The late Alexis Demby

The coronavirus has claimed the life of a former Hudson County girls’ sports superstar.

Alexis Demby, who was a standout athlete during her days at Memorial High School, died Sunday after contracting the coronavirus during a stay with family and friends in West New York. Alexis was just 32 years old.

Demby first came into prominence when she was just an 11-year-old girl, earning a spot on the West New York Little League All-Stars with and against the boys.

She continued her brilliance and dominance into high school, where in girls’ basketball, Demby earned Hudson Reporter All-Area honors three times, once earning First Team All-Area in 2003 among the five very best players in Hudson County. She was a Third Team selection her sophomore campaign of 2002 and was a Second Team choice as a senior in 2004.

Demby formed a dynamic duo at Memorial with Mercedes Nunez, another player who earned All-Area honors as well. Nunez was the Hudson Reporter Female Athlete of the Year her senior year. She was a vivacious, extremely humble, fun-loving kid who really never thought she was as good as she really was. She was a joy to watch -- unless you were an opponent.

“She was strong and didn’t take any crap,” said Craig Kuzirian, her head coach at Memorial. “When she was on the floor, she busted her tail. She was just a wonderful person.”

Demby went on to play basketball at Caldwell College and spent four years with the Cougars.

Demby earned her degree from Caldwell and became a social worker. She was living in Georgia and came back to visit her family, then got sick.

“She came up a couple of weeks ago and was ready to go home,” Kuzirian said. “And then she got sick and passed. Her mother passed about three years ago. It’s a terrible thing. Her mother used to come to all the games and got to know everybody.”

Kuzirian was asked how he would best remember his player.

“Her smile,” Kuzirian said. “She always had a smile on her face. No matter how much I would yell at her – and I yelled a lot – she still smiled. She was just a sweetheart.”

Kuzirian was upset when he watched some ill-advised college students at spring break in Florida.

“You see all these knuckleheads at spring break and then you hear this news,” Kuzirian said. “It’s a scary, scary thing. It’s just terrible. It hits home more now that it’s one of your own.”

Here’s the Athlete of the Week article that I wrote about Demby and Nunez together on March 11, 2004.

One thousand ways to remember Memorial duo

Nunez, Demby end hoop careers with impressive milestones

Craig Kuzirian has been the girls’ basketball coach at Memorial High School for almost 30 years now, so he’s seen a lot of things during his storied career.

But he’s never had two players as teammates reach the 1,000-point plateau, like seniors Alexis Demby and Mercedes Nunez did.

“It’s unusual to have to kids with that kind of ability on the same team,” Kuzirian said. “I never had two on the same team.”

While Demby and Nunez worked together so well that they were able to both reach the milestone, you never would have thought it was possible for them four years ago.

That’s because the two were fierce rivals when they were in grammar school, with Demby playing at P.S. No. 6 and Nunez performing for P.S. No. 1.

“It was always a battle between the two of us in grammar school,” Demby said. “Every game we played against each other, it was a war. And it was always me against her.”

“Honestly, I didn’t like her at all,” Nunez said. “She was my enemy. I had to win every time we played.”

Kuzirian got to witness the rivalry firsthand.

“I refereed the grammar school games and I knew they were both talented players,” Kuzirian said. “I knew that they had the talent to play for us right away.”

When tryouts for the Memorial girls’ basketball team took place the following November, Demby and Nunez were on the floor together again, only this time as teammates.

“I looked over and said, ‘Oh, look who’s here,’ ” Nunez said. “I didn’t know how things would work out between us, because we’re both competitive.”

“I honestly couldn’t wait to play with Mercy,” Demby said. “I knew she was a great shooter and passer and that she was going to help me become a better player.”

It didn’t take long for the two to put their past differences behind them.

“I felt fortunate to be able to play with her,” Demby said. “After all the time that we went head-to-head, it was a good feeling to be on the same side as Mercy.”

“Alexis is cool people,” the effervescent Nunez said. “It worked out well. I love Alexis because she has such a good heart.”

Demby was the one who became more of an impact player as a freshman, leading the Tigers in scoring. It took a while for Nunez to get more accustomed to high school basketball, even though she is a diverse athlete and became the first female in the school’s history to letter in four different varsity sports (including volleyball, softball, baseball as a sophomore, playing with the boys, and basketball).

“I had a tough time convincing Mercy that she had to take more shots,” Kuzirian said. “She was so unselfish and would throw passes to people who couldn’t catch the ball. Alexis was originally a power forward that I moved to guard. Alexis was the one who was the scorer right away. We had to make adjustments with Mercy.”

Demby reached the historic 1,000-point plateau in the late stages of last season as a junior. Nunez was going to need to do some prolific scoring as a senior to hit the mark.

“I didn’t think I was going to get a chance to make it,” Nunez said. “It wasn’t even in my mind.”

But the Tigers enjoyed a fine season, with Demby and Nunez leading the way. They won 17 games, a far cry from the seven wins they had as freshmen.

And sure enough, Nunez was able to reach the 1,000-point plateau in the final games, giving Demby a total of 1,279 and Nunez 1,030, the first 1,000-point teammates in the history of the girls’ basketball program at Memorial.

For their efforts, Demby and Nunez have been selected as Hudson Reporter Co-Athletes of the Week for the past week, the first shared honorees since the St. Dominic Academy Penn Relay gold medal winning team a year ago.

Kuzirian is convinced that there won’t be another pair like Demby and Nunez.

“We’re not going to have something like this again,” Kuzirian said. “It’s very rare to have two kids like this on the same team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I think it’s remarkable, because each year, they got better and they made each other better, while making the other players on the team better.

Added Kuzirian, “Not only are they great players, but they’re even better kids off the court. They’re able to take whatever I throw at them, when I scream and yell, and keep playing hard. I really wanted them to go far in the state playoffs, because it was their last chance. But it didn’t happen, so I’m a little disappointed. But they were a pleasure to coach and they made me a better coach as well.”

Both will head off to college and both will more than likely receive a scholarship, although it appears they will head in different directions. Demby is more than likely headed to Caldwell College, while Nunez will probably go to Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck.

Demby said that she will always remember her days playing with Nunez.

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to go different ways in college and that will be very difficult, not playing with her anymore,” Demby said. “But it’s something I will never forget. I definitely feel better being her teammate than playing against her. I would have to say she made me a better player, because she pushed me and I guess I pushed her. I really had confidence in Mercy, in whatever she does.”

“It’s pretty unbelievable how far we’ve come together,” Nunez said. “I feel very fortunate to have played with Alexis. I know that we made [Kuzirian] look good. But I know we definitely gave it our all.”

Kuzirian said that he certainly will miss the dynamic duo.

“They made it a pleasure to coach. They made it fun to come to practice,” Kuzirian said. “They’re both very competitive, but they also made things a lot of fun. We won’t see anything like this again. I’m sure of that.”

REST IN PEACE, ALEXIS....AND HERE'S PROOF THAT THIS CORONAVIRUS IS THE REAL DEAL, SO BE SAFE EVERYONE!!!

TASTY TIDBITS, Dehere recalls his senior year at Seton Hall

Terry Dehere (right) talks to yours truly at a Seton Hall game last season

Photo courtesy of APP.com

TASTY TIDBITS

Sudden end to sensational Seton Hall season brings back memories for Dehere

The college basketball season ended without the usual March Madness, namely the NCAA Tournament, thanks to the coronavirus outbreak that totally stifled all of sports.

It was particularly frustrating for local college basketball fans, considering that Shaheen Holloway’s Peacocks of St. Peter’s University were sitting with the No. 2 seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings and were poised to make a possible run at the NCAAs in just Holloway’s second season as the head coach of the Peacocks.

Holloway was rewarded for his spectacular second season at Harvard on the Boulevard by being named the MAAC Coach of the Year, an honor richly deserved.

But what about Holloway’s alma mater, namely Seton Hall? The Pirates were 21-9, ranked No. 11 in the entire nation and finished in a three-way tie with Villanova and Creighton for the regular season championship of the Big East Conference, before everything came to a screeching halt earlier this month.

In fact, a lot of people thought that the Pirates had the makings of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament with First Team All-America and Big East Player of the Year Myles Powell leading the way.

The Pirates were so deep and talented that it made people recall the 1992-93 Pirate team that went 28-7, won both the Big East regular season and Big East Tournament championship and headed to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 6 team in the entire country.

And there was no one better to remember that season than Jersey City’s own Terry Dehere, who remains the school’s all-time leading scorer with an incredible 2,494 points.

Dehere was the Big East Player of the Year that year, averaging 22 points per game, and won the Big East Tournament Most Valuable Player award as well.

That team featured players like Arturas Karnishovas, Bryan Caver and three other Jersey City natives in Jerry Walker, Danny Hurley and Luther Wright.

Although the Pirates lost to Western Kentucky in the second round of the NCAAs, they were picked by many to perhaps win the whole tournament, because they had a deep roster, a lot like this year’s team. In fact, the similarities between the two teams are startling.

“I think they had all the components to have a deep run,” Dehere said last week. “They were one of the better Seton Hall teams since our team in 1993. They had the potential and the makeup to go far in the NCAAs. I think this is by far the best team Seton Hall has had in a long time.”

Dehere recalled his senior year with the Pirates.

“We had the chance to play some big time teams, like Duke and UNLV,” Dehere said. “We had the chance to see other teams we didn’t normally see. We had a good team and had a lot of fun that year. It was a shame that it ended the way it did.”

Much like the way this season ended for the Pirates – with sudden disappointment and sadness.

“It is disappointing, because this ended everything,” Dehere said. “It wasn’t just college basketball. It was all of sports and entertainment. I think it’s important to have sports, because then we’re not all focused on the pandemic. We don’t have any distractions and after a while, reality sinks in. I feel bad for those kids, because they didn’t get a chance to play at the end of the season.”

We will never know just how deep of a run that this Seton Hall team could have made in March Madness…

Someone once said that everything in New Jersey sports somehow always gets tied back to Jersey City. Well, here’s proof – a little.

The Ramapo College baseball roster this season – if the Roadrunners played more than the two games they played prior to the season being cancelled – featured a freshman catcher named Sean Donaghue and two assistant coaches named T.J. Ward and Nick Camilleri.

Well, Ward and Camilleri both played their high school baseball at St. Peter’s Prep and were selected as All-Area baseball players in this corner, with Ward being named twice as a Player of the Year. On the other hand, Donaghue, whose hometown and high school is listed as Marlboro on the roster, is the son of retired Jersey City Police Inspector Hugh Donaghue, who played his high school baseball at Hudson Catholic.

Sean Donaghue is the cousin to Hudson Catholic girls’ basketball freshman sensation Megan Gentile, who is the daughter of former St. Peter’s College women’s basketball superstar Patty Marchese Gentile and Gary Gentile, who is the vice principal at Ferris. Now, that’s Six Degrees of Hudson County for you.

We’ll be back next week with more tidbits on the blog. If you have anything you would like to add to the blog, just drop me a note at OGSMAR@aol.com. If it’s worthy, I’d be glad to add it to the blog next week. And as always, thanks for reading.

SCOREBOARD, Beteta looks for new shot as Ferris head baseball coach

Ferris sophomore P/1B Denny Furcal

Ferris senior OF/P Robert Estrada

Ferris senior OF/P Jafari Williams

By Jim Hague

Josh Beteta spent a good portion of his adult life as a dutiful and highly respected assistant high school baseball coach at a host of different spots.

The 36-year-old Beteta, a former standout during his playing days at Lincoln High School, bided his time and waited for the right opportunity to be a head coach.

So four years ago, Beteta got that chance, taking the head coaching responsibilities at Marist High School in Bayonne. Beteta thought he was going to have the opportunity to build a program at one of the most historic baseball programs in Hudson County, a place that had captured four NJSIAA Parochial (Non-Public) state championships with three different coaches.

It was a perfect spot for a hard-working Beteta, the chance to be his own man, build a program that worked all year for success in the spring.

That chance lasted for just one season. Beteta was unceremoniously removed from the job after just one year because a new administrative regime took over and that administration wanted to make a big splash with a big-time coaching name.

Beteta was making plans for the upcoming season and was overseeing off-season weight training sessions when he received word he was no longer wanted. The timing of his release was also wrong, considering he was let go in January and the season began in earnest with the first practices just seven weeks later.

“It was tough,” Beteta said. “There wasn’t any time to find anything else. It took a little toll on me. I didn’t know if I wanted to coach again. I really didn’t know what I was going to do. I thought that was it.”

All those days of volunteering to coach summer league teams and travel teams and serving as an assistant all came to a crashing halt with a simple e-mail. Beteta didn’t even receive a phone call or have a meeting to discuss his status. It was just an e-mail, thanks, but no thanks. Even the Mets treated their managers with more respect.

Last year, Beteta was asked by his former high school coach, Marco Mejia, to help him out as Mejia was asked to serve as the interim head coach at Ferris. The former head coach at Ferris, the legendary Hudson County Hall of Famer Mike Hogan, had an off-the-field altercation that eventually led to Hogan’s retirement. Mejia needed help running and organizing one of Hudson County’s best programs at Ferris and turned to his former player who had extensive coaching experience.

“I was happy to be a volunteer assistant for Marco,” Beteta said. “He was my coach at Lincoln and we have a good relationship.”

But after one season, a year where Mejia guided the Bulldogs to a 15-9 record in the highly competitive Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League-Red Division, Mejia wasn’t comfortable being the head coach any longer.

“He said that he would be fine as an assistant if I was the head coach,” Beteta said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I’d love to work for you.’ He vouched for me.”

With that, the two men reversed their roles and Beteta is once again getting the chance to be a head coach, this time with an established and talented team.

The Bulldogs welcome back a series of talented players from a year ago, including three standouts who earned All-Area honors from this writer last spring. Beteta knows he has inherited a good squad that will be primed for action if and when the 2020 season begins after the coronavirus outbreak.

“I told the team in the first meeting that I’ve driven some nice cars as a coach,” Beteta said. “I drove a nice Honda and perhaps a nice Camry. But this time, I’m driving a Porsche.”

The Bulldogs have a nice pitching staff, highlighted by sophomore left-hander Denny Furcal, who posted an undefeated 6-0 record on the hill last year and made two different post-season All-Star teams on the field and earned Jim Hague Sports All-Area honors last season as a pitcher.

“He’s so much of a leader that we named him a captain even though he’s only a sophomore,” Beteta said of Furcal, who also batted .430 at the plate and is an excellent first baseman when not pitching. “He commands the respect of everyone. I want him to be the captain for the next three years. He’s our pitching ace.”

Junior Marcus Monroe is also a fine pitcher and will be one of the Bulldogs’ top hurlers this spring.

“He’s my anchor,” Beteta said of the righty Monroe, who was one of the Bulldogs; top pitchers last season. “He’s been a three-year starter and knows what it takes to win.”

Senior Robert Estrada, who has been selected to the Jim Hague Sports All-Area team in each of the last two seasons, is also a fine pitcher when he’s not manning right field. In the outfield, Estrada has no peers, especially with his cannon of an arm.

“He definitely has a live arm,” Beteta said of Estrada, who hit .450 last season. “He can fly. He’s a veteran out there and he hits the ball hard. He’s even stronger this year than last year.”

Jafari Williams, another senior, is a solid pitcher and an even better centerfielder. Williams was the third member of the Bulldogs to collect All-Area honors last season in the utility slot. Williams hit .360 with 19 RBI and pitched to a 4-2 record on the mound.

“He’s a freak of an athlete,” Beteta said of Williams. “He’s another leader on this team.”

The team’s main catcher is returnee Jerome Banks, who is a fantastic defensive backstop.

“We’re looking for Jerome to have a really good year this year,” Beteta said. “He’s a very good defensive catcher who throws well.”

Banks just needs to improve his offensive production.

Sophomore Christopher Gonzalez is another catcher that Beteta can count on.

Furcal is the main first baseman. Sophomore Jaiden Garcia returns at second base.

“He has the best hands on the infield,” Beteta said of Garcia.

Look for fabulous freshman DeAngelo Ponce to get some playing time at second base or shortstop or somewhere. Ponce is the team’s resident jack-of-all-trades.

“He’s like my Joe McEwing,” Beteta said, recalling the former New York Mets’ utility player. “He plays everywhere and plays everywhere well.”

The starting shortstop will be freshman Justin Hernandez, who is the absolute real deal. Hernandez’s father is a big-time influence, a former coach who has worked wonders with his son.

“I think he’s going to be the best shortstop in Hudson County,” Beteta said of Hernandez. “He is so sure-handed. He can also switch hit and hits pretty well from both sides. I’m really excited about him.”

The third baseman is Monroe, but freshman Jacob Ruiz is getting some time at third.

In left field, Ponce will get a shot there, but junior Yaraldi Amparo will also see time. Amparo just transferred to Ferris from his native Dominican Republic – and everyone knows how baseball players from the DR do when they arrive in the United States.

Jafari Williams is the centerfielder and Estrada is in right field, but considering both are pitchers, freshman Jonathan Correa will see a lot of playing time, as will Ruiz in the outfield.

So Beteta has waited his entire life for a chance to coach a talented team like Ferris – and now, with the delay of the season due to the coronavirus outbreak, Beteta has to wait some more.

“It’s very frustrating,” Beteta said. “I feel really bad for the seniors, because they put so much work in during the off-season. I know we all want to be out there, but everyone’s health comes first. I’m remaining optimistic that we’ll be out there playing. The optimist in me says we’re ready to go and the realist in me says that we’re a very young team that needs some jelling. Those kids from last year aren’t freshmen anymore. I think we’ll be ready when we get word we can play.”

We can only hope so.

 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

St. Peter's Prep junior guard Rayshawn Ford

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Prep’s Ford explodes at season’s end

By Jim Hague

It’s very rare to have a high school basketball player’s failure turn into motivation to become successful.

But that’s what happened to St. Peter’s Prep junior guard Rayshawn Ford.

The turning point of Ford’s incredible campaign took place on January 7, when Ford’s Marauders were facing archrival Hudson Catholic on the Marauders’ home floor at Grand and Warren.

As the game dwindled down to the last few precious seconds and the game tied, Ford stepped to the free throw line to make the shots that would have carried the Marauders to victory. However, Ford missed both free throws. The Marauders ended up losing, 57-51, in double overtime.

“Everyone was at the game,” Ford said. “They saw me step to the line and they could see that I missed the free throws. I didn’t want that to be in my head. I didn’t want to be known as the guy who missed the free throws and caused us to lose.”

Prep head coach Alex Mirabel knew that Ford was upset after missing the key shots.

“He just started to take the process more seriously,” Mirabel said. “Missing those shots really turned him around. He was a different player from that point on. He just kept moving forward. He never got frustrated. He just became a different player.”

Ford wasn’t about to allow the missed free throws decide what kind of a player he was going to be.

“From that point on, I took it another way,” Ford said. “Everyone told me not to put it my head that I missed those free throws. I think I wanted to take it to another level. It changed my mind set.”

Mirabel had a sense that Ford was determined to be a big-time contributor during the 2019-2020 season.

“He worked so hard during the summer,” Mirabel said of Ford. “He also worked hard into the fall. He wanted to prove himself more and more.”

Mirabel hinted that the success of his teammate Mark Armstrong served as a motivation to Ford.

“I think Mark had already established himself as a top player,” Mirabel said. “Mark was already proven and knew what he could do.”

Ford always had one goal in mind.

“My goal was to go to college for free,” Ford said. “I think a lot of colleges wanted to come visit to see Mark play. Everyone who comes to the games knows Mark. I worked hard my whole life to have that chance. Schools that were interested in Mark could see me. That’s how basketball works.”

Ford eventually settled in and had a fine junior year.

“As a sophomore, Ray really didn’t have the confidence,” Mirabel said. “He was experiencing some growing pains. He was still fairly young. I think practicing and playing with the seniors we had last year helped him.”

“I think confidence played a part in it,” Ford said. “I think it was more a comfortable thing, with everyone finding their roles. I just had to pick it up another level.”

And that’s exactly what Ford did, especially down the stretch of the season, which recently ended with the Marauders posting a 25-4 record, including a victory over Marist in the Hudson County Tournament championship game.

Over the last five games, Ford had 19 points and five rebounds in the semifinal win over North Bergen, a team-high 14 points and four rebounds in the 44-41 win over Marist to win the school’s first county championship since 2011, 20 points in the 55-49 NJSIAA Non-Public A North quarterfinal win over Seton Hall Prep, 25 points in the 74-67 Non-Public A North semifinal win over St. Joseph of Montvale and finally 21 points in the 73-66 double overtime loss to Bergen Catholic in the sectional championship game.

For his efforts, Ford has been selected as the first-ever Jim Hague Sports Athlete of the Week for the past week.

Ford, a Jersey City native and Greenville boy like this writer, said that he has a sense of pride being from Jersey City and carrying the banner proud.

“I think everyone knows I’m from Jersey City,” Ford said. “This was a great year. It was the first time I played for a championship and it was the first time Prep won the county championship in nine years. We came close a couple times (losing in the finals two years ago and the semifinals last year). A lot of people doubted us, even if we were the top seed. People thought we would lose.”

And it all began with a simple failure.

“I think missing those free throws were the turning point for me,” said Ford, who averaged 14.3 points per game this season, second on the Marauders next to Armstrong and was second on the team to Gavin O’Farrell in rebounding. “I made a mistake and instead of putting my head down, I went to work. It was definitely a mental thing. It was in my head and I knew I was a better player.”

Ford will definitely achieve his goal of playing college basketball on a scholarship. He already has received an NCAA Division I scholarship offers and more will follow.

“That confirms what I’ve been working for,” Ford said. “I hope it’s the first of many. It’s always been the goal.”

“Ray’s a Jersey City kid,” said Mirabel, who is also a Jersey City native. “For a Jersey City kid to have a scholarship offer is special for him. It doesn’t happen often. I was really impressed with the way he handled himself as a young man. He’s more mature now. He stayed after practice to take shots. He wanted to keep coming. He helped to form one of the best backcourts in the county. And they’re only going to get better. He knows he can’t settle. We have some good guards coming back (in Armstrong and Ford). That’s a good thing.”

In the case of the Marauders, it’s a great thing.

The end of an era, perhaps

ERA (n.) -- a long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.

That’s how Webster’s Dictionary describes an era.

Well, I guess it’s safe to say that today marks the end of an era (at least for now). The Hudson Reporter Newspapers chain, an organization for which I’ve proudly written sports for 29 years and had a stint of 14 years where I wrote straight news as well, informed me that my services were no longer required.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak that has devastated the nation, the powers-that-be at the Reporter have decided to “suspend” my association with the paper. I was told through e-mails that there is no need to write about sports, because there are no high school or college sports – or pro sports, for that matter – to write about.

So after 29 years with the Reporter and covering Hudson County sports for 36 years, I have unceremoniously been given my release.

But in my mind, I think there’s always a need for sports. It serves as a major distraction from the rest of the horrifically sad news that we’ve all been handling recently. Sports always provide the happiness that comes with a winning touchdown, a long 3-pointer, a home run. Even without actual games ongoing right now, there are still sports stories to be written about, achievements to be recognized, features to enjoy.

So I might have had my avenue of conveying those stories to the great people of Hudson County and beyond eliminated (for now), but it’s not going to stop me from writing.

For now, you can find my work on my blog, which will feature the same things like they did in print. So there will be an Athlete of the Week this week, my own selections for All-Hudson County basketball and a regular column that will focus on Hudson County sports as well as the occasional dabble into pro sports.

Look for me here on Facebook and Twitter and click the links to read my work.

I’m very sad for it coming to an end like this, but I’m also encouraged to think that it’s not my end. I have this blog. I have my Podcast – this week’s guest will be football coaching great Ed Stinson and next week will be FDU head men’s basketball coach Greg Herenda.

And more importantly, I have my friends, so many friends that I’ve established through my sports writing, people who I never would have even known otherwise if it wasn’t for my long career. Well, I knew Herenda, but that’s another story.

If anyone has an idea for me to write about during these tumultuous times, let me know. Next week, I’m going to write previews about the baseball and softball teams in the county that I normally would have written about in the Reporter. Reach me at OGSMAR@aol.com. You can’t get rid of me that easily. Peace.

Recalling the great Kobe Bryant and wondering what if

Hearing the tragic and horrible news about Kobe Bryant’s passing today made me think of one thing I was relatively close to in regards to the legend.

I was covering the New Jersey Nets in the spring of 1996 when the team was readying to make a crucial draft pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

The Nets had the No. 7 pick in the first round and were considering a host of different collegiate players for the selection.

About two weeks before the draft, I had the privilege of a sit-down interview with John Calipari, the Nets’ head coach and president at the time.

In that interview, Calipari hinted to me that he wanted to take Kobe Bryant with the pick. Calipari was convinced that the 17-year-old Bryant, coming straight out of Lower Merion High School, was the best talent and was hopeful that the owners of the Nets would agree with his assessment.

I had witnessed Bryant play in high school against Bob Hurley and his fabulous Friars of St. Anthony and although Hurley’s team did a fantastic job of shutting Bryant down that day, you could see that he had incredible raw talent and had the potential to be a stellar shooting guard.

But there was talk about Bryant not accepting some teams that would draft him and that he might go to Europe to play for a year, then become eligible for the NBA Draft the following year. The Nets were potentially one of the teams that Bryant didn’t want to play for. The Nets couldn’t afford to risk taking Bryant and then watch him leave for Italy or Spain.

However, Calipari was apparently all set to take the gamble and take Bryant. I then wrote an article for the Newark Star-Ledger that stated the Nets would consider taking Bryant with the pick if he was still available with the seventh pick in the draft.

The owners of the Nets were not happy with my article. In fact, I got word from a Nets’ official – who will remain anonymous here – that the ownership was not pleased with me either tipping their hand or that they were considering taking a high school kid with a team that was on the cusp of contending for a playoff berth.

The owners wanted to make sure that they took a player who was going to sign with them and a player who had a lot of college experience, which was ruling out Calipari’s hope of taking Kobe.

So when the Nets’ turn came at No. 7 and Bryant still available, the Nets selected Kerry Kittles, the Big East Player of the Year from Villanova. Kittles played four years in college and had a ton of experience playing in big games. Kittles was going to fit in with the Nets and was not a risk of going overseas.

With that, the chance of Kobe Bryant being a New Jersey Net went out the window. The Nets took Kittles, who became a big part of the 1997-98 team that went to the NBA Playoffs and lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the first round.

Kittles played seven years with the Nets and had a serviceable career, helping the Nets win the Eastern Conference championship in 2002 and 2003. Ironically, the Nets lost in the 2003 NBA Finals to—yes, Kobe, Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Still to this day, I wonder what life in local professional basketball would have been like if the ownership of the Nets listened to Calipari and taken Kobe with that fateful pick.

And what my life as a sportswriter would have been like covering Kobe on a daily basis.

I enjoyed my time covering the Nets those days. They had a cast of characters that I still admire and remember the time fondly.

Kerry Kittles was one of those Nets who I drew close to. He is a wonderful man who came with me to visit Rashid Dunbar, a high school basketball player from Marist High School who was seriously injured in a car crash. He also came with me to visit Victor Muniz of Kearny, who was in Kessler Rehabilitation Institute after being paralyzed when a tree fell and crushed him during a storm.

Kittles was always there to lend a hand to a charity or to visit kids that idolized him and that were seriously injured. I always applauded his efforts in helping those in need.

Kittles was a good member of the Nets, one who I will always be grateful for his generosity and care.

I won’t second guess the selection of Kittles. But I just wonder how life would have been if the Nets took Bryant instead. And that’s what I thought of when I heard the news today of Kobe’s untimely demise.

In covering the Nets for over 30 years, I also had to cover the untimely death of Drazen Petrovic in 1993, when he was killed in a car crash. It was an awful time, because Draz had become such a great player for the Nets, earning All-NBA status that year before his death. It was stunning news, like you remember where you were when you heard about Draz's crash. I don't remember ever being sadder in my professional career.

It’s a little different because Petrovic was in the prime of his career, while Kobe was retired for a few years. Still, at 41, Kobe was far too young to be gone.

Who knows what life would have been like covering Kobe on a daily basis? Would he have been such a nice and caring guy as Kittles? Would have he done the things that Kittles did?

Just makes me wonder. In any case, I’m saddened by the news today. He was a great player, one of the top 10 players I ever watched. He wasn’t Jordan or LeBron, but he was up there. And he could have been a local hero instead of one on the West Coast in La-La Land.

The other news today was that my friend and mentor Jerry Izenberg has decided to break his streak this year of covering the Super Bowl. Jerry was one of three sportswriters to have been at all 53 prior Super Bowls. I know my friend Dave Klein is another of those great scribes.

But reading today that Jerry has decided not to go to Miami this time to cover the Super Bowl, like he did every single year, is a sad moment. Jerry is someone who I always looked up to as a kid, reading the Ledger and watching Sports Extra on Channel 5 with Bill Mazer.

I then had the great fortune of working many times with Jerry over the years when I was doing work for the Star-Ledger. He always liked my knowledge of sports and even requested me to cover big-time events with him.I was so grateful and honored that he respected me that much.

He said in his column today, “I’m old, but I’m not dead.”

Thank God for that. We can still read his great work on NJ.com and the Star-Ledger. He will continue to work from his home in Nevada. He just doesn’t want to travel anymore and I don’t blame him.

But it does mark the end of an era. Jerry not being at the Super Bowl to send his words back to all of us. We will miss that coverage.

You can read more of my work on www.hudsonreporter.com, www.theobserver.com and tune in to my Hudson County Sports podcast on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter with new interviews weekly.