Shore Conference B-Central Returnees to Watch This Summer
Shore Conference B-Central will have a very different look in 2022-2023 than it has in the past. Ranney will be departing to a new division and Mater Dei abruptly closed its doors at the end of the school year, meaning…
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Continue ReadingShore Conference B-Central will have a very different look in 2022-2023 than it has in the past. Ranney will be departing to a new division and Mater Dei abruptly closed its doors at the end of the school year, meaning that B-Central will be an all-public division for the first time in–Well, at least this author’s lifetime. We’ll tackle the new divisions this fall, but based off of last year, some players to watch are below.
Mater Dei players have been included for several reasons. First, if the school did not close, they likely would have been considered at worst, a divisional title threat with the talent pool they were re-building and the graduation of Keyport’s high octane offense. Secondly, with the surprising and unexpected closure of the school, the entirety of the program will now fan out to a host of schools around the region. Some will remain at the shore and go to other Catholic schools, some may return to home public districts…That information is not yet known. As such, for now, those players are listed as “Formerly Mater Dei”.
Isaac Hester Isaac Hester 6'0" | PG Ranney School | 2023 State NJ | 6’0” | G | Ranney 2023
Hester may well be the top senior at the Shore next season. A do it all guard who breaks down defenders off the dribble, gets at the rim and can launch it from beyond the arc. He became “The Man” at Ranney this past season when a host of players transferred to other programs. He played his best hoops in states, dropping 20 against Trenton Catholic. His AAU play with Team Rio , combined with his play for Ranney, has several D1 schools interested.
Max Judson | 6’4” | F | Keyport 2023
We featured Judson in the spring as a player to keep an eye on this coming season. That magnifying glass gets bigger after Keyport lost another budding prospect, Nasirr Hart, to St. Thomas Aquinas. Judson is an athletic player who is active in the paint. His offensive numbers weren’t big a junior, but they didn’t need to be when Keyport’s talented senior class shouldered the load. Their graduation and the transfer of Hart now put the scoring and rebounding load squarely on Judson, a multi sport athlete who also excels at football and volleyball. Phil Recco needs a big senior year from Judson to keep Keyport competitive.
Gavin Sansone | G| Formerly Mater Dei 2024
A quick, smooth guard with good ballhandling skills. He was a role player in the backcourt last year for the now closed Mater Dei. He had 11 vs Ranney and will be a contributor wherever he lands as aplayer capable of running the point.
Anthony Leger Anthony Leger 6'4" | SG Manalapan | 2024 State NJ | F | Formerly Mater Dei 2024
An athletic wing who attacks the rim strong and can also break defenders down off the dribble. He saw some time last year spelling Mater Dei’s senior heavy lineup. He should be an immediate varsity contributor wherever he enrolls next.
Nassire Furman | G| Formerly Mater Dei 2024
Furman was a part of a host of underclassmen including Szemarr McGaskey, Shakur Faniel, Armagh Caldwell and Richard Wallace, who came to Church Street to continue the revitalization of the program under Rich Buckheit. He’ll be a welcome addition to whatever program he ends up at as a player capable of handling the ball and scoring in several ways.
Zacai Manigo | G| Formerly Mater Dei 2024
Manigo saw time as a sophomore for the Seraphs and had several decent performances, including 10 vs Beach and Keansburg. He also chipped in against Keyport, CBA and SJV. He’ll be a varsity player at his next stop and his stats should improve as MD went very senior heavy after transfer losses related to football.