EB girls are absorbing coach Sclafani’s changes

BY JIMMY ALLINDER
Correspondent

When Tom Sclafani took over as East Brunswick High School girls basketball coach this year, he cautioned that things would change. Have they.

Not only does the rotation look different — three freshmen and two sophomores play a lot of minutes — Sclafani has added a multitude of offenses and defenses to the Bears’ repertoire. EBHS is not only a work in progress, it’s a resurrection program. The record is 2-9, and unless Sclafani’s plans work magic during the remainder of the season, the Bears will finish under .500.

“This season has been a major learning curve for our players,” he said. “I believe the girls are beginning to understand why we do what we do. They’ve had to learn new offenses and defenses, and we’re obviously young.”

The youth movement is not something Sclafani decided on haphazardly. Practices have been designed in which previous starters only lost their jobs if others beat them out two days in a row. If nothing else, practices have been competitive, which is exactly what the coach wants.

“We are trying to get a little better every day,” he said.

Kaitlyn Potkulski, as expected, has been the mainstay of an offense that has not scored many points, thus the reason the Bears have been on the short end of scores. The senior captain is averaging 10 points a game, an equal number of rebounds, and has been the clear floor leader. Freshman Dayna Sclafani, the coach’s daughter, has made an impact with an 8.0 ppg average and is part of the contingent that will determine East Brunswick’s future success. She is joined by another freshman, Jules Simoes, who has averaged

5.0 ppg.

Senior Kim Koller averages three boards and has been steady in the paint. Other members of the rotation include senior Rachel Cardasco, junior Nicole Reisnet, sophomore Megan Costello and freshmanAlex Kalafor.

Juniors Jessica Dudra and

Hunter Fecskoviks, senior Cara Saso and sophomore Celestine Thomore have also contributed solid minutes.

The Bears’ two victories have come at the expense of Old Bridge and J.P. Stevens, teams they will meet again. EBHS hosted Perth Amboy on Tuesday and will travel to Piscataway to take on the Red Division-leading Chiefs tonight. On Saturday, Wall Township pays a visit for an afternoon contest, which will be followed by four road games: Monday at Edison, Jan. 26 at Old Bridge, Jan. 28 at Sayreville, and Jan. 31 at South Brunswick.