Bulldogs Senior Standout Committed to Scranton, PA Based School Back in September
METUCHEN, NJ—One of the top returning players in the Greater Middlesex Conference for 2021-22 is Metuchen’s Dominic Schiappa. After helping lead the Bulldogs to the Haley Family Pod Championship over Old Bridge last March, Schiappa comes back to lead a more younger and inexperienced team with a new head coach, but he still intends to finish his high school basketball career strong.
Schiappa also has aspirations beyond high school. The 6’4” senior guard/forward will be playing at the next level next year. Back in September, GMC Hoops learned through Schiappa’s family that the Bulldogs hoops standout will be attending Marywood University next fall. Last year, Schiappa was part of a senior laden group at Metuchen, one of the best the program has had since the days of Marqus Blakely and DeJuan Miller in 2005 and 2006.
In the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 campaign, the Metuchen Bulldogs finished 10-5 overall including an 8-3 mark in Blue Division play to finished tied for 2nd with Dunellen behind South Plainfield. Keep in mind that the GMC didn’t recognize division winners last season due to the circumstances from the pandemic. Metuchen then went on to claim the top seed in the Haley Family Pod in the GMC post-season.
The Bulldogs, led by Schiappa and Haley Family Pod MVP, Jai Dreher, defeated New Brunswick in the opening round 47-32, and then held off a strong challenge from Old Bridge to win the Championship Game (65-53). Schiappa was recognized by GMC Hoops as a member of the All Haley Family Pod Team as he averaged 16 points per game over the two contests played.
At the end of the 2020-21 season, Schiappa had compiled 791 career points, and ranked 9th among then active players in the GMC. With all of the top eight active scorers from last season graduating this past June, Schiappa comes in as the top returning active scorer in the Greater Middlesex Conference. Over his first three years, the Metuchen hoops standout is averaging 12.5 points per game including a 14.2 ppg average in 11 contests a season ago.
Transferring to Metuchen after playing at Point Pleasant Boro in Ocean County and the Shore Conference as a freshman, Schiappa played in 26 games as a sophomore for the Bulldogs. According to NJ.com, Schiappa made 132 two point baskets, 19 threes, and 47 free throws to tally 378 total points, or an average of 14.5 points per game. He also collected 98 rebounds, or an average of 3.8 boards per game.
Last season, Schiappa, who battled injury early on, still managed to compile 69 two pointers, a three, and 15 foul shots for 156 total points in less than a dozen games. Schiappa also collected 55 rebounds, 30 assists, and 13 steals to average 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game for Metuchen.
As a freshman at Point Pleasant Boro, Schiappa played in 26 games and made 82 two pointers, a three, and 44 free throws for 257 total points, or an average of just under 10 points per contest. He also collected 61 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 blocks, and 5 steals. He averaged 9.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game his freshman season.
Over his three years between Point Boro and Metuchen, Schiappa made 283 two pointers, 21 threes, and 106 free throws for his 791 career points, and 12.5 points per game average. He also tallied 214 rebounds, or 3.4 rpg, 53 assists, 20 steals, and 7 blocks. Over the summer, Schiappa led Metuchen to a playoff berth in the Bound Brook Summer League, where they lost in the opening round to Watchung Hills (54-43).
More recently, Schiappa and Max Cohn led a group of Metuchen hoops players on the Main Street Barber Shop squad that competed in the Honor Conor Classic at St. Francis CYO in Metuchen on Thanksgiving Weekend. The charity tournament was held again this year after being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID. The tourney, in honor of former Metuchen hoops standout, Conor McCadden, who passed away due to cancer prior to the start of the 2014-15 season, was won by the Metuchen Elks, which defeated Main Street Barber Shop (33-15) in the final.
At Marywood, Schiappa will be joining a men’s basketball team coached by Enrico Mastroianni, who has had previous coaching stints in Division 3 at Misericordia (as an assistant coach) and Centenary College, and Division 2 as the first ever men’s hoops coach at Georgian Court University. Mastroianni has coached the likes of former GMC standouts as Timmy Brix (Monroe), Larry Lenahan (South Amboy), Keith Hughes Jr. (Woodbridge), Robbie Ashamole (St. Joseph’s), Jeff Ashamole (North Brunswick), Claude Payne (South Plainfield), Hamilton Capellan (Perth Amboy), J.D. Rodriguez (Perth Amboy and Cardinal McCarrick).
During the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season, Marywood only played one game last season, which was a 66-64 victory over Cabrini in an Atlantic East contest on March 29th in Scranton. So far this season, the Pacers are 5-4 after three straight wins over Wilkes University (92-84), Keystone College (89-80), and King’s College (91-89 OT).
In the last full season before the pandemic, the 2019-20 campaign, Marywood finished 8-19 overall including a 2-10 mark in the Atlantic East. The year before, in 2018-19, the Pacers finished 17-11 overall including a 8-4 mark in the Atlantic East, and reached the semifinals of the 2019 Atlantic East Tournament before losing to Marymount (71-64). Marywood then won an opening round game in the ECAC Tourney over Medaille (89-77) before losing to top seeded Brandeis (86-77).
Congratulations Dominic, and best of luck in your future endeavors.