{"id":122888,"date":"2026-02-04T18:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T18:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/122888\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T18:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T18:30:09","slug":"the-x-factor-here-are-14-varsity-players-who-can-be-difference-makers-during-the-sihsl-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/122888\/","title":{"rendered":"The X-factor: Here are 14 varsity players who can be difference-makers during the SIHSL Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Beware the X-factor.<\/p>\n

With the Borough President Vito Fossella SIHSL Tournament set to kick off with a pair of play-in games tonight<\/a>, the Advance\/SILive.com has put together a list of players who can be difference-makers during this season\u2019s tourney.<\/p>\n

What exactly is an X-factor? Well, the traditional definition lists it as \u201ca person that has a strong but unpredictable influence.\u2019’<\/p>\n

In basketball terms, it can be a player who might not boast a high average in points, but has the ability to put up big numbers when the stakes are highest. Or maybe grab a bunch of rebounds. Or take a charge or two.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a number of other players, of course, who fit the bill, but we decided to choose one student-athlete from each tourney team and these are the 14 who were selected.<\/p>\n

Please scroll down to see the 2025-26 SIHSL Tournament X-factors, who are listed in alphabetical order:<\/p>\n

KEEP AN EYE OUT: HERE ARE 28 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN SIHSL TOURNEY<\/a><\/p>\n

Dyshawn Cartagena (Port Richmond): The junior guard-forward is averaging 7.8 ppg, but has enjoyed several big scoring games of late as evidenced by a six-game stretch where he scored in double figures five times in six games. He tallied a career-high 16 markers during a game against CSI\/McCown and he\u2019s also knocked down eight treys for the Raiders this season.<\/p>\n

Juneek Daniels (Eagle S.I.): The senior has been an interior presence time and again as he\u2019s posted double-doubles in points and rebounds multiple times this season. Daniels is averaging 11.0 ppg. with 14 games in double digits, including a career-high 25 in Eagle\u2019s last game against Brooklyn College Academy. <\/p>\n

Adem Djonbalic (Susan Wagner): The senior sharp-shooter has buried 48 shots from behind the arc this season, including multiple treys in 13 contests. The two-year varsity player is averaging 8.4 ppg. and the Falcons are 7-2 when Djonbalic scores in double digits this season. Djonbalic, who had back-to-back games of seven and six three-pointers, respectively, tallied a career-high 22 against Canarsie this year.<\/p>\n

Shiloh Ezderman (Tottenville): The senior big man is never short on effort and has given the Pirates a solid interior player in terms of points and rebounding. Ezderman, who scored a career-high 21 in a win over John Jay, is averaging 9.3 ppg and has scored in double digits in 10 of 21 games. The Pirates are 9-1 this season when Ezderman scores in double digits.<\/p>\n

Xavier Farley (CSIM): The junior is the Dragons\u2019 main interior threat and he not only has posted a number of double-doubles in points, but he\u2019s also a shot-blocking machine. Farley is averaging 9.8 ppg, including a career-high 18 twice this season. The Dragons are 8-3 this season when Farley scores in double digits.<\/p>\n

\"InteriorCSI\/McCown sophomore Xavier Farley , right, stands 6-foot-3 and has been a shot-blocker machine this season.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jason Paderon )<\/p>\n

Matt Gibbons (Moore): The senior is one of Moore\u2019s top three-point threats as evidenced by his 24 three-pointers. The two-year varsity player had buried multiple treys in a game six times, including a season-high four twice. Gibbons averages 8.2 ppg overall with a season-high 16 two different times. <\/p>\n

Aiden Gonzalez (Petrides): The junior guard has buried 22 three-point shots during the 2025-26 season, including two or more on seven occasions. He connected a career-high three treys during an OT win over Port Richmond. Gonzalez is averaging 7.1 ppg overall, including a career-high 18 during a game against Eagle S.I. <\/p>\n

Ryan Hanley (Farrell): The 6-foot-6 junior is the Lions\u2019 main interior presence and he\u2019s picked up his production over the last month or so. The two-year varsity player is averaging 11.8 ppg overall, but 14.3 ppg in the last nine contests. That nine-game stretch includes a career-high 24 points during a win over Fordham Prep. Hanley, who\u2019s also a solid rebounder, can also score in a variety of ways, including drives, the free-throw line and the perimeter (eight threes).<\/p>\n

Terence Legrand (MSIT): The senior guard has quietly averaged 10.8 ppg during the 2025-26 season, but has scored as much as a game-high 20 points in a double OT win over MSIT in the early season. Legrand is among the Island\u2019s top three-point shooters with 48, including 15 games when he\u2019s knocked down two-or-more.<\/p>\n

Gabe Moschella (SIA): The junior has been an integral part of SIA\u2019s success this season and his versatility is one of the reasons why. The St. Peter\u2019s transfer averages 13.0 ppg by scoring in a variety of ways from scoring in the post, in transition or from the perimeter (12 treys). Moschella scored in double digits in 16 of 20 games, including a career-high 25 in a win over Leman.<\/p>\n

John Paturzo (Sea); The junior guard is a jack-of-all-trades who does a little bit of everything well, including handling the ball, defense and distributing the ball. Paturzo is averaging 5.9 ppg overall, but has scored 12.5 ppg in the Vikings\u2019 last four contests, including a career-high 19 markers against St. Peter\u2019s. With point guard Nick Lee likely out because of an injury, Paturzo\u2019s additional scoring will come in handy.<\/p>\n

\"CHSAASISt. Joseph by-the-Sea guard John Paturzo (3) does a bunch of little things for the Vikings, but he’s picked up his scoring numbers in recent games. (Kara Buzga for the Advance.SILive.com).<\/p>\n

Elijah Pizarro (New Dorp): The senior has quietly put up solid numbers as he\u2019s averaging 7.6 ppg, but has registered a career high 17 in a win over Port Richmond last week. The two-year varsity player has canned 31 treys this season, including a career-high five two different times. The Centrals are 7-1 this season when the heady point guard scores in double digits, including a career-high 17 in a win over Port Richmond.<\/p>\n

Tyler Schoenberg (St. Peter\u2019s): The 6-5 sophomore earned a starting spot from day one this season and has given the Eagles an inside presence in both scoring and rebounding. Schoenberg is averaging 7.3 ppg. and has connected for double figures four times, including a career-high 16 points during SP\u2019s CHSAA AA win over Archbishop Molloy. The center doesn\u2019t shy away from contact and has made a fair amount of trips to the charity stripe as well. <\/p>\n

Curtis Tiu (Curtis): The senior guard is averaging 8.3 ppg. in 22 contests this season, but scored a career-high 25 markers during a PSAL 4A win over Erasmus last week. His second highest game was a 21-point effort against the Dutchmen as well. Tiu has scored in double figures eight times overall. He\u2019s knocked down seven three-point shots this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Beware the X-factor. With the Borough President Vito Fossella SIHSL Tournament set to kick…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-122888","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}