GMC Hoops Blogosphere

Video Highlights–Edison vs. St. Joseph’s-Green–Perth Amboy Freshmen Tournament–Semifinalls–February 22, 2011

Here are video highlights from St. Joseph’s-Green victory over Edison in the semifinal round of the 2011 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament on Tuesday. St. Joseph’s had a 30-26 lead at the half, but clamped down defensively, and outscored Edison by a 27-12 margin in the second half for the 57-38 victory. Brandon Bielak led the Little Falcons with 18 points including 12 in the first half while teammate Matt Olivo chipped in with 14 points including 9 in the second half. Edison was led by forward, Jalen Jackson, who had a team high 17 points.

No Star-Ledger College Summer League This Year

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Thursday, GMC Hoops learned from Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops that there will be no Star-Ledger College Summer League this year. No reason was given for why the league is not happening this summer. The league had been going on at the Rutgers Barn on College Avenue for the past three summers, and showcased a good deal of GMC talent including: Jean Georges, Sean Baptiste, A.J. Rudowitz, Nick Smith, Darren Smith, Marquis Jones, Kevin Edmonds, Kofi Genfi, Dan Stonkus, Ian Robinson, Devon Young, Mike Burwell, and Richie Jean-Jacques.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–Playoff Seeds And Brackets

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–Earlier this week, GMC Hoops obtained the seeds for the playoffs at the 2008 Star-Ledger College Summer League taking place over at the College Ave Barn on the main campus of Rutgers University. Games in the tournament have already been played with the Championship Game set for Thursday night, July 31st at 7:30 PM. Below are the playoff seeds courtesy of Jay Gomes from NJ Hoops. Brackets are available at bracketmaker.com

Playoff Seeds

1. D’Annunzio & Sons (8-2)–earned a first round bye
2. AXA Advisors (7-3)–earned a first round bye
3. Bignell Planning (4-6)
4. Nelligan Sports Marketing (4-6)
5. VP Builders (4-6)
6. Scarlet Fever (3-7)

GMC Hoops hopes to be out at the Barn on Thursday night to see the Championship Game from this league.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–Final Regular Season Standings

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–With the completion of regular season play on Thursday night in the 2008 Star-Ledger College Summer League, D’Annunzio & Sons and AXA Advisors earned the top two seeds in the playoffs while Bignell Planning, Nelligan Sports Marketing, VP Builders, and the Scarlet Fever all had first round playoff dates. GMC Hoops was able to obtain the final regular season standings for this league courtesy of Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops. Below are the final standings:

• D’Annunzio & Sons (8-2)
• AXA Advisors (7-3)
• Bignell Planning (4-6)
• Nelligan Sports Marketing (4-6)
• VP Builders (4-6)
• Scarlet Fever (3-7)

GMC Hoops came out to the Barn on Sunday to take in the nightcap game between Nelligan Sports Marketing and VP Builders in the first round of the playoffs.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–July 24, 2008–Results

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–The final day of the regular season took place at the 2008 Star-Ledger College Summer League over at the College Avenue Barn on the main campus of Rutgers University. As always, there was a doubleheader of action from this league with the opener at 6:30 PM and the nightcap at 8:15 PM. Once again, due to scheduling conflicts, GMC Hoops was unable to attend any of the action from this league. However, Jay Gomes from NJ Hoops was kind enough to provide information on the contests played.

In the first game, VP Builders won its second straight contest to enhance its position in the final standings, and the playoffs with a 102-95 victory over the Scarlet Fever. St. Augustine Prep’s own Anthony Farmer, who now stars at Rutgers, collected a team high 20 points for the winners while former St. Joseph’s standout, Sean Baptiste (FDU) tallied a game high 33 in a losing cause for the Fever. In the rebounding department, recent graduate, and 7-footer Ian Chiles (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) of Paterson Catholic pulled down a team high 11 rebounds while Jamil Goodwin of Bloomfield (26 points and 16 boards), and soon to be Notre Dame Prep, collected a game high 16. Rob Delaney dished out a game high 7 assists for the losers while Rashod Calloway (Tampa) passed out six for the winners. Other notable efforts from the game were by Jonathan Jones of Kean, who picked up 18 points and 6 rebounds, and Sayreville’s Kofi Genfi, who compiled a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

In the finale, Nelligan Sports Marketing kept pace with VP Builders thanks to a surprising 98-89 decision over Bignell Planning, which had once been the league leaders, and now limped into the playoffs with five losses in its final six games. Sharpshooting guard, Pedro Burgos (Mercer County College) led Nelligan with a game high 27 points while Jheryl Wilson (NJIT) had a team high 18 points for Bignell. Paul Nelson (12 points and 21 rebounds), who has collected a whopping 112 rebounds in his past 6 games for an average of 18.7 per game for Nelligan, pulled down another 21 on this night for a game high yet again. Rodland Pierre of Kean collected double digit boards with 10 for Bignell. Former St. Joseph’s player and Plainfield standout, Anthony Nelson (Niagara) handed out five assists while Colin Aldridge passed out three for Bignell. Other notable efforts were from Linden’s own Daryl Lampley (St. Peter’s) with 17 points and 4 rebounds, Eric Wilkins (Miami) with 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Charles Funchess with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at the Barn on Sunday night for the finale of the opening round Playoff Doubleheader.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–July 22, 2008

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Tuesday night, the final week of regular season action continued in the 2008 Star-Ledger College Summer League over at the College Avenue Barn on the main campus of Rutgers University. Bignell Planning continued to stumble and tumble while the D’Annunzio & Sons Express came to a screeching halt. GMC Hoops was not in attendance on this day since it was over at both the Middlesex County College Summer League, and the Bound Brook College Summer League. However, Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops was nice enough to provide the results from the action on Tuesday.

In the first game, VP Builders ended a two game losing streak with a 101-95 victory over Bignell Planning, which has dropped four of its last five games after being in first place earlier in the season. St. Augustine Prep alum, Anthony Farmer, who now plays at Rutgers, came up with a team high 25 points for the victors while Colin Aldridge paced Bignell with a game high 31 points. In the rebounding department, Mark Tracy of VP, who currently plays at Middlesex County College, had a team high 8 rebounds while Eric Wilkins (26 points and 9 rebounds) of the University of Miami, pulled down a game high 9 rebounds for Bignell.

Farmer added to his scoring efforts by handing out 7 assists for the winners while former St. Benedicts and current NJIT standout, Jheryl Wilson (16 points and 5 rebounds) dished out seven as well to tie for the game high. Other notable performances including 23 points and 3 assists by Rashod Calloway of Tampa for VP Builders, and 18 points and 5 rebounds by Jonathan Jones of VP Builders. Meanwhile, in the nightcap game, AXA Advisors recorded a huge win in terms of momentum going into the playoffs, which begin on Sunday.

AXA, which entered the contest some two games behind D’Annunzio & Sons in the standings, and with no way of overcoming that, still managed to get a huge win under its belt by defeating D & S to end its eight game winning streak, 92-83. Despite a game high 32 points from Newark Eastside’s Corey Chandler, D’Annunzio gave way to an AXA team that is coming on strong entering the playoff round. Jonathan Mitchell came through again with yet another double-double of a game high 24 points and 14 rebounds. Hamady N’Diaye (13 points) did his best in the low blocks to help D & S with a team high 8 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough

Former St. Anthony’s standout, and future Rutgers hoops guard, Mike Rosario (also had 16 points and 11 rebounds) and teammate Mike Coburn of Mount Vernon handed out 4 assists each for AXA while Chandler (32 points and 5 rebounds) dished 5 in a losing cause for D & S. Earl Pettis chipped in for the winners with 19 points. With the victory, AXA Advisors clinched the second seed, and a first round bye in the playoffs.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–July 20, 2008

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Sunday night, GMC Hoops got on the road after work, and headed once more to the College Avenue Barn on the main campus of Rutgers University for another nightcap game of the doubleheader from the Star-Ledger College Summer League. In the finale, D’Annunzio & Sons continued to roll with yet another victory for its eighth straight win while in the opener, AXA Advisors kept pace with the aforementioned league leaders with a victory over the Scarlet Fever.

The first game saw AXA, which has now won three straight, stay within two games of D’Annunzio & Sons thanks to a 108-85 rout of the Fever. Two Rutgers stars, recent St. Anthony’s graduate, Mike Rosario and Earl Pettis (29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) each had a game high 29 points for AXA while St. Joseph’s graduate and FDU standout, Sean Baptiste registered a team high 22 points for the losers. On the glass, Jonathan Mitchell (15 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double) grabbed double digit boards with 10 while Jamil Goodwin nabbed a game high 13 for the Scarlet Fever. Mount Vernon’s own Mike Coburn of Rutgers dished out game high 9 assists for AXA while Rob Delaney handed out a team high five for the Fever. Kofi Genfi of Sayreville put in a decent showing with 12 points and 8 rebounds while Goodwin added 11 points to his game high total in boards.

In the nightcap, Nelligan Sports Marketing seemed to be poised on the precipice of a major upset in the league when it held a 76-69 advantage over first place D’Annunzio & Sons with 5:31 to go, but D & S did what all good teams do, and that is find a way to win with clutch defensive plays, particularly by Hamady N’Diaye, and much needed scoring down the stretch for a game ending 17-8 spurt including an 11-0 tear to get the 86-84 win, and clinch the top seed in the upcoming playoffs. Newark Eastside graduate, and current Rutgers star, Corey Chandler pulled out all the stops with a game high 35 points and 5 assists while Chris Gaston of Fordham led Nelligan with a team high 23 points.

N’Diaye had a team high 13 rebounds to go along with 8 points and 8 blocked shots to lead D’ Annunzio down low while Ridgewood standout, and Yale star, Paul Nelson pulled down a more modest 14 rebounds to earn game high honors on the glass. Pedro Burgos handed out a game high in assists as well with 5 for NSM while Pat Jackson came through on the perimeter with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Chris Gaston did what he could to give Nelligan a fighting chance with a double-double effort of 23 points and 11 rebounds while Linden’s Darryl Lampley added 20 points in a losing cause for Nelligan. Lampley’s teammate, Jonathan Jones, who plays at Tennessee Tech, didn’t back down an inch to the likes of N’Diaye with his hard drives to the basket for rim rocking dunks and jams that were worth noting here as well.

GMC Hoops entered the gym with 14:03 to go in the first half with the score 12-10 in favor of D’Annunzio & Sons. Seven seconds later, Chandler added a layin for a 14-10 lead at the 13:56 mark. Nelligan then added a pair of free throws to close the gap to two once more at 14-12 with 13:41 to play. Chandler continued the mano a mano battle as he clicked on a short jumper for a 16-12 D & S lead at the 13:27 mark. Jones, who put on an athletic display throughout, grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in for a 16-14 D’Annunzio lead with just inside 13 minutes left in the first half. Then, on a subsequent possession, Jamal McBride from Franklin Township, went to work on the boards with two offensive rebounds for a putback, and an 18-14 D’Annunzio & Sons lead, but Nelligan promptly responded a bit more than a half minute later with a three pointer to pull within one at 18-17 with 11:42 left in the first half.

Sunday night’s nightcap marked the site’s first sighting of former Colonia standout, Kevin Edmonds, who now plays at Carl Albert Junior College in Oklahoma. This summer, Edmonds plays with D’Annunzio & Sons, and he made his presence felt with a three pointer from the left wing to expand the lead to four at 21-17, but Nelligan promptly responded once more in the form of a trey of its own from Bloomfield Tech’s R.J. Hall, who is going to attend Marist in the fall, to make it 21-20 at the 11:08 mark. Nick Del Tufo, who played high school ball and Mendham in Morris County, and now plays in college at Monmouth, came up with an offensive rebound and follow for a 23-20 lead, and sparked a 9-3 run that made the score 30-23 before Nelligan got a three pointer from the left baseline by Chris Gaston to make the score, 30-26 at the 8:33 mark.

The three pointer by Nelligan sparked a 6-0 rally that was capped by a jam at the 7:45 mark of the first half for a 30-29 D & S lead as D’Annunzio head coach, Corey Lowery, called a 30 second timeout. Following the stoppage, Plainfield’s own Anthony Nelson, who briefly played at St. Joseph’s during his freshman year, and now plays college ball at Niagara, netted two free throws for a 31-30 Nelligan lead with 7:08 left in the first half. D’Annunzio & Sons then came up with a long two to grab the lead back, but then Lampley drained a three that brought back memories of his performance against South Brunswick in the 2007 Group IV State Championship game at the RAC about a year and a half ago to give Nelligan at 34-32 lead at the 6:36 mark.

Coming to the rescue for D & S was Pat Jackson, who drained a three pointer, and connected on a long two for a personal 5-0 run, and a 37-34 lead. The game continued to seesaw back and forth as Nelligan embarked on a 6-1 run that was capped by a nice dish from Lampley to Jones for a jam, and a 40-38 lead at the 3:47 mark. D & S replied with five straight points of its own including a three pointer from the right wing by Edmonds to go ahead, 43-40 at the 2:31 mark. Nine seconds later though, Nelligan promptly responded with another Lampley three for a 43-43 tie at the 2:22 mark. Over the next 29 seconds, D’Annunzio & Sons scored the next four points including a pair of charity shots by Chandler for a 47-43 lead only to have Nelligan knot the game up again with four unanswered of its own in just a 19 second span including a steal and assist on a Lampley layup for a 47-47 tie at the 1:34 mark.

Justin Garris of NJIT, who played high school basketball in Morris County, then got a field goal and a layup for a four point, 51-47 D & S lead before Lampley netted another trey to close out the first half scoring with a 51-50 score at the brief intermission. During the course of the first half, neither team had a lead bigger than four points while there were a total of eight lead changes and two ties in the final 7:08 of the half. After some chatting with Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops during the course of the intermission and early part of the second half, GMC Hoops returned to the action with D & S leading by five, 57-52 thanks to a 6-2 start to the new period. Chandler then drained a three pointer from the left wing for a 60-52 advantage at the 17 minute mark. Chris Gaston got some of that back for Nelligan with a layin at the 16:45 mark for a 60-54 score.

Over the next forty-four seconds, Nelligan got two more scores including a short bank shot from the left side by Hall to close to within four again at 62-58 at the 16:01 mark. NSM had a chance to get closer, but Jonathan Jones misfired on a couple of free throws at the 14:36 lead. Edmonds then got on the board for D & S when he was fouled on a layin attempt that produced two free throws, and a 64-58 lead at the 14:16 mark. A short time later, D’Annunzio & Sons tried to expand its edge to eight points, but Jones came up with a steal for an emphatic jam, and a 64-60 D’Annunzio lead with 13:40 remaining. Gaston then followed that up with an offensive rebound and putback that closed the gap to two again at 64-62 as Lowery called for a full timeout to regroup his D’Annunzio & Sons squad with exactly thirteen minutes to play. Following the timeout, Nelligan scored six of the next eight points to take its first lead since the 3:47 mark of the first half at 68-66 with 9:13 to play.

Twenty-four seconds later, Roberto dished to Jones for another emphatic two handed slam for a 70-66 edge at the 8:49 mark. It was at this point that perhaps D’Annunzio & Sons realized the gravity of the situation. Twenty-seven seconds later, Chandler took a pass from Edmonds, and clicked for a three that pulled D’Annunzio within one at 70-69 with 8:21 remaining. Moments later though, Nelson came up with a three point play for a four point lead, and then Nelligan added a field goal before Gaston clicked on a baseline jumper from the left side for a 76-69 advantage at the 5:31 mark. Sensing the urgency of the situation, Chandler got D & S going again by drawing a foul on a three point attempt, which resulted in 2 of 3 at the line for a 76-71 Nelligan lead at the 5:10 mark. Then, after a jumper by Hall put NSM back up by seven, N’Diaye netted a hook shot for a 78-73 score with 4:41 left. The N’Diaye bucket sparked a 7-0 spurt that was capped by a Chandler dish to Justin Garris on the left wing for a jumper that tied the score again at 78-78 with 3:27 to play.

Following a Nelligan Sports Marketing timeout at the 3:21 mark, N’Diaye came up with a huge block on the defensive end that led to a Pat Jackson three point play at the other end, and put D’Annunzio & Sons back out in front for the first time in 6:16 at 81-78 with 2:57 left. Neither team scored for a bit over a minute before a timeout was called at the 1:50 mark. With 1:22 remaining, Chandler had an opportunity to put D & S up by five, and perhaps sow up the game, but misfired on the front end of a one and one. However, the Newark native would make up for that with a dish to N’Diaye for a two handed jam and the foul some 18 seconds later for a traditional three point play, and an 84-78 lead. Despite a late three by Nelligan, D & S was able to avoid the upset with a hard fought, 86-84 win. With the victory, D’Annunzio & Sons improved to 8-1 overall on the season, and clinched the top seed and a first round bye in the upcoming playoff round.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–July 13, 2008

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Sunday night, July 13th, GMC Hoops traveled over to the old College Avenue Barn on the main campus of Rutgers University to take in the nightcap game of the doubleheader to kick off the fourth week of action at the 2008 Star-Ledger College Summer League. On this day, the featured matchup was between D’Annunzio & Sons and the Scarlet Fever. D & S entered play on Sunday with a 5-1 mark while the Scarlet Fever was trying to put an end to a losing streak at 2-4. Prior to the start of the nightcap, Nelligan Sports Marketing played VP Builders in the opener with the winner having the chance to move up into the standings, and keep recent momentum going.

In the first contest, Nelligan improved to 3-4 on the summer with an 89-71 victory over VP Builders, which dropped to 2-5. Anthony Farmer, who played at St. Augustine’s Prep in high school, and now resides at Rutgers, led all scorers with a game high 21 points while Pedro Burgos of Mercer County College, led Nelligan with a team high 18 points. Paul Nelson (16 points), who starred at Ridgewood High School, and plays at Yale, turned in another huge rebounding performance with a game high 20 boards on the night to get a double-double for Nelligan while Terrence Grier pulled down a team high of eight for VP Builders to compliment his 6 points, game high 4 assists, and 5 steals. Darryl Lampley, formerly of Linden, and now of St. Peter’s College, handed out a team high 3 assists for Nelligan. Other notables included Linden’s own and Tennessee Tech bound, Jonathan Jones, who collected a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds, and former Roselle Catholic standout, and current Rutgers Newark player, David Cherry, who picked up 9 points and 5 rebounds.

In the nightcap, and featured GMC Hoops matchup, D’Annunzio & Sons moved up to 6-1 overall on the summer with a 78-68 victory over the Scarlet Fever, which dropped its fourth straight and fell to 2-5 overall on the summer. Former Life Center, and California Prep school standout, Hamady N’Diaye, who presently patrols the paint at Rutgers, came up with a monster double-double performance of game high 19 points and 17 rebounds to lead D’Annunzio & Sons to victory. Meanwhile, former St. Joseph’s graduate, and current standout at FDU, Sean Baptiste did his best to spur on the Scarlet Fever with a team high 17 points to go along with 8 rebounds while Sayreville’s Kofi Genfi, who is a walk on at Rutgers, grabbed a team high 13 boards in a losing cause. Justin Garris, who plays ball at NJIT, handed out a team high five assists for D & S while Rob Delaney of the Scarlet Fever dished out a game high 7 for Lafayette.

Other notable performances from the contest were Nick Smith’s efforts for the Scarlet Fever. Smith, who is currently the all time leading scorer at Colonia High School, came up with 15 points including four three pointers to help out in the losing effort for the Fever. Pat Jackson of Rutgers came up with a solid game of 18 points and 6 rebounds while Bridgewater’s own, and Felician bound, Andrew August shows no signs of the effects of a late regular season injury this past year as he scored 8 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for D’Annunzio. After being at work on Sunday, GMC Hoops arrived at the gym with 15:27 to go in the first half, and D & S leading by a 9-2 score.

Moments after our arrival, N’Diaye made his large presence felt with a blocked shot at about the 15 minute mark of the first half. Pat Jackson then netted two free throws at the 14:27 mark for an 11-2 lead. Mark Tracy, who plays at Middlesex County College, connected on a left handed hook to put an end to the early D & S spurt with a left handed hook for an 11-4 D’Annunzio lead with 14:13 to go in the first half. The league leaders quickly responded on its next time down the floor as Justin Garris scored on a drive for a layin, and a 13-4 lead at the 13:59 mark. The Fever quickly responded again as well thanks to a Jamal Goodwin floater for a 13-6 score with 13:40 remaining in the first half. The game continued to go back and forth as former CBA standout, and Rutgers bound, Mike Kuhn got on the board with a layup that not only made the score, 13-8, but also prompted D & S coach, Corey Lowery to call a 30 second timeout with 13:16 to play in the first half.

Following the timeout, D & S showed some of its new found resolve thanks to a two handed slam by N’Diaye off the bounce of a missed jumper for a 15-8 advantage at the 12:49 mark. Genfi then got himself on the board with a tip in over N’Diaye to close the gap to five again at 15-10 with 12:27 to play before halftime. D’Annunzio & Sons would get another field goal though to go up by seven, and force the Scarlet Fever to call a timeout with 12:14 left in the half, and the scoreboard now reading 17-10 in favor of D & S. Over the next four minutes or so, GMC Hoops had a chance to talk with Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops about a number of different things, but then returned to action with the score now 24-16 in favor of D & S as Franklin’s own, Jamal McBride handed out an assist on a jumper from the right wing at the 8:23 mark. However, the Fever would rally to the tune of a 10-1 spurt over the next 3:51 for a 26-25 lead with 5:32 to go before the intermission.

Highlighting the run was a dish by Delaney upcourt to Baptiste for a layup that made it 25-24, and then a steal and assist by Smith on a dunk by Bloomfield’s Goodwin for the one point lead. Unfortunately for those Scarlet Fever supporters such as Sean Baptiste’s father, that would be one of only two times the Fever would lead in the game, and the edge only lasted for 18 seconds. On the very next D’Annunzio & Sons possession, N’Diaye came up with a bucket as he was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw for the traditional three point play, and the score stood at 27-26 with 5:14 to play before the brief break. Genfi would answer at the other end with a putback to put the Fever ahead of D & S, 28-27 at the 4:56 mark, but then D’Annunzio closed out the first half with 6 of the final 8 points to take a 33-30 lead at the half. Highlighting the half closing burst was a Pat Jackson assist on a Jamal McBride layup for a 29-28 lead with 2:25 to go.

The second half saw D’Annunzio & Sons solidify its lead with a 17-6 spurt over the first 6:36 to take a 50-36 lead with 13:24 to play. D & S went to work right away as Justin Garris fed N’Diaye underneath for the two handed rim rocker, and a 35-30 edge just seven seconds into the new period. About a minute and twenty-two seconds later, Andrew August gave a nice high-low feed to N’Diaye for another two handed stuff, and a 37-30 lead at the 18:31 mark. By this time in the contest, N’Diaye was a perfect 6 of 6 from the field. The Fever would eventually get on the board again, but D & S then replied with eight straight points before Genfi registered another offensive rebound and putback to end the 12-2 spurt that made the score, 45-34 with 15:05 left. August then made one of two at the line with 14:39 left, Seton Hall Prep standout, Gary Wallace followed suit with a one of two showing of his own at the 13:24 mark for the 14 point lead, and then after a Jamin Shumate score, August went to the line again, and converted on one of two for a 51-38 lead at the 13:06 mark.

After another score by D & S to give them their biggest lead of the game to this point, Nick Smith then got the Scarlet Fever on the board, and within 13 with a layin from the right side for a 53-40 D’Annunzio lead. The first place squad then scored four of the next points to go up by 16 before Smith netted one of two at the line for a 57-42 score at the 10:30 mark. On the very next possession, N’Diaye made a nice kickout to Wallace for a three pointer, and a 60-42 advantage as Lowery and D & S called for time with 10:10 remaining in the contest. Over the next 59 seconds following the timeout, the Scarlet Fever quickly raced back into the contest with an 8-0 spurt that included an offensive rebound and putback attempt by Baptiste that drew a foul from Pat Jackson, and produced two free throws for a 60-50 D & S lead at the 9:11 mark. Following a D’Annunzio & Sons field goal, Smith drew the Fever closer with a three pointer from the left wing that made the score, 62-53 at the 8:27 mark.

D’Annunzio would come up with another score to push the margin back to 11 only to have Baptiste come up with a long two point field goal on a jumper from the right corner that made the score, 64-55 at the 7:39 mark. D & S would score again though before calling another timeout with 6:31 remaining, and the scoreboard reading 66-55 in favor of D & S. Following the stoppage, D’Annunzio & Sons did their best to keep trying to chip away at the lead. Baptiste came up with a steal that led to a Delaney assist on a three pointer from the right wing by Smith (his fourth and final trey of the game) to cut the deficit to eight at 66-58 with 5:57 to play. After a three pointer by D & S, Baptiste grabbed an offensive board, and put it back in to make it 69-60, and then the FDU standout followed that with a layup to pull his team to within seven at 69-62 with 3:37 to go. However, after another D & S timeout, Pat Jackson put the game away with a jumper from the left corner that went in as he was fouled for a traditional three point play, and a 72-62 lead.

The Scarlet Fever would never threaten again as both teams closed out the game with six points each in the final 3:19 for the 78-68 D’Annunzio & Sons victory. GMC Hoops plans to be back at the Barn next Sunday to see more action from this college hoops league.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–Latest Standings

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Sunday night, GMC Hoops traveled out to the College Avenue Barn on the main campus of Rutgers University to catch the nightcap game of the doubleheader in the 2008 Star-Ledger College Summer League. In the game, D’Annunzio & Sons continued to maintain its stranglehold on first place with an 8-1 record thanks to a 17-8 spurt over the final 5:31 that included an 11-0 tear for an 86-84 victory over a game Nelligan Sports Marketing. Below are the latest standings in the league courtesy of Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops:

Latest Standings

• D’Annunzio & Sons (8-1)
• AXA Advisors (6-3)
• Bignell Planning (4-4)
• Nelligan Sports Marketing (3-6)
• Scarlet Fever (3-6)
• VP Builders (2-6)

GMC Hoops plans to be out at the Star-Ledger College Summer League on Sunday for the first round of the playoffs.

Star-Ledger College Summer League–Results–July 17, 2008

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Thursday night, the fourth week of action at the 2008 Star-Ledger College Summer League concluded at the College Avenue Barn on the main campus of Rutgers University. Although GMC Hoops was not in attendance to take in some of the action there, Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops was able to provide detailed information on what went on in the two contests that were played. The latest standings are also available.

In the first game of the standard doubleheader, the Scarlet Fever returned to their winning ways with an 84-79 victory over Bignell Planning, which has suddenly lost three straight games. The Fever is now 3-5, and only a game behind Bignell, which dropped to 4-4. Former St. Joseph’s standout, Sean Baptiste (FDU) did his father proud with another game high scoring performance of 25 points along with 9 rebounds to lead the Scarlet Fever while St. Benedict’s alum, Jheryl Wilson (NJIT) had a team high 24 points as well as 9 boards for Bignell. Sayreville High’s own, Kofi Genfi pulled down a game high 11 boards for the winners.

Matt Hall, who knows how to sky a bit himself for Stonehill, was more of a playmaker for the Scarlet Fever with 7 assists while Wayne Mack of Merrimack dished out four for the losers. Hall ended up collecting 17 points and 6 rebounds as well for the Fever while Colin Aldridge, who plays college ball at Brown, had 16 points and Westfield’s Mike Venezia chipped in with 13 for Bignell.

Taking advantage of Bignell’s recent stumble has been AXA Advisors, which moved into sole possession of second place with a 96-94 overtime win over Nelligan Sports Marketing in the nightcap of the double-dip at the Barn. The victory improved AXA Advisors record to 5-3 overall while Nelligan dropped to 3-5 on the summer. The game marked the fourth time this summer that there’s been a contest that has gone to overtime. Leading the way for AXA was Jonathan Mitchell of Rutgers with another double-double of a game high 25 points coupled with a team high 12 rebounds.

Chris Gaston (21 points and 15 rebounds) of Fordham led Nelligan with a team high 21 points while Paul Nelson of Yale grabbed another 19 boards. The game marked the fourth time Nelson has grabbed 19 rebounds or more this summer. Both Mike Rosario (21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) of St. Anthony’s and Mike Coburn of Mount Vernon did RU fans proud by handing out a team high 7 assists apiece for AXA while Plainfield’s Anthony Nelson (Niagara), who played freshman ball at St. Joseph’s, dished out four for Nelligan. Earl Pettis picked up 21 points and 9 rebounds for AXA while Pedro Burgos of Mercer County College helped out in a losing cause for Nelligan with 19 points.

Latest Standings

• D’Annunzio & Sons (7-1)
• AXA Advisors (5-3)
• Bignell Planning (4-4)
• Nelligan Sports Marketing (3-5)
• Scarlet Fever (3-5)
• VP Builders (2-6)