Harborfields Grad Makes Mark In College

Photo provided by Justin Ringen
Completing his senior year in basketball at SUNY Geneseo, Justin Ringen, right, a Harborfields grad, has scored a total of 1,024 points for the Knights, making him the 25th player in SUNY Geneseo history to eclipse the 1,000-points milestone.

By Janee Law

jlaw@longislandergroup.com

Justin Ringen, a 2012 Harborfields High School graduate, has eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone after two years of hoops at upstate SUNY Geneseo.

Ringen, 23, of Greenlawn, has now scored 1,024 points as a Knight, making him the 25th player in school history to surpass 1,000 points scored.

After graduating from Harborfields, Ringen played basketball at Dominican College for two years and then took a year off from school before making the jump to Geneseo. He said that his success with the Knights reassured him that he made the right choices.

“I didn’t feel like Dominican was the right fit for me,” Ringen said. “Coming here and having such a big role on the team made me feel good, and I knew making the decision paid off.”

Currently wrapping up his senior year as a communications major, Ringen stands at 6-foot-5, weighs 200 pounds and played guard for the Knights.

As a junior, he was named first team All-SUNYAC and second team All-East Region after her averaged 23.9 points per game and hit 89 three-pointers.

A nagging injury limited Ringen as a senior, but he managed to average 17.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He was named third team All-SUNYAC.

Ringen said he plays in honor of his late father, Ronald, who died in 2015.

“These were the first two seasons that I played without him,” he said. “It was just important that I played well and I kind of played with him in my mind.”

He added that he thinks of his father, and his entire family, each time he steps onto the court. “It makes them happy seeing me play and doing well, so that’s important for me, too.”

Ringen picked up the sport at age 4, when he played with his father. His father was his “biggest role model with a lot of things, but especially with basketball.”

Playing as he grew up, Ringen eventually hit the court with the Tornadoes of Harborfields. He said his most memorable high school hoops moment came during his senior year, when the Tornadoes defeated Tappan Zee to win a state championship. It was especially gratifying, he added, since the Tornadoes lost in the state championship game the year before.

“Then we made it back,” he added. “It was a good moment of redemption to get back there and win it.”

As a Tornado, Ringen was named All-League and All-County his junior year and then All-League, All-County, and first-team All-Long Island and second-team All-State his senior year.