MONTICELLO -- With only four days left to the basketball season, Monticello had to cancel its remaining games due to the positive testing associated with two individuals associated with the team. In a season that will be long regarded as notorious for its fits and starts, its uncertainty, its restrictions, its sharply abbreviated tenure, the postscript will now include this sad coda.

Basketball is more than a sport in Monticello. It is a tradition, a nexus of community pride and excitement, a centering agent for the boys who play and historically, the flagship team of the county with a legacy emblazoned across the years.

That said, its cancellation albeit close to the end of this “season” if one could call it that, after only 12 practices and two games is tragic particularly for the team's seven seniors: Captain Jordan Ruggiero, Captain Julian Velasco, Captain Jalil Jones, Shameeck Clemons, Hunter Fein, Ahmad Williams and Zach Lapomarede.

Monticello Boys Basketball Coach Chris Russo summed things up thusly: “I am disappointed for our program and our players that our season ended this way. It was a bumpy road to get started and unfortunately we had an abrupt ending. With more than one person in the program contracting COVID and testing positive over the last two days, it was the right decision to end our season.

“I am in full support of our district's decision. I do wish we had more time with the guys, especially our seniors,” Russo continued. “They, like so many others, deserve better than what this pandemic has given us and I thank them for their effort, time and contribution to our program. The three ‘J's (Jordan, Julian and Jalil) were a unique combination and would be a handful for most teams to deal with.

“The addition of Pedro Rodriguez and Michael Mingot, two junior starters, added some toughness and athleticism as well,” Russo said. “A nice supporting cast from our bench would make us a team to be reckoned with all year, especially in the playoffs.

“I just feel bad for the kids because we are missing an opportunity to do something special and something they love. We are a family. We have our ups and downs. We have our moments where we may not agree, but in the end we stick together and love one another. It truly is what feeds our program,” Russo concluded. “These kids will do almost anything for each other. I think that's why we are so sad and disappointed. We all hope for the health and safety of our program members and, even in our most difficult days, it is still…A great Day to be a Panther.”