Nottingham primed for another giant year
Last year’s Nottingham boys basketball team took the program places it had never been before, winning a record 23 games and advancing to the school’s first sectional championship game.
With most of the pieces intact including reigning Colonial Valley Conference Player of the Year Cliff Joseph, the Northstars are poised to rule the CVC this season and contend for some more hardware.
Joseph (19.2 points per game), forward Darell Johnson (13.8 points per game) and sharpshooter Richie Jones (66 3-pointers) form arguably the area’s best senior trio. Guard Kostro Montina and 6-6 center Ku’Jane Johnson are expected to step up after playing varsity minutes last year.
In the rest of the Valley Division, Allentown and West Windsor-Plainsboro North are eyeing returns to the state playoffs. Hamilton West is looking to bounce back with an athletic squad consisting of all upperclassmen.
ALLENTOWN
Jake Newman 5-8 Jr. G
Stafford McIsaacs 6-1 Sr. F Yeshua Powe 6-1 Sr. G
RJ Weise 5-9 So. G
Zachary Bomba 6-3 Sr. F
Jack Kudrick 6-0 Jr. G
Robert Hynes 6-5 Sr. F
Tim Mastromarino 6-0 So. G Harrison Haas 5-11 So. F
Max Kleinwaks 5-11 Jr. G/F
Liam O’Keefe 6-3 So. C
John Bassi 5-10 Jr. G Christopher McCrea 6-0 So. G/F Joseph Arbia 5-11 So. G/F
Patrick McCarthy 6-1 So. F Thomas Doran 5-9 So. G
Justin Marcario 6-1 So. F
Head Coach — Jay Graber (seventh season).
Assistant Coaches — Derek Dubbs, Paul Cutaneo. Last Season — 8-16 overall, 1-5 CVC Valley, NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III first round.
Outlook — Allentown aims to bounce back with three returning starters in Powe, Hynes and McIsaacs and two promising sophomores in Weise and McCrea. If the Redbirds can play sound defense and take better care of the ball this season, they should be able to make a push for double-digit wins.
HAMILTON WEST
Javon Porter 5-10 Jr. G Richmond Shasha 5-11 Jr. G/F Francis Saydee 5-9 Sr. G Christopher Charles 6-3 Sr. G/F Sean Elefant 6-1 Jr. F
Mike Then 6-0 Sr. G
Donovan Yon 6-2 Jr. C
Dan Riley 6-4 Sr. C
Ryan Beczo 5-8 Jr. G
Tyler Beebe 6-0 Jr. G
Zahir Davis 5-10 Jr. G
Jephte Maignan 6-3 Jr. F
Head Coach — Jason Malloy (seventh season).
Assistant Coaches — Abraam Abdelnour, Dennis Alexander, Matt Mayo. Last Season — 7-16 overall, 3-3 CVC Valley.
Outlook — This is an experienced, athletic group of all upperclassmen. Porter, one of the CVC’s better point guards, is a quality distributor, scorer and perimeter defender. Watch for Charles, who starred for three years in football, to score and anchor the Hornets’ pressure defenses.
NOTTINGHAM
Richie Jones 5-9 Sr. G Kostro Montina 6-0 Sr. G Cliff Joseph 6-3 Sr. G/F Darell Johnson 6-5 Sr. G/F Ku’Jane Johnson 6-6 Sr. C Eli Willie 5-10 Sr. G Antonio Brown 5-7 Jr. G Derek Williams 5-9 Jr. G Urias Giadyu 6-2 Jr. G Martique Perry 6-1 Jr. G Javon Jenkins 5-8 So. G Brandon Raba 6-0 Fr. G
Head Coach — Chris Raba (sixth season).
Assistant Coaches — Brandon Johnson, Milo Mcguire, Drew Paden, Chris Edwards.
Last Season — 23-6 overall, 6-0 CVC Valley, Valley Division champions, Mercer County Tournament semifinals, NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III runner-up. Outlook — The Northstars have a chance to be the cream of the crop in not just this division, but all of the CVC. The top-three scorers from the school’s best season are back. This team has it all with athleticism, length and scoring ability both inside and outside. Depth could be a concern again, but by the time February rolls around Nottingham should be in contention for MCT and sectional titles.
WEST WINDSOR NORTH
Isaiah Cureton 5-10 Jr. G
Amori Spence 5-8 Jr. G
Jaden Sands 5-11 Jr. F
Jack Lichtenstein 5-10 Sr. F
Brian Murphy 6-4 Sr. G
Jahmiq Johnson 5-10 Jr. G
Nassir Washington 5-9 Sr. G
Hiram Ayala 6-3 Jr. G
Marcus Williams 6-4 Jr. F
Jaden Rege 6-0 Jr. G
Neil Jadhav 5-10 Jr. G
Ben Goldstein 5-9 Sr. G Christian Alvarez 5-9 Jr. G
Head Coach — Tim Stevens (sixth season).
Assistant Coaches — Jeff Torralba, Wayne Wendel, Marcey Brown.
Last Season — 8-18 overall, 2-4 CVC Valley, NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III first round.
Outlook — North is losing some key scorers, but the Knights still have the potential to qualify for states again. Sands (12 points per game, five rebounds per game) and Murphy (seven points per game, eight rebounds per game) are the key returnees. Ayala will add size and skill to the frontcourt, while Johnson is a natural athlete who can stretch the floor.