SHORE CONFERENCE POWER BROKERS….WHO ARE THEY?

Today everyone is jockeying for position in the girls basketball world. Gone are the days when girls basketball was just another niche high school sport. Girls basketball has grown in leaps and bounds. But there are people in the girls basketball world with real power and status. I call them the POWER BROKERS. This list has changed since the last time we checked in with the power brokers. There are still a few still on this list. One thing is for sure about powers brokers…THEY HAVE REAL JUICE IN THE BASKETBALL WORLD ..LIKE IT OR NOT!

Here are a few things Power Brokers all must bring to the table.

Name recognition
Major Track record of success
More resources than everyone else
They add juice to any event
You need them, they don’t need you
They control the environment
Understand there Power

TOP 5 POWER BROKERS IN THE SHORE…these 5 people are calling the shots these days….LIKE IT OR NOT.

JOE MONTANO– RED BANK CATHOLIC– His Program is the gold standard of girls basketball. His teams have won just about everything their is to win. His teams have won more games, SCT’s and TOC’s than anyone. His players have gone on to the best colleges in the country. But what makes him the #1 Power Brower maybe in the entire state is this, he has absolute power over his program. No program centers more on the high school overall experience than his. His program goes way beyond basketball. It is a place that prepares young ladies for life and basketball. Now throw in he has some of the best players in the state. Yet all these players know… the name on the front of the Jersey carries more weight than any name on the back. They are the Yankee’s of the Shore Conference. Joe Montano is the man who has built it and is considered one of the best coaches in girls basketball history. It’s way he has been #1 on this list three years in a row!

2. TRACEY SABINO– NEW JERSEY SHORESHOTS– She has built the roman empire of girls AAU basketball and moves up to #2 on our list. She has survived while just about every other organization has went the way of the dinosaur or are trying to reinvent themselves. The list of D1 and college players that have come threw the Shoreshots program is off the charts and too many to list. More importantly her teams stay together as a core. The name SHORESHOTS is now a brand name to college coaches. She coaches the most in demand group around in The 2021 Shore Shots, this despite rumours and outsiders trying to break them up to no avail. Sabino’s model of helping kids develop vs recruiting them has paid off nicely. Her list of coaches is impressive, Elijah Allen has won multiple state titles, former D1 coaches Lauren Bowler, current college coach Corey Bennett and Mary Beth Chambers are all part of the Shoreshots coaching lineup. But what gives Sabino real juice is that every college coach worth a nickel is calling and trying to develop a relationship with her. If you do not have a relationship with Tracey Sabino your in deep, deep trouble. Because no team can match her talent across the board in just about every age group.

3. DENNIS ADAMS– MANCHESTER/NJ WARRIORS–Dennis Adams makes the biggest jump on this years list and moves up, he was #5 a year ago. He is the most powerful person in Ocean County basketball and is the Principle at Manchester High School. He has helped create a basketball powerhouse at Manchester High School who won the SCT and blew out every shore team last season. He has developed a entire new culture of basketball players in Ocean. His daughter Destiny is one of the best players in the country. He has made it cool to play basketball in Ocean County. He has started a training program for kids in the town. His warrior AAU program has grown and become a real staple for the community. But what really makes him a Power Broker is this…Manchester is the home of some of the best young talent on the east coast. They have some BIG TIME talent coming though the pipeline, it’s too much to list. Dennis Adams, has been able to build a basketball culture without stealing other teams players. He has developed the talent in his community and they held them to a standard of excellence as parents, players and fans. Right now every college coach in the country is trying to be his best friend…that is real power folks.

4. ELLEN MASONIOUS- NEW JERSEY BELLES– There is no question right now she is wheeling a big stick. She has cornered the market on the best young talent in perhaps the state. Her organization is filled with dedicated Elite coaches. Bob Green is a masterful coach, John Turhan and many believe are two of the best coaches in New Jersey. Joe Fagan is one of the better high school coaches in new Jersey whose teams always play bigger than their talent. Mike Rice is simply one of the best in the business. Ellen Masonious has put together talent at just about every age of play. She has a program with maybe the two best 8th graders in the state. Now throw in the talent like Kylie Capstraw and Mary Donnelly and you have the makings of a great organization. Ellen Masonious appears on this list for the first time. Don’t be surprised if she moves up on this list next year around this time.

5. TEAM RIO– They have become the a power in girls AAU. David Klatsky, Shannon Coyle and Dawn Karpell have teamed together to form a tight knit powerful organization. Team Rio girls started with two teams and then added the New Jersey Elite 2024 team to their organization. Now they are expanding to grammar school level teams. Team Rio is loaded, with talent, they have Power 5 players to D2 and D3 stars on their rosters. They jumped right into the fire by playing in top level AAU events. What is most interesting about Team Rio is that it is a collection of players made up of kids across the state. Yet in less than a year, they have all become a close knit family. Team Rio could make a big jump on this list a year from now. Why? They are non apologetic in their aggressive style or recruiting talent across the state. Their profile among college coaches seems to grown everyday. Plus they run a tight ship that including training and player promotion. Team Rio is trying to create a brand name and it looks like their off to a great start!