As St. Rose basketball rises, where is Matt Hodge among NJ's best? Also, top games of week
For the time being it's mostly word-of-mouth and social media buzz, as recruiting analysts, coaches and fans alike begin flocking to see unbeaten St. Rose and its pair of Belgian imports.
And after 6-9 junior Matt Hodge’s monster 18-point, 13-rebound performance Friday night in the championship game at the Albert E. Martin Buc Classic, St. Rose coach Brian Lynch said what a lot of people are wondering.
“I think in a few months' time he’s going to be considered one of the best players in the Class of 2024 in America, because of his multi-versatile skills, his size, his strength. He’s as smart as they come,” Lynch said.
Humm?
There isn’t a lot out there on Matt Hodge in terms of ratings are reports, or his brother Jayden, a 6-4 freshman averaging 17.2 points, with the two planning to play AAU basketball for the PSA Cardinals, one of the top New York City programs, after the high school season.
So what’s the benchmark here?
The website 247 Sports lists two 5-star prospects in the Class of 2024 in New Jersey in Don Bosco combo guard Dylan Harper, brother of former Rutgers standout Ron Harper Jr., and Hudson Catholic point guard Tahaad Pettiford. It also has two 4-star recruits in The Patrick School’s Anthony Gilkes and Ranney School guard Jalil Bethea.
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The Rivals Top 150 for the 2024 Class has Harper at No. 10 and Pettiford at No. 21, and Roselle Catholic’s Tarik Watson at 102, listed as 4-star prosect.
As more people see him and opinions are formed, it will be interesting to see where he does end up, with recruiting expected to ramp up quickly.
St. Rose plays at Roselle Catholic Jan. 21 and at Hudson Catholic Feb. 5, in addition to a pair of divisional games against Ranney.
Roselle Catholic 68, Manasquan 59
Speaking of star power, the glare was blinding in the Manasquan High School gym Monday afternoon when the Big Blue hosted powerhouse Roselle Catholic, in a game that was postponed due to weather on Dec. 23.
And while Alex Konov's three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half gave Manasquan a 38-31 halftime lead, the Lions stormed back in the third quarter behind a spirited defensive effort, outscoring Manasquan 13-0 to take a 44-38 lead.
A Konov three-pointer with 4:40 to play pulled Manasquan within 50-48, but Roselle Catholic went on an 8-0 run, with three-pointers by 6-8 Duke commit Mackenzie Mgbako and North Carolina signee Simeon Wilcher.
Konov led all scorers with 21 points for Manasquan (5-3), while point guard Ryan Frauenheim finished with 16 points. Big man Akil Watson scored 18 points to lead Roselle Catholic (2-3).
Roselle Catholic guard Christian Pierre-Louis did a good defensive job on Manasquan sophomore guard Darius Adams, limiting him to 11 points.
“Good experience,” Manasquan coach Andrew Bilodeau said. “They have two NBA lottery picks, some high-major players and I think a lot of people left here thinking we should have won. I know we did. Great experience.
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“They’re ridiculously talented and well organized and they’re just absurdly good.”
Coming off winning a title at the WOBM Christmas Classic, Manasquan's three losses have been against high-level competition, falling at unbeaten St. Rose in a Shore Conference C North test and to Linden in overtime on a neutral court.
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"I thought we played pretty well," Frauenheim said. "We look at our loses and it helps us. We feel pretty good about ourselves.”
Roselle Catholic came in off a 54-46 win over the Patrick School at Rutgers at the “Battle in New Jersey” showcase event last week, after losing three straight games to open the season at a showcase in the Bahamas, falling to Duncanville (Texas), Sunrise Christian (Kansas) and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).
Manasquan's execution was solid in the first half, opening up an 18-10 lead on Konov's triple at the buzzer to end the first quarter. While Roselle Catholic closed the gap to two points on several occasions, Manasquan was able to maintain its advantage, before the Lions turned up the defensive pressure in the second half.
"We execute a little bit and get a couple of stops and maybe the ending is a little closer," Bilodeau said. "The third quarter we got some looks but we didn’t get the stops. Maybe we put a couple of those in – when you’re behind and they start to show patience, you can’t go get those guys."
Big games this week
The Manasquan-Roselle Catholic game picks off a big week of Shore Conference games. Here’s a look at some of the most important ones:
Tuesday, Jan. 3
Manasquan 65, Point Boro 25 - Manasquan had no problem coming bac on a quick turnaround against previously Point Boro (6-0), opening up a 21-10 halftime lead before turning it on and cruising to a key C North victory. Point Boro had come in off a win at its Cole Young Memorial Tournament.
Jackson Memorial 60, Ocean 50 – This interesting non-conference game featured a pair of holiday tournament champions off to fast starts. But Jackson Memorial (7-1), winner of the WOBM Christmas Classic’s Steve Gepp Bracket, went on the road and knocked off (5-2), which captured the John Molinelli Tournament at Hopewell Valley.
Thursday, Jan. 5
Freehold Township at CBA, 5:30 p.m. - Heading into a game with major A North implications, Freehold Townships got second place in the WOBM’s Gepp Bracket, while CBA was third at the Buc Classic. Senior Joe White led the way for CBA with 19 points in a win over Notre Dame last time out.
Saturday, Jan. 7
The Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase at Brookdale Community College in Middletown features eight Shore teams in five games, although there are some late changes to the lineup. Manasquan will be playing Hightstown instead of Don Bosco Prep, which has pulled out. The schedule is still being finalized.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: St. Rose NJ boys' basketball, Matt Hodge rising fast
