Brookdale squad off and running with tourney win
Agee, Johnson fuel weekend victories
JEFF HUNTLEY Ryan Johnson of Brookdale goes up for a shot during a game against Nasau on Saturday.
Paul Cisek put his untested Brookdale Community College men’s basketball team to the test last weekend at the season-opening Brookdale Tournament.
"Our idea for the tournament was, let’s play some tougher teams," noted Cisek, who led BCC to a 21-11 season in 1999-2000.
Cisek had his Jersey Blues put together what amounted to a Region 15-Region 19 challenge in Lincroft.
Region 15 powers Nassau and the Fashion Institute of Technology, ranked eighth and 10th in the nation in Division III, were faced off against Region 19 strongmen Brookdale (12th in the country) and Essex (Division II). The results were just what Cisek was looking for, as the Jersey Blues went 2-0 after routing FIT in Sunday’s final, 141-104. Brookdale opened up with a 95-83 win over Nassau on Saturday.
JEFF HUNTLEY Brookdale’s Jon Feldman looks to pass inside during a game against Nassau on Saturday.
Brookdale is relying heavily on three transfers and freshmen this winter with just three players back from last year’s 20-plus-win club.
Guard Earl Agee figures heavily into Cisek’s plans. A sophomore from Red Bank Regional, Agee averaged 13 points and a nation-leading eight assists a game last year at point guard. This winter, the 5-9 Agee will be playing the two guard.
Cisek is changing the offense this year, looking to get out and run more. That should be music to Agee’s ears because he is very effective in the open court, where he can hit the open three or take it to the basket.
"This team feeds off Earl’s play," said Cisek. "How well he adjusts to his new position will be important."
Agee was nothing short of unstoppable over the weekend. He scored 67 points in the two wins and knocked down 14 three-pointers. He had 38 points, including nine treys and 13 assists in the final against FIT.
Semone Morant, a 6-6 sophomore center, is Brookdale’s other returning starter. He provides a presence in the paint. He averaged eight points and 6.5 boards a game last year.
Brookdale’s other sophomore veteran is Rashad Whimire, a 6-3 forward from Passaic.
The key to Brookdale’s season will rest with its three transfers, which include 6-5 forward Ryan Johnson, 5-11 point guard John Dougherty and 6-2 shooting guard Jon Feldman.
Johnson, a sophomore, was one of the stars of the Red Bank Regional team that won the 1999 Shore Conference Tournament Championship. As a transfer from St. Peter’s, he brings not only a shooting touch but an all-around game as well. He sees the court well and is a fine passer.
It didn’t take Johnson any time at all to fit into Brookdale’s starting five. He poured in 30 points in his debut and then scored 27 more in the final. He also pulled down 11 caroms against FIT.
"Ryan is a good player, and I only see good things out of him for us," Cisek remarked.
The reason Agee has been able to move to the two guard is Dougherty, the former Mater Dei star. The sophomore is a perfect fit at point guard for the team’s new running game. He had 28 points against Nassau and knocked down four three-pointers.
Feldman is a 6-2 shooting guard who starred at Wall. A transfer from Moravian, Feldman stepped in and scored 16 points in the final against FIT after putting in 15 in the win over Nassau. He had a combined five three-pointers in the two games.
Two freshmen loom large in Cisek’s plans. Marcus Flowers is a 6-4 forward out of Passaic who will help out underneath, and Ryan Singley is a 5-10 guard out of Point Pleasant Borough who has a three-point range.
Rounding out the 2000-01 Jersey Blues are Tahmarley Davis, a 6-2 forward from Neptune; Ralph Jean, a 6-1 forward from Neptune; Edwin Perez, a 6-1 forward from Sayreville; Charles Randell, a 6-0 guard from Raritan; and Robert Tobias, a 5-11 guard from Point Pleasant Borough.
"We’re a young team that right now makes some mistakes, but we will get better," said Cisek. "This team learns very quickly. I’ve seen a lot of progress.
"Our transfers do have game experience," he added. "It’s only a matter of how quickly they adapt to a new system and mesh as a unit."
Agee and Dougherty provide Brookdale with a luxury, two players who can play the point. Cisek plans on taking full advantage of that.
"We don’t have a lot of size, but we’re fairly quick," Cisek explained. "Last year we were a more patient team that worked the ball around. We’ve changed the offense this year. We’re going with a two guard look, and we’ll run more."
Cisek was surprised that last year’s Jersey Blues finished sixth in the country in scoring.
He won’t be surprised by a similar result this winter with the three-point shooting he has.
If BCC is to repeat last year’s success, when it won the Garden State Athletic Conference North Division regular season and playoff champions and reached the Region 19 finals, or do better, it will come on the defensive end.
The team’s overall quickness will allow the Blues to present different looks.
"We’ll play our man-to-man defense but we’ll do a lot more things," Cisek pointed out. "We’ll trap and play zone more than before."
Through two games, the Blues appear to be running on all cylinders, despite breaking in so many new faces. It’s still early, but the Blues have the look of a contender again.
BCC fans will get another opportunity to see the Blues at home tomorrow against Ocean (7 p.m.) before the team hits the road for three road games: Luzerne, Pa., on Saturday (1 p.m.); Passaic, Dec. 14 (8 p.m.); and Mercer, Dec. 19 (7 p.m.).
Brookdale then returns home for Middlesex Dec. 21 (7 p.m.) for the final game of 2000. The Blues open the new year at Delaware Tech (7 p.m.) on Jan. 4.
This year’s Region 19 championships will be held March 2 and 4 at Salem Community College, Carneys Point.
The winner gets a trip to the national championship.