Richard Epstein sat in the stands earlier this season, scouting two opponents that his Eleanor Roosevelt team would have to play later in the year.
He wasn’t sure what to expect of one of the schools that was – like his – in the PSAL’s Developmental League.
“I figured I would be able to tell right away which team was which,” Epstein said. “But I couldn’t. It wasn’t until I was able to read the uniforms that I figured it out.”
Those uniforms let Epstein know which squad was from the American Sign Language and English H.S., made up entirely of deaf players.
The Tigers finished their debut PSAL season yesterday with just one win, but the players seemed to relish the opportunity of playing against teams with students who could hear, even if it meant losing.
“It’s been fun and frustrating,” said Juan Santiago, signing to the school’s athletic director, Elaine Kessler. “We competed in every game against good teams. We don’t make excuses.”
Despite the team’s record, Santiago and his teammates insisted that the lack of wins wasn’t due to their hearing problems, but simply because they weren’t as athletically talented as the opposition.
“The other teams just had more skills than us,” said Jherry Alexis. “The rest of it didn’t matter.”
The school, located on 23rd Street in Manhattan, has been around for decades, but it wasn’t until Bruce Rogers got there 10 years ago that a basketball team was seriously considered.
Rogers had coached CYO basketball, and when he became a teacher at the school, he thought he could start the team. For the first few years, it only played against other deaf schools, but gradually faced more hearing schools, and this year entered the PSAL.
“The biggest difference is that it’s hard to adjust during games,” said Rogers. “I didn’t realize that until we started playing hearing schools and I heard other coaches doing it.”
What surprised Rogers – and most opposing coaches – is the Tigers’ knack for stopping as soon as the referee blows a whistle.
“It’s amazing,” Rogers said. “They do it immediately.”
His players don’t think it’s a big deal.
“We just follow the other players,” signed Alexis, adding, “We have eyes.”