East Rockaway's Fusco reaches milestone

For just the second time in program history, an East Rockaway boys’ basketball player has reached the 1,000-point plateau. 

Danny Fusco hit the mark when he buried a free throw with just :09 remaining in a 58-51 victory over Carle Place at the Rock Palace on Jan. 6. The senior guard finished the Conference ABC matchup with 29 points to lead all scorers.

It was fitting that Fusco hit the magic number from the foul line. The county’s leading scorer, averaging 29.4 points per game heading into this week’s action, has already knocked down 101 free throws over the first 10 games. Fusco, who finished third in Nassau with an average 22.6 as a junior, is shooting 86 percent from the line 2015-16. 

Head coach Joe Lores said he’s happy for the four-year starter. “He’s constantly at the park or in the gym working at his game, so it’s nice to see the results of his hard work,” Lores said. “He did a good job of learning from the upperclassmen when he was younger, and was more than ready to take over when he had to be the go-to guy. It’s been a lot of fun for the team. His teammates have been celebrating with him.” 

Despite facing opponents who are devising game plans aimed at shutting him down, Fusco has reached the 30-point mark in half of the team’s contests. He set a personal high with 37 points in a 61-45 win when Mineola came to town in December, and scored a game-high 35 when the Rocks knocked off Lynbrook in overtime in the annual Friendship Games.

Next up for Fusco is breaking the program’s all-time scoring record. He’s just 17 points away from eclipsing the mark of 1,039 points set by 1987 graduate Mike West.