With a brand new team and high expectations, Ridgewood Basketball has a long process ahead of them in order to complete their divisional three-peat.
By Alex Smith
(Photographed by Alex Smith)
For two consecutive seasons, Ridgewood High School has held the divisional title, and is aiming for a third. The question looming over their chances is whether or not the talent still exists in Ridgewood.
Moving on from last season’s championship, the entire starting five has graduated, leaving a gaping hole experience-wise. Head Coach Mike Troy has faith that – in spite of the lack of experience – the process of the season will suffice to develop a new team into championship level material. “I believe in the process to get the results,” he claims, “even if it isn’t on opening night, I hope we can make a really strong team and stay there, competing.”
But the standards have been set very high. The divisional title has been clinched two years in a row, setting the goal as the NJSIAA title – where Ridgewood has fallen short in the semi-finals repeatedly. Coach Troy remarks that “the standard is the divisional title – or at least to stay at that level. But that has been won twice in a row now – so the end ultimate goal would be the state title.”
This dream seems a lot farther away this year given the absences of star players, most notably cult hero Johnny Jackson. Jackson holds the record for most points scored for RHS boys basketball ever, a feat made all the more impressive given his struggles with stage 4B Hodgkin’s lymphoma (plus subsequent chemotherapy treatments) throughout his senior year. In spite of his medical troubles, he led the team to the divisional championship, averaged 24 points a game, and joined First Team All-State, one of only two players in New Jersey to make it as a public school student that year. Another notable player who graduated last year is Tyler Nesland, Jackson’s partner in the backcourt who scored triple digits last year.
Potential replacements in the current senior class include – but are not limited to – Chris Yevchak and Andrew Barry. Chris operated as a combo guard and sixth man for Ridgewood last year, providing much needed experience for this new team. Andrew is the probable new five for the team, standing at 6 ‘7”, and, like Chris, served as a backup for varsity last year. What’s arguably more exciting, however, is the junior class of Ridgewood, specifically Dominick Bustamante and Sebastian Rodgers, a versatile guard and big man respectively, who ought to serve Ridgewood for the next couple years. They earnt less playing time last year than the upperclassmen, but the benefit of training and travelling with varsity shouldn’t be underestimated.
The maroons are going to need a plethora of new stars to fill the spotlight this year if they want to protect their title and stay in the contest for the state championship as a new dawn sets in the aftermath of the Johnny Jackson era. Coach Troy encourages hopeful players to get shots up in the offseason, making use of outdoor courts at schools such as BF middle school or Hawes Elementary, or get indoor buckets at the Shooting Lab; he wants to emphasise the effort necessary for competing at the level which is expected of Ridgewood Basketball.