Vikings’ run excites one of basketball team’s all-time greats

By: David Gurney
   PISCATAWAY—It was a place he was all too familiar with.
   The Rutgers Athletic Center, a place Donnell Lumpkin called home for four years in college, during which he scored 946 points, placed himself in the record books in several offensive categories, and even helped bring an NCAA Tournament bid to Rutgers during the 1990-91 season.
   He even played in the arena several times as a scholastic player, some of those high school showcase games like the North/South game, another was in the Garden State games, and one a semifinal loss in the GMCT to J.P. Stevens.
   But gazing onto the court before the start of Sunday’s NJSIAA Group IV Final against Linden, there was a sense of wonderment coming from Lumpkin.
   "I’ll tell you, it’s unbelievable," Lumpkin said about eight rows up across from the South Brunswick bench before the start of the contest. "One word that can describe the feeling I have right now is unbelievable. I had a chance to coach these kids during the summer and last fall in the Plainfield tournament and they’re great kids, they work hard and they’re very coachable."
   It’s not every day you get a chance to watch your alma mater compete on your old floor in a state championship. Very rare.
   Which was why Lumpkin was all smiles Sunday, even minutes before the Vikings took on the heavily favored and third-ranked Tigers.
   "It’s very exciting for the whole South Brunswick community, kids attending now, and graduates who have gone on to other things in their lives," said Lumpkin, who still lives in South Brunswick and has kids in the school system. "It’s just a wonderful time right now for South Brunswick."
   In the eyes of Lumpkin, a supporter of the program since graduating in 1989, this was one of the most complete teams in Viking history. It’s the fusion of different elements and team chemistry that carried the squad this year.
   "I was telling someone the other day, they’re probably the most complete team South Brunswick has ever had," said Lumpkin, who is still South Brunswick’s all-time scoring leader with 1,738 points. "They go three-four deep off the bench, and the guys that come off the bench are just as capable of finishing the game as the starters."
   The end result, a 63-54 loss to Linden on Sunday, didn’t quite reach the devastating level that semifinal loss to J.P. Stevens in the GMCT semifinal for Lumpkin.
   "That was a very difficult loss, but it was wonderful to play at the RAC in high school and in college," Lumpkin said. "But this whole experience today is wonderful. This team has come a long way and has had a great season."