The 2009-10 Brookdale Community College women’s basketball team skipped the appetizers and went straight to the main course. With just one starter returning and eight freshmen on the team, head coaches Marianne Campacci and Joanne Cobb did what most coaches in their position would not have done.
Rather than scheduling a few easy games early while their young team got its feet wet, the coaches threw the players into the deep end of the pool, scheduling a strong Division II team, Delaware Tech-Stanton, for the opening game of the 2009-10 season.
“We said let’s challenge ourselves and see what we have,” said Campacci.
What the coaches discovered in a 62-61 home victory is that they have another championship caliber basketball team.
On the strength of that win and a 7-0 start to the season, the Jersey Blues are ranked No. 9 in the nation among Division III junior colleges and they are moving up.
On Dec. 10 the Jersey Blues beat No. 5 Cumberland, 72-40, in Lincroft to further solidify their national ranking and to take the early lead in the Garden State Athletic Conference.
Campacci and Cobb knew that in preseason camp the young players’ personalities had meshed. What remained to be seen was how they would click in a game. The answer was very well.
Brookdale pulled off its 62-61 win over Delaware Tech by making big plays in the final seconds. First, Michelle Blum (Howell) canned a jumper with :17 left to break a 59- 59 tie. With :12 remaining, Victoria DeTata (Brick Township) stole the ball and passed to Ria Zanetich (Point Pleasant). Zanetich was fouled and made one free throw for a 62-59 cushion. Delaware Tech scored at the buzzer to make the final score 62-61.
It was nice for the coaches to find out early in the season that they have players who can step up when a game is on the line.
“It is important to know we can do it,” said Camapcci.
It was no surprise that Blum and DeTata made the big plays. DeTata, a freshman, is the Jersey Blues’ floor general.
“She’s like a coach on the floor,” Campacci said of her point guard. “She sets the stage.”
DeTata is third on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg.) and assists (5.0 apg.). She also plays the point on the team’s full-court press.
Blum, a sophomore who missed last year because of injury and is with the Jersey Blues for the first time, is the ideal No. 2 guard. She can knock down a jumper as she did against Delaware Tech. Many people would be surprised to see that she leads the team in steals with 14 through the first seven games. She is averaging 11.5 ppg., second best on the team.
Another freshman, Brielle Martinez (Hamilton), has been making a big impact. She leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg.) and is Brookdale’s top rebounder (10.7 rpg.).
Kaitlin McLaughlin (Manasquan) is the lone returning starter from last year’s 21-4 squad and can play inside or outside. At 5-11, McLaughlin is the tallest player on the team and plays a big role in the press.
The Jersey Blues do not have a 6-2 or 6-3 post player they have had in the past, so rebounding has been a team effort. Tia Curtis, a 5-10 forward from Monmouth Regional (Tinton Falls), Jana McCabe (Brick Township) and Blum are all averaging about five rebounds a game in what has been a collective effort under the glass.
Zanetich, a 5-10 guard/forward, is one of the few veterans back from 2008-09, and Kerriann Cassarello (Keansburg) is a 5-9 forwardwho is another talented freshman on the team. They have been helping out on the glass, too, with Zanetich pulling down 4.7 rpg. a game and Cassarello grabbing 5.7 rpg.
The Jersey Blues are averaging 45 rebounds per game, but only Martinez is averaging double figures.
This edition of the Jersey Blues resembles teams of the past that also employed fullcourt pressure. The Jersey Blues are averaging 10 steals a game and like previous Brookdale teams, everyone on the roster has been making a contribution.
Kayla Borden (Freehold Township), Victoria Finelli (Brick Township), and Shannon Sharkey (Southern Regional) complete the talented incoming freshman class that has played so well.
Jessica Liubicich (Middletown North) is a 6-0 forward who is also back from 2008-09.
In Brookdale’s 72-40 romp over Cumberland, Martinez led the way with her third straight double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds). Blum also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds (a season high). DeTata handed out seven assists while scoring nine points, and Finelli had a career-high 10 rebounds.
The Jersey Blues have been on cruise control since the Delaware Tech game, winning four of their next six games by 30 points or more.
On Dec. 12 Brookdale improved to 7-0 with a 71-60 home victory over Northampton Community College of Pennsylvania. Martinez established a school record with 30 rebounds. She topped the old mark of 27 rebounds set by current assistant coach Jen Thompson.
Blum led Brookdale with 18 points and also had three assists.
Brookdale is the defending Garden State Athletic Conference champion.
This is the 10th season that Campacci and Cobb have been coaching the Jersey Blues. They have led the team to seven GSAC championships. They expect to reach 200 wins at the Lincroft college in the near future (they have 193 after the Cumberland victory).
Brookdale’s next home game will be on Dec. 22 against Sussex County Community College in a GSAC game that tips off at 5 p.m.