Half Hollow Hills West boys basketball's Christian Jean scores 18 points off bench in win over West Islip
Christian Jean of Half Hollow Hills West passes the ball in the second quarter during a Suffolk League IV matchup against host West Islip on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Vince Corso. Ethan Saintjean. Jack Vafeas.
All three players for Half Hollow Hills West's boys basketball team average at least 13 points . Add in an imposing defender with senior Kamari Vernot and junior captain Anderson McMorris, and you have one of the best starting lineups in Suffolk.
But there’s a reason why Hills West coach Bill Mitaritonna, in his 20th season at the helm, told assistant coach Cameron Jordan that “it’s the deepest team we’ve ever had.” Sixth man Christian Jean may only be a sophomore, but starred Tuesday as he scored a game-high 18 points in Hills West's 58-25 win over host West Islip in Suffolk’s League IV.
“I’m really proud of Christian Jean,” Mitaritonna said. “He’s coming off the bench, and he doesn’t like it, but he knows his role. He showed tonight that he wants to get better and really help us win.”
Hills West (8-0) led by one at the end of the first quarter. Enter Jean, who scored nine points in the second as Hills West stormed to a 13-point lead at halftime. He also had three steals.
“The whole team, we were thinking about controlling today,” Jean said. “It means the past doesn’t matter; we only worry about today as a group.”
Hills West outscored West Islip, 21-0, over the first 7:30 of the third quarter to take a commanding lead. The Lions (4-5) played well defensively in the first half but struggled offensively without starting point guard Chase Busking, who sat with an ankle injury. It forced leading scorer Jovan Brewster to run the floor, a role he usually doesn’t hold.
“In the first half I really thought we did a good job of switching defenses, going back-and-forth from some man to zone to some junk zone,” West Islip coach Tom Cross said. “... I told them at halftime, we were right there with them. Then [Hills West] came out in the second half, and we had no answer for them.”
Saintjean had eight points and both Vafeas and McMorris added seven points apiece. Vernot had two blocks and two steals.
McMorris, fresh off a career-high 25 points against Great Neck North, knows that this is still just one step. He noted how Hills West started off 7-0 in 2024-25 before losing 12 of its next 17 games, a reminder to keep pushing regardless of past success.
“It doesn’t really mean anything until we go 20-0,” McMorris said. “Then we make playoffs, then we win [a Long Island championship] and then state. That’s when it really matters.”
“We’re just trying to get to the top,” Jean added.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
