Five Former Conference Standouts On GCU Roster for School’s Inaugural Season in Men’s Hoops
LAKEWOOD, NJ–After being a women’s only college, Georgian Court University in Ocean County, recently became co-ed, and now is about to embark on its first season in men’s basketball. The Lions, which are coached by Enrico Mastroianni, who previously coached two GMC standouts in Larry Lenahan and Timmy Brix at Centenary College in Hackettstown, will be competing in the NCAA Division II, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, already have their roster set, and will open the season on the weekend of November 9th and 10th at the Stonehill College Tip-Off Classic in Massachusetts.
On the historic first ever Men’s Basketball roster at GCU are five players that played in the Greater Middlesex Conference at some point. Mentioned previously in the blog, former Woodbridge standout and 1,000 point scorer, Keith Hughes, the son of former Carteret HS and Rutgers star, Keith Hughes Sr., signed a letter of intent with the school this past spring. Hughes played one year of post-graduate ball at the Robinson School. Joining him on the team this year are: Jeff and Robbie Ashamole, Hamilton Capellan, and J.D. Rodriguez.
Jeff Ashamole played at North Brunswick and graduated from the school in 2008. He originally went to Middlesex County College for one season before trying out as a walk on at St. John’s back in October 2011. He is currently listed as a junior at GCU. His younger brother, Robbie, played three years at St. Joseph’s, and was a member of the 2010 Greater Middlesex Conference Championship team. After graduating St. Joe’s, the younger Ashamole went on to play JUCO ball at Hagerstown Community College in Maryland back in the 2011-12 season. He is listed as a sophomore at GCU. Both Ashamoles will bring some size and athleticism to the team.
Another GMC tandem early on in high school, Hamilton Capellan and J.D. Rodriguez teamed up to head Perth Amboy’s best freshman class in many years back in the 2009-10 season. Both helped guide the Panthers to their first GMC Elite Eight appearance since 2003 in the 2010-11 season before bowing out against eventual champion, St. Joseph’s. Following that season though, Capellan and Rodriguez left Amboy with Capellan moving on to Bound Brook while Rodriguez left for McCarrick. Rodriguez eventually joined his former Amboy teammate again at Bound Brook for the 2012-13 season. At Bound Brook, the duo of Rodriguez and Capellan led the Crusaders to their first Somerset County Tournament semifinal berth since winning it all in 1990, and an appearance in the Central Jersey Group I Championship before losing to eventual state champ, Point Pleasant Beach.
Joining these five GMC players is another Somerset County standout from last year in Jack Welti. The GCU men’s basketball staff also has a bit of a GMC look to it. Colin Horsch, who played at Monroe for three years, was teammates with the school’s all time leading scorer, A.J. Rudowitz, and was on the first MTHS team to ever make it to the GMCT Final Four in Bobby Turco’s first year as coach in 2005-06, is on the staff as an assistant coach. Following play in the Stonehill College Tip-Off Classic, GCU will open conference play on November 13th against Division II powerhouse, Philadelphia University, which is coached by the legendary Herb McGee before playing their first ever home opener against Mercy College on November 20th.