Work ethic drives Sewanhaka

Alex Soupios, in his 18th season of coaching Sewanhaka girls’ basketball, knows the team he’s with six days a week is as hardworking and dedicated as any other.
“They’ve worked hard,” Soupios said. “In the offseason, they’ve been in summer leagues; we went into Brooklyn for Fall League, like they’re dedicated, they want to be with each other and they want to play.”
With a dozen games under their belt, their most recent a 52-19 loss at home Jan. 12 against Garden City, the Indians (5-7 overall, 2-4 in Conference AA-2) know what they must do to get better.
“Now it’s just a matter of decision making, cutting down on turnovers [and] putting the ball in the basket a little bit more,” Soupios explained. “One of the goals in the second half of the season with a young team is to kind of cut [turnovers] down a little bit and value every possession; if we can do that, we’re gonna have success second half of the season.”
The offense is certainly there, starting with junior guard Janiya Grant.

“She leads the team in rebounds, she leads the team in charges, she leads the team defensively,” Soupios explained. “I usually throw her on one of the best players on the other team, and she puts the ball in the basket most consistently for us.”
Grant and senior co-caption Lana Cayo have stepped up and taken on the daunting task of being patient and working with a younger, relatively in-experienced team, according to Soupios. And it goes well beyond them, too. For starters, Grant took sophomore Saniya Moreau under her wing, and the coach sees Moreau reaping the benefits as she’s played in both the guard and the forward spot, calling her a “natural scorer”.
With some of that senior leadership in mind, Soupios also has the players focus on better themselves on the court to up the ante in their game.
“I think when it comes to communication and leadership, I think Tamiya Williams my sophomore point guard, who sees them communicating out there and is trying to take that role on slowly now too,” Soupios said. “Amiya Charles is someone who doesn’t get in a lot, but when you see her in practice and you see the aggressiveness, you either have that or you don’t as a girl.”
Added to the mix is freshman guard Alexi Stewart, who Soupios calls “the leader of the guards.” Stewart had 15 points to lead a 41-25 victory over Great Neck North Jan. 6.
“She’s sneaky good with her offensive repertoire,” he said. “She knocks down threes; when we’re looking for a big bucket, she’s one of the girls we go to and she’s only going to get better.”
Overall, Soupios’ outlook for the rest of the season is positive because he trusts in his team to go on the upswing.
“I see a young team that’s gradually improving,” Soupios said. “I see a team that is eager to learn the game and willing to learn the game. We still have a lot to work on but I think the talent is there to be molded.”