Shore Teams Looking To Avoid A Drop Off

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High school basketball is often cyclical at mid-sized and smaller schools, so when there is a big senior class, often times that means a slide the next season...Other schools get bit by the transfer bug and lose talented prospects and it changes their trajectory. Today we look at several teams looking to avoid the drop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keyport(19-7)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phil Recco spent four years molding his class of 2022 into one of the best units in school history, but this year the Red Raiders will be faced with having to replace nearly all of its key offensive pieces. Graduation Day saw the program bid farewell to <strong>DJ Thomson</strong>, one of the best athletes Keyport High has ever seen and their top basketball player in at least a decade, off to East Stroudsburg; As well as tough forward <strong>George Mitchell</strong>, who is off to Ramapo; <strong>Anthony Longo</strong>, their three point threat, also graduated. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Returning this year for the Raiders will be power forward <strong>Max Judson</strong>, a tough post player who contributed as a junior. Guard <strong>Nazir Treadwel</strong>l will be expected to handle more as a junior and <strong>Terrek Mimes</strong>, a 6'2" senior wing who contributed down the stretch last season, will also be asked to step up. That said, Keyport is through addition by subtraction, the favorite to win B-Central, as Ranney moved out of the division and Mater Dei was suddenly and sadly shuttered at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Red Bank Catholic(24-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Caseys had a monster year as one of the top teams at the Shore, but now faces uncertainty. They graduated their backcourt leaders <strong>Cyril Arvanitis</strong>(Robert Morris) and <strong>CJ Ruoff</strong>(Catholic U), as well as bruising big man <strong>Alex Bauman</strong>(Tulane football). <strong>Alex Brown</strong>, the QB of the football team who transferred from Mater Dei, was also a talented basketball player that graduated(Bucknell football), as did forward <strong>Wyatt Hasselbauer</strong>. In spite of this, RBC was still set to be a force at the Shore...Then the deck of cards came crashing down. Star guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1153991' first='Gio' last='Panzini']</strong> transferred down to St. Rose and power forward <strong>Zack Meeks</strong>, a D1 prospect in both football and basketball, transferred out of state and is now playing at Indianapolis Cathedral(IN). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their losses hurt as much or moreso than the graduation losses as it took RBC from eyeing another deep run in the playoffs to asking..."Now what? Who's the leader?" The cupboard isn't bare, but they're certainly missing a few plates. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1273930' first='Colin' last='Cavanaugh']</strong> will be expected to step in as a backcourt leader and get help from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107711' first='Luke' last='Iasparro']</strong>, who came in from Middletown South last year. Sophomore guard <strong>Ryan Prior</strong>, an excellent baseball player, will also be expected to do heavy lifting after an impressive freshman year. 6'6" forward <strong>Tyler Burnham </strong>will be tasked with doing all the dirty work with Meeks gone in the post. RBC will tangle with some of the top teams in the Shore regardless and will look for leaders to emerge. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marlboro(28-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The best season in Mustangs history saw them lose almost all of their offensive production as they took Elizabeth tothe wire in the Group IV final. All State wing <strong>Jack Seidler</strong> departed for UCLA and J<strong>ay Ratner, Zach Molod</strong> and <strong>the Spatola's </strong>also graduate, as does role player <strong>Cole Evans</strong>. As if that wasn't enough, coach Mike Nausedas called time on his tenure. This will be a new look Mustangs team as they look to maintain a high standard. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1476266' first='Brave' last='Haugh']</strong> is an interesting frontcourt prospect with a wide skillset. Standing 6'6", he'll be a key in the paint for Marlboro. <strong>Sohan Eletti</strong>, <strong>Alex Frank</strong> and <strong>Ryan Mendes</strong> return after seeing some time as role players, but out of this crop, more than one have to step up and prove they can keep the bar high. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They'll be <em><strong>coached by James Reuter,</strong></em> a 2005 Mater Dei alum who is in many ways a "younger veteran" of the basketball scene. Reuter has been involved with youth and HS basketball coaching for the better part of the last 15 years. He cut his teeth at Saint Mary's Elementary school, coaching a team that had several college ballplayers when all was said and done. He continued his coaching education by spending much of the last decade as an assistant coach at <em>Mater Dei under Ben Gamble and also at Middletown North</em>. Reuter has been exposed to some of the best minds in the business and will bring aspects of what brought his mentors <em>Gamble, Mike Iasparro and Bob Klatt</em> successes, especially the discipline and commitment needed to hold the bar high. Marlboro couldn't have asked for a better leader off the floor either, as Reuter is as down to earth and respectful a person as you will ever meet. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->