December 3, 2003
Changing the focus to basketball
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
On Saturday, two Cape-Atlantic League football teams will play for NJSIAA championships. Hammonton
faces Deptford for the Group 3 title and St. Joe meets Bishop Eustace for the Parochial 2 crown.
Interestingly enough, neither of these schools has won the championship it is seeking Saturday in the
past. Hammonton is 4-5 in championship games, all in Group 1 or Group 2. St. Joe is 12-8 in title games,
though this is the school’s first year in Parochial 2.
In addition to their own goals, the two Hammonton-based schools carry the CAL’s reputation with them.
The last time the league did not produce an NJSIAA football champion was in 1986. Since then, teams
from the CAL have won a total of 30 titles over 16 straight years. St. Joseph itself has won four straight,
Hammonton last winning in 1996.
But, while those teams are seeking championships, many other football players have already made the
transition to basketball. Practice started the day after Thanksgiving and the scrimmages begin this week.
The first regular season games will be played two weeks from Friday.
There are a number of good teams expected this year in CAL boys and girls basketball. And, while this
year’s teams are preparing for their season, a number of former CAL greats are contributing at the college
level. Let’s catch up on some of them.
OLU BABALOLA, junior forward from St. Augustine Prep, averages 14.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7
assists for undefeated Clemson.
JESSICA BROOKES, senior forward from Ocean City, averages 3.7 points per game for Long Island
University (1-2). She is third on the team in three-pointers. Freshman center Catie LaRue, also from Ocean
City, has not played yet for LIU.
KRISTY COSTA, sophomore forward from Absegami, has started all three games for McDaniel (MD)
College (3-0). She leads the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game, is first in steals and second in
rebounds.
JEN DANIELS, sophomore guard from Holy Spirit, has not started in the first two games for George Mason
but she averages 10.5 points and 2.5 assists in games with Georgetown and Tulane. She will play in
Philadelphia on Dec. 28-29 in the Hawk Classic at St. Joseph’s.
SAMANTHA ESKUCHEN, junior center from Atlantic City, leads Rowan (4-0) in rebounds with 10.0 per
game. She is second in blocked shots, third in steals and scores 8.3 points a game. Marie Miller,
sophomore forward from Wildwood, averages 3.3 points and 3.8 rebounds for the Profs.
Linwood resident SCOTT GREENMAN, sophomore guard from St. Augustine Prep, has started both
games for Princeton (2-0). He averages 9.0 points per game, hitting 55 percent from the floor and 50
percent from three-point range. Greenman is second in steals and third in assists. His head coach, John
Thompson, son of the Hall of Famer from Georgetown, was a teammate of Vineland coach DAVE
ORLANDINI at Princeton.
BRIAN HILTNER, junior forward from Holy Spirit, leads Richard Stockton College (2-1) in scoring (13.0) and
rebounds (10.3). He also leads the team in blocked shots and is second in assists. BOO EVANS,
sophomore guard from Middle Township, leads Stockton in both assists and steals and is shooting 50
percent from the floor.
Through four games at LaSalle (3-1), sophomore guard SHAUNE McLAUGHLIN, from Mainland, is
averaging 4.5 points per game, is second on the team in steals and third in assists.
POPS MENSAH-BONSU, sophomore forward from St. Augustine Prep, averages 13.5 points per game off
the bench for George Washington (3-0), second best on the team. He shoots 73 percent from the field, 82
percent from the line and is second in rebounds with 4.8. GW will play on ESPN2 against Texas on Dec.
29 and comes to Philly to play St. Joe on Jan. 3.
ADRIENNE ROCHETTI, freshman guard from Sacred Heart, has started all three games for undefeated
NYU. She leads the team in assists and averages 4.3 points per game.
TYLEE THOMAS, senior guard from Wildwood, averages 13.7 points per game for Rowan (1-2), second
best on the team. He leads the team in steals, is second in blocked shots and fourth in rebounds.
IKEA WITT, freshman guard from Sacred Heart, has been named Rookie of the Week both weeks in the
America East Conference for Hartford (4-1). Witt hasn’t started yet but leads the team with 13.8 points a
game, shoots 54 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line.
In just two weeks, the CAL players who have succeeded these players will start playing for real.
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