In a miracle of some sort, no teams ranked in the All Shore Media Top 10 lost on Tuesday, but there were still some happenings of note. I got my first in-depth look at the Manasquan duo of junior guard J.R. Hobbie and junior forward/center Jimmy Walsh as the Warriors upended Point Boro. I’ll talk about that and more below.
Player of the Night
Jimmy Walsh, Jr. F/C, Manasquan
Walsh continues to stuff the stat sheet as he had a game-high 24 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 67-60 win over Point Boro for Manasquan’s best win over a Shore Conference opponent this season. It came one game after Walsh had a triple-double in a loss to Lakewood. At 6-6, his versatility and ability to face the basket make him a tough cover for almost every Shore Conference team. He has range all the way out to the 3-point line, can put it on the floor and hit off the dribble, and also can score with his back to the basket. Walsh also shoots better than 70 percent from the foul line so he can fill it up there. He has added more bulk and is a little stronger this season, which has made him tough. His arms also seem like they are about 10 feet long. He does a nice job of going high for rebounds and not bringing the ball down near his waist where opposing guards can paw at it.
He is as complete a player as I’ve seen this season. While he’s not overly explosive as far as dunking on people and elevating to the rim, he is very effective. He could’ve easily had 35 in that game if he had made a few chippies in the first half and not missed five free throws. Just like he’s smart in the classroom, he’s smart as a player. He knows angles well, and he times his jumps perfectly to get blocks without fouling.
I’m guessing he projects as a small forward at the next level because of his ability to play on the wing. It would be interesting to see him matched up with Raritan’s Mike Aaman, who will be a power forward in the NEC and is a rugged, physical player.
Notes/Thoughts
—Walsh and Hobbie are both excellent students in addition to being talented players, which is reflected in the fact that many of the same schools have called Manasquan head coach Andrew Bilodeau about them. Bilodeau said he has heard from Princeton, Army, Colgate, Bucknell, Radford and top Division II programs like Stonehill and Assumption. Hobbie added that he has also heard from Northwestern University.
—Hobbie is a knockdown shooter who is great off the catch and has one of the smoother strokes in the Shore. He also has the ability to fade away and still square up to the basket. It’s always a little awkward when the opposing coaching staff loudly points out the scouting report during the game for all to hear, as the Point Boro sideline was yelling, “He can’t shoot off the dribble!” That is one thing Hobbie can certainly add to his game, although he did hit a shot or two off the bounce last night.
—Manasquan is going to need that third scorer to emerge if it is going to go deep in the postseason or that puts the pressure on Walsh and Hobbie to combine for 50 in a big game. There are certainly candidates in the form of sophomores Tommy Toole and Jack Fay and senior Alex Waga. If one of those can consistently produce 10-12 points, the Warriors will be dangerous.
—Point Boro just struggled to knock down shots at key junctures and had no answer for Walsh, who rattled off 14 points alone in the third quarter. The Panthers never stopped fighting, though, and cut it to four late. Senior point guard Shaun Cooke struggled to get shots to consistently go down, but never stopped attacking. I thought junior Kyle McGarry, who I have always thought of more as a star wide receiver on the football team, showed some good range and athleticism as well.
—It was quietly a historic night for Jackson Liberty, which beat Monsignor Donovan 57-51 for its first win ever over the Griffins in the five seasons of existence of Jackson Liberty’s program. The Lions are now 11-3, tying the school record of 11 wins that they set last season in finishing 11-13. Junior Ahmed Foster has emerged as one of Class C Central’s top players and this program has made great strides. You have to put the job done by coach Mark Lax right up there with coaches like Holmdel’s Sean Devaney, Lacey’s Ryan O’Rourke, Keansburg’s James McCarthy and Freehold Township’s Brian Golub as among the best in the Shore so far this season.
—Super-competitive night in Class A South. Three games, all decided by three or less points, including a buzzer-beating putback by Toms River South’s RJ Devish that beat Brick Memorial. The Mustangs have become the heartbreak kids, as they also lost a game to Southern earlier this season on a 3-pointer by Zach Policastro at the buzzer.
—Three big divisional games on Thursday. Neptune at Colts Neck at 6:30 will essentially be to either give Neptune its second straight outright Class B North title or allow Colts Neck to share the title. Asbury Park at Keansburg at 5:15 is between two of the three teams currently tied for first in Class B Central. Also, Freehold Township at Manalapan at 4:30 p.m. is especially huge for Freehold Township. If the Patriots win, they probably guarantee themselves no worse than a share of the overall Class A North title because they have already played Christian Brothers Academy and Middletown North twice. If Manalapan wins, it still has to get by CBA a second time, something it has never done in its program history, to potentially share or win the A North title.
Alumni Spotlight
Junior forward Joe Willman (Monmouth Regional) is third on the team at 10.3 points per game and second at 4.6 rebounds per game for Bucknell, which is currently 15-6.
January 26, 2012 at 1:21 pm |
Hobbie to Northwestern (?) may have something to do with Spring Lake’s Bill Carmody being the coach…He was a guard at St. Rose class of ’70 and is tuned into the SC scene…Tried to get Tim Begley (CBA) a few years back but he went to U. Penn
January 27, 2012 at 2:44 am |
Hobbie at Princeton (?). If so he better learn how to play on both sides of the floor, most players can sit there and hit open shots. But to be able to creat your own shoot, that’s a good player, he needs to work on that part of his game before any coach at that level would consider him
Cooke is by far one of the best guards in the SC this year, look at the numbers, they tell the truth. He can hit open shoots, created his own, and get in the lane. And he is a 90% from free throw line
January 27, 2012 at 4:03 pm |
Tom, Hobbie has potential if, like you said, he improves on creating his own shot because he is very smooth off the catch. Cooke is very solid. If he was just a little bigger he would be getting higher-level looks, although his shooting percentage has not been good the times I’ve seen him. It’s one thing to create shots, it’s another thing to consistently knock them down. Regardless, I agree he is right up there among the Shore’s best.
John, N’western is my alma mater, so it’s interesting to hear they are recruiting the Shore a little. Carmody has done a nice job w/ the Wildcats. Hopefully this is the year they finally make the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.
-Scott