Panthers Become 2nd GMC School to Postpone Boys and Girls Basketball due to COVID-19
PERTH AMBOY, NJ—Just days after neighborhood rival, Carteret announced that it would be cancelling both boys and girls basketball in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Perth Amboy school district announced that it would forego winter sports in 2021. Remote classes are scheduled to continue in Amboy until April 1st.
Perth Amboy, which did participate in football in the fall sports season, originally was on board to participate with all the Greater Middlesex Conference schools in the NJSIAA’s Season 2 back in November, but the rise of Coronavirus cases in the district forced the school board to decide otherwise according to stories reported by Mike Pavlichko of Central Jersey Sports Radio and Greg Tufaro of MyCentralJersey.
With an estimated population of nearly 51,000 according to U.S. Census data from 2019, Perth Amboy, along with New Brunswick are the two major urban centers in Middlesex County. The last exit in Middlesex County before entering Staten Island and New York City, Perth Amboy has totaled 6,481 COVID-19 cases and 166 deaths as of January 21st.
The City of Perth Amboy, located in Northeastern Middlesex County, has only a total land area of 4.7 square miles, and has had approximately 13 cases per 100 residents, and nearly 1,400 cases per square mile as well as the highest number of deaths per square mile in the county at 35. Amboy is even poorer than Carteret with an average per capita income of just under $22,000 as supposed to the county average of nearly $40,000.
In addition, about 19 percent of all Perth Amboy residents live in poverty, which is over twice as much as the county and state averages. Many residents of the city are front line workers, who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. Like its arch rival, Carteret, the City of Perth Amboy enjoys its sports, especially football and basketball since it is a source of pride for the community, and helps its youth find a way to a better life.
The Panthers have been historically one of the most prominent basketball programs in Middlesex County. Perth Amboy dominated the early years of the Middlesex County Tournament. Under the guidance of legendary head coach, Bill Buglovsky, the Panthers appeared in 8 of the first 11 MCT Finals and won all eight title games. After losing finals in 1976, 1978, and 1980, Perth Amboy won the MCT again in 1981 under head coach, John Mazurek, but has only been to one Championship Game since, the 1990 GMCT Final when it lost to J.F. Kennedy (54-53).
Perth Amboy has made a couple memorable runs through the GMCT over the past 30 years including 1999 and 2015. In 1999, the Panthers, coached by Neil Kennett, and led by the likes of Ralph Lora, who later became a 1,000 point scorer at Kean University, knocked off 3rd seeded North Brunswick in overtime in the Round of 16, and then 6th seeded St. Peter’s in the Elite Eight to become the first double digit seed to reach the GMCT Final Four since Cedar Ridge in 1988 before losing to 2nd seeded Colonia.
Then, in 2015, under head coach, Edwin Santana, who now serves as the JV and assistant coach at Colonia, the Panthers, led by Carlos Done, made another memorable run by reaching the GMCT Final Four after defeating South Brunswick in the quarterfinals. The Panthers would lose to Red Division nemesis, St. Joseph’s as the Falcons would reach the Championship Game for the seventh straight year before losing to Colonia.
After going only 4-18 in 2018-19 and being defeated by Metuchen in overtime (75-74) in the 2019 GMCT Play-In Round, the Panthers, under first year head coach, and 2006 graduate, Jeff Gumbs, were one of the most improved teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference in 2019-20 with an overall record of 12-10 to earn the 9th seed in the 2020 GMCT. Although Perth Amboy fell short to Dunellen (89-78) in the Round of 16, and fell to Union in the opening round of the North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 playoffs, there was new enthusiasm in the city about its pride and joy, the boys basketball program.
Perth Amboy basketball is a who’s who among Middlesex County hoops legends including 2,000 point scorers Brian and Blake Taylor, Jay Ziznewski, Ronald Rawlins, Chad Kinch, Ricky Swindell, Larry Rudolph, Eric “Mo” Bryant, William Pennyfeather, Andre Heard, Ray Stewart, John Carpenter, Darryl Cross, Juan Collazo, Rah-Shun Roberts, Jose Urena, Ronald Snipes, Adam Rivera, Ralph Lora, Brett Brown, Jermaine Clark (now an assistant at Perth Amboy), Victor Verdecia, Carlos Done, Josh Cabezudo, Quasim Jackson, and Elbi Nunez.
Since the inception of the Middlesex County Tournament in 1965, Perth Amboy is 96-46 overall with a .676 winning percentage, which still ranks 2nd behind St. Joseph’s. The Panthers have also made the second most finals appearances with 13, winning 9 titles.