BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer
LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood High School (LHS) boys basketball team put forth one of its best seasons in recent memory during the 2004-05 campaign.
The Piners finished with an overall record of 19-5, which included winning the Class B South title.
In addition, LHS advanced to the semifinal round of both the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III tournaments.
“We had a very good year,” Lakewood coach John Richardson said. “The kids worked extremely hard. We played in a lot of exciting games this past year. We had a nice mix of players on this team. They had a lot of talent.”
Unfortunately, some members of last year’s banner squad won’t be returning to chase a state championship in the 2005-06 season.
In fact, three starters have left the Piners’ hoop program to attend St. Benedicts Prep School.
Junior Chris Smith, the team’s leading scorer last season, 6-foot-5 sophomore forward Mark Robertson, and sophomore shooting guard Jerry Jones will all play for St. Benedicts next year.
Richardson was surprised with the sudden move.
“All three are good high school players,” Richardson said. “Any time you lose that many players on a team it is going to have an effect. But we are going to be just fine. We are looking forward to the challenge of the upcoming season. We will keep a positive attitude through the whole ordeal.”
A fourth starter, Phillip Gunter, has moved to Florida, Richardson said.
Smith led LHS in scoring by netting almost 21 points per game.
Smith proved to be one of the top players in the Shore Conference last year. His inside-outside game proved difficult to defend.
“He is a very athletic player,” Richardson said. “He had an outstanding year for us. He is going to have to continue to work hard at that school.”
Robertson was a force on the boards for the Piners.
“He helped us inside,” Richardson said. “Defense and rebounding were keys to our success last season.”
Jones averaged nearly 17 points a game. His family is moving to Linden, and he will attend St. Benedicts in September, Richardson said.
“He had a number of good games for us,” Richardson said. “He was a big part of our offense. He was the ability to shoot from the perimeter or go to the basket.”
NBA star and former LHS standout J.R. Smith, Chris’ older brother, left Lakewood to attend St. Benedicts.
J.R. Smith, who led the Piners to their last NJSIAA South Jersey Group II title in 2002, transferred to St. Benedicts to improve his academics and prepare him for college.
After two years at St. Benedicts, Smith committed to North Carolina, but was selected 18th overall by the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA. He averaged 10.3 pointers per game this past season.
The only returning starter from last year’s team is senior guard Rondell Proctor.
“We’ll be able to give some other kids an opportunity to play this season,” Richardson said. “We’re looking for kids who demonstrate a positive attitude and who can take direction.”