Girls' Player of the Year Zanai Jones of Hudson Catholic

Boys' Player of the Year Mark Armstrong of St. Peter's Prep

Armstrong, Jones head All-Area basketball teams

By Jim Hague

The 2019-2020 high school basketball season will be forever remembered as the one that the Coronavirus COVID-19 put an end to, but before the pandemic stopped sports in New Jersey, there was a lot of basketball to be played locally. And there was a lot of good basketball to be played as well.

The Jim Hague Sports All-Area teams represent the very best that Hudson County had to offer this season. In the terms of boys’ basketball, we had the leading scorer in the entire state among our players. In the terms of girls’ basketball, we had the fourth leading rebounder in the state and three of the top 10 assists leaders. Needless to say, it was a season packed with talent, players deserving of year-end recognition here.

As crazy as the end of the winter sports season was, we’re proud to say that this team represents the very best that Hudson County has to offer and we’re honored to have these players selected on these three teams.

On the boys’ side, Maurice Odum of Union City, the electric sophomore, was the New Jersey scoring champion, averaging 27 points per game. He scored 736 points this season and has easily eclipsed 1,000 points in just two seasons of varsity play. Odum is well on his way to 2,000 career points and perhaps he will go after North Bergen’s Ricky Apodaca’s record as the all-time leader in boys’ high school scoring.

But the Jim Hague Sports Player of the Year is Mark Armstrong of St. Peter’s Prep. The talented sophomore averaged 19.9 points per game in leading the 25-4 Marauders to the Hudson County Tournament championship, the first county title for the Marauders since 2011. Armstrong is also a 1,000-point scorer already in just two years of high school and he’s ahead of pace to become Prep’s all-time scoring leader.

On the girls’ side, Makoye Diawara of Bayonne had a stellar season, averaging 17 points and 14.6 rebounds per game, the fourth best rebounding average in all of New Jersey.

But the Jim Hague Sports Player of the Year is Hudson Catholic point guard Zanai Jones, who did a little bit of everything leading the Hawks to a 24-5 record overall and a 15-0 undefeated mark inside the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League-Red Division. Jones averaged 18.6 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.8 steals. Jones, a sophomore like boys’ honoree Armstrong, is also on pace to become her school’s all-time scoring leader as well.

The Boys’ Coach of the Year is Ben Gamble of Marist, who guided his team to 22 wins and the Hudson County Tournament final game in the school’s final year. Gamble had to handle all the adversity that comes with a school’s closing and still managed to lead his team to 20-plus victories. Gamble will certainly land on his feet and coach again.

The Girls’ Coach of the Year is James Turner of Bayonne, who led his team to a 25-4 record, including the Hudson County Tournament championship.

We have decided to present a special honorable mention All-Area selection to brave Hudson Catholic sophomore Antonio Sellers, who was unable to play basketball this season as he battled brain cancer. Sellers was a phenomenal basketball player last year for the Hawks and left his mark this season in his many appearances, including a memorable Make-A-Wish generated journey to Duke University, where he was adopted into the Duke “brotherhood” during his recent visit.

Here are the All-Area teams:

2019-20 Jim Hague Sports Boys’ H.S. Basketball All-Area Team

FIRST TEAM

Maurice Odum, Union City

Corey Manning-Floyd, Snyder

Mark Armstrong, St. Peter’s Prep

DeAvion Ellis, North Bergen

A.J. Aviles, Memorial

SECOND TEAM

Rayshawn Ford, St. Peter’s Prep

Mike Jackson, Marist

Shy’heed Jenkins-Floyd, Snyder

Zion Cruz, Hudson Catholic

Jamling Lama, Secaucus

THIRD TEAM

Toriano Mumford, Lincoln

Francisco Paulino, North Bergen

Tymair Jones, Dickinson

Justin Glover, Hudson Catholic

Manny Toha, Marist

Honorable mention: Antonio Sellers, Hudson Catholic

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Mark Armstrong, St. Peter’s Prep

COACH OF THE YEAR: Ben Gamble, Marist

  

2019-20 Jim Hague Sports Girls’ H.S. Basketball All-Area Team

FIRST TEAM

Damaris Rodriguez, Secaucus

Zanai Jones, Hudson Catholic

Makoye Diawara, Bayonne

Eniya Scott, Bayonne

Anasia Staton, Hudson Catholic

SECOND TEAM

Tymira Miller, Lincoln

Adiana Pacheco, Hudson Catholic

Erika Mercedes, Union City

Lyndsey Ross, Secaucus

Jade-Dee Tolentino, Memorial

THIRD TEAM

Mary Grace Lavin, Bayonne

Tiyanni McClary, Lincoln

Zoe Mattessich, Hoboken

Kayla Beckford, Hudson Catholic

Maddie Branigan, St. Dominic Academy

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Zanai Jones, Hudson Catholic

COACH OF THE YEAR: James Turner, Bayonne