Welcome to the GMC Hoops Greater Middlesex Conference Prediction Section of the website.  This contains the 2007-08 final boys basketball predicted order of finish in the Red, White, Blue, and Gold Divisions of the Greater Middlesex Conference. This also represents the fourth time that we've done this, and the first time at the very beginning of the year. We hope you enjoy it enough to keep it a mainstay at our site for years to come.

Note: To all fans, players, and coaches, we are not going to be 100% right on this. That's why we play the games. This is based on analysis from the summer leagues, fall leagues, and who is returning from the previous season. For those who feel slighted by our thoughts on the season, it is nothing personal. Just what we feel at this point in time. We hope in all sincerity that all the teams here defy what we have to say and do better. If you and your team feels slighted by what I project, and would like to use it as motivation, that's fine with me. Just make sure you give me credit if it pays off at the end of the year. Also this is not going to be a replacement for the annual season preview. That will be forthcoming.

2007-2008 GMC RED DIVISION PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Summary: Piscataway is the favorite to win the GMC, and thus the GMC Red as well. The Chiefs have their entire starting five returning, and a number of good reserves as well. They have plenty of size up front, and they’re a solid team defensively. For P-Way to be successful, it will need to continue to play the way it did offensively during the 2007 GMCT. A concern early on for P-Way will be how the team handles the success of the recent football season. With key players such as James White, J.D. Griggs, Tristian Benjamin, and Thomas Bennett all contributing to the football team's appearance in the 2007 North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Championship, the Chiefs weren't able to have a full team until last week. Carteret and South Plainfield have the same issue in the White Division. South Brunswick and St. Joseph’s will pose formidable obstacles to the Chiefs as well as an up and coming J.P. Stevens squad. Stevens will have to get off to a good start, and with games at home including St. Joseph’s on Dec. 20th, and the always rough holiday tournament schedule, they need to come out firing to not only make a statement, but build confidence.

South Brunswick turned things around in the fall league at Rebounds after an 0-4 start to end up .500 on top of a similar performance at TBSA in the summer. The Vikes finally had their full squad for its first practice, and later on, their scrimmage versus Neptune. During the off-season, Arman Wilson played mostly AAU in the summer, and Mohammed Sanu and Troy Confessore played football and soccer respectively in the fall. An issue with SBHS could be depth. Outside of their starting five, and reserve, Chris Weir, there are some unknowns.

St. Joseph’s will have to find a way to replace the solid inside play of Carroll along with the athleticism of Fisher and Kyan Hines. However, Gerard Lewis is ready to step up, and Nikko Vastola looked very sharp in a recent scrimmage versus Elizabeth. In addition, Steve Rennard and Paul Konopacki return. With Rennard's court vision, and the way Konopacki runs the floor as well as Vastola, St. Joe's looks awfully tough in transition. In addition, with the combination of veteran role players such as Steve Brandenburg, and a talented sophomore class highlighted by Gagan Dhaliwal, Eric Peterson, Matt Delaney, Mike Simpson, and Najhi Talley, the Falcons have the potential to be even better than last year.

J.P. Stevens and Edison will not only be a much tougher game this year than in recent times, but they could both actually sneak up on some people in the division this year. With the likes of Holmes, Otokiti, and Lordi returning, Edison will look to qualify for the state tournament for the second straight year, and third straight ten plus win season, which is quite a feat for EHS Hoops. Meanwhile, over on the North Side of town, the Hawks are looking to make the state tournament for at least the first time since GMC Hoops has been in existence, and probably much longer than that. In addition, J.P. Stevens, which has a very talented junior class, has put in a solid off-season with an impressive run at the 2007 HBC, a second place finish at the 2007 TBSA Summer League, and a nice fall against non-conference competition at the 2007 TBSA Fall League.

While EB will have a tough road to hoe following two years of heavy losses to graduation, they still have Mike Mello and Scott Stolzenberg along with the likes of youngsters such as Mayo, and a great coach in Bo Henning. Playing at Linden during the summer and the 2007 Rebounds Fall League, the Bears made progress, and actually could have ended up 6-2 at Rebounds if it weren't for a couple tough losses to Howell and Marlboro. With a healthy, Jamar Bridgeforth, the Panthers of Perth Amboy could actually do better than predicted especially with the likes of Edwin Guerra as well as newcomers Maurice Cheeks, and Alex De Los Santos, the younger brother of former Amboy Tech and Middlesex County College standout, Juan De Los Santos. Old Bridge does have Quinten Crawford returning from a squad that got OBHS its fifth straight GMCT Elite Eight berth, but other than that the Knights are quite young and inexperienced.

Back To Top

2007-2008 GMC WHITE DIVISION PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Summary: Before I get into explaining why I’m thinking the way I’m thinking in the GMC White, let me say this. The GMC White will be even tougher than it was last year. The reason is that teams such as North Brunswick and Monroe have good underclassmen talent moving up, and although South Plainfield appears at the outset to be down this year without the likes of Shamai Santiago and Opie Muse, the Tigers still have Mike Burton, Bennie Gibson, and Tremaine Miller back as well as solid JV talent led by Aaron Wright and a good junior class on top of the return of Troy Russell after the forward sat out last year. The problem with SPHS this coming year is who is going to replace Dontae Johnson, who transferred to Pennington Prep. But, here is the real kicker, Woodbridge, yes 1-21 Woodbridge will be much better this year. The Barrons not only have good seniors coming back including Anthony Graham, Kirk Zambrana, Tim Weber, Rich Ng, and Edrise Pope-Wright, but also the JV squad was very good last year earning a nine seed in the 2007 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament thanks to the likes of juniors Gerard Bullock and Blair Dolphin.

Like last year though, Colonia will be head and shoulders above everyone else with Carteret, Sayreville, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Monroe, Woodbridge, and South Plainfield all fighting for leftovers. Although the Pats lost key starters in Kevin Edmonds and Joe LaSala, and reserves such as Mike Salvador, they still have a solid junior class led by the likes of J.J. D’Amico, Nnamdi Usuwa, Mike Nweme, and Mike Karabin along with returning players Jeff Mentzel, and top point guard, Brandon Hall. The Patriots did very well over the summer at Linden, and then in the fall at TBSA. Carteret and Sayreville are returning many of their players from last year, and lost a lot of close games during 2006-07. New Brunswick and North Brunswick are question marks although there is enough there to make them a formidable challenge for the rest of the division. Brandon Smith will play this year, but Marquis Hamm will not to focus on his grades so that he will be ready to play football in the fall at Rutgers. Juan James developed nicely during the summer in the 2007 Bound Brook league, but the Zebras have a lot of new faces, and their fourth different coach since the 2003-04 season. In addition, North Brunswick did lose a lot to graduation in 2007, but still have Brathwaite, Ashamole and a talented junior class led by Mike Cole and Ricky Harris. However, the Raiders did not impress much at the Middlesex County College Summer League this past summer, and while it played better in a recent scrimmage against Roselle Catholic, NBTHS turned the ball over too much.

Could Monroe sneak up in there too? Bob Turco managed to get his team into the state tournament for the second straight year, and finish 13-14 despite losing perhaps his best player in Shamil Graham in the middle of the season, and having to go down into the freshmen and JV ranks. Every time I saw the Falcons play during the summer, they progressed and showed signs of improvement. In addition, Monroe has a lot of good youngsters coming up. Not only a talented sophomore class led by Tim Brix, Jr., Ken Pace Jr., and Blake Bascom, but also a freshmen class that consists of the likes of Kayshon Stroughn. After struggling the final three weeks of the 2007 Rebounds Spring League, the Falcons compted well a the 2007 Eastern Team Camp at TCNJ, upset South Brunswick in the first round of the playoffs at TBSA Summer League, won its last four straight in the TBSA Fall League including double digit wins over Roselle Catholic and Bridgewater, and dominated J.P. Stevens in a recent scrimmage. If you’re in the GMC White this year, you better have your ducks in a row every night. And, just think, next year, it doesn’t get any easier with Cardinal McCarrick moving up from the GMC Blue.

2007-2008 GMC BLUE DIVISION PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Summary: Again McCarrick and Bishop Ahr will more than likely be the class of the division again in 2007-08 although there are a lot of folks in Middlesex that would like to disagree about that. Although the Eagles lost Vince Rosario to graduation, they have the likes of Mike Burwell, Julio Rosario, and Branten Widgeon returning along with the likes of a junior class that head coach Joe Lewis is very high on. Cardy Mac’s JV and Freshmen made big strides at the respective Colonia Summer Leagues as well. In addition, the varsity did very well at Eastern, Linden Summer League, and the Rebounds Team Camp in the summer, and was 6-2 in the fall at Rebounds. True BGA lost Corey Francisco as well as the likes of interior players Zach Widdoss and Justin Dews leaving the Trojans with not a lot of size. However, the Trojans have a solid group of seniors including Mike Williamson, Billy Rooney, Kevin Uszenski, Derek Figueredo, and Martese Street. In addition, Ahr has solid juniors as well such as Matt Fiorino, Matt Sheehy, Jordan Smith, Matt Melnick, and Tom Lancey. On top of that, the sophomore class isn’t too bad either. A team that reached the Final Four of the Perth Amboy/GMC JV Tournament in 2007, BGA has the likes of Justin Peoples, Brandon Vitabile, Immanuel Krogmann, and Darius Griffin coming up.

Going further down the GMC Blue it gets more interesting. Right now, my thinking is that Metuchen and Middlesex will be fighting for the third spot in the division. With football standout DeJuan Miller deciding to play basketball, and in the lineup, Metuchen has an edge over teams such as Middlesex and Spotswood. However, the Blue Jays, which finished the year on a tough note after coming close to making the state tournament for the first time since 2002, have their entire roster from last year back. Middlesex competed over at the Middlesex County College Summer League this summer, and went 8-1 during the regular season, earned the second seed, and ended up winning the tournament championship over Sayreville, the team that handed them their only regular season loss as well as defeated regular season champ, Franklin in the semis. While the Bombers were without center, Chris Matagrano, MHS was without forward, Nick Fariella, who took the summer off to focus on football. In addition to its solid summer, the Jays competed in the added league at TBSA in the fall, and went 3-2 before starting the year with a solid pre-season including fine scrimmage efforts against Matawan, Northern Highlands, Delaware Valley, and Cranford. John Stockton looks sharp for MHS while Farley, Fariella, and Mark Stockton provide a solid frontcourt. Spotswood did lose a ton with the loss of John Berner, Bryan Osofsky, Justin Carlson, Mike Hohman, and Zack Becker from a team that won twice as many games as it lost in 2006-07. However, they have talent returning with the likes of Cody Pace, Pat Dwyer, Ross Gerhart, and Tyler Osofsky as well as reserves Nick Olesinski, Vinny Vizzi, and Joe Petosa. In addition, the Chargers have a good group of talented sophomores including James and Tom Parenti that finished third in the Perth Amboy/GMC JV Tournament, and defeated Bishop Ahr in the consolation to earn third place.

A wild card in this race could be JFK. During the off-season, Jamie Panko stepped down as head coach to pursue an administrative position in the Woodbridge district, and Chris Banos became the new coach. Banos has enjoyed some success at the Freshmen level, where he coached the current senior class to the Championship of the 2005 Perth Amboy/GMC Tournament, where the Colts defeated then twelfth seeded South Brunswick. The Mustangs have the likes of Jelani Davis and Joe Marciano returning from last year’s squad along with Jonathan Toczynski and Brian Reilly. While Chris Galadyk, a member of that successful freshmen team Banos coached several years ago, is not playing this year, Will Roman, a transfer from Brooklyn, will be a nice addition to the team. Kennedy had a decent off-season at TBSA in both the summer and fall. Highland Park, which lost everyone except James Boyd from a team that was just 6-13 last season, and South River, which has struggled the past several years, will have it tough competing in the GMC Blue again this year although they showed promise in recent scrimmages.

Back To Top

2007-2008 GMC GOLD DIVISION PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Summary: With St. Peter’s closing, this should be South Amboy’s division for the taking although Dunellen will have something to say about it especially if Jim Schleppenbach is healthy. The Cardinals probably would have been a solid favorite to win the division with everybody set to return including Travis Evans, Justin Morgan, and Dominic Appiah (now at McCarrick). However, politics from an unlikely source at the Diocese of Metuchen forced the long time school, and power in the GMC to shut its doors this past June. Meanwhile, the Guvs have put in a solid off-season that included participation in the Rebounds Spring League, Rebounds Summer League, and Rebounds Fall League. Mark Simko has is doing well, and continues to steadily improve. In addition, Larry Lenahan and Steve Poltrictzky are beginning to realize the potential they had as incoming freshmen in the Raritan Bay Summer League.

Lets not forget Colin Krzyzanowski can knock in a few from the perimeter too, and Joe Charmello and Matt Richmond are showing promise from the underclassmen levels too as well as Tommy Reilly. Dunellen should be in the thick of things this year with Schleppenbach returning as well as T.J. Wenzel and Brock Mundy. In addition, the two Francisco brothers, Luke and Nick Francisco as well as Matt and Eric Cianfrone should be expected to make contributions. Perth Amboy Vo-Tech and Piscataway Vo-Tech will battle for third with the Raiders getting the edge for now since they have the most returning from last year while the Patriots took a hit to graduation with the losses of Jose Tavares, Freddy Espinal, Wilson Diez, and David Laboriel.

P-Way Tech coach, Karl Towns contends that this year's team will return to the glory days of 2003 and 2004 when the team won back to back division titles and reached the CJ Group I Championship Game both years with a title in 2003 over Manville. However, despite appearing to have a lot of size including the return of forward, Justin Braxton, Piscataway Tech will have a tough time replacing talented Dave Edwards, who graduated in 2007. Although Shaun Cruz returns in the backcourt, Towns has to admit like he did in 2004 about Marquise Perry, that he will miss Edwards despite how crazy the kid made him. In addition, Towns contended a couple years ago that guard play was the key in the Gold. The same still holds true today. East Brunswick Vo-Tech will look to improve on last year’s 4-20 record, and should do that, but it will be tough to break through against opponents in this division.

Back To Top

RETURN TO THE GMC HOOPS HOME PAGE

If you are finished chatting with your friends about the latest goings on in Greater Middlesex Conference Boys Basketball, and like to see other parts of the website.  Click below to return to the GMC Home Page.

• Return to the GMC Hoops Home Page

If you have any questions about, or any suggestions for this website, please feel free to either fill out our guestbook, or contact me at gmachos@gmchoops.com.