The Shore Daily, 1/27/15
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As we near the halfway point of the 2014-15 basketball season, which concludes on March 23 with the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, it's time to assess the current Shore Conference Player of the Year candidates.
Also, I figured you needed something to read after you get done shoveling snow or playing Call of Duty for the 15th straight hour or watching that 23rd straight episode of Law & Order: SVU.
Real quick, before I get to that, two things. First, congrats to Southern senior lineman Clay Robinson, who has committed to play at Davidson College. Second, the Shore Conference Wrestling Tournament preliminary round, first round and quarterfinals have all been compressed into one day on Friday at the sites of the top four seeds (Howell, Brick Memorial, Brick, Jackson Memorial). Here is the revised SCT schedule, and here are the latest Top 10 rankings from Bob Badders.
Now, back to basketball. This has been an intriguing season so far because many of the top 10 teams in the Shore are built more on balance than on one particular star who would be an obvious POY candidate. Clearly, team success matters. Just look at the past Players of the Year: Point Beach's Matt Farrell, now a guard at Notre Dame, led the Garnet Gulls to last season's Shore Conference Tournament and Central Jersey Group I titles.
The 2012-13 POY, Lakewood's Tyrice Beverette, now a defensive back on the Stony Brook football team, led the Piners to the SCT and Central Jersey Group II titles. The 2010-11 and 2011-12 POY was Raritan's Mike Aaman, now a forward at Wagner, whose team won the SCT during his junior season and won multiple division titles while reaching a sectional final.
What all that means is that if a player's team doesn't even make it to Brookdale Community College for the SCT quarterfinals or reach an NJSIAA sectional final, he is going to have to have an amazing statistical year to be in the discussion. There are certainly some All-Shore talents on .500-level teams, but putting them in the POY discussion is a stretch.
With that said, let's look at who has stood out so far and some darkhorse contenders.
Pat Andree, Jr., F, Christian Brothers Academy
Andree just became the first CBA junior to hit 1,000 points for his career since the legendary Bob Roma in 1974, and he is a Division I talent on a strong contender for the SCT crown. He is averaging 17 and 8 for the season, but does not lead the team in scoring, as that is senior teammate Jack Laffey at 19 points per game. Laffey could certainly be CBA's candidate if he has a standout postseason, so he is another to watch. You've got to think that if the Colts are going to win the SCT, Andree has to have a big tournament. He was a first-team All-Shore player as a sophomore, so he has risen to the occasion in the tournaments already in his career.
Tymere Berry, Sr., G, Toms River South
The football star is going out with a bang on the basketball court, as he leads the Shore Conference at 26.7 points per game. He is not just a scorer, though, as he also averages 9.3 rebounds per game at 5-foot-11, dishes out 4.6 assists per game and averages 3.3 steals per game. He has the gaudiest numbers of any of the players in the discussion, so it's all about whether Toms River South can have the team success to back up his candidacy. The Indians are 7-4 and only a game out of first place in the Class A South race. If they can find a way to take down No. 1 Toms River North and win or share the division title, that's a great start. Then it will be up to making a run in the SCT and/or state tournament.
Amir Tyler, Jr., G, Lakewood
I remember first meeting Tyler when he was a freshman football player and coach L.J. Clark introduced me to him, telling me that he was being mentored by star Tyrice Beverette and would be the next Tyrice. Tyler hasn't disappointed, as he is almost a clone of Beverette, a football standout who is a bulldog on the basketball court as a defender, scorer and rebounder. However, splitting the vote from the Piners could certainly be senior guard Ryan Lawrence, who leads the team at 16.2 ppg. Lakewood appears well on its way to the Class B South crown and certainly has to be considered a contender for SCT and Central Jersey Group II crowns.
Brendan Barry, Jr., G, Rumson-FH
One of the most impressive individual players I have seen in person this season, Barry is averaging more than 24 points per game and was leading the Shore Conference in 3-pointers made in the last edition of the stat leaders last week. He also averages nearly 5 assists per game and is right there at the top of the steal leaders at better than 4 per game. He has gotten Ivy League interest on the recruiting front, and also is a very efficient player. He is not a chucker who gets points by flinging up 30 shots per game. He picks his spots well and shoots better than 50 percent. That means it will come down to whether he can carry a Bulldogs team currently in second place in Class A Central to any meaningful postseason runs like last season, when they made an underdog push to the Central Jersey Group II final.
Ryan Jensen, Jr., F, Manasquan
Manasquan is a pretty balanced team, so it's really about how Jensen has affected the game in so many areas. He averages about 13 points per game, but leads the Shore at 13.4 rebounds per game and averages nearly 3 blocks per game in patrolling the paint. The Warriors are tied for first in their quest for a third straight Class A Central title. They have a good shot to make a push to at least the SCT semifinals and to make a run in Central Jersey Group II so his candidacy could potentially build steam as the season progresses.
Mike Nyisztor, So., G, Toms River North
The Mariners are currently the No. 1 team in the Shore, but they are one of those aforementioned groups that have done it with balance. Nyisztor leads them at 15 points per game and also is in the top five in the Shore in 3-pointers made and free-throw percentage. However, there are certainly other standouts on this team, as sophomore Darrion Carrington leads the Shore at 7.5 assists per game and senior center Jordan Craig is pulling down almost nine rebounds per game. Nyisztor already has the MVP of the WOBM Christmas Classic under his belt, and if this team continues on its trajectory, it will have to have a Player of the Year candidate. Right now that looks like Nyisztor.
Sadiq Palmer, Jr., F, Red Bank
An integral part of another squad with great balance, Palmer (#5, above) has been a big-game performer for the Bucs, who are right in the hunt for the Class B North title and look to make a return to the Central Jersey Group III final after falling to Ewing last season. He is only a few decimal points behind senior guard Anthony Mitchell for the team lead in scoring, as both are over 13 points per game. Palmer also leads the Bucs in rebounding at better than 9 per game. Red Bank is going to need him to be consistently good in order to make a deep SCT run.
Dark horse
Dan Largey, Sr., G/F, Shore Regional
Largey is averaging better than 20 points per game as one of the Shore's most improved players, and he has the Blue Devils right in the thick of the Class A Central race, tied for first with Manasquan. He doesn't have particularly good numbers in other areas, so it really comes down to whether his scoring can take the Blue Devils back to the Central Jersey Group I final and possibly win it. Shore has also rarely done much in the SCT in its history, so a trip to the semifinals would be huge as far as getting conference-wide respect.
Splitting the vote
Peyton Wejnert, Jr., F/Jake Logue, Sr., G/F, Southern
The Southern duo definitely has the numbers, as Wejnert is neck-and-neck with Berry for the Shore Conference scoring lead at better than 25 points per game, while Logue is averaging 20 himself. This is a team that looked like the preseason favorite to win Class A South but is currently in third place, so it's going to take some work by the Rams to get back into the conversation among top teams in the Shore to give any juice to the candidacy of either player.
Chris O'Reilly, Sr., G/Lloyd Daniels, Jr., G, Colts Neck
The Cougars' guard tandem has been one of the better ones in the Shore. Talk to most coaches, and they will tell you they have O'Reilly circled first on the scouting report, but Daniels has also been a huge part of their resurgent season. He has hit three game-winning shots inside 30 seconds and recently had a 25-point game in a win over Point Beach. If they can surprise some people in the Class B North race and the SCT, one of these two, or both, will be a big reason.
Trent Mitchell, Sr., G/Brendan Barcas, Sr., G/Ryan Janeczek, Sr., G, Wall
On any given night, it could be one of three players who really hurt an opponent for the Crimson Knights during their breakout season. That's a great set-up for winning games and being difficult to defend, but not for having a single POY candidate.
Take your pick
Tyree Wilson, Sr., G, Freehold Township
It's pretty much splitting hairs to say who is the Patriots' top player. It almost depends on the night, but Wilson has been their leading scorer at better than 13 per game and has stepped up in some big spots, including a 22-point game in a win over CBA last week. Between the Czajkowski twins, point guard Nick Facendo and others, this team has so much balance that no completely obvious POY candidate has emerged. For now it's Wilson, but it could be someone else by the time the tournaments get rolling.
Liam Byrne, Sr., G, Red Bank Catholic
He leads the Caseys at 14 points per game, and talking to opposing coaches, they note that when he is on his game, that is when a balanced RBC team is at its best. His long-range shooting opens up everything for the Caseys, so it's really a question of consistency in big tournament games that would boost him from a fringe candidate to the center of the discussion. Much like Freehold Township, on any given night, a different player can look like RBC's best player, so it remains to be seen who will step up in the postseason.
More on Tuesday:
- An injury to a starter could mean a big opportunity for Iowa freshman forward Dom Uhl (Point Beach).
- Senior Mike Balkovic (St. John Vianney) is averaging a double-double at Caldwell College with team highs in rebounds and scoring. Another starter for Caldwell has been guard Brian Kenny (Jackson Memorial), who is third on the team in assists.
- A big-time Texas football recruit had some fun with the process by announcing his two final "choices,'' including ITT Tech.
- Some good insight on Roger Goodell's buddy-buddy relationship with Pats owner Robert Kraft and how Goodell treats his NFL employees.
- Stores may start using facial recognition software that allows employees to take a picture of you with an iPhone and check a database to see who you are.
- Brian Banks, who has an extraordinary story of being exonerated of a rape that derailed a promising football career, is now working as an ambassador with the NFL.
On tap for tonight: By the looks of it, Shore Conference sports should get rolling again by Wednesday with a full basketball schedule. Other than that, it's more of True Detective, which I started last night and have now been completely sucked into. My wife also got me to watch the horror movie "Annabelle,'' and even though I didn't think it was anything close to as scary as "The Conjuring," I was convinced I was going to wake up in the middle of the night with an evil, murderous doll staring at me from the dresser.
I will end with an update on former Freehold Township standout Manny Ubilla, who starred at Fairleigh Dickinson University and is now playing professionally overseas in Finland. Here are some recent highlights from his pro team.
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