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2010 Rahway Summer League–Analysis

RAHWAY, NJ–On Friday evening, the inaugural Rahway Summer League came to an end with the Championship Game played between fourth seeded Piscataway and second seeded Rahway. The hometown Indians won the battle of Indians by defeating the Chiefs by the score of 49-38. Piscataway, which defeated top seeded Cardinal McCarrick in the semifinals (55-52), led by a score of 19-16 before Rahway closed out the half with an 8-2 run for a 24-21 lead at the intermission, and went on a 25-17 run in the second half for a 33-19 surge over the final 24:34 for an eleven point victory.

Rahway and Piscataway got first round byes along with Cardinal McCarrick and Perth Amboy as a reward for their fine efforts during the regular season. Both McCarrick and Rahway ended the regular season at 9-1 while Amboy lost to McCarrick in the regular season finale, and finished 8-2. P-Way ended up at 6-3 to earn the fourth seed. Rahway defeated JFK in the quarterfinals, and then shutdown Woodbridge in the semifinals while Piscataway defeated fifth seeded Roselle before upsetting Cardy Mac. The Chiefs and Eagles played in each in a regular season game that went to overtime before McCarrick won.

There were 13 teams in the league with tweleve qualifying for the playoffs. Dunellen, which was winless on the summer, didn’t make the post-season. Nine of the teams were from the Greater Middlesex Conference including: Cardinal McCarrick, Dunellen, Edison, J.F. Kennedy, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, South Plainfield, St. Joseph’s, Woodbridge. St. Joseph’s didn’t have its varsity squad in the league, but the youngsters including Jalen Gilmore, Jake Dadika, Greg Patton, Tom Cicalese, Brian Kirkpatrick, Salman Hasan, Mike Cintron gave a fine representation of themselves. McCarrick and Piscataway were the top GMC teams in the league with Woodbridge and Amboy not too far behind.

Both McCarrick and Piscataway didn’t have their full rosters at every game, but still looked to be contenders in the conference for this coming year. McCarrick has a solid nucleus returning despite the losses of Craig Thomas and Mo Isaac to graduation. Dana Raysor, who played seldomly at Rahway, leads a group that has the likes of Jeremy Cruz, Mohammed Ali, Jumanne McDaniel, Charlie Gorman, Will Thomas, John Appiah, Mike Lewis, and Robert Nunez among others along with newcomer Marques Townes. Gorman and Townes played key roles for McCarrick in come from behind wins over Piscataway and Perth Amboy as well as a quarterfinal round win over St. Joseph’s in the playoffs. The Eagles also played at Linden as well as the East Brunswick Team Camp.

P-Way has a talented junior class coming in led by the likes of Tajae Sharpe along with Tyjohn Young, Temi Adebayo, Jelani Jackson, Vik Singh, and Greg Davis. They also have incoming seniors such as Brian Wong along with players such as Donovan Kirkland, Devonte Smith, and Kendall Marks that were a part of a JV team that lost only two games, and reached the finals of the East Brunswick JV tournament this past season. The Chiefs also got a transfer in Galen Smith coming in from Cardinal McCarrick. Woodbridge did impress this summer with plenty of young talent coming back including incoming juniors such as Keith Hughes, Kyle Pearson, Kyle Anderson, and Anthony Nyers along with incoming sophomore Duquan Bailey.

The Barrons along with Edison are moving down to the GMC White this year so they will be tested against the likes of McCarrick, Monroe, Sayreville, North Brunswick, and New Brunswick. Meanwhile, Perth Amboy is staying in the Red, and with an incoming senior class that has always had a lot of potential, and an incoming sophomore class that has a lot of promise, the Panthers could make a step up in 2010-11. Victor Verdecia, Kearny Canela, Yoelbin Sanchez, and Chael Hernandez return along with Hamilton Capellan while Jonathan Rodriguez will be leading the rest of the solid group of sophomores. Amboy also played in the Colonia JV Summer League, East Brunswick Team Camp, and Kean Ironman Challenge.

J.F. Kennedy made a solid run in the playoffs with an upset victory over seventh seeded South Plainfield in the opening round, and a near upset against Rahway in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs have the likes of Daishon Robinson, Nick Spoganetz, Josh Kamenas, A.J. Pichalski, and Jordan Toczynski returning while the likes of Vik Pawar are coming up from the JV. Spoganetz has become more of a scoring threat this summer as he will need to take on some of the scoring load left behind by Rasheed Howard and Joe Marciano while Kamenas has become more confident and assertive offensively. JFK also competed in the E.B. Team Camp. Speaking of South Plainfield, the Tigers were 4-4 going into the finale of the regular season before losing to A.L. Johnson, and then falling to Kennedy in the first round of the playoffs.

SPHS does have some bright spots though including Denzel Mensah, Sharif Ross, Joe Skwiat, and Ray Perez. It will be tough in the White, but the Tigers have made some good steps to improve this summer by playing in this league. South Plainfield also participated in the Rutgers Team Camp. Edison will have to deal with the loss of another transfer as Greg Grippo is now with Rutgers Prep along with the loss of seniors such as Yamir Caroo. On top of that, the Eagles are moving into the more competitive White Division. Look for the likes of Kevin Luckenbach and Brian Cohen as well as others to step up. Dunellen lost two key veterans in Jonard Hall and Luke Francisco to graduation, but Sean Gibney, Jeff Puckett, and Dylan Hoski have learned a great deal from their tour with the DHS varsity last year. The Gold has changed a great deal in this offseason, but expect Dunellen to be among the contenders for division honors.

2010 Rahway Summer League–Final Standings

RAHWAY, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Hoops obtained the final standings at the inaugural Rahway Summer League from Dunellen head coach, Bernie Buniak. There were thirteen teams in the league including nine from the GMC. Below are the standings.

2010 Rahway Summer League–Final Standings–July 22nd

• Cardinal McCarrick (9-1)
• Rahway (9-1)
• Perth Amboy (8-2)
• Piscataway (6-3)
• Roselle (6-4)
• Woodbridge (5-3)
• South Plainfield (4-4)
• St. Joseph’s (3-6)
• Edison (3-6)
• Union Catholic (3-6)
• J.F. Kennedy (2-7)
• A.L. Johnson (2-8)
• Dunellen (0-9)

GMC Hoops will be posting the playoff seeds, bracket, and schedule shortly.

2010 Rahway Summer League–Results–Day Fifteen–July 23rd

RAHWAY, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Hoops was able to get out to Rahway High School for the fifteenth night of action from the inaugural Rahway Summer League, and saw all four games of the evening there. Each matchup involved teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference. Below are the results from all four contests.

Rahway Summer League–Results–Day Fifteen–July 23, 2010

• A.L. Johnson 42–South Plainfield 35
• Cardinal McCarrick 49–Perth Amboy 47 2 OT
• Rahway 53–J.F. Kennedy 38
• Union Catholic 41–St. Joseph’s 40

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Rahway High School next week for playoff action. Final standings will be posted shortly along with playoff seeds and brackets and a playoff schedule.

Rahway Summer League–July 2, 2010

RAHWAY, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Hoops traveled out to Rahway High School to catch the final three games in Friday night action from the 2010 Rahway Summer League. All three games involved two teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference. In the first game, South Plainfield played Dunellen in a renewal of a geographical rivalry. Then, in game two, Woodbridge and St. Joseph’s went at it. Finally, in the third game, the best was saved for last as Cardinal McCarrick and Piscataway battled their way into overtime. The Eagles found a way to win, and remain unbeaten on the summer at Rahway.

South Plainfield Shuts Down Dunellen In Second Half For Win, 34-16

GMC Hoops arrived in time to see the final 12:15 of this one. The Tigers were already in front by a score of 20-13. A little over a minute later, South Plainfield added another field goal for a 22-13 lead. The score remained that way until Dunellen called timeout with 9:23 remaining. Following the stoppage, Dunellen’s Sean Gibney had to leave the game briefly when he was shaken up at the 9:05 mark. The Tigers scored on an offensive rebound and follow at the 8:40 mark for a 24-13 lead before the Destroyers got their only points of the last 12:15 of the contest on a three pointer by Gibney from the right wing at the 7:57 mark for a 24-16 SPHS lead.

Using its size advantage, South Plainfield attack the glass on its next possession, which led to an offensive rebound and follow for a 26-16 lead with 7:30 to go. Dunellen had a chance to score when it grabbed three offensive rebounds, but couldn’t put in the follow at the 7:10 mark. After the Tigers called for time at the 7:01 mark. Troy McNair used a high screen to dribble around the right side for a drive to the basket that drew a foul, and produced two free throws for a 28-16 lead with 6:46 remaining. After a four minute lull in the scoring, SPHS connected on a jumper from the left wing at the 2:46 mark for a 30-16.

The Tigers then put the game away with two offensive rebounds and follows that drew a foul, and resulted in two foul shots for a 32-16 lead with 1:21 left. South Plainfield then made two more trips to the line for one of two charity shots to round up the 34-16 victory. The Tigers were 6 of 8 from the foul line over the final 6:46 in the win.

Defense Propels Woodbridge Past St. Joseph’s, 44-41

In the second game of the GMC Hoops tripleheader at Rahway on Friday night, Woodbridge and St. Joseph’s renewed acquaintances. These two teams have been familiar foes in the GMC Red for the past several years, but this coming season, the Barrons will be moving down to the White Division. So, this game may be a rare meeting between the two schools. As they’ve done in their previous two games at Rahway covered by the site, the St. Joseph’s Falcons played very competitively despite being short in numbers and in experience.

Like they did against Perth Amboy two weeks ago, the Falcons jumped out to an early lead only to succumb to the experience and size of Woodbridge. The Barrons defense also played a key role. St. Joe’s was limited to just 15 of 48 shooting for 31 percent including a 5 of 14 showing from beyond the arc. The Falcons also committed 22 turnovers including 14 in the second half. Woodbridge converted those turnovers into 12 points including eight in the game’s final 20 minutes. Keith Hughes and Duquan Bailey played a prominent role in the defensive side of this victory. Hughes did a good job limiting the amount of space that St. Joe’s guard, Greg Patton had. Whenever, Patton did have some room, Hughes cut that down by putting his long arm out and stick a hand in Patton’s face.

The result was a 2 of 13 showing from the floor by Patton, who scored 15 points in a loss to Perth Amboy two weeks ago. Hughes, who scored 7 points and collected 2 assists, also rebounded well with 9 boards and blocked two shots. Bailey didn’t start the game, but the soon to be sophomore came off the bench to make a difference. He picked up eight steals in the balance of time that he was out on the floor. Bailey also handed out four assists in addition to scoring six points. Kyle Anderson and Kyle Pearson provided the scoring punch for the Barrons with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Pearson connected on 5 of 8 shots overall from the floor after coming off the bench while Anderson scored eight of his points in the second half including two three pointers to help give the Barrons a 43-32 lead with less than a minute to go. Anthony Nyers scored a late layup while Kyle Figueredo also added a bucket to help round out the scoring. For the game, Woodbridge shot 18 of 36 from the floor including 3 of 8 from long distance. The Falcons were only 4 of 9 from the charity stripe while the Barrons were only 5 of 11. WHS also had some trouble with turnovers, especially early on. Woodbridge ended up with 19 turnovers on the game, which St. Joe’s was able to converted into 9 points. Patton ended the game with 5 points, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds for the Falcons.

The Falcons opened the game with a three pointer for a 3-0 lead before Hughes tied the game with a conventional three point play at the 18:20 mark. Patton sank one of two from the line at the 17:06 mark for a 4-3 lead, and his teammates added a jumper and a three pointer for a 6-2 run, and a 9-5 lead at the 12:45 mark. Patton then connected on a jumper that banked in for an 11-5 lead with 12:12 to go in the first half. Both teams then exchanged scores over the next 2:49 including a floater that banked in for St. Joe’s at the 9:23 mark for a 13-7 lead as Woodbridge called for time. Following the timeout, the Barrons showed some urgency with a 7-0 run over the next 3:40.

Bailey and Anderson got scores, and Pearson had a two handed jam to tie things up at 13-13 with 7:06 to go in the first half. Hughes then gave the Barrons a 14-13 lead with a one of two showing from the foul line at the 5:43 mark. The two teams exchanged scores for a 16-15 Woodbridge lead before the Falcons made one of two from the line at the 1:59 mark to tie the game at 16-16. Woodbridge scored five of the next seven points including a three point play by Hughes at the one minute mark that broke an 18-18 tie. St. Joe’s got a score in the final minute of the half to trail at the intermission, 21-18. At the break, Woodbridge was 9 of 18 from the floor, and converted three of four foul shots while making 9 turnovers. St. Joseph’s was limited to 8 of 26 from the field including 2 of 6 from long distance, and went 2 of 5 from the line with 8 turnovers.

Leading the way for Woodbridge at the half was the combination of Hughes and Pearson. Both combined for 62 percent of the Barrons offense over the first twenty minutes. Hughes converted two three point plays to go 2 of 5 from the floor, and 3 of 4 from the line for 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks while Pearson was 3 of 5 from the floor for 6 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal. In the second half, St. Joe’s started things off again with a three pointer, and the game went back and forth for a bit, but the Barrons put together a decisive 17-6 tear for a 43-32 lead en route to the victory.

Just twenty seconds into the second half, the Falcons got on the board with a three pointer from the right corner for a 23-21 lead. Anderson put the Barrons back in front at 24-23 with a trey of his own at the 18:55 mark. St. Joe’s then went ahead again with a three from the right side for a 26-24 lead at the 18 minute mark. Pearson then tied the game at 26-26 with a baseline jumper from the right side with 17:45 to play. Following a timeout at the 17:29 mark, Woodbridge scored five of the next seven points including a layup by Pearson and a three pointer by Anderson off assists by Bailey for a 31-28 lead. Patton accounted for the only St. Joe’s scoring during this stretch with a layup. The Barrons then got another field goal, and one of two from the line by Bailey for a 34-28 lead at the 11:32 mark.

Both teams exchanged scores over the next 2:27 as Woodbridge got a layup while the Falcons made a jumper off an assist by Patton for a 36-30 score at the 9:05 mark. There would be a lull in the scoring for 4:40 before Pearson kicked out to a teammate for a three pointer from the right corner, and a 39-30 lead with 4:25 left. The Barrons then sealed the win with a steal and an assist by Bailey on an Anderson layup and a layup by Nyers from Hughes for a 43-32 lead with 43.4 seconds remaining. St. Joseph’s wouldn’t give up though, and closed the game with a 9-1 spurt by stopping the clock, putting pressure on the Barrons in the backcourt, and connecting on threes. However, it wasn’t enough as Woodbridge came away with the 44-41 victory.

Late Layin By Thomas Lifts McCarrick Over Piscataway In Overtime, 63-61

The nightcap of this GMC Hoops tripleheader at Rahway was a barnburner that lived up to pre-game expectations. The Eagles and Chiefs are arguably two of the best teams in this league. McCarrick has won every game here so far including a 54-18 victory on opening night over A.L. Johnson, a comfortable win over Union Catholic on June 17th, and a win over St. Joseph’s on Thursday night. In its only appearance at Rahway covered by GMC Hoops, P-Way used a strong second half to roll past A.L. Johnson.

For the first 40 minutes of regulation time, it was a tale of two halves. Cardinal McCarrick made 13 of 29 shots in the first half including 6 of 14 from three point range to take a 35-23 lead at the intermission. The Eagles scored 10 of the first 12 points to establish their game, and P-Way had a hard time keeping up. Soon to be senior, Charlie Gorman, led the way for the Eagles as he had many open looks early on, and capitalized on a few of them for a game high 14 points at the intermission. On the other side of the ledger, Piscataway had some difficulties by shooting only 8 of 20 from the floor including 2 of 8 from the line. Free throws kept the Chiefs in it with a 6 of 7 showing at the charity stripe versus only one of three by Cardy Mac.

Brian Wong led the way for the Chiefs with 8 points in the first period while sophomore Jelani Jackson have five points in the final 2:27 of the period. In the second half, the Chiefs showed some resolve by stepping up on defense, and feeding off of their pressure on offense for a 26-7 surge in the first 15:51 of the period to take a 49-42 lead. Pacing Piscataway in the second half turnaround was Vik Singh, who ended up with a perfect performance for a game high 23 points. Singh made all eight of his shots from the floor including two threes, and netted all five of his free throws for the high game while also collecting 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 stelas, 2 blocks, and a charge.

Joe Lewis knew his team was in trouble, and had the cure for it. He made the Eagles step up the pressure in P-Way’s backcourt, and the result was a 14-4 tear over 4:03 of the final 4:09 of regulation to take a three point lead before Jackson connected on a three pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at 56-56 going into overtime. Even though the scoreboard didn’t work right in the extra session, Dunellen head coach, Bernie Buniak, who helps out in running this lead, kept track of the score and time at the scorer’s table. The two teams battled in the overtime with Singh hitting his final shot for a 58-56 lead at about the 3:30 mark. Gorman responded about a minute later with a basket of his own that tied the game at 58-58. About a minute and a half later, Wong was fouled on a three point attempt, and made all three of his foul shots for a 61-58 lead.

However, the Eagles wouldn’t be denied, especially Will Thomas. The former Edison transfer put together a double-double performance of 10 points and 11 rebounds scored twice in the final minute including a three point play at the 47 second mark, and a layin in the waning seconds to provide the final margin of victory, 63-61. Gorman ended up with a team high 21 points on six field goals including four three pointers along with a perfect 2 of 2 from the foul line. Gorman also picked up five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Jeremy Cruz also chipped in for McCarrick with 12 points on five field goals including a three pointer and a one of two showing from the foul line. John Appiah, seen for the first time this summer by GMC Hoops, made 3 of 7 shots from the floor, and 2 of 3 from the line for 8 points along with 6 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Robert Nunez helped round out the Eagle scoring with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block.

Meanwhile for Piscataway, Wong ended up with 14 points along with two rebounds and two assists. Jackson ended up going 3 of 7 from the floor including the late three, and made four of six from the line for 12 points along with 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds. Greg Davis chipped in for the Chiefs with three field goals including a three pointer, and a 2 of 3 showing from the line for 9 points, 3 blocks, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Temi Adebayo collected 2 points, 2 blocks, a rebound, and a steal while Marcus Freeney (2 assists and a steal) also played, but didn’t score. For the game, McCarrick went 24 of 65 from the floor for 37 percent including 7 of 23 from beyond the arc while Piscataway clicked on 20 of 42 from the floor for 48 percent including 7 of 18 from downtown.

At the foul line, the Eagles were 8 of 13 for 62 percent while the Chiefs were 14 of 18 for 78 percent. P-Way was also slightly better in the turnover department with a 14-17 edge. A big difference was in the rebounding department with Cardy Mac garnering a 33-19 edge on the glass including a 14-0 edge on the offensive boards. Piscataway had edges in assists (11-10), blocks (7-2), and charges (1-0) while Cardinal McCarrick had more steals (8-7). The Chiefs also cashed in on Eagle mistakes by scoring nine points off of McCarrick turnovers. As mentioned earlier, McCarrick got off to a fast start with 10 of the first 12 points in the game’s initial 2:50. Cruz scored a layup and Gorman added a three pointer in the run. McCarrick also got a three from another player at the 17:10 mark for the eight point lead as Singh accounted for the only P-Way scoring to this point with a field goal.

Trailing 10-2, Piscataway called for a timeout at the 16:28 mark. The Chiefs weren’t able to shake off the early doldrums despite getting a field goal as Gorman, who operated in a lot of space in the first half, made a three from the top of the key off a pass from Appiah for a 13-4 lead at the 13:40 mark. Over the next 3:12, both teams scored ten points as Gorman and Wong dueled with two threes each during the stretch, and McCarrick maintained its nine point cushion at 23-14 with 10:28 to play in the half. P-Way would score four of the next six points to creep within seven at 25-18 before Appiah made one of two from the line for a 26-18 McCarrick lead at the 6:10 mark. After a lull in the scoring by both teams for 3:43, Jackson then got going with a three point play at the 2:27 mark, and made two foul shots at the 1:59 mark to close the gap to 26-23.

Over the next minute and a half or so, McCarrick re-established control of the contest with a 7-0 spurt as Cruz hit a three pointer, and Thomas scored on a layup for a 33-23 lead with 32.5 seconds to play in the half. Cruz then added another layup for a 9-0 spurt to close out the half, and a 35-23 lead at the break. In the second half though, Piscataway clamped down on defense, and McCarrick struggled in response. The Chiefs took advantage with 26 of the first 33 points of the period to not only come back, but take the lead by seven points with less than five minutes to play in regulation. Singh started the rally with the first five points of the period on a jumper and a three pointer that closed the gap to eight at 36-28 with 17:50 remaining.

Singh continued to play the hot hand with a three point play, and Adebayo swiped a steal for a layup to pull the Chiefs within two at 37-35 with exactly 15 minutes to go in regulation. McCarrick got a bucket to go back up by four, but Jackson made a three from the right wing to close the gap to 39-38 at the 13:15 mark. P-Way continued to roll while McCarrick lost its touch from the perimeter. The Chiefs scored six of the next nine points over a span of 4:02 including a three by Davis for its first lead of the game at 44-42 with 9:13 to go. Singh then capped the surge with a three pointer and a layup over the next 5:04 to put Piscataway up 49-42 with 4:09 to go. With the tide completely turning against them, the Eagles stemmed the onslaught by turning up the pressure.

The Eagles benefited from their change in strategy as Thomas scored on an offensive rebound and follow, and Cruz got a basket to close the gap to 51-46 with 1:46 remaining. Appiah then added a layup, and Gorman netted his only two foul shots of the game to pull McCarrick within one at 51-50 with 40 seconds to go in regulation. Moments later, Thomas forced a steal that Gorman bounced on before calling a timeout with 36.8 seconds to play in regulation. McCarrick took advantage of the turnover by scoring on a layin off an inbounds play for a 52-51 lead with 30 seconds remaining in the second half. Singh drew a foul, and calmly made both charity shots to put P-Way back on top at 53-52 at the 27.7 second mark. Gorman appeared to put the dagger in the Chiefs with a three from the left wing at the 17 second mark for a 55-53 lead.

Despite missing the front end of a one and one at the 10.9 second mark, and seeing McCarrick make one of two from the foul line with 6.8 seconds left, P-Way managed to tie the game after calling timeout at the five second mark. Jackson hit a clutch shot by sinking a jumper from the top of the key as time expired in regulation to forge the 56-56 tie, and force overtime. Singh then opened the scoring in the extra session with a field goal at the 3:30 mark. Gorman responded with a basket for McCarrick to tie the game at 58-58 with a minute and a half gone by in the period. Wong seemingly gave the Chiefs a key advantage by making all three of his free throws after being fouled on a trifecta attempt with a minute left in overtime, but Thomas replied 13 seconds later with a conventional three point play to tie things up at 61-61, and then won the game with a layin as time was running out. With the hard fought, 63-61 victory, McCarrick improved to 4-0 on the summer at Rahway.

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at the Rahway Summer League next week.

2010 Rahway Summer League–Results–Day Six–July 2nd

RAHWAY, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Hoops was able to get out to Rahway High School for the sixth night of action from the inaugural Rahway Summer League, and saw the final three games of the evening there. Each matchup involved two teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference.

Rahway Summer League–Some Results–Day Six–July 2, 2010

• South Plainfield 34–Dunellen 16
• Woodbridge 44–St. Joseph’s 41
• Cardinal McCarrick 63–Piscataway 61 OT

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Rahway High School next week for more action.

2010 East Brunswick Team Camp–Analysis

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Wednesday and Thursday, GMC Hoops traveled over to both East Brunswick High School and Hammarskjold Middle School to take in the final two days of action at the 2010 East Brunswick Team Camp. The camp was being run for the third straight summer. There were fourteen teams in this event including 12 from the GMC. Over the two days the site covered the event, it saw 10 games. Five games at East Brunswick High School and five at Hammarskjold Middle School. One of the big stories of the camp this week was the heat. A small heatwave caused major discomfort at EBHS on Wednesday.

However, at Hammarskjold Middle School, a more recent construction with air conditioning, it was much more comfortable. Nevertheless, much of the contests played at both sites over the two games were competitive. Nine of the ten contests seen by GMC Hoops were decided by twelve points or less. Of those nine games, seven of them were decided by single digits including five on the final day of competition. Bishop Ahr (3-0), East Brunswick (2-0), and Immaculata (2-1) were three teams that stood out to the site over the two days of coverage. The Trojans may have been the most impressive with a good deal of ball movement and teamwork. BGA might have slipped a bit toward the end of the season in 2009-10, but still have plenty of firepower coming back next season with the likes of Pat Widdoss, Ryan Blakely, Rashad Kilgore, Roger Kilgore, Kenny Virden, Anthony DiBella, and Drew Uszenski among others.

The Bears may have lost the likes of Mauro Tucci, Anthony Gudzak, Miles Colmon, Kevin Lantz, Kevin McHenry, and Chris Villanueva, but they will still have a good deal coming back including a talented group of juniors consisting of Anthony Guisti, John Genco, Dan Sclafani, Bobby Fullem, Carl Thomore, and Nick Gudzak along with solid underclassmen such as sophomores Joe Ross, Abanoub Bestawros, and Mike Summerer, and freshman Rob Ukawuba. Next season, the Bears should have plenty of depth again to contend in the GMC Red, and for its first conference tourney title since 1996. Bishop Ahr, which lost to Bloomfield Tech in overtime in the opening round of the Scarlet Shootout, won all three games seen by GMC Hoops including victories over J.P. Stevens (42-37), Perth Amboy (61-54), and J.F. Kennedy (44-38). The Trojans appear to have a very solid starting five returning. The question will be their bench, and who will step forward to contribute next season.

Other teams that competed over the two days the site was there were Cardinal McCarrick, Sayreville, Dunellen, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Perth Amboy, J.F. Kennedy, and J.P. Stevens. The Hawks look to improve from last season’s 1-21 campaign, and there’s nowhere to go, but up. So far this summer, JPS is off to a solid start with victories in its first two games at MCC before losing on Tuesday night, and a close loss to Bishop Ahr before defeating J.F. Kennedy in triple overtime on Thursday night. Perth Amboy showed some positives in their loss to Bishop Ahr. The Panthers appeared to be on the verge of getting blown out, but rallied to pull within three in the second half. Yoelbin Sanchez was much more aggressive to the basket, and ended up 7 of 12 from the field in the loss to the Trojans. Amboy will need Sanchez to play that way in order to get better for this coming season.

Another player that impressed on Thursday night was J.F. Kennedy’s, Nick Spoganetz. Known more as a hustle player, who would do a lot of the little things to help his team win the past two seasons, has stepped up his game offensively. In the 44-38 loss to Bishop Ahr, Spoganetz netted 25 points on 8 of 13 shooting including a scintillating 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. His stepping up offensively along with more production from A.J. Pichalski will be key to complement Daishon Robinson if the Mustangs are going to fill the void left behind by Joe Marciano and Rasheed Howard. Josh Kamenas will also have to contribute more as well for JFK. Cardinal McCarrick along with Bishop Ahr and East Brunswick will be one of the teams to watch next year in the GMC. Without the likes of Dana Raysor and Mohammed Ali, the Eagles were still able to hang with EB thanks to the play of Jumanne McDaniel, who fought through the heat and humidity to turn in a good effort. Marques Townes looks to be a real good one for McCarrick. The freshman, who played for the Sayreville Stars in the Raritan Bay Summer League, shows no fear and plenty of poise for a player yet to step into high school.

2010 East Brunswick Team Camp–Day Four–Some Results–June 24th

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Thursday night, GMC Hoops was able to get out to Hammarskjold Middle School for the fourth night of action from the 2010 East Brunswick Team Camp. There are 14 teams in the camp including 12 from the GMC. The site saw six of the contests played on this final night of action from this camp.

Day Four Results–June 24, 2010

• East Brunswick 45–Cardinal McCarrick 41
• Immaculata 43–Dunellen 32
• J.P. Stevens 44–J.F. Kennedy 42 3OT
• Bishop Ahr 61–Perth Amboy 54
• Bishop Ahr 44–J.F. Kennedy 38
• Perth Amboy 52–Immaculata 45

GMC Hoops thanks Bo Henning and his staff at EBHS for their hospitality and assistance this week.

2010 East Brunswick Team Camp–Schedule

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Tuesday afternoon, GMC Hoops received the full schedule for the upcoming East Brunswick Team Camp. This is the third straight year for the camp, and there are 14 teams in this year’s league including twelve from the Greater Middlesex Conference. The camp is set to run from Monday, June 21st to Thursday, June 24th. Games will be held at both East Brunswick High School and Hammarskjold Middle School. Below is the full schedule. Special thanks to J.F. Kennedy head coach, Chris Banos for the information.

Day One–June 21st–East Brunswick High School

• 5:30 PM–Monroe vs. New Brunswick–Main Gym
• 5:30 PM–Bishop Ahr vs. Dunellen–Lower Gym
• 6:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. Sayreville–Main Gym
• 6:30 PM–South Brunswick vs. J.F. Kennedy–Lower Gym
• 7:30 PM–New Brunswick vs. Bishop Ahr–Main Gym
• 7:30 PM–Monroe vs. Dunellen–Lower Gym
• 8:30 PM–Sayreville vs. J.F. Kennedy–Main Gym
• 8:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. South Brunswick–Lower Gym

Day One–June 21st–Hammarskjold Middle School

• 6:00 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Perth Amboy–Court A
• 6:00 PM–North Brunswick vs. J.P. Stevens–Court B
• 7:10 PM–Freehold Township vs. J.P. Stevens–Court A
• 7:10 PM–Rutgers Prep vs. Perth Amboy–Court B
• 8:20 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. North Brunswick–Court A
• 8:20 PM–Freehold Township vs. Rutgers Prep–Court B

Day Two–June 22nd–East Brunswick High School

• 5:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. Rutgers Prep–Main Gym
• 5:30 PM–South Brunswick vs. Freehold Township–Lower Gym
• 6:30 PM–North Brunswick vs. J.F. Kennedy–Main Gym
• 6:30 PM–Sayreville vs. Dunellen–Lower Gym
• 7:30 PM–South Brunswick vs. Rutgers Prep–Main Gym
• 7:30 PM–Freehold Township vs. Dunellen–Lower Gym
• 8:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. J.F. Kennedy–Main Gym
• 8:30 PM–North Brunswick vs. Sayreville–Lower Gym

Day Two–June 22nd–Hammarskjold Middle School

• 6:00 PM–J.P. Stevens vs. Perth Amboy–Court A
• 6:00 PM–Bishop Ahr vs. Monroe–Court B
• 7:10 PM–New Brunswick vs. Perth Amboy–Court A
• 7:10 PM–Monroe vs. Cardinal McCarrick–Court B
• 8:20 PM–New Brunswick vs. J.P. Stevens–Court A
• 8:20 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Bishop Ahr–Court B

Day Three–June 23rd–East Brunswick High School

• 5:30 PM–J.P. Stevens vs. Bishop Ahr–Main Gym
• 5:30 PM–South Brunswick vs. Sayreville–Lower Gym
• 6:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. New Brunswick–Main Gym
• 6:30 PM–Freehold Township vs. North Brunswick–Lower Gym
• 7:30 PM–Bishop Ahr vs. South Brunswick–Main Gym
• 7:30 PM–J.P. Stevens vs. Sayreville–Lower Gym
• 8:30 PM–New Brunswick vs. Freehold Township–Main Gym
• 8:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. North Brunswick–Lower Gym

Day Three–June 23rd–Hammarskjold Middle School

• 6:00 PM–Monroe vs. Perth Amboy–Court A
• 6:00 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Rutgers Prep–Court B
• 7:10 PM–Dunellen vs. J.F. Kennedy–Court A
• 7:10 PM–Monroe vs. Rutgers Prep–Court B
• 8:20 PM–J.F. Kennedy vs. Cardinal McCarrick–Court A
• 8:20 PM–Perth Amboy vs. Dunellen–Court B

Day Four–June 24th–East Brunswick High School

• 5:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. Cardinal McCarrick–Main Gym
• 5:30 PM–Monroe vs. Freehold Township–Lower Gym
• 6:30 PM–Rutgers Prep vs. North Brunswick–Main Gym
• 6:30 PM–New Brunswick vs. Sayreville–Lower Gym
• 7:30 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Freehold Township–Main Gym
• 7:30 PM–East Brunswick vs. Monroe–Lower Gym
• 8:30 PM–North Brunswick vs. New Brunswick–Main Gym
• 8:30 PM–Sayreville vs. Rutgers Prep–Lower Gym

Day Four–June 24th–Hammarskjold Middle School

• 6:00 PM–J.F. Kennedy vs. J.P. Stevens–Court A
• 6:00 PM–Dunellen vs. South Brunswick–Court B
• 7:10 PM–Bishop Ahr vs. Perth Amboy–Court A
• 7:10 PM–Dunellen vs. J.P. Stevens–Court B
• 8:20 PM–Bishop Ahr vs. J.F. Kennedy–Court A
• 8:20 PM–Perth Amboy vs. South Brunswick–Court B

GMC Hoops plans to devote covering this camp, and will be down for some of the action next week.

2010 Rahway Summer League–Season Schedule

RAHWAY, NJ–Last Thursday, GMC Hoops received the full season schedule for the upcoming Rahway Summer League. This is the first year of the league, and there are 13 teams in this year’s league including nine from the Greater Middlesex Conference. The league is set to run on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights from June 15th to July 23rd. No games will be played during the week of June 22nd. Playoffs will follow on July 27th, July 29th, and July 30th. There will be four games per night with game times at 5:30 PM, 6:30 PM, 7:30 PM, and 8:30 PM. Below is the full schedule. Special thanks to J.F. Kennedy head coach, Chris Banos for the information.

Opening Week–Day One–June 15

• 5:30 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. A.L. Johnson
• 6:30 PM–Piscataway vs. Dunellen
• 7:30 PM–Perth Amboy vs. Woodbridge
• 8:30 PM–J.F. Kennedy vs. St. Joseph’s

Opening Week–Day Two–June 17

• 5:30 PM–South Plainfield vs. Roselle
• 6:30 PM–Rahway vs. Edison
• 7:30 PM–Union Catholic vs. Cardinal McCarrick
• 8:30 PM–A.L. Johnson vs. Piscataway

Opening Week–Day Three–June 18

• 5:30 PM–Dunellen vs. J.F. Kennedy
• 6:30 PM–Roselle vs. Edison
• 7:30 PM–Rahway vs. Woodbridge
• 8:30 PM–St. Joseph’s vs. Perth Amboy

Week Two–Day One–June 29

• 5:30 PM–Union Catholic vs. Edison
• 6:30 PM–Piscataway vs. Rahway
• 7:30 PM–Perth Amboy vs. Roselle
• 8:30 PM–South Plainfield vs. J.F. Kennedy

Week Two–Day Two–July 1

• 5:30 PM–Woodbridge vs. Dunellen
• 6:30 PM–A.L. Johnson vs. Edison
• 7:30 PM–Union Catholic vs. Roselle
• 8:30 PM–St. Joseph’s vs. Cardinal McCarrick

Week Two–Day Three–July 2

• 5:30 PM–J.F. Kennedy vs. Perth Amboy
• 6:30 PM–South Plainfield vs. Dunellen
• 7:30 PM–St. Joseph’s vs. Woodbridge
• 8:30 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Piscataway

Week Three–Day One–July 6

• 5:30 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. J.F. Kennedy
• 6:30 PM–South Plainfield vs. Rahway
• 7:30 PM–Edison vs. Woodbridge
• 8:30 PM–A.L. Johnson vs. Perth Amboy

Week Three–Day Two–July 8

• 5:30 PM–Piscataway vs. Union Catholic
• 6:30 PM–Roselle vs. J.F. Kennedy
• 7:30 PM–South Plainfield vs. Perth Amboy
• 8:30 PM–Dunellen vs. St. Joseph’s

Week Three–Day Three–July 9

• 5:30 PM–Dunellen vs. A.L. Johnson
• 6:30 PM–Union Catholic vs. Woodbridge
• 7:30 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Rahway
• 8:30 PM–St. Joseph’s vs. Piscataway

Week Four–Day One–July 13

• 5:30 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Roselle
• 6:30 PM–Union Catholic vs. J.F. Kennedy
• 7:30 PM–Edison vs. Perth Amboy
• 8:30 PM–A.L. Johnson vs. Woodbridge

Week Four–Day Two–July 15

• 5:30 PM–Piscataway vs. South Plainfield
• 6:30 PM–Dunellen vs. Cardinal McCarrick
• 7:30 PM–J.F. Kennedy vs. A.L. Johnson
• 8:30 PM–St. Joseph’s vs. Rahway

Week Four–Day Three–July 16

• 5:30 PM–Edison vs. Piscataway
• 6:30 PM–South Plainfield vs. Woodbridge
• 7:30 PM–Rahway vs. Roselle
• 8:30 PM–Perth Amboy vs. Union Catholic

Week Five–Day One–July 20

• 5:30 PM–Edison vs. Cardinal McCarrick
• 6:30 PM–Roselle vs. Dunellen
• 7:30 PM–Woodbridge vs. Piscataway
• 8:30 PM–A.L. Johnson vs. St. Joseph’s

Week Five–Day Two–July 22

• 5:30 PM–Rahway vs. Perth Amboy
• 6:30 PM–Union Catholic vs. South Plainfield
• 7:30 PM–Roselle vs. Piscataway
• 8:30 PM–Dunellen vs. Edison

Week Five–Day Three–July 23–End of Regular Season

• 5:30 PM–South Plainfield vs. A.L. Johnson
• 6:30 PM–Cardinal McCarrick vs. Perth Amboy
• 7:30 PM–J.F. Kennedy vs. Rahway
• 8:30 PM–St. Joseph’s vs. Union Catholic

Week Seven–Day One–July 27th

• Opening Round of Playoffs

Week Seven–Day Two–July 29th

• Second Round of Playoffs

Week Seven–Day Three–July 30th

• Championship

GMC Hoops plans to devote covering to this league, and will be down for the opening week of games.

2010 Rahway Summer League–Teams

ISELIN, NJ–On Thursday afternoon, GMC Hoops received scheduling information on the inaugural Rahway Summer League taking place at Rahway High School. There is a total of 13 teams that are competing in this league with nine of them coming from the Greater Middlesex Conference. Here is the full list of teams in the league.

Teams In Rahway Summer League

• A.L. Johnson
• Cardinal McCarrick
• Dunellen
• Edison
• J.F. Kennedy
• Perth Amboy
• Piscataway
• Rahway
• Roselle
• South Plainfield
• St. Joseph’s
• Union Catholic
• Woodbridge

Special thanks to JFK head coach, Chris Banos for this info. GMC Hoops plans to cover action from this league, particularly on Friday nights.