Fresh off GMC Tournament championship, Colonia sets sights on another solid year

Like every high school basketball team everywhere, seniors graduate, new players come in. That’s the nature of the beast.

For Colonia, the names have changed over the last several years, but one thing remains the same: they consistently have success.

Colonia – which won the GMC’s top “pod” in the COVID-shortened 2021 season – broke out last season and won the GMC Tournament, beating St. Thomas Aquinas, led by Tournament MVP and then-sophomore Aiden Derkack.

Derkack is back, and among the top three teams in the GMC over the last few years, it might be the Patriots who have the most consistency. Both St. Thomas Aquinas – which had won the three prior GMC Tournaments – and St. Joseph – which hasn’t won one since 2019 – have new coaches in Bob Turco, Jr. and Karl Towns, Sr., respectively.

Now, the question is, can the Patriots take advantage?

Colonia finished 22-9 last season under Jose Rodriguez – who, ironically, has connections to Turco and Towns. With Turco, they go back to Jose’s playing days at Carteret, when Dave Turco was head coach, and Rodriguez coached under Dave when Karl-Anthony Towns – Coach Towns’ son – was at St. Joe’s.

Now, of course, he’s with the Knicks in the NBA.

This Saturday, the Patriots will open up 2024-25 against St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City in Game Six of the Tip-Off Showcase at Montgomery at 5:30 pm.

When they do, they’ll be without Jaeden Jones, but they will have the junior Derkack, who led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals last year, scoring at a 20 point per game clip. Also back are senior Zach Smith and junior guard Dylan Chiera, who’s also the quarterback on the football team.

Click below to hear Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez look at the upcoming season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: