Bellport introduces its inaugural basketball hall of fame class

The sign hangs above the main entrance to the Bellport High gym in honor of the late, great player who used to fill up the baskets here for the Clippers and then the baskets in NBA arenas near and far:

RANDY SMITH
BASKETBALL COURT

He played 12 seasons in the NBA, and was a two-time All-Star guard with Buffalo. Yet he wasn’t in the Bellport Basketball Hall of Fame. Nor were any of the program’s greats.

Because there was no Bellport Basketball Hall of Fame.

So Rich Brown had an idea to put in motion after he was approved as Bellport’s new varsity boys coach last July: Let’s start one but not have inductions annually in order to make it special.

“Myself, I’m a historian,” said Brown, a 37-year-old former standout point guard for Bellport from the Class of 2006 and 10-year pro. “… I wanted to try to play my part in acknowledging the legends who came before me and came before the players that are currently there.”

It came to life. A four-person committee made 11 selections. The honorees were from the boys side, but girls team honorees are expected to be included at some point.

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: Bellport's inaugural basketball hall of fame class

The inaugural Hall of Fame class was introduced at halftime of Friday night’s Deer Park-Bellport game. Then Saturday night at the Knights of Columbus banquet hall in Patchogue, there were the formal inductions, ranging from Smith, out of the Class of 1967, to Jarell White, out of the Class of 2019. David Russell (Class of 1979) and Smith’s son, David Garrison (Class of 1985), were among the chosen elite, too.

“Honestly, I want to say it’s just an honor to even be mentioned with these names,” White said. “I’m just thankful to be a part of this conversation.”

White is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,100 points.

Senior year, the 6-4 guard/forward averaged about 33 points and 15 rebounds and was Newsday’s Suffolk Player of the Year. He went off for 45 points and grabbed 21 boards in a win over Centereach.

“Yes, I remember that game,” said White, now a 24-year-old pro, although he’s sidelined after suffering an Achilles injury last season with his team in Costa Rica. “That game was amazing. Everything was just going right that game.”

Bellport had many big games go right from 1979 through 1985, its championship era that came with four county-title seasons, plus a state crown in 1980.

The county-championship 1978-79 team was coached by another Hall of Famer, the late Earl Maddalena, who went 169-114 from 1964 to 1979.

That team featured Russell, who became a St. John’s star and a pro in Spain.

The inductees also included his teammates, George Garrison, the program’s lone 1,000-point, 500-assist guy who also played with Russell under Lou Carnesecca at St. John’s, and Wesley Correa, the state tournament MVP as a senior the following season.

That was the season when James McGowan — known as “Moose” — took over as coach, a run that lasted through 2002-2003. He was the JV coach for five seasons prior and the freshman coach for five seasons prior to that.

He also made this Hall of Fame class.

“First of all, I was very happy for me,” said McGowan, an 82-year-old retiree who splits his time between East Patchogue and South Carolina. “Obviously, it’s a great honor.

“And then to see the list, with the exception of Randy at the top end and Jarell White at the bottom end, every one of those kids on there came up in my program and played for me.”

Todd Banks called his coach “a big mentor to me.”

The 61-year-old Florida resident helps find services for kids with mental health issues. He’s a Hall of Famer from the Class of 1982. Besides contributing with the 1980 state-title team, the 6-6 All-Long Island forward/center helped Bellport claim a 1982 county title before playing at James Madison.

The bonds live on.

“It was just great, just winning the state championship, forging friendships 40 years ago with guys that I can pick up the phone and still call them,” Banks said. “It’s like we didn’t miss a beat.”

Three players were inducted from the 1985 county-championship team, Victor Correa and Steven Branch — also members of the Bellport Football Hall of Fame — plus David Garrison.

The induction meant a lot to Garrison, especially entering with his dad.

Smith, the 1978 NBA All-Star Game MVP who later spent one season with the Knicks and died in 2009, also excelled in soccer and as a high jumper at Bellport.

“It’s just special,” said Garrison, formerly an All-Long Island forward/guard and now a 58-year-old supervisor for table games at Mohegan Sun. “… I watched him play in the professionals. He was just an amazing athlete all around. And to know that I would be blessed to be a part of his lineage, it’s a true blessing.”

Victor Correa, who’s Wesley’s brother, is also 58. He teaches business at Eastport-South Manor and coaches Suffolk Community College’s men’s basketball team. He’s Bellport’s all-time assists leader.

Now you can call him a Hall of Fame point guard.

“First and foremost, I’m extremely honored,” he said. “… I’m really glad that they finally went ahead and did this because a lot of people don’t realize or don’t remember that Suffolk County basketball, Long Island basketball used to be the best basketball in the country.”