2008-09 GMC Hoops Predictions–Rough Draft

December 11, 2008 Greg Machos General 0

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–Over the past couple months since the first draft of the 2008-09 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.

2008-09 GMC Pre-Season Top Ten–Rough Draft

We start by taking a look at the initial GMC Hoops Pre-Season Top Ten for 2008-09. Before we go on any further with this, I think it is important to point out that the team that has been ranked pre-season #1 in the past two years (South Brunswick in 2006-07, and Piscataway in 2007-08) both lost in the GMCT Semifinals. Now, both of those teams went on to win sectional championships to regain their number one ranking in the final poll, but it proves that it is not always easy being the top banana. It should be a very interesting year with key players such as Mike Burwell, Brandon Hall, J.D. Griggs, James White, DeJuan Miller, Paul Konopacki, Mike Williamson, Al Tampa, Brian Williams, Chris Matagrano, Ricky Harding, Mike Williamson, and Kevin Uszenski all graduating last June. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of good talent around the Greater Middlesex Conference for this coming winter.

  1. St. Joseph’s (20-8)–Falcons return four starters including Steve Rennard. In addition, St. Joe’s has solid junior and sophomore classes. Over the summer, the team reached the semifinals of the Linden Summer League, and the Championship Game of the Elizabeth Summer League. The team also competed in the Summer Prime Time Shootout, Eastern, The Hoop Group Showcase at Rutgers (formerly the Metro Classic), and one of the Rutgers team camps. In the fall, the Falcons competed quite well at the TBSA Fall League by defeating the likes of Plainfield.
  2. Piscataway (24-5)–Although, the Chiefs lost four of their starting five from last year’s North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Championship team, and Group IV State finalist, they still have Tristian Benjamin, and plenty of depth coming up from last year’s reserves such as Aaron Hush, Thomas Bennett, and Jeff Adkins, and the JV level such as Jamar Rose, Antoine Beverly and Scott Kinney. They also have a fine sophomore and junior class, and over the summer, the underclassmen were put to the test in the Bound Brook Summer League. In addition to Bound Brook, the Chiefs played at TBSA, the Hoop Group Showcase, Rutgers Team Camp, and the Summer Prime Time Shootout.
  3. J.P. Stevens (20-6)–Winners of the 2008 TBSA Summer League, the Hawks also competed at the East Brunswick Team Camp back in June, and the TBSA Fall League. The group of seniors won the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament back in 2006, and reached the Elite Eight of the 2008 GMCT last February before losing to Colonia. While the Hawks have perhaps the best starting five in the GMC this year, the question with this squad is its depth. There are talented players coming off the bench, but they haven’t had the experience yet. Hopefully that will work itself out during the season, and the starters can stay healthy, and out of foul trouble.
  4. Cardinal McCarrick (24-5)–Despite losing Mike Burwell, and moving up to the tougher GMC White, the Eagles of Cardinal McCarrick, which had some struggles during the summer, played better during the fall at TBSA, and have a very talented senior class with the likes of Julio Rosario, Branten Widgeon, Dominic Appiah, Alvin Baptiste-Ousley, and juniors Criag Thomas, Mo Isaac, and Rob Olivieri. Sophomores Jeremy Cruz, Ryan Smith, John Appiah, and Mike Lewis will also see some varsity time at some point. JV team won the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament while the freshmen reached the Quarterfinals of the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament.
  5. Colonia (22-7)–The Patriots will have Nnamdi Usuwa returning to the lineup this season after sitting out almost all of last season due to disciplinary reasons. Matt Wagner also comes in from St. Joseph’s to provide a bit more perimeter touch while J.J. D’Amico will try to shoulder the burden left behind by the graduation of Brandon Hall. Senior Mike Nweme will look to build off of last year’s solid state tourney run. Sophomore Dave Cole will also be a player to watch this upcoming season. Colonia was the third seeded team in the Linden Summer League playoffs, and competed in the TBSA Fall League.
  6. Bishop Ahr (17-6)–The Trojans were runners up in the TBSA Summer League to J.P. Stevens, and also competed in the TBSA Fall League. BGA also had its sophomores compete in the Middlesex County College Summer League. The Trojans don’t have quite the guard play this season, but they do have plenty of size and plenty of depth. In addition, guard Matt Fiorino has improved his play according to his AAU coach, Chris Tarver, who also happens to be an assistant coach at Middlesex County College. Matt Sheehy saw some time off the bench in 2007-08, and the likes of Jordan Smith, Darius Griffin, Manny Kroggman, Justin Peoples, Nick Napurano, and Jason Vitable headline a group coming up from JV that reached the Championship of the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament before losing to Cardinal McCarrick.
  7. Monroe (16-12)–The Falcons have to deal with some tough emotions this season with the recent passing of recent graduate, and former teammate Ryan Walp, who died of cancer two days before Thanksgiving. However, Bob Turco has a good blend of youth and experience with the likes of freshmen Danny Brix and Ahmid Williams as well as veterans like Steve Blish, Tim Brix Jr., Kenny Pace Jr., and Travis Dufner. Coach Turco had the squad playing very well in the TBSA Fall League beating the likes of Trenton and Bridgewater by double digits while compiling a 6-1 record through the first seven weeks. The Purple Birds also competed in the Elizabeth Summer League, East Brunswick Team Camp, Eastern Team Camp, Kean Ironman Challenge, and the Summer Prime Time Shootout.
  8. Middlesex (18-7)–The Blue Jays may have lost three of their starting five from last year with the departures of John Stockton, Nick Fariella, and Billy Lester, but they still have Mark “Sparky” Stockton, Ryan Farley, Mike Perone, and Mike Colacci returning. in addition, Avery Barnes, Mike Fincher, Rob Mendito, and Adam Wells provide some depth. This team played very well in the Linden Team Camp, Elizabeth Summer League, and TBSA Fall League. At Elizabeth, Middlesex won the regular season title in the Monday/Wednesday Division, and defeated top ranked St. Joseph’s convincingly. With McCarrick out of the way, Brian Feath’s squad is looking to challenge Bishop Ahr for division supremacy.
  9. Carteret (17-9)–The Ramblers did lose a lot with the likes of Al Tampa, Alvin Rodriguez, and Brian Williams graduating last June, but CHS still has Robert “Double-Double” Jackson in the lineup as well as Rene Godfrey, Tarik Owens, Shaquille Jackson, Devin Chisholm, and Al-Raheem Thomas. Over the summer, Carteret competed in the Tuesday/Thursday Division of the Elizabeth Summer League as well as the East Brunswick Team Camp.
  10. Spotswood (13-12)–Don’t be surprised by this ranking although it may seem bold. The Chargers have solid guard play, and a fine junior class. The team, which is led by senior Ross Gerhart, went 6-2 down at Rebounds in the fall, and also reached the semifinals of the TBSA Summer League before losing to runner-up Bishop Ahr. Cody Pace, Tyler Osofsky, and the Pareti twins represent the solid junior class, and the Chargers even have a low post presence to now consider with Pat Dwyer as well as another newcomer. Spotswood will be right in the thick of the GMC Blue race with Ahr and Middlesex.

Other teams considered: Sayreville, South Brunswick, Dunellen, Metuchen, North Brunswick, East Brunswick, Perth Amboy Tech, and J.F. Kennedy
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GMC Red Division Preview–Rough 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 are initial, especially in light of the fact that the site hasn’t really gotten a good look at Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, Old Bridge, and Edison. The top three are pretty much in line with the GMC Hoops Pre-Season Top Ten while the middle two the site saw a bit of over the spring, summer, and fall at TBSA, Linden, and Rebounds. GMC Hoops has scheduled to see Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, and Edison in scrimmages.

  1. St. Joseph’s (20-8)
  2. Piscataway (24-5)
  3. J.P. Stevens (20-6)
  4. South Brunswick (14-11)
  5. East Brunswick (4-18)
  6. Perth Amboy (6-17)
  7. Woodbridge (4-18)
  8. Old Bridge (9-15)
  9. Edison (4-18)

Notes: Once again, the Red Division isn’t as strong as the GMC White this year from top to bottom. While there are some strong teams up in the top three of the division, there is a battle for spots four through nine, and anyone could get them. Right off the bat, I didn’t see much of Old Bridge, Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, and Edison. I’m going to try, and remedy that by going to see them in scrimmages over the next couple weeks.

We all know about the top three in the division since they represent the top three in the GMC Hoops Pre-Season Top Ten. South Brunswick competed in the East Brunswick Team Camp, TBSA Summer League, and Rebounds Fall League while East Brunswick competed in the Rebounds Spring League, East Brunswick Team Camp, Linden Summer League, and Rebounds Fall League. Both teams are in rebuilding mode with the Vikings losing its entire starting five from last season (for the second straight year), and EB is looking to improve on last year’s 4-18 season despite the losses of Mike Mello and Scott Stolzenberg to graduation. The Bears played well in the Rebounds Spring League, and had some good moments duriing the summer at Linden. Didn’t see them much during the fall, but did watch them play St. John Vianney, and they were competitive as always despite not having some players including Dustin Schuld. Look for Jean Paul Isaacs, Cody McHugh, Andrew Buckner, and Brett Pinnix to spark SBHS while Schuld, Alec Mayo, Mauro Tucci, Nick Navara, and Mike Kvidahl to fire East Brunswick.

Old Bridge had a coaching change with the retirement of long time head coach, Rocky Knowles, and didn’t compete in any summer or fall leagues. They still have some good upcoming talent including Jimmy Gaffigan, Tyler Abad, Stuart Luciow, and Andrew Tomlin in addition to senior Nick Perez that finished the year strong in 2007-08 despite losing to Spotswood in the Preliminary Round of the 2008 GMCT. Woodbridge is moving up from the GMC White, and will look to take advantage of the return of such players as Gerard Bullock, Blair Dolphin, and Jose Enger, and the future with the son of former Carteret standout, Keith Hughes and Kyle Pearson coming in as a freshmen. Not dealing with the tough rigors of a very balanced and competitive GMC White along with a new coach, Antwaane Patterson, should help the Barrons improve.

Perth Amboy also has a new coach in Edwin Santana, and a transfer from Cardinal McCarrick in Eliazar Landeo as well as Anthony Patterson from nearby Perth Amboy Tech, who will have to sit out the first 30 days. They also have a fine group of sophomores coming up including the younger brother of former McCarrick point guard, Rolffi Canela, but not a lot in the way of size with the losses of Edwin Guerra and Jamar Bridgeforth to graduation last June. Edison rounds out the GMC Red, but has some new faces, and looks to be better than last season’s disappointment. The Eagles showed flashes of potential by rallying against Bishop Ahr in the second half of their quarterfinal matchup at TBSA during the summer, but also showed how fickle and unpredictable they can be in their last minute loss to Dunellen also at TBSA.

GMC White Division Preview–Rough 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. Over the past two seasons, the GMC White has been the toughest and most competitive division by far in the entire conference. This year will be no exception with Cardinal McCarrick coming up from the GMC Blue. Colonia took a bit of a hit to graduation, but still has a lot returning with new additions. Also, Monroe, Carteret, and Sayreville will also have good teams this year that will be right in the middle of things. North Brunswick and South Plainfield look to be competitive despite some losses to graduation, and New Brunswick is proceeding with its rebuilding.

  1. Cardinal McCarrick (24-5)
  2. Colonia (22-7)
  3. Monroe (16-12)
  4. Carteret (17-9)
  5. Sayreville (17-8)
  6. North Brunswick (11-11)
  7. South Plainfield (9-15)
  8. New Brunswick (1-17)

Notes: The GMC White is by far in my opinion, the toughest division top to bottom in the Greater Middlesex Conference. Especially now with defending GMCT Champion, Cardinal McCarrick moving up to join the frey.

The Eagles lost Mike Burwell, and are moving up to a much tougher division so it’s not going to be as easy as it has been in the Blue. There won’t be any games like South River or Highland Park on the schedule to catch your breath. Cardy Mac did have some struggles during the summer, but straightened them out in the fall with a fine effort at the TBSA Fall League. More importantly, the Eagles still have plenty coming back with Julio Rosario, Branten Widgeon, Dominic Appiah, and Alvin Baptiste Ousley as well as solid juniors and sophomores such as Craig Thomas, Maurice “Mo” Isaac, Rob Olivieri, Jeremy Cruz, Ryan Smith, and John Appiah. Tyler Houser is another addition to the squad as well. Colonia did lose Brandon Hall to graduation, but did get Nnamdi Usuwa back after he was out for a year due to disciplinary reasons, and Matt Wagner transferred in from St. Joseph’s. J.J. D’Amico appears to be taking on more of a playmaking role, but don’t forget about his scoring capability. David Cole, a sophomore showed flashes of promise at TBSA this fall, and then Mike Nweme will look to build upon his fine effort in the state tournament.

Monroe, Carteret, and Sayreville will be duking it out for the next three spots with one or more of these teams giving the contenders like McCarrick and Colonia some problems during the year. As a matter of fact, Monroe hosts Colonia on opening night. Monroe has a good blend of young talent with freshmen Danny Brix and Ahmid Williams along with veterans such as Steve Blish, Ken Pace Jr., and Tim Brix Jr. Energetic and enthusiastic player, Travis Dufner made some progress during the summer, and will look to contribute. Carteret did lose some to graduation with the departures of Al Tampa, Alvin Rodriguez, and Brian Williams, but still have a bit coming back including Robert “Double-Double” Jackson, Rene Godfrey, Tarik Owens, Devin Chisholm, and Shaquille Jackson. The Ramblers competed at the Elizabeth Summer League, and the East Brunswick Team Camp. Sayreville lost some key players to graduation last year with Chris Matagrano and Ricky Harding, but the Bombers still have the quick and explosive scoring Paul DeLaCosta as well as James DeMild and LaVone Graham returning. In addition, Javon Hodges will provide some depth along Robert Pizzi, Mike Greco, Dave Milewski and a host of talented JV players from the past couple of seasons.

Bringing up the rear in this tough division are North Brunswick, South Plainfield, and New Brunswick, but don’t underestimate them. The Raiders have a senior class that finished third in the Perth Amboy Freshmen Tournament back in the 2005-06 season, but they did take a hit to graduation by losing the likes of C.J. Brathwaite, Jeff Ashamole, and Justin Morgan as well as athletic reserve Kunyepa Alley. Ricky Harris, Michael Cole (if he comes out to play), Dan Mangiapane, Mike McDonald, and Maurolino Ignacio highlight this year’s returning players while sophomore Tait Pirkle and newcomers such as Ross Kutz and perhaps Dillon Salva will provide some spark. North Brunswick competed at Middlesex County College over the summer. South Plainfield also took some hits to graduation with the losses of Bennie Gibson, Aaron Wright, Christian Cole, and Troy Russell, but have Mike Burton returning along with Tramane Miller, Greg Burton, Chris Lesniak, Mike Muglia, Chris Fulton, and Ted Skwiat along with junior Malcolm Austin, and newcomer Nick Lewis from England, who I’ve heard is quite a player. This group of seniors won the GMC Middle School Tournament over the Carl Sandburg Middle School of Old Bridge as 8th graders. The Tigers played at one of the several Rutgers Team Camps held during this past summer. Finally, we get to New Brunswick, which is still in rebuilding mode, but is looking to put together a Middle School team within the next year, and have two budding sophomores in Jaquan Cook and Devin Gardner along with a fellow class that finished fourth at the 2008 Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament. The Zebras will start to gel later in the season as the sophomores start coming along. NBHS competed at the Kean Ironman Challenge over the summer as well as held scrimmages with other teams.

GMC Blue Division Preview–Rough 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. The GMC Blue is a bit different this year with McCarrick moving up, and that should bring some relief, and more competitive balance to the division. Bishop Ahr looks to pick up the mantle of top dog in the division while Middlesex and Spotswood look to contend. Metuchen has good young talent while JFK is looking to build off last year’s first 10 win season since 2001-02. Highland Park and South River are looking to improve despite losing key players from last season. Below that are some notes concerning why we are thinking they way we’re thinking.

  1. Bishop Ahr (17-6)
  2. Middlesex (18-7)
  3. Spotswood (13-12)
  4. Metuchen (11-11)
  5. J.F. Kennedy (10-13)
  6. Highland Park (2-19)
  7. South River (4-19)

Notes: Bishop Ahr may think that it has the division won now that McCarrick has moved up to the White. They would be sadly mistaken to think that. The Trojans do have a lot of size and depth, and a much improved Matt Fiorino at one of the guard spots, but they’ll have their hands full with solid teams from Middlesex and Spotswood. The Trojans have had good freshmen and JV teams the past couple of seasons, and this year shouldn’t be any different. The jump BGA has made into the Elite Eight of the GMCT the past couple of seasons should be attributed to that. Last year, Ahr’s JV reached the Final of the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament while the Freshmen finished third in the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tourney.

The Blue Jays may have lost several starters from last year’s 18-7 squad with the graduations of John Stockton, Nick Fariella, and Billy Lester, but the team still has a good nucleus back with Mark Stockton, Ryan Farley, Mike Perone, and Mike Colacci all returning along with the likes of Rob Mendito, Avery Barnes, and Mike Fincher taking up the fifth spot in the rotation, or coming off the bench. Middlesex did very well over the summer at the Elizabeth Summer League (beat St. Joseph’s of Metuchen), Linden Team Camp, and Kean Ironman Challenge (took Scotch Plains-Fanwood to overtime before losing). Spotswood is another team to look out for in the division with the likes of veterans Ross Gerhart, Pat Dwyer, and Cody Pace along with the Pareti twins, and Tyler Osofsky. The Chargers finished the year strong with a win over Old Bridge in the preliminary round of the 2008 GMCT, and qualified for the Central Jersey Group II State Tournament before bowing out against Carteret. Building off that, Spotswood reached the Semifinals of the TBSA Summer League, and went 6-2 in the Rebounds Fall League.

Metuchen and J.F. Kennedy have some good young talent along with some fine veterans. The Bulldogs will be led this year by senior Codey Preston, and will have a supporting cast with the likes of fellow seniors Phil Lewis, Mark Switzer, and George Doukas with underclassmen Evan Carberry, Elijah Sellers, Nick Callas (not Evan as mentioned in the audio report), Mike Crusco, and Vinnie Sardone. The Bulldogs have made progress during the course of the off-season with a fine effort against Moore Catholic of Staten Island at the end of the summer at Elizabeth to qualify as the eighth seed, and another solid job against one loss Watchung Hills in the TBSA Fall League. Kennedy, meanwhile, will have Joe Marciano leading a young squad that will look to improve upon its first ten win season since current St. Joe’s Athletic Director, Jerry Smith was at the helm. Despite losing the likes of Will Roman, Brian Reilly, Jelani Davis, Jonathan Toczynski, and John McKenna, JFK was a plethora of good sophomore and junior talent that second year head coach, Chris Banos will put into action if necessary.

Rounding out the division will be Highland Park and South River, which have struggled in recent years. The Owls have not been the same since the departure of Mike Burwell, and head coach, Tom Sclafani after the 2005-06 season. Meanwhile, South River has not been the same since the fine season of 2004-05 under then first year head coach Mike DelAversano. However, despite losing some key players, the Rams have some decent talent back this year including Brandon Walsh, Xavier Foster, Michael Wilson, Steve Moore, Shawn Fenton, and Nick Boyler.

GMC Gold Division Preview–Rough 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. Dunellen looks to be the class of the division with the graduation of four of five starters at South Amboy, and the recent transfer of Anthony Patterson from Amboy Tech to Perth Amboy. Piscataway Tech and their head coach Karl Towns are always a wild card here, and East Brunswick Tech finished the year strong in 2007-08. The Tigers will be looking to get some rare division wins this season. Below that are some notes concerning why we are thinking they way we’re thinking.

  1. Dunellen (14-13)
  2. Perth Amboy Tech (14-11)
  3. South Amboy (17-8)
  4. Piscataway Tech (8-9)
  5. East Brunswick Tech (11-12)

Notes: Early on I thought perhaps Amboy Tech may contend for the crown in this division. However, with Anthony Patterson transferring crosstown to Perth Amboy, the Patriots lost their leading scorer and rebounder. Patterson was a stat stuffer deluxe. He will have to say out the first 30 days, and get his grades up in order to play at Perth Amboy, but his departure from Amboy Tech puts things pretty much in Dunellen’s favor to win the GMC Gold again after just missing last season. The Francisco brothers, who are cousins of former BGA standout, Corey Francisco, are back along with Jonard Hall, Reggie Thorpe, Eric Orellana, Eric Cianfrone, and Mark Palka. In addition, the Destroyers have a number of players coming up from the JV level that will help too including Rontik Sadler.

The Patriots still have some decent talent returning led by Joey Castro, Anthony Vidal, and Anthony Rodriguez. So, don’t count out the Patriots. South Amboy only has Joey Charmello returning from last year’s starting lineup, but there are also some upcoming players from the JV level including Matt Richmond, Matt Regan, Luke O’Connor, and Diego Cuello along with the younger brother of Mark Simko, Tim Simko. Karl Towns will have to find a way to make up for the loss of talented standout Justin Braxton as well as guard Sean Cruz, but he still has Tim Leonard, Mohammed Conteh, and Maurice Graves to pick up the slack as well as E.B. Tech Transfer Mehadi Robinson, Fernando Reyes and Luis Mota. East Brunswick Tech looks to have Rob Brown, Corey Ragland, and Anthony Morrison all returning this year.

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.