Tomorrow I’m going to drop the first peek at Core Skills blog. It will tell you what to expect in the 7th and 8th grade classes in the coming years. This is trickery for most but not me. Now if you think I’m bragging. Go look at my track record. Much like my Early Bird D1 list, I don’t miss much. That’s because as I always tell college coaches, I know which kids have the work ethic or who are just mega talented. It’s really not that complicated. Some kids show up consistently and some talk about it. But this year, an interesting dynamic has taken place. Something that very rarely happens .
This year two of the best freshman in the state will see few real minutes. Lissy Lyons and Tatum Sharpe know the drill at SJV. It’s the price you pay for attending SJV. You sit, learn, have real practices that are better than most teams games. You get your minutes in blow outs. Develop faster than everyone else. Then when you’re a senior you’re off to D1. Now understand each 8th class truthfully usually only has 3-4 players that can play at a SJV or RBC. That’s because these are programs loaded with alpha females and talent. They play in big girl showcases and games. College coaches flock to there games. SJV and RBC are the Blue Bloods and it’s not for everyone. It simply for the best babies entering high school most years. But this may not be the case this year. This year two programs have a chance to come back from the living dead. BRICK AND COLTS NECK maybe sitting on a gold mine.
Colts Neck coach Nick Russo has done it and won it all in his time. It was he who started the SJV Dynasty years ago. Now he is at COLTS NECK. He has watched as D1 after D1 player has choose not to attend there local school. The most recent being the Liggio sisters. That’s because most mega talented and future D1 8th graders don’t believe Colts Neck is serious about basketball. The kids in town play 100’s of rec games, rarely train in competitive environments, play on weak AAU games and go on nice vacations. They don’t eat and sleep basketball.
BRICK is a town that most believe is not a basketball town at all. It has little history and nobody can think of the last time an excellent player has come through, forget a D1 player. Brick is known for simply being a place kids play basketball for fun. Nobody is talking about college basketball, scholarships and certainly not D1 basketball. The kids train locally and have fun playing low level AAU. No damage and nobody gets hurt.. but a funny thing has happened at BRICK AND COLTS NECK… A FEW BALLERS HAVE SHOWN UP… D1 ballers and they want to stay home.
COLTS NECK high school right now is sitting on a future D1 player. A player that will start from day one, the moment she enters high school. A players actually excited to play for her home school. A player that just may be the start of something big. Allison McAndrew’s nickname is Rock Star and it’s for good reason. Tomorrow I will tell you all about her. For now all you need to know is that she is one of the three best 2028’s in the Shore and yes is good enough to play at either RBC or SJV but as of now is rolling with Colts Neck. More importantly she may have three other top 2028’s following her to Colts Neck and if it all plays out right. Colts Neck in two years are going to be a serious problem for everyone.
Now Colts Neck and BRICK have a real opportunity. They have real talent coming though there doors, it looks like. Now the question is simple. What will the off season program look like? Can they get all the kids in the gym? Will the kids get out of there towns and go train and play against the killers? Will there coaches upgrade their schedules and showcases? Will they allow all these special babies to be challenged and grow. It’s all there right now. It’s a wonderful opportunity… now let’s see if both schools can close the deal!
Matt McCarthy has built Trinity Hall into a powerhouse. But unlike Colts Neck and Brick his entering freshman were not considered good enough for a SJV or RBC. He developed Nina EMNACE into a mega star. He had 4 kids at his summer workouts. Now he has over 25. He lost games early by 30-40 points. Now he is beating those teams by 30-40 points. He had to beg to get into showcases. Now he picks and chooses. Believe it or not Colts Neck and Brick are starting ahead of where Trinity Hall started 5 years ago. Now it up to the coaches, administrators and town to make it happen… THE PEICES ARE FALLING TO PLACE!