Boys Basketball – VOTE: Seaview Orthopaedic Week 5 Player of the Week

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

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

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 and shirt courtesy of Seaview Orthopaedic.

Players listed alphabetically

Alex Bauman, Red Bank Catholic

This past week was an eye-opener authored by Red Bank Catholic, particularly by Bauman. Red Bank Catholic has been a top-five team all year and Bauman its best all-around player, but last week, the Caseys looked like a legitimate Shore Conference championship contender and Bauman a Player of the Year candidate. In four games this week – all against opponents ranked in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 – the 6-foot-5, 240-pound, high-speed wrecking ball averaged 20.7 points, 14.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and two blocks. His single-game performances included 21 points, 25 rebounds and five assists in a win at Rumson, followed by 19 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and five blocks in the second meeting with the Bulldogs. Bauman capped the week with 25 points and 12 boards at Holmdel.

Josiah Evans, Long Branch

Evans was the leading scorer on Long Branch last year, but the Green Wave only managed to win one game during the entire 2019-20 campaign. Evans was having a quiet 2021 for a winless Long Branch team heading into last week, but that all changed with two breakthrough performances by the senior and his team. Evans poured in 19 points as Long Branch captured its first win of the season by beating Monmouth, then beat the Falcons again later in the week behind 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists from Evans.

Richie Lee, Colts Neck

Colts Neck fell behind Middletown North early in its series opener last week, but when teams meet twice in the same week, the second half of the first game can make for a valuable learning experience, even if the game ends in a loss. Lee scored 13 points in Monday’s five-point loss, but he and the Cougars rebounded by beating Middletown North on the road behind the senior guard’s 27-point outburst.

Savon Myers, Manchester

Manchester was shut down for two weeks due to a case of COVID-19 in its program and its return to play did not go as the Hawks planned. Lacey walked into Manchester’s gym and hammered the Hawks, 73-48, to end any designs of an undefeated season at Manchester. Myers and Co., however, bounced back with a competitive game against Southern, albeit another loss. Myers was outstanding in defeat, posting 25 points in the overtime thriller. The 6-4 junior came back with a career stat line in a win over Point Boro, putting up 30 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Myers capped the week with a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) against Point Boro again and 12 more points in a win at Jackson Memorial.

Vinny Pennino, Middletown North

When Pennino gets going, Middletown North has been a hard team to contain and that showed this week. Pennino averaged 16 points in two games vs. Colts Neck and his second-half scoring helped the Lions nearly erase an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in the second meeting. The senior guard then followed with a career-best performance at Bayonne on Friday in which he scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds and picked off six steals in a Middletown North road win.

Ben Roy, Manasquan

Another week, another collection of outstanding scoring performances for the reigning Shore Sports Network Player of the Year. Roy scored 50 points in two wins over Neptune to open the week, then averaged 28 in two more games against two of the state’s most talented rosters. Roy scored 30 in Thursday’s win over Trenton Catholic, including a halfcourt shot that ended the third quarter and kicked off an game-changing 11-0 run by Manasquan. The Warriors junior guard closed out the week by scoring 17 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to rally Manasquan to a 62-53 win over Life Center Academy.

Matt Shaw, Ocean

Ocean’s season got off to a rocky stat but the Spartans kept plugging away and eventually broke through. Over the majority of the past week, Ocean added to a winning streak that reached six games before Brick Memorial finally brought it to an end by beating the Spartans on Saturday. Shaw was the offensive leader throughout the last week, averaging an even 18 points in the three wins – including 20 in a come-from-behind win over Asbury Park on Thursday.

D.J. Thomson, Keyport

It took Thomson just eight games into his senior season to reach the 1,000-point threshold for his career and after another strong week scoring the ball for the Red Raiders, he currently sits at 1,044 points with just one week left in his junior campaign. Thomson’s last week included two games of 17 points that bookended a 20-point game in a rout of rival Keansburg.

Honorable Mention

Alex Baker, Holmdel (30 points vs. Donovan Catholic, 19 points, 8 rebounds vs. RBC)

Jack Collins, Manasquan (29 points at Neptune; 17 points, 6 rebounds vs TCA; 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks vs Life Center)

Joe Dupuis, Howell (10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists vs. Donovan; 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks at Jackson Memorial)

Chris Frontera, Manalapan (26 points vs. CBA; 17 points at CBA; 24 points at Matawan)

Anthony Mezzina, Manalapan (14 points at CBA; 16 points, game-winning 3-pointer at Matawan)

Logan Peters, Wall (17 points, 8 rebounds at St. Rose; 9 points, 12 rebounds vs. RBC; 14 points, 11 rebounds at Middletown North)

Jack Seidler, Marlboro (24 points at Midd South; 25 points at Neptune)

Jay Silva, Southern (18 points, 6 rebounds at Manchester; 13 points vs. TRE; 17 points, 12 rebounds at TRE)

Chris Venturoso, Lacey (14 points vs. TR South; 14 points at TR South; 23 points, 12 rebounds vs. TR East)

Andre Wells, Matawan (38 points, 5 assists vs. SJV; 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists at SJV; 31 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Manalapan)

Mike White, CBA (28 points at Manalapan; 26 points vs Manalapan)

Nate Williams, St. John Vianney (19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists vs Matawan; 24 points at St. Thomas; 16 points at St. Rose)