Shot clock is coming to New Jersey high school basketball, as NJSIAA measure for HS basketball passes narrowly
A well-coordinated effort to bring the shot clock to high school basketball in New Jersey just barely made it to the finish line Monday, winning approval by a slim margin in a vote of the full NJSIAA membership during a meeting at the Pines Manor in Edison. The basketball proposal passed 170-166, and the shot clock will begin when the 2027-28 season tips off. Use of the shot clock will be mandatory for all varsity games, but optional for JV and freshman contests. A similar shot clock measure in lacrosse was defeated however, by a 166-149 margin, with 21 abstentions,…
Greater Middlesex Conference realigns basketball divisions for boys’, girls’ hoops in 2026-27
After its first year of breaking divisions into Red, White and Blue “American” and “National” groupings for girls’ and boys’ basketball, the Greater Middlesex Conference is staying with that format, but still making some adjustments to its alignments for the 2026-27 season. The changes were approved by the GMC’s athletic directors on April 23rd. Only six schools on the boys’ side will find new homes next season, while a dozen will move around on the girls’ side. In most cases, moves down are teams that finished in last place in their division, while some that finished first moved up. In…
Longtime East Brunswick boys’ hoops coach Mark Motusesky steps down after 13 years leading the Bears
Coming off one of the program’s most successful campaigns in over a decade, East Brunswick boys’ basketball coach Mark Motusesky has stepped down as head coach after 13 seasons at the helm. Motusesky made the announcement Friday afternoon. “It was a very difficult decision,” Motusesky wrote, “but ultimately it was the right one to be made. My daughter is going to be a freshman, and I know I would regret not being there.” That’s his daughter Ashley, who will be on the freshman team this coming school year. And, the girls’ program is somewhat of a family affair. Sophomore Ava…
No. 2 Middlesex uses big second inning to get past No. 5 Colonia, 4-0, in GMC White finale
One main characteristic of the more successful Middlesex baseball teams over the years has been how they can turn what seems like an innocuous couple of hits it into an inning that changes the game. Their hitters tend to feed off each other, a confirmation of the old adage that hitting is contagious. And when you couple that with someone like junior Dom Long on the mound, who entered the day with a microscopic 0.78 ERA, it’s a recipe for success. And that’s what it was on Thursday afternoon at Mountainview Park, as the No. 2 Blue Jays beat No.…
NJSIAA moving Colonia boys’ basketball up to Group 4 based on new success formula
With the prevalence of charter schools live Thrive Charter and College Achieve Asbury Park in basketball, as well as public schools that draw students from outside their traditional geographical boundaries, the NJSIAA created a success formula, that moves team up in Group size for playoff qualification. And now, Middlesex County has seen its first team be affected by the new rule, as the Colonia boys’ basketball program – which has won five straight sectional titles and six of the last seven – is moving up to Group 4. The news was announced Wednesday by the NJSIAA at its monthly meeting…
Montgomery’s Kris Grundy honored with John Wooden Legacy Award from state, national Basketball Coaches Associations
After a third straight sectional championship in Central Jersey Group 4, and a second straight trip to the Group 4 state finals, Montgomery boys’ basketball coach Kris Grundy has been honored with the John Wooden Legacy Award, given annually to one boys’ and girls’ coach in every state. It’s from the New Jersey and National High School Basketball Coaches association in conjunction with the John Wooden Family and the Wooden Foundation. The award goes to a “long-time, active basketball coach who also serves as an outstanding educator and who, through their excellence on the court, in the classroom and in…
Edison native, JP Stevens alum Dylan Brett gets call of a lifetime with Hofstra basketball’s run to the Big Dance
It all started for Dylan Brett when he was nine years old. Edison Pop Warner couldn’t find anyone to do the public address during a game. Someone asked him. He wound up calling every play, like it was on the radio, not just announcing who carried the ball or made the tackle. It wasn’t quite the assignment, but the parents loved it, and it stuck. Fast forward more than a decade, and the JP Stevens grad is at Hofstra University’s student radio station WRHU, one of the top college radio stations in the nation. How it started, and how it’s…
Jose Rodriguez wins CJSR’s GMC Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year after yet another breakthrough year at Colonia
Jose Rodriguez’ accomplishments at Colonia could fill a book in his eight years at the helm. Six sectional championships – including the Patriots’ current run of five straight – back-to-back GMC Tournament titles, multiple Division I talents, and a whole lot of wins. And yet, the only thing missing was an appearance in the state final. Colonia did just that this season, a remarkable feat after losing four starters from last year’s sectional and GMC Tournament champions. Even after a 2-6 start, the Patriots improved and developed every day, responding with a 17-4 stretch with a ten-game win streak in…
Mergin Sina named CJSR’s Somerset County Boys Coach of the Year after Knights’ first state crown
Mergin Sina has coached plenty of great teams at Gill St. Bernard’s, with talented players that went on to achieve great things at the collegiate level. But there’s one thing he hadn’t done as the head coach of the Knights’ boys’ team, one thing the program as a whole had not done before. Hold up the state championship trophy. This year’s Gill team did just that, rattling off 24 consecutive wins to end the year, winning the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, the Somerset County Tournament, the Non-Public North B sectional crown, and finally, the Non-Public B title at Rutgers last…
INSTANT REPLAY – Group 3 Finals (Boys): Ocean City, Montgomery 40
Despite a 22-point game from sophomore Jayce Rodriguez, North 2, Group 3 champ Colonia lost to South Jersey Group 3 champion Ocean City, 55-46, in the NJSIAA state Group 3 title game, giving the Red Raiders their first state title since 1964. Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway on March 15, 2026.
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