BEST FRIENDS ON AND OFF THE COURT

By KATRINA CHIN

KATRINA CHIN FOR WIZARD WEEKLY

For two Washingtonville seniors who have been playing basketball together since the fifth grade, their time on the court is sadly coming to an end.  Varsity senior basketball captains, P.J. Morais (#15) and Billy Aussenheimer (#3), are in the midst of their final season of playing basketball for the Wizards. 

Billy and P.J. have been playing basketball for years now: Billy has played since fifth grade and P.J. since the first.  In addition, they have both been on varsity for two years. The first time they played on the court together was in fifth grade when they started travel CYO basketball. Aussenheimer and Morais have also played on an AAU team, and the B.C. Eagles, now known as The Early Risers. Billy began playing basketball because his friends were playing all the time so he decided to give it a try and ended up enjoying every second that he played.  He says, “It’s fast paced and entertaining to play.”  PJ started playing because he believes it “truly measures one’s athleticism.”  The sport also allows him to compete, which he claims to love more than anything.

The position of captain shows that one has strong leadership skills.  As captains, Billy said, “We lead by example and try to get the best out of everyone on the team.” P.J. added that he believes his role as captain means that he needs “to push people to get better at every practice and to keep everyone in sync while playing the game.”  The boys prepare the team before a game by working hard in practices and keeping teammates calm come game time.  Furthermore, they support the team by pushing each other and staying positive when things are not going their way as a team.  According to the captains, they do not have any pregame routines, except for keeping their heads clear, staying confident and focusing on winning each possession.  

The boys have high hopes for the team this year.  They hope to win their division, go past the first round of the sectional playoffs, and win a section title.  In order to accomplish this, there are ways that the team could improve in their eyes.  Aussenheimer mentioned that he personally could work on his communication. “As a captain, I’m more of a ‘lead by example’ type and P.J. is the more outspoken one.”  They both agree that the team could definitely work on putting more points on the scoreboard and Billy adds, “our defense this year has been a key part to our success.”

As best friends who have been playing together for six years, they have a great connection that helps them as captains.  Morais recognized, “We just know what each other is going to do before we do it and that allows us to make plays.”  Aussenheimer concurred, “I already know what P.J. is going to do before he even gets the basketball.”

Most people have someone who has influenced them throughout their lives.  Billy expressed, “All of my previous coaches have influenced my basketball career but my dad has been my biggest influence. My dad was my coach and mentor for most of my career and he has helped shape me to be the basketball player I am today. He is a big reason to why I started playing basketball in the first place.”  The varsity head coach has influenced P.J.’s basketball career greatly.  He emphasized that all of his past coaches have influenced him, especially Coach Rose. “He pushed me to be a leader on the court and helped me form into an elite player.”  

As the years have passed, both players have improved their performances on the court.  For this season, P.J. acknowledged that he analyzes the game and anticipates plays before they happen.  As for Billy, he takes prior years of playing and uses that experience to better himself.  He pointed out, “This year I have been using my experience as a basketball player to help me perform at my best, game in and game out.”

Their most memorable games are the Warwick and Middletown games. Billy stated, “The Warwick game is my most memorable game because we were down 10-0 to start the game but ended up coming back to win.”  The Wizards won the game with the close score of 48-46.  The Middletown game is P.J.’s most memorable so far, winning the season opener with a nail-biting score of  53-50.  He’s looking forward to making more memories.

As the season is coming to an end, Billy admits, “It’s going to be weird not ever stepping on the same court together again. Me and P.J. have done every step of basketball together along the way. It’s crazy to think that this is our last season together.”  Billy does not plan on playing basketball in college and wants to focus on his academics with his top college being Bentley University. P.J. is mainly focusing on his academics as well, but hopes to play ball at college.  He has not decided which college he will attend just yet.  

Washingtonville wishes both boys success this year as their season comes to a close and in all of their future endeavors.