Three GMC Schools: Edison, Perth Amboy Tech, and South Plainfield Playing in This Year’s Tourney
MONROE, NJ—On Wednesday, GMC Hoops received the schedule for the 2021 Anthony Cotoia Holiday Tournament scheduled to take place over the holidays on December 28th and 29th at South Plainfield High School. Three GMC Schools: Edison, Perth Amboy Tech, and South Plainfield will be competing in this holiday tourney last played in 2019 when Scotch Plains-Fanwood defeated for the title.
The South Plainfield Tigers will open up tourney play in the first game against Perth Amboy Tech on Tuesday, December 28th at 12:00 PM. Later on in the afternoon that day will be the nightcap contest between Edison and Scotch Plains-Fanwood at 2:00 PM. All four of these teams played in the 2021 Rahway Summer League during the off-season with Edison, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, and South Plainfield reaching the Final Four.
Another interesting fact about the teams playing in the tournament: South Plainfield and Edison, which are both likely to be ranked in the 2021 GMC Hoops Pre-Season Top 10, played each other three times during the summer with the Tigers winning two of the three games including the Championship Game of the 2021 Rahway Summer League. Edison went 9-0 in the regular season, and earned the top seed at Rahway.
Prior to the tourney being cancelled last season, Scotch Plains-Fanwood had won three of the last four Cotoia Tourney titles in 2016, 2017, and 2019 while compiling a 7-1 record during those last four tournaments. South Plainfield, the host school, has never won the tourney although it has appeared in the final in two of the last three years it was held: 2017 and 2019. The Tigers are 6-20 all time in the tournament.
Edison, which has previously played in the Gene Haley Tournament and the Matawan Huskies Classic, is playing in the Cotoia Tourney for the first time while Perth Amboy Tech has played in the previous three holiday tournaments, lost to J.P. Stevens in the 2018 tourney championship, and has a record of 1-5 in their three appearances.
This holiday tournament at SPHS is in honor of South Plainfield’s first ever boys basketball coach, and 2nd athletic director in school history, Anthony J. Cotoia, who coached the boys program from 1956-66, compiled a career record of 177-63, led the school to an undefeated season in 1959, won three Central Jersey Group 3 Championships in 1962, 1964, and 1965 and led the Tigers to their only state championship in boys hoops in 1964.
The winners of the two opening round games will then play in the Championship Game at 4:00 PM on December 29th while the opening round losers will face off in a Consolation Game for 3rd Place earlier in the day at 2:00 PM. Special thanks to SPHS boys basketball coach, John Greco for providing the information on this year’s tourney.
Below is the schedule and championship bracket for the 2021 Anthony Cotoia Holiday Tournament:
2021 Anthony Cotoia Holiday Tournament—Schedule—December 28th
12:00 PM—Perth Amboy Tech vs. South Plainfield
2:00 PM—Scotch Plains-Fanwood vs. Edison
2021 Anthony Cotoia Holiday Tournament—Schedule—December 29th
2:00 PM—Consolation—Loser of Perth Amboy Tech-South Plainfield vs. Loser of Scotch Plains-Fanwood-Edison
4:00 PM—Championship—Winner of Perth Amboy Tech-South Plainfield vs. Winner of Scotch Plains-Fanwood-Edison
2021 Anthony Cotoia Holiday Tournament—Championship Bracket
Opening Round
- Tue, 28 Dec 2021 12:00
- South Plainfield
- Perth Amboy Tech
- South Plainfield HS
- Tue, 28 Dec 2021 14:00
- Edison
- Scotch Plains-Fanwood
- South Plainfield HS
Championship
- Wed, 29 Dec 2021 16:00
- Winner of South Plainfield-Amboy Tech
- Winner of Edison-Scotch Plains
- South Plainfield HS