By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Matt Margolis seems to have found the perfect place to prepare himself for his sophomore season with the Ursinus College men’s basketball team.
Margolis has stepped in as a key contributor for the Jesse Krasna Hoops Training team in the Princeton Recreation Men’s summer Basketball League.
“Jesse told me about the league and told me it was a great run so I said I had to play,” said Margolis, who finished his first season in the league as the leader in three-point field goals with 21. “I played in a summer league at Cairn University which is about 10 minutes from me but I like this league a lot better.
“I think this will help with my confidence and just playing with different guys. I think this will definitely help me.”
Margolis helped his team to a 8-1 record in the regular season and share of first place. Jesse Krasna Hoops Training will be the No. 2 seed when the playoffs begin on Monday night at Princeton’s Community Park.
Margolis scored 23 points to help his team to a 72-49 win over Rouge’s Gallery on Monday night. Tim Guers led the scoring with 24 points and Kyle Green chipped in with 11 in the win. Margolis had just three on Monday. But he found other ways to score, which was one of his goals coming into the season.
“It was a little windy so I thought maybe I should just go for the short game and then see how it goes from the long range,” said Margolis, a Council Rock North High graduate. “I’ve always been a shooter but I am trying to work on more than just my three-point shooting.
“I am getting to play against bigger guys with bigger bodies than a lot of the guys in my conference. Sometimes getting pushed around is a good thing.”
Margolis has joined a roster that includes some of thee league’s top players like Guers, Krasna, Zach Sibel and Chase Kumor. He’s stepped in and averaged 12 points a game while getting used to his new teammates.
“Jesse is going to be coaching my high school team now, but I knew him before he got the job,” Margolis said. “These guys are great guys and they don’t care what the stats are.”
Margolis played in 24 games off the bench for Ursinus and averaged 1.5 points per game. He scored a season-high nine points in a win over Haverford. Now he’s hoping he can help his summer team to a league title. They have just a narrow loss to Majeski Foundation keeping them from a perfect season.
“I want to play them again,” Margolis said. “That was a tough game. I missed a three at the end of kind of want that back.”
The league wrapped up its regular season on Wednesday with three games. Majeski Foundation locked up the top seed with a 72-52 win over Rogue’s Gallery. Corey Stanford finished with 17 points and Bobby Brackett added 15. Mike Rubayo had 14 points and Mark Monks added 13 in the loss. Pediatric Therapy Solutions picked up its first win when it topped Ivy Inn, 66-58. Nick Brackett had 19 points and Bert McCallam added 12 in the win. Matt Simkus and Zavon Johnson had 20 each in the loss. King’s Pizza locked up the third seed in the playoffs with a 54-51 overtime win over Clarke Insurance. Kris O’Connor had 16 points and Terence Bailey added 13 in the win. Lior Levy had nine points in the loss.
In the other games on Monday, Majeski Foundation topped King’s Pizzarama, 78-57, as Nick Alaimo and Stanford had 13 points apiece. Kevin Johnson and Kevin Bloodgood added 12 apiece and Jordan Glover and Joe Montano had 10 points each. Ryan Johnson had 19, Terence Bailey 15, and Mike Payne 13 in the loss. Dr Palmer topped Ivy Inn, 46-44, as John Fieros hit the game-winning basket with two seconds left. Cliff Pollard had 17 in the win, while Tai Crutchfield and Skye Ettin had 15 each in the loss.
The playoffs get underway on Monday with a pair of matchups. In the opener at 7:30 p.m., Rogue’s Gallery faces Clarke Insurance. In the second game on Monday, Majeski Foundation takes on Pediatric Therapy. On Wednesday, King’s Pizza faces Dr. Palmer in the opener, while Krasna Hoops takes on Ivy Inn in the second game.
The semifinals will be played July 22 with the best-of-three finals slated to begin July 25.
