GMC Hoops Blogosphere

GMC Holding Its Own Against Out Of Conference Foes

Conference Teams Combine For Over .500 Record Entering Final Stage Of Season

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Monday, state tournament play began for 25 of the 31 teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference that qualified for the various tourneys categorized by school enrollment. As of the end of play, Wednesday night, the GMC has gone 9-9 against teams outside Middlesex County in state tourney play.

Entering the state tournament season, the 31 teams in the GMC had combined for an 82-76 record during the regular season against teams from other conferences. The conference is now 91-85, and has gone 22-16 since dropping to .500 in the middle of February. It has been an up and down, and streaky season for GMC schools against non-conference foes. The GMC began the year with 8 wins in its first 9 games, and then was clobbered over the holidays.

From that point on, the GMC schools have been on a roller coaster ride against teams outside of Middlesex County. For the most part though, the conference has held its own against many of the conferences in the Central Jersey area. Entering play on Thursday, the GMC is 4-3 against the Colonial Valley Conference, 23-22 versus the Skyland Conference, 10-10 against the Union County Conference, and 16-19 versus the Shore Conference. While the conference has not been dominant against schools from these other conferences, it has been able to hold its own.

A couple conferences that have done fairly well against the GMC this year have been the Burlington County Scholastic League, which has won 5 of 8 games against GMC schools, and the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association, which has won 6 of 9 against the GMC. Breaking down the 91-85 GMC non-conference record by division: The Gold is 32-19. The Red is 27-21. Blue Division is 20-17 while the White has struggled at 12-28. Teams that have done well against non-conference schools this season are: Perth Amboy Tech (8-1), St. Joseph’s (7-2), South River (7-3), East Brunswick Tech (6-2), Dunellen (4-0), Old Bridge (5-2), East Brunswick (5-2), Middlesex (3-0), Piscataway Tech (4-2), and Spotswood (3-1).

GMC-Skyland Challenge–January 19, 2013–Schedule

Good morning everyone.  Here is the latest schedule for the GMC-Skyland Challenge set for today.  GMC Hoops plans to be at Immaculata for the two games there, and then go over to Bound Brook to see Cardinal McCarrick take on the home town Crusaders.

Skyland/GMC Challenge

At Bound Brook

Colonia vs. Warren Hills, 5:00 PM

Cardinal McCarrick vs. Bound Brook, 7:00 PM

At East Brunswick

Timothy Christian vs. Voorhees, 2:00 PM

Piscataway vs. Montgomery, 4:00 PM

Bridgewater vs. East Brunswick, 6:00 PM

At Franklin

South Brunswick vs. Hillsborough, 12:45 PM

North Brunswick vs. Franklin, 2:30 PM

At Immaculata

Bishop Ahr vs. Pingry, 3:00 PM

Woodbridge vs. Immaculata, 5:00 PM

At North Plainfield

J.F. Kennedy vs. North Plainfield, 1:00 PM

At Middlesex

South Hunterdon vs. Middlesex, 12:00 PM

At Monroe

Hunterdon Central vs. Monroe, 7:00 PM

At North Hunterdon

Edison vs. North Hunterdon, 1:30 PM

At Perth Amboy

Delaware Valley vs. Perth Amboy, 1:00 PM

At Phillipsburg

Old Bridge vs. Phillipsburg, 2:30 PM

At Somerville

Carteret vs. Somerville, 2:00 PM

At South Amboy

Manville vs. South Amboy, 11:30 AM

At Spotswood

Bernards vs. Spotswood, 1:30 PM

At Ridge

New Brunswick vs. Ridge, 2:30 PM

At Watchung

Sayreville vs. Watchung Hills, 7:00 PM

GMC Boys Basketball Schedule–Tuesday, January 15, 2012

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–GMC Hoops will be back in action on Tuesday with another trip to Sayreville High School’s Bomb Shelter to see the Bombers in GMC White action against Monroe.  There eight games involving GMC teams on tap including two non-conference contests.  Below is the schedule for Tuesday afternoon and evening:

GMC Boys Basketball Schedule–Tuesday, January 15, 2012

• St. Joseph’s @ Old Bridge, 5:30 PM
• Perth Amboy @ Colonia, 6:00 PM
• Monroe @ Sayreville, 7:00 PM
• East Brunswick @ Piscataway, 7:00 PM
• J.P. Stevens @ New Brunswick, 7:00 PM
• Cardinal McCarrick @ Woodbridge, 7:00 PM
• Edison @ Scotch Plains, 7:00 PM
• New Egypt @ Metuchen, 7:00 PM

GMC Hoops plans to cover Monroe at Sayreville on Tuesday night, a JV/Varsity Doubleheader between St. Joe’s and EB on Thursday, and some of the contests from the GMC-Skyland Challenge on Saturday.

GMC-Skyland Challenge Set For January 19th

Proceeds from Games Will Go To Brayden Carr Foundation

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–Among the array of boys basketball showcases this season is the upcoming showdown between GMC and Skyland Conference teams on January 19th.  According to a recent article from MyCentralJersey.com, there will be 20 games at 15 different locations.  Some key matchups include Bridgewater-Raritan at East Brunswick, South Brunswick vs. Hillsborough, Piscataway vs. Montgomery, Spotswood vs. Bernards, and Woodbridge vs. Immaculata. 

All proceeds from the games will go toward the “In Brayden’s Eyes, The Brayden Carr Foundation,”  Brayden Carr, was the son of former Rutgers assistant coach, Jim Carr and Natalie Zeno Carr, who was an athletic trainer at South Plainfield in the mid-90s.  Brayden died back in May 2011 at the age of 2.  In Brayden’s Eyes, The Brayden Carr Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that raises money for provide athletic, social, rehabilitative, and academic opportunities to children with seizure conditions, with or without motor delays from associated cerebral palsy, as well as to provide humanitarian support/relief to their parents.  The idea was brought up by South Plainfield Athletic Director Al Czech last year according to an article at nj.com.

Below is a schedule of the boys games on tap for January 19th

Bound Brook HS
Colonia vs. Warren Hills
Cardinal McCarrick vs. Bound Brook

East Brunswick HS
Piscataway vs. Montgomery
Timothy Christian vs. Voorhees
East Brunswick vs. Bridgewater-Raritan

Franklin HS
North Brunswick vs. Franklin
South Brunswick vs. Hillsborough

Immaculata HS
Bishop Ahr vs. Pingry
Woodbridge vs. Immaculata

J.P. Stevens HS
J.F. Kennedy vs. North Plainfield

Middlesex HS
Middlesex vs. South Hunterdon

Monroe HS
Monroe vs. Hunterdon Central

North Hunterdon HS
Edison vs. North Hunterdon

Perth Amboy HS
Perth Amboy vs. Delaware Valley

Phillipsburg HS
Old Bridge vs. Phillipsburg

Ridge HS
New Brunswick vs. Ridge

Somerville HS
Carteret vs. Somerville

South Amboy HS
South Amboy vs. Manville

Spotswood HS
Spotswood vs. Bernards

Watchung Hills HS
Sayreville vs. Watchung Hills

I’m still currently working out getting all the details including start times for the games.  Girls games may also be involved as well.  According to Al Czech in a recent e-mail, there will be games at South Plainfield 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM as well as at J.P. Stevens.  I’m planning to at least see the game between Cardinal McCarrick at Bound Brook.  We’ll have further details on GMC Hoops Coverage of this upcoming event soon.

2012-13 GMC Boys Basketball Team Rosters

Now Have Rosters For All 31 GMC Teams

I’m still behind the eight ball on the rosters, but have made significant progress in the past couple days. Over the past two days, I’ve posted rosters from all the 31 schools in the Greater Middlesex Conference that play basketball. Below are the teams that we have rosters for.

2012-13 GMC Boys Basketball Rosters

• Bishop Ahr
• Cardinal McCarrick
• Carteret
• Colonia
• Dunellen
• East Brunswick
• East Brunswick Tech
• Edison
• Highland Park
• J.F. Kennedy
• J.P. Stevens
• Metuchen
• Middlesex
• Monroe
• New Brunswick
• North Brunswick
• Old Bridge
• Perth Amboy
• Perth Amboy Tech
• Piscataway
• Piscataway Tech
• Sayreville
• South Amboy
• South Brunswick
• South Plainfield
• South River
• Spotswood
• St. Joseph’s
• Timothy Christian
• Wardlaw
• Woodbridge

If you have a roster for your team that is not posted on the site, please e-mail me at gmachos@gmchoops.com.

GMC Hoops Highlights–December 26, 2012–Perth Amboy vs. South Plainfield–Cotoia Tournament

Here are video highlights from the second half and overtime of the opening round game between Perth Amboy and South Plainfield from the 2012 Anthony J. Cotoia Tournament at South Plainfield Middle School. Perth Amboy led 34-21 with 3:44 left in regulation before South Plainfield rallied with a 15-2 spurt including a three by Justin Glover, two treys by Jordan Hankerson, a traditional three point play from Claude Payne, and a putback by Jason Lee with 1:07 left in the fourth to tie the game at 36-36. However, in the extra session, Perth Amboy got two layups from Cairo Henry, and then went 8 of 9 at the foul line including 6 of 7 from Carlos Morales to come away with the 48-39 victory. Morales ended up with 12 points for the Panthers while David Rodgers led all scorers with 13 for Amboy. Henry chipped in with 11. Glover led South Plainfield with 12 points while Lee added 10, and Payne and Hankerson chipped in with 9 and 8 respectively.

GMC Hoops Floor Cam Highlights–December 26, 2012–Perth Amboy vs. South Plainfield–Cotoia Tourney

Here is a short video of some of the action from the second quarter of Perth Amboy’s overtime victory over South Plainfield in the opening round of the 2012 Anthony J. Cotoia Tourney at South Plainfield Middle School courtesy of the GMC Hoops Floor Cam. South Plainfield trailed 34-21 with 3:44 remaining when the Tigers went on a 15-2 run to end regulation to tie the game at 36-36, and force overtime. Jordan Hankerson connected on two threes, Justin Glover made another, and Claude Payne made a three point play, and got a putback with 1:07 left in the fourth to tie it. However, Cairo Henry scored twice to open the extra session for Amboy, and then the Panthers finished off the hard fought, 48-39 victory with 8 of 9 shooting from the line including 6 of 7 by Carlos Morales.

GMC Hoops Game Notes–Perth Amboy vs. South Plainfield–Cotoia Tournament–December 26, 2012

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–After taking a brief respite at home following the trip to Matawan to see Old Bridge play in the Huskies Christmas Classic, GMC Hoops traveled over to South Plainfield Middle School to take in the first round matchup from the 2012 Anthony J. Cotoia Tournament between Perth Amboy and the hometown Tigers of South Plainfield.

Amboy appeared poised to come away with a double-digit victory. With less than four minutes to go in the contest, the Panthers led 34-21 as South Plainfield’s offense floundered for only six points over a span of nearly two quarters after railing only 16-15 midway through the second. However, behind the three point shooting of Jordan Hankerson and Justin Glover, and the inside play of Claude Payne, the Tigers closed regulation with a 15-2 tear in the final 3:44 of the fourth to tie the game at 36-36 and force overtime.

In the extra session, Perth Amboy took control with two scores by Cairo Henry for a 40-36 lead, and then sealed the win by making 7 of 8 from the foul line in the final 2:30 including 6 of 7 from Cardinal McCarrick transfer, Carlos Morales. South Plainfield only got two points in overtime courtesy of a Payne basket that narrowed the deficit to 44-39 with 56.9 seconds left. The Panthers went on to win 48-39 to even their record at 3-3. South Plainfield drops to 0-3 with the loss. Amboy will face the winner of the Middletown South-J.P. Stevens game while South Plainfield will face the loser. Below are some notes from the contest.

First Quarter

2:00–arrive–PA leads 10-5.

1:41–SP–Jason Lee scores from left low block for a 10-7 PA lead.

59.3–PA–timeout.

28.7–SP–gets steal–leads to Justin Glover basket and a 10-9 PA lead.

4.9–PA–Cairo Henry basket and the foul for a three point play, and a 13-9 lead.

1.8–SP–traveling

0.0–PA–Marquis Irizarry–misses shot from left side as time runs out–PA leads 13-9.

Second Quarter

4:30–SP–after Amboy gets a three to open the period–South Plainfield scores six unanswered including four by Justin Glover and two by Jordan Hankerson for a 16-15 PA lead.

3:09–PA–David Rodgers throws down two handed jam for an 18-15 lead.

1:44–PA–Carlos Morales hits a three pointer from left wing for a 21-15 lead.

59.3–SP–Glover misses layup attempt.

45.0–PA–traveling.

28.3–PA–blocks shot

0.7–SP–Claude Payne draws charge.

0.0–SP–inbounds to Chris Mathis, who holds the ball to run out the clock for a PA 21-15 lead at the half.

Third Quarter

7:03–PA–Rodgers hits three pointer for a 24-15 lead.

6:34–PA–August Enriquez called for over the back–SP ball.

5:59–PA–knocks ball out of bounds–SP ball.

5:25–PA–Carlos Morales–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 25-15 lead

5:10–SP–Lee–fouled–missed both FTs.

4:50–PA–August Enriquez fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 26-15 leadd

3:50–PA–Rodgers scores on putback for a 28-18 lead.

3:47–SP–timeout.

1:59–PA–Irizarry gets rebound, and scores on follow with reverse layin for a 30-18 lead.

1:15–PA–traveling.

Fourth Quarter

7:50–SP–Lee three pointer from left wing for a 30-21 PA lead

7:21–PA–timeout.

3:59–PA–Rodgers scores on layin off a nice feed for a 34-21 lead.

3:44–SP–Glover hits three from left baseline for a 34-24 PA lead.

3:37–PA–30 sec timeout.

3:22–SP–Glover–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 34-25 PA leadg.

2:59–PA–Joshua Hernandez–layin for a 36-25 lead.

2:44–SP–Glover fouled down low–misses both FTs.

2:27–SP–Hankerson connects for three from left wing for a 36-28 PA lead.

2:00–SP–Payne–three  point play for a 36-31 PA lead.

1:52–SP–gets steal.

1:48–SP–timeout.

1:37–SP–Hankerson pulls up for three off the dribble for a 36-34 PA lead.

1:22–PA–Enriquez fouled–misses both FTs.

1:07–SP–Payne scores on putback for a 36-36 tie.

43.6–SP–30 sec timeout.

33.0–SP–Hankerson

14.5–PA–timeout.

1.6–PA–misses three from right corner–goes out of bounds off SP.

0.0–PA–Rodgers three attempt hits back iron.

Overtime

3:48–PA–Henry scores on layup from left low block for a 38-36 lead.

3:24–SP–loses ball out of bounds.

3:02–PA–Irizarry dishes to Henry for layup and a 40-36 lead.

2:55–SP–full timeout

2:41–SP–Glover–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 40-37 PA lead.

2:30–PA–Morales–fouled–misses front end of one and one.

2:11–PA–Morales–fouled–makes both ends of the bonus for a 42-37 lead.

1:07–PA–Morales–fouled–makes both ends of bonus for a 44-37 lead.

1:04–SP–timeout after Morales almost gets a steal for PA.

56.9–SP–Payne gets shot to roll in for a 44-39 PA lead.

50.0–PA–Alejandro Hererra–fouled–makes both FTs for a 46-39 lead.

15.9–PA–Morales–fouled–makes both ends of bonus for a 48-39 lead.

7.3–SP–shot off the mark–goes out of bounds–PA ball

0.0–PA–runs out the clock.

GMC Hoops Highlights–December 14, 2012–Old Bridge @ Perth Amboy–Fourth Quarter

Here are video highlights from the fourth quarter of Old Bridge’s 55-36 victory over Perth Amboy on opening night in Amboy. Senior forward, Sultan Aminu (22 points) and junior guard, Tyler Drews (20 points), accounted for 75 percent of the Knights offense including 17 of the team’s last 19 points as the visitors pulled away with a 19-11 showing in the final 8:41 of the contest.

Reflections On 2012-13 Season Openers

A Little Bit Of Everything To Start The New Hoops Season

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–With the first day of the 2012-13 Greater Middlesex Conference Boys Basketball season out of the way, it’s time to look back on some of the contests from Friday afternoon and evening.  There was a little bit of everything from the 15 or so contests involving GMC schools.  There were some close ones and upsets while other games were blowouts.  The Gold Division looks like a pretty tight group from top to bottom while East Brunswick fired off the first salvo in its battles with Red Division rival St. Joseph’s.  Spotswood, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, Carteret, Sayreville, and Edison all rolled to double digit wins.

East Brunswick Makes Statement In Jolting St. Joe’s

Prior to the start of the season, the Bears were already considered strong contenders for both the GMC Red Division, and the GMCT.  They had competed against tough off-season competition such as the teams in the East Coast Conditioning Fall League, where it won the championship by defeating Rutgers Prep, Linden, and St. Patrick’s.  The tandem of NJIT bound Rob Ukawuba (17 points) and Princeton bound, Amir Bell (18 points) proved to be tough to handle for the Falcons with a combined 35 points.  EB was able to withstand an early 15-2 storm by St. Joe’s that turned a 4-0 deficit into a 15-6 lead.  Karl Towns, who tied Bell for second game high with 18 points, scored 10 of those points in the first quarter.  Immaculata transfer Wade Baldwin led all scorers with 24 for St. Joe’s.

Trailing by seven at the end of three quarters, the Bears finished strong with a 22-11 surge in the fourth to come away for the victory.  There shouldn’t be any panic in Falcon country though.  St. Joseph’s had an early season loss to Teaneck last season in the Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic, but was able to roll to 28 straight wins, its third straight GMCT, and its first ever state title before bowing to Plainfield in the Tournament of Champions semifinals.  The Falcons have new personnel, and the chemistry still may not be there yet.  Expect these two teams to duel like this in the next regular season matchup at EB, and perhaps a third time in the 2013 GMCT Championship.

Gold Division Parity

We may be just one game into the season, but already there are indications that the Gold could end up being a horse race with a battle from top to bottom.  Timothy Christian pulled off a bit of a surprise by edging South River in Piscataway on Friday evening.  Despite losing two 1,000 point scorers in Kristian Svendsen and Dan Decker, head coach Chris Hobbs and his Tigers still proved that they are tough to beat.  TCS limited a potent South River offense to just 39 points.  Meanwhile, our division favorite, Dunellen had to hang on to win by two over South Amboy on the road (53-51) and Perth Amboy Tech knocked off a Warldaw team (35-31) with a number players returning including senior forward, Justen Davis.  Kelvin Perez showed he is ready to step up and take on more responsibility with the departure of two 1,000 point scorers in Rashad Adams (playing football at Albright) and Malcolm Batts (Middlesex County College).

Many Double-Digit Wins

While there were signs of parity in the Gold, there wasn’t much in the other three divisions on Friday.  Of the 14 games that reported scores, seven of them were won by at least 13 points.  Three of those games were seen by GMC Hoops with North Brunswick rolling past New Brunswick (79-49), Spotswood cruising past South Plainfield (74-46), and Old Bridge downing Perth Amboy (55-36). 

In its win over the Zebras, North Brunswick got a solid effort from senior guard, Iverson Fleming with pumping in 22 including four threes.  Dennis Ford chipped in with 17 including the first seven points of the second half to give the Raiders a 49-29 lead.  Jordan Gonzalez added 12 points as well while football standout, Jaylen Hobdy scored all 8 of his points in the third.  Spotswood got similar efforts from junior guard Jake Dadika (30 points) and senior guard Dalonte Grant (17 points) in its victory over South Plainfield.  The Chargers, which took advantage of Tiger fouls on three point attempts in the first half by scoring 10 points including a perfect 7 of 7 at the line, weathered a 19-6 rally by the Tigers from the end of the second period to the end of the third, and withstood a 20 point effort from senior forward, Claude Payne for the win.  South Plainfield showed flashes of improvement in the contest, but lacked a perimeter game to complement Payne down low. 

Over in Perth Amboy, senior forward Sultan Aminu (22 points) and junior guard Tyler Drews (20 points) combined to account for 75 percent of the Knights scoring in the win over the Panthers.  Many of those points came in the final 8:41 as the veteran duo combined to score 17 of their team’s 19 points as OBHS pulled away.  Another blowout occurred in South Brunswick as the third ranked Vikings rolled to an easy 71-45 victory over Colonia.  Senior forward, Chris Bourne led the way with a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds for SBHS.  With all of these double-digit wins, one has to wonder if there is a great deal of separation between the top teams in the GMC, and the rest of the conference.

Top Players

Players around the Greater Middlesex Conference that submitted their candidacy for GMC Hoops Player of the Week honors for opening weekend with solid performances on Friday included Amir Bell and Rob Ukawuba of East Brunswick, Jake Dadika of Spotswood, Chris Bourne of South Brunswick, Iverson Fleming and Dennis Ford of North Brunswick, Sultan Aminu and Tyler Drews of Old Bridge, Wade Baldwin and Karl Towns of St. Joseph’s, Jaheem Jackson of Woodbridge, Nick Isola of Monroe, Claude Payne of South Plainfield, Steve Herdman of South Amboy, Deon Brown of Dunellen, Darrin Perez of J.F. Kennedy, Jacquante Madden of Cardinal McCarrick, and Tyler Harris of South River.