Random Ravings

Posted by Tim McCollum

follow me on twitter @nep84s

For those of you who may be new to the ShoreLine I like to post my top 10 on Sundays for a couple reasons. It’s usually a nice quiet afternoon after Church with no basketball to disrupt the rankings. The risk of doing the top 10 during any of the other days you risk basketball Armageddon forcing it to be ripped up before it even hits
the website.

Take yesterday for example. If you’ve been following along I figured A North to be a bit topsy turvy this year with the fun starting last night. I’m glad to see these kids making me look smart this is ridiculous.

I’ve had a hunch about Manalapan for awhile now. I had them in my top 10 first. I had a funny feeling North was heading into a rough night going to the ‘pan for their A North opener. So I’m not very surprised the Braves scored the upset. Great win for this program.

So I picked Raritan #1, they lose to Freehold. Then I pick North #1, they lose to Manalapan, and every else’s #1 Neptune loses to Lakewood.

I would much rather have a nice a stable top 10 where I could just punch in the team names and there we go. Wouldn’t you? This is no fun
at all right?

NOT!

I think the last time CBA was 0-2 Grover Cleveland was president. This is very rare because typically a Shore team has another shore team in one of their first two games. Since CBA rarely loses to shore teams, they rarely go 0-2.

Even if this isn’t your run of the mill CBA juggernaut the effort by the Patriots cannot go unnoticed. In consecutive games now they’ve knocked off last year’s Shore Conference champion returning the conference POY and one of the conference’s prouder programs.

That a pretty good week’s work. Good job Coach Golub and the kids out there.

Yeah I think A North will be fun this year with — get this –Freehold and Manalapan with the early advantage, and North and CBA playing catch up. You think it was odd reading this it wasn’t an easier typing it.

So who is #1 now anyway? It has to be either Colts Neck or Asbury.

Asbury finally played a game and knocked off the Roses 65-60 at the Bishop Den. I call it a den because the gym is about as big (or should I say small) as the den in my house. Two important takeaways in this game; Asbury is going to be a pain in the neck all season again this year; and this was a very solid outing for the Roses.

This time of the year is when I learn a lot about these teams. I underrated the Roses this year.

As much as I underrated the Roses I appear to have overrated the Rockets.

While this is a great win for Shore Regional, I’m really starting to get concerned about Raritan. I hope they turn things around and make another run with Aaman. What this also does is make the 30 point win by Manalapan over Shore a little bit more impressive.

I wonder when the last time Manalapan won A North in basketball. I know they didn’t with Omar a few years ago (I’m not talking about this goofy “public” championship). This could be their year.

Two other quick rants….

I would love to see Neptune play Long Branch today. But 3:45???? Really???? Give a junkie a chance! Boo!

It’s not like I’m missing a chance to visit Long Branch high school because I will be there all day next month for the Battle on the Boardwalk.

Yeah you heard me right. The NCAA in their infinite wisdom decided that in order to protect precious little children from the fact that the NCAA is in fact a foreign syndicate (a little Charlie Brown Christmas reference for those of you not awake yet) the showcase shouldn’t be staged at the beautiful MAC right in the heart of the
conference.  God forbid they should actually run into a college coach or two. Naaah that wouldn’t be exciting at all.

Don’t get me wrong. Long Branch has a sweet new gym. But it ain’t the MAC. I was reading another blog where the blogger let the NCAA off the hook. I say Humbug! This decision calls for the NCAA to be boiled in their own pudding with a stake of holly through their hearts.

It makes absolutely no sense to deny a kid a chance to say to his kids, I played here a long time ago….

Well at least it’s still on …. The ShoreLine.

This week’s Top 10

Posted by Tim McCollum

follow me on twitter @nep84s

Some quick hits before I get to this week’s top 10.

Congratulations to Neptune’s Jazzmar Claxx and all of the other shore conference players who received all state selections. Well deserved. As with any “All – “  whatever team you have players who are snubbed. Anyone who leaves Jaheem Woods off any team just wasn’t paying attention this year.

I wonder who the all time three point shooting record holder is at Susquenhana. That record is in jeapardy with Eric Shaw on the way. Congratulations and good luck in college.

Looking at the WOBM quarterfinal matchups and three out of four correct ain’t bad. I guess I have to go see Marquis Davis play huh? There’s a kid who knows how to make a first impression. I was’t surprised to see Barnegat claw back into this. I was surprised to see them not pull the game out with all that momentum. Good win for TRS.

OK Lacey you got my attention. Not just beating Pt Boro but beating them handily might be the most noteworthy point of the day.

Did St Rose hire Jeff Van Gundy as an assistant coach, or was that some other basketball lifer? I heard there is a new but familiar face on their sideline. I think this is the start of what will be a very long coaching career. Goo Luck Chris!

Nice bounceback win for the Fliers yesterday against Scotch Plains – Fanwood. I would have taken 1-1 after the first two games because they always schedule a tough non conference game for the tipoff classic. They just got there backwards. I’m going to drop the Fliers in the top 10 but not too far.

The demise of CBA is a little pre-mature. Lost in the close loss to Linden is the fact that CBA was up most of the second half didn’t hold the lead at the end. But notice the score. It’ can’t be easy to hold Linden to 51 points.

Now onto the top 10.

1. Middletown North (1-0) Last Week #3 – Solid 20 point opening night win over a Monmouth team that is never a pushover. I hear Assumption was forced to make the ceilings higher in the gym so Huelbig doesn’t hit his head while dunking. Good move.

2. Colts Neck (1-0) Last week #4 – If this was a top 11 poll it would include TRN. Their opening night win against them will look better as the season goes on and TRN makes noise in A South. I picked TRN to the finals of the WOBM and am sticking with it.

3. Asbury Park (0-0) Last Week #5 – They are following the leaders and moving right up the ranks. Someday I hear they might even play a game.

4. Lakewood (1-0) Last Week NR – You go from unranked to #4 by beating most everyone’s preseason #1 on their home floor. Some are calling Tyrice Beverette the best PG in the shore now. That’s a little too much love but the kid is a special athlete and a very talented basketball player.

5.  Neptune (1-1) Last Week #2 – They weren’t sharp in the Lakewood loss. They must have been better to score a win over a Scotch Plains-Fanwood team that will give anyone a tough game. The Fliers have to be dropped, just not too far.

6. Jackson (1-0) Last Week #6 – Made a very stong case for themselves in the WOBM first round. We’ll get a good feel for them against 2-0 Brick Memorial and against Southern after Christmas.

7. CBA (1-0) Last Week #7 – No moral victories in Lincroft but the low scoring game and CBA in the lead for most of the 2nd half tells me they will be tough and sound but may need someone to step up to put away a good team like Linden in a big spot.

8 Manalapan (1-0) Last Week #9 – Shore usually doesn’t lose by 30 points because their defense keeps the games close. To see them give up 60 and get blown out are very good signs for one of my sleeper teams this year. The first salvo in the A North free for all will come Monday when North comes in as a read favorite.

9. St Rose (1-0) Last Week NR – Cruised in the WOBM opening round over TRE. It’s not the offensive showing that put them here, it’s holding TRE to 22 points. That is exactly what they need to do to win. Keep control of the game and get efficient scoring from the guards.

10. Raritan (0-1) Last Week #1 – I’m not dropping them out just yet. Freehold Township is another popular sleeper team this year so this may end up being a referendum on their progress moreso than Raritan’s demise. That being said Raritan doesn’t drop this game last year.

On the bubble

TRN – I really need to find a way to see these kids play. Hopefully they make the WOBM semifinals and I get my chance.

Point Boro – Uneven week with a good win over Manchester (who had a good win  yesterday) then a bad loss to Lacey.

Lacey – Bad loss for the Panthers = Good win for the Lions. Do not read that as to say Lacey is bad. Lacey didn’t win with a miracle buzzer beater, they made a statement.

Manasquan – Nice non conference win over Moorestown. Key stat is a big game from Hobbie. A second consistent scorer to go with Walsh will make them a tough night for anyone.

Barnegat – Tough loss to TRS but I think they regroup and show what they got before this season is over.

I like to do my top 10′s on Sundays after church because there is typically no basketball going on and it’s a good way to pass time while watching Fantasy Football Now.

See ya soon on the ShoreLine y’all.

Opening Night reactions and WOBM predictions

Posted by Tim McCollum

follow me on twitter @nep84s

Former CBA point guard and current Rutgers walk on Mike Kuhne is alive and well and an avid blogger. Kuhne’s corner is a fun read. I was wondering why there was a desk and laptop at the end of the RU bench.

I took some criticism for ranking Raritan so high. Freehold Township scoring a big win on opening night makes me realize a ranking correction is necessary.

I don’t know how far to drop them because Freehold is one of my sleeper teams. I can’t tell yet if Raritan has fallen that far off or have the Patriots taken a giant leap forward.

A north will be that much more fun if they did, and especially so considering Manalapan’s impressive opening night win.

The value of a moral victory depends on the situation. Losing a close game to Colts Neck bodes well for Toms River North.

Neptune wasn’t too crisp tonight. Fuqan McDonald had his best game as a Flier. Too many missed layups. Too many missed FT’s. Too many turnovers.

Lakewood’s Beverette was great tonight. Efforts like this will put many accolades in his path.

I’m going to quickly guess my way through the WOBM since the first round is tomorrow. Unfortunately I’m missing it because I promised to wear a red suit and bear for some kids.

#1 Jackson vs #16 Brick – Not going to be the cakewalk a 1/16 should be put Jackson has too much size. Jackson in a lower scoring closer than you would think but not quite the threat of an upset type of game.

#8 Southern vs #9 Ocean — The 8/9 is supposed to be closely matched and this should be no exception. Ocean is scrappy and will throw one haymaker after another at you. I think Geisicki is going to have a little bit of a coming out party in this one. I’m going to take Southern and call it a mild upset.

#4 Point Boro vs #13 Lacey — Both teams should have been seeded higher so its a tough draw for the Lions. I think Shaun Cooke will be the difference but this game will be up for grabs in crunch time. Might even be the game of the day.

#5 Barnegat vs #12 TRS — I hate Barnegat’s draw because I think they are one of the tournament favorites. Their bracket could not be any tougher. I think they serve notice they are playing to win and roll.

#3 Manchester vs #14 RBC — With a loss on opening night Manchester is going to be a motivated bunch. Unfortunately the Caseys are the bug and the Hawk’s are the windshield.

#6 TRN vs #11 Central — I’m really liking the TRN karma. Losing a close game to Colts Neck is a good thing for an up and coming team. This will go to the buzzer but I think the home team eeeks it out.

#7 Wall vs #10 Memorial — Memorial is a bit underrated and I think they will score the upset. This is always a gritty bunch who push the ball, crash the boards, and have no fear. Wall will be in it to the end but drop a close hard fought game.

#2 St Rose vs #15 TRE — I’ll take an order of Kukoda to go please. East is a strong 15 seed and this will still be a game at halftime. I think it takes awhile for the Roses to pull away, but pull away they will.

Quarters

#1 Jackson vs #8 Southern — Southern is in a tough spot because they can’t match Jackson size for size and they won’t be able to out quick them with Kenney in their face. I like Southern. Hate this matchup for them. Jackson will appear very strong after this one.

#2 St Rose – #10 Memorial — The roses will need every second of a 32 minute game to eeek this one out in a game featuring an army of guards vs another army of guards. Kukods will be the best of the bunch and find a way to get the Roses into the semi’s.

#3 Manchester vs #6 TRN — I think this is the TRN coming out party. Manchester will want to push the ball and TRN will oblige. Cancel out the guards and the big man Wrightson is the difference maker. There will be juice in the arena for this one with plenty of oooo moments. I like North to pull the upset.

#4 Point Boro vs #5 Barnegat — I hate going against the Panthers. They always burn me when I do. Shawn Cooke will have a terrific game. Boro likes to slow the tempo choose their spots to run. To beat them you have to have to be balanced with multiple finishers. You have to be able to get Boro out of their comfort zone. I think the Bengals do that. The closer this gets to the 60′s the better for Barnegat. I think they get there and score a very close win.

Semifinals

#1 Jackson vs #5 Barnegat — If someone can upset the Jags I think Barnegat wins the tournament. I think the Jags are here and that’s bad news for them. Kenney and McDonnell can handle the guards. Jackson can run with them and they have the size advantage to control the boards. I give Barnegat a punchers chance but give me in Jags in a one or two possesion game.

#2 St Rose vs #6 TRN — North has enough guards to check Kukoda and a big man that the Roses lack. If St Rose can flawlessly run their offense they will take Wrightson out of the game because he’ll have to be a one man zone in the paint. St Rose has to keep this in the 40′s and shoot a good percentage to win. If they don’t it will feed TRN into the break and make for too many empty possesions with Wrightson on the boards.  I like TRN to stun the defending champs in this one.

Finals

#1 Jackson vs #6 TRN — Cinderella runs into the wrong bunch. Jackson will run if they want to run and have the post play to grind if they need to grind. Holup helps neutralize Wrightson and Kenny and McDonnell are the best players on the floor. This will be a terrific game with I think the Jags winning a close one.

Later in the week I’ll post my traditional holiday tournament guide. Until then I’ll see you … On the ShoreLine.

 Posted by Tim McCollum

Follow me on twitter @nep84s

 I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to the annual edition of the “Stumpy’s” from the recently completed football season.

 The reason is very simple and it has nothing to do with the awards themselves. Of course I like to see who receives a Stumpy and see the wacky award categories he makes but that’s not the reason.

 After the Stumpy’s are awarded IT’S OFFICIALLY BASKETBALL SEASON!

 Sing along hoops fans …. it’s the most wonderful time of the year …

 Think about this for a minute. So more freezing my ninnies off sitting on an ice cold bleacher a half mile away from the hot chocolate wishing I could light myself on fire to keep warm.

 Basketball has gyms with heat. I don’t need my glasses to see the game. I don’t need to wear every coat I’ve ever owned.

 I know it’s the little things in life that matter.

 There is a big difference between an avid XYZ fan and being a well known XYZ junkie, where XYZ represents your sport of choice. He’s right I am an avid football fan. I spend my Sundays religiously watching my fantasy teams on the gamecast (I have several championship contenders). As much as I enjoyed chasing the football Fliers all over creation there is nothing like the beginning of the high school basketball season.

 I may not be a NBA junkie (is the lockout over or not?), and while I might have a mild Tar Heel obsession disorder there is no greater obsession than the rush of a great high school basketball game.

 So let’s dive right in shall we.

 In this edition of the ShoreLine I’m going to break down every division in the conference and predict the order of finish. We’ll see how I did in March.

 I’m also going to most my controversial pre-season top 10. Why is it controversial you ask? Read on MacDuff…..

 A North

 When was the last time you didn’t say CBA and pre season first team all shore in the same sentence? For me it was about 10 seconds ago when I typed this. You? I’m not about to write off the Colts however. CBA is CBA and they will find someone, somewhere. Plus Shaw might be the best catch and shoot mad bomber in the Shore.

 Some of you may be wondering “Who is this year’s Howell?” “Who is this year’s Ryan Keegan?” I got a hunch the answer to those questions may very well be Manalapan and Anthony Firkser.

 These are the two biggest threats to Middletown North’s chances at the division. North is returning steady PG Eric Youncofsky and human jumping jack Jason Huelbig. Add an improved Frawley into the picture and you have a nice core.

 Don’t sleep on the Patriots. I have a funny feeling Coach Golub has something brewing atFreeholdTownship.

 Predicted order of finish: Middletown North, Manalapan, CBA, Freehold, Howell, Middletown South, Marlboro

 A Central

 This isRaritan’s division to lose. It doesn’t matter that you return only one starter when that starter is Mike Aaman.

 Matawan because of Larry Alston III and RFH because of Donnelly and Coach Schempy are the biggest threats to the Rockets. If Alston III plays defense on the hardwood like he does on the gridiron Matawan may pitch a shutout all season.

 Sleeper pick here is Holmdel. They looked improved in the summer. They looked improved in the fall.

 Predicted order of finish: Raritan, Matawan, Rumson-Fair Haven, Holmdel, Shore, Vianney, Red Bank

 A South

 Brian Kenney completes the Jaguars. Throwing him into a lineup containing super-swingman Brandon McDonnell, post presence Holup and what seems like an army of forwards and you have something special down inJackson. They are big, quick and can shoot the rock. They made a good showing in the SCT last year and are poised to follow that up with a great season.

 Their biggest competition I think comes from my two sleeper teams in the division. Southern had the terrific freshman Mike Geisicki last season. Freshmen big men turn into bigger, stronger, and more experienced sophomore big men. That bodes well for Southern.

 Speaking of big men remember this name. Bill Wrightson. This kid along with sophomore guards Cleveland and Carrington will make some mad noise all over the conference. Watch out for this team when they put it all together.

 Predicted order of finish: Jackson Memorial. TRN, Southern, TRS, Brick Memorial, TRE

 B North

 Are you ready for a good ole fashioned slobberknocker of a division race that will be heated and hard fought from beginning to end? Get ready for Colts Neck and Neptune because this is going to be shore conference basketball’s version of Ali-Frazier this season.

 Neptune is absolutely loaded. Calderon, Woods,Holland, and mad bomber Shakeem Richardson make a formidable backcourt. Pair them with Josh Jenkins, scoring machine Fuquan McDonald and Keith Kirkwood and you have a team that should, and will play well into the postseason.

 Hunter Wysocki is a beast. He was a man among boys two seasons ago. He will at times be un-guardable this season. Add in human foul pole Faust and you have a formidable front court. How do they replace the aforementionedJacksonguard Brian Kenney? You add a second blur named O’Reilly to the back court. You may need to DVR the game and watch it in super slo mo to even see these O’Reilly kids.

 Monmouth,Long Branch, and RBC won’t be a pushover but this race will be one for the ages.

 Predicted order of finish: Neptune, Colts Neck, Monmouth, Long Branch, RBC, Freehold, Ocean

 B- Central

 Asbury will be tough again this year withKobe, Lebron, Superman, and the Green Hornet in the backcourt.

 I really have to stop reading bluestone’s posts.

 I meant to say they will be tough again with Armond and Amir Conover and perhaps one of the most underrated players of the year last year in swingman Hammory.

 Beach loses too much to graduation (even though they still have Riley Calzonetti) and I have a hard time believing Kukoda and an army of purple and gold guards will stop them.

 Predicted order of finish: Asbury, St Rose, Keyport, Point Beach, Mater Dei, Keansburg, Henry Hudson

 B South

 This is the most wide open division in the conference again this year.

 I’m going to double down with Anthony McGugan and Ryan Morris. I saw Barnegat last year and these kids were flat out fun to watch.

 Manchesteris always going to throw a good game at you and Central has Wozniak but in the end Barnegat will be left standing.

 Predicted order of finish: Barnegat, Manchester, Central, Lacey, Brick, Pinelands

 C Central

 Tyrece Beverette is a special athlete. He and Jameer Jones is not a bad starting point to start the first year of the post Jarrod Davis, Anthony Walker era.LakewoodisLakewoodmeaning so long as the coaching is solid the talent is there. The coaching is solid.

 Point Boro is always a tough team and with Shaun Cooke returning they are guaranteed good guard play which means a lot in today’s basketball. They lose Malleck but last I checked there were plenty more trees where that came from.

 Manasquan and MonDon are the wildcards. Squan returns Jimmy Walsh (maybe they should suit up the Mabrey’s …. just saying) and both clubs have great coaching.

 Predicted order of finish: Point Boro, Lakewood, Manasquan, MonDon, Wall, Jackson Liberty

 Now I’m going to get ahead of the APP, the Star Ledger, MSG Varsity, the rest of us here on All Shore Media, Ed Sarlucca, the Shore “Human Posting Machine” Scout who posts year round, and the millions of bloggers on the forums with the first top 10 of the new year.

 When I sat down to think about this I had 7 teams firmly in my top 10 and bunch of contenders for three spots. I had three tough decisions.

 1. Who is #1

 2. Where is CBA

 3. Who do I roll the dice with in spots 7-10.

 I’m going count down to keep the controversy until the end.

 Shame on you for skipping ahead and then coming back here! You don’t read the last page of the book first.

 10. Point Boro – This is a reputation pick. I love the guard play. Love the mental toughness of the team. Their hot box of a home floor always helps them.

 9. Manalapan – I have a hunch this team is going to surprise some folks this year. They may fall in and out while they get it together but I would not want to see this kids in my bracket come SCT time.

 8. Barnegat – These kids are my sleepers of the year. If I head to day 1 of the WOBM this year it will be to see these kids play.

 7. CBA – Controversy number 1 and another reputation pick. I can’t remember the last time CBA didn’t have a returning stud the world wasn’t gushing over in the offseason. There are rumblings out there this is a “bad” CBA team. If that’s true then ranking a bad CBA team this high in a poll either makes me crazy or speaks volumes to exactly how good they have been.

 6. – Jackson Memorial – This team is solid from top to bottom. They remind me a lot of the Middletown South team that beatNeptune in the CJ III finals not too long ago. Brian Kenney was the last piece to a very good looking puzzle.

 5. Asbury Park – The defending group I champions return 3 starts but lost Dickerson and Britt. That keeps them high in the top 10 but not with the conference elite.

 4. Colts Neck – Here is where I think the dividing lines are in my pre-season poll. Teams 1-4 for the first tier of teams. Asbury, Jackson and CBA the second tier, and then you have your large group of nippers biting at their heels. Hunter Wysocki will be one of the few players who have the ability to challenge Mike Aaman for player of the year.

 3. Middletown North – Here is where the controversy is going to start. They have one of the best point guards in the conference, one of the best players in the conference, and improving big man, good role players and good coaching. These kids have been on the cusp for 2 seasons running now. They are perfectly capable of beating anyone in the shore.

 2. Neptune – I’m going to take a bunch of heat on this. I’m also probably going way against the grain here too. The consensus is going to sayNeptune is pre-season #1 because they are loaded. I don’t disagree they are not only loaded but VERY loaded. I’m setting the expectations very high for this team in fact. Why are they #2 then?

 1. Raritan – Because I can’t get 34 points and 23 rebounds out of my head. And that was only in the semifinals. Mike Aaman and four competent varsity players dominated the SCT last year. They rarely used their bench. What Aaman did at the MAC one of the most dominant performances I’ve ever seen in Shore Conference basketball. The Rockets were underrated all season last year by pollsters including myself and proved everyone wrong. I’m going to assume the probability of them finding another four quality varsity players is pretty good. There is nothing to suggest they can’t prove everyone wrong again. You wanted the target on your backs? Show us what ya got kid.

 On the bubble (in no particular order)

 Toms River North – Will be one of the surprise teams of the year.

 Freehold Township – Can’t keep Golub and the Pats down too long. They looked good in the Fall League. There is sleeper potential here.

 Lakewood – Flip floppedLakewood and Point Boro at the last minute. These teams are very close.

 Manchester – I was thinking the loss of a strong bunch of seniors brings them down until I saw the WOBM seedings. I’m not sold yet.

 Manasquan – Jimmy Walsh good coaching and strong pipelines keep Manasquan in the mix year in and year out.

 RFH – Perennial top 10 program now with Schempy a the helm.

 Matawan – Larry Alston III was a surprise player last year. No more.

 Southern – Check out the big kid Gesicki now before you need an airplane to find him playing.

 St Rose – Kukoda is a great way to start a club. Will they have enough inside game? Will they have enough scoring?

 I’m Nep84 and I’ll see you soon … On the ShoreLine.

 

Character References

Posted By Tim McCollum

“Football doesn’t build character; it reveals it.”

                        — Wayne Hills football coach Chris Olsen

After Neptune’s win over North Burlington to clinch a spot in the Central Jersey group III finals, I decided to leave the comfy confines of the Central Jersey forum and see if there was any Central Jersey championship chatter in the Statewaide forum. It seemed like the subject of every post was about an incident involving the Wayne Hills football team.

So I decided to do a little research.

I sifted through the dozens and dozens of posts. When it was clear the story was in the news I sifted through just about all of the articles I could find on the matter. I found it amazing that there was all this hoo ha for something very straight forward and something other schools like Matawan for example handled with no publicity whatsoever.

I criticized the players allegedly involved for not using their heads. Not for being guilty of a crime because they haven’t been. Not for being charged with a crime because that doesn’t matter. They shouldn’t have been there. There shouldn’t have been an altercation.

I criticized Coach Olsen for appearing weak by allowing the issue to fester and explode. I criticized the Wayne Board of Education for appearing wishy washy with their handling of the situation.

I decided to follow the situation closely through the news. First were the stories reporting that  the players were suspended. Then the stories reporting that supporters of those players intended to sue to get back on the field. Then came the various stories reporting the rapid disposition of those suits. Then I found a video interview with Coach Olsen.

In it he made the quote above about character I got even more intrigued because I’m thinking “Wow this guy gets it. He demands excellence, holds the kids accountable and seems like everything you would want in a coach.” More than anything else that quote about character really stood out to me.

Fast forward to Championship Saturday. I was so excited to see the Scarlet Fliers run into the Rutgers’ stadium that I was ready to leave for a 4:00 game at 10 in the morning. I know they said to leave early but this is ridiculous. I fought off the urge as long as I could left around 11. Rather than go directly to the stadium I went to lunch at one of my favorite places which happens to be down the street from the RU campus.

I read the championship previews in both the Asbury Park Press (such as it was) and the Star Ledger, including the rather large article profiling Coach Olsen and the Wayne Hills program. Now understand I never really knew all that much about Wayne Hills football, coach Olsen, the championships etc. I just couldn’t get his quote out of my head and decided to use the day to do a character study. I’m going to jump around a bit but here’s what I noticed.

Football like any sport, or life in general, deals you alot of adversity. Your character reveals itself with how you deal with, and rise up from, that adversity. That is to say your character isn’t revealed when you fumble the ball. It’s revealed with what you do when you pick it up.

There was not one, but two teams playing not at full strength yesterday as Matawan was without a number of their players who were suspended from the game for disciplinary reasons. This was already an intriguing matchup because it was a reversal of roles from last year’s CJ II championship. Last year it was Matawan who was undefeated and rolling, including a convincing victory over a highly regarded Rumson team in the process.

This year it was Rumson that was undefeated (well at least they were until they ran into #1 RBC) including a convincing victory over a highly regarded Matawan team, and an even more convincing victory over eventual CJ I champion Asbury Park.

I realize that after the fireworks that was Neptune vx Steinert this may have been a let down but it cannot go unnoticed that Matawan returned the favor from last year and upset the favored Bulldogs to win the CJ II title.

Yep. Character reveals itself.

As I made the 20 mile walk from the outskirts of Piscataway to the stadium you could hear the announcer in the stadium very clearly. The score at the time was Sayreville  6 Manalapan 2. By the time I got there it was Sayreville 13 Manalapan 2 in the second quarter. Sayreville ended up driving to end the half but the drive was stopped by a Manalapan interception.

The Braves did a good job clawing their way back into the game with a big drive to make it 16-11 after a failed two point conversion. They then threw haymaker after haymaker at Sayreville.

In the end though every time Manalapan got the momentum going in their favor Sayreville, usually in the form of Delone Stevenson, make a big play on defense, or broke off a big run to nip it in the bud.

Yep character reveals itself on both sides of the ball in this one.

Now we move onto archrival Asbury Park who had their fair share of adversity this season. They were rolling right along when suddenly their special teams coach John Key was killed in a tragic traffic accident. Did they fold it up? No they pressed on and rolled right into a matchup between undefeated and fellow group favorite Rumson who absolutely blasted them on their home field.

Did Asbury fold up the tent? Nope they rolled right on through the first two rounds of the playoffs until they met up with fellow one loss team and sectional finalist for a good old fashioned slopperknocker Thanksgiving rivalry game against Neptune. Asbury lost this game in heartbreaking fashion to the Fliers 29-28 that culminated in a thrilling goal line stand from the Fliers in the waning minutes of the game.

Did Asbury fold up the tent?

No they rolled right along and won yet another CJ I championship in convincing fashion over Florence to continue what has to now be considered a dynasty run in CJ I.

Yep character has certainly revealed itself in Asbury.

Now for our last character reference we move onto the home team. For those of you who may not know one of the most touching stories of the season started with an innocent trip to the beach and ended with a terrible tragedy that cost the life of one of their own.

Character reveals itself in unusual ways like a young man willing to risk his life to try and save the life of a friend. Lost in the tragic outcome was this truly heroic act. As you know the Neptune team this season dedicated their season to Naisere Nelson and dubbed themselves “TeamNas”.

And what a season it was.

“We finished the game out and we showed our true character when we were down at halftime. This is a helluva way to win a game against a top-notch team.”

                 — Neptune Senior Linebacker/Running Back Jazzmar Claxx

 

Great players make great plays when it matters most. 

 

I was surfing around during the week and found a roudtable discussion with Steinert’s coach and four of their players on YouTube. I’m thinking while watching this they these are very likeable kids and a likeable club.

 

And boy did they bring it early in the game yesterday surging to a 21-7 lead over Neptune in the first quarter. This is where we start. There were two fans behind me declaring the game over, despite the fact they were rooting for Neptune. Neptune took that possesion and drove to make the score 21-13. Then theydrove again and a 2 point conversion later we’re all tied at 21 and we have a brand new ballgame.

 

Character revealing itself.

 

How does Steinert respond? They go right down the field again and score on the last play of the first half to take a 28-21 lead and all of the momentum into the half. To make it worse for Neptune they had the ball to open the second half and if they could score again they would really give the Fliers a big hill to climb to win the ballgame.

 

They tried to do just that when they drove right into the red zone and were threatening to score again.

 

Then the game turned.

 

On 4th and 2 from the Neptune 15 Neptune Senior Ikie Calderon came up big  by flying into the backfield and sacking Riese. Great players make great plays when it matters most. Ikie has been a great player for the Fliers in two sports since he was a freshman. It was only fitting that the play that would be the turning point of the game would come from him.

 

Character revealing itself.

 

Jaheem Woods threw a brilliant touchdown pass against Ocean last year that in my mind marked the transformation of him from good football player to another level. That and fuel from the tragic events of last June and you end up with one of the gutsiest performances I’ve ever seen.

 

Woods got what looked in the stands to be a stinger early in the game. Turns out to be a bruised shoulder. Does he let up?

 

No he was involved (running and passing) in 6 of the 7 touchdowns Neptune scored last night. He threw his body with reckless abondon all over the football field. Each time you were hoping we wasn’t hurt anymore and out of the game knowing he would get back up again.

 

He did all of this on the biggest stage. Anyone who was on the fence with their vote for offensive player of the year in the Score Conference shouldn’t be anymore. Great players make great plays when it matter the most.

 

Our own Scott Stump in his game story dubbed Neptune the ‘Heem team. While he deserves every bit of publicity from the game the only team I saw at Neptune High School last night was #TeamNas, and thanks to Calderon, Woods, Claxx, Fairbanks, Clouse, Gutzmore, Peavy, Harris, Naisere Nelson and the rest of the Fliers #TeamNas will be immortalized with a picture on Neptune’s wall of fame.

 

The sounds of the sirens never sounded better.

 

I’m Nep84 and I’ll see you on the ShoreLine.

SCT: Who’s in? Who’s out? and my take on Who’s the best.

Posted by Tim McCollum

The cutoff for qualification into the SCT is exactly one week from today. Every team in the conference with a .500 record or better after the games next Saturday qualify.

Circle some of these dates on your calendars fellow hoop junkies. There are hidden gems to be found.

Since we’re a week away let’s take a division by division look at who’s in, who’s out, who’s on the bubble and even make some predictions of their fate.

The small print first. All of the schedules are taken from highhschoolsports.net. If I have them wrong, blame your local AD. Not all of the games lost due to the latest storm of the century were moved when I did the analysis. That may have a small impact.

Lastly, all of the team records are as of 1/25 as posted on our website. If they are wrong then I’ll need to have a little chat with our standings keeper.

And away we go

A North

Team	Record	Status / Games Remaining
A North
Middletown North	14-1	IN
CBA	9-3	IN
Howell	8-7	Hunterdon Central 1/29 @CBA 1/31 Middletown North 2/3 @Jackson Memorial 2/4
Manalapan	7-5	@Freehold Township 1/28 Middletown South 1/31 Brick 2/2 @Marlboro 2/3
Freehold Township	6-9	Manalapan 1/28 St Rose 2/1 @Middletown South 2/3 @TRE 2/4
Marlboro	3-12	OUT
Middletown South	1-9	OUT

Predictions:

Howell: I have to assume losses to CBA and North to bring them to 8-9 with games against Hunterdon Central and Jackson Memorial. Assuming a win against Hunterdon Central then they are playing for their SCT life at 9-9 against a good Jackson Memorial club in their gym on 2/4. Prediction: Howell scores the upset and gets in at 10-9.

Manalapan: At 7-5 they need one win out of four to qualify. Even with a loss to Freehold today I think they score wins against South and Brick to settle their bid early. Prediction: IN

Freehold Township: They are in a tough spot because they need a 4-0 stretch to get in. I’m going to give them the mild upset over Manalapan to get them to 7-9 and wins over South and East to bring them to 9-9. This is all for argument sake. That places a big premium on the St Rose game Tuesday. This is going to be tougher than usual because  B central is tougher. Prediction: I hope I’m wrong on this one but I’m thinking St Rose is playing too well to trip up even CBA looms as a trap scenario. Ultimately I think the hill is too slippery. OUT (but prove me wrong Pat’s!).

A Central

A Central
Team	Record	Status / Games Remaining
Raritan	14-1	IN
RFH	6-4	Holmdel 1/28 Long Branch 1/29 @SJV 2/1 RBR 2/3 @Metuchen 2/5
Matawan	8-7	RBR 1/28, @Pinelands 1/31 @Shore 2/3 Wall 2/5
SJV	5-6	@Shore 1/27 -> TBD? Cardinal McCarrick 1/29 RFH 2/1 Raritan 2/3 RBC 2/5
Holmdel	3-9	OUT
Red Bank Regional	3-10	OUT
Shore	4-9	@Ocean 1/28 @RBR 1/31 Matawan 2/3 Academy Charter 2/4 SJV 1/27 -> TBD?

Predictions:

RFH: At 6-4 and with a whopping 5 games remaining before the cutoff they then to go 2-3 to get in. I think at minimum they get wins over Long Branch and Red Bank. Prediction: IN

Matawan: They need to get to 10-9 to get in. That’s two wins. Having to go into Shore needing a win scares me a little. That’s a compliment to Shore not a knock on Matawan. The RBR game should be a win making them 9-7 and having to lose to Pinelands, Wall, and Shore. Prediction: Matawan will get picked off once but not three times. They will be IN.

SJV: Assuming the Shore game is rescheduled before the cutoff they have 5 games and need to get to 8-8 to qualify. With McCarrick, RBC, RFH, AND Raritan that won’t be easy as they will need to upset at least two of them to get in. Let’s for argument sake give them a win against Shore and a loss to Raritan. We’re at 6-7 now. I’ve heard that McCarrick is down this year so for fun let’s use that to get Vianney to 7-7. They need to split against RBC and RFH to get in. Prediction: No easy task but I predict one upset and Vianney gets IN.

Shore: At 4-9 they are mathematically still alive but need to run the table to qualify AND the Vianney game has to be rescheduled to before the cutoff. Prediction: Since I gave Vianney the win above I have to give Shore the loss here. The Shore/Matawan game would be VERY interesting if they get the win though. OUT.

A South

A South
Team	Record	Status / Games Remaining
Jackson Memorial	13-3	IN
Brick Memorial	7-6	@Southern 1/28 TRE 2/1 Pinelands 2/4 Manchester TBD
Southern Regional	5-7	Brick Memorial 1/28 TRN 2/1 @Manasquan 2/3 Raritan 2/5
TRN	4-7	@Brick 1/27 TRS 1/28 @Freehold 1/31 @Southern 2/1 @Point Boro 2/4
TRS	6-6	RBR 1/27 @TRN 1/28 Jackson 2/1 Lacey 2/3 Central 2/4
TRE	2-11	OUT

Predictions:

Brick Memorial: If they schedule the Manchester game they need two wins, otherwise still one. Prediction: TRE gives them one win, and Pinelands the 2nd if needed. IN

Southern: They must get to 8-8 and with Raritan on the schedule that means to me they must run the table and not need the win against Raritan. How fun does that make the Southern Brick Memorial game? Prediction: Southern scores the upset and qualifies before seeing Raritan. IN

TRN: They have a tough road at 4-7. Let’s give them wins in their next three  games to get them to 7-7. That means they need a win over Southern or at Point Boro to qualify. I don’t like requiring a win in the Panther Pit for anything. Prediction: The Southern / TRN game will be for all the marbles for both clubs. Southern gets in TRN is OUT.

TRS: With 5 games they need 3 wins instead of 2. Let’s give them a win over RBR and a loss to TRN. That means 2 out of 3 against Jackson, Lacey, and Central. I don’t think that’s going to happen. That makes the TRN game a must win. Prediction: I predicted TRN would win this game above. Prediction: OUT.

 B North

B North
Team	Record	Status / Games Remaining
Neptune	8-4	IN
RBC	9-2	IN
Colts Neck	7-2	IN
Monmouth Regional	7-7	Freehold Boro 1/28 RBC 1/31 @Neptune 2/3 @Lakewood 2/5
Freehold Boro	8-7	Monmouth 1/28 TRN 1/31 @RBC 2/3 South Brunswick 2/5
Ocean	3-11	OUT
Long Branch	2-12	OUT

Predictions:

Monmouth: At 7-7 they need to go 2-2 to qualify at 9-9. Let’s assume a loss to Lakewood which means they need to go 2-1 against Freehold, Ocean, and Neptune. If I were Monmouth I wouldn’t want to make the Neptune game a must win. Prediction: They get the wins they need against Freehold and Ocean and qualify at 9-9. IN

Freehold: The Freehold / Monmouth game will be fun to watch as it is key to both clubs. They need to get to 10-9. I gave Monmouth then win to put Freehold 8-8 so the Colonials will need wins over TRN and South Brunswick to get in. I think RBC will force the issue against South Brunswick. Prediction: IN

B Central

B Central
Team	Record	Status / Games Remaining
St Rose	13-2	IN
Asbury Park	9-3	IN
Point Beach	7-4	Middle @ Prime Time Shootout 1/28 Keansburg 1/31 Asbury 2/3 @Keyport 2/5
Keansburg	6-6	Academy Charter 1/28 @Asbury 1/29 Point Beach 1/31 @Dunellen 2/1 @Keyport 2/3
Keyport	4-6	St Rose 1/28 @Mater Dei 1/31Keansburg 2/3 Point Beach 2/5
Mater Dei	2-14	OUT
Henry Hudson Regional	2-8	OUT

Predictions:

Point Beach: One win and they are in. Prediction: Probable wins over Keyport and Keansburg. IN

Keansburg: I have them at 7-9 heading into the Dunellen game. That means a sweep of Dunellen and Keyport to get in. Prediction: IN

Keyport: At 4-6 they have a difficult path with St Rose and Point Beach on the schedule. To qualify they have to upset one of these two teams and run the table. Prediction: OUT

B South

B South
Team	Record	Status / Games Remaining
Manchester	10-3	IN
Lacey	9-4	IN
Central Regional	7-5	@TRE TBD Lacey 1/28 Barnegat 2/1
Barnegat	8-4	IN
Pinelands	2-10	OUT
Brick	1-13	OUT

 Predictions:

Central: If they don’t reschedule the TRE game they are in. If they do they need one win from TRE, Lacey, or Barnegat to qualify. Prediction: If they schedule TRE I think they win the game. IN

C Central

C Central
Team	Record	Status / Games Remaining
Lakewood	13-1	IN
Mon Don	9-3	IN
Point Boro	8-5	IN
Manasquan	3-5	MonDon 1/28 @Wall 2/1 Southern 2/3 @Holmdel 2/5
Wall	8-8	@Point Boro 1/28 Middlesex Vo-Tech 1/31 Manasquan 2/1 @Matawan 2/5
Jackson Liberty	6-7	Lakewood 1/28 Brick 1/30 Point Boro 2/1 Calvary Academy 2/3 Ranney School 2/4

Predictions:

Manasquan: At 3-5 they either forgot to make a schedule this season or have had their schedule decimated by the weather. With MonDon looming they will need to run the table against Wall, Southern and Holmdel if they do not score the upset today. Prediction: OUT

Wall: They need two wins. There is no law against scheduling cupcakes. That gives them one. They need another against Point Boro, Manasquan, or Matawan. Prediction: They get their win against Squan. IN.

Jackson Liberty: Speaking of scheduling cupcakes…. Prediction: Losses to Lakewood and Point Boro are offset by a sugar rush from eating the cupcakes. IN.

So there is the ShoreLine’s predicted field for this year’s shore conference tournament.

Now for a little bit about all this who’s the best stuff going around. I like reading the Shore Scout’s blog which not surprisingly did start a great PG debate on the forums. He then followed up with another wonderful post talking about that qualities he looks for when looking at a player. I don’t want to take his thunder but if you haven’t take a quick read and come back because it really hits the nail on the head.

On the forums there have been alot of names thrown about. Is Pookie Alter the best point guard? Sean Grennan? Ikie Calderon? Easy Eric from North? Furlong? Brian Kenney? Kukoda? All of these kids names have been mentioned. There has been the he’s the best player argument made. There has been the he gets his team results argument made. There has been the he makes the other players better argument made. There has been he does what his team needs him to do to win argument. So who’s the best PG?

I don’t really care.

I know that is a cop out answer but I don’t get the obsession to label one kid over another as the best of X. Inherently these discussions prop up one kid at the expense of another. That doesn’t make alot of sense to me.

I choose to appreciate the skill of all of these kids mentioned for what it is because the arguments that have been made by their supporters ALL make good points and have merit.

I love Sean Grennan’s moxie especially when he gets that little swagger and drops a dime in transition.

I love watching Ikie zoom in and steal the ball from someone before they realize he’s even near them. He’s probably the fastest kid with the ball in the shore right now. He’s a good passer too.

Pookie Alter is one of my favorites. He has in the gym range and a heart three times too big. It is not a surprise to me that RFH is a completely different team with him in the lineup.

Easy E is just what North needs. Holding the ball and setting up the scorers to …. well … score.

Brian Kenney does a little bit of everything. He moves the ball. He assists. He rebounds. He scores. He can penetrate, he can hit the triple. Very well rounded.

Kukoda has been one of the best stories of the season with his emergence to lead the Roses. I haven’t really gotten a good look at him yet but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. You can’t argue with results.

The point is I’d rather talk about the value add each of these kids bring to the table rather than push one down to prop another one up. That’s what makes the who’s the best argument silly to me.

This week’s top ten / Random tidbits

Posted By Tim McCollum

Some tidbits before I get to this week’s top 10.

First some messages for my fellow bloggers out there….

To the ShoreScout, anyone who gets to more games than I do is a friend of mine. Someday soon we need a hoop junkie convergence.  The only thing that would have been better at the Boardwalk Classic is three more games, and three more pizzas.

I’ve seen many people ripping Tiny Green’s blog because he talks about “his favorites”. Really? Aren’t we all fans? As fans, don’t we by definition all have our favorites? Some of us talk about our favorites in a blog like this one, or “Talking with Tiny”. Some of us post about them in a forum.

Where is the difference?

Nothing drastically surprised me with the outcome of the CBA / St. Anthony’s game yesterday. There is a big difference between playing a team with a boatload of talent that doesn’t know how to play your game (Lincoln, NYC) and a team with a boatload of talent, who does (St. Anthony).

I wasn’t surprised at all to see that CBA played well and trailed by only 3 points at halftime. The problem is Coach Hurley is a master of adjustments and knew what exactly the buttons to press and his team is smart enough to carry out the gameplan. Believe me when I say I’ve seen his teams do that to my club on many occasions.

As Matt McMullen said in our game story, they are Lincoln with 100 times better coaching. I’ll give Lincoln’s coach a little more credit but point well taken. BTW Mr. McMullen, no one likes to lose a ballgame but there is no shame to losing to the #2 team in the country. Pick your head up. You can lose a basketball game and walk off the floor a winner.

By the way Mr. Hurley, the shore conference is in CENTRAL Jersey.

Speaking of another kid who showed wisdom beyond his years this week. Everyone makes a big deal about rankings. They are really nothing more than someone’s opinion. If everyone who made a ranking was always right the rankings would never change. If a team never improved they would never move up in a ranking.

Earlier in the week a read a game story about Raritan. I’m going to paraphrase a quote from one of the kids in the game story. He said that he thought they had the best team but that it was simply an honor to be included in the top 4 of the rankings, that they don’t pay too much attention to them, and if they get the opportunity to play other highly regarded teams he hopes they will have an opportunity to show the fans how good they are.

Wow. What a refreshing perspective. Confident without even a shred of cockiness and very wise. I found it to be a very impressive statement.

Is there any team more underrated than Shore Regional? They took the above-mentioned Raritan to the wire the other night and missed a three pointer that would have won the game at the buzzer. Shore plays you tough, with outstanding defense and Hoffman is one of the best players you’ve never heard of.

Speaking of underrated players, Wall’s Kyle Janeczek is 3 points shy of 1,000 for his career. I’m going to assume he’s gonna get there soon.

Another underrated team is Manalapan. I saw CBA barely scrape by and I thought it was the post upset hangover that affects many teams. Then I saw North barely scrape by them in the same week and said wow, you really need to be careful when you go into their building. I suggest keeping an eye on their SCT matchup. Manalapan looks like a team that will give a higher seed a nightmare game in the first round.

I had a bit of a deja vu moment this week after watching a Seaman and Calandrillo back door my Fliers to death. All we needed was a Tripucka, a Wheeler, and a Bradley and we could have had an all ex-JSBL offspring team.

Speaking of Neptune everything that I was complaining  they lacked in the RBC loss was evident yesterday against Trenton.

While I’m snowed in this week I’ll try compile one of my bubble watch posts as the SCT cutoff is coming up in two weeks.

Now for my top 10.

#1 Lakewood: How good has Tony Walker been this season? I’ve seen a couple early All Shore teams and Walker and not Davis is on the first team. Speaking of Davis, Coach Holmes was accurate and the residency was a non-issue. Here’s to hoping a good rest of the way for my rival Piners.

#2 Middletown North: A quiet week after the Lakewood loss albeit with the aforementioned scare from Manalapan.

#3 CBA: The showing the first half against St. Anthony’s is commendable. It takes great basketball to hang with the Friars for one minute, let alone 16. Unfortunately the outcome is as inevitable as the tidal wave that will hit on Hawaii Five-Oh tonight.

#4 Raritan: You are right Raritan. It is great to be thought of in the select company that you are in. I watch the guard play in every box score. Furlong and the other snipers appear to be the perfect complement to the big stud in the middle. They are right again in that I REALLY want to see how they measure with a deep SCT and NJSIAA run.

#5 St Rose: A little consistency is required. I completed disregarded what Asbury did without Dickerson, what Pt Beach did without Reischel and now what St Rose did without Kukoda. It would be nice guys to see this B Central race to be settled with 100% of the teams on the floor please. Am I asking too much? Given the loss from Asbury and just about everyone else in the 2nd half of my top 10 I’ve got no choice but give a little B Central love to the Roses.

#6 Pt Beach: The interchangeable bottom of the top 10 continues as the Beach survives their way up the poll this week.

#7 RBC: I was all set to make them debut at #9 until the Bishops lost to Red Bank, the Dawgs lost to Academy Charter, and the Griffs lost to Point Boro. Welcome to the party guys.

#8 Asbury Park: It’s hard to argue the home court advantage issue when you lay an egg against Red Bank when you leave the comfy confines of your gym. This is a somewhat benefit of the doubt positioning of Asbury.

#9 Neptune: As bad as they looked against RBC they looked as good against Trenton. Tough sledding this week (pun intended) when they (hopefully) take on Colts Neck this Thursday.

#10 MonDon: Why not Point Boro who just beat them? This is a body of work pick. The Griffs are on thin ice while the Panthers tend to get the snowball effect once they get rolling. Oh yeah, I’m ready to shovel more snow.

On the bubble:

Point Boro – another signature win is needed.

Jackson Memorial — won the battle of the Memorials they deserve more love but who do I remove?

Colts Neck — will leap back into the top 10 with a win this week at Neptune.

Boardwalk Showcase / New Top 10

Posted by Tim McCollum

Before I get to my new top 10 how about a quick trip through the marathon of bliss that was the HoopGroup boardwalk showcase yesterday at Monmouth University’s MAC arena.

First off, big ups to the hoop group who put on a great day of basketball. Even the blowouts were good games (because the local teams won).  Secondly thanks to all 317 of you who at one point or another attended the live chat yesterday from the arena. I hope ya’ll had as much fun watching the chat roll on as I did hosting it. Pretty good bet another chat will happen in the SCT.

Many of you asked about Desmond Hubert from New Egypt. Well folks the kid is quite the specimen. He’s a legit 6-9 or a wee bit taller albeit rail thin. He has freakeshly long arms. He could grab rebounds off the rim withjout really jumping. But when he did jump you had no choice but to go wow. On the more cerebral side of things he does have an nose for the ball and, while some spit shining is necessary, good to better than good post moves.

In the first half of game 1 New Egypt was able to get the ball over the top to him frequently. This and a myriad of putbacks gave him solid numbers in the first half. In the 2nd Jackson fronted him with Holup with McDonnell giving weakside help to really bottle him up and dare the the snipers to beat them. It worked well because he was mostly contained in the second half and Jackson came back for the win.  One other note Hubert is disciplined on defense because he did not try to overplay to block shots and commit senseless personals. When he had it he blocked them when not he didn’t try anyway and foul. Very smart.

One last note is Saker from Jackson Memorial. He’s not the PG but he is the floor general. He ran the show from the wing on several occasions, positioned people, talked to Holup on the inside, worked the ball around etc. Great floor leadership and the “glue” type of player that a team needs.

Moving on to game #2 the critical point of the game was Lakewoods ball denial on the press. Often a team will press looking to steal in the back court. The adjustment they made was to allow Calhoun to get the ball in the middle and deny passes to each wing. This forced Calhoun to dribble over the timeline where they swapped between a double at the top of the key or overplaying the passing lanes. This caused just enough havoc to get the transition game going a just enough separation on the scoreboard to where North had to play more ragged than they would have liked.

That adjustment won the game. Now for more on Calhoun. The glowing reports on him are true. He’s always been physically imposing but the talent is now 100% put together. He was for the most part unguardable in the paint. Even Daquan Kenney who is a big body in his own right was muscled off the ball. The dunks were ferocious and Calhoun allowed the game to him and for the most part didn’t force the issue which is difficult to learn when you have that much talent.

I want to say Martens is vastly improved from last year but he hasn’t really improved at all. That isn’t a knock on him because he was brilliant last year and brilliant yesterday. Some college will find him and consider themselves forunate they did 4 years from now.

The little guard Eric Youncofski was at times brilliant when not under sufficating pressure from Jones, Beverette, and Tony Walker. He needs to add a jump shot to make the defense honest and learn to be a little calmer when he’s getting trapped.

Tony Walker yesterday was flat out brilliant. He might be the most underrated star in the Shore Conference. Walker dominated the game on both ends of the floor at willed Lakewood to the win. Sure he had plenty of help as Lakewood is a deep and talented club but he would not allow North to break through.

While we are on the extremely talented and improved department you have to mention Jarelle Reischel. His game is much smoother and polished than I’ve ever seen it. He now has plus body control. When he’s knifing into the lane he’s now under complete control and is able to shift his way to an easy layup where he would simply fly in last year. He will need to develop a consistent jumper out to the 3 point line between now and Rice. It’s a pretty shot but not on the mark.

There will be life after Reischel and Rotando for beach as Sophomore PJ Kineavy looks like he wants to play this game at a high level before he’s through. He;s already a fearless jump shooter.

There was a time during the game where Sean Grennan and especially Anthony Duszcak dominated. But it was when Rista and Lorenzo got into the scoring column that the Griffs pulled away (and not the sudden appearance of Mon Don Nation). They need just enough scoring from them and Gomez to be a true SCT threat.

I said in my preview that there is no team more undesirable to play than a ticked off and motivated CBA team. 80% of you disagreed with my upset prediction yesterday on the chat. I learned decades ago to not underestimate a wounded Colt. Lincoln oozes talent and probably is great at beating teams at their game. However CBA didn’t want to play their game and Lincoln could never force them to. Why? Matt McMullen.

It’s really hard to describe the effort this guy made yesterday. It isn’t exactly breaking news that CBA is doing a trial under fire at the PG position. So rather than feed them to Stokes and the Lincoln wolves what is their solution?

Have Matt McMullen bring up the ball. And in doing so he defused the trapping defense and controlled the temp of the offense, found the open cutters and kept control of the game. Typical CBA from that point. Spread the floor, hit curlers running into the lane and abuse their defense for layups. Lincoln was never in the game.

Incidentally Hughes and Shaw for CBA need more pub. Shaw was impressive from the beyond the arc. And remember the “glue” comment? Well that fits Hughes as well. I saw it in the Neptune debacle, I saw it in spades yesterday.

Speaking of the Neptune debacle I think the arena was asleep at halftime of the finale. I saw these big guys from Eastside in the warmup drill and didn’t recognize the names I heard in the starting lineups. I thought maybe I was just a little senile. Then after the stinker of the half we at the table were all perplexed as to how this team had become so highly ranked when they frankly weren’t very good.

Then I saw the big guys in the warmups again and you just knew they were not bench players. Then they ALL started the second half. It was like Neptune , who had played poorly themselves, suddently were playing the Space Jam Stars.

Then something strange and wonderful happened. Neptune for the first time this season played up to and BEYOND the competition. They didn’t overwhelm them but slowly and methodically pulled farther and farther away. And it wasn’t like Calderon blew up (even though he had 15 points and 9 assists) or Kirkwood blew up or any one of them blew up. They all blew up together. That half of basketball was really the first glimpse of what the Fliers can accomplish.

Now I can’t wait to see Fuquan McDonald join the fun and see Rasul Holland get into game shape. With them Neptune is a legit 8 players deep and a real threat so long as they don’t pull a Lincoln if they see CBA or North in the SCT.

Whew. Time to exhale out a quick top 10.

#1 Lakewood – The Piners were impressive without Davis yesterday. It’s their spot to hold onto now.

#2 Middletown North — You could possibly argue CBA staying here after the Lincoln win. With North and CBA both going 1-1 last week (at least in the important games) the tiebreaker goes to Norths W which was over CBA.

#3 CBA – Dropping the Colts lower than this is ill advised, especially considering their win yesterday.

#4 Raritan — I was all set to have my internal argument over St Rose and Asbury for #4 and #5 until I spoke with a reporter at the arena who correctly pointed out that Raritan’s only loss is a 5 point loss at Linden. They deserve their props.

#5 Asbury Park — I know St Rose has a win over them head to head but Asbury has beaten Beach with Reischel where as St Rose beat Beach without Reischel and Mon Don at full strength. I know both were at the Asbury dungeon but neither were victims of the “Bishop Blitz” and both games were winnable for the visitors. I know there are some folks who want to see them win a road game first but results are results and these are impressive. BTW it is required of every hoop junkie to see Thomond Hammary.

#6 Neptune — I was ready to place the Roses here and then the second half of the Eastside game started. I think this is the lowest the Fliers will be from here on out. I really them movbing toward a peak hopefully come tourament time. Don;t forget strong wins @ Monmouth and against nemesis Freehold this week also.

#7 St Rose – I know I’m disrespecting the Roses a little bit. I know I’m probably too much of a homer sometimes. My guy says the Roses are #7 which isn’t exactly chopped liver either. No matter how you slice it Kukoda, Van Schaak and the rest of the Roses are on fire and I hope they stay there.

#8 Mon Don — I don’t recall if this is a drop of a rise in the rankings for the Griffs. I also think they are safe here. They are certainly going to be a tough out no matter where they are ranked, especially if Rista and Lorenzo can produce like they did at the end of the game yesterday.

#9 — Point Beach — I can’t drop them all the way out of the top ten. They looked like a top 10 team yesterday, even in the loss. They need secondary scoring from someone not named Reischel or Rotando.

#10 — Rumson Fair Haven — This club is on fire  with Pookie leading the charge. I want to give these kids some ups and hope they stay here.

That’s it before I go check out Josh Newman’s chat on the Girls Showcase and let him type for awhile.

See ya soon folks.

Boardwalk Showcase Live Chat

Join me right here on the Shoreline as I will be blogging all day from Monmouth on Saturday.

Click Here to Join the Action in a Live Chat from the Boardwalk Showcase at Monmouth

Another ho hum week at the Shore

Posted by Tim McCollum

Here we are in the dog days of the season where nothing ever happens. The good teams are rolling through their divisional schedules while there are no exciting showcase events to be found.

Yeah, I’m kidding.

I guess I’ll have to give my two cents on yesterdays upset of CBA. I’m intentionally not using the 78 point font to indicate the 48 game winning streak is over. Middletown North had boatloads of talent last year that was either still developing, or inconsistent or both. Over the off season North began to get a large amount of hype based on their efforts in the off season leagues they were in.

Then the hype machine really started rolling. The forums were buzzing most of summer and fall with their fans stoked with anticipation for the upcoming season. Could North dethrone CBA and end the streak? Could they realize their potential and win the SCT? Could they *** gasp *** be state champions?

I acknowledged this hype in my divisional previews when I said that if theycan indeed put their talent together I wouldn’t be surprised to see them beat CBA. Next thing is they very skillfully justified their hype by coming out of the game like gang busters and running through any team put into their way.

That made the hype meter go through the roof for Thursday’s game at CBA. I’m a working stiff so I couldn’t make it to the game but everyone who I have spoken with has indicated the atmosphere in the building was insane, and neither team disappointed to deliver a game that will stand out as one of the best games this season.

Now we can all safely say this group of kids in the flourescent orange uniforms are for real.

So how many of these questions can be answered. The first one is easy, the streak is over. However the division chase is far from it. With road games against teams eager to pick them off running the table is not a given. Plus their is the rematch. I have said that I would not be surprised if North won at CBA and I will similarly not be surprised to see CBA return the favor.

Can they dethrone CBA and win the SCT? Well, clearly they have to be considered in the discussion of the favorites to do so, if not THE favorite. However, I’m sure at least Lakewood and, yes, CBA will want to have something to say about that.

As far as the state tournament is concerned I would say that this win places the minimum of expectations at the sectional final level.

Everyone has been talking about what this means for North. What does it mean for CBA?

The short is …. well …. not very much.

CBA is used to playing these kind of games, they win more than their fair share of them. If any club can shake off a loss like this one and potentially even thrive from it is CBA. In fact, I would not be surprised at all if CBA scored the win against Lincoln tomorrow. The reality is CBA doesn’t like to lose. It’s a good thing because they don’t lose (at least in the shore conference)  too often. This is a very proud program filled with a bunch of kids anxious to get back to the winning track again. At the very least it will make round two even more interesting.

The last exciting thing to come out of this is tomorrow’s game between North and Lakewood has oodles of more intrigue now because the winner of the game will be the new #1 team in the Shore. It’s quite convienent for me and anyone else who makes a poll because now I won’t have to play eenie meenie miney moe to choose between Lakewood and North.

Now that I’ve made the segway into the Battle on the Boardwalk Showcase let’s make some quick predictions….

Game 1: New Egypt’s reputation preceeds them and I can’t imagine Jackson matching size with them. My prediction is a 74-58 win for New Egypt.

Game 2: North and Lakewood has gone from just another sexy matchup to the clash of the titans. This will be an exciting slugfest from wire to wire. My prediction is North 82 Lakewood 78 in an up and down affair.

Game 3: I expect Jarelle Reischel and Anthony Duszczak to land counter punch after counter punch to the other team all game but it is the Mike Rotando versus Sean Grennan matchup that will decide this one. I predict 20+ points for both Jarelle and ZZ with Rotando matching Grennan as well. How will the Garnet Gull’s mad bombers fare against the stingy Griff defense. I’m predicting Mondon 60 Beach 58.

Game 4: This is my upset pick of the day. Lincoln has an enormous frontline and terrific guard play (well at least they did last year). I think CBA uses much of the game plan it did against Neptune. Zone them to death, spread the floor and make them defend. If Lincoln can’t shoot the lights out and if they aren’t disciplined on defense they will be in big trouble. CBA’s role players have to defend well and knock down the open shot when they get it. Is there a team more snakebit in this event than CBA with all their last second losses? Is there a team with more high profile upsets and near upsets in this showcase than CBA? I’m saying the latter and not the former. CBA 74 Lincoln 71.

Game 5: The home team takes on the best highest ranked public school in the state polls. Kirkwood is huge in this game because Eastside has a pair of guards who are supposed to be special. Neptune has Calderon who is one of the fastest players I’ve ever seen with the ball in the open floor. Woods has to continue his recent strong play. I suspect this will be somewhat of a coming out party for Jenkins and Kirkwood. Close but no cigar though. Eastside 75 Neptune 69.

Remember I’ll be chatting from the arena from beginning to end tomorrow. I’ll make a second post shortly with a link to the chat. Stumpy will also place the link on the main page of the site tomorrow. See you then!