March 21, 2001
Three Who Just Keep on Winning
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
They may have left Ocean City High School but these three continue to contribute to
winning programs.
Jessica Brookes received a staggering welcome to the NCAA Tournament when
Long Island University was defeated by the University of Connecticut, 101-29, in the
opening round. Brookes scored just three points and grabbed three rebounds as the
Blackbirds were eliminated. She had a reunion, of sorts, with Sue Bird and Asjha Jones
of UConn. The three all played in the Girls Shootout at EHT in 1998.
Brookes, however, was a big reason LIU reached the tournament. She scored 14 points
and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 70-61 win over Mt. St. Mary's that earned the Blackbirds
the Northeast Conference championship.
For the season, Brookes averaged 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, shot 49
percent from the floor and 73 percent from the line, and led the team with 18 blocked
shots. She was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team and was one of only three freshmen
to be named Rookie of the Week twice.
This success just continued what Brookes had achieved at OCHS. She led the team in
scoring three straight years, leading Ocean City into the NJSIAA tournament all three
times. And she finished her career with 1,081 points, the seventh highest total in school
history.
Gil Ferrari was just at Ocean City High School one season but he made it
memorable, helping John Bruno's Raiders win a South Jersey Group 3 championship.
He became the first player in the long history of OCHS basketball to score 20 or more
points in three different tournament games during the same year.
This year, Ferrari transferred from Missouri Valley College, a NCAA Div. 2 school, to
Ulster County Community College, one of the SUNY two-year schools in New York. He
helped Ulster finish 23-8 (the team was 3-23 the year before). It was the first time in
almost 30 years that Ulster had a 20-win season. And the first time in a while that Ulster
qualified for the regional playoffs.
During the season, Ulster was ranked as high as sixth in the nation by the National
Junior College Athletic Association. They made the tournament as the No. 3 seed, made
it to the championship game but lost.
Ferrari started at forward, averaging just under 11 points and just over seven rebounds
a game. He scored 20 points and got 12 rebounds in one game.
With his first two years of college over, Ferrari will weigh offers from NCAA Div. 2 and 3
schools like St. Thomas Aquinas, New Paltz and Hammonton College. He may also
have a chance to go back to Brazil, finish school there and play professionally for a
club team.
Wherever he goes, you can expect them to win.
Then there is Mike Naples. Sure, we know. He's retired. Living the good life in
Georgia. Eating grits and sipping mint juleps.
Wrong.
Naples is a community (volunteer assistant) coach at Morgan County High School in
girls cross country and girls track. His wife, Linda, a former coach at Oakcrest, is also
helping with the track program.
During the fall, the Morgan County girls won a rare region championship and finished
10th in the state. Naples is currently working with two young runners whom he predicts
will break all the school distance and middle-distance records. In fact, one already has
in the very first track meet of the season.
Cross country and track are still in the dark ages in Georgia compared to New Jersey.
One course was just a pasture with a path mowed around the perimeter. In fact, a couple
of cows wandered onto the path and the girls just had to run around them.
Cows or no cows. New Jersey or Georgia. Naples is another example of somebody who
wins wherever he goes.
GO TO OUR FORUM TO
EXPRESS YOUR OPINION ABOUT THIS COLUMN, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S ON YOUR MIND!