By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Bryan Rivers found an alluring bonus in playing in the inaugural Victory Sports Pro-Am Summer Basketball League at The Hun School.
Not only does he get to work at his game, but the West Windsor-Plainsboro South and Peddie School product gets some home cooking. He comes down from New York City, where he is interning this summer, to play.
“I actually was going to play in New York City in a pro-am league,” Rivers said. “I was working out with the Columbia basketball team every day. This league was a good option. I can come down and see my family during the week when I’m in the city working.”
Rivers earned another chance to come back home as he helped CertaPro Painters defeat County Line Auto Body, 76-74, in the first semifinal at Hun on Tuesday. Trenton Catholic Academy graduate Khalid Lewis led CertaPro with 25 points and Kevin Avent added 19 points. Lewis had the big game just two days after announcing he would finish his college career at Illinois this year after playing at LaSalle and Delaware previously.
“They were leading us by 10, then we had to come back in the fourth quarter and take the lead,” Rivers said. “We played more aggressive. That worked to our advantage.”
CertaPro was scheduled to face Masselli & Warren Law Firm in the league championship game Thursday at Hun. Masselli & Warren knocked off T. Rowe Price, 61-56, in the second semifinal Tuesday. Yvon Raymond led the winners with 24 points while Hamilton graduate Christian Burns chipped in with 14 points. Branden Penn had 21 points and Princeton University sophomore Amir Bell had 18 points for T. Rowe Price.
“It feels good,” Rivers said of reaching the first final. “We only lost two games. We’re looking to go in there and get stops on defense and get out and run and score more points than the other team.”
Rivers has been happy with the returns from joining the league. It has given him just what he needed on top of his individual workouts.
“It’s good. It’s great competition,” he said. “You’re playing against different guys — some pros, good college players. It’s a great atmosphere to be in. I’m glad they did this league so we have something to play in during the summer.”
The league brings together a mix of strong talent from the area and beyond. Rivers has found a good group to make up his team.
“Khalid is the only local I’ve played with,” Rivers said. “The rest of the guys are older, so they played before me. It’s great playing with them as well. Our team is doing well. Hopefully we can continue and play one more good game.”
After scoring 1,456 points to finish as the all-time leading scorer in Pirates history, Rivers prepped for a year at The Peddie School before moving on to Pace University last year. He was an impact player from the start. He played in 23 games, averaged almost 28 minutes per game, scored 5.7 points per game, grabbed 3.8 rebounds per game and handed out 3.4 assists per game.
“Experience wise, it was great,” Rivers said. “It was good to see what the conference was about. I didn’t play as well as I thought I was going to play. I started every single game, then got sick in the middle of it, then I got back but it hurt me. I’m looking forward to next season.”
Rivers is determined to play — and particularly to shoot — at a higher level than last year. He has been honing his skills over the offseason.
“From going through my first year in college, I know you have to be able to shoot,” Rivers said. “If you can’t shoot, you’re not going to be successful. I’ll shoot 95 percent of the time (in workouts). When I work out, all I do is form shooting. I work on consistency and work on being able to shoot with the rest of the league. I want to let the rest of my game take over and be known as a shooter.”
Adding a more consistent jump shot would make Rivers a more complete player. He’s already gifted in getting to the basket and also in setting up teammates, and he is solid defensively.
“Defensively, it’s all effort,” he said. “You have to put the right amount of effort in. I did well, and I think I can do better now that I know the league and understanding basketball better as a whole. I think I’ll be able to do a lot of things better than last year.”
He is looking forward to his own individual skills helping the team to make a jump from the five-win total of his first season.
“We have a lot back,” Rivers said. “The year before, we got nine new people — five freshmen and four transfers. We only graduated one senior. The starting five is back. We should be able to be really good in the league and compete and do our best.”
Rivers has had the chance to work at showing off his skills in the Pro-Am league. He is taking on the challenges and trying to use them to enhance his game.
“Playing against different people and new people I haven’t played in a while or ever is good,” he said. “It’s good to go against people you don’t know who they are and they don’t know you are. And I’m playing against people that are better basketball players than I would be going against if I was playing in a regular gym in New York.”
Rivers does have plenty to do in New York. He is interning at Mission Athlete Care, a new company that is doing well.
“Core Grip is a product we have,” Rivers said. “For basketball players, that’s huge. We all use that. Cooling towels are one of our biggest products. I’m in product development and I help out with marketing. I go to events and give out products.”
Rivers is busy with his internship every day, and then twice per week he has been coming home, not just to see his family but to improve as a player. The Pro-Am League has been ideal for it.
“You have to go out there prove you can play against the best,” Rivers said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for kids that want to put their name out there.”
