On Thursday night, I saw my 700th game since launching this web site in December 2000. It’s been quite a ride, which has had some bumps along the way. The site has been to every gym in the county except for the brand new New Brunswick High School, which opened up after the holidays. GMC Hoops plans to come out to that gym soon. The first game seen by this sight involved one of the two teams in Thursday night’s game. Piscataway took on East Brunswick on opening night of the 2000-01 season, and won the game.
The Chiefs weren’t as fortunate last night as they ran into St. Joseph’s and sophomore sensation, Quenton DeCosey, who put on quite a show that will make game number 700 memorable. The site has been witness to a number of memorable events from the rise of Cardinal McCarrick to South Plainfield winning its first ever conference tournament. It was there to see the final home game at St. Peter’s High School. The site saw memorable conference tournament games such as the two semifinals of the 2003 GMCT at East Brunswick High School, and the quarterfinal game between Piscataway and South Plainfield in the 2004 GMCT.
GMC Hoops was there to see standout GMC players such as Nick Smith, A.J. Rudowitz, and Steve Rennard score their 1,000th career point. It was also there to see former standouts such as Marqus Blakely, DeJuan Miller, Brandon Hall, and Julio Rosario play in their final high school game. The site was there to see Guvmania take over South Amboy as the Guvs won their first ever outright division championship back in 2008. It was also at the scene when South Brunswick rebounded from a loss in the 2007 GMCT Final Four to defeat Freehold Township for the Central Jersey Group IV Championship, and give Linden all it could handle in the 2007 Group IV State Championship. It did the same a year later when Piscataway rebounded to win the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV title after losing to St. Joseph’s in the 2008 GMCT semis.
The site has expanded over the years to now cover Freshmen and JV games like it did on Thursday between St. Joseph’s and Piscataway. It also covers former GMC players as they move on to the next level in college. GMC Hoops now covers football in the fall as well. The site has grown to cover such events as the Tip-Off Classic, WOBM Classic, Prime Time Shootout, and the Tournament of Champions. It has traveled the state and even into Pennsylvania for games. GMC Hoops has seen some memorable performances such as Jermaine Clark’s playoff game against Bayonne in the 2004 North Jersey Section 2 Group IV State Tournament, DeJuan Miller’s 35 point and 15 rebound peformance against Spotswood, Mark Simko’s 32 point effort against Edison, Dana Raysor’s 30 point performance against Orange, and Keith Hughes’ breakout game against Perth Amboy in addition to DeCosey’s exploits on Thursday.
GMC Hoops has seen the emergence of talented players such as Dwayne Jarrett, Nick Smith, Marquis Jones, Jermaine Clark, Sean Baptiste, Andrew Bynum, Corey Francisco, Mike Burwell, Vince Rosario, Julio Rosario, Steve Rennard, Ahmid Williams, Danny Brix, Cody Pace, Hughes and DeCosey. It has also seen great teams such as 2002-03 Cardinal McCarrick, 2003-04 South Plainfield (27-1), 2006-07 South Brunswick, and 2007-08 Piscataway. These eyes have seen a lot, and it has also seen the Greater Middlesex Conference grow to compete against some of the better teams in the state. They will also see the conference expand next year with new members Timothy Christian and Wardlaw joining the GMC Gold.
It has been a great journey since that meager beginning in December 2000. Here’s to many more to come. Thanks to all the fans for their great support over the years.