Posts by leveluplongisland@gmail.com

Coach Justin Lambert started his basketball career at Plainview High School where he was 2x All-Conference and a standout player. Upon graduation Justin went to Farmingdale State where he got his Associates Degree. This semester he will be graduating with his Bachelors Degree from Queens College.
Justin is currently the JV Head Coach and Varsity Assistant Coach at the Portledge School in Locust Valley. He has also been coaching AAU for the last 4 years. Justin brings a high energy and enthusiasm and is deeply committed to inspiring the next generation of players to reach their full potential on and off the court.

Dawn (Gorynski) Gagliano started her basketball career at St. Francis Prep High School where she was a 3-year starting point guard for the Varsity. She was selected to the Class “A” Tri-State 1st Team, was the Queens Player of the Year, was a 1,000+ point scorer and the School’s All-Time Leading Scorer. Her varsity team captured the NY Catholic “B” State Title 3 times while Dawn ran point.

Upon graduation Dawn received a full scholarship to play at D1 Lehigh University where she was the starting point guard. As a Freshman she won Rookie of the Week on 6 occasions, led her team in minutes played, led the league in assist to turnover ratio and 3-point field goal percentage and was her team’s 2nd leading scorer. She was honored as the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Dawn was a captain as a junior but unfortunately had her collegiate basketball career cut short due to injury.

Subsequently Dawn slid into a student coaching role at Lehigh University. In recent years she has been the St. Francis Prep Varsity Assistant Coach, Manhasset High School Head JV and Assistant Varsity Coach and the Great Neck North Head JV and Assistant Varsity Coach.

Coach Matt Price started his high school basketball career at Brookline high school in his hometown of Brookline, MA. Matt Played there for 3 years where he was a 1,000 point scorer named Boston Globe All-Scholastic. He was also a part of a historic season where his team was ranked 1st in the and won a conference title. Matt reclassified and went to Prep school after his 3 years at Brookline and attended Kimball Union Academy in NH for 2 years where he earned All-Lakes region honors. After High school, Matt went on the play at Adelphi University where he just finished his senior season. Matt has been a part of the men’s basketball program for 4 years now and has served as team captain for the past 2 years.

Coach Anthony Davis began his basketball career at Holy Cross High School where he played 4 years. He was named CHSAA All-Diocesan Team twice and All New York City third team in his senior year. The AAU team that he played for was one of the top teams in the country playing alongside former pros God Shammgod and Ron Artest. Upon graduation he was recruited to some top D1 schools but decided to stay local attending Hofstra University where he played 4 years under now Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright. He played alongside Speedy Claxton and Norm Richardson. Afterwards he played professionally in France. Anthony still has a legendary name in the New York basketball scene and was one of the best pure scorers and long distance shooters around. Currently, he is the Head Coach for LuHi’s Varsity Regional team.

Coach Brett Harvey started his basketball career at Clarkstown North High School where he was a 3 year starter, 2x All-County player, 1,000+ point scorer and was the 2006 Player of the Year. Upon graduation he went to D1 Loyola University Maryland where he was a 4 year starter, 2x Freshman Player of the Week and a 1,000+ point scorer. Brett led all of D1 in free throw shooting percentage in the 2008-2009 season at 91%. He had a career high of 34 points vs. Tennessee State, scored 25 points at Indiana in a win and won multiple MAAC Player of the Week awards. After college Brett played professionally for D1 Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Super League and EuroCup. He also played one year in the preseason in the NBA for the New Jersey Nets.

Coach Kevin Meilella started his basketball career at Kellenberg Memorial High School. He was 2-year starter and led his team to the playoffs both years. After high school, Kevin played at Mount Saint Mary College where he was a 3-year starter and he qualified as a 4-year Skyline Honor Roll player. In his sophomore year Kevin was named MSMC Most Improved Player. Coach Milella’s senior year was full of accomplishments finishing the season with the best record in school history, scoring his 1,000th point and becoming an ECAC champion for the first time in school history. He continued his love and passion for basketball after graduation by becoming a coach and a referee and is excited to be a part of the Level Up LI organization.

Coach James went to Clarke High School where he had a 3.8 GPA. He was a standout on the Basketball team being a 3x All-County Player and the A-V Conference Player of the Year for the 2022-2023 season. He is the school’s all-time leading scorer and led them to their first ever playoff win. James played the final 3 years of his AAU career with Level Up and is a proud alumni. He played his Freshman year of college at D3 Misericordia University. He transferred back home to Nassau Community College for his Sophomore year. He was the Assistant Basketball Director at Tyler Hill Sleepaway Camp this past Summer.

Coach Julian Kleisler started his high school basketball career at Babylon High School. He played Varsity for 3 years where he was a highly valued player known for his work ethic and high energy. After high school he continued his passion for basketball and began mentoring as an Assistant Coach for D2 NYIT.  Coach Julian’s performance helped his players and coaching staff lead NY Tech to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. He has extensive experience working with athletes in helping them further develop their skills, basketball IQ and overall love for the game. He is currently in his third year in the architecture program at NYIT and is expecting to graduate in the spring of 2024.