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25 Teams In 25 Days: Long Island Lutheran Crusaders

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2017-18 season at a glance: 22-3 record (reached the 2018 NY state federation semifinals)

New Additions: Zed Key, Yoro Sidibe, Drissa Traore , Jalen Celestine

Players to Watch: Zed Key, Andre Curbelo, Essam Mostafa

The 2017-18 season came to an abrupt end for the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders in the state federation semifinals, but they enter the 2018-19 season with some new faces and some unfinished business to handle.

The Long Island Lutheran Crusaders May have lost many players from last years team due to graduation and transfers, but they enter the 2018-19 season with some new faces, some familiar faces ready to step up and

Some of the newest additions to this year’s LuHi squad are Drissa Traore a 6-7 Forward who transferred from Success Academy in Harlem along with 6-5 shooting guard Jalen Celestine from Canada and 6-8 power forward Zed Key a local transfer from Brentwood High school.

One of the most intriguing things about this year’s LuHi Team is the duo of Junior Point guard Andre Curbelo and power forward Zed Key. Both players have shown that they play well together and make a major impact on their team. Essam Mostafa a 6-9 senior gives LuHi another big man who can help with inside scoring and defense. Mostafa will definitely step up in his senior year.

It’s a sure thing that Zed Key will give Opposing front courts issues on a nightly basis with his size, strength and scoring ability and Andre Curbelo will continue to prove that he is one of the best point guards not only in the Tri-state area, but in the nation. Those two along with a great supporting cast will make LuHi a force to be reckoned with this season. The crusaders made a huge statement in the preseason when they won the Hype City League preseason invitational earlier this month. They found themselves in tough battles against Wings Academy and St. Raymond’s, but they managed to be resilient when it mattered most.

Schedule & Outlook
The Crusaders have a big schedule that includes some major tournaments such as The Slam Dunk Classic in Westchester (December 20th-22nd), The Kyrie Irving Invitational at Barclays arena (December 17th) and many more. This year’s LuHi’s team may be younger than last year, but the talent and coaching is there to get them back to upstate in March.