Joe Hoehman has some big shoes to fill.
The Vikings’ new head basketball coach takes over a team that finished 27-3 a year ago and made a run deep into the state playoffs, replacing Chris Balent, who went 49-9 in his two years as the school’s head basketball coach.
At the end of last season, Coach Balent had talked of building a program with a loyal fan base and a deep connection to the community similar to what exists in South River or some of the football powerhouses in the state’s northern counties.
But Coach Balent left over the summer to head the basketball program at Elizabeth High School.
That leaves the task to Coach Hoehman. It’s a fabulous, if somewhat daunting, opportunity for the rookie head coach, who will become the third head coach in four years for the Vikings.
Coach Hoehman said last week he learned a great deal by working under his predecessors, Dave Turco and Coach Balent, and he plans to make use of much of that knowledge. But he also plans to put his own stamp on the Vikings by focusing on playing strong defense and taking care of the basketball — two ingredients that are essential to playing winning basketball.
Coach Hoehman also brings something to the table that his most recent predecessors did not: a connection to SBHS.
Coach Hoehman has spent the last five years as an assistant coach in South Brunswick, joining the faculty as a student-teacher while attending Montclair State in 2001-02 and becoming a full-time health and physical education teacher the following year. Over the last five years, he has served as an assistant basketball coach, developing a connection to many of this year’s varsity players..
We’re hoping that connection will keep the new coach around awhile and help build upon the program’s recent success, both on the court and with the fans.

