I'm Back! - Recruiting News

Apologies, I've been extremely busy but now I'm back!

Anyway, some recruiting news:

• 5'11 freshman PG from Gil st. Bernard's Jaren Sina has received his first scholarship offer, coming from Rutgers University. The first of many more to come. This kid is special
• 6'6 Senior forward Alex Rosenberg from Millburn, will be taking a 5th year at Peddie Prep in the 10-11 season. He had offers from Williams college, who lost in the D3 championship earlier this week but he wants to play D1 Ivy league ball.
• His teammate, 6'1 Senior PG Joe Kizel will be taking his game to the next level at Middlebury College next season.

Just like Tuesday: Seton Hall keeps winning, Schechter stays undefeated and West Essex is simply, bad.

SEC Conference standings

2 days ago, Seton Hall extended there winning streak and Solomon Schechter stayed undefeated. Thursday was much of the same.

Even with star junior guard Sterling Gibbs having a quiet night with just 6 points, senior forward John Caprio keeps putting up big numbers with 25 coming tonight. He also had 10 boards, recording a double-double in their 10 point win against divisional rival Irvington(4-6) to improve to a very impressive 10-1.

Schechter beat Verona(5-5) again, 32-27 to improve to 5-0 on the year. Star junior guard Jake Susskind led Schechter with 16 points. January 28th is looking like a great match up, as Schechter will travel to 8-1 divisional rival MKA, with both teams being undefeated in conference play. The last time these 2 teams met, was in the semi-finals of the 2008 Prep B tournament, where MKA upset the #1 seeded Schechter off Kyrie Irving's buzzer beating 3 point fade away. Irving is now Duke-bound and plays for St. Patrick's in Elizabeth.

West Essex, a member of the SEC-Colonial, is 1-7 on the year. They are clearly struggling and do not seem ready for the competition the Colonial division brings. They lost a heart breaker 49-47 to Livingston(4-4) tonight.

Other scores from around NJ:

Union:

Westfield 56 Scotch Plains 50

Linden 63 Elizabeth 52

Cranford 74 North Plainfield 56

Roselle 36 Governor Livingston 33

Dayton 59 Johnson 47

SEC:

Montclair 48 Columbia 47

Seton Hall Prep 59 Irvington 49

Science Park 62 East Side 56

East Orange Campus 62 Bloomfield 42

MKA 64 Cedar Grove 46

Solomon Schechter 33 Verona 27

West Orange 55 West Side 53

Central 84 Caldwell 72

Shabazz 63 Bloomfield 33

Millburn 56 Belleville 23

University 79 Weequahic 48

Barringer 79 Newark Academy 68

Independent:

St. Patrick 82 Hun 48

Wednesday Scores

Kind of a quiet night, but here are some scores from around NJ: Also, here's a good read about the early success of Paterson Catholic's team.

Passaic 73 Fair Lawn 43

Passaic Valley 72 Bergen Tech 32

Wayne Valley 59 Ridgewood 47

West Mildford 58 Hackensack 55

Clifton 60 Paramus 42

McNair 43 Lyndhurst 38

DePaul 68 Don Bosco 66

Passaic Tech 56 Wayne Hills 52

Patterson Catholic 89 Manchester 48

St. Joseph 43 Bergen Catholic 28

Tuesday Roundup: Seton Hall stays hot, Schechter is still undefeated and Roselle Park gets a much needed victory

In the SEC-American, senior forward John Caprio was the high man with 21 points and 15 boards while star junior guard Sterling Gibbs scored 20 as Seton Hall dominated Science Park 77-48 to improve to 9-1 while Science Park fell to 1-4.

Solomon Schechter stayed undefeated, beating Immaculate Conception 52-43 in a SEC-Independent showdown. Star junior forward Jake Susskind had a season high 25 points while grabbing 9 boards to keep Schechter undefeated at 4-0. Junior guard Isiah Harris, and top 5 scorer in Essex County, tossed in 13 points as Immaculate fell to 3-3.

Struggling Roselle Park got a much needed overtime victory VS. Oratory. Before this game, not only has RP played 4 out of the last 5 days, but have lost 3 of those. This was a big win to get them on the right track and inch closer to reaching .500 at 4-5. Paul Antonucci dropped 25 while teammate Malik Caldwell added 23 for RP. Oratory dropped to 4-4 despite a 18 point effort from Daniel Laguerre.

Other scores from around NJ:

Roselle Catholic 57 Brearley 22

Cranford 64 Roselle 50

SEC:

Irvington 55 Columbia 39

West Orange 88 Weequahic 39

Bloomfield Tech 63 Montclair 57

MKA 58 Arts 38

Newark Central 86 Newark Academy 77

Glen Ridge 43 Nutley 28

Interview with PT star Xavier Nieves

NJ HS BBALL interviewed Passaic Tech star Xavier Nieves. The junior forward scored 19 points while dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 6 boards in their stunning victory over powerhouse Passaic 63-61 Friday.

What are your teams goals for this season?

XN: To win the rest of our games, win the countys, states, if not progress as a team.. And get ready for next year

How big was the win against rival Passaic for you and your team, considering you've had tougher losses earlier in the season?

XN: The win was big really big. They where 7-1 and they have beaten Kennedy which we lost to so it was really big.

What was going through your head when you knocked down those two free throws with 18 seconds left against Passaic?

XN: Nothing really just what will happen if I miss these free throws, but I treated it as every other free throw... important

Have you set any personal goals for yourself this season?

XN: It's the same as the goals as our team goal win the countys states the progress... And just do my best

What skills have you improved in from last year?

XN: I would say shooting, and rebounding... Last year I played point guard which made me a pass first player

Who is your favorite NBA player and why?

XN: Dwayne Wade... I love his game and attacks the rim with agression and he plays bigger than what his size is... And he rebounds, makes assist and score.. Which is what I try to base my game on

Has there been anyone that has been an influence on you, basketball-wise over your life?

XN: My family most importantly because I think about all the time what can I do to provide for my family in the future .. And I'm hoping basketball can take me far in life

Do you have plans on playing college ball, and anything after that?

XN: I'm hoping to play college and play professionally.

Seton Hall superstar leads Essex County scoring

Stats through January 10th, courtesy of NJ.com

Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep 24.8

Dave Levinsky, Caldwell 20.6

Alex Rosenberg, Millburn 20.3

Isaiah Harris, Immaculate 19.3

John Caprio, Seton Hall Prep 18.4

Myck Kabongo, St. Benedict’s 18.1

Bikier Hayes, Technology 17.8

Avent Holston, Central 17.3

Dave Austin, Immaculate 17.3

Zaire Williams, Newark Acad. 17.0

Rodney Clervil, West Orange 17.0

Mike Davidson, Bloomfield 16.6

Joe Kizel, Millburn 16.3

Karriem Sanchez, N. 13^th St. T 16.1

John Snow, MKA 16.1

Kevin Philemon, Bloomfield Tech 15.7

Jacob Susskind, Sol. Schechter 15.7

Andre Flanigan, East Side 15.4

Shakur Edwards, Irvington 15.1

Lance Rhoden, Orange 15.0

Miles Young, West Essex 15.0

Jason Jett, Newark Acad. 14.9

Patrick Cole, Central 14.6

Kazembe Abif, University 14.5

Rashid Sabur, Bloomfield Tech 14.4

Connor Smith, Caldwell 14.0

Udarius Muhammed, N.13^th St. T 14.0

Demond Taylor, West Side 13.8

Aaron Brown, St. Benedict’s 13.7

Sahid Dortch, University 13.1

Derrick Hunter, University 13.1

Kasim Chandler, East Side 13.0

Chad Barnes, Belleville 13.0

Tyre Lockhart, Shabazz 13.0

Tynes Boston, Weequahic 13.0

Lindon Lulgjaraj, Bloomfield 12.8

Dan Gogerty, Cedar Grove 12.6

Terrance Moore, Barringer 12.6

Karim Ahmad, N.13^th St. T 12.6

Jaquan Jenkins, Barringer 12.3

Jamar Chavis, Columbia 12.1

Mahamudou Kaba, East Orange 12.0

Jaquan Kirkland, No. 13^th St. T 12.0

Justin Bruso, Verona 11.6

Mike Reid, Shabazz 11.5

Andy Charles, Montclair 11.3

Carl Castor, Glen Ridge 11.2

Duane Morgan, West Orange 11.1

David Harris, University 11.1

Mike Poole, St. Benedict’s 11.1

Aaron Cobb, Science Park 11.0

Travis Layne, Montclair 11.0

Kevin Clark, MKA 11.0

Saturday Roundup: WE struggles continue, East Side and Seton Hall win

The only team the SEC's Colonial division's West Essex has beaten this year has been a team from the Independence division. Other than that, junior guard Myles Young and Co. have not only lost to Cedar Grove, who is in the surprisingly strong Independence division, but have also gotten smacked by non divisional opponents, including a 87-61 beat down by Oratory. While they do have a solid coach in Mike Tierney, they do not have much talent besides Young. Saturday, they suffered a one point loss to divisional rival Caldwell. Caldwell rallied and with 17 seconds remaining Dave Levinsky hit a layup, and his team never looked back. Levinsky finished with 26 while Young was the high man for West Essex with 14. West Essex will face off against another divisional rival in Belleville Tuesday.

Going to the SEC American division, Seton Hall Prep beat Columbia 65-51 with 27 points from junior guard Sterling Gibbs and 21 from senior forward John Caprio, both D1 prospects. SHP improved to 8-1 while Columbia is struggling in the top conference of the SEC at 5-4.

Newark East Side edged Montclair 62-58 led by sophomore stud Kasim Chandler's 16. They improved to 6-1 while Montclair sits at 3-3.

Other scores around NJ:

West Side 69 Orange 39

Bloomfield Tech 62 Irvington 55

University 46 West Orange 36

Central 72 Barringer 57

Shabazz 90 Weequahic 46

North 13th Street Tech 62 Bloomfield 56

Kearny 46 Nutley 42

Bridgewater - Raritan 63 Academy Charter 38

Upset Friday

Last night, Passaic and Newark Academy probably thought they would each come out of their match ups 8-1. Passaic Tech and Livingston had other plans. PT(6-3) stunned Passaic(7-2), Star Ledger's #13 in NJ's top 20, 53-51, led by junior guard Xavier "Yellow Head" Nieves's 19 points and 10 rebounds, including two clutch free throws with 18 seconds remaining.

In another upset, Livingston(3-3) controlled the boards in last night's overtime thriller against division rival Newark Academy(7-2). LHS gathered 38 rebounds, including 9 from junior forward Dan Abrahams.

It had to be about hard work and will.

Abrahams said.

Sophomore stud Zaire Williams paced NA with 19 points

Reminiscing..

Here is a highlight reel of Corey Chandler in high school at Newark East Side. He's such a talent, and it is sad to see how he basically threw it all away.

Here is a highlight reel of Keon Lawrence, a stand out guard from Weequahic High School in Newark. He originally played at Missouri, before coming back home to Seton Hall. A few months ago, he was driving drunk on the wrong side of the road, getting suspended for the first semester of the season, before even playing a game. Fortunately, he is back and he can stay smart.

Here is West Virginia's De'sean Butler's game winning 3 against Marquette recently. He has probably been the most successful out of the 3. The Bloomfield Tech graduate is projected to be a first round pick in this June's NBA draft. according to NBAdraft.net .

Recruiting Update: Sterling Gibbs

As mentioned below, the stand out junior guard from Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, Sterling Gibbs, has confirmed to NBE he has scholarship offers from Pitt, Indiana, St. John's, Seton Hall, Rutgers and Virginia. He has visited Pitt, Villanova, St. Johns, Rutgers and Seton Hall, with plans to visit Maryland and Wake Forest in the near future.

It may be winter, but the SEC is heating up

This is the first year of the Super Essex Conference, which is looking like it will be a great success. There are 4 divisions, the American, Liberty, Colonial and Independent.

American:

Seton Hall Prep is the favorite in the top division of the SEC, led by junior guard Sterling Gibbs. Although they are 7-1, the one loss came to non divisional powerhouse Plainfield. Gibbs, who's brother is Ashton, a sophomore guard at Pittsburgh, is considering: Seton Hall U, Maryland, Rutgers, Pitt and Indiana.(acc. ESPN) East Side High School in Newark is a very young, but talented group led by sophomore guard Kasim Chandler and cousin of Corey Chandler, a former Rutgers player. East Side, who is currently 5-1 and Seton Hall are both definitely teams to watch.

Liberty:

A very strong division, led by University(6-1, lost to East Side) Shabazz(4-1, lost to East Side) and West Orange(5-1, lost to Shabazz). Although there is not one standout player, there are many extremely talented, veteran players like senior forward Kazembe Abif of University, senior forward Daveon Boardingham of Shabazz and senior forward Rodney Clervil of West Orange.

Colonial:

What I consider the most exciting division in the conference, the Colonial division has a great mix of youth and veteran talent. Led by the Millburn Millers(7-0) and the Newark Academy Minutemen, the Millers have a veteran d led uo of senior forward Alex Rosenberg and senior guard Joey Kizel, both getting looks from D3 colleges. On the other hand, sophomore guard Zaire Williams are the wheels that make the Minutemen go. After a disappointing loss to Solomon Schechter in the quarter finals of the Prep B tournament last year, NA is back with Williams at the helm. They are 7-1, with there one loss coming to Millburn in overtime. However, they have beaten Irvington, a talented team in the American division. Other teams to watch are Caldwell(4-2) and West Essex(1-4).

Independent:

Don't sleep on the Independent division. Solomon Schechter of West Orange and Montclair Kimberly Academy of Montclair are clearly the best two teams in the conference. Schechter is 3-0, and just dominated Arts High School of Newark by a score of 79-33. They have the top player in the conference in 6"5 junior guard/forward Jacob Susskind, who is getting D1 looks. MKA is 6-1 and with more experience, including Gil St. Brenard transfer John Snow, they have a great chance to rebound from their 5-16 08-09 campaign.

All in all, it should be a very exciting year.

Top team: Seton Hall Prep

Top player: Sterling Gibbs

Team to look out for: Newark Academy

Top Coach: Sandy Pyonin of Solomon Schechter