By Scott Stump - Senior Editor
*Note* The Stumpy Awards will be released on Thursday after coverage of the Senior All-Star game.*
In a season where the talent in the Shore Conference was so evenly matched, the selections for the DigitalSports All-Star team featuring the best in the Shore was as hard as ever. Honestly, you can almost flip-flop the first and second teams and have arguments for all of those selections. The final top 10 was no picnic, either, with teams knocking each other off right and left.
Congratulations to all of the selections, and click on each name to see video highlights of that particular player.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mitchell Kates, Sr., G, Colts Neck
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin Cullen, Middletown South
In his second season as head coach after guiding to the Eagles to a 13-12 mark last season, Cullen led his alma mater to its first state sectional title since 1979 by beating No. 1 Neptune, 45-33, in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III final. The Eagles, who were winless four seasons ago, finished 21-7 and also defeated Christian Brothers Academy for the first time since 1981 in addition to claiming wins over Colts Neck, Red Bank and Freehold. Click here for a video interview with Cullen.
FIRST TEAM
Mitchell Kates, Sr., G, Colts Neck
Matt Pebole, Sr., F, Red Bank
Gary Foster, Sr., F, Neptune
Garret Thiel, Sr., G, Middletown South
Kyle Milana, Sr., F, Monsignor Donovan
SECOND TEAM
Joe Willman, Jr., C, Monmouth
Willman averaged 16.5 ppg and was up among the Shore leaders with 11 rebounds per game for a team that went over the 20-win mark and reached the SCT semifinals.
Will Sanborn, Sr., G, Red Bank
One of the most exciting players in the Shore, Sanborn averaged 20 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting from the field. He had a conference-high 42 points in a win over Matawan and had a 39-point game in the state playoffs. He nailed 71 3-pointers this season on 38 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Matt Blumel, Jr., G, Rumson-FH
Was one of the Shore's top scorers at 18.2 ppg and also averaged 5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for a team that went from four wins to 17. He shot 74.5 percent from the foul line as well as 46 percent from the floor, and Rumson was 9-1 in games in which he scored 22 or more points. He also is a strong defensive player.
Steve Spinella, Sr., F, Colts Neck
He led the Shore in scoring at 22.8 points per game and had six 30-point games for a team that reached its first SCT semifinal in school history.
James Plummer, Sr., C, Central
Averaged 16.7 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Class B South public champs and turned in a 27-point, 23-rebound monster of a game in a win over Monsignor Donovan to claim the public title. Also one of the Shore's best shot blockers.
THIRD TEAM
Brian Neller, Jr., G, Christian Brothers Academy
The leading scorer for the Class A North non-public champions, he also was one of the top 3-point shooters in the Shore.
Tom Carter, Sr., G/F, Monsignor Donovan
Averaged 13.1 points per game on 54 percent shooting and also averaged 9.5 rebounds per game. He hit 50 3-pointers on 41 percent accuracy, none bigger than his game-winner at the buzzer in overtime in the SCT semifinals against Colts Neck.
Ibn Moye, Jr., G, Central
One of the Shore's top scorers, he averaged 18.2 points and 3.1 assists per game for the Class B South public champions. He buried 53 3-pointers on the season and turned in a career-high 31 points in a win over Monsignor Donovan that gave the Golden Eagles the public title.
Kyle Cancillieri, So., C, Middletown South
Averaged a team-high 16.6 points and 5.4 rebounds to help the Eagles win their first state sectional title since 1979.
Darryl Jefferson, Sr., G, Asbury Park
Scored over 1,000 points in his career and helped the Blue Bishops win the Class B Central title and reach their second straight Central Jersey Group I final.
HONORABLE MENTION
Check video players on the school pages for highlights from each player.
Christian Garcia, So., G/F, Freehold
Mike Kuhn, Sr., G, CBA
Matt Devine, Jr., G, Freehold Twp.
Terry Hicks, Sr., G/F, Neptune
Steve Nyisztor, Jr., G, Toms River North
Anthony Gibson, Jr., G, Monmouth
Chris Heine, Sr., G/F, St. Rose
Marvin Brodie, Sr., G, Manchester
Neil Thompson, So., G, Monmouth
Eric Devlin, Sr., G, Keyport
Pat Hart, Jr., G, Point Boro
Kyle Wehner, Jr., G, Manasquan
Tim Reddan, Sr., F, Brick
Jacob Grant, Jr., F, Lakewood
Matt O'Brien, Jr., G, Brick Memorial
D.J. Gutridge, Jr., G, Neptune
DIVISIONAL PLAYERS/COACHES OF THE YEARClass A North - Mitchell Kates, Colts Neck
Coach: Kevin Cullen, Middletown South
Class A Central - Matt Pebole, Red Bank
Coach: James Young, Rumson-FH
Class A South - Steve Nyisztor, Toms River North
Coach: Andrew Bilodeau, Toms River North
Class B North - Gary Foster, Neptune
Coach: Ben DiBiase, Freehold
Class B Central - Darryl Jefferson, Asbury Park
Coach: Phil Recco, Keyport
Class B South - Kyle Milana, Monsignor Donovan
Coach: (tie) Mike Clemente, Central; John Tierney (Pinelands).
FINAL TOP 101. Neptune: While it was a disappointing ending for the Scarlet Fliers, they were still the most consistent team in the Shore in a year filled with parity. They went 24-5 and won the Class B North and Shore Conference Tournament titles and only lost twice to Shore Conference opponents all season. They will be back in force next season with a host of experienced and talented guards in Jabari Joyner, Thomas Jones, Lem Walker and D.J. Gutridge.
2. Middletown South: This is where it starts to get a little crazy, because the Eagles didn't even win their own division, but they were the only Shore team to win a state sectional championship, and they did it by toppling No. 1 Neptune after taking down a hot Red Bank team in the semifinals. They finished 21-7 and if not for some injuries at key points of the season, they could have potentially won a share of the Class A North title and advanced deeper in the SCT. They also defeated CBA for the first time since 1981 this season. The Eagles should be a factor again next year with the return of sophomore center Kyle Cancillieri and emerging junior standout Matt Callori.
3. Monsignor Donovan: While the opening-round loss to Christian Brothers Academy in the state playoffs certainly hurt, the Griffins were one of the more consistent teams in the Shore as long as they weren't playing Central, who beat them twice. They knocked off Red Bank and Colts Neck to reach the SCT final before falling to Neptune for the second time during the season. Graduation will not be kind to the Griffins, as they lose top players Kyle Milana and Tom Carter and several good role players.
4. Red Bank: The Bucs finished 20-8 and reached the semifinals of the CJ III bracket with an impressive win over Monmouth on the road. They had Middletown South on the ropes in the semifinal but couldn't hold on. Monsignor Donovan also needed overtime to fight them off in the SCT quarterfinals. Red Bank graduates its top two players, Matt Pebole and Will Sanborn, so next season could be an uphill battle.
5. Monmouth: The Falcons reached the SCT semifinals by taking down Christian Brothers Academy before falling to Neptune for the third time this season. They reached the CJ III quarterfinals before falling to Red Bank at home. This team returns a ton of talent next season, highlighted by Joe Willman, Anthony Gibson, Austin Whitehurst and Neil Thompson.
6. Colts Neck: The Cougars reached the SCT semifinals for the first time in school history by knocking off a Cinderella Freehold team in the quarterfinals. They were only seconds away from their first SCT final before Monsignor Donovan's Tom Carter hit a miracle shot at the overtime buzzer. Colts Neck lost to Trenton in the Central Jersey Group IV semifinals, and will be hit hard by the graduation of its top two players, Mitchell Kates and Steve Spinella.
7. Christian Brothers Academy: The Colts won the Class A North non-public title, but this season was a tough one by their standards as they adjusted to new coach Geoff Billet. They reached the SCT quarterfinals before falling to Monmouth, but rebounded to knock off Monsignor Donovan in the Non-Public South A playoffs before losing to Paul VI in the second round. They return plenty of talent in Brian Neller, Pat Light, Roy Mabrey and others, so they will look to get back on top next season.
8. Asbury Park: The Class B Central champions reached the SCT
quarterfinals before losing to Neptune and reached the Central Jersey
Group I final before falling to Academy Charter. Their most quality
wins were over St. Rose, Freehold and Manasquan. Graduation will not be kind to the Blue Bishops as top scorers Steve Raymond, Darryl Jefferson and Anthony Simmons will all be moving on.
9. Freehold: It was a big turnaround season for the Colonials, who were
second in Class B North and were one of only two Shore teams to beat
Neptune this season. The Colonials also stunned third-seeded Freehold
Township in the SCT Round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals as the No.
14 seed. The future is bright with the return of the core of Christian
Garcia, Lance McKenzie and Andrew Gerbehy.
10. (tie) Freehold Township and Central: The Patriots tailed off at the end, but they still won the Class A North public title and had regular-season wins over CBA, Middletown South (twice) and Colts Neck, which gives them an argument to be ranked higher. They struggled in the postseason as they were stunned by Freehold in the SCT Round of 16 and fell to eventual sectional champion Rancocas Valley in the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs. Juniors Matt Devine and Tyler McKinnon return along with some other experienced players to help the cause next season. The Golden Eagles had some questionable losses during the regular season, but they also defeated Monsignor Donovan twice on their way to winning the Class B South public title. They also beat Freehold during the regular season as well.
Have an argument to be ranked:
Manasquan: The Class A Central champions had a win over Red Bank, but two losses to Asbury Park hurt.
Rumson-FH: The Bulldogs made a dramatic improvement and reached the Central Jersey Group II semifinals before falling to Roselle. They also defeated Freehold and Red Bank during the regular season.
E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com