Junior guard Jaden Kelly of St. Thomas Aquinas puts up a shot in the first half against Rutgers Prep in the Non-Public A Semifinals last March. The Trojans along with St. Joseph’s are headlining the 2022 Friends of South Amboy games on Saturday.
Division Favorites Spotswood and Calvary Christian Also Playing in Friends of South Amboy Showcase
SOUTH AMBOY, NJ – On Saturday, GMC Hoops will begin its coverage of the 2022-23 Greater Middlesex Conference basketball season with a trip down to South Amboy Middle-High School for the 2022 Friends of South Amboy Benefit Showcase. The event began in 2012 in the wake of Superstorm Sandy with proceeds going toward victims of the storm.
Since then, the showcase, spearheaded by Tom Reilly, has taken place every year with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19. Last year, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joseph’s headlined the showcase by playing each other for the first time since January 2020. The game was historic with the Trojans defeating the Falcons for the first time since the 1994 GMCT.
This year, STA and Joes are back again. However, this time, they will be playing against other opponents. Both the Trojans and the Falcons are now competing against each other in the newly revamped Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joseph’s will be playing each other twice this year for the first time ever with the possibility of playing additional times in the GMCT and Non-Public A South State Tournaments.
St. Joseph’s will be taking on a very good St. Joseph’s by the Sea squad from Staten Island at 6:00 PM. St. Thomas Aquinas will then follow with a match-up versus Oratory Prep of Union County in the night cap slated for 8:00 PM. The Trojans and Falcons are two of seven GMC schools competing in the event including the host school South Amboy and division contenders Spotswood (Blue) and Calvary Christian (Gold).
Below is the schedule for the 2022 Friends of South Amboy Showcase on Saturday, December 17th.
- South Amboy vs. Spotswood, 12:00 PM (Boys)
- South Amboy vs. East Brunswick Tech, 2:00 PM (Girls)
- Sayreville vs. Calvary Christian, 4:00 PM (Boys)
- St. Joseph’s vs. St. Joseph’s by the Sea (Staten Island), 6:00 PM (Boys)
- St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Oratory Prep, 8:00 PM (Boys)
GMC Hoops plans to cover all five games from the event.