William Dickson: Hi, I’m Grey Dickson. I’m taking a look at the master school’s reputation. Masters has a reputation for the visual arts. Maybe theater or dance productions. Yet, with the help of Masters head coach Joey Kuhl, our school is silently dominating the conversation of one sport: basketball.
William Dickson: Do you think the winning philosophy has changed the way that the team has operated over the last three seasons?
Joey Kuhl: I think the thing is that we’ve spent a lot of time investing in the culture, and the hard work being like an integral part of that. So I asked a lot of the kids, and they delivered a lot. I mean, they all get, you know, these are the binders from the past few years. They get binders that they take notes, and we meet and we watch films.
William Dickson: Has the team’s success changed how the school is viewed? viewed by who? just by prospective parents, rallying behind the basketball team. I feel like it’s really changed the culture of the school in itself.
Joey Kuhl: I really can’t speak as much as that. I mean, we’ve had. We’ve had families that are interested in the school for a variety of reasons since I got here, since before I got here. So I think people have always seen the school as a place they want to be. You know, maybe some parents look at my background as a coach and, and that gets some interest. But I think more than anything, probably the biggest shift, is that I think the parents of our kids here talk with their friends about what a good time that they’re having, that we work really hard, that, you know, we’re competitive, that we’re doing all the things at a high level program would do. You know, and I think about that because, in this interview you’re asking about three years ago, we had a disappointing game against Brunswick this weekend. But afterwards my spirits were lifted. I saw a parent of a senior that year who decided to come to the game just to support because he follows and he feels connected with the community. and I think that’s something I’m really proud of. And I think more than anything, you know, the parents know their kids are being challenged. Are they growing? Are they developing as young men or young women? In the case of our managers? and, I think that’s really the piece that maybe has changed, that we’re getting more people interested because of, you know, good word of mouth. But, yeah, it’s, you know, the school the school is an unbelievable community to be a part of. And I think people see that from the outside. I’m happy to provide opportunities for kids that want to be a part of our great community
William Dickson:. Do you find it hard as a high school basketball coach when you see all these people go up, rising up, seniors onto college to sort of like leaving the team. Is it hard to, in your eyes, fill the gaps in the roster after people graduate?
Joey Kuhl: no. I mean, when I always think about it and it gets me emotional. Every senior night, or I guess not senior night so much as the last game when we’re in that locker room together. it’s hard to replace the people, you know, the person that’s in front of you. Like, there’s not going to be another Eddie Tam. There’s not going to be another Adam Bello or Chris Gaddy. because they’re each individual that brings their personality to the team. And so I think that’s often what hits me in that moment is like the person in front of me is going to be different. The team’s going to be different. But there’s, talented, competitive kids on all of our JV teams. And, you know, people applying like the actual makeup of the team will change. And that’s exciting because it’s another group of kids to work with and grow with. yeah, what always strikes me as just like the person that’s leaving you, um, and hopefully they’re better than when they came in, but we’ll see.
William Dickson: Thank you so much for this interview.
William Dickson: This opinion is not solely held by Coach Kuhl, but rather by the team itself. Zachary Stewart, a junior on the team, commented in a similar way, Joining me now is Zachary Stewart. How has the winning culture changed to the team over the last three years or two?
Zachary Stewart: I think overall, like clearly defining goals. And then at the beginning of the season, we had to sit down to clearly define goals, and just the overall standard of which we hold ourselves to has risen so much, whether that’s like on the court, how we play and how we compete with each other during practices and off the court, and how we like, attend classes and doing our best in school. Awesome. Were there any growing pains for the team at all I think always when you’re trying to raise a standard, there’s going to be some growing pains, like, every day. You might not be able to meet that because you don’t feel like it or something like that. But as time has gone on, I think we’ve consistently just been hitting our standard, and now we’re at the point where we’re trying to raise that standard again.
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William Dickson: Zachary Stewart’s perspective is not one that is unique to him, but rather a larger continuity within the team’s persona. For example, Adam Bellow. shows a similar perspective on the team’s growth over his period of time in the league. Joining me now is alumna of Master’s Adam Bellow from the class of twenty twenty four his achievements at both the collegiate and high school level, have made a great deal to masters basketball team • meeting me now as Adam
William Dickson: In your years, with the program, how did you see it grow?
Adam Bello: I guess from my freshman year, it was during Covid, so we didn’t play. We had no games. It was twenty twenty one and we didn’t play, didn’t have any games, or something like that. And so, we were just doing a lot of school work, but we had a lot of good guys and a lot of good recruits. We had me, Reggie and, these two, we had Stephon Marbury junior, who’s a NBA player, and we had these two bigs who are good now and playing in college. So we had a bunch of three. We had five players, I guess now that are playing college. And so we looked good. But I mean, as time went on, they left. I think three of the kids left out of that group. And so my sophomore year, we weren’t very good. It was three sophomores basically leading the team, and I was injured for sixty five, seventy five percent of the season. So I didn’t get to play my sophomore year. The majority of it. And, yeah. And then junior year rolls around. Everyone basically leaves, from that group except me and one other kid who was going to be a senior and I was going to be a junior, and, and we hired a new coach. Coach. Kuhl And he has a lot of promises and promises to bring in a lot of things and change the culture And it was a great feeling because he had a lot of NBA background in college, background that really made us believe in what he was saying and believe in his message. And our junior year, We improved a lot, but we still weren’t great. We weren’t anywhere near where the team is now. And, yeah, I mean, I had a pretty good individual season, but in terms of the entire season, the entire team, it wasn’t great. And then going into my senior year, it was me. And then we got one recruit. We got Omari and Omari and I were kind of leading the team in that front. And we had a lot of good guys from my grade and from the junior class. So a class of twenty five, were leading the team as well as Omari and I. It was a good experience. And that was basically a breakout year. And I think that’s the year that shifted the tide for like the program and organization, in the basketball team. And we went from not making the playoffs to coming in, third in FAA and then making the semifinals and then eventually losing the semifinals. But it was a big jump from not making the playoffs for five years prior to that to winning not only making the playoffs, but winning the game and then making it to the semifinals. So that was a really good experience. And seeing what the team’s doing from last year, doing basically the same thing we did our senior year making the semifinals. And now they’re looking for a championship push, which is very good to see. And I’m glad that other teams are going in the right direction.
William Dickson: Do you think like the success of the team and like the last few years, like you mentioned, your senior year is starting to change. Like the perspective of parents and seeing like Masters is less of like a theater school or something like that to put more of, like a sports driven school?
Adam Bello: I hope so. I’m not there. So I don’t really and I don’t really listen to stuff about masters anymore. So personally, I can’t really say. But from what I’m seeing, there is a lot more emphasis on sports. I mean, they’ve brought in, six, seven new recruits? in the last two years since I’ve been there. So that’s a big jump from the one recruit we got my senior year. And so they’re bringing in a lot of new people and a lot of people who are very basketball oriented and are very focused on that, on on sports rather than, you know, as you were saying in the theater aspect of school and academics and things like that, and people who are there not only to get a great education, but also to thrive and hopefully make it to the collegiate level at their sport. And yeah, and I mean, there was one I going from my early years before me where there was one college athlete, my year where there was one, on our team being myself. And then now. I think last year they didn’t. Last year I don’t think they had any. But then now it looks like this year they’re going to have two or three, and then the year after they’re going to have two or three. And it’s just growing and growing and that I think that’s really important. And if they can stay consistent, then they can really have a success, but also success because I think that’s the bigger, bigger idea, which is trying to, bring to Masters and not only have success within our small division or small community, but also success within all of the northeast and be one of the best teams in the northeast, which I think Masters are very capable of doing that. And I think that I’ll see that in the future.
William Dickson: Coach Kuhl mentions that parents spreading word of mouth was one of the key contributors in boosting the team’s visibility Uh, do you have any experiences with that? Like some of the community made masters through their parents. So I came to Masters first because I heard about it from someone, so I personally came to Masters basically for that reason, from word of mouth. And, um, I heard about this new team called the East Coast when I was in middle school, and they practiced that masters because the Masters old coach ran the program. So I heard about Masters through that. I went to school. I practiced there from like fourth grade to however long I played on that team. And then when I was trying to transfer schools out of middle school, um, I was drawn to Masters, um, just because of the facilities. And I mean, like, a great environment and culture that seemed to be coming from Masters. And so my parents made the decision for me to transfer there in the eighth grade. And, so, yeah, but, a lot of other people, like, I know some of my friends heard about masters through parents and things like that because, I mean, yeah, but about basketball, I’m not sure. I haven’t heard much about it. I think a lot of it’s due to recruiting and the impact that master basketball success has had and being in, whether it’s a newspaper or like the Hudson Independent. We were in the Hudson Independent my junior and senior year, and those were the first times that we were there in a long time.
William Dickson: Meeting me at this time is college guru and father of Adam Bellow, Akil Bello.
William Dickson:I was just wondering if, in your experience as a parent of a high level basketball player at Masters, if you’ve noticed that the parents have a unique perspective in growing the team.Unique perspective? in growing the team through positive word of mouth and encouraging others to join the team?
Akil Bello: Yes.
I think that makes a bit of a difference in that I saw Joey coming on board, a more intentional move towards building the team. But we weren’t actively involved in it because we were so early. Joey was still putting things in place to allow recruiting and growth and exploration, all the things you need to give the team more attention. I saw them lining them up, but there wasn’t a whole lot in place when we were there.
William Dickson: Okay. And also, have you seen, throughout the years that, Adam went to the Masters, that there was a tonal shift in how the school was known Reputationally mostly from I know it’s known mostly as an arts or theater program, but l’ve noticed that there is, a change in perspective from from the school toward more basketball related things.
Akil Bello: Yeah, absolutely. I think the school.
So one of the things that brought us on to the school when Adam was in eighth grade, so whatever twenty twenty four minus six was the reputation of Lou Dimello Right. And he had a really strong reputation in Westchester as a basketball coach with East Coast Panthers, with Masters. But he was phasing out. I don’t think he had maybe six months overlap with Adam.
And then Covid hit. So he had a reputation that carried over to Masters and then it was lost and there was a bit of a transition. And then we went through a couple of coaches. So I think the reputation grew after reaching the playoffs for a couple of consecutive years.
Oh, okay. Success builds reputation. Yeah.
William Dickson: And in your professional opinion, as, a very knowledgeable person on the college side of things, would you say that Masters has grown its profile as a basketball program over the last couple of years as an observer?
Akil Bello:: Well, I think that, yes, absolutely. I think Joey has added a network and an intentionality to it that has allowed for a lot of connections to the right people, understanding that you have to do camps, understanding that you have to connect with coaches to, to give your players exposure.So I think the hiring of Joey Kuhl was a big part of positioning the program for success.
William Dickson: Okay. Sounds great.
