Team: East Brunswick
Coach: Bo Henning
Year: 16th
Assistant Coaches: Mark Motusesky, Dave Nieskens, and Keith Lane
Last Year's Overall Record: 9-12
Last Year's Division Record: 6-8, Tied for Sixth Place
Last Year's Accomplishments: None
Last Year's JV Record: 18-7--Won East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament
Last Year's Freshman Record: 10-9

Returning Starters: Josh Sims (5'10", 160, Sr. G) and Rick Laskay (5'10", 170, Sr. G)

Returning Reserves: Dan Fessel (6'2", 190, Sr. F), Tom Gadziala (6'2", 180, Jr. F), Kevin Motusesky (5'8", 145, Sr. PG), Jim McCloskey (5'6", 140, Jr. PG), and Josh Brandsdorfer (5'9", 155, Sr. G)

Key Losses From Last Season: Jason Jones (6'3",F), Jibril Holmes (6'0", G), Aaron Horace (6'2", C), Zach Simi (6'1", G), Evan Lubcher (5'9", G), Andrew Silver (5'11", G), and Tom Wagenblast (6'2", F)

Key Newcomers: Tom Gadziala (6'2", 180, Jr. F)

View the Complete East Brunswick Roster

View the East Brunswick Season Schedule

Outlook: The Bears are only returning two starters from last year's 9-12 campaign, and lost six players to graduation as well as Aaron Horace, who is not playing this year. On top of that, EB is very small with six players 5'10" or smaller, and no one bigger than 6'3" up front. "It's a bad year to be small in the Red Division," says Head Coach Bo Henning, "Most of the teams have a serious big man." That's quite true. With St. Joseph's Bynum, South Brunswick's Stonkus, Piscataway's Hairston, and J.P. Stevens' Ryan Washington, East Brunswick is going to have its hands full down low.

However, the Bears do have a few things going for them. First, they have starters Josh Sims and Rick Laskay returning along with reserves Dan Fessel, Tom Gadziala, Kevin Motusesky, Jim McCloskey, and Josh Brandsdorfer. In addition, East Brunswick has plenty of good young talent coming up including players from a JV squad that finished 18-7 overall, earned the third seed in the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament, and defeated top seeded South Brunswick for the Championship.

Moreover, there is also a lot to be enthusiastic about since the football team won its first ever state championship recently by defeating Jackson of Ocean County and the Shore Conference. Players such as Fessel, Joshn Byrne, and McCloskey were all members of a team that made the school's first Central Jersey Group IV final appearance in 20 years. Sims provides additional athleticism, and then there's Tom Gadziala, who was a key ingredient to East Brunswick's JV season with 21 points in the Bears overtime win over Sayreville in the JV Tourney Semifinals.

Over the summer, the Bears competed at Kean Team Week, the Linden Summer League, and in the fall, they played in the HawksBasketball Fall-Ball Classic, where they finished 3-7, but lost out on a playoff berth to J.P. Stevens on tiebreakers. At Kean, EB played about .500 while in the Linden Summer League, they were eliminated in the first round of the tournament by Franklin after being competitive in the very tough Tuesday and Thursday Division.

Henning remains optimistic. "There is solid talent at each position, and a good work ethic." He goes on to say that, "if we're able to overcome the lack of size, we'll be in every game." For GMC Hoops, it was hard to get a good look at EB this past summer and fall, but we did see them a bit at Kean, and they played well against New Providence, but were outgunned by a South Brunswick squad that went 9-1 at Kean including a win over a talented Hillside team. Nevertheless, we do feel that the Bears have the potential to trip up some teams in the Red, and perhaps make it into the Top Ten during the course of the year.

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Team: Edison
Coach: Charlie Mohr
Year: 2nd
Assistant Coaches: Rob Roma and Bob Jones
Last Year's Overall Record: 2-19
Last Year's Division Record: 0-14, Eighth Place
Last Year's Accomplishments: None.
Last Year's JV Record: Not Available
Last Year's Freshman Record: Not Available

Returning Starters: Kyle Ringer (6'0", Sr. G), Dave Zavistoski (5'9", Jr. G) and Dan Flak (6'4", Sr. C)

Returning Reserves: Dan Hansson (6'2", Sr. F)

Key Losses From Last Season: Brian Muldowney (6'1", G), Mike Manfre (6'3", F), Marty McElrath (6'1", G), Anthony LaGrasso (6'4", C), and Kurt Gregory (6'4", F)

Key Newcomers: Sean Ogunnoiki (6'1", Jr. F), Nick Reider (5'9", Jr. G), and Justin Thompson (6'1", So. F).

View the Complete Edison Roster

View the Edison Season Schedule

Outlook: The Eagles, which were 2-19 overall last year, and 0-14 in divisional play, is struggling to get its program back to where it was when GMC Hoops first started covering GMC Boys Basketball, and the Eagles had the likes of Mike Bell, Frankie Eckert, and Thomas Johnson. Since going 17-8 in 2000-2001, Edison has been 5-16, 1-19, and 2-19 overall, and a combined 4-40 in the rough and tumble Red Division. On top of that, the Eagles lost their entire starting lineup from the year before with the graduations of Muldowney, Manfre, McElrath, LaGrasso, and Gregory.

Charlie Mohr is now in his second year after taking over for Edison's reknowned Mike Meagher. Mohr previoulsy was an assistant to Matthew Shoban at Middlesex County College, and also an assistant at Rahway High School prior to that. The Eagles competed over the summer at the Middlesex County College Summer League, and after a slow start, came on strong to finish 4-4 overall in the National Division, which put them in a three way tie for fourth place with Union Catholic and Dunellen.

Then, in the tournament round, the Eagles defeated Highland Park handily by a 38-18 score in the opening round, avenged a heartbreaking regular season loss to Union Catholic with a 47-30 rout in the Quarterfinals, and then lost to eventual champion, South River, 35-27 in the Semifinals. In the fall pre-season, Edison competed at the HawksBasketball Fall-Ball Classic for the first time ever since GMC Hoops began covering the event several years ago. The Eagles were unable to qualify for the tournament with an overall record of 2-8.

So far in the early going in 2004-05, Edison has pretty much lived up to what has been expected of them in light of the losses to graduation. However, Edison has already won a game by defeating Highland Park, 68-60, and gave Carteret fits in the opening round of the Gene Haley Tournament before losing 43-42. The Eagles did have a 30 point lead in the fourth quarter against the Owls, but had to hold on as Highland Park came within four before losing. Meanwhile, against the Ramblers, Edison had opportunities to win down the stretch including free throws to tie, but couldn't covert.

GMC Hoops outlook for the Eagles is a bit grim. With the tough schedule the Eagles play year in and year out in the GMC Red, they will have to hope for wins over Metuchen and Spotswood as well as a win in the Gene Haley Holiday Tournament. Five wins is the best possible scenario for this team although they did play Carteret tough, and could give North Brunswick problems when they meet later in the season.

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Team: J.P. Stevens
Coach: James Cardillo
Year: 6th
Assistant Coaches: Dan Kelly and Jim McCarthy
Last Year's Overall Record: 11-13
Last Year's Division Record: 7-7, Fifth Place
Last Year's Accomplishments: Reached Quarterfinals of GMC Tournament.
Last Year's JV Record: Not Available
Last Year's Freshman Record: Not Available

Returning Starters: Ryan Washington (6'7", Sr. C, 6.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 1.2 bpg), Kenny Melford (5'8", Jr. G, 10.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, and 2.6 spg), Andrew Biancosino (6'3", Sr. G/F, 11 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 1.9 apg), and Jason Callender (6'2", Sr. F, 8.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 1.5 spg)

Returning Reserves: Kyle Trueblood (6'1", Sr., F) and John Hacker (6'0", Jr. G)

Key Losses From Last Season: Jared Schaber (5'10", G, 3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, and 1.0 spg) and Naglis Gaidamitchvius (6'1" G/F, 10.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, and 1.0 spg)

Key Newcomers: Osbourne Mayers (6'1", Sr. F), Satvik Patel (6'3", Sr. F), Aaron Miller (5'7", Sr. PG), and Adam Kramen (6'2", Jr. F)

View the Complete J.P. Stevens Roster

View the J.P. Stevens Season Schedule

Outlook: Hard work during the Summer and Fall of 2003 finally paid off for the Hawks with a solid season despite not making the State Tournament. J.P. Stevens won 11 games including 9 wins in their last 16 games including a sweep of their series against Perth Amboy as well as a win over the Panthers in the second round of the GMC Tournament. The Hawks also swept Piscataway for the first time in many years, finished .500 in Red Division play, and reached the Quarterfinal round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, where they lost their second heartbreaker to Cardinal McCarrick in a span of three weeks.

This upcoming season has Stevens Head Coach, James Cardillo, "very excited." And, why not? He has four players in Biancosino, Callender, Melford, and Washington all returning this season as well as reserves Kyle Trueblood and John Hacker. There are also several newcomers including dynamic point guard Aaron Miller, the younger brother of Rutgers football standout, Anthony Miller, who starred at the school a couple years ago in football. Miller along with Melford gives the Hawks a lot of quickness in the backcourt while the front line of Biancosino, Washington, and Callender are "big, physical, can all score and rebound," which Cardillo is esctatic about.

"This is the biggest and most athletic overall team I have had in six years. With that said, we must find a way to share the ball so that not only everyone gets involved, but also know when to get our scorers the basketball." J.P. Stevens, which has competed in the Elizabeth Summer League and HawksBasketball Fall-Ball Classic the past couple years, broke through to the quarterfinal rounds of both leagues' post-season tournaments with upsets over Rahway and Marist respectively, and then lost tough close losses to Summit and Piscataway.

Cardillo also emphasizes that, "The team must strive for consistency from game to game, practice to practice, and even possession to possession...Getting Ryan (Washington) the ball inside is crucial to our overall success. (Aaron) Miller is a very good defensive player and Kenny (Melford) is probably the fastest guard in the county, but he must play in control (Melford averaged 2.9 turnovers per game in 2003-04) for us to be successful. Biancosino (3.5 tpg), Callender (2.4 tpg), and Washington (1.8 tpg) must minimize turnovers as well. However, the team must improve tremendously on the defensive end in order to compete in the very tough Red Division."

Our feeling about the Hawks is that must improve slightly in the rough and tumble Red with either an 8-6 or 9-5 division mark, and also win four or five of their interdivisional and non-conference games including Westfield (Rahway Tournament), North Hunterdon, North Brunswick, Woodbridge, and Bishop Ahr, in order to qualify for the NJSIAA Group IV State Tournament.

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Team: Old Bridge
Coach: Rocky Knowles
Year: 16th
Assistant Coaches: Bill Leahy, Matt Gregorin, and Adam Klein
Last Year's Overall Record: 9-12
Last Year's Division Record: 6-8, Tied for 6th Place
Last Year's Accomplishments: None
Last Year's JV Record: Not Available
Last Year's Freshman Record: Not Available

Returning Starters: Khalil Bennett (6'1", Jr. G), Tim Lucas (6'2", Sr. G), Marcus Crawford (5'10", Sr. G), and Tom Spatafora (5'10", Sr. G)

Returning Reserves: Ray Reyes (5'10", Jr. G), John Zimmerlink (6'2", Jr. F), and Chris Donnelly (6'5", Jr. C)

Key Losses From Last Season: Eric Woroniecki (5'11", G), Mucktar Sei (5'11", G), and Travis Totka (6'4", C)

Key Newcomers: Rafael Vasco (6'2", Jr. G), Samuel Ayivor (5'11", So, G), Ray Brown (6'3", Fr. F), Akili Galloway (6'1", Jr. G)

View the Complete Old Bridge Roster

View the Old Bridge Season Schedule

Outlook: Old Bridge appears to have a nice blend of veteran and young talent this season led by the likes of Tim Lucas, Khalil Bennett, and Tom Spatafora. To our knowledge, Old Bridge did not compete in any summer leagues this past summer. In addition, they did not compete in the HawksBasketball Fall-Ball Classic during the fall pre-season. Nevertheless, they have a roster with only three seniors, but also six juniors, a sophomore, and a freshman.

Last year, Old Bridge got off to a rough start with seven losses in their first eleven games including a heartbreaking 69-59 loss to Sayreville at home after having what seemed to be a comfortable halftime lead. However, that particular game seemed to be a good starting point for Old Bridge's turnaround as they finished the season with five wins in their last ten games including victories over J.P. Stevens and South Brunswick.

Already this year, the Knights are off to a solid start with victories over East Brunswick on opening night, and Point Pleasant Boro of the always tough and competitive Shore Conference in the first round of the WOBM Classic. In addition to the always tough Red Division schedule that they play, the Knights also have some interesting non-conference, and interdivisional games. Old Bridge will be playing Scotch Plains, Union, Hightstown, and South Plainfield on top of their regular season schedule at the WOBM tourney.

Two of those non-conference and interdivisional games are winnable. Scotch Plains lost Derrick Caracter and Lance Thomas as both transferred to St. Patrick's and St. Benedict's Prep respectively while Freshman sensation Ashton Gibbs decided to play for Seton Hall Prep. Union lost their season opener to Kearny, which had previously lost 60 consecutive Watchung Conference games. The other two will be difficult.

Coach Knowles feels that rebouding and inside play will be key to Old Bridge's chances. In his outlook for the Home News-Tribune, he said, "We have very good quickness with our guards," but, "We lack size however. If our guards can rebound, we could give teams problems." The Knights are shooting to reach .500 and qualify for the Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament, where they were a finalist just two years ago.

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Team: Perth Amboy
Coach: John Mazurek
Year: 28th
Assistant Coaches: Ken Ortiz and William Grant
Last Year's Overall Record: 14-8
Last Year's Division Record: 9-5, Tied for Second Place
Last Year's Accomplishments: Won Gene Haley Memorial Holiday Tournament and Qualified for North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Tournament.
Last Year's JV Record: 4-16
Last Year's Freshman Record: 10-12

Returning Starters: Jermaine Clark (5'11", 175, Sr. G)

Returning Reserves: Lamound McGibboney (5'9", 140, Jr. G), Jeff Gumbs (6'0", 220, Jr. F), and Juan Castillo (5'10", 155, Sr. G)

Key Losses From Last Season: Jefferson Mwango (6'4", F) and Jose Pena (6'2", F)

Key Newcomers: Darren Whitehead (6'5", 170, Sr. C) and Cedric Parrish (5'10", 140, Jr. G)

View the Complete Perth Amboy Roster

View the Perth Amboy Season Schedule

Outlook: The Panthers are going to be a "guard oriented" team. According to Coach Mazurek, who plans to step down after this season, "A lot depends on outside shooting." With the likes of Jermaine Clark, Juan Castillo, and Cedric Parrish, the Panthers will be looking to hit from three, and hit often. Due to a brawl that occurred at the high school toward the end of the year, Amboy lost forward Damien Beasley, who was expelled, and Marcus Carty is not eligible to play until after the new year at least, and may have to sit out until February 3rd.

Despite the tumultuous off-season, Perth Amboy still managed to have some success. During the summer, the Panthers participated in the HawksBasketball Summer SlamFest, and amid the uncertainty over Jermaine Clark's future plans, the team was able to hold together, and managed to go .500 with a 5-5 overall record to earn the seventh seed. Perth Amboy then went on to defeat Monroe (90-55) in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Piscataway in the Quarterfinals, 65-58.

Then, in the fall, Perth Amboy competed in the HawksBasketball Fall-Ball Classic, where they finished the regular season with an 8-2 record overall that included a win over two-time defending league champion, South Plainfield, 55-46. Building on their regular season success, and helped by a series of upsets of top seeds in the first two rounds, Amboy was able to win it all as they defeated Roselle Catholic, 71-59.

Jermaine Clark, who ended up not only earning MVP Honors for the League, but also was named GMC Hoops Player of the Week for the Fall Season, led the way with a 23.8 points per game average during the regular season, and a 25 point per game average in the playoffs. He also was the Most Valuable Player of the North-South All Star Game in the All Star Bash showcase, where he put together a solid effort with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.

The key for Perth Amboy will be their inside play. With newcomers such as Darren Whitehead, and Jamar Bridgeforth, the Panthers will be asking a lot of these two since many of the teams in the Red Division have plenty of size up front including prominent big men such as Bynum, Stonkus, Washington, and Hairston. Whitehead does have some potential though. At the Fall-Ball Classic, the senior averaged 1.5 blocks per game in just four regular season games. Then, in the playoffs, he averaged 4.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Amboy has already gotten off to a solid start with a huge upset win over pre-season number one ranked St. Joseph's on opening night, 60-55. The schedule doesn't get any easier with second ranked South Brunswick on the horizon, but they will have a very good shot at winning the holiday tournament they're playing in. GMC Hoops believes that this team has a chance to be in the top ten at points during the year. Whether or not, they have a very good year depends on how well their frontcourt plays, if Clark can stay healthy, and even more important, can Carty play.

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Team: Piscataway
Coach: Guy Jensen
Year: 1st
Assistant Coaches: Steve Makwinski and
Last Year's Overall Record: 15-10
Last Year's Division Record: 8-6, Fourth Place
Last Year's Accomplishments: Won Vaughn Stapleton Classic Holiday Tournament, Reached Quarterfinals of GMC Tournament, and Qualified for the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Tournament
Last Year's JV Record: Not Available
Last Year's Freshman Record: Not Available

Returning Starters: Rodney Freeney (5'11", Jr. G) and Kent Scriven (6'2", Sr. F)

Returning Reserves: Allen Hairston (6'7", Sr. C) and Brandon Wilkinson (6'0", Sr. G)

Key Losses From Last Season: Manny Perotte (6'3", G), Brandon Beckford (6'0", G), Scott Miller (6'5", C), Charles Johnson (5'11", F), Andre Abdul-Raheem (6'3", F), Saidu Samura (6'2", F), and Chinasa Nworu (6'6", C)

Key Newcomers: Kenny Walker (5'9", Jr. G), Sherrod Parkins (6'1", Jr. F), James White (5'10", Fr. G), Ryan Shea (6'2", Jr. G/F), Anthony Davis (6'5", So. F), Joel Creyton (6'1", So. F), and Mike Gatens (6'2", Jr. F)

View the Complete Piscataway Roster

View the Piscataway Season Schedule

Outlook: Having the Chiefs ranked third in our annual Pre-Season Top Ten may be a bit of a stretch, but they do have some solid players returning including starters Rodney Freeney and Kent Scriven as well as reserves Allen Hairston and Brandon Wilkinson. With the backcourt of Freeney and Wilkinson, the three pointers will be flying while Freeney will also penetrate, and drive to the basket. Coach Jensen believes that Freeney could be one of the top guards in Middlesex County along with the likes of Jermaine Clark from fellow Red Division rival, Perth Amboy.

In addition the combination of Hairston and Scriven up front gives the Chiefs a blend of size and athelticism. Let's also not forget that they have sophomore Anthony Davis, the younger brother of Andre Davis, who played at the school a couple years ago, and is now attending St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, where he played his freshman year. Davis is a wide body, who can bang while the Chiefs also sport Joel Creyton, Sherrod Parkins, and Mike Gatens, who all have plenty of talent and atheltic ability.

Kenny Walker and Ryan Shea are also expected to make key contributions. Walker, who helped lead the Piscataway Chiefs freshman team to a Championship two years ago in the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshman Tournament, will fill in at guard while Shea, who was a reserve on Piscataway Junior Varsity team that reached the finals, and lost to New Brunswick in the East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament two years ago, can provide additional scoring punch from the outside as well as plenty of hustle.

Over the summer, Piscataway competed at the HawksBasketball Summer SlamFest in Perth Amboy, where they finished second overall with a 7-3 overall record after winning a tiebreaker over Rutgers Prep (beat the Argonauts twice during season). However, in the playoffs, Piscataway would lose to Rutgers Prep in their third showdown of the summer as the Argonauts advanced to the finals, and lost to league champion, Woodbridge. Meanwhile, the Junior Varsity competed at the Colonia JV Summer League, where they finished first overall with an 8-1 overall record in the regular season, but then were knocked out in the quarterfinals after receiving a first round bye.

Then, in the fall, Piscataway competed in the HawksBasketball Fall-Ball Classic in Woodbridge, where the Chiefs ended up finishing 9th out of a 24 team field, and had a 7-3 overall record. Then, in the playoffs, Piscataway knocked off old time rival Franklin, and then defeated J.P. Stevens, 53-49 in the Quarterfinals before bowing out to eventual champion Perth Amboy in the semis. Guy Jensen is enthusiastic about his team. "The future is bright. We have lots of young talent, solid returners, and newcomers that will make this year a solid season."

GMC Hoops believes that Piscataway can build off of last season's late run that included wins over New Brunswick, South Brunswick, St. Joseph's, and a tough loss to South Plainfield in the GMCT. Besides Perth Amboy and New Brunswick, Piscataway is one of the county's hotbeds for talent, and they will help make up for the heavy losses from last year due to graduation. The key will be how far Freeney and Wilkinson can carry the load. Against J.P. Stevens on opening night, both played fantastic in the Chiefs win over the Hawks on the road.

However, the two guards do have their moments such as against Morristown in the Vaughn Stapleton Classic Round-Robin, where both struggled from the field for most of the game although Wilkinson won the contest with a three pointer a the 1.4 second mark of the fourth quarter. Another key will be Allen Hairston. The big man has come a long way since being a reserve on Junior Varsity two years ago. Moreoever, the senior center continues to improve with a solid performance against the Colonials in the Chiefs 54-51 victory. If Hairston can put up some big numbers, and provide an inside option to the guard play of Freeney and Wilkinson, Piscataway will cause problems in the GMC Red and the GMCT.

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Team: South Brunswick
Coach: Dave Turco
Year: 3rd
Assistant Coaches: Bob Turco, Paul Nelson, Mike Zirpolo, Mike Dekok, and Joe Hoehman
Last Year's Overall Record: 15-9
Last Year's Division Record: 9-5, Second Place
Last Year's Accomplishments: Qualified for Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament.
Last Year's JV Record: 23-3
Last Year's Freshman Record: 21-1

Returning Starters: Tommy Hill (5'9", 160, Jr. G) and Danny Stonkus (6'9", 245, Sr. C)

Returning Reserves: Coron Short (5'11", 170, Sr. G), Brent Hunt (6'6", 195, Sr. C), and Nick Fazio (6'2", 185, Jr. F)

Key Losses From Last Season: Cliff Breese (6'5", G/F), Amin Gillespie (6'3", G/F), Mike Sexton (6'0", G), Alex Persaud (5'11", G), Nana Ampin (6'3", Sr. G), and Darryl Pratt (6'2", F)

Key Newcomers: Martin Soaries (6'0", 165, So. G), Joe Clancy (6'0", 175, So. F), Devon Young (6'2", 180, So. F), and Mike Zwiren (5'9", 165, Jr. G)

View the Complete South Brunswick Roster

View the South Brunswick Season Schedule

Outlook: The South Brunswick Vikings are going to be a team to reckon with in the Greater Middlesex Conference this season. Especially now, in light of the fact that of the time of this outlook, St. Joseph's had lost Andrew Bynum for at least four weeks with a knee injury, and he may be lost for the season. Nevertheless, with the depth, talent, size, and passion to play that this team has, they would still give the Falcons a good run for their money even with Bynum.

Take this into account. Over the summer South Brunswick was perhaps the best team we saw out of everyone in the Greater Middlesex Conference, and there were a lot of different leagues, camps, and tournaments we saw over the summer. The Vikes started the summer by going 9-1 overall at Kean Team Week including a win over Hillside at Hillside High School. Next, they played in the AND1 Tournament at Seton Hall University, where they went 2-2 including wins over Passaic Tech and Piscataway, and tough losses to St. Benedict's and Plainfield.

Then, came the summer league at Elizabeth, where the Vikings went 10-1 overall including victories over Rahway, Summit, Hillside, and Elizabeth. The Minutemen were they only team to defeat South Brunswick, and the Vikes were without Tommy Hill and Dan Stonkus for that game. In the tournament, however, South Brunswick lost in the Championship to the same Hillside squad, 50-42, but again without Stonkus and Hill. One game during the summer at Elizabeth that made a solid impression on us was South Brunswick's rout of Nazareth of Brooklyn, which competes in the New York City Catholic League.

With just six players including three that came up from a game at the Colonia JV Summer League that the Junior Vikes won handily, 41-22 over J.P. Stevens, South Brunswick steamrolled past the Kingsmen, 53-34. Speaking of the Junior Vikings, they finished second overall in the regular season at Colonia with a 7-2 record, which put them a game out of first place. Keep in mind that because of the need to have players up at Elizabeth, many of the JV starters weren't able to play in the final week of regular season action at Colonia.

However, in the tournament, South Brunswick rolled to the Championship by defeating one of the Colonia teams, 57-51, in the semifinals as well as a 49-32 first round win over J.F. Kennedy. Then, in the Championship, the Junior Vikes withstood a tough charge from fourth seeded Franklin of Somerset County and the Skyland Conference, and pulled out a 55-53 victory. Following Summer League play, South Brunswick competed in the Rebounds Elite Team Camp and the Summer PrimeTime Shootout, where the Vikings defeated such teams as Freehold Boro, 50-38, The Hun School, 43-40, and Kingsway, 48-32.

On top of the 48 total games that South Brunswick played over the course of the summer, the Turco brothers put together a solid off-season program that consisted of skill development, conditioning and weight training, and practices. Moreover, players such as Danny Stonkus played in National AAU Tournaments and participated in Indivdual Camps. For the first time in a couple years, South Brunswick didn't play at the HawksBasketball Fall-Ball Classic, but they did field a team for the Pre-Season Tip-Off Classic at Rebounds, and went 4-0.

Nevertheless, Head Coach Dave Turco is cautious about his team. "We're very young, and we will go as far as Danny (Stonkus) and Tommy (Hill) can take us. We hope to get better as they year goes on." Turco's goals for the season are: To Qualify for the Central Jersey Group IV Tournament, Reach the Elite Eight in the GMCT, and Compete for the Red Division Crown. GMC Hoops feels that this team is at least a top five team in the Greater Middlesex Conference, and could be high as number one.

While they only have three players returning from last year's roster, the Vikings do have incoming junior and sophomore talent that were on JV and Freshman teams that were the top seeds in their respective tournaments and each ended up either in the final, or final four. On top of that, the players are hungry and willing to do what it takes to win games. Now, with Bynum injured, and the Falcons off toan 0-3 start, the Vikings have to be the favorite to win it all in the GMC Red.

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Team: St. Joseph's
Coach: Mark Taylor
Year: 10th
Assistant Coaches: Bobby Farrell, Wendell Alexis, and Arthur Pierson
Last Year's Overall Record: 17-10
Last Year's Division Record: 11-3, 1st in GMC Red Division
Last Year's Accomplishments: Red Division Champion and Reached GMCT Semifinals
Last Year's JV Record: Not Available, Reached Semifinals of East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament
Last Year's Freshman Record: Green Team: 9-12, White Team: 7-12

Returning Starters: Sean Baptiste (6'3", Jr. G), Andrew Bynum (7'0", Sr. C), and Kevin Joyce (6'1", Sr. Guard)

Returning Reserves: Kenny Widgeon (6'4", Jr. F) and Shawn Harper (6'6", Sr. F)

Key Losses From Last Season: Josh Batts (6'2", F), Jayson Dolphin (6'2", G), Fofie Mgbako (6'4", C), Rob Pietrocola (6'1", G/F), and Brian Hennessey (5'11", G)

Key Newcomers: Kavon Brandon (6'2", Sr. G) and Al Carpetto (5'9", Jr. G)

View the Complete St. Joseph's Roster

View the St. Joseph's Season Schedule

Outlook: The Falcons appear to be the pre-season favorite to not only win the Red Division, but also bring another Championship banner to the new and improved Bird Cage, which opened last winter. They always have a plethora of talent, this year is not exception with the likes of Baptiste, Bynum, Widgeon, Joyce, Harper, and Brandon Kane returning for the 2004-05 season. Bynum, which recently gave a verbal commitment to UConn a month and a half ago, has put on a few more inches and pounds, and has improved to become one of the top big men in the entire country.

In addition, Baptiste brings a yeoman like work ethic and dedication to the game, which not only makes him a scorer, but also a player that isn't afraid to go down low to post-up and get rebounds. Kenny Widgeon has elevated his game with an improved jumper, and he combined with Shawn Harper will give the Falcons additional size and athleticism underneath. Kevin Joyce, who didn't play much during the summer, will have to fill the void left behind by Brian Hennessey at the point so that Bynum, Baptiste, and Widgeon get the ball.

Coach Taylor is looking for the Falcons "to compete in every game we play!" He points to this season as the best (toughest) schedule any of his teams ever had with St. Anthony's (at home in January), St. Patrick's (at the Tip-Off Classic), St. Benedict's (Away), Rochester East (In the Prime Time Shootout), and playing in the Glaxo Smith-Kline Tournament in North Carolina over the holidays.

Goals for Taylor and St. Joseph's are simple: "Win Division. Win County. And, compete for the State Title." GMC Hoops feels that they are as of right now the team to beat in both the Red Division and the GMC overall. However, we did have some concerns about the lack of turnout at the Eastern Invitational, and the Rebound Elite Team Camp as well as not playing in this year's Fall-Ball Classic, and the fact that South Brunswick's hungry squad's efforts over the summer may challenge the Falcons for top banana in the GMC.

With that said, we believe it will come down to either St. Joseph's or the Vikings for the Red Division Title, and overall conference championship. With an improved Bynum, Baptiste, and Widgeon along with Harper, Joyce, Kavon Brandon, and Al Carpetto, the Falcons should have enough to win out over the Vikes.

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