Call the coach crazy, but. . .

Turco feels MTHS still tough as post-Rudowitz era begins

By: David Gurney
   Monroe high school head coach Bob Turco has been questioning his own sanity lately.
   Coming off a school-record 24-5 season, the Falcons have lost six of their top 10 players from last year and four of five starters, including third-team, all-State forward A.J. Rudowitz.
   Yet, Turco is excited, almost giddy heading into Friday’s season-opener at South Plainfield.
   Sounds a bit crazy.
   "I guess I’m crazy, but I am upbeat," Turco said. "But to me, the kids know it’s us versus what everybody else thinks. If we fail, it’s because the best team we had last year was just that good. If we succeed, who knows what they’re going to say. As long as we believe in our team and play with a lot of heart, we’re very dangerous in my eyes."
   Expectations are a bit lower this season, but Turco isn’t buying it. He still has four players returning from last year’s team and will have the luxury of having four seniors on the floor who have been through the program and know the system.
   "Everyone on the team, especially the seniors, know their roles," Turco said. "Everyone knows if they fail, the team fails, it’s all five on offense and defense. Everybody can contribute and is going to have to contribute, together, if we’re going to win."
   That ‘together’ mentality draws on the fact the Falcons will be putting out a small lineup on the court. The tallest of the starters, senior James Pellino and junior Justin Mitchell, are right around six-foot-two while the guards hover around six feet.
   Ultimately, for Turco and the Falcons, that means forcing a more up-tempo, transition pace and a unified effort on the defensive boards to start the attack.
   "We’re going to have to have a team effort to keep other teams off the glass," Turco said. "We’re a different team. This year we’ll be nine, 10 deep depending on who we play. Some opponents will see some zone or different types of presses to dictate tempo. "We’re not going to win games up in the sixties, but we have to dictate tempo."
   Those responsibilities of dictating tempo will mainly fall on the shoulders of senior point guard Vinny Mahmoud and off-guard Shamil Graham.
   Mahmoud has had his problems getting onto the court. He started 29 games last year and battled a lingering shoulder problem towards the end of the season. After consulting doctors, Mahmoud had surgery on his shoulder and endured a half-year of rehabilitation before contracting mononucleosis.
   But, according to Turco, Mahmoud’s absence might have been a blessing for the team. Turco was able to tinker with line-ups and give more of the inexperienced guards chances to run the offense.
   "Because he was out, we were able to get other players into the mix," Turco said. "We played a lot of games during summer ball and we know our job as coaches to get other players ready. If it had to be anybody missing time, luckily it was Vinny because when he’s back we shouldn’t skip a beat."
   Graham and senior Matt Gulick will start at the two off-guard spots. Gulick, a sharpshooter, along with Mitchell, will be expected to shoulder much of the offensive load.
   Off the bench, the Falcons will go to junior Ivan Barreto and sophomore Steve Blish at the guard spots, while juniors Christian Hanley, Ryan Clark and Travis Gregg will back up at the forward spots.
   Barreto was a member of the school’s GMC-champion boys soccer team while Hanley set the school-record for interceptions last year as a sophomore for the football team.
   It’s that versatility, and the ability to move guys into different spots on the floor, that gives Monroe its advantage over other GMC foes.
   "I can go with five guards on the floor or mix up my line-ups, so the questions is how are they going to stop us?" Turco said. "We can go with the different line-ups and play different styles. It’s what we’re going to have to do to match up with these other teams."
   Swing players who round out the roster are Ryan Walp, Joey Ruopoli and Pete Patalano.