Looking Back At The 1996-97 North Brunswick Raiders

Howard’s World Cup Run With Team USA Brings Back Memories Of Raiders Only GMCT Title

NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ–On a muggy day only typical for Central Jersey for the early part of summer, GMC Hoops thought about the end of February.  Not longing for the cold weather of that time of year, but to look back on that time of year during the 1996-97 campaign when the North Brunswick Raiders, led by the likes of current Team USA Soccer goalie, Tim Howard, won its only Greater Middlesex Conference Boys Basketball Championship.

The team consisted of not only Howard, but also the likes of John Cipot, the nephew of long time Highland Park boys basketball head coach, Frank Cipot, Steve Bridgemohan, who later went on to play at Monmouth, Rahameen Byrom, Corey Stringer, and Eric Turner.  Howard had transferred into North Brunswick prior to the 1994-95 school year after being at Montclair Kimberley, where he had been teammates on the soccer team there with another player that transferred into the GMC that same year , Kevin Clarke (South Plainfield).  The Raiders that season were in a White Division that had plenty of good teams including Bishop Ahr, Colonia, South Plainfield, and St. Peter’s.  It was the last really great team that St. Peter’s had with the trio of Mars Mellish, Tony Lee, and Rodney White.  The Cardinals would have another solid team in 1998-99, but fell to Perth Amboy in the GMCT quarterfinals.

South Plainfield took its lumps with mostly a squad of juniors in 1995-96.  The team that year went 4-14.  However, for the 1996-97 season, the Tigers were returning everyone including standout player Michael Thompson.  Colonia was several years removed from its first berth in the GMCT Final Four under the direction of Ken Pace, but still fielded a competitive team that defeated South Plainfield in the season opener, 60-51.  Bishop Ahr had a solid squad as well that also defeated the Tigers in the final minute of play in mid-January.  As a matter of fact, the teams in the GMC White knocked each other around pretty well in 1996-97.  For example, South Plainfield split with North Brunswick, Colonia, and Bishop Ahr while losing twice to St. Peter’s.  The Tigers also lost to a rebuilding South Brunswick squad, which was then under the direction of Mark Babich, who replaced long time coach, Bob Carpenter after Carpenter took the head coaching job at Toms River East.

North Brunswick started its season with a bang as the Raiders opened the season at home against St. Peter’s.  The Cardinals had just moved up to the White Division after being in the Blue for several years.  Prior to the season starting, the Cardinals, which had made it to the GMCT Elite Eight, each year from 1993 to 1997 including four straight berths in the Final Four, and an appearance in the 1994 championship, looked to be the favorite to win the White Division, and the GMC.  The Raiders had begun to make a climb towards the top in the 1994-95 season led by the likes of Frank DeLuca, who had just graduated, and now was playing post-graduate hoops at Solebury Prep in Pennsylvania.  On opening night though, the Raiders made a huge statement with a blowout win over the Cardinals at home as Turner sank 25 points in the win.  The Raiders continued to roll through the holiday tournament played at Timothy Christian, which included a dominant win over Edison.

In mid-January, North Brunswick took on South Plainfield at NBTHS, and the Raiders rallied from behind to beat the Tigers by the score of 65-61.  However, when the second half of the division schedule began, the Raiders had to travel over to the Red Tile Palace at St. Peter’s High School, where the Cardinals were waiting to exact revenge for its opening night loss to the Raiders.  Led by Mellish and Lee, the Cardinals avenged their opening night defeat.  The win coupled with a later loss by the Raiders to South Plainfield at SPHS (thanks to the shooting of guard Jeff Puterbaugh) in February, help set up the Cardinals, which had defeated the Tigers twice including a narrow victory on the road despite 35 points from Michael Thompson, with first place in the White Division, and the top seed in the 1997 GMCT.  St. Peter’s, which had a tendency to play to the level of its opponent during its run from 1992 to 1997, had some trouble defeating a Sayreville squad that was led by the likes of Marcin Ziobron and Leland Norris.

North Brunswick, which was the fifth seed, would still get a third match with the Cardinals in the semifinals as the Cards found a way to come away with another close victory over the Bombers at Middlesex County College.  In the 1997 GMCT Final Four though, the Raiders would win the rubber match to advance to its first ever GMCT Championship.  Facing them would be a second seeded St. Joseph’s squad that was led by then sophomore, Jay Williams.  The Falcons were making their first appearance in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title game for the first time since 1993 when they defeated South Brunswick in overtime behind Ryan Moglia and Mike DeRocckis, who later transferred to McCorristin (now Trenton Catholic), and played college ball at Drexel.  The finals appearance for Joes would start a dominant run over the GMCT for the better part of the last 17 seasons.  Not on this night though as North Brunswick came away with a 66-55 victory over the St. Joseph’s for the title.  Howard and Bridgemohan were selected to the All GMCT Team along with Williams, Lee, and Mike Trestka of East Brunswick.