Southampton boys basketball a family, in more ways than one

The Southampton boys basketball team’s success is not just built on teamwork, it’s built on family, too.

The Mariners (12-1, 5-0) are off to another hot start in their hunt for a second straight Suffolk Class A championship and fourth consecutive county title overall (Class B champs in 2022 and 2023). Coach Herm Lamison, who recently recorded his 500th career victory, said the team's chemistry is helped by strong family bonds with a few sets of cousins, siblings, and even twins, on this season’s squad.

“These kids grew up playing a lot of basketball together, and so, they know each other's strengths, they know each other's weaknesses and they push each other,” Lamison said. “They don't accept mediocrity. It's one of the toughest teams that I've coached because they're just resilient and they have this attitude that we refuse to lose.”

Senior point guard Tyson Reddick plays with two of his brothers — his twin, Tyrese Reddick, and junior Valton Reddick. A key member of the starting five, Tyson is averaging 14.8 points.  .

He said the close family bonds in the gym might give the Mariners an advantage over other teams.

“We’ve all been playing together since we were 7 years old,” Tyson said. “Everything just flows naturally, we have that kind of chemistry.”

Junior standout Alex Franklin, the third member of his family to play for Southampton, also has cousins on the team. He said his relationship with his teammates is so familial that the team has a unique connection on and off the court.

“We get to talk through each other's problems. There’s not a lot of arguing and when there is arguing, it’s straight love,” Franklin said. “We just try to look out for each other and that's what makes this team special.”

After averaging 12.9 points as a sophomore, Franklin’s junior season has been explosive. He leads Southampton with 21.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. 

A three-year varsity athlete with another year to go, Franklin’s potential is endless, said his coach.

“The sky's the limit for Alex,” Lamison said. “This kid works just as hard as any kid I've ever coached. He's in the gym almost all the time. And if he’s not in the gym, he's in the weight room. He just wants it so badly.

"From last year to this year, you can see the body of work that this kid's put into his game. He's so much stronger, he never gets tired and he's only getting better because his work ethic is second to none.”

Franklin also played an important role in helping Lamison become the sixth boys basketball coach in Long Island history to reach 500 wins.  In his 34th season, Lamison achieved the feat in Southampton’s 102-59 victory over Port Jefferson on Jan. 6. Franklin recorded 16 points, six assists and six rebounds.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Franklin said. “We turned up in the locker room, we poured ice on [Lamison], we had a fun time. We congratulated him but then we got right back to business at practice.”

Senior Davon Palmore said the milestone highlights all the hard work Lamison has invested into Southampton basketball. He said the team will continue to celebrate his coaching by playing even harder on its quest  for another title.

“It meant a lot to be able to celebrate with him and to have a great season with him,” Palmore said. “He’s been having great seasons his whole life, so 500 wins was a big deal.”

The accomplishment is not only representativeof the talented athletes on the court, but also the culture of success Lamison has developed in Southampton . He said the Mariners' core values date back to when he wore the maroon and white himself.

“Culture is everything,” Lamison said. “When you establish your program, you have certain demands that you want to instill in your kids. It’s just working hard, playing hard and being a good human at the end of the day. Those qualities mean a lot.

"Every year we get asked the same question: what are the expectations for this year? Our expectations never change. No matter what personnel that we have, we're still playing for — at the very least — a league championship every year.”

Reddick said, with such tight bonds, every athlete is playing for one another rather than themselves. And most importantly, they want to put on a show.

“I hope to set a good example for the kids watching,” Reddick said. “We won a championship last year and I think we have the chemistry and the athletes to do it again.”