Veteran Coach
Arrives at Staten Island Academy
to Guide Girls Basketball
Program
By Richard
Kagan
It’s been a long time since the varsity girls’ basketball
program at Staten Island Academy (SIA) reigned supreme in
New York. The Lady Tigers captured the New York State Association
of Independent Schools crown during the 1992-1993 season. There
have been some lean years since then.
When
veteran high school basketball coach Michael Reape became
available prior to the start of basketball practice, Staten
Island Academy wasted no time and named him Head coach of
the Girl’s
Varsity and Junior Varsity teams, and coordinator of all Middle
School Boys and Girls basketball. Reape
had successfully coached the boy’s
Varsity basketball
team at Tottenville High School, where he led Tottenville to
Eight berths in the Public School Athletic League playoffs
in New York City.
Reape also
coached Tottenville H.S. in the last two Staten Island High
School League Championship games, for bragging rights on the
Island. Due to an administrative change in credentialing, Reape
could no longer coach at Tottenville.
And
in stepped Staten Island Academy. Darlene Crowe, the current
director of athletics at SIA got in touch with Reape to see
if he was interested in re-building the Girl’s varsity basketball
program. The Lady Tigers finished 1-15 last season, and had
no returning seniors. But Reape, signed up for the challenge. “It
is a challenge,” said Reape.
“Patience
is the key word.”
This season
the Lady Tigers will play 20 games, starting in early December.
They compete
in the Athletic Conference of Independent Schools and the Private
School Athletic Association. Reape,
who also runs the recreational basketball program at the Jewish
Community Center on Staten Island, is teaching fundamentals
to the players and to get them to play to the best of their
ability. “The goal will be to improve the overall program,” Reape
said. He’s not expecting overnight miracles, just steady
progress.
That
seems just fine to the staff at SIA. “We’re thrilled
to have someone of Mike’s caliber leading our girl’s
basketball program,” said Crowe in a statement released
to the media. M. Peter Rapp, former athletic director of the
school from 1970 to 2003, who is still active on the 12 acre
campus, said Reape brings “a wealth of experience.”
First and foremost, the Academy is a college preparatory school. one hundred
percent of the seniors graduate and go on to a four year
college. SIA’s mission is to provide a liberal arts
education to a socio-economically diverse population. While
at SIA, students are encourage to participate in sports or
other extra-curricular activities.
Coach Reape
is a teacher of the game of basketball. At the JCC, he supervises
all volunteer coaches in a Sunday recreational league that
attracts over 400 students from Kindergarten to 8th grade.
He provides coaching clinics to new coaches and helps the ones
with more experience brush up on strategy.
The
Lady Tigers are preparing for the 2005-2006 season and the
mood at SIA is upbeat. There’s a new coach and a new
season.#
