 points per game and developed into the team's top defensive player. He joins senior center Nick Siriban, currently out because of an illness, on the sidelines though Dickson is hopeful of his return in the near future.
The way the Jets played in the man-to-man scheme, more of it can be expected in the second half of the season with junior guard Andrew Wilen stepping into the role of top defender and drawing the toughest backcourt assignment. "We're mostly a zone team but we gave up only 18 points [after switching to man] and played very hard," Dickson said.
The injuries have necessitated a call for help from the JV ranks, as East Meadow has added a trio of sophomores in guards Kyle Berger and Nick Slevin, along with forward/center Jeff Angelia, who's 6-foot-3 but brings a jumper with range.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
Senior Azfar Khan scored the 1,000th point of his career on a free throw in a 70-60 loss to Oceanside on Jan. 14, becoming the first player in the program to accomplish the feat in more than 30 years. A five-year member of the varsity, Khan scored just 40 points in his first two seasons combined before his game took off as a sophomore. "It's a great accomplishment for any kid especially for one at a school not known for hoops," coach Barry Dickson said, noting the last time a Jet had achieved the feat was in the 1977-78 campaign. "It's an attention-changer."
A combo guard that's equally effective at shooting from behind the arc and driving to the basket, Khan netter a game-high 17 points in the loss last Friday, and his aggressiveness to the hoop netted him 13 free-throw attempts and nine conversions. "He goes to the hoop pretty hard and he can get to the basket," Dickson said.
Trailing by nine at the half to the Rebels, the Jets switched from their customary zone defense and the man-to-man approach helped them clamp down and climb back into the game. They outscored Great Neck South 22-18 in the second half, but the comeback bid against the second place team in the conference fell short after forward Matt Gundrum, who had scored 18 points, went down with a season-ending ankle injury with 2:00 to play.
Gundrum's injury is a big hit to East Meadow on both sides of the floor, because the junior had become an excellent complement to Khan on offense, averaging nearly 13 points per game and developed into the team's top defensive player. He joins senior center Nick Siriban, currently out because of an illness, on the sidelines though Dickson is hopeful of his return in the near future.
The injuries have necessitated a call for help from the JV ranks, as East Meadow has added a trio of sophomores in guards Kyle Berger and Nick Slevin, along with forward/center Jeff Angelia, who's 6-foot-3 but brings a jumper with range.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
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