When the local basketball season began, Weehawken Recreation boys’ basketball coach Sal Maione didn’t know whether he had the makings of another championship season. After all, his seventh and eighth graders won the Hudson-Bergen boys’ basketball league last year, but most of those players graduated on to the high school ranks. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” Maione said. “We had only three or four kids back from last year’s team. I didn’t know how the other kids would react to the new style of basketball that is played on this level. At the beginning of the year, I had some doubts.” Alfredo Alvarez was one of the returning players from last year’s championship season. “I was on the team last year, so I knew what to expect this year,” Alvarez said. “I didn’t think there was any pressure on us. We just had to do what we did last year.” Alvarez took it upon himself to act as one of the team’s leaders. “I felt like I had to step up and play my game,” Alvarez said. “I know I wanted to repeat as champions.” However, there were some bumps in the road, like hard losses to Wayne PAL in a tournament in Elmwood Park and a loss to neighboring Secaucus – the team’s fiercest rival in the Hudson-Bergen league – in a tourney in North Arlington. “I had my doubts,” Maione said. “But something just kicked in. After that loss (to Secaucus), everything fell into place. The kids gained a lot of confidence and became to play well. With each game, the confidence was building. We reeled off about nine straight wins and it just kept going.” The run culminated in a 37-30 victory over Secaucus last Monday night at Felician College in Lodi to capture the second consecutive Hudson-Bergen league championship. Alvarez was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. “To tell you the truth, I was really surprised that I was named the MVP,” Alvarez said. “I didn’t think I’d be the one to get it. We have a lot of good players on the team.” Before the season, if you had asked Maione, a former Weehawken standout player and 1,000-point scorer in the early 70s, if Alvarez had the makings of an MVP, he would have had his doubts. “He really shocked me,” Maione said. “All year, we really didn’t have one player who was the go-to guy. But Alfredo stepped it up and rose to the occasion. In the playoffs, he just took over and that was nice to see.” There were other players who also performed well down the stretch for Weehawken. Danny Lopez scored 29 points in the semifinal victory over Rutherford. “Danny was like a little fireplug for us,” Maione said. “He hit about seven 3-pointers in the Rutherford game.” Josh Grady was the team’s force down low. He scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the championship game, while holding Secaucus’ best inside player, 6-foot-3 Austin Hinton, to just 10 points. “Josh did a great job holding down that big kid,” Maione said. “His defense went a long way to helping us win.” Maione was very proud of his team’s performance. “Seeing how much they improved over the course of the season was really special for me,” said Maione, who spent some years as an assistant at St. Anthony under legendary coach Bob Hurley, before coaching in West New York Recreation and then Weehawken. “I think playing against the tough competition helped us later on. The kids felt confident and were always willing to work. I had 10 kids who didn’t miss a single practice. They’re proof that hard work pays off.” Added Maione, “I thought winning the first one last year was nice, but this one was sweeter, because no one expected us to do it again. But the kids came through.” Alvarez, who will attend Weehawken High School in the fall as a freshman and will play basketball there, believes that Weehawken tends to get slighted when it comes to athletics, but winning a second straight championship will help change that image. “I feel that it’s important for us to get recognition for Weehawken,” Alvarez said. “We have a lot of great players that don’t get noticed. But it’s up to kids like us to make sure Weehawken does get noticed.” Duly noted. Maione was asked if he planned on returning next season to go for the proverbial “three-peat.” “Every year, I keep saying that I’m done, and then I come back,” Maione said. “We have four starters from this team coming back. It’s something to think about. Coaching stays in you. You don’t want to give it up. However, if people start to expect things like this, I don’t know.” After two comes three, no?
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