Expect a Wide Open Race This Year in GMC Red
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ—A year ago, St. Joseph’s returned to the top of the mountain in the GMC by defeating South Brunswick in the 2016 GMCT Championship at Kean University. During the offseason though, there were a lot of changes though in Falcon Country.
Not only did the Green Birds lose standout players Tyus Battle (Syracuse University) and Bree Tyree (University of Mississippi) graduate, but other top players from last year’s squad such as Khalif Battle (Trenton Catholic), Alanzo Frink (Roselle Catholic), and Xavier Townes (Sayreville) transferred out along with a host of young talent from the freshmen and JV levels.
Those changes at St. Joseph’s opened things up for a scramble in the GMC Red during the 2016-17 season. South Brunswick lost the likes of Eric Savage (Tufts University), but still has the likes of Mike Ugarte and Ryan Moran as well as a ton of talent coming up for a JV program that reached the final of the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament in each of the last two years including Tavian Alford and Chris James.
Old Bridge took a bit of a hit to graduation with the losses of Connor Romano (Ramapo) and Stephen Strom (Rutgers-Newark), but still have a good deal of firepower back led by forward, Kyle Paris as well as Will Osvald and reserves Brandon Milling and Rich Calandrino. The Knights also put in a lot of work this off-season including a stint in the Hamilton Park Summer League, Hudson Catholic Fall League, Linden Fall League, and Hoop Group Fall Showcase.
East Brunswick lost its big three from a year ago in Matt Ross (walked on at Towson University), Mike Vick (Rutgers-Newark), and Addis Ralph (Moravian). However, the Bears have a good deal of talent coming up from the JV level including senior Gil Wyman and junior Ryan Crocco to join last year’s varsity reserves returning such as Joe Sampson, Dante Ralph, Ezra Levitt, Jesse Perel, and Eric Schneider.
Piscataway has had a ton of talent coming up over the past several years. Over the last three years at the freshmen level, the Chiefs have reached two Final Fours in the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tourney, and the other year, the frosh squad was the top seed before being upset by 17th seeded Perth Amboy two years ago. A good nucleus from last year’s 7-14 team returns including Mattias Arrindell, Jordan Davidson, Cameron Saintil, Deandre Scott, and Mehki Morgan.
Monroe finished the year strong a year ago in the GMC White. After beginning the year at 2-10, the Falcons won 7 of their last 11 games including an upset win over Colonia that helped the Purple BIrds get the 11th seed in the 2016 GMCT. MTHS has plenty of talent coming back from that team including a junior class led by Luke Patel and Matt Hoyt and a sophomore class led by sharpshooter Mike Kides. In addition, the Falcons have talent coming up from a JV team that reached the Final Four of the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament including Hassan Reid, Jackson Maddox, and Kevin Shea. The addition of St. Joseph’s transfer, Sashank Sindhia will provide some much needed size down low.
J.P. Stevens took not only a hit to graduation by losing four of its starting five from last year including all time three point shooting leader, Alex Corrigan and Mike Lionikis, but it also moved up to the tough GMC Red after spending the past two years in the White Division. The Hawks still have the likes of big man Javon Scott back along with the GMC Hoops Sixth Man of the Year Rishav Ghosh as well as a talented junior class led by point guard, Tyrese Conover and Jesse Shulili. Stevens won the Rahway Summer League for the second straight year.
Perth Amboy has some athleticism and a talented junior class along with Fres Cabrera, who can take it to the rack better than just about anyone in the conference. The Panthers, which finished 5-5 at the Rahway Summer League including one point wins over South Plainfield and J.F. Kennedy, also have the likes of St. Joseph’s transfer, Chris Carrera coming up from the sophomore level. An X factor for the Panthers could be the diamond in the rough of its junior class, Adam Gornowicz, who is academically ineligible until mid-January. Here is a look at the division for 2016-17:
2016-17 GMC Red Division—Predicted Order of Finish
Last year’s record in parenthesis
- South Brunswick (22-5)
- Old Bridge (18-9)
- St. Joseph’s (22-6)
- East Brunswick (18-9)
- Piscataway (7-14)
- Monroe (9-14)
- J.P. Stevens (15-9)
- Perth Amboy (8-15)
Some thoughts: It is often said that there are no easy nights in the GMC Red. That statement couldn’t be any more true this coming season. All eight teams in the division could be good enough to win it all. Most of the teams in the division have a ton of talent, especially at the junior level.
St. Joseph’s had 10 different players transfer out during the off-season including Luke Valeriano, a standout JV player as a freshman a year ago, who transferred to Colonia. In addition, several players from the freshmen and JV level transferred to other teams in the Red including Robert Benites (Old Bridge), Sashank Sindhia (Monroe), and Chris Carrera (Perth Amboy).
However, the Falcons still have some players with a lot to prove including Malachi Walker, who took advantage of the void left behind by Alanzo Frink, and is coming into his own. Walker has made the most of his opportunities with standout performances against Middletown North in the Linden Summer League Playoffs and versus Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, and Franklin in the Immaculata Fall League. Look for Walker to have a big year for Joes.
South Brunswick is a senior laden team not only with the likes of key varsity players from last year in Ugarte and Moran, but also the likes of Tavian Alford, Chris James, Vic Huetz, Morgan Jones, Anthony Blakey, and Kunal Thakral. Over the past two seasons these players have been chomping at the bit to play more varsity, but have been relegated to the JV level, where they’ve dominated with two finals appearances and a championship in the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tourney two seasons ago.
Old Bridge senior class from a year ago including Connor Romano, Stephen Strom, C.J. Santoro, and Zach Attianese took a lot of scoring and leadership with them when they graduated this past June. However, Kyle Paris can do it all for the Knights. He can score from the inside and outside. Can hit the three as well as dunk. He rebounds and shoots free throws well. Rich Calandrino, Brandon Milling, and Will Osvald also return for the Knights. The addition of Benites will also eventually help take some pressure off of him in terms of rebounding and inside play.
East Brunswick can be a team that ends up much better than its fourth place projected finish. When they are hitting their threes, the Bears can play with anyone in the county. They need to get Dante Ralph more involved offensively though. EB has good group of juniors led by Joe Sampson, Jesse Perel, and Eric Schneider. Sampson will be the key though. If he can play like he did on opening night of the Immaculata Fall League against the home team Spartans, where he played perhaps his most complete game by not settling for the three, and attacking the basket a bit and dishing or kicking out to Dante Ralph for layups and threes, EB will be tough to beat. Gil Wyman is another important piece to the Bears puzzle. When he is in the lineup, he tends to be a stabilizing force with his senior leadership, and three point shooting.
Piscataway has the potential to make a lot of noise in the GMC Red. With a town that has been starving for their Chiefs to return to not only respectability, but also prominence in the GMC, a lot is expected for this year’s team under the direction of first year head coach, Darius Griffin, a former standout player at Rutgers. There is plenty of talent to work with. Led by the group of Mattias Arrindell, Jordan Davidson, Cameron Saintil, Deandre Scott, and Mehki Morgan, there is plenty of athleticism, and energy, especially on the defensive end. When the Chiefs turn you over, and are able to get out and run, they are a dangerous team. However, P-Way will need to find a way to be more consistent on offense, and bring that part of the game up to the level of the defense, especially in the halfcourt. The Chiefs offense can be like a home run hitting team that goes into a slump in baseball, and has to find other ways to manufacture runs. In other words, when teams are able to get back on defense against them, and force them to produce in the halfcout, the Chiefs will need to be able to make plays and score points there. If P-Way can do that, the sky is the limit. Some players to watch outside the starting five is sophomore Tyree Barba-Bey, Parris Washington, and Passaic transfer, Kyle Rios.
Monroe moves up from the GMC White, and this year was not a bad year to do that. The Purple Birds only lost Eddie Pinto and Kenny Synsyn from a team that ended up its 9-14 campaign a year ago on a strong note. MTHS has a solid junior class that includes Luke Patel, Matt Hoyt, AK Patel, Eric Johnson, and Fritz Frage. They also have several solid players coming up from the JV level including Hassan Reid, Jackson Maddox, and Kevin Shea. Sharpshooter Mike Kides is maturing as a sophomore, and is beginning to broaden his game. Sashank Sindhia comes in from St. Joseph’s and gives Monroe a solid low post presence. The Falcons are also the only other program besides Sayreville that played in an off-season league in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Falcons will be tested early with South Brunswick and St. Joseph’s on the schedule over the first week of the season.
J.P. Stevens also moves up from the White Division, and will still look to be competitive. The Hawks bring back Javon Scott and Rishav Ghosh from a year ago as well as a talented junior class led by point guard, Tyrese Conover and Jesse Shulili. The Hawks, which won the Rahway Summer League for the second straight summer, will rely on its league leading defense to keep them in games this season. Conover may be small in stature, but is quick, and can be quite a playmaker and scorer. Scott is a great shot blocker and rebounder while Ghosh always seems to play well under the bright lights of the GMC Hoops Spotlight, which earned him the site’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2015-16.
Perth Amboy turned in a decent off-season. Not only did they add the likes of St. Joseph’s transfer, Chris Carrera, who looks to be a solid player for the Panthers as shown in his performance against South Plainfield at the Rahway Summer League this past summer, but they also have the likes of the athletic Fres Cabrera returning along with talented junior Luis Bonilla. Josh Nazario has the ability to make plays at the point while the rest of the team loves to get out and run. The Panthers missed out on making the playoffs at the Rahway Summer League, but still finished 5-5 including two one point wins over South Plainfield and J.F. Kennedy covered by GMC Hoops. During the fall at the Monroe Sports Center Fall League, the Panthers finished 7-1 including lopsided wins over Timothy Christian and Jackson Memorial. Both games showed how good Amboy could be if they are able to get out and run, especially with the way Cabrera finishes. During the off-season, Perth Amboy was 4-0 in games covered by GMC Hoops.
2016-17 GMC Red Division—A Detailed Look
Here is a more detailed look at each team in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s Red Division for the upcoming 2016-17 season:
South Brunswick Vikings
Team: South Brunswick
Coach: Joe Hoehman
Year: 10th (14th overall at SBHS)
Career Coaching Record: 118-97
Coaching Record At School: 118-97
Last Year’s Overall Record: 22-5
Last Year’s Division Record: 9-3, Tied for 2nd in GMC Red.
Last Year’s Conference Record: 13-4
Last Year’s Accomplishments: Reached GMCT Championship and Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals.
Last Year’s JV Team: Finished 17-3; Reached the 2016 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament Championship (lost to North Brunswick 57-56).
Last Year’s Freshman Team: Finished 4-12; Seeded 13th and lost in Round of 16 in 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament (lost to Piscataway).
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: Montgomery Team Camp, Moody Park Summer League, Odie Page Summer League, Summer Primetime Shootout, Linden Fall League
Returning Starters: Mike Ugarte (6’0”, Sr. G) and Ryan Moran (5’9” Sr. G)
Returning Reserves: Tavian Alford (6’0”, Jr. G/F), Chris James (5’11”, Jr. G), , Greg Lee (5’11” Jr. G), Vic Huetz (6’1”, Jr. F), Anthony Blakey (6’0”, Jr. G), Shawn Bautista (5’10” Jr. G), Morgan Jones (5’8”, Jr. G), and Kunal Thakral (6’0”, Jr. G, 6’0”)
Key Losses From Last Season: Eric Savage (6’3”, F now playing basketball at Tufts University), Jaier Garrett (5’9” G), Sean Nally (6’1”, G), Isaiah Franklin (6’3″ F), and Danesh Thirukumaran (5’11”, G).
Key Newcomers: Brendon Scarlett (6’0″ Sr. G) and Devante Santifort (6’2″ Sr. F).
View the South Brunswick season schedule
View the South Brunswick holiday tournament schedule
Brunswick Classic Returns This Year
South Brunswick Playing in the 2016 Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout at Montgomery HS
Outlook: South Brunswick is looking to contend again for the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament Championship come February. Although the Vikings lost several key players from last year’s team including Eric Savage, who is now thriving at Tufts University, they have Mike Ugarte and Ryan Moran back along with a host of seniors that come up from a JV program that has been very successful each of the last two years.
Key players to watch on this year’s Viking team in addition to Ugarte and Moran are Tavian Alford, Greg Lee, Chris James, Vic Huetz, and Kunal Thakral. All five of these players are seniors that have been chomping at the bit to play at the varsity level in each of the past two seasons, and made important contributions to the success of the JV program, which reached the finals of the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament in each of the past two seasons and won the tourney two years ago.
During the off-season, the Vikes put in good work as they reached the semifinals of the Moody Park Summer League in Ewing, and finished among the top four teams during the regular season in the Odie Page Summer League in New Brunswick. On top of that, South Brunswick competed in the Summer Primetime Shootout, and defeated Seton Hall Prep in the Linden Fall League.
South Brunswick opens the season at home against Old Bridge, and then travels to face Monroe before hosting J.P. Stevens to round out its first week of action. Then, over the holidays, the Vikings will play in the Brunswick Classic against North Brunswick and New Brunswick. Once the New Year gets underway, SBHS will play in the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout at Montgomery HS on January 14th.
Old Bridge Knights
Team: Old Bridge
Coach: Jim Macomber
Year: 5th
Career Coaching Record: 53-48
Coaching Record At School: 53-48
Last Year’s Overall Record: 18-9
Last Year’s Division Record: 6-6, Fourth Place in GMC Red
Last Year’s Conference Record: 12-7
Last Year’s Accomplishments: Won the Matawan Huskies Holiday Tourney; Reached the GMCT Quarterfinals and Central Jersey Group 4 Quarterfinals
Last Year’s JV Team: Went 8-12; Seeded 10th in the 2016 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament. Defeated 23rd seeded East Brunswick Tech in the Preliminary Round. Lost to 7th seeded Woodbridge in the Round of 16.
Last Year’s Freshmen Team: Went 14-3; Seeded third in the 2016 Perth Amboy Freshmen Tournament. Reached the semifinals (Lost to St. Joseph’s Green (48-40) and lost to Piscataway in the Consolation Game.
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: East Brunswick Team Camp, Hamilton Park Summer League, Hudson Catholic Fall League, Linden Fall League, and Hoop Group Fall Showcase.
Returning Starters: Kyle Parris (6’3” Sr. F) and Will Osvald (6’1” Sr. F)
Returning Reserves: Alston Amegbenyo (6’2″ Sr. F), Rich Calandrino (6’3″, Sr. G), Brandon Milling (6’0”, Sr. G)
Key Losses From Last Season: Connor Romano (6’1” G–playing basketball at Ramapo University), Stephen Strom (6’1” G–playing basketball at Rutgers-Newark), C.J. Santoro (5’8” G), and Zach Attianese (6’2”, F—playing baseball at the University of North Carolina).
Key Newcomers: Julius Belton (5’10” So. G), Jared Meyer (5’10” So. G), Mike Olivia (5’10” So. G), Kavon Morgan (6’1″ Jr. G), and Robert Benites (6’8″ So. C).
View the Old Bridge season schedule
View the Old Bridge Holiday Tourney schedule
Outlook: The Old Bridge Knights are still looking to contend despite losing three from its starting five along with a key reserve from last year’s team. The graduations of Connor Romano (Ramapo), Stephen Strom (Rutgers-Newark), C.J. Santoro, and Zach Attianese (North Carolina) hurts, but they have some firepower back, and some very talented newcomers.
Kyle Parris will lead the way for the Knights. Parris can do it all. He can score inside, and from the perimeter. He’s athletic and can block shots as well as put together highlight reel dunks, and he’s a very good foul shooter. Rich Calandrino, Will Osvald, and Brandon Milling are also back and provide scoring punch, especially from the perimeter. Old Bridge’s sophomore class is very talented as well.
Coming up from a freshmen team that went 14-3 a year ago, and finished fourth in the Perth Amboy Tourney are: Julius Belton, Jared Meyer, and Mike Olivia. In addition, Old Bridge landed St. Joseph’s transfer, Robert Benites, who was a member of the St. Joseph’s-Green team that defeated Old Bridge’s freshmen in the semifinals, and won the Amboy Frosh tourney.
The Knights put in some solid work this past off-season with appearances in the East Brunswick Team Camp, Hamilton Park Summer League in Jersey City, Hudson Catholic Fall League, Linden Fall League, and the Hoop Group Fall Showcase. Old Bridge opens the season at South Brunswick, and then visits Perth Amboy before hosting Piscataway in its home opener.
Old Bridge will then play in the Matawan Huskies Classic over the holidays. The Knights are the defending champion in the holiday tourney after defeating the host school, Matawan in the Championship Game a year ago.
St. Joseph’s Falcons
Team: St. Joseph’s
Coach: Dave Turco
Year: 12th
Career Coaching Record: 422-119
Coaching Record At School: 259-57
Last Year’s Overall Record: 22-6
Last Year’s Division Record: 12-0, 1st in GMC Red Division
Last Year’s Conference Record: 16-0
Last Year’s Accomplishments: GMC Red Division Champions, Won GMCT Championship, Reached Non-Public A South Championship
Last Year’s JV Team: Went 9-10–Seeded 6th in the Championship of the 2016 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament. Reached the semifinals (Lost to South Brunswick 55-40).
Last Year’s Freshman Teams: Green Team: Went 20-2; Seeded 2nd in 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tourney Round of 16 (Lost to North Brunswick, 52-25); White Team: Went 14-4; Seeded 5th in the 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tourney. Reached Quarterfinals (Lost to Bishop Ahr 44-33).
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: Linden Team Camp, Linden Summer League, Colonia JV Summer League, and Immaculata Fall League
Returning Starters: Letrell West (6’2”, Sr. G)
Returning Reserves: Malachi Walker (6’5”, Sr. F/C) and Mike Granda (5’9″ Sr. G)
Key Losses From Last Season: Bree Tyree (6’1″, G–now playing at the University of Mississippi), Tyus Battle (6’6”, G–now playing at Syracuse University), Khalif Battle (6’2”, So. G–transferred to Trenton Catholic), Alonzo Frink (6’8”, Jr. F–transferred to Roselle Catholic), and Xavier Townes (6’3”, Sr. G–transferred to Sayreville).
Key Newcomers: Tyree Taganeca-Ford (6’2″ Fr. G/F), Richard Greaves (5’11” Fr. G), Matthew Crowley (5’10” So. G), Zach Martini (6’7″ Fr. F/C), Ryan Granito (6’1″ So. G), Daniel Young (6’4″ Jr. F), Ethan Hillman (6’6″ Fr. F), Howard McBurnie (6’2″ So. F), and Matthew Cruz (6’2″ So. G).
View the St. Joseph’s Season Schedule
View St. Joseph’s Holiday Tourney Schedule
St. Joseph’s to Play in 2017 SFIC Festival
Notable GMC Transfers and Coaching Changes
Outlook: The Falcons not only took a hit to graduation with the departures of Tyus Battle (Syracuse) and Bree Tyree (Mississippi), but also lost several key players in its starting rotation from last year due to transfer: Khalif Battle (Trenton Catholic), Alanzo Frink (Roselle Catholic), and Xavier Townes (Sayreville).
In addition, St. Joseph’s also lost a number of promising players from the JV and freshman levels due to transfer. Nevertheless, Joes still has Letrell West, Malachi Walker, and Mike Granda back, and all three played well during the summer and fall in the Linden Summer League and Immaculata Fall League.
At Linden during the summer, the Falcons reached the semifinals of the league there before losing to the host school, Linden Tigers. St. Joseph’s also competed in the Linden Team Camp, where they defeated Barringer in one of its games. During the fall, the Falcons started slow at Immaculata, but finished strong with 4 wins in their last 5 games.
St. Joe’s opens the season at home against East Brunswick, and then travels to Piscataway before hosting Monroe to round out its first week of games. Then, over the holidays, the Falcons play in the Neptune Holiday Jubilee. After the New Year gets underway, St. Joseph’s will compete in the SFIC Festival against Paramus Catholic on Saturday, January 7th at Kean University.
East Brunswick Bears
Team: East Brunswick
Coach: Mark Motusesky
Year: 4th
Career Coaching Record: 53-24
Coaching Record At School: 53-24
Last Year’s Overall Record: 18-9
Last Year’s Division Record: 9-3, Tied for Second In GMC Red
Last Year’s Conference Record: 13-7
Last Year’s Accomplishments: Reached GMCT Semifinals for 5th straight year and Reached Central Jersey Group 4 Quarterfinals.
Last Year’s JV Team: Went 10-11; Seeded 4th in the 2016 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament Reached the Quarterfinals (lost to Monroe).
Last Year’s Freshman Team: Went 6-14; Seeded 10th in the 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament Lost to J.P. Stevens in the Round of 16.
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: East Brunswick Team Camp, Bridgewater-Raritan Summer League, and Immaculata Fall League.
Returning Starters: None
Returning Reserves: Ezra Levitt (6’0”, Sr. G), Jesse Perel (5’10” Jr. G), Dante Ralph (6’3” Sr. C), Joe Sampson (5’11”, Jr. G), Eric Schneider (5’10” Jr. G), Ryan Crocco (6’1”, Jr. F), and Gil Wyman (6’2”, Sr. F)
Key Losses From Last Season: Matt Ross (5’11”, G–walked on at Towson University), Mike Vick (6’1”, G–playing basketball at Rutgers-Newark), and Addis Ralph (6’6”, F–playing basketball at Moravian), Justin Sewnarine (6’2”, Sr. G), Mike Brizuela (5’11”, Sr. G),
Key Newcomers: Brandon Rosenthal (5’9″ Jr. G), Xavier Fitzgerald (6’1″ So. F), Mitchell Pingoy (5’10” Jr. G), David Bermudez (5’9″ Jr. G), and Tom Connolly (6’4″ Sr. F).
View the East Brunswick Season Schedule
View the East Brunswick Holiday Tournament Schedule
Brunswick Classic Returns This Year
Outlook: The East Brunswick Bears lost a lot of firepower with the graduation of its big three last year: Matt Ross (Towson University–walked on there), Mike Vick (Rutgers-Newark), and Addis Ralph (Moravian). In addition, the Bears lost two more of its starting five in Mike Brizuela and Justin Sewnarine.
Nevertheless, the Bears do return sharpshooter Joe Sampson, Dante Ralph, and Gil Wyman while others such as Jesse Perel, Eric Schneider, Ezra Levitt, and Ryan Crocco did see some varsity time last year while Schneider, Wyman, and Crocco saw time at the JV level as well a year ago.
EB can be a dangerous team in the GMC this year if they can share the ball and hit their threes. A year ago, East Brunswick won games against North Brunswick on opening night, at Old Bridge in January, and versus Colonia in the GMCT Quarterfinals by getting everyone involved. If the Bears do that this season, they will be in the fight for the GMC Red.
During the off-season, East Brunswick had two squads play at its own team camp while the varsity competed in the Bridgewater-Raritan Summer League, and the Immaculata Fall League. EB had some good moments in both leagues. Against Plainfield during the summer at Bridgewater, the team was clicking on all cylinders, especially from there.
A similar thing happened against Immaculata on opening night of the Immaculata Fall League. Joe Sampson played his most complete game of his high school career by not settling for threes, and getting to the basket, where he either scored on layups or dished to Dante Ralph for scores. If the Bears play consistently like this, they will be tough to beat.
East Brunswick opens the season against St. Joseph’s on the road. The Bears have not beaten the Falcons since the middle of the 2012-13 season. Then, EB travels to play J.P. Stevens and hosts Perth Amboy before taking on New Brunswick and North Brunswick in the Brunswick Classic at South Brunswick High School over the holidays.
Piscataway Chiefs
Team: Piscataway
Coach: Darius Griffin
Year: 1st
Career Coaching Record: Not applicable; first varsity head coaching job
Coaching Record At School: Not applicable; first year as varsity coach.
Last Year’s Overall Record: 7-14
Last Year’s Division Record: 3-9, Fifth Place in the GMC Red
Last Year’s Conference Record: 6-10
Last Year’s Accomplishments: Defeated North Brunswick twice.
Last Year’s JV Team: Went 11-10; Seeded 3rd in the 2016 EB/GMC JV Tourney. Defeated Colonia in the Round of 16 and lost to St. Joseph’s in Quarterfinals for the 2nd straight year (58-48).
Last Year’s Freshman Team: Went 17-4; Seeded 4th in 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament. Reached semifinals (lost to top seeded Edison, 44-41). Won consolation game over Old Bridge to finish 3rd.
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: East Brunswick Team Camp, Bridgewater Summer League, Odie Page Summer League, and Immaculata Fall League.
Returning Starters: D’Ondre Dent (6’1”, Jr. G), Mehki Morgan (5’11” Sr. G), Cameron Saintil (6’2″ Sr. G), Jordan Davidson (6’0″ Jr. G), and Mattias Arrindell (6’1″ Jr. G).
Returning Reserves: Deandre Scott (6’0″ Sr. G), Keshawn Grant (6’2″ Jr. F), and Dahjuan Bennerman (6’0″ Sr. G)
Key Losses From Last Season: Darius Gillon (6’3”, Sr. F)
Key Newcomers: Parris Washington (6’1″ Jr. F), Matt Dread (6’2″ Sr. F/C), Noah Freeney (5’11” Sr. G), Nasir Gray (6’1″ Jr. G), Tyree Barba-Bey (5’10” So. G), and Danny Haus (6’0″ Sr. G),
View the Piscataway Season Schedule
View the Piscataway Holiday Tournament Schedule
Griffin Looking to Bring Piscataway Back to Respectability.
Outlook: The Chiefs have had three straight solid freshmen teams and all of that talent is coming. Over the last three years, P-Way’s freshmen have reached the Perth Amboy/GMC Final Four twice, and the other year, the Frosh Chiefs were the tourney’s top seed.
P-Way did show some signs of improvement last year by defeating North Brunswick twice, and winning three games within the division while winning three more games than the previous year. Over the summer, Piscataway was busy by competing in the East Brunswick Team Camp, Bridgewater Summer League, and Odie Page Summer League.
During the fall, the Chiefs finished tied for third place at the Immaculata Fall League with a 5-3 record. Piscataway’s most notable win was over Ridge of the Skyland Conference. P-Way has a lot of athleticism, speed, and quickness. The Chiefs are tenacious on defense, and that is the key to developing their fast break attack. If P-Way can produce in its halfcourt sets, it can do well in the GMC Red this year.
Piscataway opens the season at home against Perth Amboy, and then hosts St. Joseph’s in a key early season match-up for the Chiefs. Then, P-Way will travel to Old Bridge to finish out its opening week of the season before taking on Ramsey in the opening round of the Morris Knolls holiday tourney over Christmas break.
Monroe Falcons
Team: Monroe
Coach: Nick Puleio
Year: 7th
Career Coaching Record: 74-77
Coaching Record At School: 74-77
Last Year’s Overall Record: 9-14
Last Year’s Division Record: 9\6-8, 5th in GMC White Division
Last Year’s Conference Record: 8-11
Last Year’s Accomplishments: Defeated Colonia. Won 7 of its last 11 games.
Last Year’s JV Team: Seeded 5th in the 2016 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament. Defeated East Brunswick in the Quarterfinals to reach semis. Lost to North Brunswick in Final Four (62-54).
Last Year’s Freshman Team: Seeded 14th in the 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament. Lost to 3rd seeded Old Bridge in the Round of 16.
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: MJBL Spring League, East Brunswick Team Camp, MJBL Summer League, MSC Summer League, and MSC Fall League.
Returning Starters: Luke Patel (5’11” Jr. G), Mike Kides (6’2” So. G), Matt Hoyt (5’11” Jr. G), and Peter Nesti (5’11” Sr. G)
Returning Reserves: A.K. Patel (6’1” Sr. G), Eric Johnson (6’3” Jr. F), and Fritz Frage (5’10” Jr. G).
Key Losses From Last Season: Eddie Pinto (6’5” F), Kenny Sysyn (6’2”, F), and Hassan Reid (6’3″ Sr. F–moved to North Carolina).
Key Newcomers: Sashank Sindhia (6’3″ Jr. G/F), Jackson Maddox (6’1″ Sr. F), Justin Murray (5’9″ Jr. PG), and Jari Davis (6’4″ Fr. F).
View the Monroe Season Schedule
View Monroe’s Holiday Tourney Schedule
Outlook: The Falcons have a lot of talent coming back after losing only Eddie Pinto and Kenny Synsyn to graduation from last year’s team. However, the Purple Birds suffered a tough loss when one of its top JV players from a season ago, Hassan Reid, moved to North Carolina.
In addition, Monroe is moving up from the White to the rough and tumble GMC Red. While there are no easy nights in the White Division, the competition is even harder in the bigger school Red. The Falcons do have four of its five starters back along with several reserves, and got a huge boost with the transfer of Sashank Sindhia, who was a standout player for St. Joseph’s JV last year.
The addition of Sindhia gives the Falcons a little more size and length as well as a player who can score down low as well as the perimeter. The Falcons also have Jackson Maddox coming up from a JV team that finished in the East Brunswick/GMC JV Final Four a year ago after upsetting East Brunswick in the quarterfinals. Jari Davis, the younger brother of Jair Davis, is a promising talent from the freshman class.
During the off-season, Monroe was one of only two teams again to play in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Falcons not only played in the MJBL Spring and Summer Leagues, but they also participated in the East Brunswick Team Camp as well as the Monroe Sports Center Summer and Fall Leagues. With a talented junior class led by Luke Patel, Matt Hoyt, Fritz Frage, and Eric Johnson, Monroe has the potential to be very good over the next two years.
Monroe opens up the season at home against J.P. Stevens on opening night, and then against South Brunswick before traveling to St. Joseph’s to finish out its first week of action. Then, over the holidays, the Purple Birds will host its own holiday tournament with a first round game against Robbinsville on December 27th.
J.P. Stevens Hawks
Team: J.P. Stevens
Coach: Robert Jones
Year: 8th
Career Coaching Record: 49-117
Coaching Record At School: 49-117
Last Year’s Overall Record: 15-9
Last Year’s Division Record: 9-5, 4th in GMC White Division
Last Year’s Conference Record: 13-7
Last Year’s Accomplishments: Qualified for North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 State Tournament. Reached the GMCT Round of 16. Defeated Woodbridge.
Last Year’s JV Team: Went 11-7; Seeded 11th in the 2015 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament. Defeated 22nd seeded Timothy Christian in the Preliminary Round and lost to 6th seeded St. Joseph’s (46-38) in the Round of 16.
Last Year’s Freshman Team: Went 8-8; Seeded 7th and Reached Quarterfinals of the 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament. Defeated 10th seeded East Brunswick in the Round of 16 and Lost to 2nd seeded St. Joseph’s-Green in the Quarterfinals (57-44).
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: Rahway Summer League
Returning Starters: Javon Scott (6’4” Sr. F)
Returning Reserves: Rishav Ghosh (6’1” Sr. F), Jesse Shiluli (6’0” Jr. G), Dylan Zamora (6’1” Jr. G), Tyrese Conover (5’5” Jr. G), Rohan Rao (5’11” Jr. G), and Frank Diserio (5’11” Jr. F).
Key Losses From Last Season: Jay’von Blacknall (5’9” G), Alex Corrigan (5’11” G), Mike Lionikis (6’3” G), Mike Katims (5’10” G), and Shivam Patel (6’2” F).
Key Newcomers: Elisha Smith (5’9″ Jr. G), Solomon Smith (5’9″ So. G), and Jared Baptist (6’0″ Jr. F).
View the J.P. Stevens Season Schedule
View J.P. Stevens Holiday Tourney Schedule
Outlook: The odds are stacked against a very good J.P. Stevens team that won the Rahway Summer League for the second straight year this past summer. The Hawks lost four of their five starters from a year ago, and move up to the GMC Red.
Returning are the lone starter and big man, Javon Scott, and GMC Hoops Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, Rishav Ghosh. Stevens also has a very talented junior class that reached the Quarterfinals of the 2016 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament before losing to St. Joseph’s (46-38).
On the freshmen level, the Hawks also have decent talent. The Freshmen team was only .500 at 8-8 last year, but earned the 7th seed in the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament, and defeated 10th seeded East Brunswick in the opening round before losing to eventual champion, St. Joseph’s-Green in the quarterfinals (57-44).
A year ago, the Hawks were the GMC Hoops Defensive Team of the Year, allowing the fewest points of any team in the GMC. Expect more of the same from this Bobby Jones coached team, which will have to rely a lot on its defense to keep it in games while getting enough scoring from Scott, Ghosh, dynamic point guard, Tyrese Conover, and Elisha Smith to win games.
J.P. Stevens opens its season on the road at Monroe, and then hosts East Brunswick before traveling to South Brunswick to round out its first week of games. Then, over the holidays, the Hawks will once again compete in the Anthony J. Cotoia Holiday Tournament at South Plainfield.
Perth Amboy Panthers
Team: Perth Amboy
Coach: Edwin Santana
Year: 9th
Career Coaching Record: 81-122
Coaching Record At School: 81-122
Last Year’s Overall Record: 8-15
Last Year’s Division Record: 1-11, 7th Place in the GMC Red
Last Year’s Conference Record: 5-13
Last Year’s Accomplishments: None.
Last Year’s JV Record: Went 9-13; Seeded 8th in 2016 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tourney. Defeated Edison in the Round of 16. Lost to eventual champion, North Brunswick in the Quarterfinals.
Last Year’s Freshman Team: Went 4-13; Seeded 15th in the 2016 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament. Lost to 2nd seeded and eventual champion, St. Joseph’s-Green (62-28) in Round of 16.
Off-Season Leagues/Team Camps: East Brunswick Team Camp, Rahway Summer League, and Monroe Sports Center Fall League.
Returning Starters: Joshua Nazario (5’9” G) and Joshua Cabezudo (5’11”, G)
Returning Reserves: Gabriel Torres (6’3”, F), Kaieme Byers (6’0″ So. G), and Luis Bonilla (5’11” Jr. G).
Key Losses From Last Season: Johnny Jones (5’10” G) and Ethon Diaz (6’1”, G), Jesus Garcia, (6’7” F), Anderson Jerez (5’11, G/F), Luis Rivera (6’1”, G), and Victor Soto (6’1” G), and Jose Genao (6’5”, Sr. G/F–transferred).
Key Newcomers: Fres Cabrera (6’2″ Sr. G/F), Jazheel Espiritsanto (6’1″ Jr. G/F), Chris Carrera (5’10” So. G–transferred in from St. Joseph’s), Joe Malave (5’8″ Sr. G), Quassim Jackson (6’0″ Fr. G), Adam Gornowicz (5’11” Jr. F–ineligible to start season), Wilbert Rosario (6’2″ Sr. C), Wylie Quintana (6’2″ Sr. C), Alfeny Javier (6’6″ Jr. C–ineligible to start season), and Kevin Canela (5’10” Sr. G).
View the Perth Amboy Season Schedule
View the Perth Amboy Holiday Tourney Schedule
Outlook: The Panthers are looking to improve over last year’s season, and have a lot of talent to do that. Amboy has a very talented junior class that includes the likes of Luis Bonilla and Adam Gornowicz along with some talented sophomores including St. Joseph’s transfer, Chris Carrera and Kaieme Byers, the younger brother of former Amboy Tech standout, Kyrie Byers.
Perth Amboy also possesses Fres Cabrera, who is one of the top players in the GMC in the open floor. Josh Nazario and Josh Cabezudo return from a team that went 8-15 a year ago, and lost quite a bit to graduation including explosive scorer Johnny Jones and Ethan Diaz. The Panthers also lost Jose Genao, and also have a couple players: Gornowicz and Alfeny Javier that are currently ineligible.
Over the summer, Perth Amboy competed in the Rahway Summer League, and missed out on the playoffs with a 5-5 overall record. However, the Panthers did win its two games covered by GMC Hoops. Both games were barn burners with one point wins over South Plainfield (54-53) and J.F. Kennedy (51-50). During the fall, Amboy did much better going 7-1 at the Monroe Sports Center including wins over Jackson Memorial and Timothy Christian.
The Panthers open the season on the road at Piscataway, and then host Old Bridge in its home opener. Perth Amboy then closes out its first week of play on the road at East Brunswick before competing again in the Monroe Township Holiday Tournament against Brick Township on December 27th.