Big North Star Spotlight: Matt Zona, Bergen Catholic
The biggest name in the Big North will return for his senior season in 2019-2020. Bergen Catholic’s big man Matt Zona will look to build off a monster season as a junior. Bergen Catholic finished with a 27-4 record last…
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Continue ReadingThe biggest name in the Big North will return for his senior season in 2019-2020. Bergen Catholic’s big man Matt Zona will look to build off a monster season as a junior.
Bergen Catholic finished with a 27-4 record last season. They were the second best team in the state as their season ended in the Tournament of Champions final with a loss to Ranney. With Zona leading the way, Bergen Catholic has a chance to be a force once again in New Jersey.
Zona recently committed to play basketball at Notre Dame next season. The 6’9 forward is the true definition of a student-athlete. He chose to play for the Irish over programs like Brown, Harvard, Davidson, and George Washington.
“On my visit, I kind of fell in love with the place,” Zona told Irish Sports Daily. “Of course, basketball-wise, but just the school itself. It’s such a high-quality academic school along with all of the tradition they have there, it was just really hard to say no.”
Notre Dame is one of the best academic schools in the nation. But on the court, Zona will fit in perfectly with the way head coach Mike Brey likes to play basketball. Notre Dame is known for having big, strong forwards down low who can dominate on the post and protect the rim on defense. That is Zona’s mold.
In today’s game, those big men have evolved as sharp shooters from three-point range. That is another skill that Zona showcased during his junior season and we will see more of it this year. Zona has complete control of his body at 6’9. There is no wasted motion in his game. When he gets the ball, he immediately knows what he is going to do and is two steps ahead of his defender.
Zach Freemantle was a key part of Bergen Catholic’s success last season. He is now at Xavier so Zona will have to pick up a little extra of the work load. Bergen Catholic is one of many teams that has brought North Jersey basketball back to relevancy. Some of the best teams and players are up north and that will continue this season.
For Zona and Bergen Catholic, they were one game short last season. They are hoping to reach the mountaintop in 2019-2020.