No. 3 Rutgers Prep faces Franklin Tuesday as Argonauts look to go on a run

The time is now for the Rutgers Prep boys’ basketball team.

With a record of 6-6, and still the No. 3 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the Argonauts are looking to make some noise over the next couple of weeks, jockeying for position in both the county and state tournaments, with the SCT seeding looming first, on January 27th.

Tuesday night will be one of those key games, as Prep (3-1, second place in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division) takes on Franklin (5-6, 2-2) in a game that could be a turning point for both seasons.

Prep will hope to use it as a springboard to a solid run toward the postseason. Franklin would land a signature win if the Warriors can take the victory. Game time is 7 pm, and it can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:45. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the action; click here to listen.

Last year’s Rutgers Prep squad was on the young side and inexperienced. Many of those key parts are back, including senior Myles Parker, who leads the way with 15.6 points per game and a squad-best 34 treys. Sophomore Jacob Canton adds 14.6 per game and has dished out a team-best 58 assists through 12 games, while another second-year player, Andrew Kretkowski, also is averaging 14.6 per game, along with a team-leading 6.4 rebounds.

They do a lot well – play defense, rebound, shoot from the perimeter, get up and down the floor – and just watching for a few minutes, it’s evident this group has a bond and meshes well. Bloom will have the core of Canton, Kretkowski, and also sophomore Rocco Loomis (9.3 ppg) for a few years.

To say Prep has struggled to its 6-6 mark would be inaccurate. Would they love to have more wins? Sure. But losses have come to the likes of Gill St. Bernard’s, Don Bosco Prep and Manasquan, among others. But those three have come by a combined 12 points

The run, though – they hope – starts now.

Click below to hear Rutgers Prep boys’ basketball coach Matt Bloom talk about the Argonauts with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: