Stocked with a veteran cast, hopes are high for Monroe boys basketball team
By: Redd E. Patrick
With four starters returning, a key reserve coming back, a talented transfer coming in and a pool of young talent fighting for playing time, things are looking up for the Monroe High School boys basketball team.
The enthusiasm will be on display tonight when Monroe visits Perth Amboy Tech for its 4 p.m. season opener.
"We’re really looking forward to the season,” said Monroe coach Pete LoPresti. "We looked real good in preseason, the chemistry is there, the intensity we’re looking for some good things this year.”
A year ago when the Falcons finished 8-13 guards Matt Gigliello, Chris Felix and Dan Chitren led the way. Each averaged in double figures, while connecting for 115 3-pointers. Chitren is now lighting it up at Middlesex County College, but Gigliello and Felix return.
Gigliello, a 5-11 senior, averaged 12.8 points per game last season with 27 3-pointers. Felix, a 6-3 senior who will run the point, averaged 12.5 points with 29 3-pointers.
"They can both shoot it,” said LoPresti, whose team led the GMC by far in 3-pointers with 125. "So that will definitely be a trademark of ours again.”
Mario Zygadlo, a 6-1 senior, and Tom Woolfolk, a 6-4 senior, will return to their starting posts in the frontcourt. Woolfolk has been banged up in the preseason, so it will take some time for him to get in shape.
Eric Gaston, a 6-0 junior swingman who saw time last year, will provide athleticism, while Marcello Henriquez, a 6-2 senior swingman, has transferred from Ecuador.
"He (Henriquez) can play,” praised LoPresti. "Having him will really help us in a lot of ways because he can play so many positions.”
LoPresti is also high on his bench, which will include 6-1 senior guard Jim Gaston, 6-0 senior forward Richie Narvaez, 6-3 senior guard/forward Kyle Bossard, 5-9 junior guard Danny Palma, 6-1 junior forward Brandon Perry and 6-3 junior forward Peter Grad.
"We have so many kids back, so they’re familiar with the system and they work well together,” said LoPresti. "Kids are fighting for playing time, so that has made the practices very intense. We still don’t have much size, but we can shoot, our team quickness is better and we can do some things defensively.
"We’re hoping our offense will come from our defense, which means we want to play up-tempo, not half-court. And we have some kids who can really go after it, plus we can bring kids in off the bench and not lose anything. I would say things are looking good.”