Former South Plainfield Coach Jeff Lubreski’s Son Sean Now Contributing At North Plainfield
BOUND BROOK, NJ–I don’t know if any of you noticed the news articles or the box scores from over the holidays, but I saw something that made me realize that I’m getting old. Prior to starting GMC Hoops, I had served as a volunteer assistant coach at South Plainfield High School from 1992 to 1997. I also played varsity one year at the school in 1987-88. During my tenure as volunteer assistant coach, and even a few years after, I had gotten to see the three Lubreski boys: Ryan, Sean, and Brett grow up around the team.
One particular memory that I had of the three was a photo from the Home News-Tribune of Sean Lubreski coming out to celebrate after Marquis Jones hit his game winning shot in the 2005 GMCT Championship game against St. Joseph’s. The three of them had become a familiar fixture on the sidelines, and in the stands during those days, and in the years proceeding. Another memory I had was the three of them at the end of the South Plainfield bench when the Tigers were playing Bound Brook in the Crusader Classic back when Dominique Pender was a senior at SPHS.
It was quite a site seeing the three of them going at it in a battle royal while former Tiger standout Ulysses Russell had his hands full trying to keep them under control. Sean always seemed to be in the middle of these family scraps. Either he would be fighting with Brett, the youngest, or Ryan the oldest. It always made me laugh when the three of them would do battle. Sometimes, I was a victim of it as well. For instance, in the 2000 Central Jersey Group II State Tournament, the Tigers traveled to Montgomery to play the Cougars in the old MTHS gym. SPHS lost the game, but the Lubreski kids were a rowdy bunch that night stomping their feet, and leaving their sneaker tracks on my jacket!
Well, Sean, who is the second youngest of the three sons, now plays at North Plainfield. In a recent loss to Spotswood in the consolation game of the Bound Brook Crusader Classic, Lubreski scored 12 points in a 63-61 overtime loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Ryan, the oldest son, who went on to play basketball at Immaculata and Blair Academy, is now at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Their father, Jeff Lubreski, who now coaches at Plainfield High School, was at the Perth Amboy vs. Piscataway game on Tuesday night scouting the Chiefs. P-Way and P-Funk both play against each other at Plainfield High School on Saturday.