St. Thomas Aquinas Looks to Take Over GMC Led By Adams, Grant
It has been a lot of change in one year for St. Thomas Aquinas. The school changed their name from Bishop Ahr, completely overhauled the basketball program, and they are looking to become a power house in the GMC. It…
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Continue ReadingIt has been a lot of change in one year for St. Thomas Aquinas. The school changed their name from Bishop Ahr, completely overhauled the basketball program, and they are looking to become a power house in the GMC. It has been a long time in between titles for the Trojans. It has been almost 30 years since their last title but they feel like they have the team to get it done this year.
Despite the overhaul of new players, St. Thomas Aquinas begins with their foundation, Quadra Adams and Derrick Grant. Both players will return for their senior seasons with fresh college commitments. Adams, a Wake Forest commit, led St. Thomas Aquinas with 15.3 points per game. He is a slasher who does his best work in the lane but will showcase a stronger jump shot this season. Grant proved to be a true big man averaging 10.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Adams and Grant will lead the charge, but the Trojans added a lot of talent in the offseason. Jaquan Harris transferred over from Patrick School. He already has offers from Rutgers and Auburn after just one high school season. The 6’4 point guard will make an immediate impact for the Trojans as a sophomore. Kyree Henry was elected as the 2019 GMC Hoops Sophomore of the Year last season at Woodbridge. He will be playing out his final two seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas.
Mehki Johnson from St. Benedict’s and Tristian Jeffries of Gill St. Bernard’s also transferred to the team in Edison for the upcoming season. Pair all of the newcomers with the key returning players and St. Thomas Aquinas has what it takes to be a strong contender in New Jersey. It will take time to adjust to the new players but once they do, this could be a championship team.
St. Joe’s has dominated the GMC for years. They have won four straight GMC Tournament Championships and have one Tournament of Champions title mixed in. Year in and year out, the Falcons are a powerhouse in New Jersey. Jan Cocozziello is entering his first season as the head coach of St. Joe’s and they will have some new players step up. There could be some growing pains for the Falcons. It is likely that they will be there at the end of the year but the Trojans could look to take advantage.
This has all the makings for a great rivalry. The two schools are less than two miles away from each other. With St. Thomas Aquinas on the rise, there will be some noise coming from the Edison and Metuchen area this season.