Middletown South Boys’ Basketball Team
Fueled by Others’ Doubt
When James Anderson returned as the head coach of the
Middletown South High School boys’ basketball team
three years ago, his ��rst goal was to bring excitement
back to the program.
The Eagles had suffered through nine straight losing seasons
prior to Anderson’s return, and there was a pall over the program.
“I wanted to make it fun, fun to play, fun to watch,” Anderson
said.
To make it fun to play for the Eagles again, Anderson went to
an up-tempo, up-and-down-the-��oor style of basketball which is
popular with the players.
“We worked on pace,” he explained. “I wanted the ball ��ying
up the court. It ��t into our personnel.”
It’s not only fun playing for Middletown South now; it’s fun
playing winning basketball. And the South cagers are winning
big, capturing the Shore Conference A North Division championship
this winter (the ��rst since the turn of the century) and doing
so convincingly. They swept through the conference’s toughest
division undefeated and ��nished the season with one of the best
records in program history, 26-3.
“One of our goals was to get back to being the best public
school in the division,” said Anderson.
They were not only the best public school but the best school
– period.
Parochial powerhouse Christian Brothers Brother has long
hovered over the division and made being the top public school
team a goal as consolation. There was no consolation prize for the
Eagles this year. They were the outright division winner.
The division title was a sign of the Eagles’ maturity. Anderson
noted that the team had some big wins last year but ��nished
at 7-7, suffering disappointing losses that took them out of contention.
The Eagles were more consistent game-in and game-out
and were motivated by not being picked to contend for A North in
2019-20.
“We played with a chip on our shoulder,” said Anderson. “We
used it as fuel. The skeptics didn’t believe in us.”
But the Eagles believed in themselves because they had a lot
going for them. They had experience with eight returners plus the
depth and athleticism to run teams out of the gym. Every player can handle
the ball and help push it up the ��oor on the fast break. The team’s swarming
defense led to turnovers and easy baskets on the offensive end.
“We knew going in that ��ve or six guys could score in double-��gures
on any given night,” Anderson said.
The balanced scoring held up throughout the season as ��ve players
averaged double ��gures for the season led by James Anderson, Head
Coach Anderson’s son.
The younger Anderson expanded his game from being a three-point
shooter to one who could score from inside the paint as well. He averaged
a team-high 18 points per game and led the Eagles with 96 threes. He was
named the A North Division Player of the Year.
“The three is very important for us,” Coach Anderson explained. “We
use it for spacing to create open driving lanes.”
The Eagles also relied on making those threes. They made 241 for the
24 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY TIM MORRIS | Photo courtesy of JerseyPics.com
Luke Albrecht fueled Middletown South’s offense that led the
Eagles 26-win season and A North Division championship.
season with Jack Sheridan contributing 64 and Bobby Pirie with 37.
Luke Albrecht, according his coach, is the quarterback of the team. He’s
the one who pushes the pace and makes the right decisions with the ball in
his hands. While leading the team in assists (135) he’s averaged 10 points
per game.
Mike Dabbas (13 ppg), Pirie (12) and Sheridan (10) were all double
��gure scorers on the season.
Off the bench, sixth man Richie Boyko was valuable for his versatility.
He could guard a point guard or a center.
Although the season ended one game short of the NJSIAA Central
Jersey Group IV championship game (a 66-55 loss to South Brunswick in
the semi��nal), the campaign will be certainly be remembered and one that
should stir more interest in the program.
“It was a fun ride,” Anderson said.
/TheJournalNJ.com
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