Keegan to TCNJ/Game7 Sharks Update

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Howell senior point guard Ryan Keegan, the school’s all-time leading scorer, will continue his career at The College of New Jersey, which was first reported by The Asbury Park Press. Keegan was an All Shore Media third-team selection for a Howell squad that reached the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Also, as always, if you are with an AAU team that features Shore Conference players, feel free to send me any updates on the team. Here is an update on the Game7 Sharks, which features several Shore players, recently adding Colts Neck junior standout Hunter Wysocki.

Game 7 Sharks is in our sixth year of existence. What started out as one team has now evolved into a program with eight team’s. Our 17U ELITE team features several of the top 2012 players in the Shore Conference. We are sponsored by Under Armour. Our website is http://www.shoresharks.com. Here is a breakdown of each of our guys in alphabetical order:

Mike Aaman (6’8’’, F, 2012, Raritan) – The reigning Shore Conference and Monmouth County Player of The Year is on a mission to finish out his high school career strong. His inside game around the basket has improved very much over the past year. With us having a very big team, Aaman has been able to work on his perimeter game and develop a 15-foot jumper and is improving his handle. The premier shot blocker and rebounder in the Shore area. Committed to Wagner.

Will Boman (5’11’’, G, 2012, Middletown North) – Standout on our 16U team. Good defender who works hard and will have a nice career these next two seasons at North.

Bobby Brackett (6’7’’, G/F, 2012, Lawrence) – Our only non-Shore Conference player, Brackett is a human highlight film. He had six impressive dunks in a championship win two weeks ago. Strong around the basket and enjoys contact. Can step outside and hit the three. His older brother was a standout football player this past season for Penn State.

Jack Donnelly (6’1’’, G, 2012, Rumson) – Sharpshooter from behind the arc. Can score off the catch and shoot and can put the ball on the ground and take it to the hole. Netted 63 three-pointers for RFH this past season and may lead the Shore in that statistic this year. Good defender who loves to compete.

Jim Dzugan (6’5’’, F, 2012, Middletown South) – Strong post player with a lot of energy. Active on both sides of the ball; has a very high motor. Can score around the basket and gets a lot of second chance points. He is starting to develop into one of our better athletes.

Tim Frawley (6’4’’, G, 2012, Middletown North) – Versatile player who can defend the 1-4 positions. Can get very hot from behind the three-point line. Good shooter off of 1-2 dribbles. Has added a few new off the dribble moves to his repertoire. Also is a key player on North’s baseball team.

Jason Huelbig (6’4’’, G, 2012, Middletown North) – High riser who can get up and jam in a defender’s face. Very good length and could be a good defender. Has the ability to score in bunches and take over a game. Arguably the most athletic player in the Shore Conference. Looking to take that next step from a good player to a great player.

Bill Wrightson (6’9’’, F, 2012, Toms River North) – In his first year with the program and is improving each week. Big body that takes up a lot of space. Starting to develop a good motor. Has the potential to make a big impact on both sides of the ball. Nice touch around the hoop.

Hunter Wysocki (6’5’’, G, 2012, Colts Neck) – Can score inside and outside and will score a lot of baskets for us. Has a very high motor and competes every play. One of the best passers in the area and is very unselfish. Good defender and is a very good rebounder. Creates a lot of mismatches with his unique game. Very good volleyball player as well.

Eric Youncofski (5’11’’, G, 2012, Middletown North) – Led the Shore Conference in assists this year. One of the toughest kids you’ll ever meet, plays with a chip on his shoulder. Unselfish player who would much rather create plays for others than himself. Has extended the range on his jump shot and his ability to take it to the hole and score. Vocal leader.

 

 

A Look Back at SCT Quarterfinals

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As usual, it was a fun day of basketball at Brookdale, some of it a little rough around the edges and other stretches leaving fans groaning about the officiating, but entertaining as always.

The refurbished Collins Arena is a much better venue with new seating, a better floor surface and more accommodations, so that was an immediate upgrade. I went 3-1 with my picks, with Point Beach’s upset of Christian Brothers Academy being the only loss, which is one that most people not wearing red and white would not have completely seen coming but certainly wasn’t crazy considering how well Beach played CBA in that spot last year.

My final four prediction before the tournament was Lakewood, Raritan, CBA and Neptune, with Lakewood winning it all by beating CBA, which has obviously changed. Essentially, I got one side of the bracket pretty much totally right, and the other side was a debacle. At least my potential champion is still alive, although the Piners had me a little worried in the third quarter of that Asbury Park game.

As for the games, here are some thoughts:

Asbury Park vs. Lakewood

—Any team that can consistently get offensive rebounds and turn the opponent over with its press in the midcourt area will always have the ability to come back, and that’s what Lakewood did. Asbury Park didn’t have enough solid ballhandlers after the Conover twins fouled out, and it also didn’t have enough bodies to keep Lakewood off the offensive glass.

—The Conover twins have become a big factor in Asbury Park’s success. They haven’t even been on the team a month since becoming eligible, but as Matt wrote in his game story, they have become a major factor for Asbury Park. Those two are junkyard dogs. Just hard-nosed players who do whatever it takes to get a win. They make momentum-changing plays, whether it’s a steal or an offensive board or a basket in transition. When they fouled out, no one on Asbury Park stepped in to save the Bishops while they were watching their lead disappear.

—I think everyone was waiting to see Maurice Dickerson for Asbury Park or Jarrod Davis or Tony Walker for Lakewood to take over in that final four minutes or so, but to me, the best player at crunch time was Lakewood’s Jameer Jones. Davis did have some timely buckets, but Jones created offense, came up with some steals and was a huge difference in Lakewood’s win. When the star players cancel each other out, it comes down to which lesser-known player is going to step up, and Jones was the guy. If Lakewood wins this whole thing (they were my pick before the tournament), it will look back and thank Jones for saving its backside in a game that Asbury Park seemingly had in the bag.

Shilique Calhoun Dismissed from Team at Midd. North and More

Updated with *****Breaking News***, 1:40 p.m. Shilique Calhoun has been dismissed from Middletown North’s team, according to a text sent from head coach Mike Iasparro to All Shore Media’s Matt Manley.

My thoughts are still the same, but obviously take the post below with the knowledge that Calhoun will no longer be with the team. Calhoun was averaging 17.5 points per game and 10 rebounds per game before being dismissed for his actions in yesterday’s loss to CBA.

I agree with Iasparro’s decision, for the record.

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Gee, did anything controversial happen in yesterday’s 69-35 win by Christian Brothers Academy over Middletown North?

Of course, I will start with the Shilique Calhoun situation, which just got updated with his dismissal from the team. First, here is the take of the Shore Scout, which you can read by clicking here.

I was sitting right behind the Middletown North bench, so I saw the whole thing unfold, as I detailed in the game story. Perhaps the strangest part of it was the utter lack of emotion on Calhoun’s part after head coach Mike Iasparro subbed another player in for him after being upset with a lackluster defensive effort that led to a wide-open shot by CBA’s J.P. Koury with five minutes left in the third quarter. It’s not like Calhoun knocked the Gatorade jug over or punched the bleachers or cursed. With a blank look after taking a drink of water, he turned around, took his jersey off and just walked out the door. I thought maybe he was blowing off steam in the hallway and would come back, but obviously it didn’t work out that way.

My first hope for this situation is that it is a unilateral decision on his future. I have seen similar incidents in the past where the coach wants to crack down on discipline but the administration doesn’t want to see a potential championship season go out the window or caves to parental pressure and disagrees with the decision. There also is the flipside of that argument, where the coach may be too lax in the discipline and the administration wants to be much more severe. To me, there needs to be an agreement between Iasparro and the administration about what they decide to do. I also think it can’t strictly be left up to the team. Adults have to make this decision.

There has been a pattern of this behavior, so I can’t really see how one more “I’m sorry” from Calhoun to his teammates is going to have any impact on them because they’ve heard it before. It’s just so strange because after the Lions stunned CBA earlier in the season, Calhoun gushed about how he loved his teammates, and his teammates talked about how they really made it a point to become good friends with Calhoun off the court in the offseason. That all went out the window yesterday and the statements by Calhoun after the first CBA game ring hollow at this point.

If I’m on that team, I don’t know how you can go back into battle with him. That was the ultimate selfish act in team sports. You would always be waiting for the other shoe to drop. I would rather know now the way it’s going to be for the rest of the season rather than being on pins and needles half the time wondering if Calhoun is just going to walk away, literally or figuratively, because he is upset about something.