BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT

By Scott Stump – Senior Editor

     With the tournaments hopefully ready to give us more insight into to the top 10, or drive me even crazier when trying to do these rankings, here is the latest top 10 heading into tournament time. Right now, it’s Colts Neck followed by “Put these names in a hat and pick them out in a random order,” as well as other scientific processes that were used to determine an ever-shuffling group. Also, if you can tell me who the best team is in the parity-riddled Class B South, I’d love to know. I cheated a little bit with the No. 10 spot because it’s early in the season, but from here on out I’ll make a firm decision.
     Also, I’ll have expanded players of the week heading forward, but I didn’t want to leave out the standout players from the opening week.

     1. Colts Neck (3-0) – Last week: No. 5. Led by point guard Mitchell Kates and forward Steve Spinella as well as much-improved guard Craig Perry, the Cougars toppled last week’s No. 1, Christian Brothers Academy, and have looked as good as anyone during the opening week.

     2. Manasquan (3-0) – Last week: No. 6. Another one of the few unbeaten teams left in the Shore, the Warriors have looked solid in the early going, and we’ll see if they can keep it rolling in the Jack Kuhnert Tournament. They might be a little high at this spot right now, but I’ll give them a shot to prove they deserve it, as they also have a good win over a solid Academy Charter team that could be a top 10 team if the school was part of the Shore Conference.

     3. Christian Brothers Academy (4-1) – Last week: No. 1. Despite the loss to Colts Neck and a one-point victory over St. Rose, I still think this is a quality team that will improve as the season goes along, particularly if players like Travis Farrell and others step up to help the top tandem of Mike Kuhn and Brian Neller.

     4. Freehold (2-1) – Last week: Unranked. The Colonials beat Neptune on a buzzer-beater in the season opener, and any win over the Scarlet Fliers is a quality win. Also, their only loss is to a solid Central team on a 3-pointer with one second left in the game. We’ll see how they deal with the attention after looking good in the early going.

     5. Neptune (3-1) – Last week: No. 2. Yes, they started in an 0-2 hole, but that was with losses on a shot at the buzzer and in overtime. They picked up a quality win over a good Monmouth team and will look to keep building momentum in their own Holiday Jubilee Tournament.

     6. Monmouth (2-1) – Last week: No. 3. A two-point loss to Neptune showed that the Falcons can play with anyone, and with a very good starting lineup, this team should only get better.

     7. St. Rose (4-1) – Last week Unranked: I know their best game came in a loss, but the Purple Roses and center Sean McPaul showed they can play with anyone when they pushed CBA to the brink. I know they almost got picked off by Brick in the WOBM Classic first round, but with the parity of the Shore this season, a win is a win. We’ll see if they can win the title as the No. 1 seed in WOBM.

     8. Freehold Township (2-1) – Last week: The Patriots’ only loss is to CBA, and they have a nice win over Middletown South to their credit.

     9. Rumson-FH (3-0) – Last week: Unranked. The Bulldogs are off to their best start in years, with their best win coming over one of last week’s ranked teams, Red Bank. Let’s see if they can keep it going in the Bayshore Tournament, where they could run into Middletown South.

  10a. Middletown South (2-1)  – Last week: No. 10. The Eagles lost a close one to Freehold Township, but can make a move in the rankings this weekend by taking home the Bayshore Tournament title as the top seed.

  10b. Central (3-1)  – Last week: Unranked. The heart-attack kids, this team has won a game over Freehold with one second remaining, lost a game to Lakewood in the final seconds, and won a game against Brick Memorial in the WOBM Classic in the final seconds. They also have a quality win over Monsignor Donovan to their credit. The loss to Lakewood also stung a little bit more after the Piners were subsequently upset by Pinelands.

Knocking on the door
Asbury Park (3-0): The Blue Bishops are gaining steam, and just need that signature win or a great game against a ranked team to be considered.

Monsignor Donovan (2-1): The Griffins appear to have bounced back from an opening-game loss to Central, so we’ll see how they do in the loaded Holiday Jubilee Tournament.

Toms River South (3-1): In Class A South, where parity reigns, the Indians have been solid thus far.

Red Bank (2-1): The Bucs got knocked out of the Top 10 by Rumson-Fair Haven, but are still a dangerous team.

Honorable mention: Mitchell Kates (Colts Neck); James LeCardi (Rumson-FH); Sean McPaul (St. Rose); Mike Kuhn (CBA); Kyle Wehner (Manasquan); Brandon Carter (Freehold); Max Lit (Freehold Twp.); Ibn Moye (Central); Robert McClintock (Howell); Matt Pebole (Red Bank); Nyrahn Smith (Lakewood).

HOLIDAY HOOPS GUIDE


     With approximately a million boys basketball tournament games being played between Wednesday and Sunday, here is your guide to the hoops junkie’s heavenly five-day stretch.
     It’s the equivalent of the bowl season for college football fans. It also can be a little crazy just figuring out where to go and how to see a bunch of games with all that’s going on, so that’s where I come in. Here is your guide to the boys action that you will want to check out, including the players, teams, plotlines and anticipated match-ups as well as my basketball lunatic’s guide to seeing as much as you can each day.
     The main tournaments on the boys’ side (sites in parentheses) are the WOBM Classic (at Toms River North/Ritacco Center); Holiday Jubilee Tournament (Neptune); Bayshore Tournament (St. John Vianney); Jack Kuhnert Memorial Tournament (Freehold Twp./Howell/Freehold); and Buc Classic (Red Bank).

Top tandems you want to see (respective tournaments in parentheses):

Mike Kuhn, Sr., G; Brian Neller, Jr., G/F, Christian Brothers Academy (Holiday Jubilee): Kuhn has emerged as one of the top scorers in the Shore Conference and will help the Colts try to bounce back from their first loss of the season. Neller is the other primary threat and both have had big games in all of CBA’s wins, and need to play well for the Colts to make a run at the tournament title.

Garret Theil, Sr., G; Kyle Cancillieri, So., F, Middletown South (Bayshore): One of the better guards in Monmouth County, Theil and the top-seeded Eagles will look to continue their rise under coach Kevin Cullen and recover from their first loss of the season. A 6-foot-4 force, Cancillieri is one of the better young players in the Shore and is coming off a 20-point game.

Anthony Gibson, Jr., PG; Joe Willman, Jr., C, Monmouth (Holiday Jubilee): Gibson forms a nice inside-outside combo with Willman and has stepped up his offense to become the team’s main scoring threat thus far. He is physical for a point guard and is a good offensive rebounder. Willman is 6-5 but will let it fly from 3-point range and is also a good offensive rebounder. He just needs to avoid foul trouble.

Gary Foster, Sr., F; Thomas Jones, Jr., G, Neptune (Holiday Jubilee): Foster is smooth off the dribble and is a good offensive rebounder but needs the outside shooting of players like Jones to loosen things up inside. Both players are capable of taking over games for stretches with their scoring.

Ibn Moye, Jr., G; James Plummer, Sr., C, Central (WOBM Classic): One of the more exciting inside-outside combos in the Shore thus far, these two have made a threat out of a Golden Eagles team that has struggled in recent seasons. Moye transferred back to Central after spending a season at St. Benedict’s Prep and is very quick off the dribble and will pull the trigger on threes with a defender right on him. Plummer has good post moves, passing ability and decent range, while also serving as a shot-blocking force on defense.

Kyle Milana, Sr., F; Tom Carter, Sr., F, Monsignor Donovan (Holiday Jubilee): Milana is one of the most experienced players in the Shore and plays much bigger than his 6-foot-2 size. Carter is another scoring option for the Griffins and a solid defensive player.

Matt Pebole, Sr., F; Will Sanborn, Sr., G, Red Bank (Buc Classic): Pebole showed against Red Bank Catholic that he has as much explosive scoring capability as Sanborn with 28 points in a win. Pebole has matured from an offensive rebounder/garbageman type during the Kyle Fitzgerald/Casey Peters era into a dependable scorer and all-around strong player. When Sanborn’s shot is on, he is capable of putting 40 on someone, and his step back 3-point shot is difficult to guard.

Max Lit, Sr., C; Matt Devine, Jr., G, Freehold Township (Jack Kuhnert): Lit has emerged as a solid presence in the paint, while Devine is one of the better outside shooters in the Shore. Both are also getting the first major minutes of their careers after the graduation of the best senior class in program history.

Young players/newcomers/players you haven’t heard about that you’ll want to check out

James LeCardi, Jr., G, Rumson-FH (Bayshore Tournament): LeCardi has been a strong scorer for the surprising Bulldogs in the early going, teaming with junior guard Matt Blumel to form a good guard tandem for a team that already has three wins after winning four games all of last season.

Neil Thompson, So., G, Monmouth (Holiday Jubilee): Explosive off the dribble, Thompson plays with a lot of fire and can get to the rim in traffic. He’s at his best when he’s pushing the ball down the floor in transition.

Sean Grennan, Fr., G, Monsignor Donovan (Holiday Jubilee): Highly touted coming into high school, Grennan is a starter on a team with division title aspirations and beyond. He is a solid shooter and runs the offense efficiently.

Nyrahn Smith, Sr., G, Lakewood (Holiday Jubilee): Not exactly a newcomer, but after playing for half of the programs in the Northern Hemisphere, he has landed at Lakewood and made an immediate impact with 28 points in the season opener against Central. He is a good leaper and will pull the trigger on a 3-pointer at any time. He is most effective when he is slashing to the rim.

Ludner Innocent, Sr., G, Academy Charter (Bayshore Tournament): He’s not a newcomer, but to many Shore Conference fans, the quicksilver scorer hasn’t been seen much because Academy Charter only plays a handful of games against Shore Conference competition. He had 18 points against Manasquan in a loss this week, but is an exciting player.

Kyle Wehner, Jr., G, Manasquan (Jack Kuhnert): Not totally a newcomer, he saw time last year, but has emerged as the best scorer on one of the few unbeaten Shore Conference teams left.

Scott Nelson, Jr., G, Ocean (WOBM Classic): Also saw time last season, but has brought is offense up a notch this season with a 20-point game and some other big scoring nights for a team that has lost several close games.

Robert McClintock, Sr., C, Howell (Jack Kuhnert): He exploded for 31 points in a victory over Middletown North, so opposing coaches had to sit up and take notice of a performance like that.

Brandon Carter, Sr., C/F, Freehold (Jack Kuhnert): Better known as a lineman on the football field, he has been a stabilizing force in the paint for the suprising Colonials, who are looking to bounce back from a buzzer-beater loss to Central. Andrew Gerbehy and Brandon Brown are also ones to watch for the Colonials.

Sean McPaul, Jr., F, St. Rose (WOBM Classic): After being stuck behind graduated star Anthony Ranaudo, McPaul is now the main threat in the paint for the Purple Roses, who are the top seed in the tournament. If he scores inside, it opens things up for St. Rose’s guards to bomb away from outside.

Marvin Brodie, Sr., G, Manchester (WOBM Classic): He has the ability to rattle off eight or 10 points in a hurry, particularly from 3-point range, which could make Manchester trouble for an early-round opponent.

Corey Hahn, Jr., G, Raritan (WOBM Classic): He has emerged as the top scorer for last year’s WOBM champs, and is an efficient offensive player who runs the Rockets’ precise sets well and gets points with hustle.

Five Crazy Days and Nights
If you’re going to try and see a bunch of games in a given day, here’s one way to go.

Wednesday, Dec. 26
     Not a ton of juicy match-ups on this day as most Shore teams are facing nonconference teams in their tournament openers, but here you go: You’re definitely going to want to start your day at 11 a.m. at Neptune with Monmouth vs. Christian Brothers Academy in the Holiday Jubilee, and from there you can either get some lunch or watch some of Monsignor Donovan’s game against an always-tough Irvington team at the Holiday Jubilee. Then pop over to Freehold Township to check out the Freehold Boro team that has made some waves in the early season as it takes on Bayonne at 3 p.m. in the Jack Kuhnert Tournament. After that, roll to St. John Vianney to see another team off to a good start, Rumson-Fair Haven, as it takes on Middletown North at 5:30 p.m. in the Bayshore Tournament. That can either be the capper to your day, or you can stay at the Bayshore and watch the 7 p.m. game between top-seeded Middletown South and new varsity program Jackson Liberty.

Thursday, Dec. 27
Most of the early match-ups on this day are consolation games or involve nonconference teams, but if you want to take a gander at the team that knocked last season’s powerhouse Freehold Township team out of the state playoffs, head to Red Bank for South Brunswick’s Buc Classic game against Matawan at 12:30 p.m. From there, you can either stay and watch a little of Manalapan-Franklin in the 4-5 game of the Buc Classic, or head to Howell for the Jack Kuhnert Tournament semifinals, which start at 3 p.m. with what could be a Manasquan-Long Branch match-up followed by a Freehold vs. Freehold Township game at 5 p.m. I like the second game here if it comes to fruition, although another option in this time slot could be a WOBM Classic quarterfinal between defending WOBM champion Raritan and second-seeded Central at 4:15 p.m. at the Ritacco Center. I would lean toward the Kuhnert games just because they are semifinals, not quarterfinals, but Raritan scrimmaged Central in the preseason and this could be a quality game. Once you’re done at Howell or Ritacco Center, run up to St. John Vianney to watch the second Bayshore Tournament semifinal at 7 p.m. to cap your night. If the seeds hold true, this game would be between Middletown South and Rumson-Fair Haven, which should be a good match-up.

Friday, Dec. 28
The Holiday Jubilee Tournament at Neptune is so good, you might want to check out some consolation games here to start your day. The loser of the Monmouth-CBA game plays the loser of the Monsignor Donovan-Irvington game at 11 a.m., so that should be a good game. If you want a start a little later, go to the first Jubilee semifinal at 2:30 p.m. between the winners of those aforementioned games. After that, you can either stay for the 4:15 p.m. semifinal between the winner of Lakewood-Hudson Catholic and Lehman (N.Y.)-Neptune, which local fans are hoping will be a Neptune-Lakewood game. If you want to watch a little bit of that second game and then take a chance to potentially go see Red Bank play, there is a Buc Classic semifinal at 5 p.m. that would be between the host Bucs and state-ranked Elizabeth if the seeds hold true. That wraps your day up so that you can park yourself in front of the television for some college hoops or football.

Saturday, Dec. 29
OK, you’re going to have to make some decisions here, but that will probably come down to the match-ups. The Jack Kuhnert Tournament final is at Freehold Boro at 3 p.m., so maybe you can watch a chunk of that and then hustle to Neptune for the 4:15 p.m. tip-off of the Holiday Jubilee final, which should be good no matter which teams are in it. After that, you have two choices because it’s a lot of driving to try and do both. You have WOBM Classic semifinals at 6:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Ritacco Center, or you can go watch the Bayshore Tournament championship at St. John Vianney at 7 p.m. to polish off the day.

Sunday, Dec. 30
This day is pretty simple. You can go to Red Bank to watch the Buc Classic final at 5 p.m., and even take in the consolation final at 3:30 p.m. if you feel like it. Then you roll from there down to Toms River for an 8 p.m. tip-off at the WOBM Classic final, thus concluding your hoops-addled journey.

Ten things we want to find out from the tournaments

1. Who is the best team right now out of the Holiday Jubilee trio of Neptune, Christian Brothers Academy and Monmouth? Neptune already beat Monmouth, but hopefully the Holiday Jubilee will give us the answer and maybe deliver a CBA-Neptune final as well.

2. How good is Manasquan? The Warriors could potentially run into Freehold or Freehold Township if that scenario works out for the final of the Jack Kuhnert Tournament, and then we’ll see how Manasquan does against another ranked team.

3. Is Freehold for real? Speaking of the Kuhnert, it’s another good chance for Freehold to prove that its opening-night win over Neptune was no fluke and that it will be a top 10 team that is here to stay.

4. How valid is Rumson-Fair Haven’s 3-0 start? The Bulldogs are only one win shy of their entire win total from last season and have a victory over Red Bank to their credit. Can they keep it going by winning the Bayshore Tournament?

5. Who is the best team in Class B South right now?  You can’t even call a win by any team in that division an upset at this point, as they have all been knocking one another off. Central, Point Boro, and Manchester are still alive in the  WOBM Classic, while Monsignor Donovan is looking to turn some heads at the Holiday Jubilee Tournament.

6. Was St. Rose’s one-point loss to CBA indicative of the Purple Roses’ potential? Jacked up by a raucous home crowd, St. Rose played great and nearly toppled the Colts, then almost got stunned by 16th-seeded Brick as the top seed in the WOBM Classic. Which one is the real St. Rose team?

7. Is Freehold Township a team that will keep getting better and better? The young Patriots have a slew of players seeing their first significant varsity time and have a solid win over Middletown South to their credit. Can they take out Freehold and possibly Manasquan in the Jack Kuhnert Tournament and declare themselves a force right now?

8. Will Neptune find its shooting stroke? The Scarlet Fliers have plenty of experienced guards who have struggled with their jumpshots in the early going, reducing the effectiveness inside of forward Gary Foster. Teams like Freehold and Monmouth employed zones to great effect in close games, and more and more teams will follow that blueprint until someone breaks out and starts canning threes. Can they get back in a rhythm in the Holiday Jubilee Tournament on their home floor?

9. Who is the best team in Class A South right now? Hopefully the WOBM Classic can tell us if teams like Toms River North or Toms River South are a cut above in a division where no team is without at least one divisional loss.

10. Who are the top five players in the Shore right now? Hopefully, the all-tournament teams and tournament MVPs can help kick this argument into high gear.

THE SCHEDULES
Bayshore Tournament
At St. John Vianney  
Wednesday, Dec. 26
(Game #1)= (3) St. John Vianney vs. (6) Shore, 1 p.m.
(Game #2)= (2) Academy Charter vs (7) Mater Dei, 2:30 p.m.
(Game #3)= (4) Rumson-Fair Haven vs (5) Middletown North, 5:30 p.m.
(Game #4)= (1) Middletown South vs (8) Jackson Liberty, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 27
(Game 5)=Game #1 Loser vs Game #2 Loser, 1 p.m.
(Game 6)=Game #3 Loser vs Game #4 Loser, 2:30 p.m.
(Game 7)=Game #1 Winner vs Game #2 Winner, 5:30 p.m.
(Game 8)=Game #3 Winner vs Game #4 Winner, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 29
(Game 9)=Game #5 Loser vs Game #6 Loser, 1 p.m.
(Game 10)=Game #5 Winner vs Game #6 Winner, 2:30 p.m.
(Game 11)=Game #7 Loser vs Game #8 Loser, 5:30 p.m.
(Game 12)=Game #7 Winner vs Game #8 Winner, 7 p.m.

Neptune Holiday Jubilee
At Neptune High School

Wednesday, Dec. 26
11 a.m. Monmouth vs CBA (Game 1)
12:45 p.m. Monsignor Donovan vs Irvington (Game 2)
2:30 p.m. Hudson Catholic vs Lakewood (Game 3)
4:15 p.m. Neptune vs Lehman, N.Y. (Game 4)

Friday, Dec. 28
11 a.m. Loser of Game #1 vs Loser of Game #2 (Game 5)
12:45 p.m. Loser of Game #3 vs Loser of Game #4 (Game 6)
2:30 p.m. Winner of Game #1 vs Winner of Game #2 (Game 7)
4:15 p.m. Winner of Game #3 vs Winner of Game #4 (Game 8)

Saturday, Dec. 29
2:30 p.m. Consolation Game (Loser of Game #7 vs Loser of Game #8)
4:15 p.m. Championship Game (Winner of Game #7 vs Winner of Game 8)

BUC CLASSIC
At Red Bank

Schedule
Thursday, Dec. 27
(1) South Brunswick vs (8) Matawan, 12:30 p.m.
(4) Franklin vs (5) Manalapan, 2 p.m.
(3) Elizabeth vs (6) Peddie, 3:30 p.m.
(2) Red Bank vs (7) Marlboro, 5 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 28
South Brunswick/Matwan winner vs Franklin/Manalapan winner, 3:30 p.m.
Elizabeth/Peddie winner vs Red Bank/Marlboro winner, 5 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 30
Consolation game, 3:30 p.m.
Championship game, 5 p.m.

Jack Kuhnert Memorial Tournament
Wednesday December 26th
at Freehold Township High School

Manasquan vs. Howell, 11 am (Game D)
Columbia vs. Long Branch, 1 pm (Game C)
Freehold Boro vs. Bayonne, 3 pm (Game B)
Freehold Township vs. Hamilton West, 5 pm (Game A)

Thursday December 27th
at Howell High School
Consolation A vs. B, 11 am
Consolation C vs. D, 1 pm
Semi Final D winner vs. C winner, 3 pm
Semi Final A winner vs B winner , 5 pm

Saturday December 29th
Consolations and Finals
at Freehold High School
3rd place game, 11 am
Final, 3 pm

WOBM CLASSIC
At Ritacco Center

Thursday, Dec. 27
Quarterfinals
(3) TR North vs. (11) TR South, 2:30 p.m.
(7) Raritan vs. (2) Central, 4:15 p.m.
(4) Point Boro vs. (12) Manchester, 6 p.m.
(1) St. Rose vs. (8) TR East, 7:45 p.m.

Satuday, Dec. 29
Semifinals
TR North/TR South vs. Raritan/Central, 6:15 p.m.
St. Rose/TR East vs. Point Boro/Manchester, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 30
Championship game, 8 p.m.

And finally….Merry Christmas to everybody out there!

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