10 reasons for New Jerseyans to watch college basketball in 2022-23

Mitch Henderson has cut down the nets for Princeton University men’s basketball as a player and a coach. There is no one still in the game who has a better grasp of the program’s storied history, so his description of Tigers senior Tosan Evbuomwan is eye-opening stuff.

“He is so gifted at seeing things early and being poised, it’s a very unusual skill and I don’t think we’ll see a passer like him again in Princeton basketball for 50 years,” Henderson said recently. “There is really a special and unique ability to make others around him better.”

Fifty years! And here’s the thing: Evbuomwan, who averaged 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game as a junior, is not a point guard. He is a 6-foot-8 power forward.

“He might be the best collegiate pro prospect in New Jersey as of today,” said Richard Kent, who is Yale’s radio analyst, covers the Ivy League for IvyHoopsOnline.com and follows the Jersey scene closely as a Rutgers alum.

“Every NBA team has been in touch about him,” said Princeton associate head coach Brett MacConnell, who discovered Evbuomwan in Newcastle, England.

There are a lot of reasons for New Jerseyans to embrace the 2022-23 college basketball season, which tips off Nov. 7. After a historic campaign last winter, there are returning stars, intriguing changes, banners to raise, rivalries to renew – and arguably, the most local interest in the sport in many years.

Here are 10 reasons to get pumped, starting with the British baller:

1. The best player you may not know about

The son of a doctor, Evbuomwan grew up playing soccer and later excelled as a sprinter in track. The story of how he got here is the stuff of folklore. His club coach sent out a mass email to college coaches, and MacConnell was the only one who responded by flying across the Atlantic. After sideswiping a parked car as he struggled with the driving-on-the-left-side-of-the-road thing, MacConnell walked into a gym fit for an elementary school and witnessed Tosan’s team get absolutely obliterated.

The performance was so bad that, when MacConnell approached him afterward, Tosan fully expected the coach to tell him something akin to, “good luck with your future endeavors.” When MacConnell’s spiel ended with an invitation to visit Princeton, the player was flabbergasted.

“He’s rewarded our program for having faith in him,” MacConnell said.

Last winter Evbuomwan was Ivy League Player of the Year after leading Princeton to a 23-7 record and the regular-season title. He did so despite playing the entire season with a torn labrum, which forced him to mostly finish with his left hand. The Tigers wound up in the NIT after dropping the conference tournament final, enter this preseason projected to finish second, and the best player you may not know about – who inexplicably was omitted from the Naismith Hall of Fame’s preseason watch lists – is flush with motivation.

“There is so much more to accomplish,” he said.

2. Banners on the Boulevard

Saint Peter’s run to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight was the sports story of the year, an “only in college basketball” moment whose ratings outdrew the World Series, NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals.

Much has been made of the seven key players who transferred out, but three guys from the rotation return – guards Isiah Dasher and Jaylen Murray and 6-foot-10 Oumar Diahame. And new head coach Bashir Mason was a prolific winner at Wagner.

As they raise a MAAC Tournament banner and a Regional Final banner in Run Baby Run Arena this season, one thing seems certain: The Peacocks will tip off with more attention on them than ever before. A Nov. 12 visit to Seton Hall will be a must-watch for Garden State hoop-heads, and tickets are going at a brisk pace.

3. A favorite son goes home

Aside from the great Richie Regan, no one has meant more to Seton Hall basketball over a longer period of time than Shaheen Holloway, who takes the torch from Kevin Willard after guiding Saint Peter’s to unprecedented heights.

Holloway already achieved his first miracle in South Orange, cobbling together a competitive-looking roster without anything resembling the alumni collectives that are financing recruitment elsewhere. Next up: Can he get five Willard holdovers, five transfers and three freshmen to function well together under an all-new coaching staff?

If he can, there’s enough talent in the program to do some damage this winter.

4. Rutgers’ three-peat bid

Before Steve Pikiell arrived on the banks, making the NCAA Tournament was a generational occurrence for Rutgers in men’s hoops. Now the Scarlet Knights are seeking a third straight bid for the first time ever.

They will have a legit chance thanks to All-Big Ten candidates Cliff Omoruyi, Caleb McConnell and Paul Mulcahy -- plus one of the best home-court advantages in all of college basketball. The Dec. 11 clash with Seton Hall might be the hottest sports ticket on New Jersey soil this year.

5. Exciting new developments

Rutgers women’s basketball turns the page with new head coach Coquese Washington, who once led Penn State to three Big Ten titles and pledges to up the tempo on the banks.

Speaking of tempo, Tobin Anderson takes the reins at Fairleigh Dickinson after winning 209 games at Division 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, where his squads were known for their full-court pressure.

And in a significant change of pace, Monmouth joins the Colonial Athletic Association, continuing a rapid rise through the ranks from the MAAC and the Northeast Conference before that.

6. Intriguing women’s matchups

Princeton women’s basketball is the runaway Ivy League favorite after going 14-0 in the conference last season and beating Kentucky in the first round of the NCAAs. Senior guard Julia Cunningham, a Watchung Hills High School grad, leads the way and freshman Madison St. Rose out of St. John Vianney should have an impact.

Seton Hall women’s basketball is poised to make noise after advancing to the WNIT final last March. Senior point guard Lauren Park-Lane is an All-America candidate after averaging 18.3 points and 7.0 assists per game and 6-4 senior Sidney Cooks was named preseason All-Big East.

Mark your calendar: Seton Hall at Rutgers on Nov. 11; Princeton at Seton Hall on Nov. 14; Princeton at Rutgers on Dec. 15. It's great for the sport in this state that these programs play each other.

7. Fab freshmen

NJIT landed a four-star recruit for the first time in program history. Cincinnati’s Paul McMillan, the valedictorian of his high school class, is a scoring point guard who chose the Highlanders for the combination of academics and a chance to play right away.

“He’s been playing terrific,” NJIT coach Brian Kennedy said. “I’m not going to put a ton of pressure on him, but he’s done everything we’ve asked and more so far.”

Two more freshmen to watch: Rutgers guard and Lenape High School grad Derek Simpson and Seton Hall forward Tae Davis. Both have impressed this preseason and will factor into their teams’ rotations.

8. MAAC title contender

Rider ended last season by stunning Iona in the MAAC Tournament, opening the door for Saint Peter’s. This year, no one will be surprised if the Broncs climb past the Gaels. With dynamic senior guard Dwight Murray Jr. (13.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.7 apg) setting the pace, they were voted third in the preseason coaches’ poll. That was before second-ranked Manhattan imploded.

9. Powerhouses in the NJAC

As always, the New Jersey Athletic Conference features some of the best Division 3 hardwood action in the country.

On the men’s side, Stockton is ranked ninth in the preseason Top 25 after retuning nine players from a squad that went 26-5 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs. Senior guard DJ Campbell, who hails from Vineland, was a first-team All-American and NJAC Player of the Year after averaging 19.9 points.

On the women’s side, Kean is coming off a breakthrough campaign that include a 15-2 NJAC record, the regular-season title and an at-large appearance in the NCAA Tournament. NJAC Player of the Year Shannon McCoy, a Barnegat High School grad, returns as a postgrad after averaging 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season.

10. Jersey alums to watch

Jersey always exports significant high school hoops talent, and this season is no exception.

On the men’s side, keep an eye on UConn junior center Adama Sanogo (Patrick School), UAB senior guard Jordan Walker (Patrick School), Alabama senior guard Jahvon Quinerly (Hudson Catholic), Miami senior guard Isaiah Wong (Piscataway), Virginia Tech senior forward Justyn Mutts (St. Augustine), Colgate senior guard Tucker Richardson (Hunterdon Central), St. Bonaventure senior guard Daryl Banks (Patrick School) and Bryant senior guard Doug Edert (Bergen Catholic).

On the women’s side, look out for Notre Dame sophomore guard Olivia Miles (Blair) and postgrad guard Dara Mabrey (Manasquan), Maryland senior guard Diamond Miller (Franklin) and North Carolina sophomore wing Destiny Adams (Manchester Township).

Jerry Carino’s Preseason All-New Jersey

First Team

Caleb McConnell, Rutgers (Gr., G)

Dwight Murray Jr., Rider (Sr., G)

KC Ndefo, Seton Hall (Gr., F)

Tosan Evbuomwan, Princeton (Sr., F)

Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers (Jr., C)

Second Team

Paul Mulcahy, Rutgers (Sr., G)

Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall (Jr., G)

Al-Amir Dawes, Seton Hall (Sr., G)

Ryan Langborg, Princeton (Sr., G)

Miles Coleman, NJIT (Sr., F)

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: College basketball 2022-23 season preview: 10 New Jersey stories