The William Floyd boys' basketball program has become a powerhouse after setting Suffolk County on fire last season and starting this year as a strong contender. We have them high in our rankings once again and they have collected a few quality wins. They seemed to be on top of the world when they received the horrible news that Assistant Coach Darrell Sumpter passed away on Friday in a tragic car accident.

Sumpter had been a key figure in the Floyd program since 2015 and was beloved by many. The boys, with heavy hearts, dedicated their upcoming game against Longwood to their coach. We sometimes forget that these athletes are just boys, and losing someone so important to them at such a young age can be crushing.

Longwood had everything working offensively in the first quarter and scored 20 points. They shared the ball, scored inside, ran their offense and 6’2” G Adam Eljamali (Longwood HS, NY ‘25) looked sharp. The Lions unfortunately couldn’t stop Willliam Floyd, especially 5’9” PG Jermaine King (William Floyd HS, NY ‘25) who we have tried to tell people about. He helped keep Floyd up with Longwood as they only trailed 20-19 after the first quarter.

The Colonials traded blows with Longwood as Eljamali continued to score and King continued to make three. William Floyd got a nice boost from 6’5” W Juwan Smith (William Floyd HS, NY ‘25) who provided some offense and rebounding. King kept the pedal to the floor and despite the Lions playing well William Floyd found themselves up 35-32 at the half.

While every basketball game is similar to a book or a movie the turning point of this show was the third quarter. Mr. King showed why he’s one of the most dangerous players on Long Island. He’s deadly from three, creates his own shot with ease, can heat up quickly, and has the green light from the staff. Longwood started to slow down, turned it over, and struggled to find much only scoring 8 points.

William Floyd led 54-40 to start the fourth quarter, Smith stepped up and the Lions were ready to make their run. They did but King was just too clutch and refused to let his team go down tonight. His effort was spectacular, and we know Coach Sumpter is proud. Longwood gave its all but ended up going down to a 66-57 loss but definitely showed some potential.

King led all scorers with 33 points, he controlled the game from start to finish and had 8 threes. He’s a D2 guard who can flourish at the college level and should have a bunch of offers already we can’t understand how he isn’t signed already. Smith had 12 points and took care of the boards for the Colonials. The Lions have potential and balance plus Eljamali who had 18 points looks like a player.