By: Rich Fisher
Chris Balent was the right man for the job this year.
But Jerry North knew that 20 years ago.
North, currently the Plumstead Township Superintendent of Schools, was head varsity basketball coach at Middlesex High School in 1987. The freshman shooting guard on that team was Balent, who is better known around these parts as the coach who guided the South Brunswick High boys basketball team to the NJSIAA Group IV finals.
Back when Balent was just starting high school, North dropped by his house one day to watch some hoops with the family.
"I could vividly remember sitting in his parents house when he was a freshman, watching the NCAA tournament, and you knew that this kid was going to be a coach some day," North said. "I said right then ‘There’s no doubt what this kid is going to do in his life.’
"Watching the games, he didn’t need any of the color commentators to tell you what defense they were in and what they were running. He could watch the TV and he just knew it."
North ended up at Dunellen High and Balent followed. After sitting out his sophomore year, he was in the Destroyer lineup as a junior and senior (making 32 straight foul shots at one point) before heading off to Lock Haven University.
"On the floor he was the same way as he was when he watched the games," North said. "I could say to him ‘They’re in zone’ and he already recognized it.
"He had limited talent, but he made up for it in smarts. He worked very hard for everything he ever got. He was a gym rat. He was one of these kids who watched ESPN, and he didn’t just watch the game, he analyzed it."
It was that kind of attitude that impressed another gym rat.
The College of New Jersey men’s coach, John Castaldo, couldn’t get enough basketball when he was a kid. While attending the Bronc Basketball School at Rider College, Castaldo was known in camp as "Ernie D", named after Ernie DiGregorio, a savvy point guard at Providence back then.
Castaldo could also analyze a game with the sound turned down at a young age. So, when Balent came to interview for a graduate assistant’s job eight years ago, it was no surprise that Castaldo chose him from a pool of 75 candidates.
"Chris was very organized, very meticulous," Castaldo said. "I thought he was very level headed and even keeled. I thought he really had the makings of becoming a very good coach.
"He obviously has proven that. He knows the game, he studies the game, he knows X’s and O’s. I was just happy to see him really excel this year."
Balent was hoping to remain at the college level as a head man, but circumstances eventually dictated otherwise.
"His initial goal was that he wanted to be a college coach," North said. "That’s a hard racket to break into. He spent some productive years at TCNJ, but he had a family, he started to worry about the long run and what he could do for his family.
"When he was interviewing, we talked about the different jobs. I was happy he was able to land the South Brunswick job. I talked to (Athletic Director) Elaine McGrath about him, I told her she couldn’t do better."
With a record of 49-9 after his first two years, Balent has backed up North’s endorsement. Last season, he guided the Vikings to the Central Jersey Group IV semifinals with a young team.
This year, the Vikes were stunned by Cardinal McCarrick in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament semifinals, but the 33-year-old coach rallied his troops for a run to the state finals, which was no easy task.
There have, of course, been roadblocks that Balent had the fortitude to overcome. Last year, he decided to play his underclassmen instead of certain seniors, which brought down the wrath of some parents.
But the first-year coach did not waver or buckle under to the attempted intimidation. And by making a stand last year, the results paid off this season.
"That’s the unfortunate side of coaching high school," Castaldo said. "Those kind of things have really begun to surface quite heavily and it’s a shame."
North, who dealt with the same problems as a coach and athletic director, could only laugh at the mentality of the complainers.
"Let’s see, they got to the sectional semifinals last year and the state finals this year," North said. "He’s won over 80 percent of his games. Gee, do you think maybe he does know what he’s talking about a little bit?"
But as Castaldo points out, knowing what you’re talking about is of little good unless you get the players to buy into it.
"Chris will be the first to tell you he had some pretty good players, but in a lot of cases that’s harder to coach," Castaldo said. "You have to develop everything, not just their game but their willingness to do things for the team, the chemistry aspect.
"Those are all things that are away from X’s and O’s. A lot of people know the X’s and O’s. But to be able to mold and develop and philosophize those things with your team, it’s just not the easiest thing."
It may not be easy.
But it’s something Jerry North felt Balent was born to do.

