Sports
Fort Lee Basketball Teams Take Time to Honor Seniors
Decorated gyms and heart-felt speeches highlight the last home game for senior athletes.
In a fast paced world, it is sometimes difficult to stop and reflect on how you reached this point in life.
Well, the Fort Lee basketball teams did just that this week, as they paused from their normal routine to honor their graduating student athletes.
The festivities started on Wednesday night as the Bridgemen hosted Dwight Morrow.
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Prior to the game, Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba called the team managers, graduating cheerleaders and senior players on to the court with their families.
Ziemba talked about everyone’s contribution to the team and went in depth about his two seniors.
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Forward Ryan Ford had what coach Ziemba called “a disappointing year” as the senior was academically ineligible for most of the season. Ford returned to score 23 points against rival Ridgefield Park but the senior injured his knee in the following game that knocked Ryan out for the rest of the season.
“To come back and then get hurt, you wonder what else could go wrong,” coach Ziemba said. “But that kid hung in there and came to practice and cheered for us. That’s not easy to do, especially watch your younger [freshman] brother when you know you could have been the best player on the floor about every night.”
“It felt sad because it was my last game and I couldn’t play,” Ryan said on senior night. “And it hurts a lot. I had an injury and I couldn’t play half the year because of grades. I felt like I was going to cry.”
With Ford out, Fort Lee’s young team was led by George Padin, the last remaining senior. Padin rarely scored during the year, averaging less than two points per game, but he pushed the underclassman daily through his example.
“We are losing a kid who gave the most heart and effort that I’ve ever coached,” Ziemba said of Padin. “That is going to be hard to replace.”
“I remember my sophomore year looking at the older guys and saying ‘Wow, it goes by fast,’” George added. “It really goes by fast.”
Then on Thursday, the Lady Bridgemen basketball team learned the same message that Padin learned a day earlier.
The girls ceremonies also honored the team managers but included six different seniors who would be played their last game at Fort Lee High School.
Senior guard Brianna Mattessich was classified as an unknown during her underclassman years and developed into the leading scorer for the Lady Bridgemen team this season that she helped captain.
“So many coaches have come up to me and say, ‘Who is she? I don’t remember her,” said Stacie Zafiris, the girl’s basketball coach. “They have all said that she is one of the best players in the area and I truly agree. She is a first team all league player in my eyes and in my heart and I am truly going to miss her.”
“It’s a memorable day and we’ve all been waiting for this day since we were freshman,” Mattessich said of senior day. “It’s finally come to an end and we are never going to play here again. It’s really exciting and we had a lot of fun.”
Forward Bindi Parikh also talked about how senior day was “one of the best days of the year,” and this is coming from a player who was named the most valuable player of a holiday tournament that her team won two years in a row. Parikh finished second on the team in scoring and also served as a captain on the squad.
“Bindi has done it all,” coach Zafiris said. “She works hard and you always see her going 150 percent. She is just a special young lady who is going do very, very well after high school.”
Parikh and Mattessich came up with the idea to bench themselves for the start of the game in order to give the other four seniors a chance to start.
“[Brianna and I] thought it would be a better idea for us to sit down because we always start,” Parikh said. “It’s nice to give other people a chance too.”
The remaining seniors took advantage of the opportunity as guard Yamel Contreras made the opening shot for the Lady Bridgemen.
“One of proudest moments was when she made the opening shot of the game,” Zafiris said. “She works extremely hard in practice, never complains, hard worker and always trying to make the team better.”
Coach also said similar compliments about Whiz Kid Arev Dinkjian who sings the National Anthem and is like a “mini coach” on the bench.
“I truly hope that one day my daughter will be like her,” the coach said,” because she has such wonderful qualities as a person.”
Forward Genevieve Noel also played in her final home game as well and helped the Lady Bridgemen build the program up during her time at Fort Lee.
“I’m going to miss her character and her laughter, “Zafiris added. “because her [laugh] is contagious. [I’ll also remember] her hard work and dedication to the program.”
The team also says good-bye to Lindsey Clesmere as well, who despite playing limited minutes this season is leaving quite a following behind.
“She is the Fort Lee celebrity here,” coach said of Lindsey. “She is always picking up the team and spinning positives. [As a] first year member of the varsity team, she fit in great this year.”
But even with all of the good-byes taking place over the last few days, the season is not over for either basketball team. Both squads will now be saying hello to the state tournament that starts on Monday. The Lady Bridgemen will travel to near-by Rutherford High School for a five o’clock contest as the boy’s team will visit Madison for a 7 p.m. start.
If the teams win, their seasons will continue as well. But if the Fort Lee teams falter, the seniors who were honored this week would have played their last games of the high school career.
“We don’t want our season to end,” said senior Brianna Mattessich. “We know if we lose, it’s over. But if we win, we keep going and we want to play into March.”
