Gutsy Volleyballers Among This Week's 'Sports Briefs'

Hoops Academy

Nicholas Worrall, a 2004 graduate of East Hampton High School, said during a recent conversation at The Star that he was encouraged by the turnouts at two three-hour Hamptons Hoops Academy clinics at the Sportime Arena in Amagansett this summer to broaden the Academy’s reach here next year.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of the Brooklyn Nets was at one of them, Serge Ibaka of the Toronto Raptors was at the other. Marcus Edwards, the former East Hampton High School star, who played basketball at Babson College, helped Worrall, a University of Washington graduate, run the clinics, which, said Worrall, attracted 32 youngsters in all. “They were put together at the last moment, so, considering, the turnouts — we had 18 at the first and 14 at the other — were great. I’d like to see more local kids involved next summer, kids from Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, and from the local community, and, obviously, kids from the city. I’d like to offer scholarships eventually, and to have charity angles also. If I could do three of these next summer — one with 50, say, and two with 30 — it would be good.”

Hamptons Hoops Academy has a Facebook page, with photos and videos. Worrall’s email is [email protected].

Gutsy Volleyballers

Kathy McGeehan’s young East Hampton High School girls volleyball team bids fair to be a tough out come the playoffs given its experience thus far. East Hampton in recent games shut out Shoreham-Wading River, overcoming a 23-17 deficit in the third to do so, kept it close in a 3-0 loss to Westhampton Beach, and lost in five to Sayville, which beat Westhampton on Monday. 

Moreover, McGeehan said Tuesday morning that once certain things were corrected, she expected the team to be even better. Mikela Junemann, an outside hitter, is leading the way when it comes to kills, though others — Madyson Neff and Ella Gurney among them — are contributing with their net play as well, and Zoe Leach and Molly Mamay have been anchoring the defense.

Girls Tennis Results

East Hampton High’s girls tennis team has been taking its lumps lately, losing league matches to William Floyd, Westhampton Beach, and Eastport-South Manor — League VII’s top three — while defeating McGann-Mercy and Mattituck. On Monday, the team, whose overall record was 2-5 as of Tuesday, lost 5-2 at Westhampton Beach, with Pamela Pillco, the number-two, and Eva Wojtusiak, at four, winning in singles. Rebecca Kuperschmid lost a three-setter at number-one. The doubles teams were swept, each in straight sets.

Kaylee Mendelman’s three-set win at third singles assured East Hampton of a 4-3 win here over Mercy on Sept. 7. Katie Helfand’s young crew defeated Mattituck 6-1, with the sole loss coming at fourth singles. Pillco was the only winner in the 6-1 loss to Floyd, whose league record stood at 5-0 as of earlier this week.

Badminton Begins

Dick Baker of Saunders & Associates has announced that weekly badminton play at the Amagansett School is to begin Wednesday. “It’s our 37th season,” said Baker, whose phone number is 516-819-2698.

Golf Win

The East Hampton High School golf team bageled William Floyd 9-0 Monday at the South Fork Country Club in Amagansett. Turner Foster, the defending county champion, shot an even-par 34 on the front nine, and Nate Wright and Jackson Murphy shot 37s.