Braves, Rebels, Cougars top seeds for Kuhnert Tourney Freehold Borough boys are defending champions in holiday tournament

Staff Writer

By tim morris

Braves, Rebels, Cougars top seeds for Kuhnert Tourney
Freehold Borough boys are defending champions in holiday tournament


JEFF HUNTLEY Howell’s Mike Sales grabs a rebound during a game against Middletown South on Friday. The Rebels fell to the Eagles 48-34 in both teams’ season opener. JEFF HUNTLEY Howell’s Mike Sales grabs a rebound during a game against Middletown South on Friday. The Rebels fell to the Eagles 48-34 in both teams’ season opener.

The Jack Kuhnert Memorial Holiday Basketball Tournament will be a good barometer of what the 2000-01 season will have in store for Freehold district teams.

All six district teams will be in action in the opening round Tuesday.

Freehold Borough is the defending champion, having beaten Manalapan 50-44 in a very emotional final in 1999. It was the first time since the Colonials’ former coach Jack Kuhnert passed away that they captured the tournament named in his honor. Freehold Borough had won the tournament a record 10 times with Kuhnert on the bench.

Manalapan, a six-time champion, is the top seed in the tournament, which moves into its fifth decade this year (it all started back in 1969 with Rumson-Fair Haven winning it).

Rick Garretson’s Braves lost key personnel from last year’s Central Jersey Group IV quarter finalists, but they return a solid corps led by guards Mark Lax and Ryan Sheridan.

Sheridan, a junior, is one of the area’s best all-around players. As the point guard, he’s the player who distributes the ball and runs the offense. He can close games out with his clutch free throw shooting, and he may be even better as a defender. Lax brings the three-point shot into range and is a good foul shooter as well.

Matt Schechter, Bryan Chapman and Ian Lorentz start up front for the Braves. Schechter is the only other letter-winner on the team.

Manalapan has depth and Garretson will use it. Seniors Michael Goodman, Joe Vitali and Steve Graziano, and juniors Rich Allen and Andrew Holmes, provide much of the team’s important depth. Two youngsters, freshman Matt Presby and sophomore Todd Burach, figure to see more action as the season progresses.

The Braves have a lot of solid players who can dribble, pass and shoot the ball effectively, which will make them a difficult team to defend. Manalapan’s depth will allow the Braves to be a much more aggressive team, especially on defense.

Manalapan opened the season with a 77-62 win over Asbury Park with Sheridan (17), Lax (15), Lorentz (10) and Burach (10) all scoring in double-figures. A very good sign for the Braves.

Howell was a state playoff team with a predominately underclass roster in 1999-2000, and this winter, the Rebels figure to be the beneficiary of that postseason experience. Howell returns a solid trio of starters in forward Chris Brown and guards Tom Coleman and Charles Skinner. Brown is one of the district’s best all-around players. At 6-2, he gives Howell a post game in the paint. He averaged a team-high 14.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. Coleman is in outstanding shooter and provides Howell with a three-point presence. He knocked down 52 treys last year while averaging 10 points a game. Skinner can play a variety of positions and his strength is as a playmaker on offense and a thief on defense (he averaged three steals a game). He and Coleman work very well as a backcourt tandem.

With Chris Hurley (forward), Tom Caulfield (center) and Nick Aldiero (guard) also returning, the Rebels have a solid nucleus.

Newcomers Ray Hardaway, Joe Hassan, Mike Russell and Mike Sales give the Rebels bench strength.

This could be Colts Neck’s coming-out party. Coach Lou Piccola’s Cougars are the No. 3 seed and have everyone back from last year. They have a great inside-outside game in guard Tyler Bennett and 6-8 center Giuliano Cristino, a sophomore. John Burton, one of just two seniors on the squad, also gives the team an inside presence. He’s 6-5.

Bennett showed all the signs of being a dominating point guard, averaging 13.9 points, six assists and three steals a game for the Cougars last year. He has range with his jumping as his 36 three-pointers will attest. Cristino and Burton will draw plenty of attention down low.

Rounding out the Cougars are forward Brian Burton, guard Michael DeCorso, forward/center Tom Domenico, guard Doug Giordano, guard Danny Hanratty, forward Adam Laico, forward Lance Mielke and guard Scott Polito (the other senior on the team).

Brian Golub’s Freehold Township Patriots are the fourth seed. In Andrew Impastato, the Pats have a sure-handed point guard who protects the ball and distributes it well. He keeps his team in the game by keeping turnovers down.

Also returning for the Pats are center Ryan Boutote, guard/forward Ryan Brown, guard Eric Gerstein, forward Arif Kahn and forward Kevin Schulze.

Anthony Collincini, Kambon John, Alain Lien, Carl Nazaire, Mike Popek, Walter Roberson, Robin Sanders, Todd Tumelty and Tim Walker round out the squad. The Pats have a nice mixture of veterans and newcomers. Popek and Walker bring the three-point shot into the Patriots’ offense.

Last year the Colonials enjoyed an emotional triumph as seniors like Richard Harrell, who played for Kuhnert as a freshman, finally won one for their late coach. Graduation, however, has hit the defending champions hard. Senior guards Bryan Cavallaro and Bilal Salahuddin are the only players returning who were a featured part of last year’s rotation. Cavallaro is a fine shooter with three-point range. Salahuddin can also hit from beyond arc, but his strength may just be his harassing defense.

Nick Franke (guard), Erik DeJesus (guard) and Jose Ramos (forward) are the only other players returning who saw action.

The top newcomers for Freehold are Mike Bladel, Jose Ramos, Doug Chavers, Erik DeJesus, Ryan Casey, Brian Porth and Anthony Smith. Bladel, Ramos and Chavers are forwards.

The Colonials don’t have a lot of size this year and will have to rely on out-quicking teams. Their outside shooting will be a very important component of their offense this winter without the presence of a big threat in the paint.

Marlboro High School, the sixth seed, welcomes a new coach, Ted Loeffler, who has a veteran team to build around. The Mustangs have seven seniors: center Eric Levine, forwards Ty Jensen (of running fame), Jamal Hart and Paul Schneider, and guards Greg Dobson, John Taratino and Jon Weitz.

Juniors Dan Berlin (center), forwards Greg Cole and Jon Guskind, and guards Rob Kluge and Dan Manochio also bring experience to the squad.

The Mustangs will bring along a tough work ethic.

Manasquan, a longtime participant in the Kuhnert memorial and a winner in 1995, is the seventh seed this year. The Big Blue are dangerous because they have always played well in this tournament.

Junior Todd Eastmond (12 points a game) heads a group of four returners who are the nucleus of this year’s club. Also back are senior forward Frank Iachetta (10 points a game), junior guard Joe Cifune and junior center Vincent Iachetta.

Among the newcomers, Ben Hawks, a 6-3 swing player, is having the biggest impact. He pumped in 21 points in Manasquan’s opening night win at Colts Neck.

Other newcomers to the Big Blue are Matthew Maddox (center), Brennan Gordon Jr. (guard/forward), Andrew Sigrist (guard/forward) and Nate Novak (guard).

Rounding out the eight-team field is the new entry in the tournament, Brick. The Green Dragons are led by forward Bob Wolfe and Bill Gray, who each averaged 14 points a game last year. Tim McNeils (guard) and Rich Brodie (forward) are the other returning starters.

Rudy Rosa, Ian Rourke, John Benard, James Rivera and Dave Schmidt are the other key players for the Green Dragons, who would like to make some noise in their debut.

The tournament begins Tuesday at Howell High School. At 1 p.m., the Braves tip off against Brick followed at 3 p.m. by the Freehold Township-Freehold Borough tilt. At 5, Colts Neck plays Marlboro, and capping the evening off is the 7 p.m. start between host Howell and Manasquan.

The semifinals are Dec. 27 at Marlboro High School. The first semifinal tips off at 5 p.m. (winner of the Manalapan-Brick and Freehold Township-Freehold Borough games), followed by the nightcap of the twin bill at 7 (Howell-Manasquan and Colts Neck-Marlboro winners).

The championship game will be played Dec. 29 at Freehold Borough at 8 p.m. It will be part of the girl-boy championship doubleheader that begins with the girl final at 6.

Of the eight teams in the field, Freehold Borough (11), Manalapan (six), Howell (one), Freehold Township (one) and Manasquan (one) have won the championship.

Once again the News Transcript will provide the trophies for the All-Tournament Team.