BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Marianne Campacci and Joanne Cobb plan to bring excitement to the Collins Arena this winter.
The co-head coaches of the Brookdale Community College women’s basketball team have assembled a deep and athletic team for 2006-07.
“We have 14 kids who are really nice players,” said Cobb. “They can play inside or outside, we have size and speed, and they are enthusiastic.
“They are strong kids,” she added. “Their personalities have jelled. They complement each other and they like to be challenged.”
Cobb and Campacci are certainly pleased to see the numbers on the squad this year, because last year the Blues suffered severely from the injury blues. There was no postseason for the women because they were down to just four healthy players at the end of the season. The injury bug hit the team early and never went away.
That won’t be a problem this year, with 10 new players, including seven incoming freshmen, providing depth and, probably more importantly, talent.
The depth is key because the Blues plan on running, running, and running some more, creating an entertaining brand of basketball to be put on display in the BCC arena.
“We love to run,” said Cobb. “Marianne and I are defensive-minded. Our offense comes from our defense. We are going to press teams and put great pressure on them.”
What the coaches like most about this year’s team is how versatile it is. Its front line has size with 5-11 Jamie Biddle (Howell), Olivia Triano (Keyport) and Lisa James (Manchester). All three can post-up inside against smaller defenders, or step out behind the three-point arc and hit the three.
The three-point shot is going to be a big part of the Brookdale arsenal this season. Besides Biddle, Triano and James, Katie Miller (Raritan) and Allison Oliver (Middletown South) are also outstanding three-point shooters. So is point guard Brie Kwiatkowski (Marlboro via Monsignor Donovan).
“She is a floor general,” Cobb said of Kwiatkowski. “She knows when to give up the ball and when to drive. She has a great sense of timing.”
The Blues are going to stretch defenses with their long-range shooting.
When that happens, Kwiatkowski can penetrate and create, as can James, who is a slashing player who can put the ball on the floor and break a team down one-on-one. At 5-7, Miller is a swing player who can beat teams inside or outside, depending on the match-ups.
For rebounding, the Blues have 5-11 Keshia Taylor (Point Pleasant) and Sasha Fabrizio (Brick Township) and 5-8 Melissa Scragg (Middletown North) to go along with Biddle, Triano and James.
Guards Jennifer Johnson (Freehold Borough), Teaira Gaines (Colonia) and Jessica Napolitano (Brick Township) are part of the rotation that will allow the Blues to run for all 40 minutes.
What Cobb and Campacci like about the team is its interchangeable parts.
“We can play with five big kids if we want to or go small,” said Cobb.
Brookdale opened its season on the road at Del Tech Stanton, a Division II team. As expected, the Blues, with 10 new players, was a bit out of sync. The coaches were pleased with the defense, but 20-for-70 shooting from the floor contributed to the 63-54 loss. Kwiatkowski led the Blues with 17, including five three-pointers. Triano netted 11.
Brookdale is opening its season with a number of quality Division 1I opponents before the Garden State Athletic Conference gets serious later this month.
The Blues make their Collins Arena debut tomorrow night at 5 p.m. against Middlesex in a GSAC tilt. The Blues will host Camden (Dec. 14, 5 p.m.) and Gloucester (Dec. 16, 3 p.m.) before the holiday, which they will spend playing a tournament in San Diego, Calif., Dec. 26-Jan. 1.

