Trenton favored to lead Colonial Division
While there are strong contenders across the entire Colonial Valley Conference, there is a clear-cut favorite in the Colonial Division for boys basketball this winter.
Trenton returns a lethal nucleus after going 10-2 in the shortened 2021 season. The Tornadoes have only four seniors, but juniors Davontay Hutson and Antwan Bridgett have been in the starting lineup since they were freshmen. Hutson is a Player of the Year candidate and Bridgett should be one of the league’s top point guards.
Trenton features eight other juniors including Chris Wilson, who will be tough to stop in the paint at both ends of the floor.
“We are junior heavy with a few seniors that will contribute but do not have varsity experience,” coach Darryl Young said. “As always, we go as our defense goes. Defense is our offense. We play 94 feet of lockdown defense. We want to push the pace at every opportunity. We look to wear our opponent down at a hectic pace. With a strong bench presence, we should be able to keep the game at our pace.”
Hightstown, the only other team who posted a winning record last year, should be solid again.
The Rams are fairly deep and versatile with players who can create for others and sink outside shots. The top three seniors are Danny Wersching, Ayden Hogan and Jordon Shropshire-Sands. Juniors Keenan Reiss and Robert Eaves bring play-making and nice touch around the rim.
“We are very optimistic this season as we return seven players from last season that saw varsity minutes,” coach Don DeLeo said. “We believe we possess a tough and physical defensive-minded team who can really get out in transition and make shots.”
Notre Dame looks to bounce back from a down season with quality depth, chemistry and 3-point shooting.
Jake Croce leads a group of eight juniors as he possesses two years of varsity experience and is a well-rounded scorer, defender and rebounder. Chris Vlahos is the top returning 3-point shooter, Stesher Mathelier is an intriguing 6-foot-7 forward, James Primerano is the point guard and Ean Chambers is a slasher on offense who plays good defense.
“On offense, we will run our break and motion. We will mix up our defenses but primarily be a man-to-man team,” coach Rich Roche said. “There is reason for optimism. If we stay healthy and continue to improve every day, we can be tough. We have a great non-conference schedule that will keep us prepared for the CVC and County Tournaments.”
Steinert continues to plug away at rebuilding a program that hasn’t enjoyed much success in recent years. Sean Finnegan is a solid outside shooter, Derrick Cox is an athletic swing forward and Tyler Kostin is in his second year as the starting point guard.
“Our team’s identity this year is together as one,” coach Kyle Flanagan said. “We have a great group of guys that have the same mindset of togetherness. We look to build on that foun- dation that we have set this preseason. Our strengths are sharing the basketball and rallying behind one another. We return a healthy mix of returning varsity players and guys stepping into roles for their first year, which provides us with a lot of depth.”
After going 2-7, Princeton is aiming for a winning record with solid guard play led by Jaxon Petrone, Jadin Johnson and John Reardon.
“We are a very young team that is just trying to get better each day and have a successful season,” coach Pat Noone said.
Both West Windsor-Plainsboro teams are back in the mix after opting out of CVC competition during the pandemic last winter.
South is hoping to surprise some teams with an improved squad. Rickey Boone and Ben Jaclin are two versatile playmaking guards. Down low, Josh Raeter is a vocal leader who brings toughness.
“We are extremely excited about our team this season,” coach Mike Hussong said. “We feel we have a team that can play a very fast-paced style of basketball. We have some very good shooters who really help to space the floor and some players who can get to the basket and finish. Since we were not able to play a full schedule last season, many of our current players lack true varsity experience. We expect our team to be competitive this season.”
At North, Luke Beesley is the new head coach as Tim Stevens decided to step down after nine years in charge. Two key players to watch are Luke Finkielstein and Robert Rossi.
“With not playing last year and this being my first year as the head coach, we are in a rebuilding year,” Bees- ley said. “We have great kids who want to win but lack varsity experience.”