Old Bridge Standout to Attend College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown
OLD BRIDGE, NJ—The GMC has a very good connection with the St. Elizabeth University. The Eagles first men’s basketball coach was none other than former East Brunswick Hoops player Tom Wagenblast. Former New Brunswick, Sayreville, and South Brunswick standout, Jason Saldiveri became SEU’s first 1,000 point scorer in men’s basketball. Now, Old Bridge’s Jayden St. Rose will be the latest GMC product bound for SEU.
Earlier this spring, St. Rose announced his commitment to the Saint Elizabeth University. He will try to fill the shoes of former J.P. Stevens hoops standout, Tyrese Conover, who graduated SEU recently. One of several key veterans for Old Bridge this past season, St. Rose helped guide the young Knights to a 10-15 season. Old Bridge reached the 2022 GMCT Round of 16, and qualified for the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs.
SEU Bound St. Rose Led Knights in Scoring
St. Rose led Old Bridge in scoring this past season with 290 points. He made 85 total field goals including four treys while netting 96 at the foul line. St. Rose played in all 25 games for the Knights and averaged 11.6 points per contest. A three year varsity player at Old Bridge, St. Rose tallied 406 career points on 111 total field goals including 8 three pointers, and 133 foul shots. St. Rose played in 44 career games, and scored 9.2 points per game.
The Old Bridge senior led his team in two point field goals made (81) and free throws made (96). St. Rose scored in double figures 14 times this past season, and once last year. He scored a career high of 20 points on 5 field goals and 10 foul shots in a 69-53 win over Perth Amboy at home on January 4th. Moreover, St. Rose scored 18 points on four different occasions including three times this past season.
St. Rose’s Solid Career at Old Bridge
During St. Rose’s three years at Old Bridge, the Knights compiled a record of only 21-40 overall and 12-27 in the GMC Red. However, Old Bridge still managed to reach the GMCT Elite Eight in 2020 and the Haley Pod Championship in 2021. St. Rose combined play making ability with great athleticism to fire Old Bridge’s offense. Playing in a program more known for outstanding perimeter shooting, St. Rose attacked the basket instead.
Recently, St. Rose participated in the GMCBCA Senior All-Star Game at Woodbridge High School. He scored five points on two field goals including a three for Team Black. St. Rose also collected a rebound and handed out an assist. Unfortunately, Team Black lost to Team White by the score of 122-113. St. Rose will be joining a St. Elizabeth program looking to improve next season.
St. Rose Bound for SEU Team Looking to Improve
This past season, the Eagles finished 7-17 overall including a 7-7 mark in the Colonial States Athletic Conference. Considering that the Eagles didn’t play at all in 2020-21, they accomplished a great deal by getting back on the court and going .500 in conference. Two years ago, St. Elizabeth finished 12-12 overall including 6-8 in conference. Three seasons ago, the Eagles enjoyed their best season to date in school history with a mark of 13-12 including an 8-8 conference record.
St. Elizabeth University, which began its men’s basketball program in 2016-17, had a number of former GMC players. On top of Saldiveri and Conover, the Eagles also had standouts such as Marlon Hart (Spotswood), Javon Fisher (Perth Amboy Tech), and Jemar Jordan (Carteret). Former GMC standouts have also served on the coaching staff. The present SEU coaching staff still has a GMC flavor to it.
St. Rose Headed to SEU Program with GMC Roots
Although Wagenblast stepped down to become the school’s AD, the staff still includes Xavier Fuller (Carteret), Hank Johnson, a former assistant to Darius Griffin at Piscataway, and Saldiveri. Two seasons ago, it was an all GMC coaching staff with Wagenblast, Fuller, Mike Summerer (East Brunswick) and Jodrell Thompson (Colonia). Fuller and Summerer both played at Kean when Wagenblast served as an assistant coach. In addition, Thompson also played at Kean.
By the way, Jayden St. Rose is also the twin brother of Madison St. Rose, a St. John Vianney girls basketball standout. She had recently been recognized as New Jersey’s Gatorade Player of the Year in girls basketball. Congratulations Jayden, and best of luck at the next level.