Veteran baseball coach Matthews takes over as Hoboken hoops coach
While Buddy Matthews has been long recognized and completely associated with Hoboken High School baseball for almost two decades now, he also proudly owns a lesser known association with the school.
"I’ve been a basketball coach at Hoboken for the last 18 years," Matthews said. "I’ve been an assistant coach with the varsity, as well as the freshman coach and JV [junior varsity coach]. So I’ve been coaching basketball all that time."
However, it was somewhat in the shadows of long-time coaches Gene Sparta and then the legendary Hudson County Hall of Fame coach Maureen Wendelken, who coached the boys at Hoboken for the last decade.
When Wendelken decided to retire as a teacher at the end of the last school year, it left the door open for a new coach to step forward. It only made sense that the new coach should be a familiar one, the guy who was the JV head coach a year ago.
"I’ve actually been coaching basketball longer than baseball," said Matthews, who has guided the Red Wings to six HCIAA baseball championships and three state sectional titles during his 17-year baseball coaching career. "I started coaching Biddy basketball in the Hoboken YMCA when I was 15 years old."
Matthews knew that he was inheriting a program that was in good shape, because of the work done by Wendelken and her husband/assistant coach, John.
"I knew there was a good crop of kids coming back," Matthews said. "Maureen and John did a great job with the kids over the summer. This is their legacy team. It’s not my team. Whatever success that we have this year will have happened because of their hard work."
Matthews was not concerned about a transition from going as the JV coach to varsity head coach.
"It went pretty easy and smooth, simply because I coached most of them before," Matthews said. "I think they all knew what to expect. However, there is a lot more pressure on me as a head coach, in terms of scouting and preparation. It’s a lot more work."
But the Red Wings are not suffering on the court. They own a 5-2 record thus far, including the championship of the Secaucus Holiday Tournament and a big win over North Bergen last Saturday night.
Leading the way thus far for the Red Wings is senior Angel Sanabria. The standout receiver for the Red Wings’ football team last fall, the 5-10 Sanabria is averaging 13.5 points per game.
"He covers the other team’s point guard, so he’s asked to do a lot for us," Matthews said.
Senior Jason Blanks, the quarterback on the football team, is also a standout defensive basketball player.
"He’s asked to shut down the other team’s leading scorer," Matthews said of Blanks.
Senior Robert Rivera, yet another football player, is averaging nine points per game, but has been contributing more of late.
"Rob’s averaging about 12 points per game in the last three games," Matthews said. "He’s also doing a good job defensively."
Junior Levone Lyons, another football player who has unlimited and untapped potential, can also mature into a fine basketball player, according to Matthews.
"He’s just a gifted athlete," Matthews said of Lyons. "As soon as he realizes how good he can become, he’ll be even better."
Junior Terique Miller was Matthews’ best player on the Red Wings’ JV team last year.
"He does a little bit of everything for us," Matthews said of Miller.
Senior Ernest Walker, all 5-7 of him, is an impact player on the hardwood, in the much the way he was when he was earning All-Area honors as a defensive back in the fall.
Kelvin Cabrera was giving the Red Wings quality minutes off the bench, but he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the victory over North Bergen.
"Kelvin had the knack of getting offensive rebounds," Matthews said. "He’s going to be missed."
Junior Bernard Dyer is a three-year varsity performer at guard for the Red Wings who handles a variety of roles. Senior forward Adam Groomes is a forward who plays both inside and outside equally well. Senior Javier Rivera is the team’s backup center who, according to Matthews, is doing a "great job off the backboards."
The Red Wings will play in the HCIAA Seglio Division for the first time this season, so it appears as if they will be locking horns with teams like St. Mary’s of Jersey City all year long.
"I think each game will offer a different challenge to us," Matthews said. "I think we have to get to know each other as a team better. We preach that the players should have confidence in the coaching staff, in their teammates and in themselves. With each game, we’re gaining more confidence."
Eventually, that confidence will evolve into victories, which means that perhaps Matthews could turn into a championship basketball coach, just like what he has already accomplished on the baseball diamond.