Maryland Football Coaches Association | Archive | January, 2008

     The last of the unbeatens on the girls basketball side went down on Tuesday night as No. 1 Red Bank Catholic fell 36-24 to Rumson-Fair Haven in Class A Central, and no one is exactly shocked given the grudge match history of these two top programs.
     Check out the video highlights on the main page or Girls Basketball Central if you haven’t seen them yet. Right now, Rumson junior Kate Miller is really proving to be the top all-around player in the Shore, as she helped shut down RBC star Kristina Danella, holding the UMass-bound senior to three points, including no field goals, with an assist from Rumson’s always-tough help defense. She also managed to drop in a game-high 15 points on offense.
     It’s clear that RBC missed injured senior star Kristina Coppolino in this game as a second scoring threat to Danella, as guard Megan Spanarkel led the team with only six points. It also didn’t help to have point guard Kim Talbot out with an injury as well against a team that is so tough defensively and has a top-flight point guard of its own in Candice Green. This is the first of their two divisional meetings and potentially Round One of four if both teams meet in the Shore Conference Tournament and Tournament of Champions, which is never out of the realm of possibility. I’m sure there were some other coaches in the stands taking notes on how to slow down RBC, although no other team has Kate Miller at its disposal, either. You know St. John Vianney wants that second shot at RBC after losing 62-58 in their first meeting thanks to a big game by Coppolino.
     As usual, the RBC-RFH game was a low-scoring, defensive affair. As I’ve written before, when these two teams play, it’s like Serena and Venus Williams playing one another in a tennis final. They both know what the other one is going to do so well, it sometimes produces some difficult to watch action.
     The win by the Bulldogs also means that there will most likely a new No. 1 team in the Shore when the next set of DigitalSports Top 10 rankings comes out next week, and right now I’d have to say it’s St. John Vianney, which has been playing great. Colts Neck is also in the discussion, as the Cougars beat RFH in the finals of the WOBM Classic and have only lost to No. 4 Howell. Also, there is no time for RBC to feel sorry for itself as it has to go into St. Rose for a tough nondivisional game on Friday against the Purple Roses, ranked No. 3 in the DigitalSports Top 10. That will be another test to see how RBC handles Coppolino’s absence, because her physical presence would have been a no-brainer when deciding how to guard St. Rose standout senior center Kelly Clark.
      The other game that caught my eye was Lacey’s nail-biter against Toms River East, 36-34, in Class A South. Amanda Malkiewicz’s last-second lay-up won the game and kept the Lions (9-1) unbeaten against Ocean County competition. The Raiders held Lions standout Stephanie Mayfield to four points to nearly pull the upset of the No. 8 team in the DigitalSports Top 10. Mayfield deservedly received some advance hype heading into the season, but Malkiewicz has really emerged as a strong talent in her own right.
       Finally, congrats to Red Bank’s Deanna Mendelson, who scored her 1,000th career point in a loss to Neptune.

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     In a weird twist, Red Bank Catholic loses arguably its top player and leading scorer, guard Andrew Walsh, with a broken hand, yet is now playing some of its best basketball of the season without him. The Caseys injected themselves back into the Class A Central race with a 59-42 win over a Rumson-Fair Haven team that was undefeated in the division and entered ranked No. 4 in the DigitalSports Top 10. They now have won three straight divisional games without Walsh in the lineup.
     The big subplot, of course, was the return of former RBC assistant and new Rumson head coach James Young, who played for current Caseys’ head coach Joe Nappo in the early 1990s and was an assistant under him before taking the Rumson job before this season. Young also is a teacher at RBC, so I’m sure he’s really looking forward to going to work on Wednesday, where I’m sure the good-natured ribbing will be non-stop from Nappo, RBC players and anyone else within earshot.
      RBC scored the most points that Rumson has allowed this season to humble the Bulldogs, led by 19 points from senior Glenn Ford. RBC only led 21-17 at halftime but really came alive offensively in the second half to resemble the team that many thought would challenge for the division title in the preseason before their slow start. Check out the highlights of this game if you have not seen them yet.
      I was at another big game, this one a nondivisional one between No. 1 Neptune and No. 6 Red Bank. As detailed in my story, Neptune’s depth was enough to pull away from the two-headed monster of Red Bank’s Will Sanborn and Matt Pebole, who both played the entire 32 minutes. Neptune has really emerged as perhaps the deepest team in the Shore right now.
      Also, if Neptune’s Terry Hicks can consistently knock down jumpers like he did on Tuesday night in scoring the most points he’s had in a Neptune uniform (22) since transferring from Monmouth Academy, Neptune will be awfully tough.
      Neptune senior Gary Foster is also one of the most active interior players in the Shore. He’s not that tall (6-2 at the max), but he uses good positioning and footwork to grab offensive rebounds, and he seems to get a hand on any loose ball coming off the rim. Teams are still trying to zone Neptune to death, as Red Bank also employed the zone on Tuesday. The biggest difference was Red Bank just running out of gas in the fourth quarter, as Neptune began taking long caroms off missed 3-pointers and jumpers and taking off in transition for easy baskets the other way.
      Red Bank is a good team and Sanborn is one of the streakier, more exciting scorers in the Shore, but sometimes settles too much for the jumper at the expense of using his leaping ability in the lane. The Bucs are just going to have to find more players to contribute because against elite teams like Neptune, Pebole and Sanborn can’t do everything alone.
      It was a good crowd at Red Bank on Tuesday. The Bucs’ faithful showed up in force to cheer their team on, and this can be one of the tougher crowds around for visitors when the Bucs get rolling. I know, having been heckled mercilessly by them back in the early 1990s.
      One final note – Neptune could have a very rare occurrence in its next game, a Class B North game against Long Branch on Thursday. Hicks is only six points away from 1,000 for his career and Foster is only 17 away from 1,000 for his career, so there is a chance that both milestones could be achieved in the same game.
      In other games, Monsignor Donovan, ranked No. 9 in the DigitalSports Top 10, just got out alive against a pesky St. John Vianney team in a nondivisional game. Freshman point guard Sean Grennan scored a career-high 19 points, and a 3-pointer by Tom Carter with 30 seconds left helped the Griffins take a one-point lead after being down by eight with 2:38 left in the game. St. John Vianney had a lead as big as 16 points in the game.
      In Class A South, Toms River North bolted out to an 18-4 lead, but Southern’s Joe Tomczuk, who had 22 points, helped the Rams surge all the way back within two before the Mariners ripped off their ninth straight win, 46-39, to stay in first place in the division. Junior Pat Szukics continues to be solid for the Mariners, while Bill Hoermann, better known as a slugging first baseman on the baseball field, had 11 points. Check out the highlights from this game on the main page if you haven’t done so yet.
      Finally, Class B South is giving Class A North a run for its money in the “what in the world will happen from game to game” department. Point Boro took down Lakewood, 42-39, on a 3-pointer by Pat Hart with 1 second left in the game, and then further down south, Barnegat beat Central, 55-53, on a buzzer-beater by Ricky Ferguson to further cloud the divisional race. Then Pinelands, which has already lost its best player (Paul Huch) to a season-ending injury, takes out Manchester, 58-50. Think about that – out of four games involving Class B South teams (the 3 divisional games and the Mon Don game), all of them were decided in the final minute or so.
       This is one of those seasons where seeding won’t really matter in the Shore Conference Tournament other than the fact that teams will want to seek favorable match-ups rather than argue for a higher seed just for the respect factor of getting a higher seed. That tournament looks like it’s going to be wild, and the seeding meeting will be approximately 22 hours long.

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     One game I mentioned in the Shore Report that I forgot to add to an earlier post is Rumson-Fair Haven’s match-up at Red Bank Catholic at 6:30 p.m. on the boys side. New Rumson coach James Young, who is a teacher at RBC and is a former player for the Caseys who played under current RBC head coach Joe Nappo, makes his first appearance in his old gym with his new team. There also is something to play for, as a win by the Bulldogs sets up a showdown for first place in Class A Central with Manasquan on Thursday, so it’s one to check out.
     Also, down in Class A South, Toms River North is headed to Southern in a bid by the Mariners to stay in first place against a Southern team that always seems to give them trouble.
     
     Here are some links/story recommendations for Tuesday. Also, if you get a chance to see Kid Rock in concert, take it. I’m biased because I’m a big fan, but I caught his show at the Borgata Ballroom down in Atlantic City on Saturday night and it was a great time. The ballroom is a great set-up. It’s just all general admission with no seats, and it’s a cool place to see a show.
     Anyway, here you go:

• Great story by the always good Gary Smith in Sports Illustrated on the grandson of the infamous Jim Jones (the guy who made all the people in his crazy cult drink the Kool-Aid and die in 1978). His grandson, Rob, is now a Division I hoops player, and his father, Jim Jr., survived the mass ******* because of basketball.
• Christian Brothers Academy and Monsignor Donovan have to like this development, as one of the top players at St. Augustine, their perennial nemesis in the Non-Public South A bracket, is transferring. Gene Teague, a 6-foot-8, 265-pound senior, is headed to Living Faith Christian High School.
• Cardinal McCarrick’s Mike Burwell leads the Greater Middlesex Conference at 27.7 points per game and is someone that Mater Dei or St. Rose could see in the Non-Public Souh B bracket down the line.
• Ewing and West Windsor South, two teams in Central Jersey brackets, are suffering thanks to football players who chose not to play basketball.
• A good book is on the way from New Jersey guy Bob Delaney, an NBA referee who used to be a N.J. state trooper and spent time trying to infiltrate the mob. His old buddies might have wanted to tip him off about Tim Donaghy.
• Some quick college updates on the men’s side and I’ll get to the women’s side tomorrow – Marques Johnson, who this fall entered into the Raritan Hall of Fame, is getting 26 minutes a game as a junior at Boston University, averaging 4 points per game for the 3-10 Terriers….Sophomore guard Jason Westrol (Manasquan) is part of a Division II Bentley team that has become a juggernaut, with wins in 44 of its last 45 games….Sophomore guard Randall Stallworth (Msgr. Donovan) is averaging 7.6 ppg and leads the team with 4.6 assists per game at Division II Stonehill College, which is 10-6 thus far this season….Junior swingman Jaron Griffin (Manchester) is averaging 7.6 ppg for Rutgers and has started all 15 games for the 8-7 Scarlet Knights…Forward Kenny Simms (Jackson Memorial) has transferred from Florida International to the University of Missouri-Kansas City and made an impact…There is an update on Florida’s Dan Werner (CBA) in this week’s Shore Report….Taquan Dean (Neptune/Louisville) is currently playing professionally overseas with a Division II team in Casale, Italy….Freshman Kyle Fitzgerald (Red Bank)  is getting playing time at Harvard, averaging 6.9 minutes and 2.7 points per game for the 5-11 Crimson, who are coached by former Seton Hall and Michigan coach Tommy Amaker.

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     Howell’s grip on Class A North got a little tighter with a 54-38 win over Middletown South, ending South’s 29-game winning streak in divisional games.
     Sophomore Jacquie Ward is starting to put her name up there among the Shore’s best as she had 24 points in the win, while Michelle Blum is also a consistent scorer. The No. 4 Rebels have not lost since opening night against Raritan, and have wins over Colts Neck and now Middletown South to their credit. They basically dared the Eagles to beat them by hitting outside shots, and outside of some shooting by Eagles senior Jill Gannon, South struggled, which means they will see a lot more of that approach as they go forward. Howell, meanwhile, has shown the ability to win games by draining jumpers or pounding the ball inside, depending on what the opponent is giving them.
     The Eagles can bounce back on Thursday when they take on Colts Neck, which dispatched Freehold Township, 44-35, on Tuesday night. Colts Neck is also playing well right now, so Middletown South will have bumped into two of the hotter teams in the Shore this week.
      St. John Vianney was down 10-0 to start the game against Raritan, but came flying back to post a 55-33 win over the Rockets. With its swarming defense, the Lancers can always get right back into a game because they create easy buckets off turnovers. Meanwhile, Raritan seems to have trouble with any team that looks to push the ball at any opportunity and play up-tempo, which Red Bank Catholic did in a 50-32 win over the Rockets last week. The other thing is that a second scorer after Alexa Ryan is going to have to emerge, or teams will continue to gang up on the Rockets’ junior guard.
      Also, St. Rose nearly was stunned by Mater Dei, winning 56-53 in Class B Central. Mater Dei is a pesky team and Danielle Locicero had 21 points to put a scare into the No. 3 Purple Roses, who nearly got caught after a heavy schedule in which they played four games in six days, including a draining, 52-45 loss to St. John Vianney on Saturday.
      The big one on Tuesday is the first of two Class A Central games between old rivals Rumson-Fair Haven and Red Bank Catholic, with this one being played at Rumson. I wonder if either of these teams will try to push the ball and force the tempo rather than have this game be the usual defensive slugfest in which both teams know each other inside and out and it turns out to be a 34-30 game. Both teams are pretty deep, so they have the ability to sub in fresh legs and push the ball a little bit. Paige Armstrong was Kristina Danella’s Kryptonite last year for Rumson, but she has graduated, so it will be interesting to see who will step up to the challenge of stopping RBC’s star.

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     I took in Freehold Township’s 66-60 win over Colts Neck, and it was one of the more exciting games I’ve seen this season in one of the better atmospheres among the loud home crowd at Freehold Township.
     The Patriots push the ball like crazy and press full-court, so their games are definitely not slow-paced. It basically came down to Freehold Township making the plays on offense in big spots and getting stops in the final two minutes while also sealing off the glass to prevent any second-chance points after Colts Neck roared back to take the lead. Freehold Township was cutting and moving a little more offensively than Colts Neck, whose offense basically boiled down to senior forward Steve Spinella, point guard Mitchell Kates or guard Craig Perry breaking down their man off the dribble one-on-one and penetrating to either dish off or take it to the rim. It was basically give them the ball and get out of the way.
     Kates was having a slow night until he started burying 3-pointers with defenders all over him in the fourth quarter, while Spinella was being aggressive and getting to the basket. Freehold Township’s Kevin Fischer made some nice one-on-one plays on the other end, and the Patriots guards were able to get into the lane and cause trouble for most of the game. Also, Freehold Township’s Chris Ballester, who had 11 points, 10 boards and 5 assists, was active under the boards the whole game. He always seemed to tip an errant shot to himself or just keep the ball alive to give the Patriots another shot at a big basket.
     I could see either of these teams making a nice run in the Shore Conference Tournament, although it looks like Colts Neck’s big guns, Spinella and Kates, are going to have 15- to 20-point games to help them make a deep run, whereas the Patriots, who were led by Matt Devine’s 20 points, have several players capable of coming up with a big basket. The key for Freehold Township will be defense, as their frenetic offense sometimes goes astray with unforced turnovers, but if they play consistent defense, they have the ability to summon an 8-0 run or something like that to get right back into any game where their shots may not be falling at first.
     Of course, I had the Patriots at No. 10 in the new rankings and Colts Neck at No. 5, so they lasted all of a few hours before being ruined. That’s just the way this season is going.
     I also bumped into Kevin Fischer’s older brother Eddie, last season’s DigitalSports Player of the Year, and he told me that he is transferring from Rutgers to Division III Montclair State for this upcoming semester and plans on playing this season for the Red Hawks.
     As for the rest of Class A North, as I guessed, Christian Brothers Academy routed Marlboro after losing to Middletown South this weekend. You could see this one coming as Marlboro was coming off big wins over Freehold Township and Middletown South and had to be respected, while CBA was going to take its frustration out on somebody.
     Middletown North fell 36-35 to Manalapan on a basket in the final seconds, so just when the Lions were celebrating their win over Colts Neck, they got caught by an improving Manalapan team that Freehold Township coach Brian Golub noted will only get better as the season goes along and they adjust to a new offensive system. I have to say that these low-scoring, defensive games are getting tough to watch, as I saw more than my share during the holiday tournament stretch. Put it this way – the Phoenix Suns scored more points in the first half (78) of last night’s 137-115 win over the Nuggets than Manalapan and Middletown North did combined in their whole game. Granted, an NBA half is 24 minutes and a high school game is 32 minutes total, but still.
     Middletown South continued its strong play behind sophomore Kyle Cancillieri’s career-high 30 points to go with 12 boards and a pair of dunks in a win over Howell. Speaking of dunks, I saw Steve Spinella throw one down on a fast break in the first half on Monday and thought I was going to have a heart attack because they’ve been so few and far between this season. I long for the days of Qa’rraan Calhoun throwing down like crazy on lobs from Marques Johnson. Middletown South actually has a lob play where Garret Thiel will put it up for Cancillieri, who is 6-foot-5. South takes on Colts Neck on Thursday, which is certainly a game to check out.
     The other game of note was St. Rose’s two-point, overtime win against Mater Dei in Class B Central. Every time these two teams meet it’s usually a fight to the end. St. Rose needed that win to stay on Asbury Park’s heels for first place in the division. Two things about Mater Dei – 1) Chris Jetter might be one of the best players you don’t know about yet, as he hit a jumper to send the game into OT and has had several big games this season; 2) Mater Dei could be one of the stories of the Shore right now if the young Seraphs could find a way to finish – four of their losses are by five points or less.
      As for Tuesday, you’re going to want to head over to Little Silver to watch Neptune take on Red Bank in a nondivisional game. Both of these teams are playing well right now, and this looks like one of those SCT seeding games that the winner can point to as a quality victory. While Red Bank is no stranger to an up-tempo game, the Bucs don’t want to get into a track meet with Neptune because the Scarlet Fliers have more depth. Look for RBR to sit in a zone on defense and try to take advantage of Matt Pebole’s size inside, while also potentially using Pebole, who is a good outside shooter for a big man, to pull Neptune’s Gary Foster outside and clear the lane for players like Will Sanborn to penetrate.

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By Scott Stump – Senior Editor

      After a holiday hiatus, it’s time to get back to those subjective sportswriter rankings that make everyone nuts. The good news is that Red Bank Catholic and St. John Vianney are solid No. 1 and No. 2 teams heading into Monday’s action. After that, it gets a little fuzzy.
      We already have a “this team beat that team, which beat this team, which beat that team” problem going on. For example, Raritan beat Howell, Howell beat Colts Neck, Colts Neck beat Rumson, Rumson beat Raritan. Wonderful. Hopefully a week in which Middletown South, Howell and Colts Neck all meet up and RBC and Rumson lock horns as well as St. John Vianney and Raritan, will clear things up.
      I’m also looking for a better name than “The Shore Report,” so feel free to e-mail any suggestions ([email protected]).
      Also check below for the player of the week, games to watch and a college spotlight. I’ll try to add some more things as the season goes along, but those will be the regular departments.
      Here we go:
      DigitalSports Girls Basketball Top 10

      1. Red Bank Catholic (8-0) – Last ranking: No. 1. Despite losing standout Kristina Coppolino to a season-ending knee injury, the Caseys continued to play well, rolling past Raritan and Holmdel in Class A Central to get primed for a Tuesday showdown with perennial nemesis Rumson-Fair Haven. RBC is the only undefeated team left in the Shore.

      2. St. John Vianney (6-2) – Last ranking: No. 3. The Lancers move up a spot after handing previously unbeaten St. Rose a 52-45 loss in a nondivisional game on Saturday. I wonder if RBC and SJV have ever been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Shore before?

      3. St. Rose (8-1) – Last ranking: No. 8. I know the Purple Roses fell to St. John Vianney, but they were right with the Lancers to the end and are still a talented team led by senior center Kelly Clark.

      4. Howell (6-1) – Last ranking: No. 6. The Rebels have not lost since a three-point setback to Raritan on opening night, and they will have to pass another test on Monday when they face a Middletown South team that has won 29 straight Class A North games.

      5. Colts Neck (8-1) – Last ranking: No. 7. The Cougars edged Rumson-Fair Haven for the WOBM Classic title and showed that they can win defensive struggles as well as run-and-gun games. They have the best backcourt in the Shore Conference right now, led by Brooke Hampton and Lauren Clarke.

      6. Rumson-Fair Haven (7-2) – Last ranking: No. 4. The Bulldogs did fall to Colts Neck, but were only a play or two away from winning that game. They are always there at the end, and they can shake things up by taking down nemesis Red Bank Catholic in Class A Central on Tuesday.

      7. Raritan (5-2) – Last ranking: No. 5. After a solid tournament in Florida, Raritan lost 50-32 to No. 1 Red Bank Catholic and then bounced back to win two straight against two struggling teams, Manasquan and Manalapan. The Rockets take on No. 2 St. John Vianney on Monday with a chance to make a splash.

      8. Lacey (8-1) – Last ranking: No. 9. The Lions are clearly the best team in Ocean County right now, and their only loss is to No. 5 Colts Neck.

     9. Middletown South (5-1) – Last ranking: No. 10. The Eagles have a big game on Monday against No. 4 Howell, a team expected to be a big obstacle in their way as they try to repeat as Class A North champs.     

    10. Freehold Township (6-2) – Last ranking: Unranked. The Patriots are in for the first time after winning the Jack Kuhnert Tournament over Freehold, which was followed by a loss to No. 4 Howell.

Knocking on the door:
Freehold (6-2): I know it was without all of their starters, but losses to Freehold Township and Ocean still have to be noted. Do I think this team can be in the top four or five fairly soon with a nice winning streak? Definitely. But you can’t pretend those games didn’t happen, so the Colonials will have to earn their way back in.

Point Boro (7-1): The Panthers look like the second-best team in Ocean County behind Lacey, and sit atop the Class B South standings.

Neptune (6-3): This team is a little up and down because it is so young, but certainly has top 10 potential.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Katelyn Linney, Jr., G, St. John Vianney
In one of the biggest girls games of last week along with the WOBM Classic final, Linney poured in eight of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter to hand St. Rose its first loss of the season, 52-45, in a nondivisional game on Saturday. That was after a 22-point effort in a lop-sided win over Red Bank.

Divisional players of the week
Class A North
Lauren Clarke, So., G, Colts Neck
She was named MVP of the WOBM Classic last Sunday after scoring 10 points in a 36-33 win over Rumson-Fair Haven.

Class A Central (besides Linney)
Mary Ellen Whitlock, Jr., F/C, Red Bank Catholic
When Kristina Coppolino was injured in the final of the Diamond State Classic last Sunday, Whitlock stepped in and did a solid defensive job on Delaware recruit Jasmine Gibson in an RBC win, and then played a solid all-around game along with senior Caroline Gabriel in a 50-32 win over Raritan.

Class A South
Courtney Kroeze, Sr., G, Brick Memorial
She had a team-high seven points in a loss to Tom River North, but helped the Mustangs bounce back in a big way with 14 points in a 46-41 upset of Southern in Class A South.

Class B North
Syessence Davis, Fr., F, Neptune
One of the best freshmen in the Shore, she had 28 points in a 48-38 win over Wall that kept the Scarlet Fliers in the hunt for the division title.

Class B Central
Kelly Clark, Sr., C, St. Rose
She was named the MVP of the Purple Roses’ holiday tournament after scoring 13 points in a 55-51 win over a good Paterson Kennedy team in the final. She then had 14 points and 15 rebounds in a seven-point loss to No. 2 St. John Vianney on Saturday.

Class B South
Camille Valmon, Jr., G/F, Manchester
She helped the Hawks keep pace in Class B South by holding off Central, 71-67, in overtime thanks to 22 points from Valmon, who had five of her points in overtime.

Games to watch this week
Monday
Middletown South at Howell, 5:30 p.m.: Can the Eagles keep their Class A North winning streak going against one of the hotter teams in the Shore right now?

St. John Vianney at Raritan, 6:30 p.m.: The Rockets will have their hands full with a Lancers team that is getting better by the game.

Tuesday
Red Bank Catholic at Rumson-FH, 6:30 p.m.: The first of two clashes of the titans between the two teams that have played for the Shore Conference Tournament championship the last two seasons.

Thursday
Colts Neck at Middletown South, 6:30 p.m.: The Cougars get their crack at Middletown South in the race for the Class A North title.

Friday
Red Bank Catholic at St. Rose, 6:30 p.m.: St. Rose faces its second parochial juggernaut in the span of six days as the No. 1 Caseys come to town.

Central at Point Boro, 6:30 p.m.: The division-leading Panthers will face a Central team that nearly knocked off Manchester last week.

Southern at Lacey, 6:30 p.m.: Lacey sits alone atop the Class A South standings, and this is the second time they will face the Rams after beating them in the WOBM Classic quarterfinals.

College spotlight
Alisa Apo, Fr., G, Sacred Heart

A former star at St. John Vianney and last season’s DigitalSports Player of the Year, Apo is off to a strong start in her collegiate career. She was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week on New Year’s Eve following a 20-point game against Lehigh and 20 points against Princeton. She is averaging 8.9 points per game and 13.3 in conference play in 14 games thus far and is third on the team with 12 3-pointers.

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By Scott Stump – Senior Editor

     After a week’s hiatus thanks to the holidays, it’s time to, unfortunately, revisit a Shore Conference boys basketball top 10 that has gone mad. Every week on Monday, I’ll put out a new top 10 along with players of the week, a college spotlight and any other departments I can think up, so be sure to check it out.
     Also, I’m trying to come up with a better name than “The Shore Report,” so any suggestions are welcome (e-mail me at [email protected]).
     While I’m sure this top 10 will be wrecked within hours because of the extreme parity on the boys side, that doesn’t mean I can’t try. This past weekend was a doozy in Class A North. Just as I was getting all the immediate details from Middletown South’s first win over Christian Brothers Academy since 1981, I was on the phone telling someone, “Well, at least Colts Neck is still undef-…” and before I could even get the word out, a text message bleeped across the screen saying, “Midd. North beat CN – Good luck with that Top 10.”
      I will say that by far the most problematic team right now is Marlboro, which knocked off consecutive top 10 teams (Middletown South and Freehold Township) but also has losses to Colts Neck, Middletown North and a Matawan team that had not won a game since the 2005-06 season. Central is also no picnic, either, as the Golden Eagles have wins over Freehold and Monsignor Donovan, but are 5-4 overall. Honestly, you could put all of these teams in any order right now and have an argument.
      Anyway, here we go:

     1. Neptune (7-2) – Last ranking: No. 5. The Scarlet Fliers have won seven straight since starting 0-2 and may be the deepest team in the conference, with an army of guards that help them keep the pressure on for 32 straight minutes. Also, senior forward Gary Foster has started to come alive, helping them return to their usual lofty perch in the rankings.

     2. Freehold (5-2) – Last ranking: No. 4. I know people will think this is too high for the Colonials, but I think this is one of those sets of rankings where you could put about seven different teams at No. 2 and people will disagree. They have a win over Neptune, and their only loss to a Shore Conference opponent was on a buzzer-beater against Central. They also have a win over a solid Monmouth team.

     3. Middletown South (6-2) – Last ranking: No. 10. The Eagles beat CBA for the first time since 1981, and have handed Rumson-Fair Haven its only loss. You could argue Colts Neck should still be here because it is still in first place in Class A North, but with big games in this division coming up on Monday and Thursday, hopefully some answers will be provided. They did lose to Marlboro, but sophomore standout Kyle Cancilliieri was out with severe dehydration.

     4. Rumson-Fair Haven (7-1) – Last ranking: No. 9. The Bulldogs are not blowing teams out, but they are off to their best start in years and have handed a surging Red Bank team its only loss of the season to stay tied with Manasquan atop the Class A Central standings.

     5. Colts Neck (7-1) – Last ranking: No. 1. The Cougars take a hit for losing to Middletown North, but still are in first place in Class A North. They take on Freehold Township on Monday in a bid to get back on track.

     6. Red Bank (6-1) – Last ranking: Unranked. The Bucs beat a quality South Brunswick team in the final of the Buc Classic, and they will really see where they are at when they take on No. 1 Neptune on Tuesday.

     7. Toms River North (8-1) – Last ranking: Unranked. The WOBM Classic champions have won eight straight since a season-opening loss to Toms River South and have been rejuvenated under new coach Andrew Bilodeau. I don’t think they’ve been seriously tested yet, but if they continue to win, they will be hard to deny in the rankings.

     8. Christian Brothers Academy (7-3) – Last ranking: No. 3. The Colts take a fall after losing to Middletown South for the first time since 1981, and now face a dangerous Marlboro team on Monday in a bid to recover. I don’t see them being down for long. So far, CBA’s best win is over an Irvington team that beat Monsignor Donovan in the Holiday Jubilee, and their best win against a Shore Conference team is over Freehold Township.

     9. Monsignor Donovan (6-2) – Last ranking: Unranked. After an opening-night loss to Central dropped them from the rankings, their only loss has been to a talented Irvington team. They don’t have that signature win just yet, but they are playing as well as anyone right now.

   10. Freehold Township (5-3) – Last ranking: No. 8. The Patriots are coming off a loss to Marlboro, but can get right back into the thick of things when they play Colts Neck on Monday. They get this spot by virtue of a win over Middletown South and a win over Manasquan, which does not have a signature win yet, in the Jack Kuhnert Tournament consolation final.

Knocking on the door:
Manasquan (5-2): With a game against Rumson-Fair Haven this week, the Warriors face their first big test in the division and can consolidate their hold on first place.

Asbury Park (5-3): The Blue Bishops have a win over St. Rose and are in first in Class B Central.

St. Rose (7-3): Hovering around the periphery of the top 10, the Purple Roses need to take down a ranked opponent or rattle off a big winning streak to get themselves back in.

Central (5-4): The Golden Eagles have good wins over Monsignor Donovan and Freehold, but have to be more consistent.

Monmouth (4-4): The Falcons have the talent, but need to start getting some quality wins to go along with it.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Zach Kutner, So., G, Marlboro

     Kutner powered a pair of upsets over ranked teams in Class A North when he had a career-high 20 points, 8 assists and 4 steals in a 76-74 win over Freehold Township, one day after scoring 10 of his 18 points in the second half of a 56-51 upset of Middletown South. He is averaging 10 points per game heading into Monday’s game against Christian Brothers Academy.

Divisional players of the week
Class A North (besides Kutner)
(tie) Kyle Cancillieri, So., F, Middletown South; Shilique Calhoun, Fr., F, Middletown North
Cancillieri scored 20 points in the Eagles’ first win over CBA since 1981, while Calhoun had 16 points as the Lions handed previous No. 1 Colts Neck its first loss.

Class A Central
Luke McCarthy, Jr., G/F, Red Bank Catholic
He helped the Caseys stay in the mix in Class A Central with 12 points and 5 rebounds in a 57-41 win over Raritan and then added  14 points in a 70-63 win over Holmdel in RBC’s first game without injured standout Andrew Walsh, who is out with a broken right hand.

Class A South
Steve Nyisztor, Jr., G, Toms River North
He had 10 points in a 40-38 win over Point Boro for the Mariners’ first WOBM Classic title since 1998, and then he scored a career-high 31 points and had 6 rebounds in a 56-44 win over Lacey.

Class B North
Christian Garcia, So., G, Freehold
Garcia dropped in 16 points in a 59-45 win over Ocean and then kept the Colonials in first place in Class B North with 20 points and some crucial last-minute free throws in a win over Monmouth.

Class B Central
Darryl Jefferson, Sr., G, Asbury Park
Jefferson scored a game-high 16 points in a 54-49 win over St. Rose that gave the Blue Bishops sole possession of first place in the division.

Class B South
Kyle Milana, Sr., F, Monsignor Donovan
Milana had 13 points in a 44-38 win over Barnegat, followed by a game-high 15 points in a 20-point win over Point Boro and then he dropped in a game-high 22 points in a nondivisional win over Red Bank Catholic on Saturday.

Games to watch this week
Monday
Marlboro at CBA, 4 p.m.: The Mustangs have suddenly made this an important game with two upset wins last week, while CBA is coming off a loss.

Colts Neck at Freehold Township, 5:30 p.m.: Another juicy Class A North match-up, with both teams coming off tough losses.

Tuesday
Neptune at Red Bank, 6:30 p.m.: Always an entertaining game with a quick tempo, this is a good nondivisional test for both teams and one that could come in handy for the winner when it comes time to seed the Shore Conference Tournament.

Rumson-FH at Red Bank Catholic, 6:30 p.m.: New Rumson head coach James Young returns to his alma mater to face his old team and his old coach, Joe Nappo, in a key Class A Central game.

Toms River North at Southern, 6:30 p.m.: The surging Mariners will look to get some more breathing room at the top of Class A South against a hard-nosed Southern team.

Thursday
Manasquan at Rumson-FH, 6:30 p.m.: If these two teams make it out of their Tuesday games intact, this will be a first-place showdown in Class A Central.

Middletown South at Colts Neck, 5:30 p.m.: The Class A North wars continue.

Shore at Asbury Park, 6:30 p.m.: It’s Shore’s slowdown style vs. Asbury’s warp speed approach in a key Class B Central game.

Friday
Monmouth at Colts Neck, 6:30 p.m.: Not an easy week for the Cougars, who will have to fend off a talented Monmouth team looking for a way to get back into the top 10.

Monsignor Donovan at Lakewood, 6:30 p.m.: Lakewood’s Nyrahn Smith can fill it up with the best of them, while the Griffins are trying to seize a hold over the Class B South race.

Toms River South at Brick Memorial, 6:30 p.m.: Two teams jockeying for position behind Toms River North in the parity-filled Class A South.

College spotlight
Dan Werner, So., F, University of Florida

     The former Christian Brothers Academy star has started all 15 of the Gators’ games so far for the two-time defending NCAA champions. He is averaging 7.1 points and 7.3 rebounds (2nd on the team) in 24.5 minutes per game for the Gators, who are 13-2. He had a career-high 20 points in a win over Georgia Southern on Dec. 19.

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We’ll start with the girls’ notes first, considering much has been made of Freehold’s one-point loss to Ocean.

GIRLS
     Freehold lost 48-47 to Ocean after benching three starters (Shannon Mayrose, Ashley Lewis, Alex Eagle) for the first half after they chose to attend a soccer tournament over the weekend rather than play in the Jack Kuhnert Tournament final, which resulted in a loss to Freehold Township. First of all, I think Ocean, which was led by Marlena Klein’s 21 points, deserves some credit here for playing a good game.
     Secondly, I agree with the decision by Freehold coach Jen Brzucki. When I played in the early 1990s, it was pretty much spelled out to us that if we wanted to go on vacation with our families or participate in another sport during winter break at the expense of the team, we would be benched for a game or so when we got back, regardless of whether it was a star player or the last man off the bench.
     If you’re a coach, you have to do this because if you don’t, it sends two messages: 1) If you’re a standout player or a starter, you’re above the team and can do what you want; 2) Why should we care about the team if it’s not a big deal to miss a championship game?
     That being said, I also can see why Mayrose, Eagle and Lewis would go play in a tournament like that if it would greatly help their chances of getting scholarship money to play soccer in college because they’re being seen by a ton of college coaches. If it was during the Shore Conference or state tournament, then I might have a bigger issue with it, but two straight losses in December/early January can be put in the rearview mirror with two strong weeks of play. You would much rather have a bump in the road now then later, and I would guess team chemistry might be the only possible issue right now.
      In the end, I can see the rationale of that trio doing what they did, but they also had to do it knowing there would be some consequences, and they would have to look their teammates in the eye when it most likely cost them some wins. Brzucki did the right thing, and now they can move on, focus on a big Class B North game tonight against Monmouth, and put it to rest.
      A few other quick things:

• It was a good sign for Rumson-Fair Haven that it put 56 points on Holmdel in a win after struggling on offense in its last few games.
• Howell has now won six in a row since its season-opening, three-point setback to Raritan. The Rebels knocked off Freehold Township 42-32 in Class A North. Middletown South’s streak of 29 consecutive Class A North wins will be on the line when the Eagles come to meet the Rebels at Howell at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
• Lacey remained unbeaten in Class A South and against Ocean County competition with a 49-42 win over Toms River South.
• St. John Vianney geared up for its showdown with St. Rose on Saturday with a 50-point win over Red Bank, while the Purple Roses won by 32 over Keansburg.

BOYS
     On the boys side, the big news was Marlboro’s 56-51 upset win over Middletown South, which magnified two things. One, Marlboro can’t be taken lightly in Class A North along with Manalapan, which nearly stunned No. 1 Colts Neck before losing 49-48 in the Cougars’ first game back after winning the KSA tournament in Florida. The second thing is that the Eagles definitely need 6-foot-5 sophomore Kyle Cancillieri on the court, as he did not play because of illness.
     Missing Cancillieri is Middletown South’s version of CBA not having Brian Neller or Mike Kuhn. Eagles’ senior guard Garret Thiel did his best with 24 points, but it was not enough to hold off the Mustangs, who picked up an impressive win. Speaking of CBA, a game against the Colts is looming on Saturday for the Eagles, and they might have gotten caught looking ahead. Another thing about Middletown South is that its methodical offense doesn’t really allow it to blow teams out of the gym, so if a team like Marlboro can hang around, it has a shot. Middletown South is well-coached and will recover, and now it remains to be seen how they regroup against CBA and if Cancillieri will be anything close to 100 percent healthy if he plays.
     Last night, I took in Freehold’s 59-45 win over Ocean and that was my first look at the Colonials, who have made some waves early this season. Their two best scorers are sophomores, Christian Garcia and Lance McKenzie, and both have good explosion off the dribble, and McKenzie has a pretty solid crossover dribble. Andrew Gerbehy is another dangerous wing player and a team that looks to push the ball at every chance because it has some good open-court players. Senior Brandon Carter is a load underneath and is hard to move once he establishes position on the block, while also being able to muscle people for offensive rebounds.
     Once this team learns to finish a little better around the rim on drives and putbacks, I think the Colonials can play with anyone. They have a banger underneath (Carter), three good wing players/slashers (Gerbehy, McKenzie, Garcia), a bulldog defensive stopper (Gerry Plescia, who limited Ocean’s Scott Nelson (20.8 ppg) to five points), an athletic presence off the bench (Brandon Brown) and a big man who can run the floor (Isaiah Ingram). Under second-year coach Ben DiBiase, this group will be tough, and the key will be consistency, free-throw shooting (which was much better last night) and finishing open looks. They will be tested again tonight with a tough game against a Monmouth team desperately seeking a quality win.

     A few more things:

• If you want what should be a good atmosphere tonight, go to Point Boro
  at Monsignor Donovan at 6:30 p.m. in a pivotal Class B South game. Both
  teams are playing better as of late, and both sets of fans love to get
  loud. Freehold-Monmouth in Class B North is another game to keep an eye on, as well as Lacey at Toms River North in Class A South.
• Red Bank seems to be settling into a groove after a 15-point win over St. John Vianney, as the Bucs seem to be coming together and everyone is finding their role behind the two big guns of Matt Pebole and Will Sanborn.
• Right now, Freehold Township is the fourth-best team in the Shore and rising. The Patriots are like CBA in that they have a ton of players learning on the fly as new varsity starters, but they have talent and will get better as the season goes on.
• Rumson-Fair Haven now has six wins after winning four games all of last season, and with a roster littered with juniors, this could be a top five team in the Shore next season, and has the talent to make noise this season. Also, they are hoping to have sophomore point guard Jordan Iarussi back from injury in hopefully the next two weeks or so, which could change a lot because then the Bulldogs can put junior scorers Matt Blumel and James LeCardi out on the wings and let them attack rather than worry about bringing the ball up.
• Asbury Park remained unbeaten in Class B Central with a win over Mater Dei.
• Brick guard Dan Whitcombe has emerged as one of the more potent scorers in the Shore in the early going, and he turned in another 21-point effort in a three-point win over Toms River East last night in a Class A South division where no lead is safe. It was Whitcombe’s fourth 20-point game out of Brick’s six games this season and came on the heels of a 29-point explosion against Wall in a consolation game in the WOBM Classic.
• The Top 10 is rapidly becoming impossible after the top handful of teams. I am currently bouncing off the walls in my padded cell trying to put one together after this weekend’s action.

GENERAL
I’m adding an extra section to the blog with just some recommendations/links about general sports topics and stories as well as out-of-area high school stuff, so if you’re interested, check below.

• Great story in the latest Sports Illustrated (the holiday edition with Bill Belichick on the cover) about Chaminade’s shocking upset of Ralph Sampson’s Virginia basketball team in the Maui Classic in 1982 and how long it took just for the news to reach the mainland newspapers. It was a long way away from the days of the Internet and ESPN, that’s for sure.
• The public vs. private school debate rages on.
• Perennial boys hoops standouts Bergen Catholic went down to Passaic last night.
• Nottingham’s girls team is off to an unbeaten start, and they will be in the mix in the Central Jersey Group III bracket that features Middletown South and Freehold among others.
• Interesting look at the steroid culture in baseball from a former user on the Yankees.
• Collingswood is a team Manchester’s boys could run into if they make it to the South Jersey Group II playoffs.
• Willamstown’s girls team looks like it will be lurking in the South Jersey Group IV bracket that includes Southern, Lacey and the Toms River schools.
• Good story on former NBA player Keon Clark, who I remember from UNLV before he ran into trouble.
• You think Freehold’s girls were playing down a few players last night? How about the Arizona women’s team.

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     Now that the holiday tournaments have ended and the regular season is back in full swing, including a juicy St. John Vianney-St. Rose match-up coming up on Saturday at noon in Lancerville, here are some tidbits from the crazy stretch of holiday tournament madness that characterized last week and the beginning of this week.
     Obviously, a big story is No. 1 Red Bank Catholic losing senior forward Kristina Coppolino, who is headed to Northeastern and is one of the top five players in the Shore, to a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear of the same ACL that had already been surgically repaired once in July of 2006. Coppolino was injured after some slight contact in the first half of a 55-44 win over Sanford (Del.) in the final of the Diamond Classic in Delaware. Her ankle buckled, which then caused trauma on the knee and a heartbreaking injury.
    First of all, I have no doubts she will work hard and come back from this because she is one of the fiercest and most determined players I have watched during her time with the Caseys, and she’s done it once already so she knows what to expect. She also will be a help to them in practice and in support on the bench because she is not one to sulk. Out of everything, I think the team will miss her fire, personality and competitiveness on the court (not to mention nearly 15 ppg), as she provided a lot of their identity.
    Secondly, this is the kind of person she is. When the team was driving back from Delaware in separate cars, RBC head coach Joe Montano said he was receiving text messages from her asking him if he was OK, and telling him not to worry about her and that everything would be all right. Her teammates echoed some of the same sentiments. In the ultimate time to be worried about herself, she still cared more about her team and her coach and how they would react to the injury. As Montano said, “They just don’t make people like that any more.” Here’s hoping for a swift recovery.
     As for her team, I took in the Caseys’ 50-32 cruise control win over a solid Raritan team on Wednesday night, and if Mary Ellen Whitlock and Caroline Gabriel are going to play like that in Coppolino’s place, RBC can make it work. Whitlock already had experience being thrown into the fire as she was inserted into the second half of the final in Delaware and only had to guard University of Delaware-bound senior Jasmine Gibson, who is all of 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. Whitlock stepped up to the challenge and did a nice job, immediately putting her teammates at ease, and then Gabriel came off the bench on Wednesday against Raritan and popped in 13 points.
     RBC definitely will be pushing the ball a little bit more with those two in the lineup, but all is certainly not lost despite Coppolino’s devastating injury.

     Here are 10 things I learned from the holiday tournaments last week:

• 1. St. Rose has emerged as one of the top three teams in the Shore right now heading into its match-up with St. John Vianney, as the Purple Roses defeated a Paterson Kennedy team that beat SJV in their Christmas tournament up at Marist. The Lancers will be looking for revenge against St. Rose after losing to them for the first time since the early 1990s last season. Coming away with a win in the Lancers’ home gym would put them right on RBC’s heels for the No. 1 spot, which they have not held for a long while.
• 2. Colts Neck is able to win a slug-it-out defensive game if necessary despite its reputation for offensive finesse. The Cougars’ 36-33 win over Rumson-Fair Haven in the WOBM Classic proved that they can win **** if necessary, and it showed that they can win when standout point guard Brooke Hampton only scores three points. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the Shore.
• 3. We don’t know how good Freehold and Freehold Township really are. With a combined four key players from both teams not playing in the Jack Kuhnert final because they chose to play in an out-of-state soccer tournament, it was hard to tell what to gather from Freehold Township’s win, particularly because three of the players missing were three of Freehold’s starters, including standout Shannon Mayrose. The real question for me involves what is going to happen when it comes time to seed the Shore Conference Tournament. Say Freehold wins Class B North and is gunning for a top-five seed but has that loss on its docket, while a quality Freehold Township team competing in the rugged Class A North will also be arguing to be high up there thanks to a win over Freehold. Good luck with that one, SCT seeding committee.
• 4. Howell is one of the more balanced teams in the Shore. With three good perimeter players in Denise Crudup, Michelle Blum and Jacquie Ward, this team has five or six girls who are not afraid to take a big shot late in the game, including a freshman, Sarah Olsen. Also, Crudup has become Gary Payton in the second half of some big games, tightening the vise on defense against two quality opposing point guards in Colts Neck’s Hampton and Cardinal McCarrick’s Chrissy Keir. Howell coach Bill Gallacher said the big reason for Crudup’s improved play defensively is that she gambles less on steals and focuses more on just keeping opposing guards in front of her and making them dribble side to side rather than penetrating into the lane when Crudup reaches in to try to poke away a steal.
• 5. Lacey is still a dangerous team. I know that they got caught up in the hurricane in the first half of a lop-sided loss to Colts Neck in the WOBM Classic, but with the two Malkiewiczs and Stephanie Mayfield, I think this team will use that as a good learning experience against a quality opponent and will be ready to go toe-to-toe from the beginning next time. That loss might be the best thing that happened to them when we look back in a few weeks.
• 6. Neptune is young, but scary. One night, they might suffer a somewhat surprising loss and then one night they might stun somebody, and they made a nice run in the Mustang Invitational before losing to a Cherokee team that should be right there for the South Jersey Group IV title. Those all-over-the-place results are what happens for Neptune when its two best players, Syessence Davis and Shakena Richardson, are freshmen.
• 7. Speaking of not knowing what you will get from a Class B North team, how about Monmouth? The Falcons got routed by Howell in the Bayshore Tournament semifinals, then came back and surprised a solid Holmdel team in the consolation final. Monmouth also has a win over Neptune, but has lost to Wall. That’s what happens when you’re breaking in all new varsity players around senior star Tia Curtis. This division is pretty much crazy – Monmouth is all over the place, Wall and Neptune are young and prone to swings in either direction, and Freehold might be playing its jayvee team if there is a big soccer tournament that weekend. It’s hard to figure out.
• 8. Point Boro looks like the second-best team in Ocean County right now and a potential top 10 candidate after beating Southern in a WOBM consolation game. The Panthers have a senior-laden group and are currently in a good spot atop the Class B South standings.
• 9. Middletown South will still be a factor and should shake off the loss in the Mustang Invitational to Steinert. Hopefully for the Eagles, there won’t be too many days where they shoot as badly as they did in that game, and they only lost by 10, so they should be fine behind Danielle Pankey, Jill Gannon and Shawna Hagen.
• 10. Keep an eye on Raritan and Holmdel. In the logjammed Class A Central, these two teams might go in separate ways simply because of the difficulty of their schedules. Can either one of them pick off RBC, SJV or Rumson, and which one of them will stay in the hunt?

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     Now that the holidays are over and the regular season is back into action, it’s time for some extra tidbits from the whirlwind of holiday tournaments as well as a look at things going forward.
     Here are some extras from the holiday tournaments and some quick notes.

• I ran into Brock Johnson, the father of former Raritan star Marques Johnson, and he told me that former Raritan star Qa’rraan Calhoun, who transferred from St. John’s University to Barton Community College in Kansas before this season, has now given a verbal commitment to attend the University of Houston. Calhoun is Marques Johnson’s cousin. Marques is currently playing at Boston University.
• I’m pretty sure it was him directing traffic the other day on Neptune Boulevard for the Holiday Jubilee Classic. Former Neptune star Marques Alston is back as a police officer in Neptune having finished at Monmouth University. Neptune had been playing inconsistently up to that point before going on to win the Jubilee, and one Neptune fan remarked to me as we were crossing the street while nodding in Alston’s directon – “That’s the kind of guy they need right now. Does he have any eligibility left?”
• With the help of some websites and some totally lucky tries, I have recovered the videos and pictures from the Neptune-CBA and Middletown South-Shore holiday tournament finals that were originally wiped out from the camera’s memory card, so I’m happy to say that they will be up by Friday. Check Boys Basketball Central.
  
• On a baseball side note, I bumped into former Christian Brothers Academy star pitcher Kyle Slate taking in some games at the Bayshore Tournament. He signed with the Phillies in the 37th round for $80,000 last year and played in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He said that depending on how he does in spring training, he may spend some time in extended spring training in Clearwater, Fla., and then join the low Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, bringing him back to the Jersey Shore. Even if he goes to short-season rookie ball, the Phillies’ affiliate for that is now in Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series, so he’s still only a couple of hours from home. Plus, his grandparents live in Florida near Clearwater, so he’s never far from family.
• While Red Bank Catholic picked up a solid win over Raritan in Class A Central on Wednesday night, it could be bad news for the Caseys as swingman Andrew Walsh left the game with a hand injury and did not return. Walsh is the Caseys’ top returning scorer from a season ago.
• Here are 10 things I learned from the holiday tournaments:
• 1. When Neptune is playing full tilt and being aggressive rather than settling for jumpshots, the Fliers will be awfully tough to beat by any Shore Conference team. The key is senior forward Gary Foster. When he is regularly involved in the offensive flow and able to catch the ball at the foul line and face the basket, he is a totally different player. As one college coach who was there to take a look at him said after the win over CBA in the final: “I don’t even know what position he would play (in college), but he just goes hard to the basket every time he gets the ball.”
• 2. That being said, there is no dominant team in the Shore. Any game you go to could turn into something wild against a ranked opponent, and there is not a whole lot separating a large chunk of teams – just take a gander at the 16-team WOBM Classic results. It’s not hard to see the parity as Colts Neck is the only unbeaten team left in the Shore after barely more than two weeks.
• 3. CBA has the ability to have a third player step up and help Brian Neller and Mike Kuhn with the scoring, but the Colts just have to do it consistently. Personally, I think Pat Light or Travis Farrell could be that guy, but we’ll see. They still have as much upside as any team, and should only get better with more experience.
• 4. Freehold Township has done a nice job in the early going in proving that there is still plenty left to the program after the graduation of the best senior class in school history and the whole starting lineup. The Patriots have wins over Manasquan and Middletown South thus far and look balanced on offense.
• 5. Once you get past the Colts Neck-Neptune-CBA trio and then maybe Freehold Township at the top, it’s anyone’s guess as to the order of the rest of the top teams in the Shore. However, Toms River North has separated itself a tiny bit from the Ocean County pack by winning the WOBM Classic and appears to be a rejuvenated program under new head coach Andrew Bilodeau. Let’s see if the Mariners can keep it going in a Class A South where teams knock each other off right and left.
• 6. Red Bank may rely heavily on two players, but those two players make the Bucs as dangerous against anyone. Senior forward Matt Pebole and senior guard Will Sanborn proved in pushing the Bucs to the Buc Classic title against two solid teams, Peddie and South Brunswick, that Red Bank should be a factor in the Class A Central race despite an early loss to Rumson-Fair Haven.
• 7. Monsignor Donovan is starting to come around after an early stumble to Central. The Griffins also lost to a good Irvington team in the Jubilee, but freshman point guard Sean Grennan is becoming more acclimated, and one player who repeatedly has drawn praise from other coaches is senior forward Kyle Milana, a four-year varsity player and a rare dirty work/star player that most coaches would **** for. The Griffins beat Monmouth and Manchester in consecutive games and may be starting to get some momentum.
• 8. If Middletown South can find just a little more offense, it should be able to give heavyweights like CBA and Colts Neck trouble in Class A North. With a nice inside-outside combination of senior guard Garret Thiel and sophomore center Kyle Cancillieri, the Eagles are dangerous, but with their slowdown-type offense, they could run into trouble if a game gets into the 60s or 70s. If another scorer out of a capable group that includes Pete Clabby, Will Low and others can emerge, this team defends and rebounds well enough to be a tough out in the Shore Conference Tournament.
• 9. Keep an eye on Asbury Park. With two potent scorers in Darryl Jefferson and Steve Raymond, besides making a run at the Class B Central “real” title (read: not that public, non-public nonsense, just overall), the Blue Bishops, who beat division standard-bearer St. Rose on Wednesday, could be a scary match-up in the SCT for somebody. Imagine a methodical Middletown South team vs. the run-and-gun Bishops in a tournament game. That could be interesting.
• 10. Ocean guard Scott Nelson is quietly averaging 20.8 points per game in the Spartans’ up-and-down start, making him one of the better offensive threats in the Shore that had flown under the radar heading into the season. Howell’s Robert McClintock is another, as he already has a 30-point game and a 28-point game under his belt. Two freshmen to keep an eye on are Brick’s Dylan McDonnell, who had some nice games in the WOBM Classic, and Middletown North’s 6-foot-4 Shalique Calhoun, a relative of Qa’rraan Calhoun who has some exciting, but still very raw, ability. In one game against Rumson at the Bayshore Classic, he finished off a lay-up and his elbow was up around the rim, plus he had a nice blocked shot, so he could be a force once he gets some experience under his belt. 

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