Wayne………. Junior Shakir Rhodes two free throws and senior Najee Salaam’s steal helped Passaic Highschool sneak out of DePaul Catholic with a 65-61 win. Passaic jumped out to an 11- 0 lead to start the game and put DePaul on it’s heels, but to their credit  the Spartans slowly chipped away by the end of the 1st quarter to make it a respectable 22-14 deficit. Passaic’s main threat came from senior forward Tyshon Pickett who scored 20 points in the contest to go with 9 rebounds and was virtually unguardable in certain situations. DePaul used a balanced attack to keep the game close led by senior Matt Miller’s 16 points. He got plenty of help from his mates as sophomore Davon Jacobs (13 pts., 7 rebs), seniors Keith Ford (12 pts.,9 rebs.) and Mike Minarik (11 pts) and freshman Joshua Marquez (7 pts., 5asts.) all had moments where they shined. Jacobs and Ford fought particularly hard on the boards against a bigger Passaic frontline. Salaam (pictured)  finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds and junior Andre Dixon added 11 points which included a ferocious two hand jam in the 4th quarter off a steal from sophomore guard Naji Mack. Depaul saw it’s first lead 24-23 on a Minarik layup in the 2nd quarter, but that quickly evaporated on a Pickett put back of his own missed shot. Passaic would hold the lead until with 24.5 seconds on the clock in the 4th Minarik got a layup and was fouled on the play. His free throw would tie the game at 61. That’s when Rhodes was fouled on a move to the basket and made both free throws to put Passaic back ahead 63-61 with 17.2 seconds on the clock. DePaul called time and milked the clock when Salaam got a hand on a pass and Pickett picked it up and was fouled with 5.2 on the clock. Pickett calmly sank both free throws to ice it.

Note: If this is a prelim to the Passaic County tournament it may end up wetting your whistle a little more than expected!

P.C.T.  Wayne………  Going into the 4th quarter, Passaic County Tech led 49-47 and then the wheels fell off, as Wayne Valley outscored Tech 22-5 to win going away 69-54.  Senior point guard Jason Rosenberg  literally took over the game scoing 14 of his 15 points in the second half in addition to dishing out 11 assists in the game. Senior Nick Siljee (pictured ) scored 22 points with 19 coming in the 1st half. The long range shooter hit 6 treys in the game and grabbed 12 rebounds. P.C.T. led most of the contest behind sophomore Assad Hinton’s 15 points and junior Xavier Nieves 14 points and 15 rebounds. Wayne Valley also got 16 points from junior Tom Larranga and 7 rebounds a piece from senior Keith Greve and junior Andrew Herasimtschuk who also added 9 points. Senior Terrell McDuffie added 10 points for Tech. 

     In a series of player profiles, Hoops Journal sat down with Wayne Valley senior point guard Jason Rosenberg, one of the best playmakers  and defensive players in Northern New Jersey

Fun Facts :   Hgt: 5’9            Wgt : 162

Nickname :  ” Flave”

Age:  18                    D.O.B. :  January 6, 1992

Parents :  Rick Rosenberg   and     Vickie   Vilardi 

Sibling :  Alyssa  19

 Who Inspires You  ( Non Basketball ):   My  Dad

Favorite Basketball Team  :   New York Knicks

Favorite Basketball Player :    ” Pistol Pete” Maravich

Favorite Alltime Sneaker :   Adidas  Pro model

Favorite Artist  :  Neyo

Hottest Song On Ipod  : Problem Child  –   By :  50 Cent

Highschool Goals : To Leave a lasting impression on the Highschool Basketball Scene!

Future Goals :  To play for the Israeli National Basketball Team

Something People Would Be Surprised To Know About You :  I’m a Bass Fisherman. Me and my friends call ourselves ”  The Bassmasters”

Favorite College Team :  Syracuse

What Schools  Are You Interested In Or Interested In You :  Numerous D2’s  such as Adelphi, Stonehill and American International  also D3  Rowan College. Hope to get some D1 looks