Boardwalk Hoop Group Showcase: What to Watch For

An annual rite of winter for Shore Conference boys basketball fans is upon us, as the Boardwalk Hoop Group Showcase will take place on Saturday at Long Branch High School.

The showcase features seven Shore Conference teams, six of which are ranked in the Shore Sports Network Top 10. Here is what to watch for in the four-game event.

Note: The girls Boardwalk Hoop Group Showcase will be held on Jan. 18 at Rumson-Fair Haven. Check out the schedule here.

Shore (5-2) vs. Neptune (3-3), noon

The Blue Devils got off to an 0-2 start but have been dominant since then, rolling through the field at the Albert Martin Memorial Buc Classic at Red Bank and picking up some lop-sided wins in Class A Central. Ranked No. 8 in the most recent SSN Top 10, they are one of the most balanced teams in the Shore Conference, and this team may have higher expectations than any team in Blue Devils history on the heels of a 20-win season.

This junior class came in with a lot of hype at a program that has not enjoyed much championship success in its history, and this is the year to show it's justified. It's not often that a Shore Regional team is ever favored against a traditional Shore power like Neptune, but that is definitely the case here.

Senior point guard Dan Pillari has been one of the conference's best in the earlygoing, and there could be a good match-up in this one with Neptune senior guard Shakeem Richardson, the Scarlet Fliers' leading scorer. Pillari erupted for a career-high 40 points in a 10-point loss to St. Joseph's-Metuchen, the No. 1 team in the state, in a 10-point loss in the second game of the season.

However, Shore is at its most dangerous when it plays unselfishly. The perfect example was its win over Manasquan in the Buc Classic final. All five starters - Pillari, senior Matt Cosentino and juniors Dan Largey, Kevin Bloodgood and Jack Byrne - all scored in double figures. The Blue Devils can spread the floor and bury teams with the 3-point shot when they are moving the ball and penetrating and dishing.

They should get a good dose of the full-court pressure that Neptune traditionally employs, so there will be opportunities for open looks from behind the arc in transition as well as slashes to the basket.

As for Neptune, the Scarlet Fliers have been searching for consistent scoring in the early going as they try to find their footing. Richardson and junior Kerry Kirkwood have been solid, with Cameron Calderon and Myles Mooney showing flashes, but they are looking for others to emerge, particularly in the interior. This will also be a good test to see where their defense is at against a Shore team with multiple threats.

Christian Brothers Academy (4-2) vs. St. Anthony (5-1), 1:40 p.m.

The world is right again, as the CBA-St. Anthony game returns after a one-year hiatus. This match-up has been a staple of the Shore schedule for a long time, so it's good to see it back.

No. 3 CBA has played a rugged schedule in the early going, and obviously that continues against the perennially loaded Friars and Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hurley Sr. CBA has already seen national power DeMatha (Md.) and lost a one-point game to a solid West Orange team this season. The Colts have had a knack for giving St. Anthony tough games over the years, so we'll see if they can hang in until the end.

Louie Pillari, Pat Andree, Jack Laffey and Chimaechi Ekekeugbor lead the way for the Colts, who were dealt a blow when senior Evan Gordinier, who has been an all-around performer this season, suffered a foot injury this week that will keep him out of the lineup. This team has shown it can hang in there with some quality opponents, so the question is whether it can finish the job if the game stays close in the fourth quarter. As usual, a major factor will be how CBA handles St. Anthony's trademark suffocating pressure, so this will be a good test of the Colts' backcourt, namely Shaun Belbey, Rob Kennedy and Luke O'Shaughnessy.

This is also the kind of game where it will be a chance to see how Pillari, a Navy recruit, and Andree, a prospect from the Class of 2016, measure up against Division I-caliber competition. St. Anthony senior guard Tarin Smith, who is a Monmouth County kid from Ocean Township, has multiple offers from mid-major programs like Holy Cross and Quinnipiac, and 6-3 senior guard Cheddi Mosley has committed to Boston University. Six-foot-8 junior forward Mohamed Bendary, 6-7 junior forward Markis McDuffie and 6-8 sophomore Taurean Thompson give the Friars size up front.

St. Anthony graduated four Division I starters from last year's team and suffered its first loss, 49-48, to Paterson Eastside on Sunday. The Friars are still getting all the parts in place on a young and inexperienced team, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous and talented as always. This is yet another test to prepare CBA for down the road in the postseason as it tries to bounce back from one of its worst seasons ever.

Long Branch (5-2) vs. Lakewood (5-1), 3:20 p.m.

Lakewood, the defending Shore Conference Tournament champion and current No. 2 team in the SSN Top 10, is clearly the favorite in this one even though Long Branch is ranked only two spots behind at No. 4.

The Piners' only loss is to state-ranked Rancocas Valley from their holiday tournament. This is a chance for fans to get a look at some of their new talent, including junior transfer Ryan Lawrence, a 6-3 guard, and senior forward Dan Niblack, a transfer from Jackson Liberty. They combine with returning stalwarts like senior guard Mo Diawara and big Ben Watson, a 6-foot-8, 320-pound senior center. Both were key cogs on last year's team that brought the Piners back to the top of the Shore Conference.

Senior guard Haseem McGrady is another to watch, and Lakewood also has some talented sophomores in Hassan Diawara, Sean Barksdale and Amir Tyler. They play tough, full-court defense and press relentlessly, while looking to push the ball on offense. Lakewood relentlessly attacks the offensive glass, so this will be a big test of Long Branch's frontcourt led by seniors Hassan Foster and Myson Pennington.

Long Branch's playmaker is senior guard Terrel Cox, who passed the 1,000-point mark for his career last week. He has been one of the Shore Conference's top scorers early in the season and has improved his efficiency from the outside. Last year, the now-graduated Dwight Clark was the primary ball-handler, but with him gone, Lakewood will look to tire Cox out by forcing him to expend energy handling the ball against pressure. The Piners have several quick defenders they can run at him in succession. Green Wave guards Izayah Irizarry and Jamar Foster will have to make plays against the press and take care of the ball to keep the Green Wave right in it.

For Lakewood, this is a good one to have on the resume when it comes time to seed the SCT. For Long Branch, this is a chance to shake off a loss to Matawan last week and show that it is a legitimate final four SCT contender by getting a big win on its home floor.

Point Beach (5-0) vs Jackson Memorial (6-2), 5 p.m.

The Garnet Gulls are the top-ranked team in the SSN Top 10 and have marauded everyone in their path thus far this season. Meanwhile, Jackson Memorial comes in off a tough loss on the road at Southern on Friday night with first place in Class A South on the line.

Point Beach features senior point guard Matt Farrell, one of New Jersey's best and a Division I prospect with numerous offers who was initially committed to Boston College before re-opening his recruitment. Senior guard/forward Dom Uhl is committed to Iowa, and senior guard/forward Noah Yates just committed to Yale for football on Thursday night. They form a fearsome trio that few, if any, Shore teams can match.

Junior forward Chris Schifano has returned from a torn ACL suffered at last year's Boardwalk showcase, and 6-8 senior Jeff Bryant adds size and offensive rebounding prowess up front. Sophomore guard Matt Van Nostrand gives them another outside shooter on a team where Schifano, Farrell, Uhl and Yates are all threats from behind the arc.

They have a decided advantage at guard because of their experience and explosiveness, so they will look to pressure the Jaguars relentlessly to make it hard to work the ball inside to 6-foot-9 Jackson senior Eric Carter, who is committed to Delaware. Carter has been a force early on, with Monsignor Donovan transfer Jesse Hill serving as the most consistent complementary scorer. The question is whether Carter can get consistent position deep on the block and whether Jackson can get entry passes in there so that he can create fouls against a Garnet Gulls frontcourt that does not have much depth.

Guards Gino Palummo, C.J. Blue and Jimmy Marcum will have to play their best game of the season to keep the Jaguars in it, and Carter, forward Marcus Ademilola, and Hill will have to do the job on the defensive glass to limit Point Beach to one shot. They also have to try to control the tempo because if it turns into a track meet, Point Beach will blow it open in a hurry.

Like Lakewood, this would be one for the SCT resume for Point Beach, while Jackson would stun the Shore with an upset. I would also think Lakewood and Point Beach, which squared off in last year's SCT final, will use this opportunity to get a good look at one another as they could be on a collision course for a second meeting this season.