By: Ron Parent
One might think that going through a 1-18 season in a coaching debut and returning to the same competitive division the very next year would drag anyone’s spirits down.
But in spite of such things, Monroe Township High School girls basketball coach Leigh Vogtman says she comes to work each day with a smile on her face.
"I have great kids, and they really work hard for me every day," Vogtman said. "And it’s the best feeling for me as a coach when I see them execute the things I ask them to do and they do it well."
The Falcons will kick off their 2006-07 season by hosting defending Greater Middlesex Conference White Division champion South Plainfield this Friday, hoping to snap out of a two-year funk in which they’ve only won one game.
The team certainly doesn’t lack athleticism, as nearly every player on the roster has found success playing for other sports teams at Monroe. Senior forward Megan Stark is considered one of the top field hockey players in the county, junior forward Carly Keane and senior guard Marissa Allamby started on the Falcons’ GMC Tournament quarterfinalist softball team last spring, and sophomore guard Sarah Gibbons was one of the 12-7 soccer team’s top scorers this fall. But while most of those teams feature athletes who play their sports all year, the basketball squad does not.
"I have a lot of athletes, but I don’t have a team of kids who play basketball together year-round, and that’s why it becomes difficult for us," Vogtman said. "I have great athletes, but it takes repetition."
Vogtman said that to make up for the lack of Division I college talent which is often widespread across the lineups of White Division rivals such as New Brunswick, Woodbridge, and South Plainfield, the Falcons will need to rely on effort more than anything else. Monroe will run a double-motion offense and a man-to-man pressure defense this season to get the most out of its top players’ athleticism.
"We always have to try and be one step faster than the team we’re playing," Vogtman said. "We don’t have the raw talent, so we have to try and be faster, box out harder, dive on the floor for more loose balls."
The 5-8 Stark and the 5-7 Allamby will be the team’s captains this season, and rounding out the players most likely to see significant time are guards Ashley Henriquez, Andrea Carinni, and Nicole Manziano, along with forwards Diana Stelmaszczyk and Katie Guidi.
Vogtman said that the plan for the season is to continue to improve and to simply embrace the competition of game nights. The Falcons likely won’t right the ship overnight, but Vogtman says she’ll enjoy the process of turning things around.
"We have a lot of room for improvement," Vogtman said. "We’re a work in progress, but what’s exciting is that things are only going to get better for us."

