Nearly 1,000 boys and girls enjoyed the West Boca Basketball League’s opening day Feb. 8, as the league entered its 14th season.
“Our biggest growth spurt has come in the girls’ program, which jumped from about 100 last season to 200 this season,” said Jeff Gordon, the league’s president.
The league plays its games Saturdays and Sundays at Eagles Landing, Loggers’ Run and Omni middle schools and at Olympic Heights High School.
“We’re out of space,” Gordon said. “The growth out here has been phenomenal. There’s no place else to play.”
The league fields 82 teams in boys age divisions 8-, 9-, and 10-under, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-over, coed divisions 5-6 and 7-under, and girls 8-9, 10-11 and 12-over.
Barbara Smith and Jessica Fowler led their 10-11 Eagles to a first-week win.
“They’re just such a great group of girls,” said Fowler, a first-year coach. “They’re just wonderful. They play hard and they listen and they play like a team.”
Fowler plays at North Broward Prep.
“I thought I could use what I’ve learned from school to teach the team,” she said.
Kate Yarber plays for the Warriors. Her mom, Melinda Ross, coaches the team.
The 11-year-old played last season, but it’s mom’s first stint as a coach.
“They needed coaches and I thought I should encourage her and participate as much as I can,” Ross said. “It’s a great league. They’re very fair with the kids. They split up playing time, everybody plays equally, and the kids have fun. That’s what’s important.”
Sean Downes has been a WBBL coach for three years. He coaches the 7-year-old Coed Panthers.
“Just watching the transformation from the beginning of the season to the end is very satisfying,” Downes said. “The way they pick up skills and learn how to play defense and offense makes it rewarding to see them grow throughout the season.”
Kyle Jaskot led his 7-year-old Coed Warriors to a 42-16 victory on opening day, scoring 14 points in his team’s win.
“I had a good time. We won today. We played as a team,” he said.
His father, Russ Jaskot, has been a coordinator, as well as a coach in the league, the past five years.
“I enjoy coming out here for the kids, seeing the good team spirit and good sportsmanship. That’s what it’s all about,” the elder Jaskot said.
There are no residency requirements for the league, and some openings in some age groups remain. The league has a hotline at 561-482-1136 and maintains a Web site at
Rosters
Boys
8-under
Blue Devils – coach Danny Deckman. Richard Collins, Brian Cranston, David Deckman, Kourosh Karimi, Eric Leser, Shawn Reinitz, Eric Stephens, Tyler Teitelbaum, Evan Zegiel, Jordan Zeldin.
Gators – coach Paul Oken. Michael Bloom, Simon Boza, Andrew Chong, Andrew Clynes, Mike Cohen, Chad Gottsegen, Jordan Karlin, Jesse Lake, Aaron Oken, Ryan Owens.
Hurricanes – coach Sean Fetterman. Christopher Brown, Jonathan Brown, Juan Felipe Davila, Brian Edelman, Brandon Fetterman, Jordan Helfant, Brett Lerner, Sean Moody, Landry Thomas, Alex Wind.
Spartans – coach Tony Cuomo. Tyler Bogatz, Arteen Farrokhi, Daniel Fun, Alec Gold, Alan Horowitz, Matthew Kulasevig, Peyton Luken, Harrison Mariano, Austin Marotta, Matthew Steinberg.
Terps – coach Jeffrey Schneider. Zachary Acierno, Liam Alkalay, Corey Cohen, Joseph Feniger, Ethan Gold, Richard Lucena, Ross Nimhauser, Phoenix Pizon, Hayden Saul, Brett Schneider.
Tigers – coach Pete Barcia. Joseph Ambrosino, Dylan Baitz, Cole Barcia, Jiacomo Cottone, Steven Forman, Julian Gonzalez, Adrien Hopkinson, Nicholas Mangines, Zachary Pollack, Jacob Rosen.
9-under
All Stars – coach Jay Silver. Wesley Davis, Matthew Dennison, Anthony Esguerra, Michael Giambalvo, Christian Hernandez, Grayson LaPayover, Brett Loewenstern, Tyler Richars, Scott Riddick, Adam Silver.
Buckeyes – coach Sirhad Oktay. Mitul Brahambhatt, Zachary Ellman, Lorenzo Hernandes, Mario Kuan, Bryan Lejeune, Jake Leone, Jesse Mahler, Brett Margolies, Kent Oktay, Peter Rantz, Matthew Solomon.
Gators – coach Jim Orleans. Christian Ferrari, Matias Ghiragossian, Blake Lewend, Sam Lewend, Daniel Orleans, Austin Pepper, Shane Phillips, Alan Stambolyan, Michael Tarpinian, Richard Wiggins.
Hurricanes – coach Salvatore Romano. Anthony Creamer, Joshua Jones-Hall, Alex Kacurov, Drew Newman, Alex Orloff, Sam Romano, Blake Saul, Xavier Silva, Thomas Stallone, Gil Vizner.
Spartans – coaches Michael Lerman, Robert Gaynor. A.B. Benavides, Kevin Centerbar, Matthew Clark, Brian Furdon, Zachary Gaynor, Aaron Lerman, Jonathan Maso, Andrew Mattek, Justin Nau, Anthony Panzica.
Tar Heels – coach Ira Levy. Josh Bronstein, Jesse Cummings, Adam Figliuzzi, Jesse Friesing, Brayden Fritzshall, Leonard Hinz, Matthew Hurley, Ross Levy, Josh Weiss, Matthew Willis.
10-under
Falcons – coach Mike Doherty. Logan Bissonnette, Brendan Doherty, Scott Jansen, Jeffrey Keller, Jason Marcus, Matt Miller, Cal Rhoden, Brian Ross, Brad Stoll, Christian Volker.
Gophers – coach Brad Mondshane. Dogukan Acikgoz, Vincent Biase, Andy Cohen, Christopher Hejda, Max Kirschner, Chris Lee, David Mondshane, Luke Owens, Brian Testorf, Landon Watnick.
Lakers – coach Russ Jaskot. Justin Cook, Adam Jacobs, Colin Heiser, Ryan Jaskot, Bryan Kuznitz, Andrew Marciante, Chris Scardina, Eric Seidelman, Brandon Shlansky, Ryan Swannick.
Lions – coach John Mervine. Alex Alterman, Daniel Balva, Michael Centorrino, Lewis Corrar, Francisco Del Real, Leo Horine, Damon Lindsley, Parker Luken, Joshua Magloff, Tim Mervine.
Owls – coach Steven Feinman. Dale Bernstein, Steven Chatoff, Christopher Curran, Zachary Feinman, Ethan Jaffe, Jordan Leventhal, Arthur Lucena, Tyler Prager, Nicholas Schuhlein, Steven Sussman.
Rockets – coach John Dovas. John Dovas, Paul Dovas, Christian Duque, Alexander Edelman, Ronak Gandhi, Tyler Hovan, Evan Johnstone, Joseph Ursone, Klaus Wittig, Max Wittig.
11-12
Blue Devils – coach Nader Bazl. Neekan Bazl, Connor Cash, Trevor Dobson, Alex Fun, Keyan Hasseli, Ian Lyngse, Derrick Moore, Armen Sarkisyan, Chris Wingeier.
Bulldogs – coach Butch Goldsmith. Ryan Cohen, Steven Garcia, Adam Gardner, Jerry Goldsmith, Blake Krause, Mohammad Mortezai, Ori Noiman, Eric Savage, Nick Tunno, John Wilsman.
Hurricanes – coach Todd Lilleberg. Josh Bloom, Matthew Boisson, Eric Brahms, Alec Brodie, Harley Capsuto, John Henn, Maciah Herbert, Elan Kissin, Seth Newman, Dexter Tate.
Knights – coach Sal Rabah. Thomas Armesto, Michael Buonaiuto, Brad Cochran, Nadier Jabr, Drake Laurie, Ben Mahler, Jordan Patrou, Tommy Rabah, Louis Russo, Brad Weprin.
Red Storm – coach Edward Olsomer. Kyle Griffis, Alexander Knips, Bryan Michilena, Ronnie Musto, Mark Olsomer, David Requillo, Skyler Rogers, Zachary Spandau, Joe Trebitz, Ilan Yarden.
Running Rebels – coach Frank Bucaria. Chase Barcia, Joe Benavides, Danny Booth, Michael Bucaria, Faltino Carter, Wesley Davisson, Nicholas Gintoli, Ryan Rivera, Edward Vartanessian.
Tar Heels – coaches Julia and Wayne Yetman. Benjamin Collins, Daniel Ferrante, Matthew Furdon, Eric Goldstein, Jordan Meyers, Drew Pianin, Matthew Reeves, Alex Truglio, Tucker Yetman.
Thundering Herd – coach Tom Milanese. Alexander Ali, Jeron Bornstein, Jared Isaacson, Jaime Manheimer, James Markowitz, Thomas Milanese, Michael Nau, Robert Riddick, Jorge Rodriguez, Kevin Vareles.
Tigers – coach Bill Curry. Jordan Casey, Tyler Cook, William Curry, Daniel Dubov, William Fernandez, Steven Gonedes, Scott Lynn, Michael Mikolajczak, Michael Scalera, Peter Tarpinian.
Wildcats – Austin Adair, Alexander Belle-Chaves, Alexander Jacob, Bryce Kirshenbaum, Neil Murtaugh, Neil Schrerber, Daniel Szvarca, Brett Zeigen.
Wolverines – coach Vaujan Avedyan. Sage Adler, Arlen Avedyan, Michael Bancroft, Matthew Berk, Tyler Furnas, Vivek Iyer, Jonathan Lai, Jose Ordonez, Michael Panetta.
Wolves – coach David Margolis. Matthew Bluesten, Benjamin Brown, John Corrar, William Corrar, Dillon Krosecky, Marcellus Lawson, Alex Margolis, Mitchell Schepps, James Tyson.
13-14
Bearcats – coach Steve Katzman. Nicolas Armesto, Chris Clynes, Adam Cohen, Casey Cummings, Cyrus Jou, Adam Katzman, Grant Sarvis, Brett Siegel, Justin Turner, Josh Yanover.
Gators – coach Richard Goldsmith. Jarryd Ageloff, Marcus Allen, Andrew Goldsmith, Ian Hest, Jacob Imig, Tyler Jett, Aris Maragoudaki, Scott Rabinowitz, Andrew Reynolds, Brett Toimil.
Hurricanes – coach Robert Rosen. Chris Bolek, Ryan Crout, David Guzy, Christopher Hoomany, Colin Kugler, Christian Maso, Zachary Nimhauser, Derek Rifenbury, Josh Rosen, Kevin Willamen.
Mountaineers – Jonathan Balva, Jason Cohen, Jeremy Feingold, Stephen Gay, Adam Hogun, FangzHou Hou, Michael Rafferty, Michael Smith, Jake Tover, Micah Tucker.
Owls – coach Bruce Wishnov. Jarroed Adler, Erik Aiple, Joseph Cohen, Barry Dunn, Dakota Folga, Chris Midttun, Brandon Owens, Matt Surman, Paul Thompson, Zachary Wishnov.
Terriers – coach David Feigelman. Josh Feigelman, Garrett Jaffe, Justin Jaffe, Bryan King, John Lyman, Andrew Margolies, Alexander Martinez, Jake Prince, Jared Weninger, David Zhewthin.
Tigers – coach Jeff Feldman. Brent Feldman, Zack Hernandez, Kevin Marcus, Fabian Mohammadz, Brian Rich, Gary Rich, Zachary Ruggiero, George Sarkisyan, Michael Seiger, Jerett Watnick.
Wildcats – coach David Taibi. Bryant Beltran, Jacob Fioto, Michael Holzman, Kenny Larimer, Rob Lee, Sheamus Lennon, Chad Mattek, Chris Movizzo, Michael Taibi, John Wisnoski.
15-over
Blue Devils – coach Dean Perrone. J.J. Dixon, Xerxes Frechiani, Tawasi Herbert, Nick Perrone, Brandon Strassburger, David Superville, Diego Vicente.
Hoyas – coach Mike Sisoian. Joseph Clutter, Matthew Gernstadt, Ruby Jasmin, Andrew Johnson, Matthew Krane, Bill Riddick, Todd Rothfeld, John Sisoian, Evan Zlotnick.
Panthers – coach Adam Rosenberg. Brandon Ageloff, Harry Cohen, Joel Etkie, B.J. Heeg, Matthew Rosenberg, Tad Seiler, Mason Stebbins, Luis Taboada, Gabe Zelaya.
Tar Heels – Josh Aronin, Jesse Benshoshan, Brett Birman, Kevin Cucci, Harry Kulubis, Kenneth Symanski, Evan Tate.
Wildcats – coach David Taibi. Stephen Beltran, Christopher Bethart, Matthew Fiddelman, Jared Grunwald, David Masone, Zachary Morris, Daniel Peralta, David Taibi, Michael Taibi.
Wolverines – Derek Bornstein, Emir Duru, Christopher Jones-Hall, Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Levinson, Ernie Pazos, Joe Smith.
Coed
5-6
Blue Devils – coach Stuart Miles. Casey Furnas, Jacob Greene, Charlie Hadida, Sean Leeman, Jonathan Li, Jeffrey Nagler, Miles Oakner, Ryan Rhoden, Zachary Richards, Shawn Swannick.
Gators – coach Sal Kyle. Jared Bronstein, Enzo Ferran, Matthew Forrester, Kyle Gold, Stephen Hopkins, David Marcus, Christopher Mendonca, Kyle Romano, Matthew Sims, Matthew Triana.
Hurricanes – coach J.J. Volker. Alexander Austein, Edwin Cartagena, Alejandro Davila, Mateus Goldsmith, Christopher Graffeo, Matthew Griner, Corey Mouallem, Craig VanWagner, Justin Volker, Matthew Yellin.
Rockets – coach Alan Bleecher. Allisan Brown, Vincent Cautero, Justin Colson, Lindsay Cohen, Zachary Herman, Benjamin Pawliger, Jake Schwartz, Sabrina Stutsman.
Seminoles – coach Michael Cook. Liat Aroshas, Zachary Asnes, John Clynes, Connor Cook, Raquel Dunn, Robin Hannoun, Aaron Kleinert, Benny Kron, Mondona Mortezai, Jesse Rabah.
Terps – coach Peter Kramer. Matthew Benter, Kyle Emery, Colton Eremian, Joshua Frechiani, Dustin Kramer, Alex Mondshane, Bryan Sheldon, Joshua Stiefel, Joshua Taft, Matthew Williams.
7
Buckeyes – coaches Eric Jalen, Stuart Ryan. Mark Belvardi, Jamie Brecher, Joseph Cantore, Hayden Cohen, Justin Montana, Jalen Newsome, Ryan Oakner, Bryan Rippe, Brian Romano, Pedro Souza.
Cyclones – Rebecca Ablett, Robert Ablett, Patrick Cazeau, Jonathan Cohen, Michael Dugan, David Hannoun, Elena Hinz, Zachary Marcus, Nicholas Telford, Brent Weinberg.
Gators – coach Jim Hoekzema. Dylan Callahan, Jason Chatoff, Bryan Hoekzema, Alex Kalter, Kyle Kirshenbaum, Matt Rothenberg, Jared Rubin, Michael Skolnick, Deshawn Warren, Ori Yarden.
Hurricanes – coach Kenneth Schickman. Galileo Alkalay, Dallon Asnes, Danielle Dobrin, Logan Dubnick, Matthew Gefen, Jake Goldstein, Mitchell Nerf, Brian Schickman, Sarah Schuhlein, Jeff Williams.
Panthers – coaches Sean Downes, Robert Scott. Benjamin Cohen, Andrew Devino, Shane Donaghy, Sean Downes, Scott Driggs, Michael Fogel, Jared Kleinert, Joshua Lazar, Brian Lowe, Brandon Rosen.
Tar Heels – coach Joseph Collins. Carly Bernstein, Tyler Brahms, Alexa Collins, Andres Dubov, Alex Goldstein, Jake Gottsegen, Stephanie Lorenc, Steven Oken, Bradley Tyler.
Warriors – coach Alan Bleecher. Simone Basson, Max Bleecher, Kyle Brandt, David Fogarty, Kyle Jaskot, Sean Kuchta, Alec Levine, Justin Margolis, Amanda Prager, Zachary Schneider.
Wildcats – Albert Biehl, Tyler Blocksberg, John Ferenga, Nicholas Giani, Henry Grigoryan, Jason Jaroslavsky, Corey Kacurov, Andrew Nitzberg, Sean O’Connor, Orlando Rodriguez.
Girls
8-9
Blue Devils – coach Skip Williams. Leanne Ciccone, Christine Gay, Katie Kopystanski, Tierney Mooney, Chelsie Moss, Lauren Talbert, Jacinda Williams, Ashley Woods.
Lady Canes – coach Frank DiNatale. Melissa DiNatale, Lee Ginton, Ashley Gureck, Jennifer Jaroslavsky, Sara Morales, Amanda Salberg, Sarah Spevack, Kirsten Walker, Kaley Witenstein.
Ravens – coaches Duane Hennarichs. Laura Hennarichs, Madison Hopkins, Carol Karpinen, Julia Lai, Haley Lenner, Melanie McGowan, Bridget Miller, Eeshani Singh, Audrey Slofkis.
Red Storm – coach Mark Laman. Kayla Dubnick, Gabrielle Gallo, Jessica Grover, Erika Laman, Rachel Laman, Darcy Moon, Jessica Perrin, Rachel Roth, Mary Trebitz.
Rockets – coach Alan Bleecher. Shirley Bazua, Sarah Bleecher, Amanda DiGiovanni, Zahari Herbert, Samantha Rosen, Brenna Schulman, Morgan Schulman, Rachel Stempel, Brooke Wayne.
Wildcats – coaches Marie Frank. Brittany Bales, Erin Frank, Chloe Manis, Tara Martin, Marie Norton, Sydney Schaefer, Brooke Schwartz, Olivia Timmons, Taylor Wishnov.
10-11
Eagles – coach Jessica Fowler. Rachel Freidenreich, Elise Haverman, Tara Henn, Colby Pollack, ToniAnn Pultro, Amanda Qadri, Rebecca Qadri, Kelsey Rifenbury.
Musketeers – coach Phil Grose. Gabriela Cautero, Amanda DeNoto, Rachel DuBois, Linsi Grose, Erin Heidel, Emily O’Keeffe, Ashley Pelletier, Erica Richards, Abbie Schepps.
Ravens – coach Marcia Dunn. Yasemin Akbaba, Amanda de Almeida, Alicia Garrity, Nikki Goldrod, Jamie Goodman, Maria Ordonez, Morgan Stern, Deschaney Tate, Samantha Telsey.
Tar Heels – coach Joe Collins. Lauren Anderson, Kate Basye, Juliana Bustillo, Yimin Chen, Amanda Collins, Janine Giambalvo, Tara Kelly, Kellina Mooney, Alyssa Spivack.
Terps – coach Steve Cohen. Jessica Botero, Ariel Cohen, Josephine DiPietro, Megan Lowe, Julie Menke, Latoya Superville, Michelle Warner, Megan Witenstein, Madison Zauner.
Warriors – coaches Melinda Ross. Tali Ben-Lev, Diana Brandt, Melissa Cale, Danielle Camizzi, Rachel Lerman, Danielle Metzger, Lauren Reingold, Brooke Weisman, Caitlin Yarber.
12+
Bruins – coach Mark Fisher . Mallory Albeck, Morea Arbulu, Jessica Adams, Phylicia Dashoff, Corrie Fisher, Heidi Fisher, Jennifer Friesing, Alycia Giambalvo, Melissa Kurschner, Ashley Weisman.
Hurricanes – coaches Tim Campbell. Charity Bougher, Jordan Campbell, Andressa Da Silva, Megan DiNatale, Alyssa Edelman, Deirdre Long, Jennifer Michilena, Stephanie Morgan, Michelle Petricone, Jennifer Villanueva.
Lady Vols – coach Weldon Edwards. Derya Akbaba, Meagan Baker, Jillian Chatoff, Kelly Donaghy, Danielle James, Beatriz Jovel, Aysia Marotta, Leila Shooshani, Samantha Timmons, Cari Walker.
Orangemen – coach Lance Kluger. Candice Grams, Francesca Hawley, Samantha Kluger, Camilla Lever, Paige Luken, Gabriela Nicotra, Anna McGranagham, Alexis Rivera, Nicole Rosso, Alicia Sells.
Salukis – coach David Fritzell. Jessica Belle-Chaves, Melanie Camhi, Jeannine Casson-Reid, Stephanie Fritzhall, Sassy Levy, Kaitlyn Lorenc, Julitza Monterroso, Michaela Rofelson, Justine Rosen, Alexandra Shevock.
Wildcats – coach Jim Baker. Elizabeth Baker, Katheryn DiPietro, Chelsea Dunn, Pahneez Hasseli, Courtney Meyers, Lydia Milkins, Jamie Moss, Cecilia Sung, Melissa Telsey.
