Middlesex Standout Led GMC in Scoring During 2021-22 Season
MIDDLESEX, NJ—The Middlesex Blue Jays have another standout hoops player headed to college. Earlier this month, GMC Hoops discussed MHS girls hoops standout, Madison Robel heading to Wilkes University. Now, the Middlesex boys basketball team has a top played headed to the next level. Michael Salvatore is off to Misericordia. The GMC’s top scorer in 2022 announced his commitment to play for the Cougars earlier this month.
Salvatore became the second consecutive Middlesex boys basketball player to lead the Greater Middlesex Conference in scoring. He scored a total of 652 points for the Blue Jays in 2021-22. In addition, Salvatore also collected 129 rebounds, 102 steals, and 53 assists in all 27 of Middlesex’s games. He averaged 24.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 steals, and just under 2.0 assists per game this past season.
Misericordia Getting GMC’s Top Scorer
At the end of March, Salvatore participated in the 2022 GMCBCA Senior All-Star Game at Woodbridge High School. Salvatore tallied 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists for Team White in its 122-113 win over Team Black. By scoring a conference leading 652 points, Salvatore also became the latest 1,000 point scorer at Middlesex. He finished his career with 1,010 points.
Playing the majority of four seasons at the varsity level, Salvatore competed in 71 games for the Blue Jays. Over that span, Salvatore compiled 1,010 points, 183 rebounds, 119 steals, and 97 assists. He averaged 14.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.4 assists per game. During the 2021-22 campaign, Salvatore scored in double figures in all but one game.
Salvatore is the Third 1,000 Point Scorer at Middlesex in 4 Years
Salvatore scored at least 20 points in 22 of Middlesex’s 27 games this past season. Of those 22 games, Salvatore scored over 30 points on five occasions. He netted a career high 42 points in an 80-33 victory over Piscataway Tech on January 31st. In that same contest against the Raiders, he grabbed a career high 10 rebounds for his only double-double.
During his time at Middlesex, Salvatore scored in double figures 40 times. In those forty games, Salvatore scored at least 28 points on 6 occasions. Salvatore also had a career high of 4 assists and 7 steals on several occasions. As a junior, Salvatore ranked 2nd on the team in scoring behind Mark Brower with 219 points. He is the third Middlesex player to score 1,000 points under head coach Jared Goldstein.
Salvatore Off to Misericordia Team in Transition
Over the course of Salvatore’s varsity career, Middlesex has compiled an overall record of 44-53 including a 19-31 mark in the GMC Blue. The Blue Jays qualified for the state tournament three times. The school’s best team during that span was the 2019-20 squad. During the 2019-20 campaign, Middlesex finished 16-13 overall including a 5-7 record in the Blue Division, and reached the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals.
Salvatore will be joining a Misericordia men’s basketball program in transition. This past season, the Cougars finished 10-17 overall including a 7-9 mark in the MAC Freedom Conference. Misericordia didn’t play last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two seasons ago, the Cougars ended up only 8-17 including a 4-10 mark in conference. Misericordia’s best season over the past five years was in 2017-18 when it finished 17-11 overall and 10-4 in conference play.
Congratulations Michael, and best of luck at the next level.