Mid Season Thoughts

I think we’re just past mid season so here’s a few thoughts on a slow Tuesday morning.

In an earlier blog I said I thought this was a down year at the Shore. I said that mainly in reference to the fact that we don’t have as much “star” power this year. We don’t have a Grennan going to the Big East or a Reischel going to Rice, etc. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot of good players. We do. And it certainly doesn’t mean there aren’t any good teams out there. There are. I’ve heard some bashing lately and I think that’s overdone. I remember the really good Freehold Twp. team of several years ago beating CBA a couple of times and I heard someone reference that team the other day as a measuring stick for one of the great years at the Shore. Yes, that was a really good team, with Fischer, Roberson, LaFalce and company and extremely well coached. But did it have star power with a host of D-1 recruits? No. Was it a really good high school team? I think so. Those kids played really well together, were well coached and they were tough and fun to watch. That team had five good players they could put on the court and anytime you can do that at the high school level you’re in business. I don’t care what conference you’re talking about. So do we have some good teams this year or not? Sure we do. Neptune, Middletown North, Colts Neck, Jackson, Freehold Twp., and yes, Lacey has a good team.

Everybody who reads my blog knows I hate low scoring games. Especially games in the 30′s. Well, and this should make my reader Coach P. happy, I watched the Jackson- MidNorth game and I heard a comment or two about the quality of the two teams and the game being a bore. I felt the exact opposite. I thought it was a great game and I thought the defense by both teams was at an unbelievable level. In an era where AAU is king and defense is almost an afterthought I was very impressed by what I saw that day on the defensive end. Every shot was contested and nothing was easy. I still prefer a faster paced game but I thought that game was a terrific match-up. I said those two teams were evenly matched and I still think so. Both are very, very well coached.

I also still believe that Neptune has the most talented team at the Shore. Nobody’s starting five can match up with them. I’d like to see them get more scoring out of their frontcourt. If they did, I think they’d be untouchable. When they are clicking on all cylinders they are a fun team to watch. Colts Neck is also a good team because they can shoot their way out of trouble if they have to and they’re better defensively than people give them credit for.

Those four teams, Neptune, MN, CN and Jackson are solid and comprise the upper tier in my mind. I say that knowing that Freehold Twp. just beat Mid North and obviously I’m a huge fan of Coach Golub but I still think Mid North is at a little higher level. Before all of the Freehold Twp, fans get too riled up let me say that I think your team is tough as nails and I wouldn’t be surprised by anything those kids accomplish. That was a great win last night and it’s why I like high school basketball. Where else do you see a team get blown out by 35 the first time and then come back and win the next?

 And how about Mater Dei knocking off Asbury Park? What a great, gutsy win by the Seraphs. You have to be ready and pumped every night at this level. MidNorth and Asbury both found out what happens when you’re not. I wasn’t sold on Asbury Park before last night’s  loss to Mater Dei so I’m even less sold on them now. However, Armond Conover is simply explosive and for me is the most fun player in the conference to watch. His brother Amir isn’t far behind.  The team I didn’t take seriously earlier in the season, Lacey, is making a believer out of me. They knocked off Lakewood and, even though Lakewood has a bad loss or two on it’s resume, the Piners are never easy. Lacey is a pretty good basketball team with a good point guard in Tasheen Carrow and some solid senior leadership led by Logan McDonald.

Speaking of point guards, can we stop all the chatter about who the best point guard is? Honestly, there is no best point guard. I think Point Boro Head Coach Kevin Hynes said it best when he called his guy, Shawn Cooke, “arguably” the best point guard at the Shore. Arguably being the key word there. Cooke is really good and Hynes has a right to that argument and so do about 6 or 7 other head coaches. I won’t go down the list, I don’t have to, look at the teams that are winning. Almost all have standout point guards. That’s not a coincidence. I saw a great quote today, ” A player that makes a team great is more valuable than a great player”. Remember that the next time you watch one of these point guards play.

Other notes: CBA looks better lately but I think this will almost turn into a rebuilding year for Coach Billet. CBA’s biggest problem is they are not very athletic and that hurts them defensively and in not being very good in transition. They can shoot the ball and Jimmy Dengler is a kid who I would’ve liked to have seen get more daylight sooner. He can play…John Horrigan of  Freehold Twp. is underrated. He has old time post moves, a lost art….Howell has two freshman guards on their roster, Aaron Trimble and Gino Palummo, who look to be a nice combo in the future…Elijah Dupree of Toms River South is the best player nobody talks about. He is quick and strong and makes big shots….Terrel Cox is an exciting young player for Long Branch….Add Justin Oakley of Brick Memorial and Jeremy Wozniak of Central to the sharpshooter list. For my money the best stroke I’ve seen this year is J. R. Hobbie of Manasquan.

I’m the Shore Scout and I’ll see you at the games.

Boardwalk Picks

Just a quick look at the Boardwalk and who I think will come out on top.

Lakewood/Colts Neck- Obviously a game of contrasting styles. Lakewood is physical, athletic and likes to push. Colts Neck prefers to run a half court game but isn’t afraid to put shots up. Big mismatch in the backcourt where I think the Lakewood guards ( Tyrice Beverette and Jameer Jones) will be physical and pressure like crazy. Colts Neck’s advantage is in their offensive firepower. I don’t think Lakewood can defend Hunter Wysocki and if Brandon Federici and Sean O’ Reilly get hot watch out. I think Colts Neck will struggle with the defensive pressure of Lakewood but I don’t trust Lakewoods offense enough to pull this out. In the end, CN’s firepower wins out. CN 52 Lakewood 45

MidNorth/Jackson Memorial- There are a lot of similarities between these two teams. Brandon McDonnell and Jason Huelbig are forwards who can both score inside and out.  Brian Kenny and Eric Youncofski, while vastly different in size, are very much alike in that they both make their teammates better and are fundamentally solid. Elliot Bell and Cody Thompson are small, tough kids who can hurt you and Tim Frawley and Brandon Holup are big kids who can shoot and Tim Rhatigan and Anthony Skwiat are role players who can surprise you. This should be a great match-up. If these teams play 10 times I think they split 5-5. Tomorrow I give the edge to MidNorth based on their big win over CBA and they might be a little more battle tested than Jackson. MidNorth 50 Jackson 45

CBA/Point Beach- CBA has something to prove now after what can only be described as a lackluster performance against Middletown North. Kieran Hughes is a tough kid who competes and I like the sophomore Gordinier a lot. CBA will need Tom Aldridge and Eric Shaw to score in order to win this game. I really like Beach’s guards in Matt Farrell and P.J. Kineavy and Riley Calzonetti is a lot like Hughes, a banger who can score.  Nick Catania is one of the few coaches who is smart enough to not overcoach and his kids aren’t afraid to make mistakes. I’m not sure CBA recovers from a brutal loss in time to win this.  Point Beach 60-CBA 50

Neptune/Raritan- On paper this looks like a mismatch. Mike Aaman will be the best player on the floor and has an advantage over either Josh Jenkins or Fuquan McDonald but there is a definite Neptune advantage at the other spots. I think Raritan is well coached and they absolutely have some tough kids but Neptune’s guard tandem of Jaheem Woods and Ikie Calderon should wreak havoc on the floor. Aaman will get his points but I think Neptune just overwhelms Raritan by the second half. Neptune 65 Raritan 43

Long Branch/Manasquan- Long Branch is hosting this event so they get an opportunity to pull off a surprise here. Long Branch has been competitive and in Dwight Clark, Terrell Cox and Hassan Foster they have some really good young talent. Squan has a gunner in J.R. Hobbie, a big guard who can fill it up and probably the most underrated player at the Shore in junior Jimmy Walsh. This is a tough game to call but I think Squan pulls it out. Manasquan 55 Long Branch 48

Quick Shots

Here’s a couple of things I’ve been thinking about while reading all of the different Top Tens being posted. Nobody can state with any certainty who the best team at the Shore is this year. That’s simply because there isn’t a dominant team out there. Every one of them has flaws. I’m not sure any of these games some of us are calling upsets are upsets at all. To be honest, I think we’ve got 7 or 8 good basketball teams and an awful lot of mediocrity. That happens some years. I’ll also say this. I’ve seen games up in North Jersey. Save for the usual powerhouses there are some bad teams in Union, Essex and Mercer County. Let’s not forget that Lakewood took powerhouse Trenton Catholic to the wire and then promptly lost to Jackson Liberty, a school traditionally considered to be in the lower tier of SC basketball. By the way, their game against Jackson Memorial was canceled. They HAVE to play that game now. Anyway, down year or not, I still believe the Shore Conference will continue to hold it’s own in the States. As it has done for the last several years. That huge gap that used to exist between the Northern schools and the Shore has closed considerably. Year round basketball and AAU have greatly contributed to that.

On a different note, can we please, please get a shot clock in NJ? I saw the WOBM championship game and it was a snooze fest. Watching teams pass the ball around the perimeter while the other coach claps because nothing is happening is hard to watch. I didn’t blame Toms River North, it kept them in the game and the rules allow it but for the love of pete can we change the rules so the kids get to compete? Most games don’t need the clock but we can certainly avoid the occasional clunker by making the coach’s get into some kind of offense quicker plus it will initiate some offensive ingenuity on the kid’s part. All I know is those kids didn’t go to that game so they could pass the ball back and forth and then go do defensive slides all night on the other end.

Also, I’d like to see the arc put into the paint to stop a lot of the ridiculous charging fouls that are called. I’m all for teaching a kid to take a charge. But if an offensive player leaves his feet, lays the ball in and THEN hits the defender standing under the basket and gets called for a charge thats nuts. Happens too often.

Hey, here’s a conversation that actually took place after a business dinner last night. The older guys will appreciate this I think. I was sitting at a bar watching the UCONN/WESTVIRGINIA game. At halftime Len Elmore was doing analysis and here’s the conversation at the bar.

(Bartender) Hey, that’s Len Elmore. I saw him play with Tom Burleson at Maryland.

(Me) No sir, actually Tom Burleson played at North Carolina State, not Maryland.

Several minutes later

(Bartender) hey that kid Drummond has feet as big as Bill Lanier, big guy who played for Niagara.

(Me) Um, that was Bob Lanier and he played for St. Bonaventure.

(Bartender) No, Calvin Murphy played at St. Bonnies.

( Me) Nope, Lanier, St. Bonnies, Murphy, Niagara.

Several Minutes later

(Bartender to other customer)- Hey, you’re from Chattanooga. Good basketball town. Tennessee-Chattanooga, that’s where Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell played.

(Other Customer to me) Is that true?

(me-laughing) God, I wish it was but no, Cornbread played at North Carolina -Charlotte.

(Bartender to Me, kidding I hope) I hope you’re only here for one night.

Back to some Shore hoops…I like some of Point Beach’s players but Nick Catania is a big reason why that team wins. That guy can flat out coach. So can Kevin Hynes at Point Boro who gets the most out of his players…I like the way Tom Aldridge of CBA plays. Hard, like he means business on the floor. Probably underrated…Holmdel is having a nice year and Christian Vikse is a good shooter while center Danny Baumlin is doing a nice job and plays with a high motor, always a good thing in my book….Congrats to Wall for getting their first win. Wall plays hard every night and Derek Gardner is a force on the glass..I’d like to see a 3 point shooting contest between Jack Donnelly of Rumson, Brandon Federici of Colts Neck and J.R. Hobbie of Manasquan. Give me some other names, I’m sure I’m missing somebody.

Finally, the Battle of the Boardwalk is Saturday. Honestly, without these games being played at a larger (college) venue, it loses most of its appeal with me. Some of the games will be great but I’m disappointed for the players. All it is now is just some good high school games. It used to be more than that. It was a spectacle. Now it’s just another day at the gym and that’s a shame.

Let’s Talk Hoops.

First of all, a happy and healthy New Year to everybody. There was a lot of basketball played in the last week and here are some of my thoughts as we head into 2012. I just read Scott Stump’s new Top Ten and I have to tell you I think he’s right on the money. My main criteria in judging these basketball teams is who can put the most quality players on the floor at one time. So a team that I think has 5 quality kids automatically moves up near the top. Then, as the season progresses, I watch to see who underachieves with the most talent and who overachieves with the least. For now, this early in the season, I think Stumpy has nailed it. Here’s why.

Lakewood- I love this team. They are not the most talented. That accolade goes to Neptune or Colts Neck. But they are the toughest team I’ve seen and they play together. They can also put 5 quality players on the floor and they have a physically tough backcourt. Their downside is they don’t have a big time scoring threat at crunch time but they are mentally tough enough to pull out close games anyway. Randy Holmes has done a nice job with this team and you just get the feeling these kids would run through a wall for him.

Colts Neck- Think about this. The Cougars have a 6’5 scoring threat in Hunter Wysocki, a 6’10″ center with incredible length in Steven Faust, a 6’3″ shooting guard in Brandon Federici who is one of the top 5 pure shooters at the Shore, ANOTHER pure scorer in 4 year letterman Sean O’ Reilly and a versatile swingman in 6’3″ junior Tim Vangeles, a 3 sport star who adds scoring and athleticism to an already potent lineup. The Cougars have been loaded for three years now. Time to step it up and send a message on Tuesday against Neptune.

Manalapan- Manalapan Number 3 at the Shore? Are you kidding? Nope. It’s early but quality wins count. I’m not sure the Braves have enough size or talent to carry them much farther but Anthony Firkser is top notch and that victory against Middletown North is no surprise. It’s all about match-ups and the Braves can match the Lions in speed and intensity. Manalapan Coach Rick Garretson also doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s a solid bench coach and his kids always play hard.

Middletown North -This is a team that can play and a team with supporters who aren’t afraid to tell you that. My take on the Lions? I think they are very talented. I think they have a lot of parts that mesh very, very well together. I think Huelbig is their irreplaceable part, a tremendously gifted athlete who plays with incredible lift and can be remarkably good when his outside shot is clicking. I think Youncofski and Frawley are good players who have made themselves better. I was very impressed with Cody Thompson, a junior guard who does a lot of things right on the floor. Where Middletown will fall short is that they are just that. Short. There is no inside presence, nobody to deter dribble penetration. I think their supporters are right. They are good and they work hard. But that may not be enough in the long haul.

Asbury Park- Somehow I haven’t seen the Blue Bishops yet. But I am very familiar with the Conover twins and any team with those two kids should scare any opponent. I will absolutely see Asbury this week and give you a more updated report. So far they’ve won the games they’re supposed to win and that’s all you can ask. I’m looking forward to seeing them play. My apologies to Bluestone for taking this long.

Jackson Memorial- Hey, I’ll give myself a minor pat on the back here. I said in my last blog that Brandon Holup would be Jackson’s secret weapon because of his ability to knock down the three and he went out and nailed five treys in the  WOBM championship against a good TRN team. Jackson has the two other killer “B”s in Brandon McDonnell and Brian Kenny and an athletic supporting cast but I’m not sure they have enough full-time basketball talent to compete with the top-tier teams.

Neptune- Boy, oh boy, Neptune at 7. Two jet quick guards, a D-1 small forward, a 6’8″ power forward, another 6’5″ forward who can sky and an army of reserve guards who should flat out wear down opposing teams. So what’s wrong with the Fliers? Well, I can understand them losing to Seton Hall. What I can’t understand were the ridiculous amount of unforced turnovers. Somebody needs to get across to the Neptune players that every possession is valuable. I don’t care who they played the other day, I saw very little positives in that game . And one last point. Keith Kirkwood is one of the top 3 talents in the Shore in my opinion. I’d like to see him get the ball in better spots. Tuesday night is a statement game for both CN and Neptune. Let’s see who responds.

Freehold Township- Ok, raise your hand if you thought Freehold Township would be a Top Ten team this year. I think in my first post as the Shore Scout 3 years ago I said that Brian Golub was one of the best coaches at the Shore because his kids play so hard. Obviously, I still think that. Frankly, this is a team that will get blown out on some nights because they probably don’t have kids who will play college basketball. But every time I watch Freehold Township play I find myself shaking my head in admiration. Every team at the Shore should go to one Freehold Township game and ask themselves ” do I play this hard”?

CBA- CBA at 9. Sadly,yes. But not for long in my estimation. This is a team that will get better as the year goes on. They don’t have a big time player for the first time in forever but they can put 5-7 quality kids on the floor. That gives them an advantage over most of their Shore competition. I think they give Mid North all they can handle in Class A North and don’t be surprised one bit if CBA doesn’t knock off the Lions at least once.

Toms River North- Those of you who have read my blog for the last three years know I haven’t exactly been the biggest supporter of Class A South. Now they have two teams in the Top Ten. They belong here too. The Mariners are big with 6’5 Karl Blum, 6’6″ Solly Stansbury, 6’5″ Sean Martin and 6’8″ Billy Wrightson. Alex Levchenko and Damion Singleton are solid at the guard spot. This is another team that I think will get better as the year goes on.

That’s enough for now. It’s been a pretty exciting opening couple of weeks and it will only get better. Once again, all the best to everyone in the upcoming year. Remember, it’s a kid’s game. I’m the Shore Scout and I’ll see you at the gym.

 

 

Weekend Notes

What a great opening weekend to start the season! I attended the Lakewood-Neptune game and what a terrific atmosphere to get the basketball juices flowing. To me, that’s what it’s all about. I couldn’t care less who won the game and you’ll never see me put out a Top Ten. Does it really matter who’s ranked where? I guess it should be important for the kids but I will never understand why adults care about that. Tell me who’s left standing at the end of the year.  Speaking of the kids, here’s a few I noticed this weekend and a few thoughts after perusing the weekend boxscores.

Tyrice Beverette and Jameer Jones make up a dynamic backcourt for Lakewood. Both of them defend and make big plays. Beverette looks like the type of kid who just helps you win without doing any one thing in spectacular fashion. He’s solid, my type of player….Fuquan McDonald was far and away the best player on the floor for Neptune. He was tougher than I’ve ever seen him and he looks to have extended his shooting range out to 17 ft. or so…Point Boro’s Shawn Cooke started his season off nicely with 24 points against a decent Manchester team. Cooke did most of his damage from the foul line where he is deadly. And you know I’m partial to kids who can knock down free throws. He looks visibly stronger and that’s an asset for any guard who likes to attack the rim and get to the line…Brick Memorial guard Vince Lombardi, who I described as ” the best guard nobody talks about” in a recent blog, went off for 29 against Wall in the WOBM. Lombardi is another kid who looks visibly stronger. You can tell the kids who work hard in the offseason. Lombardi obviously did and it’s paying off….Lacey knocked off a good Southern team in its opener and then toppled always tough Point Boro in the WOBM to get off to a great start. Lacey’s Logan McDonald showed a nice touch for a big kid, knocking down 3 treys against Southern…I was very impressed with Tom River South’s sophomore point guard Marquis Davis. He was poised and showed the ability to get into the lane and finish. He has a great floater in the lane and that’s unusual for a young kid. I also liked the fact that he had no problem demanding the ball at crunch time and settled things down when the moment called for it. He has a chance to be very good. South knocked off Barnegat in a mini-upset and I should also mention the effort of senior Zach Ligouri. He didn’t light up the scorebook but he is physical and plays very hard and had a presence on the floor. I like that….Central’s Jeremy Wozniak is a pretty good player with a nice stroke. Good size and shoots with confidence…Colts Neck played Toms River North on Friday night in a game between two good teams. Hunter Wysocki was solid as usual for Colts Neck with 15 points for a Cougar team that is loaded with firepower. Senior guard Sean O’Reilly is a proven scorer and junior guard Brandon Federici is a lethal shooter. Federici only had 6 points against TRN but erupted for 31 points in Colt’s Neck’s win over Freehold Boro. Federici is big at 6′ 3″ and, if left alone, is almost automatic from behind the arc. Tom’s River North also had a couple of players who impressed. I thought forward Karl Blum was a tough kid who finished well and guard Alex Levchenko has a nice jumper and also gets to the line….Jackson Memorial had an easy win over an outmanned Brick team in its opener and the kid who may be their not so secret weapon is forward Brandon Holup. He’s easily 6’7″ and had no problem stepping out and knocking down some three’s. He has a nice easy stroke that looks repeatable and he may open some more eyes as the season progresses…Speaking of shooters, one of the best at the Shore is junior J.R. Hobbie of Manasquan. He had 20 in Squan’s opening win. Another kid with good size and touch from the perimeter.

I’ll finish off my look at the opening few days of the season with a quick look at who’s making their free throws early in the season.

Colts Neck  (15-20)- No surprise. They’re a good shooting team.

Point Boro- (24-31) That’s a lot of takes and a lot of makes. Sign of a tough team.

 Neptune shot an unfortunate (11-26) from the line against Lakewood and lost by 4. In their next game they shot (11-18) and won by 5. Free throws count.

That’s it for now folks. Remember, it’s a kids game. I’m the Shore Scout and I’ll be watching.

Quick Shots

So I’m looking at the seedings for the WOBM coming up and I decided I’d throw a couple of thoughts out there. But before I started writing I read my colleague  Nep’s breakdown of the top teams. I think Nep refers to me as the “human posting machine because I post all year long”.  Actually, that’s not quite accurate. My initial post this season was in early November and prior to that I hadn’t posted since March. So I actually took a seven month hiatus. But hey, I’m glad someone’s reading my stuff. Nep does a great job as always with his picks but I’ll go on record as saying I don’t think Raritan should be near the top. As good as Mike Aaman is, and he has gotten even better, their inexperience, especially at the guard positions, will hurt them in the long run.

Let’s get back to the WOBM. My initial thought after seeing the seedings was I don’t think St. Rose should be a two seed. They’ve lost too much to graduation. Mark Kukoda is a really nice player but he’ll be heavily defended this year and I think his supporting cast isn’t strong enough to warrant a second seed. As a matter of fact I think the WOBM is pretty wide open. Jackson Memorial probably deserves the top seed just based on their size. They could conceivably have a front line that averages 6’6″ and a 6’3″ point guard but I think they’re beatable based on lack of depth. I think the game of the opening round is Ocean/Southern. Those are a couple of very tough 8/9 seeds. Assuming Jackson gets by Brick in the opener they will have a difficult opponent in Round 2. Point Boro is also on that side of the bracket and they are an absolute contender for the crown. They’ll have to get by Barnegat and the McGuigan brothers will make that a difficult task. The other side of the brackets features a very good team in Toms River North and an underrated Brick Memorial team led by point guard Vince Lombardi, who is the best point guard nobody ever talks about. Manchester should also be in the running.

Other thoughts- I sure hope every coach at the Shore allows time for free throw shooting in practice. Every game I attend makes me wince. What should be the easiest part of the game has become an adventure….One of my readers asked who I thought were scholarship players this year. In other words, what players will receive Division 1 or Division 2 scholarships? Well, ok, here are the players who have either received offers or who I think will receive offers by the end of the school year. Seniors only. Mike Aaman of Raritan, Jason Huelbig of Middletown North, Hunter Wysocki and Steven Faust of Colts Neck, Brandon McDonnell and Brian Kenny of Jackson Memorial, Bill Wrightson of Toms River North, Josh Jenkins and Ikie Calderon of  Neptune, Thommond Hammary of Asbury Park. Remember this is seniors only. Certainly Mike Gesicki of Southern, Keith Kirkwood of Neptune and Anthony Firkser of Manalapan have scholarship opportunities. If I left someone off you think will gain a scholarship this year please tell me and I’ll give you my honest assessment. I’d love to be wrong. Last year I would have said not a chance to Kevin Alter getting a D-1 scholarship. I hope I’m wrong about other kids. What I really want is for kids to make the right choice. Be happy, learn a little, have fun, be productive.

I”m the Shore Scout, I’ll be watching and I’ll see you at the games.

The Only Way It Works

I liked playing baseball as a kid. It was cool. But it was a little too slow for me. It was almost leisurely out there at times and as I grew older I gravitated more to basketball because I loved the outright speed of the game and the way it required everybody to be involved all of the time. In baseball I might stand in the outfield for four innings and never touch a ball. I might only get up three times a game. But in basketball there was no time off. In basketball you are flying up and down the court and you have lanes to fill, passes to make, shots to take, opponents to box out, plays to run and on and on it goes. It’s a difficult sport. It requires tremendous athletic skill and it requires practice but most importantly  it requires teamwork, chemistry and preparation.

Teamwork is everything in basketball because the game is instantaneous. In the blink of an eye your teammate loses his man and suddenly you have to be alert and help defend. The other team steals the ball and instantly you’re reversing direction and racing to a basket to prevent an easy score. It is a game of  ten constantly moving parts and there is no time for the slow,the lazy or the selfish. To be successful in basketball you need to know where your teammates are, what they are doing and you need to know it now. The great players know what their teammates are going to do even before they do it. The great teams have players who all try to reach that level. When that happens, when every player strives to know their teammates, you have chemistry.

Chemistry is everything in basketball. Chemistry guarantees you’re always playing 5 on 5. Take away chemistry and before you know it you’re playing shorthanded. Because a player who only cares about himself on the court is a player who won’t get into help defense quickly enough, who won’t box out hard enough, who won’t make his cuts hard enough and who won’t set screens efficiently enough. A selfish player always gives the other team an advantage they can exploit. Five unselfish players help prevent that from happening. Coaches play a role in this too. A bad coach fills his better players with a sense of self importance. A good coach fills his better players with a sense of responsibility and leadership. A bad coach makes his lesser players feel like subordinates. A good coach makes his lesser players feel like contributors. In the end, though, the game is about the players and it’s up to the player to make sure he has done every thing he can to succeed.

Basketball has to be a game of skilled, unselfish, prepared athletes. That’s the only way it works. The speed of the game demands it. The physicality of the game demands it. There’s no time to stand around and decide. To be successful at basketball you have to be ready and you get there by preparing. You do that by getting in the best possible physical shape and you do that by deciding you want to be part of a team. You spend the entire offseason getting your body and your mind ready and on the first day of practice you walk in with a single minded purpose. To make your team better. You do that by being early for practice. Every day. By practicing hard in every drill, every play, every scrimmage. You become relentless. You never let up. You become a determined unselfish athlete. You forget the negative, you overcome the pain and you concentrate on what you’re doing. In short, you buy in to the concept of being a team player. The whole package. Because that’s the only way it works.

I’m the Shore Scout and I’ll see you at the games.

Quick Shots

It’s a slow Tuesday so I thought I’d pass along some thoughts.

Congratulations to all of the kids who committed to colleges to play basketball in the past couple of weeks. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to a D1, D2 or D3 school. The most important thing is to go to a place where you’ll play, be happy and get a degree you can use moving forward. And I’ll tell you something else. Whether it’s D3 or D1 you will still have to work your tail off. The good news is this. Any kid who has been asked to play college basketball from the Shore Conference had to work his tail off already just to get to this point. So again, congratulations, you have earned the respect of many.

Speaking of college basketball, I wish King Rice and the new regime at Monmouth nothing but the best. But I’m a little intrigued looking at a couple of their new recruits. In the past two months or so they have signed two 5’11″ point guards. Then I look at their current roster and I see 5’11″ freshman Austin Tillotson and 5’8″ junior Jesse Steele. That lay-up line next year is going to look like the upperclassmen brought their little brothers to school with them. And by the way, I hope someday Monmouth starts recruiting locally. I see  ex-CBAer  Roy Mabrey scored 25 and 26 in his first two games at the D2 level. I know, I know, it’s D2. But I’ve watched Mabrey a lot over the last two years and I’m telling you he can play and excel at a higher level. I don’t know if Monmouth recruited Mabrey.  But if they didn’t, they should have. Because he could play there right now. Coach Rice gets a free pass. He’s new to the area. I just hope I see him or his staff at some Shore Conference games over the next couple of years. Too many local kids get away.

One of the readers asked how Manalapan will be next year. The answer is I’m not sure until I see them in a scrimmage but I know they have Anthony Firkser and he is a very strong guard who’s quicker than he appears….Someone else asked about MonDon. Same answer, I’ll have to catch them early and let you know but losing Sean Grennan and Anthony Duszczak is a killer. Coach Kearney is one of my favorites though. He’ll make them competitive.

My goal this year is to see every team play. I came close last year. I didn’t see Pinelands , Central or Keansburg. Those are three teams I will DEFINITELY see this year. Several people have told me Matawan is a team that will surprise. I’ll check them out early and let you know what I think.

Only a couple of weeks to go. Practice starts the  Monday after Thanksgiving  this year instead of the traditional Friday after Turkey Day. At least this year the kids can eat till their hearts content on Thanksgiving and not worry about that early morning practice the next day.

I’m the Shore Scout and I’ll see you at the games.

Countdown To Hoops

Well, folks, it’s less than a month until the first day of high school basketball practice so I think it’s time we started talking hoops. This is my third year as the Shore Scout and it’s great to be back!  Between camps, summer leagues, AAU and fall leagues Ive seen a lot of the Shore Conference kids in action and I’m looking forward to giving you some insight on all things Shore Conference basketball. Here’s a few random thoughts heading into the year.

Things will be a little different this year at the Shore . There isn’t the star power there was last year. There are no Jarelle Reischels, no Sean Grennans going to high major programs. But that’s okay.  There is still plenty of good talent out there and it’s always fun to see new kids emerge. Last year I thought I had a good handle on all of the quality kids and all of a sudden I’m hearing a lot about a kid named Thommond Hammary from Asbury and he turned out to be quite a player. Who will come out of nowhere this year?……I’d rather talk about the players but there’s one question I’d like to pose. Can someone please explain to me why adults get so worked up watching summer and fall league games? They are glorified scrimmages with incomplete rosters. If you’ve ever seen Rodney Dangerfields classic movie Back To School then you’ll remember Sam Kinison playing a crazed history professor. More and more often I seem to be sitting next to that guy. And I’ve had several people come up to me and talk about a “big win” in a summer or fall league game. Are they kidding? The ironic aspect is that, since these games mean absolutely nothing, what better opportunity to just sit back ,relax and enjoy watching the kids play. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen…..Ok, back to the kids. The big buzz right now is about Neptune coming into the year. There’s a good reason for that. They will be as deep as any Shore Conference team I can remember, especially at the guard position. They can go six deep at the guard spot led by returning B North POY Jaheem Woods and lose very, very little. Combine all of those guards with a frontcourt that includes Keith Kirkwood, Josh Jenkins and Fuquan McDonald and that’s a powerful high school team. Neptune actually lost a major contributor when forward Spencer Hubbard transfered out but I don’t think that will hurt them. They’re that good. The biggest problem Coach O’Donnell may face is how to get all of those guards playing time. Nice problem to have…..Colts Neck returns a lot of talent also. Hunter Wysocki and Sean O’ Reilly are proven scorers and the Cougars also have 6’10″ big man Steven Faust and sharpshooting guard Brandon Federici. Speaking of sharpshooters don’t be surprised if freshman Chris O’ Reilly, Sean’s brother, sees some quality minutes down the road. He can flat out shoot the rock…..If I had to pick one player to break out this year it might be Tim Frawley of Middletown North. He’s a big guard with a smooth stroke. Jason Huelbig is the star at North and Eric Youncofski is a solid point guard but teams should prepare for Frawley also. Huelbig is an exciting player and has looked great in the pre-season…….CBA keeps a low profile over the summer and I haven’t seen them anywhere so believe it or not they’re kind of a mystery team. They have Kieran Hughes, Eric Shaw and Tom Aldridge so they’ll be solid but who will be their go to guy? Look for senior guard Jimmy Dengler to make an impact…..Toms River North will surprise some people with their talent led by guard Alex Levchenko and big man Bill Wrightson….Jackson Memorial has 6′ 6″ Brandon Mcdonnell and adds 6’3″ point guard Brian Kenny. McDonnell and Kenny are both scholarship players but I think depth will be an issue for the Jaguars….Another kid who will make a name for himself this year is Matt Farrell of Point Beach. He’s wispy thin but he has a slick handle and a knack for scoring. Beach also has tough forward Riley Calzonetti but, like Jackson, depth might be a problem….Here’s two more breakout players for you. J.R. Hobbie and Jimmy Walsh of Manasquan.You’ll hear plenty about them before the year is out….If you’re talking about good point guards at the Shore just make sure you include Shawn Cooke of Point Boro in the conversation…..Hey, I have to mention Mike Aaman of Raritan, returning POY. Mike will be his usual dominating self on the boards but who’s going to help him? Raritan graduated the entire supporting cast so he will have a VERY inexperienced crew around him…….Teams I wouldn’t want to play- Asbury Park, Ocean, Rumson, Holmdel, Lakewood, Barnegat. Asbury has Hammary and the Conover twins. That should be enough to make any team nervous. Ocean has a much improved Nick Gallombardo and some nice supporting players. Rumson has a pure shooter in Jack Donnelly and also has an underrated supporting cast and Holmdel returns a senior laden team that will play very, very hard. Lakewood has good guards in Jameer Jones and Tyrice Beverette and Barnegat has the underrated McGuigan brothers. …Other players to watch you might not have heard of- Raquan Haynes (Howell), Vince Lombardi ( Brick Memorial) P.J. Kineavy (Point Beach)

Ok, that’s enough for now. More to come next week. I’m the Shore Scout and I’ll see you at the games.

The Calhoun Issue

In my end of the year All-Shore picks I included Shilique Calhoun on my second team. That seems to have sparked a bit of discussion out there in forum land. First, let me say that my picks are simply the educated opinion of a guy who’s studied basketball for a long time. Hopefully, over the last two years I’ve been able to inform a little bit and educate a little bit. I certainly don’t expect everyone to agree with everything I write. As I’ve said before, it’s just one guys opinion. I can certainly understand why the Shilique Calhoun issue is a touchy one. The kid did quit on his team in a big game. For that he was permanently dismissed from the team. As he should have been.

I understand why some people think he shouldn’t have been included. I can’t argue with that reasoning. But my feeling was we just can’t pretend the kid wasn’t a major factor most of the season. I felt he was one of the ten best players I saw this year so I included him on my teams.

Bottom line is Shilique was punished for his behavior and that was the right thing to do. I think he was a heck of a basketball player for the time he played and I acknowledged that. I listed him based purely on his performance as a player. Nothing else.

I know there are people who believe I should not have included him. They are not wrong and I respect their opinion. We all can’t agree on everything and that’s what makes for good discussion and differences of opinion. The true All Shore Media team is the one produced by Scott and Matt. Shilique is not included there. And maybe that’s the way it should be.