Jonah Park pulled coach Noreen Begley aside earlier this week in practice. The Brooklyn Tech junior leader had something important to say about junior setter Adrian Liang.
“He said, ‘Adrian is back,’” Begley said. “I’m not sure where he went, but that’s what he said.”
Liang had been splitting time all season with Eugene Remennik, but Remennik has been sick with a bad flu the last few days. Liang was going to have to be the starting – and only – setter in Brooklyn Tech’s second-round playoff match-up against Bayside. And Park had total faith in him.
“It restored a lot of confidence in me in setting the ball,” Liang said. “It helped me a lot.”
It certainly showed. Liang had 40 assists to lead No. 12 Brooklyn Tech over No. 5 Bayside, 21-25, 25-19, 25-11, in the PSAL boys’ volleyball playoffs second round Wednesday night at Hunter College in Manhattan. Tech will meet No. 4 Walton in the quarterfinals Saturday.
“There was pressure, but I take that and use that to help my game,” Liang said.
Brooklyn Tech (14-0) came back from an uneven first set and got better as the match went on. Park was the biggest reason why. He had 23 kills and was virtually unstoppable for most of the match.
“After the game, I said, ‘You all did a great job – but Jonah was awesome,’” Begley said.
Park said he was just playing his game, but Liang wouldn’t let him get away with such modesty.
“I just had to keep on going back to him,” the setter said. “He was on fire.”
Added Begley: “Did Jonah take us home or what?”
Technically, anytime a No. 12 beats a No. 5 it counts as an upset, but the Engineers never felt like a 12 seed. They did embrace the number, though. Their motto since last week’s seeding has been “We love 12.” One of the reasons why is because of the lack of expectations on them – even though they knew just how strong they were.
“[Bayside] had all the pressure on them,” Park said.
O’Shane McRae had 13 kills and Timmy Yan had seven digs for Brooklyn Tech. Liang has experience winning in a playoff setting before. He was the Engineers’ lone setter when they won the Seward Park tournament early in the season. Begley, who was the first woman ever to coach a high-school basketball team at Madison Square Garden with the Murry Bergtraum boys in the 1992 ‘B’ finals, likes having two setters.
“It’s kind of like having two point guards,” she said. “How beautiful is that?”
Almost as nice as Brooklyn Tech being in the quarterfinals. The Engineers have already proven themselves as better than a No. 12 seed, as much as they’ve embraced that number. Park was emotional after the exciting victory.
“I can’t,” he said, “put it into words.”
