BOYS BASKETBALL - THE STUMPY AWARDS

By Scott Stump - Senior Editor

      Considering all of the players who have been attracting hordes of recruiting mail on the football side thanks to their prestigious Stumpy Awards, I figured I might as well give a lift to the boys basketball community as well. Now that you're done laughing, let's get to the numerous categories. Some are more in-depth, others are just quick hits.
      With so much to try and cram in, these categories are short and sweet. Before I go into a coma before emerging for baseball season, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who followed our coverage this season and we will make it even better next season. Also, thanks to NEP84 for the ShoreLine blog that added a knowledgeable fan's perspective to our site and also gave me time to re-enter society and re-introduce myself to my family after descending into a full-on basketball junkie bender.

BEST POINT GUARD

Best player on a sub-.500 team: 1) Marvin Brodie, Sr., G, Manchester; 2) Jacob Grant, Jr., F, Lakewood; 3) Cory Weissman, Sr., G, Jackson; 3) Josh Vital, Sr., F, Keansburg; 4) Justin Hodges, Sr., G, Jackson; 5) Chris Jetter, So., G, Mater Dei; 6) Joey Acquaro, Sr., G, Ocean; 7) Mike Murphy, Sr., F/C, Toms River East; 8) Tim Reddan, Sr., F, Brick; 9) Matt O'Brien, Jr., G, Brick Memorial; 10) Joe Tomczuk, Sr., G, Southern.
Honorable mention: Chris Saray, Sr., G, Manalapan; Jordan Young, Sr., C, Wall; Kevin Gilliard, Sr., G, Long Branch.

BEST SHOOTING GUARD

Most underrated: 1) D.J. Gutridge, Jr., G, Neptune - No one can get by him offensively, and no one can keep him in front of them defensively; 2) Pat Light, Jr., C, CBA - He can pass, shoot, block shots, rebound, shoot from long range and defend. Other than that, he's useless. I thought he was CBA's best player by the end of the season; 3) Matt Vadas, So., G, Manasquan: Opposing coaches couldn't say enough about him; 4) Chris Ballester, Sr., F, Freehold Twp. - A great hustle player who was always keeping possession alive with big offensive rebounds or making big shots late in games; 5) Eric Devlin, Sr., PG, Keyport - When they point to Keyport's resurgence, it should start with him. 5 1/2) Austin Whitehurst, Jr., Monmouth: A terrific defender who also is a solid 3-point shooter.

BEST FORWARD

Top newcomers: 1) Sean Grennan, Fr., G, Msgr. Donovan - Thrown into the fire, he didn't back down and helped the Griffins to a big season. 2) Matt Devine, Jr., G, Freehold Twp. - The Patriots graduated everyone from last season, and Devine stepped up as a big scorer after only playing in garbage time behind last season's star-studded lineup; 3) Shilique Calhoun, Fr., F, Middletown North - When his experience and polish catches up with his raw talent, prepare to get dunked on repeatedly. 4) Jacob Grant, Jr., F, Lakewood: A Neptune transfer, Grant was an offensive force down the stretch for the Piners; 5) Erik Shirvanian, So., G, Holmdel: He had some good scoring games against top Class A Central opponents and should only get better; 6) Rich Vivian, So., F/C, Shore - Quietly could emerge as one of Class B Central's top big men next season; 7) Most of Mater Dei -The Seraphs played a bunch of young players this season and should be a factor in Class B Central next season.

BEST CENTER

Best game: 1) Mon Don's semifinal victory over Colts Neck in the SCT on Tom Carter's miracle 3-pointer; 2) Central's double-overtime win over Mon Don in which Carter and Central's Ibn Moye traded last-second threes to push the game to another period; 3) Freehold's upset of Freehold Township in the SCT on a lay-up by Lance McKenzie at the buzzer; 4) CBA's last-second win over Monsignor Donovan in the state playoffs on a shot by Mike Kuhn; 5) Freehold Township's win over CBA on a tip-in at the buzzer by Chris Ballester; 6) Keyport's triple-overtime win over St. Rose.

Honorable mention: CBA's last-second win over St. Rose early in the season; St. John Vianney's win over Point Boro in the SCT first round on an overtime buzzer-beater by Tony Ganter; Freehold Twp.'s win over Middletown South in the final seconds of overtime on foul shots by Corey Csakai; Middletown South's upset of Neptune (even though it was a 12-point win) in the Central Jersey Group III final for its first sectional title since 1979; Freehold's opening night upset of Neptune on a buzzer-beater; Neptune's second of three wins over Monmouth, in which Terry Hicks scored on a 3-point play inside 10 seconds left to win the game.

BEST 3-POINT SHOOTER

Most exciting player: 1) Will Sanborn, Sr., Red Bank - Easily the Shore leader in "Oohs and Aahs.''; 2) Steve Spinella, Sr., Colts Neck - Liable to go baseline and throw down a two-handed dunk at any time; 3) Marvin Brodie, Sr., Manchester: An infectious love of the game, deep 3-point shooting range and good leaping ability were a winning combination; 4) Neil Thompson, So., Monmouth - He just blew by people like crazy off the dribble and has a wicked crossover; 5) James Plummer and Ibn Moye, Central - Plummer would swat shots into next week, while Moye was fun to watch when he got it going from 3-point range; 6) D.J. Gutridge, Jr., Neptune - His crossover dribble left more than a few jocks in its wake, and he can finish in the lane; 7) Tom Carter, Sr., Msgr. Donovan - His game isn't the flashiest, but if you didn't get amped up watching some of the clutch threes he hit this season, the doctor will see you now for your heart transplant.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Best duo: 1) Mitchell Kates and Steve Spinella, Colts Neck; 2) Will Sanborn and Matt Pebole, Red Bank; 3) James Plummer and Ibn Moye, Central; 4) Kyle Milana and Tom Carter, Monsignor Donovan; 5) Garret Thiel and Kyle Cancillieri, Middletown South.
Honorable mention: Darryl Jefferson and Steve Raymond, Asbury Park; Joe Willman and Anthony Gibson, Monmouth; Brian Neller and Mike Kuhn, CBA; Matt Blumel and James LeCardi, Rumson.

Most improved - 1) Matt Blumel, Rumson-FH - No one had heard of him at all before this season, and he led a huge turnaround at Rumson; 2) Matt Pebole, Red Bank - He made the leap from role player to star; 3) Pat Light, CBA - Light had seen sparing time as well, but became an integral player for the Colts; 4) Neil Thompson, Monmouth - He went from showing a flash here or there of his talent to taking over games like the Falcons' win over CBA in the SCT quarterfinals; 4) Tom Carter, Monsignor Donovan - He was a nice complementary player who became a big-shot monster and a double-double machine. 5) Christian Garcia, Freehold - His continued improvement mirrored his team's improvement.

All-Monmouth County
First team
Matt Pebole, Sr., F, Red Bank
Garret Thiel, Sr., G, Middletown South
Mitchell Kates, Sr., G, Colts Neck
Gary Foster, Sr., F, Neptune
Steve Spinella, Sr., F, Colts Neck

Second team
Joe Willman, Jr., C, Monmouth
Will Sanborn, Sr., G, Red Bank
Matt Blumel, Jr., G, Rumson-FH
Brian Neller, Jr., G, CBA
Kyle Cancillieri, So., C, Middletown South

All-Ocean County
First team
Kyle Milana, Sr., F, Msgr. Donovan
Tom Carter, Sr., G/F, Msgr., Donovan
Ibn Moye, Jr., G, Central
James Plummer, Sr., C, Central
Steve Nyisztor, Jr., G, Toms River North

Second team
Pat Hart, Jr., G, Point Boro
Marvin Brodie, Sr., G, Manchester
Tim Reddan, Sr., F, Brick
Jacob Grant, Jr., F, Lakewood
Matt O'Brien, Jr., G, Brick Memorial

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com