Boys Basketball – VOTE: Seaview Orthopaedic Week 1 Player of the Week

Each week during the 2021, Shore Sports Network will nominate eight standout players for the Surf Taco Boys Basketball Player of the Week Award. This week's nominees consist of player who had big games, eye-popping stats and clutch moments in helping their teams start the season off strong.

Read about the eight nominees and some of the honorable mention performers before voting for you Player of the Week pick at the bottom of the page. Vote every hour until the poll closes Wednesday at 10 p.m. The winner will receive a gift card to Jersey Mike's.

Players listed alphabetically

Luke Braaten, Brick Memorial

After missing last season due to a back injury, Braaten has been one of the Shore Conference’s major difference-makers through the first week of the season. Facing a new-look Jackson Memorial team, Braaten posted a pair of double-doubles, going for 19 points and 12 rebounds on opening night and following that up with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists two nights later as Brick Memorial swept its two-game set with the Jaguars.

Isaac Hester, Ranney

It has not taken long for Hester to make a major impact at Ranney. The sophomore guard and Gill St. Bernard transfer led Ranney in scoring in each of the first two games, which were two wins over top-10-ranked Neptune. Hester went for 17 on opening night, then erupted for a career-high 30 points on Friday night at Neptune while also hauling in seven rebounds.

Luke Infurna, Southern

The most noteworthy win of the first week was Southern ending a nearly six-year run by Toms River North in which the Mariners did not lose a game to a team from the Class A South division. Infurna paced Thursday’s 54-44 Rams win over Toms River North with 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists – making Southern the first team from A South to beat the Mariners since Southern knocked them off in February of 2015. Infurna also scored 11 points in an opening-night loss at Toms River North.

Tyler Ochojski, Freehold Boro

After missing last season due to injury and starring on the football field this past fall, Ochojski has been an all-around monster on the court for Freehold Boro so – particularly on the glass. In two games this season – wins over Shore and Raritan – Ochojski is averaging 14.5 points, 18 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2 blocks. In Thursday’s win over Raritan, he came within three assists of a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists.

Tyler Quinn, Barnegat

Barnegat found itself in a scrap on opening night, with Pinelands pushing the Bengals to overtime. Quinn made sure it was a happy bus ride home for Barnegat, hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 0.9 seconds left to cap an 18-point performance and a 45-42 win for his team. Quinn followed up his overtime heroics on opening night with a team-high 14 points to lead the Bengals to a more comfortable win over the Wildcats on Thursday.

Ben Roy, Manasquan

The reigning Shore Sports Network Player of the Year has started 2021 on a rampage, averaging 27 points over his team’s first two regular season games after putting up 28 in a competitive scrimmage against N.J. powerhouse Roselle Catholic. Roy posted 24 points, six assists and five steals in an opening-night rout of St. Rose, then scored 30 points to carry Manasquan to a 53-37 win on the road over the Purple Roses. Manasquan trailed in the second St. Rose meeting, 23-19, before Roy keyed a 14-0 run with 10 straight points over the final four minutes of the third quarter.

Dylan Seay, St. John Vianney

In his first game as a high-school basketball player, Seay starred for a talented young St. John Vianney team. The 6-foot-5 freshman went off for 18 points, 20 rebounds and four assists in Saturday’s rout of Toms River East to open the Lancers’ season.

Andre Wells, Matawan

The lone returning starter at Matawan, Wells did it all for his team during the first week of the season, which ended with the Huskies splitting a pair of games with Middletown North. Wells posted 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists on opening night to ignite a 68-61 road win over the Lions, then made a bid for a triple-double (16 points, six rebounds and 10 assists) in a home loss to Middletown North two nights later.

Honorable Mention

Cyril Arvanitis, Red Bank Catholic (26 points, eight three-pointers in win vs. Long Branch)

Alex Baker, Holmdel (Averaged 19.5 points in two wins)

Alex Bauman, Red Bank Catholic (24 in win at Long Branch)

Jiasion Carpenter, Freehold Boro (Averaged 15 points and 10.5 rebounds in two wins)

Lucas Cerbo, Middletown North (18 points in win at Matawan)

Scott Gymesi, Rumson-Fair Haven (15 points and 17 rebounds in win at Red Bank)

Davon Jackson, Keansburg (35 points in loss at Asbury Park)

Najier Massie, Asbury Park (Averaged 18 points in two wins)

Gavin Migliori, Toms River South (20 points in win at Donovan Catholic)

Savon Myers, Manchester (Averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds in two wins)

Elijah Perkins, Ranney (20 points on 9-for-11 shooting, five assists in win vs. Neptune)

D.J. Thomson, Keyport (52 points in two wins)