By: Redd E. Patrick
The Monroe High School boys basketball went from having the best season in school history to possibly its worst, but the future is not bleak.
On Wednesday night, the Falcons fell to 0-15 with a 78-39 loss to Sayreville. They will close out the regular season with games against Carteret, Colonia and South Plainfield.
The contest against Carteret could be Monroe’s lone hope for a victory since it lost just 60-52 the first time around. Colonia and South Plainfield, however, are two teams playing at the top of their games right now and should prove to be too much for the overmatched Falcons, who won a school-record 17 games last year.
Then there is the GMC Tournament, which gets underway in two weeks. Monroe will get one of the bottom seeds and will play a preliminary game, which would be one more chance at a win.
At this point, however, it’s all about the future.
"There’s some light at the end of the tunnel," coach Pete LoPresti said. "We have some young kids on the varsity who have showed some promise and we have some players on the lower levels who have some talent. It’s just a matter of them working in the off-season."
On the varsity level, freshman A.J. Rudowitz represents the future. He has played in the last 11 varsity games and is averaging over five points per game.
Junior guard Dante Davis has been getting plenty of varsity action as well as 6-1 junior forward Scott Modzelewski. Rob Arvidson, another junior guard, has been a starter all season and has recorded double-digit scoring in two of his last three games. Sophomore Scott Basarab is averaging over five points per game and has made at least one three-pointer in 13 of the varsity games he’s played in.
With those players returning, plus the addition of several players from Mike Gigliello’s JV team, the Falcons won’t look to be a powerhouse next season, but they will look to win some games and be competitive.

