Boys Basketball – The Shore 16: Final Rankings of 2023-24

The season is over and when it comes to Shore Conference boys basketball, it was a unique one. St. Rose opened the season as the No. 1 team in the conference and finished as the No. 1 team in the state. Manasquan opened No. 2 in the conference and ended the season with a loss that made national headlines. Freehold Boro and Central Regional had seasons that could be considered their best in program history, while Red Bank and Henry Hudson had their best seasons in decades.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of this season, though, was the schedule, which created crossover matchups and made for a wild set of rankings throughout the year. In the end, we ended up with a clear-cut top 10 and a Shore 16 with nearly just as much clarity. Within the rankings, however, there is much more room for debate.

To help sort through the madness, each team comes with a breakdown of its record vs. other Shore-16-ranked teams, vs. the top 10 in the rankings and how often each lost to Shore Conference teams outside the rankings. No. 1 and No. 2 in the rankings are clear, but after that you can take your pick. Here is ours.

1. St. Rose (29-2, 11-0) 

Preseason Rank: 1
Vs. Shore 16: 9-0
Vs. Top 10: 9-0
Losses outside Shore 16: None

The season started with St. Rose as the favorite to roll through the Shore Conference and win the NJSIAA Non-Public B championship and somehow, the Purple Roses exceeded expectations. A loss to the Patrick School National Team on opening night might have fostered some doubt among those outside the program about whether or not St. Rose was worthy of the lofty expectations and the Purpled Roses spent the next 30 games putting all those doubts to rest. They went 29-1 after opening night, with the only loss coming to Montverde Academy – the No. 1 team in the country. Just one of St. Rose's 29 wins was decided by fewer than 10 points, which was an overtime win over St. Benedict’s in January. In the end, St. Rose won its first ever Shore Conference Tournament title and first NJSIAA Non-Public B championship since 1977 in dominant fashion on the way to finishing No. 1 in the statewide rankings for the first time in program history.

2025 Outlook: St. Rose will miss Matt Hodge and Gio Panzini dearly, but three other starters, plus two underclassmen off the bench are set to return in Avery Lynch and Tyler Cameron. Jayden Hodge took a step forward as a sophomore and could be primed for even more, while Evan Romano and Bryan Ebeling are heading into their senior seasons.

2. Manasquan (23-7, 9-2) 

Preseason Rank: 2
Vs. Shore 16: 10-3
Vs. Top 10: 8-3
Losses outside Shore 16: 1 (Ranney)

Manasquan’s season ended in court rather than on the court, but the lasting impression Manasquan left as a 2023-24 team was stunning Camden at the buzzer in the Group II semifinal, only to have its win wiped away by a referee overturn that became a national story. Even before that, the Warriors cemented themselves as the undisputed No. 2 team in the Shore Conference by reaching the Shore Conference Tournament final for a sixth straight year thanks to wins over Marlboro, Toms River North and Holmdel. The Warriors’ season also included wins over College Achieve, CBA, East Orange, Red Bank, Red Bank Catholic and Freehold Boro and its last official win was a thrilling, come-from-behind win over Rumson-Fair Haven in the Central Jersey Group II final, giving the Warriors their fifth consecutive sectional title.

2025 Outlook: Griffin Linstra will be back for one more season in what is already a brilliant high-school career and he will have some help. Manasquan graduates four key cogs in Jason Larned, Alex Konov, Luke Roy and Ryan Mulvaney, but will return current freshman Rey Weinseimer after he started all but one game of his freshman year. Jack O’Reilly was the Warriors’ best interior player by the end of the season and is due back as a junior, while a name to watch ascending up the ladder is current 6-foot-5 freshman forward Logan Cleveland.

3. Rumson-Fair Haven (20-7, 8-2) 

Preseason Rank: 7
Vs. Shore 16: 7-5
Vs. Top 10: 3-5
Losses outside Shore 16: None

The Bulldogs came out of last season figuring to have most of its team back, but lost top scorer Luke Schorr to Union Catholic after a stellar debut season at the varsity level. Rumson does not rebuild, however, and the Bulldogs switched things up and went big and physical with their lineup. Senior Nick Rigby was the all-around leader of the team as the point guard and in 6-foot-6 senior Andrew Goodes and 6-8 sophomore Luke Cruz, Rumson had an element of size few public-school teams could boast. The Bulldogs narrowly lost what would have been some big wins along the way as converting free throws and layups were an issue in key moments this year, but Rumson also shined in wins over Holmdel, Red Bank and Red Bank Catholic and did not have anything resembling a bad loss all season. They had the defending champs on the ropes in the fourth quarter of the Central Group II final at Manasquan, but left the door open a crack. Manasquan kicked it down and left Rumson with a bitter taste in its collective mouth heading into the offseason, albeit after a campaign worthy of a No. 3 ranking in the Shore Conference.

2025 Outlook: Rigby, Goodes and Leo Passalaqua are the key departures for the Bulldogs, who are set to return Cruz and current junior guards David Carr and Riley Gill. After losing Schorr last year and with Cruz’s profile as a long 6-8 wing who can shoot and protect the rim, Rumson can’t take for granted that the entire team will return given the state of player movement around the state, but the Bulldogs almost always have an answer when a player exits the program. Next season should be no different.

4. Holmdel (21-4, 9-2) 

Preseason Rank: 11
Vs. Shore 16: 4-4
Vs. Top 10: 3-4
Losses outside Shore 16: None

There are a number of ways to break into the top five and Holmdel’s route was through its consistency. The Hornets entered the year coming off a losing season in 2022-23, but were much healthier heading into this year with its lineup led by the senior trio of Ben Kipnis, Nick Seeloch and James Vallillo. That core of four-year letter-winners carried Holmdel to 20-plus wins, but it is the four losses that stand out. Holmdel’s four losses all came against the three teams ranked ahead of the Hornets, with Manasquan beating them once in the regular season and again in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals. The 21 wins included victories at Toms River North, at Freehold Boro and against Central at a neutral site in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Holmdel made it to the semifinals of both the SCT and the Central Group II Playoffs, where they lost to Manasquan and Rumson, respectively.

2025 Outlook: With Kipnis, Seeloch and Vallillo graduating, Holmdel will have a lot of production to replace, but some promising pieces likely to be in place. Daxx Corneiro was a steady all-around performer as a junior and sophomore Jack Vallillo is on track to be a four-year contributor at the varsity level. C.J. Karis, Ire Adesina and 6-4 sophomore Luke Schneider will all be back as well, so while the three starters leave a sizable void, Holmdel should have five returning contributors to potentially fill the spots.

5. Central (22-5, 11-0) 

Preseason Rank: 3
Vs. Shore 16: 2-4
Vs. Top 10: 1-3
Losses outside Shore 16: None

Prior to this season, the Central boys basketball program had won a division title, won 20 games, reached the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals and advanced to the sectional semifinal round of the NJSIAA Tournament. Never, however, had the Golden Eagles done all four of those things in the same season, but this year, they put it all together and authored what could very well be the best season in program history. Central did not play a high volume of games against other teams in these rankings, but the Golden Eagles challenged themselves with games in losses to Marlboro and Red Bank Catholic early on and later broke through with wins over Toms River North, South Jersey Group III champion Mainland and Haddonfield, which was 21 heading into its game vs. Central. For a third straight year, Central’s season ended with a state-tournament loss to Eastern Regional.

2025 Outlook: Central bids farewell to four-year starter and 1,000-point scorer Miles Chevalier, but will bring back another 1,000-point scorer in Jaycen Santucci. Jordan Barbot will also be a key graduation loss, both for his leadership and on-court toughness, but Central is due to return 6-3 forward Royalty Riley and point guard Jayson King as seniors. That starting trio should keep Central in the mix for a similar ranking to open up 2024-25.

6. Christian Brothers Academy (18-7, 9-1) 

Preseason Rank: 6
Vs. Shore 16: 9-4
Vs. Top 10: 2-4
Losses outside Shore 16: None

CBA swallowed a bitter pill to close out 2023-24 by surrendering a 13-point lead with 12 minutes to go vs. Paul VI in a 61-52 NJSIAA South Non-Public A semifinal loss. Paul VI would go on to dominate the sectional final against defending group champion Union Catholic, while CBA was left out of the sectional final for an eighth straight season. On the bright side, CBA won the Class A North championship, picked up wins over Rumson-Fair Haven and Red Bank Catholic within the Shore Conference, and beat a strong Camden Catholic side – which beat Manasquan during the regular season – in the state tournament. CBA has a lot to like within its résumé relative to Central, but the Colts lost to Mainland by 30, while Central beat the Mustangs. CBA’s consistency, meanwhile, keeps the Colts ahead of the next batch of teams.

2025 Outlook: CBA will be entering next season with high expectations and about as much returning experience as the Colts have had in quite some time. Senior Peter Noble is the only starter graduating and Dylan Kielb is the only other senior in the 2023-24 regular rotation who will be joining him. Justin Fuerbacher and Kevin Pikiell will be senior returning starters, while Charlie Marcoullier and Connor Andree are back in the lineup as juniors. Sophomore Gavin Marlin and junior Cam Reynholds saw key minutes off the bench and should help even more next winter.

7. Toms River North (21-8, 9-2) 

Preseason Rank: 4
Vs. Shore 16: 6-3
Vs. Top 10: 3-3
Losses outside Shore 16: 3 (Toms River South, Southern, Matawan)

At its best, Toms River North was in the running for the No. 2 spot in the conference. The Mariners split the season-series with both Manasquan and Central and pounded Rumson-Fair Haven on a neutral court in the lone meeting between the teams. That energy was not always present, however, as Toms River North also lost to Toms River South, Southern and Matawan, as well as a Hightstown team that finished the season with a losing record. When it came time to show up, though, Toms River North was undeniably good. The Mariners won the WOBM Christmas Classic by beating Colts Neck, Central and Manasquan, made the SCT quarterfinals and lost to Manasquan in overtime, then gave Group IV runner-up Lenape all it could handle in a 62-59 loss to the Indians in the South Jersey Group IV semifinals.

2025 Outlook: Toms River North is bracing for a big graduation hit – likely the most significant loss of production of any top 10 team. The Mariners won’t be totally lost: junior Sherrod Nelson and sophomore Bryce Kazanowsky both started this season and will be asked to step up their games, with senior-to-be Mekai Morse also due back after playing his way into the rotation as a junior this winter.

8. Freehold Boro (24-8, 7-4) 

Preseason Rank: Not ranked
Vs. Shore 16: 3-5
Vs. Top 10: 1-4
Losses outside Shore 16: 2 (Freehold Township, St. John Vianney)

The Colonials started the season unranked, which was not a reflection of their talent or potential, but rather a reflection of how far they had to climb from where they were. The 0-21 season of 2021-22 has constantly come up over the last month or so in the wake of Freehold Boro’s success, but this team was also just 8-16 a year ago with one win within the Class A Central division. For the first month of the season, Freehold Boro beat up on less talented teams and lost to a handful of juggernauts, with some tough losses to Freehold Township and St. John Vianney mixed in. Come tournament time, however, the Colonials put their best foot forward. Between the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournaments, they went 6-2 with losses to two top 10 teams in the state (No. 1 St. Rose and No. 7 Ramapo) and won their first NJSIAA sectional championship in 51 years by beating Red Bank in the Central Group III final. The start-to-finish résumé is what lands Freehold Boro in the back-end of the top 10 – the margin of defeat vs. Ramapo probably didn’t help either – but could you make a case the Colonials were playing like a top-five team in the Shore Conference at the end of the season? Absolutely.

2025 Outlook: Freehold Boro will have a hard time replacing senior point guard Christian DiGiso after he departs following a four-year varsity career, but the Colonials are on track to return just about everything else. Sam Cranwell and Will Hon were unsung-but-important contributors who will also graduate, but the emergence of current sophomore Damier Lester should help offset those losses. The core, however, has a chance to be even better next year, as standouts Brian Tassey, Aidan Hamlin-Woolfolk and Qua’Mir Everett will all be seniors next fall.

9. Red Bank (21-5, 9-1) 

Preseason Rank: 14
Vs. Shore 16: 6-5
Vs. Top 10: 2-4
Losses outside Shore 16: None

In a lot of ways, Red Bank was a similar story to Freehold Boro. Both teams won only eight games last year, but improved dramatically on the way to 20-plus wins and deep NJSIAA Tournament runs. The Bucs were actually the more consistent team of the two from start-to-finish, with Red Bank scoring wins over Southern, Marlboro and CBA in its first four games. Red Bank went on to win its first outright division title in Class B North since the 2006-07 season, landed the No. 4 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and the No. 1 seed in the Central Jersey Group III section. The SCT ended with an upset loss to Howell in the round of 16, but the Bucs responded by going to the Central Group III championship game for the first time in 10 years. The Bucs ran into the Freehold Boro buzzsaw in the final, but gave the Red Bank community a reason to celebrate with their best season in more than a decade.

2025 Outlook: Red Bank is in a good spot going into next season despite graduating a pair of productive senior leaders in Braydon Kirkpatrick and Jameson Ackerman. Point guard Zayier Dean will be back for one more season and classmates Ryan Fisher and Trey Moore emerged as key members of the starting lineup over the course of the year. Factor in junior Anthony Moore, freshman Justin Valentino and sophomore Matt Crystian getting a year better and coach George Sourlis should have some good options next winter with a chance to build upon this year’s success.

10. Red Bank Catholic (15-13, 5-5) 

Preseason Rank: 5
Vs. Shore 16: 6-7
Vs. Top 10: 3-5
Losses outside Shore 16: 1 (Middletown South)

Although the Caseys barely finished above .500 this season, that record came against a grueling schedule. RBC matched Manasquan and CBA for the most games against teams in the Shore 16 rankings and only St. Rose and Manasquan played more games vs. teams ranked in the top 10. On top of that, the Caseys also faced Rutgers Prep, St. Peter’s Prep, East Orange, Newark Collegiate, Seton Hall Prep and Northern Highlands outside the conference. Amid the roller-coaster 15-13 season, RBC knocked off Rumson, Central and Red Bank for three wins over teams in the Shore Top 10.

2025 Outlook: The Caseys boasted a dynamic six-man rotation and four members of that group will be graduating this spring. Ryan Prior, however, is due back after leading the team in scoring and fellow junior Sean Saxton was a spark off the bench despite being only seven-months removed from a torn ACL at the start of the year. Filling in the rest of the lineup will be a challenge, but Prior and Saxton are a starting point most teams would take.

11. Marlboro (17-9, 4-6) 

Preseason Rank: 10
Vs. Shore 16: 4-8
Vs. Top 10: 2-6
Losses outside Shore 16: None

Marlboro made a statement on opening night with a win at Central and went on to have a solid season in which the Mustangs reached the semifinals of the NJSIAA Central Group IV Tournament. They finished behind Manalapan and Howell in the Class A North standings, but beat Manalapan head-to-head and those two top 10 wins over Central and Freehold Boro stand out.

2025 Outlook: The Mustangs graduate their three most productive starters in Steve Scimone, Dan Elmasri and Brave Haugh, so there will be plenty of questions heading into next season. The return of standout freshman Nolan Gong will be a good place to start.

12. Manalapan (17-11, 5-5) 

Preseason Rank: Not ranked
Vs. Shore 16: 2-7
Vs. Top 10: 0-5
Losses outside Shore 16: 2 (Manchester, Southern)

With a share of the Class A North public division championship and the team’s first trip to the sectional semifinal round of the NJSIAA Tournament since 1999, this past season was a big one for the Braves. On top of winning games against Howell and Colts Neck in the regular season and state-tournament games over Middletown South and Jackson Memorial, the Braves also went down to the wire vs. Holmdel, Red Bank Catholic and Red Bank.

2025 Outlook: Manalapan was a senior-driven team overall, but the Braves will have two key cogs back in leading scorer and rebounder Aidan Sosinov and sharpshooting freshman Joe Farino.

13. Colts Neck (17-9, 6-4) 

Preseason Rank: 12
Vs. Shore 16: 4-7
Vs. Top 10: 1-4
Losses outside Shore 16: None

After a promising December that included wins over Red Bank Catholic and Marlboro, plus an overtime battle against Toms River North that ended in a loss, the Cougars were a solid team that did not have any major slip-ups but did not upset the apple cart with any big wins once the calendar flipped to 2025. They also lost at home to Shore in the first round of the SCT, which might have been more about Shore being better than a No. 22 seed.

2025 Outlook: The Cougars will lose their top two players in Vova Trotsko and Mike Belcher, but this season saw several non-seniors step up. Lukas Sloane, Dillon Younger, Bryce Belcher and Dan Buoncore all played well in their roles and all will be back next season, with Younger still looking at two more high school seasons after completing his junior year.

14. Donovan Catholic (18-9, 10-0) 

Preseason Rank: Not ranked
Vs. Shore 16: 2-7
Vs. Top 10: 0-5
Losses outside Shore 16: 1 (Toms River South)

Through 21 games, Donovan Catholic was 18-3, but closed the season with six straight losses. Those losses were against five ranked Shore Conference teams, plus a brand-name program: CBA, Manalapan, Toms River North, Freehold Boro, Colts Neck and St. Augustine. Before the end-of-season crash, Donovan Catholic won its first outright division championship in 14 years by beating out Shore for the Class B Central title.

2025 Outlook: A collection of guards – Jack Maleck, Chris Miranda and Matt Gerrity – are on the way out, but an exciting group is due back. Junior Ryan Jacobs was the team’s top scorer this season and classmate James Gibbons was a dependable interior presence after missing his sophomore year with a knee injury. Amare Walker also looks like a major piece after more than holding his own as a freshman this season. Throw in 6-5 center Kai Pritchard and the Griffins could be even better a year from now.

15. Shore (19-9, 8-2) 

Preseason Rank: 16
Vs. Shore 16: 2-4
Vs. Top 10: 0-3
Losses outside Shore 16: 4 (Henry Hudson, Toms River South, St. John Vianney, Ranney)

The 2022-23 season ended with Shore losing a heartbreaker in the Central Group I final and the Blue Devils resolved to get back and finish off the title this season. It might have worked out if not for College Achieve bursting on the scene as a state power that was thrust into Group I field. Shore gave College Achieve its toughest game of the Group I Tournament, cutting College Achieve’s lead to six in the third quarter before ultimately losing, 71-45. Before that frustrating finish in the sectional semifinals, the Blue Devils won a first-round SCT game at Colts Neck while racking up 19 wins along the way.

2025 Outlook: The Blue Devils graduate five seniors in Alex George, Gianni Fiumefreddo, Joe Santi, Tyler Jackson and Dom DiFiore, so next year’s team will look much different. Bryce Crowe proved he can score as a junior, particularly while Shore was waiting on George to get healthy during the first month of the season.

16. Howell (17-11, 5-5) 

Preseason Rank: Not ranked
Vs. Shore 16: 3-7
Vs. Top 10: 2-4
Losses outside Shore 16: 2 (Jackson Memorial twice)

The Rebels round out the Shore 16 after matching a single-season school record with 17 wins and reaching the SCT quarterfinals for just the second time in school history and first time in 13 years. In getting there, Howell picked up wins over Red Bank, Red Bank Catholic and Marlboro, which laid the groundwork for their No. 16 finish. Two losses to Jackson Memorial – the second of which knocked them out of the NJSIAA Tournament in the opening round – keep the Rebels on the edge of the rankings, but they did enough to hold on to the last spot

2025 Outlook: D.J. Orloff and Chris Meehan have been centerpiece players for Howell over the last three years and replacing them will be a tall task. The Rebels, however, have some strength in numbers with the projected returns of junior Zach Padilla, sophomore Cayden Parker and junior Joe Vella.

First Four Out

Ranney (12-13, 7-4)

Vs. Shore 16: 2-9
Vs. Top 10: 1-8
Losses outside Shore 16: 1 (St. John Vianney)

Southern (16-10, 7-4)

Vs. Shore 16: 2-4
Vs. Top 10: 1-3
Losses outside Shore 16: 4 (Barnegat, Toms River South, Jackson Memorial, Matawan)

St. John Vianney (13-14, 8-3)

Vs. Shore 16: 2-8
Vs. Top 10: 1-6
Losses outside Shore 16: 2 (Middletown South twice)

Barnegat (17-10, 7-4)

Vs. Shore 16: 0-4
Vs. Top 10: 0-3
Losses outside Shore 16: 3 (Manchester, Point Boro, Toms River East)