Revised Predictions For 2007-08

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–Over the past couple months since the first draft of the 2007-08 predictions came out, GMC Hoops has seen enough to make some adjustments. So, here’s what we’re thinking as of right now. We will break this off into several parts: 1.) Top Ten, 2.) GMC Red, 3.) GMC White, 4.) GMC Blue, and 5.) GMC Gold. First our initial look at a pre-season Top Ten.

2007-08 GMC Pre-Season Top Ten–Revised Draft

Here’s an update to the original top ten predictions made at the end of September. Just some minor changes that affected a couple slots. St. Joseph’s moves up to fourth by virtue of its solid performance at the TBSA Fall League including a victory over Trenton on September 30th, and Edison breaks through the top ten rankings with the last spot. Monroe moves up into the next best position outside of the top ten thanks to the fine run by the Falcons including strong wins over Roselle Catholic and Bridgewater coupled with a close loss to Elizabeth to end their season at TBSA.

  1. Piscataway (16-9)–With the likes of James White, Omar Smith, J.D. Griggs, Tristian Benjamin and Brian Waluk all coming back along with others such as Thomas Bennett, Wayne Newsome, Malcolm Griggs, and Jeff Adkins coming up, the Chiefs are a good bet to repeat again in the GMC.
  2. Colonia (24-4)–With Brandon Hall, J.J. D’Amico, Nnamdi Usuwa, and Jeff Mentzel returning along with a talented junior class that consists of the likes of Mike Nweme, Mike Karabin, Jordan Edmonds, Xavier Coleman, Julian Smith, Brian Negrey, and Tyler Jackow, the Patriots will be right there again despite losing Kevin Edmonds and Joe LaSala to graduation.
  3. Cardinal McCarrick (19-7)–With the leading favorite for GMC Hoops Player of the Year in Mike Burwell as well as Julio Rosario and a talented junior class moving up, the Eagles will be right in the thick of things again in the GMC. Cardy Mac had a good summer playing at Linden as well as at Eastern and Rebounds Team Camps. As a matter of fact, the Eagles went undefeated, and won the team camp at Rebounds in August. McCarrick is also playing in the fall leagues at TBSA and Rebounds.
  4. St. Joseph’s (20-9)–True the Falcons lost Darrell Carroll and Lamar Fisher to graduation, but the Falcons have sophomore Steve Rennard back, and he continues to improve. In addition, they have the athletic Paul Konopacki returning to run the floor, and use his leaping ability to his best advantages against the likes of Piscataway’s front line. Gerard Lewis and Nikko Vastola will be coming up from the JV, and varsity reserve Steve Brandenberg will be back as well. In addition, St. Joe’s has a very talented sophomore class that includes the likes of Mike Simpson, Najhi Talley, and Mark Bauer as well as members of the St. Joseph’s-White team that won the 2007 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament.
  5. South Brunswick (27-3)–What? Top Four ranking for the Vikings? How is that? They lost their entire starting five from last year as well as Brian Morgan, and head coach Chris Balent is at Elizabeth. Simple, they still have Arman Wilson and reserves from that team such as Mohammed Sanu, Jordan Tiecher, Sean Lease, and Chris Weir that were members of a JV squad that reached the Final Four of the East Brunswick JV Tournament the past two seasons. In addition, new coach Joe Hoehman has a pretty good track record as a coach at the Freshmen and JV levels with three final four appearances in the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament, and two final four appearances in the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament. They’ll be ok.
  6. J.P. Stevens (9-16)–Despite the last place finish in the GMC Red in 2006-07, the Hawks began building the foundation for what could be a couple special seasons. With the likes of Alex Cacoilo, Patrick Lem, Teryl Dunlap, Matt Margon, and Conner Medler along with the talented crop of juniors consisting of Ken Bland, Myles Reuben, Nick Pol, and Tahir Swinton, J.P. Stevens will not be an easy win to say in the least. The Hawks played very well this summer at the Hoop Group HBC and the TBSA Summer League, and have competed quite well so far this fall at the TBSA Fall League.
  7. Carteret (11-14)–For the first time since Omar Alston, Andrew Hill, and Wilfredo Fuerte led the Ramblers to the GMCT Championship in 2002, the Ramblers qualified for the state tournament in 2006-07. Not only did they qualify, but the Ramblers also went on the road and defeated Raritan in the opening round. Returning a number of key players this year including Brian Williams, Robert Jackson, Al Tampa, Alvin Rodriguez, Manny Rivera, and Desean Lane, Carteret made big strides this past summer by reaching the semifinals of the TBSA Summer League playoffs as well as going 7-4 overall.
  8. Sayreville (10-14)–Don’t be fooled by the overall record from last year, and the fact that the Bombers lost Kofi Genfi to graduation. The Bombers, which lost a ton of close games in 2006-07, have plenty returning including solid guards in Ricky Harding, LaVone Graham, Paul De La Costa, and front line people in Chris Matagrano and James De Mild, and Ray Rodriguez. In addition, the Bombers JV was very successful last year with an Elite Eight appearance before losing to eventual finalist, Bishop Ahr. Over the summer, the Bombers competed at Middlesex County College, where they went 8-1 during the regular season, and avenged its only loss by defeating previously unbeaten Franklin in the semifinals before losing to Middlesex in the Championship Game without Matagrano in the lineup.
  9. Bishop Ahr (14-9)–True the Trojans lost Corey Francisco to graduation, but the BGA still has a fine group of seniors this season including Mike Williamson, Billy Rooney, Kevin Uszenski, Martese Street, Derek Figueredo, and Jordan Madsen. In addition, Ahr has a fine junior class including Matt Sheehy, Matt Fiorino, Tom Lancey, Matt Melnick, and Steven Grant. The sophomore class at Bishop Ahr is not too shabby either with a Final Four appearance in the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament.
  10. Edison (10-15)–Even though the Eagles lost the likes of Mike Campbell, Zach Manfre, and Terry Roland, they have plenty returning to be competitive again in the rough and tumble GMC Red. With a senior class that consists of Josh Williams, Barry Holmes, Nathan Otokiti, Ron Lordi, Andy Hernandez, and Sharrod Shuford as well as solid junior Erik Janz, Edison will give teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference trouble, particularly in their division. Although J.P. Stevens looks to give a run at such top teams as Piscataway, St. Joseph’s, and South Brunswick, it may have to keep an eye on its rear view mirror for their arch rival across town.

Other teams considered: Monroe, Metuchen (if Miller plays), North Brunswick, New Brunswick, Middlesex, South Amboy, Dunellen, and East Brunswick.

GMC Red Division Preview–Revised Draft

Our next part is the predicted finish of the teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division with last year’s record in parentheses. These have been updated to reflect St. Joseph’s new position in the division. The Falcons did very well at TBSA while South Brunswick had some struggles at Rebounds during the fall. In fairness to the Vikings though, they have not had their full roster throughout the offseason including the fall with Mohammed Sanu playing football and Troy Confessore playing soccer. Below that are some notes concerning why we are thinking they way we’re thinking.

  1. Piscataway (16-9)
  2. St. Joseph’s (20-9)
  3. South Brunswick (27-3)
  4. J.P. Stevens (9-16)
  5. Edison (10-14)
  6. East Brunswick (15-11)
  7. Perth Amboy (5-17)
  8. Old Bridge (7-17)

Notes: Piscataway is the favorite to win the GMC, and thus the GMC Red as well. The Chiefs have their entire starting five returning, and a number of good reserves as well. They have plenty of size up front, and they’re a solid team defensively. For P-Way to be successful, it will need to continue to play the way it did during the 2007 GMCT. South Brunswick and St. Joseph’s will pose formidable obstacles to the Chiefs as well as an up and coming J.P. Stevens squad. Stevens will have to get off to a good start, and with games at home including St. Joseph’s on Dec. 20th, and the always rough holiday tournament schedule, they need to come out firing to not only make a statement, but build confidence.

South Brunswick will have to work hard in the fall league at Rebounds, and in the pre-season scrimmages to gel as a team after Wilson played mostly AAU in the summer, and Sanu and Confessore are playing fall sports. St. Joseph’s will have to find a way to replace the solid inside play of Carroll along with the athleticism of Fisher and Kyan Hines. Edison could sneak up on some people in the division this year with the likes of Holmes, Williams, Otokiti, and Lordi returning along with junior Erik Janz. While EB will have a tough road to hoe following two years of heavy losses to graduation, they still have Mike Mello and Scott Stolzenberg along with the likes of youngsters such as Mayo, and a great coach in Bo Henning.


GMC White Division Preview–Revised Draft

Our next part is the predicted finish of the teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division with last year’s record in parentheses. This has been updated to reflect the positions of Monroe, North Brunswick, and New Brunswick in light of the Falcons fine finish at TBSA. Regardless of where the teams place outside of Colonia, this division is going to be a dogfight. Below that are some notes concerning why we are thinking they way we’re thinking.

  1. Colonia (24-4)
  2. Carteret (11-14)
  3. Sayreville (10-14)
  4. Monroe (13-14)
  5. North Brunswick (15-9)
  6. New Brunswick (8-12)
  7. Woodbridge (1-21)
  8. South Plainfield (18-8)

Notes: Before I get into explaining why I’m thinking the way I’m thinking in the GMC White, let me say this. The GMC White will be even tougher than it was last year. The reason is that teams such as North Brunswick and Monroe have good underclassmen talent moving up, and although South Plainfield appears at the outset to be down this year without the likes of Shamai Santiago and Opie Muse, the Tigers still have Mike Burton, Bennie Gibson, and Tremaine Miller back as well as solid JV talent led by Aaron Wright and a good junior class. The problem with SPHS this coming year is who is going to replace Dontae Johnson, who transferred to Pennington Prep. But, here is the real kicker, Woodbridge, yes 1-21 Woodbridge will be much better this year. The Barrons not only have good seniors coming back including Anthony Graham, Kirk Zambrana, Tim Weber, Rich Ng, and Edrise Pope-Wright, but also the JV squad was very good last year earning a nine seed in the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament thanks to the likes of juniors Gerard Bullock and Blair Dolphin.

Like last year though, Colonia will be head and shoulders above everyone else with Carteret, Sayreville, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Monroe, Woodbridge, and South Plainfield all fighting for leftovers. Although the Pats lost key starters in Kevin Edmonds and Joe LaSala, and reserves such as Mike Salvador, they still have a solid junior class led by the likes of J.J. D’Amico, Nnamdi Usuwa, Mike Nweme, and Mike Karabin along with returning players Jeff Mentzel, and top point guard, Brandon Hall. Carteret and Sayreville are returning many of their players from last year, and lost a lot of close games during 2006-07. New Brunswick and North Brunswick are question marks although there is enough there to make them a formidable challenge for the rest of the division. Brandon Smith and Marquis Hamm are talented enough to make the Zebras a state and county tournament contender. The question is will they play? In addition, North Brunswick did lose a lot to graduation in 2007, but still have Brathwaite, Ashamole and a talented junior class led by Mike Cole and Ricky Harris. However, the Raiders did not impress much at the Middlesex County College Summer League this past summer.

Could Monroe sneak up in there too? Bob Turco managed to get his team into the state tournament, and finish 13-14 despite losing perhaps his best player in Shamil Graham in the middle of the season, and having to go down into the freshmen and JV ranks. Every time I saw the Falcons play during the summer, they progressed and showed signs of improvement. In addition, Monroe has a lot of good youngsters coming up. Not only a talented sophomore class led by Tim Brix, Jr., Ken Pace Jr., and Blake Bascom, but also a freshmen class that consists of the likes of Kayshon Stroughn. If you’re in the GMC White this year, you better have your ducks in a row every night. And, just think, next year, it doesn’t get any easier with Cardinal McCarrick moving up from the GMC Blue.


GMC Blue Division Preview–Revised Draft

Our next part is the predicted finish of the teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division with last year’s record in parentheses. Below that are some notes concerning why we are thinking they way we’re thinking.

  1. Cardinal McCarrick (19-7)
  2. Bishop Ahr (14-9)
  3. Metuchen (15-12)
  4. Middlesex (7-14)
  5. Spotswood (17-10)
  6. J.F. Kennedy (8-14)
  7. Highland Park (6-13)
  8. South River (3-20)

Notes: Again McCarrick and Bishop Ahr will more than likely be the class of the division in 2007-08. Although the Eagles lost Vince Rosario to graduation, they have the likes of Mike Burwell, Julio Rosario, and Branten Widgeon returning along with the likes of a junior class that head coach Joe Lewis is very high on. Cardy Mac’s JV and Freshmen made big strides at the respective Colonia Summer Leagues as well. True BGA lost Corey Francisco as well as the likes of interior players Zach Widdoss and Justin Dews leaving the Trojans with not a lot of size. However, the Trojans have a solid group of seniors including Mike Williamson, Billy Rooney, Kevin Uszenski, Derek Figueredo, and Martese Street. In addition, Ahr has solid juniors as well such as Matt Fiorino, Matt Sheehy, Steven Grant, Matt Melnick, Tom Lancey, and Jordan Smith. On top of that, the sophomore class isn’t too bad either. A team that reached the Final Four of the Perth Amboy/GMC JV Tournament in 2007, BGA has the likes of Justin Peoples, Brandon Vitabile, Immanuel Krogmann, and Darius Griffin coming up.

Going further down the GMC Blue it gets more interesting. Right now, my thinking is that Metuchen will be fighting for the third spot in the division, but the question with the Bulldogs is the status of forward Dejuan Miller. Miller plays football, and he has generated a lot of interest from top programs including Oklahoma, which is where he is originally from. Having Miller in the lineup will definitely give Metuchen an edge over teams such as Middlesex and Spotswood. Speaking of which, the Blue Jays finished the year on a tough note after coming close to making the state tournament for the first time since 2002. Middlesex competed over at the Middlesex County College Summer League this summer, and went 8-1 during the regular season, earned the second seed, and ended up winning the tournament championship over Sayreville, the team that handed them their only regular season loss, although the Bombers were without center, Chris Matagrano. Spotswood did lose a ton with the loss of John Berner, Bryan Osofsky, Justin Carlson, Mike Hohman, and Zack Becker. However, they have talent returning with the likes of Cody Pace, Pat Dwyer, Ross Gerhart, and Tyler Osofsky as well as reserves Nick Olesinski, Vinny Vizzi, and Joe Petosa. In addition, the Chargers have a good group of talented sophomores that finished third in the Perth Amboy/GMC JV Tournament, and defeated Bishop Ahr in the consolation to earn third place.

A wild card in this race could be JFK. During the off-season, Jamie Panko stepped down as head coach to pursue an administrative position in the Woodbridge district, and Chris Banos became the new coach. Banos has enjoyed some success at the Freshmen level, where he coached the current senior class to the Championship of the 2005 Perth Amboy/GMC Tournament, where the Colts defeated then twelfth seeded South Brunswick. The Mustangs have the likes of Jelani Davis and Joe Marciano returning from last year’s squad along with Jonathan Toczynski and Brian Reilly. The question is will other players such as Chris Galadyk, a member of that successful freshmen team Banos coached several years ago before joining his brother on the wrestling team the past couple of years, come out for the team as well. Highland Park, which lost everyone except Alfred Matias and James Boyd from a team that was just 6-13 last season, and South River, which has struggled the past several years, will have it tough competing in the GMC Blue again this year.


GMC Gold Division Preview–Revised Draft

Our next part is the predicted finish of the teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference Gold Division with last year’s record in parentheses. Below that are some notes concerning why we are thinking they way we’re thinking.

  1. South Amboy (13-12)
  2. Dunellen (16-8)
  3. Piscataway Vo-Tech (4-14)
  4. Perth Amboy Vo-Tech (14-10)
  5. East Brunswick Vo-Tech (4-20)

Notes: With St. Peter’s closing, this should be South Amboy’s division for the taking although Dunellen will have something to say about it especially if Tim Schleppenbach is healthy. The Cardinals probably would have been a solid favorite to win the division with everybody set to return including Travis Evans, Justin Morgan, and Dominic Appiah (now at McCarrick). However, politics from an unlikely source at the Diocese of Metuchen forced the long time school, and power in the GMC to shut its doors this past June. Meanwhile, the Guvs have put in a solid off-season that included participation in the Rebounds Spring League, Rebounds Summer League, and Rebounds Fall League. Mark Simko has is doing well, and continues to steadily improve. In addition, Larry Lenahan and Steve Poltrictzky are beginning to realize the potential they had as incoming freshmen in the Raritan Bay Summer League.

Lets not forget Colin Krzyzanowski can knock in a few from the perimeter too, and Joe Charmello and Matt Richmond are showing promise from the underclassmen levels too as well as Tommy Reilly. Dunellen should be in the thick of things this year with Schleppenbach returning as well as T.J. Wenzel and Brock Mundy. In addition, the two Francisco brothers, Luke and Nick Francisco as well as Matt and Eric Cianfrone should be expected to make contributions. Perth Amboy Vo-Tech and Piscataway Vo-Tech will battle for third with the Raiders getting the edge for now since they have the most returning from last year while the Patriots took a hit to graduation with the losses of Jose Tavares, Freddy Espinal, Wilson Diez, and David Laboriel. East Brunswick Vo-Tech will look to improve on last year’s 4-20 record, and should do that, but it will be tough to break through against opponents in this division.

Well, those are all my thoughts for now. Trust me, these are not set in stone, and even if most of them are, they are just that…thoughts. We still have to play the games, and that’s where the surprises will come. Please don’t take offense if I didn’t put your team where you think it should be. Keep in mind, I’m considering all the teams involved, not just your team. More importantly, just because I think that a team isn’t going to do well doesn’t by any means mean that I don’t like the players, school, or coach, or that the team is terrible.