Tag: Victor Verdecia

February 19, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Colonia and St. Thomas Aquinas to get together for another likely epic battle, this time with GMCT finals berth on the line

For the past several years, Colonia and St. Thomas Aquinas have been the hot ticket in the GMC.

Both have been fantastic in recent years, Trojans’ coach Bob Turco coached Patriots’ coach Jose Rodriguez when the latter was playing at Carteret, and they always seem to meet in a big game.

Turco may be in Piscataway, but the rivalry is still there. Their two games this year – both of which went Colonia’s way – were decided by eight and 16 points.

So, when the top-seeded Patriots and fourth-seeded Trojans meet Tuesday night at 7, in the second game of a GMC Tournament doubleheader at Monroe High School, everyone can’t wait to see what kind of fireworks ensure.

You can hear the doubleheader exclusively on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with the Colonia-Aquinas game immediately following the 5 pm game between second-seed Piscataway and third-seed Sayreville. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the action. Click here to listen.

St. Thomas is past all the distractions of the early season, and they’ve managed to navigate the choppy waters remarkably well, going 15-9 with head coach Victor Verdecia, a former standout at Perth Amboy who played for Colonia assistant Edwin Santana when he was with the Panthers – there’s the mentor-student storyline again! – leading the way.

Aiden Ur has been the scoring leader all year, at 16.1 points a game. Aidan Carter – at 14.5 points per game – only joined the team less than a month ago, making his season debut in a 69-53 loss at Colonia on January 23rd, heard here on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Junior Dan Jennings – a St. Joe’s transfer – is scoring 10.9 points per game.

Colonia – the defending champion at 21-4 – is looking to get back to the title game for the third time in four season, and has eyes on a repeat. They can do it with one of the best players in the league in junior Aiden Derkack, who’s going for 25.4 points a game, and has 1,584 career points. He’s also the team’s top rebounder at 8.6 per game, and has a club best 21 blocks and 46 steals.

But R.J. Wortman can score, too. He’s second on the team at 11.2 points per game, along with 8.6 rebounds. And then there’s the coach’s son, Jayce Rodriguez, who’s hit more threes (45) than anyone else in blue and gold.

Click below for preview interviews with both head coaches with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel:

Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Victor Verdecia

February 5, 2025February 5, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Who’s the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball coach that has guided Trojans through the storm? We talk with Perth Amboy native Victor Verdecia

His name might not be as synonymous with Central Jersey high school basketball as Karl-Anthony Towns, Keith Hughes, or even one of the Taylor brothers from his hometown of Perth Amboy, but Victor Verdecia is a Middlesex County guy at heart, while also experiencing basketball on a global level.

But everything comes full circle.

This season – though he hired as an assistant coach – he’s been the head man on the sidelines for the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball team. It was a circuitous route.

Verdecia was brought on by Austin Whitehurst, who was hired to replace Bob Turco, when he left for Piscataway after last season, following three GMC Tournament championships in six campaigns. The staff was rounded out by Chris Young – a football assistant and father of gridiron standout Chase Young – along with Mike Rosario, the former St. Anthony product who played for Bob Hurley, Sr., and later went to Rutgers, then transferred to Florida.

But with Whitehurst’s status on hold, Verdecia has had to fill in the gap, and is expected to remain at least for the remainder of the season.

And so far, so good.

In the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the Trojans were ranked No. 7 with a record of 11-7, and 6-4 in the highly-competitive GMC Red Division, where they will finish third, and could get as high as the third-seed in the county tournament, when the seeding committee meets Friday morning.

All that said, many are wondering, “Who is this guy?”

*Then-Perth Amboy head coach Edwin Santana (left) and Victor Verdecia, who’s now a boys’ basketball assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, and filling in as head coach. (Submitted photo)*

Verdecia played his high school ball at Perth Amboy, graduating in 2011. His head coach was Edwin Santana, a man he credits as helping keep him out of trouble as he was growing up, having known each other since sixth grade. Santana has been an assistant for several years now under Jose Rodriguez at Colonia.

Verdecia played JUCO basketball in Oklahoma, and also spent some time at Division 2 Niagara Falls University before spending seven years playing overseas – four in the Dominican Republic, and three in Spain.

*Colonia assistant Edwin Santana (left) and St. Thomas assistant and acting head coach Victor Veredecia (right) before the teams played on January 23, 2025 at Colonia. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

But, as often is the case, here he is, making a mark back in Middlesex County. Verdecia has helped guide St. Thomas through some turbulent waters, including a pair of wins over their non-public rivals just down Plainfield Avenue, St. Joseph-Metuchen.

Click below to hear St. Thomas Aquinas assistant Victor Verdecia talk about his journey with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Note: This interview was recorded on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, prior to the Trojans’ visit to top-ranked Colonia the next night.

January 23, 2025January 22, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Top Ten matchup on tap Thursday night as No. 1 Colonia hosts No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas

The first game was a double-overtime thriller that saw Colonia double up St. Thomas Aquinas in the decisive second overtime.

What will the next one bring?

There have been some great games in the last half-decade plus between the Patriots and Trojans, and much of the same is likely Thursday night when No. 1 Colonia (13-1, 7-0 GMC Red, 1st place) hosts No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas (9-4, 5-3 GMC Red, 6th place) in a huge, later-season game which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It tips off at 7 pm, with pregame starting at 6:45 with Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau. Click here to listen.

The Patriots will be the top seed in the GMC Tournament this winter, clinching it if they can beat Aquinas Thursday night, having already beaten second place Piscataway – both their division losses – twice this season. They’ve won ten in a row since suffering their only loss of the season, 53-47 to Westfield in the opener of their own LeGrand Holiday Jubilee round-robin tournament.

Junior Aiden Derkack – the only double-figure scorer returning – is doing his thing, leading the team in scoring at 24 points per game, along with rebounds (7.8 per game), blocks (13) and steals (34).

But new threats have emerged as well after the graduation of key players. Junior RJ Wortman is at 11.9 points per game, while freshman Jayce Rodriguez gives the Pats a three-point threat; he’s hit 25 triples to lead Colonia.

St. Thomas Aquinas has successfully tuned out the noise and distractions surrounding the eight-game NJSIAA suspension served by Austin Whitehurst for improper contact with a player from another school. Whitehurst remains sidelined while the school works out other issues with the NJSIAA, but believes he could return later this year.

With assistant Victor Verdecia, the Trojans have done well, winning five straight before a 76-72 setback Tuesday at Piscataway, whose coach Bob Turco left Aquinas after last season. Returning senior Aiden Ur leads the charge with 15.3 points per game, second on the team with triples with 14. Junior Dan Jennings – a transfer in the off-season from St. Joseph-Metuchen, who didn’t have to sit because it was his first transfer – is averaging a hair under 10 points per game, with a team-best 17 treys.

Click below to hear previews of Thursday’s game with both head coaches: