Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mergin Sina holds the 2022 Somerset County Tournament Trophy after beating Rutgers Prep 84-63 on March 26, 2022. (Photo: Justin Sontupe)
After five straight Somerset County Tournament wins from 2015 through 2019, Gill St. Bernard’s took another three years before they’d hoist another trophy.
They did it last season with a star-studded lineup that racked up frequent flier miles jetting off to showcase tournaments across the country.
This year, however, the Knights will stay a little closer to home.
Denver Anglin is gone to graduation and seeing a few minutes here and there as a freshman at Georgetown. Mackenzie Mgbako moved on to Roselle Catholic. Naasir Cunningham – who hails from Atlanta – signed with the Overtime Elite pro league, but declined a salary to keep his college eligibility. Others have gone as well, with only one starter back.
That’s senior Nick Losada, who averaged 4.6 points per game last year.
Gill will surround him with a host of new players, including a 6-5 sophomore point guard from Kosovo – Jon Ismasjli (pronounced “iss-my-EEL-ee”) – who Sina believes eventually will be one of the best point guards in New Jersey.
With those headline names gone, Gill won’t be in all those national showcases this year, but Sina says that will allow his team to focus on its main task of gelling and improving.
The Knights tip off their 2022-23 season Thursday night at 7 when they host Bridgewater-Raritan in Gladstone.
Gill is set to appear on Central Jersey Sports Radio on Tuesday, January 24th as part of a girls/boys doubleheader at Rutgers Prep.
Click below to hear CJSR’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Gill head coach Mergin Sina about the upcoming season:
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