Hoops Journal 2010-11 Northern New Jersey Preseason Top 20!

1.    Paramus Catholic  –   The reigning Bergen County Jamboree Champs have alot of weapons back to compensate for the loss of standout guard Andre Blackwood ! 6’8 Senior Justin Harris(pictured) will be one of the most dominating players in Northern New Jersey! He will get plenty of help from Senior guard Manny Hernandez who shined bright in the Jamboree Tournament last year! Junior Vaughn Dudley and Sophomore’s Elijah Davis and Tommy Rivera gives P.C. the help to go as far as last year!  

2.     Teaneck  –  Despite the loss of  Kyle Steinbergin, Owen Barnes and Jonathan Blue, new coach Jerome Smart has alot of talent to work with, led by 6’3 Junior Chris Jones. He will get help from Senior Branden Davis, Junior Kris Hargraves and 6’7 Senior bigman Will Thompson and guard Duquan Russ! Teaneck is very deep!

3.      Bergen Catholic –  6’4 Senior Mark Richards hopes to get The Crusaders back to the Jamboree finals! Eric Flanagan will again supply the perimeter shooting for B.C.with  help from Senior Maurice Grant, while guard Charles Wingate will man the point with help from Sophomore Travis Procida! Bergen expects to get big contribution from Paramus Catholic transfer Luke Cervino! 

4.      Hackensack –  The Comets, under new head coach Aaron Taylor comes back with a vengeance this season after a disappointing 09-10 season! Seniors Tarik Bridgeman and Mensah Bright hope to have big seasons for Hackensack to get back to an elite level! The experience that was obtained by their young players last year should be what pushes them to reach their goals!

5.       Passaic County Tech  –  The first Passaic County team to make the list primarily because of the return of All County guard Brandon James and 2nd team All County player Xavier Nieves! Junior guard Asaad Hinton is the other returning starter for P.C.T. He’s small (5’6), but a monster defender who can knock down treys! The Bulldogs expect help from Senior Washon Franklin, Senior Shaquille Scott and Sophomore Isaac William Thompson

6.      Old Tappan  –  Shane McLaughlin is one of the best guards in the area and Senior’s Sammy Elias, Nick Bianco and Tim Brophy are ready to take on even bigger roles as go to players this season!  Look for Devin Fuller, one of the best quarterbacks in the state(football) to give the Golden Knights another option in the backcourt!

7.        DePaul – Junior Davon Jacobs and Sophomore Joshua Marquez will lead a young, but talented Spartans team. Coach Bart Fazio will emphasize defense with this unit! Keep an eye on freshman Juwann Carter!

8.        Eastside  – New Coach Juan Griles brings a great attitude and fire to the Ghosts! There is talent too! Paterson Catholic Junior transfer DeAndre Noble will be looked to for scoring, while Quattier Jackson should give some inside presence. Nashian Brimley and Nasir Crawford are two players who should help in backcourt! This team looks as if it will go as far as Senior transfer Dave Burgos will take them! Burgos is a dynamic point guard who will be one of the best “Watch” players this season!

9.         Kennedy –  This is a big transition year for the Knights after the loss of Shondel “Mush” Stewart, who had one of the best careers of anyone to ever lace them up at the school! And that’s saying alot! Senior Dawon Lighty and Senior Paterson Catholic transfer Jahmir White will take on the responsibility of leading this team and keeping them on top! Junior Sammy Singletary and Senior Ethan McMillan will also give Kennedy two solid performers!

10.           Passaic Valley –  Nick DiCristina and Dave Clough are the key returners for the Hornets! DiCristina will man the point, while Clough will handle the inside! Junior Olumide Olajide and Jamir Lennon will be big contributors!

11.       Don Bosco Prep –   Very interesting season for the Ironmen with the loss of 1,000 point scorer Vaughn Gray who transferred to St. Benedicts. They also loss the services of  6’10 bigman Mike Tobey who also transferred. Senior Gary Nova, who committed to Villanova for football will be looked upon for perimeter shooting. Selwyn Maxwell, Jemal Mosley and Leonte Carrou will be the main cogs this season!

12.        Manchester –  This is the year for Manchester to finally make a big run! Led by 6’6 strong man Tyquese Franklin, they will be a tough game for any team in Northern New Jersey! Senior Zhimir Butler supplies the perimeter shooting, while Amani Dyer will man the point and is a tough defender! Junior Razeek Guyton will be looked upon to rebound and play tough low post ” D” to help out Franklin!

13.     West Milford –   Senior Connor Healy is one of the best shooters in the area and his stroke will be key to West Milford’s success! 6’3 Senior Jordan Wright hopes to be the guy to take some of the load off Healy!

14.      St. Joseph’s  – the Green Knights always play tough defense and you can expect the same thing this season! This is a transition year for Joe’s as Senior Iyoha Agho is the only player with real experience returning!

15.        Passaic   –   Don’t be surprised if Coach Ken Slappy and his team end up much higher than picked here! Senior Andre Dixon and Shakir Rhodes will lead the tough minded Indians! Jhamiek Washington should help, but the loss of Reggie Pennie who transferred to Bloomfield will hurt!

16.         Wayne Valley  –  Wayne Valley is another squad who could be much higher by the end of the season! The loss of all everything point guard Jason Rosenberg and smooth shooting forward Nick Siljee will be hard to replace but Valley is not void of no talent! Tom Larranga who can knock it down from deep will be depended on to score in double figures on a nightly basis! Senior Andrew Herasimtschuk will supply bthe down low scoring! The most talented returning player is probably Junior Chris Homsi who can really score!

17.          Tenafly   –  Junior Chris Orozco is one of the best scorers in Northern New Jersey! It will be a test to see if he can repeat Tenafly’s 20 – 5 record last year!

18.          Elmwood Park  –   The only name needs to be known right now for Elmwood Park is Ryan Velez! The kid has uncanny shooting ability and is a show by himself when hitting from the perimeter!

19.             Dwight-Englewood –   Senior Zach Hodges and Junior Wes Dickinson are a dynamic duo that can compete with anyone in the area!

20.             Wood Ridge –   The growth of Junior Vin O’Bierne is worth watching as the 6’7 forward put up big numbers last season!