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Welcome to the GMC Hoops Top Ten Poll Section of the website.  This contains the top ten rankings of the best boys basketball teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference for the 2011-2012 season according to GMC HOOPS.  As the 2011-2012 season continues and more games are played, a new poll will come out every week that will give a better idea of what's happening, and be based on our own opinions.  Feel free to e-mail your comments and suggestions to gmachos@gmchoops.com, or topten@gmchoops.com. 

GMC HOOPS TOP TEN BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS--2/3/12-CURRENT RECORD IN PARENTHESIS

    1. St. Joseph’s (17-1)–Since losing to Teaneck in the Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic on opening weekend, the Falcons have won 16 straight including victories over EB, South Brunswick, Piscataway (twice), Penn Wood, Academy New Church, Seton Hall Prep, and Marist. St. Joe's has two 1,000 point scorers in Quenton DeCosey and Danny Brix, and have 300 game winner in Dave Turco for coach. Freshman Karl Towns has made a big impact as well. The Falcons are looking to become the first team since the St. Peter's teams of 1983, 1984, and 1985 to win three straight conference/county titles. The Metuchen school is also looking to win its fourth Non-Public A South title, and first state title. Up next for the Falcons: St. Patrick's of Elizabeth at the Battle of the Bay in Atlantic City.

    2. North Brunswick (15-2)–Since losing to Monroe on opening night, and Mansquan before Christmas, the Raiders have been on a roll. NBTHS has won 13 straight games including recent wins over Cardinal McCarrick, Monroe, New Brunswick (twice), Woodbridge, East Brunswick, South Brunswick, and Spotswood. Led by 1,000 point scorer, Dion Rogers and backcourt mate, Iverson Fleming, the Raiders have put up big numbers offensively. Add to the mix fellow seniors Chance Gadsen, Shaliek Short as well as newcomer Keon Rankins, and other such as Khai Blackwell and Jordan Gonzalez, and you have a North Brunswick in contention for its first GMCT title since 1997. Coming up next week for the Raiders is a White Division showdown next Thursday night at fifth ranked Cardinal McCarrick.

    3. East Brunswick (13-4)–After suffering back to back losses to St. Joseph's and North Brunswick, the Bears have gotten back in the hunt with 11 wins in their last 13 games. The only two losses EB has suffered in that time were to national powerhouse St. Anthony's and top ranked St. Joseph's. The Bears have also posted two hard fought wins over fourth ranked South Brunswick including a double overtime victory back on January 5th. East Brunswick has plenty of depth with the likes of seniors Joe Ross and Mike Summerer along with junior Rob Ukawuba leading the way. Danny Leung has come off the bench to play well along with sophomores Amir Bell and Gary Baumer. Contributing as well are Abu Bestawros, Jake Krantz, and Avi Oren. Up next for the Bears is the Hun school on Saturday.

    4. South Brunswick (13-4)–The Vikings are undefeated against the GMC with exception to the top three teams in our poll. SBHS lost to second ranked North Brunswick in the Championship of the Brunswick Classic, third ranked East Brunswick twice including a double overtime loss in the first week of January, and a defeat on Tuesday at EB, and top ranked St. Joseph's at home. The Vikes are led by the guard play of senior Mike Green and junior Sean Keenan while the froncourt combination of Nick Muha and Chris Bourne has also played very well. T.J. Taylor, Danny Strickland, Dion Hooper, and Antonio Ross have also contributed. Up next for the Vikings: Freehold Boro at home on Saturday, and St. Joseph's on the road on Tuesday.

    5. Cardinal McCarrick (15-3)–The Eagles have been steady although they have struggled to hang on to leads in games this season. McCarrick has only lost to Notre Dame of Lawrenceville, Rutgers Prep, and North Brunswick. McCarrick is currently tied for first place with second ranked North Brunswick, but the Raiders hold the tie-breaker thanks to the 69-65 victory over the Eagles at NBTHS on January 17th. Led by their dynamic scorer, sophomore Marques Townes, and Perth Amboy transfer Jonathan Rodriguez, the Eagles can be a formidable team again in the GMCT. Up next for McCarrick, a tough challenge against state ranked Roselle Catholic in the finale of the Bernoskie Games on Saturday night.

    6. Carteret (16-2)–With ten straight victories and only losses two seventh ranked Bishop Ahr in overtime, and fourth ranked South Brunswick, the Ramblers are enjoying their best season since they won the GMCT back in 2002. Carteret won the Gene Haley Tournament for the first time since 2005, and recently avenged one of their two losses by defeating Bishop Ahr last Friday (68-59). Avery Carter leads the team in scoring with a 13.9 points per game average while Tanveer Dosanjh is close behind with 9.8 points per contest. Forwards and football standouts Kevin Van Dyke and Ryan Oliver anchor a stout defense while freshmen Jaquan Robertson and Brandon Gilder have been making contributions. Up next for the Ramblers is a tough crossover matchup against Timothy Christian on Monday afternoon at home.

    7. Bishop Ahr (11-5)–Since starting the season at 1-4 against a very tough non-conference slate that incuded Elizabeth, Rutgers Prep, Ridge, and Irvington, the Trojans have played very well with 10 wins in their last 11 games. BGA's only loss during this stretch was last Friday on the road at Carteret, which it beat in overtime on January 4th. Coming off victories over Timothy Christian and J.F. Kennedy, Ahr is still in the hunt for a good seed, and Blue Division honors. The Trojans are led by a talented group including Roger Kilgore, Dillon Salva, and Kenny Virden. Up next for the BGA: Middlesex on the road, and Spotswood at home.

    8. Piscataway (9-9)–Some would say P-Way is having an up and down year, but consider this. The Chiefs are 9-0 outside of playing teams such as St. Joseph's (0-2), East Brunswick (0-2), South Brunswick (0-2), St. Benedict's, Plainfield, and Franklin. They still have a solid group of players led by Tajae Sharpe, Rodney Freeney, Vik Singh, and Greg Davis. These four along with the likes of Thaddeus Dalton, David White, Byron Benjamin, Temi Adebayo, and Donovan Kirland made up a good deal of the squad that lost to St. Joseph's in the GMCT final last year. Up next for the Chiefs: Medford Tech and Colonia at home.

    9. Monroe (12-6)–After starting the season by equaling a school best seven wins, the Falcons lost five of their next six to drop to 8-5. However, the Purple Birds turned things around last week with four straight wins over Edison, South Plainfield, Red Bank Catholic, and Woodbridge. MTHS did lose to McCarrick on the road, but are much improved over last year's squad. GMC Hoops Players of the Week, Ryan Genevieve and Victor Sorrento lead the way for the Falcons while Nick Isola has stepped up his game in the frontcourt. Up next for the Falcons: at New Brunswick on Tuesday and at home versus Sayreville on Thursday.

    10. Timothy Christian (16-2)–The Tigers had won 13 straight before losing to Bishop Ahr on Monday evening. TCS defeated Piscataway Tech last week to earn a share of the Gold Division standings for now. Leading the Tigers are two 1,000 point scorers in seniors Kristian Svendsen and Dan Decker. Brandon Summers made a huge impact in Timothy Christian's win at P-Way Tech last week. Summer made 8 of 9 shots for a career high 18 points in the win over the Raiders while scoring 14 in the Tigers win over E.B. Tech. Jeff Parker, Zach Csorny, Devon Johnson, and Will Gaskin have also made key contributions. Up next for TCS: Dunellen at home and Carteret on the road.

      Spotswood (12-4)-The Chargers have improved a great deal this season after going 7-18 last year. Spotswood is 9-2 on the road, and have only lost to three teams all ranked in the GMC Hoops Top Ten: Carteret (twice), Bishop Ahr, and North Brunswick. The Chargers big win so far this year came outside of the conference against Bound Brook of Somerset County in the Championship game of the Crusader Classic. It was the third time in the last four years that Spotswood has won that holiday tournament. Recent GMC Hoops Player of the Week, Tommy Soulias leads the way with a 21 points per game average while Jake Dadika makes the offense go with his play making ability and scoring. Dalonte Grant has provided additional scoring punch from the perimeter this year while Jamal Lewis has done a solid job on the interior.

* Other teams considered: Piscataway Tech, New Brunswick, Woodbridge, Colonia, and Dunellen

GMC HOOPS FANS POLL--TOP TEN RANKINGS--1/31/12--CURRENT RECORD IN PARENTHESIS

  1. Timothy Christian (16-2)--380 points

  2. St. Joseph's (17-1)--100 points

  3. North Brunswick (15-2)--40 points

  4. Carteret (16-2)--38 points

  5. South Bunswick (13-4)--33 points

  6. Cardinal McCarrick (15-3)--20 points

  7. East Brunswick (13-4)--15 points

  8. Monroe (12-6)--13 points

  9. Bishop Ahr (11-5)--7 points

  10. Piscataway (9-9)--5 points

* Other teams receiving votes: Woodbridge

 

GMC HOOPS RATINGS INDEX BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS--2/3/12--TEAM'S CURRENT RECORD IN PARENTHESES*

  1. St. Joseph's (17-1)--0.1 rating

  2. North Brunswick (15-2) --1.0 rating

  3. East Brunswick (13-4)--3.2 rating

  4. South Brunswick (13-4)--3.6 rating

  5. Cardinal McCarrick (15-3)--3.7 rating

  6. Carteret (16-2)--5.0 rating

  7. Bishop Ahr (11-5)--7.5 rating

  8. Timothy Christian (16-2)--11.0 rating

  9. Monroe (12-6)--15.5 rating

  10. Piscataway (9-9)--20.0 rating

*Ratings are computed by a composite of rankings in the GMC Hoops Poll, GMC Hoops Fans Poll, Home-News Tribune Poll, WCTC AM 1450 Poll, Star-Ledger Poll, Born Index, New Jersey Hoops, Number Of Losses, and Strength Of Schedule. Margin of error is probably between 10 and 20 percent.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? GIVE US YOUR GMC TOP TEN PICKS.

Don't like our selections for our top ten? Well, here's your chance to sound off by making your own top ten rankings. Make up your own GMC Top Ten by either filling out our survey, or, e-mail it to us at topten@gmchoops.com. Each week, we will take all the submissions received, and use them to make up a GMC Fans Top Ten Poll.

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