The Floral Park boys’ varsity basketball team is back and better than ever.

After last year’s impressive 16-5 campaign ended with a quarterfinal loss to district-rival Elmont High School, the Knights spent the offseason working hard in order to advance even further this year. A pre-season injury to star senior captain Brian Fox has not slowed down the team as Floral Park has raced out to an 8-1 record, with several dominant performances.

The lone blemish on the schedule was a controversial one-point loss to Garden City, another contender for a county championship this year. The game ended on a layup by Garden City at the buzzer, giving the Trojans a 49-48 win. But video evidence, although not available to referees on the high school level, shows that the shot left the player’s hand after the clock reached 0.00. Floral Park did not allow the disappointing home loss to stop the team’s momentum as the Knights won the Massapequa Christmas tournament and opening the new calendar year with a thumping of Lynbrook, 69-47, considered the top competition for the Knights in league play.

Fox has made a quick recovery from his injury and performed very well. Frankie Phelan continues to shine at the point guard position while Matt Jounakos is making any team that leaves him open to give more attention to Fox and Phelan pay as he drains three pointer after three pointer. Steady post play by Michael Incantalupo along with a nice boost from last year’s leading scorer on the junior varsity, Jason Delgado, has helped lessen the blow of losing T.J. Cluess and Jack Dixon to graduation. Michael Matich and Simon Touze are also providing valuable minutes in what is a very strong seven-man rotation.

The first game of the season was against Lindenhurst. The Suffolk County school, fresh off a dominating performance in the Long Island Conference I football championship game, was supposed to be a great early test for Floral Park. But Ohio State-commit Jeremy Ruckert, the nation’s top-rated tight end prospect, opted to skip his senior year of basketball. The Knights cruised to a 73-53 victory. Three days later, Floral Park defeated North Shore by the same score. December league victories over Bethpage (60-40) and Division (73-41) have the Knights primed for an outstanding season. An easy 66-42 victory over Manhasset set the stage for an exciting championship game against host Massapequa High School. A foul shot by Matich with seven seconds remaining gave Floral Park a 62-61 lead. Incantalupo’s blocked shot at the buzzer sealed the impressive victory. Phelan led the way with 26 points while Fox added 16.

The Knights have improved during each game and are playing quite well. It is very interesting to observe the team’s chemistry on the floor. This group of seniors has played hundreds of games together and it clearly shows. Look for Floral Park to pile up many more wins as the team hopes to earn a top seed in the playoffs.