Rams 2nd Ever 2,000 Point Scorer to Join P-Way’s Saintil on D3 Devils
Derrick Whitaker of South River hoists a three point attempt in the first half versus Middlesex in a GMC Blue Division clash on January 18th. Whitaker, a 2,100 point scorer, will be attending FDU-Florham next fall.
SOUTH RIVER, NJ—Another GMC player will be heading up to Madison, New Jersey this September. In addition to former Piscataway, and recent Middlesex County College standout, Cameron Saintil attending FDU-Florham, South River standout, Derrick Whitaker will also be playing for Jeff Slanovec and the Devils of the Freedom Conference next season.
Whitaker, a four year starter at South River, became the second player in the school’s history to score 2,000 points in his career. The other player is Deon Jackson, who attended the school from 1987-1991, and is the Rams all-time leading scorer. Whitaker finished his career with a total of 2,105 points on 502 field goals, 214 three pointers, and 447 foul shots in 109 games according to NJ.com.
Whitaker also tallied 546 rebounds, 228 assists, 204 steals, and 8 blocked shots. Over his four years at South River, Whitaker averaged 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He was selected to the 2019 All GMC Team, and also claimed the top spot in the GMC Hoops Grand Club by passing the likes of former Cardinal McCarrick standout, Vince Rosario, and former St. Joseph’s and McCarrick standout, Marques Townes to get to the top of the list.
The GMC Hoops Grand Club is a list of players who have played in the Greater Middlesex Conference over the time that GMC Hoops has covered the league from 2000 to the present, and have scored at least 1,000 points in their career. This past season, Whitaker scored 543 points, which averaged out to 20.1 points per game. His best season over his time with the Rams was his sophomore year in 2016-17 when he scored 581 points, or averaged 22.3 points per contest.
In 2018-19, Whitaker played in 27 games, and made 122 field goals, 63 three pointers, and 104 free throws. He also collected 123 rebounds, 70 assists, 46 steals, and two blocks. These numbers translated to an average of 20.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest. Whitaker scored in double figures in 23 of those 27 games including thirteen contests where he scored at least 20 points. Whitaker even scored at least 30 points four times including a career high of 36 points against Keyport on January 7th.
Over his career at South River, Whitaker scored in double figures in 98 games, or approximately 90 percent of the time. He scored at least 20 points or more in 47 contests including fifteen during his sophomore year. In twelve of those games, Whitaker tallied at least 30 points including five games in his sophomore year, and four contests this past season. Whitaker headlined a talented senior class that made its mark in South River athletics.
The Rams senior class included the likes of Mike DeSantis, a three sport star, who played running back and quarterback in football as well as baseball. DeSantis, who just threw a no-hitter on Tuesday, played QB for the Rams in each of his final seasons, and led the team to at least a share of two GMC Blue division championships on the gridiron. Joey Nigro was another among the group, who along with DeSantis and point guard, Zac Rafano, were the heart and soul of the boys basketball team the past two years with their defense and scrappy play.
Silvio Cruz and Davine Mayes also were four year contributors to the boys basketball program in South River. Cruz also played football last season while Mayes was a key target for DeSantis on the football field this season. Over the four years, Whitaker played for the Rams, the South River boys basketball team compiled a record of 65-44 overall including a 29-25 mark in divisional play. The Rams best season during this period was in 2015-16.
During the 2015-16 campaign, Whitaker’s freshman year, South River was 18-11 overall including a 13-5 record in the GMC Gold Division. The Rams then went on to reach the 2016 Central Jersey Group 1 Semifinals, where they lost to Florence. It was the second time South River reached the sectional semifinals under head coach Rodney Harris. The 2015-16 season was the last time South River was in the GMC Gold.
Returning to the GMC Blue for the first time since the 2009-10 season, South River went 47-33 over the past three seasons including a 16-20 mark in divisional play. However, the Rams improved from 4-8 two seasons ago to 5-7 last year to 7–5 this season. In addition to finishing third in the Blue Division, the Rams also registered wins against three White Division schools: J.F. Kennedy, North Brunswick, and Sayreville to earn the 13th seed in the 2019 GMCT.
The Rams also played well when GMC Hoops was in town during Whitaker’s career at the school. South River went 15-4 in games covered by Greg Machos and GMC Hoops including a 5-1 mark this past season. Whitaker will be joining an FDU-Florham men’s basketball program that has been rebuilding over the past couple seasons. The Devils have had a history of former GMC players at the school including: Andrew Biancosino (J.P. Stevens), Mike Williamson (Bishop Ahr), Steve Herdman (South Amboy), and Joe Duffy (J.F. Kennedy).
The Devils, one of three NCAA D3 college teams within a couple miles of each other in The Rose City of Madison, New Jersey, was only 7-18 overall including a 4-10 mark in conference play this past season. Neverthless, it was still a step up from the 2017-18 campaign when FDU-Florham only went 3-22 overall including a 3-11 record in the Freedom Conference. The additions of Saintil and Whitaker from the GMC along with other newcomers will help further improve the Devils fortunes. Congratulations Derrick on making it to the next level, and continued success moving forward.