SOUTH BRUNSWICK: South Brunswick salvages tough season

By Rich Fisher, Sports Editor
   Joe Hoehman will be staying out of Jackson this summer.
   He doesn’t want to be anywhere near another amusement park ride for a while.
   ”This year was a real rollercoaster ride,” said Hoehman after his South Brunswick High School boys basketball team ended up 8-16. “We started 2-10 in the first half and in the second half we were much better at 6-6.”
   And in the middle there were some problems when a group of seniors were suspended, but when they finally returned they made a contribution to the upswing.
   ”When they first came back after their suspension they had to work their way back into the lineup,” Hoehman said. “There were quite a few who actually earned more playing time and made contributions.
   ”We were a much different team than at beginning of the year. We were a little selfish and we weren’t playing as a team. But when everybody returned they bought into it and we turned it around a little bit.”
   Included in the turn-around were two wins in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, which appeared to be a pipe dream early in the year.
   ”I definitely give the entire team credit for that,” Hoehman said. “When we had everyone back and on the same page it was a lot different atmosphere.”
   The Vikes will graduate nine, including Josh Davis, Brett Pinnix, Andrew Buckner, Vito Ross, Franco Valentino, Isaiah McNeil, Jean Isaacs, Cody McHugh and Kieran Fitzpatrick. Buckner was the team’s leading scorer at 10 per game, while Fitzpatrick and McHugh led the way in rebounding.
   One bright spot was the experienced gained by freshmen Javon Tyree and Nick Muha and sophomores Kory Sanders and Jared Kling.
   ”We were just very happy the opportunity came their way,” Hoehman said. “They took every opportunity that came to them, and they ran with it. That will help build our team for the future.”
   At the sub-varsity level, the freshman team finished with a wining record despite losing four players to the JV team. Freshman Mike Green, sophomore Malcolm McNeil and junior Dan Martinez were all contributors on the JV level.
   There will be spots to fill next year, but for now Hoehman is happy his team salvaged this season.
   ”They definitely battled and they didn’t give up,” he said. “That shows something about their character. They could have rolled over and called it a day. But they enjoyed playing and learning about what it took to become a team.”