Uncovering the secret formula for Hammond, hamlet of champs

In this age of wild conspiracy theories, the question remains – “How does tiny Hammond Central School, champion of the girls Class D state basketball tournament, win so often?’’

Try these:

• When the Red Devils wheel the team bus into Hudson Valley Community College, they park behind a grassy knoll.
• JFK, Elvis, Bigfoot and some escaped aliens from Area 51 hide in the Hammond cheering section.
• After faking the moon landing, NASA scientists taught the Red Devils how to jump like they were in lunar gravity.

Granted, those are as preposterous as saying space lasers created California wildfires. Administrators don’t slip a secret sauce into the school lunches. Town officials don’t add human growth hormone to the village water supply. But the truth remains that Hammond, believed to be the smallest high school in the state, has found an old-school formula of equal parts hard work, dedication and dreaming big.

“We run an elementary basketball program and we start them playing in third grade,’’ said HCS superintendent Doug McQueer, himself a former boys coach and Hammond graduate. “The secret isn’t really a secret anymore. It’s surrounding the kids with coaches that want to teach each athlete how to be successful at this game within a team, and individually.’’

Credit former 2013 Hammond graduate Alyssa Crosby, who scored 1,000 points in high school and at Jefferson CC, with carrying on the tradition of motivation and excellence. Two seasons ago, she stepped into retired coach Shawn Dack’s role as Hammond CS physical education teacher and basketball coach, and the heartbeat of the program didn’t skip a beat. She had the foresight to conduct practice during championship week at 6 a.m., prepping her players for the morning games in Troy.

“Hammond is so small – it’s what our community lives for,” Crosby told WWNY-TV earlier in the week. “These girls have worked so hard since day one of the season and I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls.”

Her colleagues credited the coach with inspiring her players.

“Alyssa Crosby was one of the hardest working players,’’ said assistant coach Chet Truskowski, who has been assisting from the bench since 2007. He watched Crosby blossom from high school star to college standout to maestro of a state title.

“She had an outstanding high school career as well as a successful college career,’’ he said. “It’s nice to see her succeed as a coach. I am always proud to play a small a role in the careers of student athletes at Hammond.’’

Hammond gave an inkling of what was to come two weeks ago at SUNY Potsdam in the state quarterfinals, crushing Poland, 63-33. Then last Friday, paraded out of town by fire trucks and cheered by about 40 fans along Route 37, the blue-collar Red Devils, sporting a 20-1 record and No. 1 state Class D ranking, headed for Troy in a yellow school bus. No fancy motorcoach required.

Asked how many fans he expected to arrive in Troy for the weekend, McQueer deadpanned: “Like in the movie ‘Hoosiers.’ The town will be closed. LOL. Everyone will be there to support these kids.’’

On Saturday morning, Hammond, with only 241 students, overwhelmed Panama (enrollment 456), just outside of Jamestown in the semifinals, 78-56. First thing on Sunday, the Red Devils suffocated Oxford (enrollment 650), south of Norwich, in the championship, 61-37.

A red wave of about 300 attended the championship game, but Crosby issued her own crowd estimate in the post-game euphoria.

“Half of Hammond is here, actually, all of Hammond is here,’’ she said. “We’ll all go back home to the school and celebrate.’’

Hammond’s tradition of winning teams goes back to the 1980s when former Morristown superintendent Bob Gardner began coaching the Red Devils in his retirement. Eventually, the program landed in the capable hands of Dack, who taught phys ed and coached teams simultaneously from third grade through the varsity. Hammond emerged as a perennial contender, built a 113-game winning streak, and won consecutive state titles in 2007 and 2008.

Fifteen years later, they are champions again, with a boost from three reserves from the Morristown district.

“This group is definitely special because since they were in the elementary they have been water girls for the team,’’ Crosby said. “They have been in the stands cheering for their older sisters and that’s what really makes this special.’’

One of those younger sisters was Sadie Sprabary, who was poised for a title run as a freshman in 2020. The Red Devils had reached the regional level before COVID-19 pandemic precautions shut down the season. Junior center Landree Kenyon watched her older sisters, Brittany and Avery, lead the Red Devils as did sophomore Ava Howie, a former manager who said, “Yeah, we used to go to all the older girls practices. Now it’s our turn.”

McQueer said the players create a renewable legacy.

“Our players care about each other, first and foremost. A team wins before the individual,’’ he said. “Yes, we have better players than others, but the team is first and foremost in their minds and that drives their success. Together we win … Our history drives the program, the community, the school. The programs all work together to allow our kids to succeed.’’