With Senior Star Seydi Posting a Double-Double, PDS Boys’ Hoops Tops Steinert in Tune-Up for CVC
PRESSURE DEFENSE: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Abdoulaye Seydi, left, puts the pressure on an opponent in recent action. Last Thursday, senior forward Seydi posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds as PDS defeated Steinert 58-46. PDS, who improved to 8-7 with the win, is starting action in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) tournament where they are seeded eighth and slated to host ninth-seeded Robbinsville in a first round contest on February. In addition, the Panthers will be competing in the Prep B state tourney, heading to Doane Academy on February 9 for a semifinal contest. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Helping the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball outscore Steinert 18-0 in the second quarter last Thursday evening gave Abdoulaye Seydi a sense of how good the Panthers can be.
“I think it has just been a culmination of what we have been working toward this season, just focusing on defense and really trying to move without the ball,” said PDS senior forward Seydi. “Especially as we move towards playoffs and state tournaments, we really just want to elevate that level. I think that is what we did in the second quarter.”
Seydi elevated his game, starring in the paint with his rebounding and put-backs.
“I was really trying to get on the boards, it is something I have been working towards this season,” said Seydi. “It is also just finishing more, that is something I struggled with earlier in the season. I feel like today I was just in the right spots and my teammates really got me in the right places to get early layups. I really couldn’t do it without my teammates.”
The game tightened up as the Spartans outscored PDS 24-15 in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were able to close the deal as they held for a 58-46 win in improving to 8-7.
“We took care of business but at the end of the day there was no explanation for what we did in the fourth quarter,” said Seydi, who ended up posting a double-double in the contest with 12 points and 12 rebounds. “I think we still have to hold ourselves to that standard because what we do at the end of the game is going to lead us into our next game, especially when the CVC tournament starts. We just really want to keep up the intensity, We will take the win but we will be better next time.”
With PDS having gone 4-1 in its last five games, things are coming together for the Panthers.
“It is team camaraderie, I think that is something that is undervalued,” said Seydi. “It is just wanting to win for each other and also when we move without the ball. We make the extra pass and that just leads to better shots.”
As his role has evolved, Seydi is looking for his shot more.
“When I first started playing varsity and getting heavy minutes sophomore year, I was mainly a defensive player,” said Seydi. “Last year, I was becoming more of a slasher getting to the paint, trying to get cutbacks.”
As PDS starts action in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) tournament where they are seeded eighth and slated to host ninth-seeded Robbinsville in a first round contest on February 4, Seydi and the other senior on the squad, Adam Stewart, are looking to go out with a bang.
“We really haven’t won anything in our PDS careers yet, so we really just want to end off on a win and leave something for the school,” said Seydi. “I think our camaraderie as friends shows on the basketball court as we are willing to make that extra pass and lift each other.”
PDS head coach Eugene Burroughs credited his players with showing off their skill and intensity as they built a 31-9 halftime lead.
“In this game it was important to use our athleticism against Steinert,” said Burroughs. “We have been imposing a lot of pressure lately in our game so something we have been focusing on is transitioning into that. We are playing our 1-2-2 for longer stretches of time.”
As Steinert made its late charge, PDS handled the pressure.
“The game got a little closer and now it is can we still execute,” said Burroughs. “We have been in a lot of close games this year, so just to see when it gets a little tighter are we going to do what we need to do, be strong with the ball, make the right plays — that is what the CVC is as you get towards playoff time.”
Burroughs liked the strong performance he got from Seydi against the Spartans.
“Abdoulaye has been doing a great job rebounding the basketball,” said Burroughs. “He got to the line, which was great. He had a couple of drives which was great for him. He has been doing a good job for us.”
Freshman guard Vincent Filis had some great moments against Stint, scoring a team-high 13 points.
“Vincent has been playing well, he had some freshman moments where he had some tough games here or there,” said Burroughs, noting that Filis also stars as in baseball. “He can shoot the ball, he can put the ball on the floor, and he is aggressive. He has a great knack for anticipation — you saw him get a few steals. I think that is the baseball in him. His ability to anticipate and see things and react to things makes a difference for us.”
In reflecting on his team’s 4-1 stretch, Burroughs believes that the Panthers are finding a rhythm.
“It is just playing together, I think we are piecing it together,” said Burroughs. “My motto is always play the best basketball at the end of the year. I think we have been gearing towards that, trying to string together multiple wins. I think our team is meshing together a little better.”
While Burroughs is happy with how things are meshing, he acknowledges that the Panthers have plenty of room to grow.
“We still have some things we need to work on, that is the way it goes, we are moving in that direction,” said Burroughs. “Rebounding the ball is something we have to really focus on. We have height but we just have go and get the ball. The ball is bouncing and other teams are going for it and we are watching it. I think that is something that is going to be important for us as we move forward against teams that are aggressive and fighting in the CVC.”
Earning a home game in the CVC tournament is a step in the right direction for the program.
“Having a home game for us is big,” said Burroughs, whose team will also be competing in the Prep B state tourney, heading to Doane Academy on February 9 for a semifinal contest. “Hopefully we can get families and kids out for that game. It is, ‘Can we rise to that occasion and the emotion that comes with that?’ We are playing for something, it is not a play-in game. We win, we go to the next round. We are talented enough to go to the next rounds and play that next team and compete.”
Seydi, for his part, is confident that the Panthers will rise to the occasion in postseason action.
“I think the key is just focusing on defense,” said Seydi. “In our first half today, you saw that we got a lot of fast break points. It was being in the defensive gaps, just keeping our hands up. Ultimately it was good man and good help defense. It is the defense turning into offense.”