SCOREBOARD

But coach Morano knows there’s plenty of season left

After a mediocre 14-12 season a year ago, Emerson boys’ basketball coach Drew Morano knew that the Bulldogs would be a much improved team in 2003-04.

“I felt that since we had three returning starters from a year ago and had a good summer in the AND1 Tournament [at Seton Hall] and in the Teaneck summer league, I knew that we would be more competitive this year,” said Morano, who is in his fifth year as the head coach at the school where his father, Hank, became a coaching legend. “I felt that we had a really balanced team. Some of the kids were really experienced, because they played together since they were sophomores. We also had a true team, with a true point guard, true off-guard, center, small forward and power forward. We weren’t three guards and two others. We were a true team.”

There was another aspect that might have been lacking in other Emerson teams in the past: chemistry.

“There really wasn’t any fighting for the ball,” Morano said. “Everyone on the team knew their roles. I think it’s very rare when you have a team with five kids who don’t care about shooting the ball every time down the floor. It’s been a big key.”

So you take a balanced and talented team, mix in a dash of experience and add a heaping helping of unselfishness and unity, and you have the makings of something special.

“By far, it’s the most balanced team I’ve had,” Morano said. “I really had a feeling that this was a team that could do good things.”

However, there’s no way that Morano could have ever dreamed that the Bulldogs would own a 9-1 record after 10 games and would be sitting all alone, atop the HCIAA Coviello standings.

But after the Bulldogs toppled previously unbeaten Snyder, 54-47, last Tuesday night, Emerson is exactly that – surprisingly sitting on top of the HCIAA world.

“Oh, there’s no way I could have thought that,” said Morano, who guided the Bulldogs to the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group III title three seasons ago in what was a dream season. “At 9-1, it’s safe to say that I have no complaints.”

Morano said that the strong basis for this team’s success started a year ago, when the Bulldogs lost six of their 12 games by a single point. That’s no misprint. Six setbacks, all by one point apiece. That’s enough to drive any team and/or coach totally bonkers.

“I think we all learned a lot last year,” Morano said. “We went through a lot together. We ended up tied with Lincoln in the HCIAA [Coviello] standings and didn’t make the playoffs. But we were playing a lot better as a team at the second half of last season.”

Morano attributes that success to the arrival of point guard Danny DeLuca, who became eligible to play after transferring from Hudson Catholic.

“Danny was able to do a lot of things for us,” Morano said of the 5-9 senior DeLuca, who has been the team’s catalyst from the outset this season. “He was good for us at the end of last season, but this year, he’s been tremendous. He plays the whole game and goes right at the other team. And he’s as tough as nails. I really don’t know where we would be without him.”

DeLuca is averaging five points, seven assists and four steals per game.

Another key performer is senior shooting guard Omar Colon, who is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, averaging 17 points per game.

“He’s always been a good perimeter shooter, but he’s really stepped up his shooting this year,” Morano said of the 5-10 Colon. “We lost two good perimeter players to graduation, so Omar has stepped up and slid right into that role.”

The small forward is 6-1 senior Carlos Huertas, who has been a steady performer ever since winning the Most Valuable Player at the Memorial Tip-Off Tournament to begin the season.

“Something just clicked in for Carlos,” Morano said. “He’s developed a confidence level that he never had before. I’m very pleased with the way he’s been playing.”

Huertas is averaging around nine points per game.

The Bulldogs’ power forward is 6-5 senior Omar Mieses, who is a transfer from North Bergen High School. “He’s really fit in well with the rest of the team,” Morano said of Mieses, who is averaging eight points and seven rebounds per game. “Omar has done a good job defending all season.”

Morano credited Mieses’ defensive effort against Snyder’s fine center Jameel George in the victory last Tuesday.

The team’s center is 6-7 senior David Murillo, who has been getting some recognition from college coaches. Murillo, who is averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game, is also a solid shot blocker.

“He’s the best shot blocker I’ve been around on the high school level,” Morano said. “He allows us the luxury of doing different things defensively, because he can make things difficult for teams with his defensive ability down low.”

The Bulldogs also receive help off the bench from 5-10 freshman Bryan Cruz.

“I’m amazed what he’s able to do for us as a freshman,” Morano said. “You would swear he’s much older. He’s mature beyond his years.”

Augusto Valdez, a 6-3 junior, is the first forward off the bench for the Bulldogs.

“He brings a lot to the table and is a big help for us,” Morano said.

It could be very easy for the coach to get caught up in the early-season success, but Morano knows – from hereditary experiences as well as coaching experience – that the HCIAA race is never over.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Morano said. “I don’t want us to get carried away in what we’ve accomplished. Right now, we’re just trying to get as many league wins as we can, because I know anything can happen. We want to finish among the top two in the league. That’s the goal. The top two finishers get byes into the semifinals (of the HCIAA Coviello playoffs). But we’re not in the position to take anything for granted. I felt like we were among the top five teams in the county last year and we didn’t get in.”

Now, games the Bulldogs managed to lose last year are wins, like an early season win against Englewood.

“We were down by 20 in the third quarter and came back to win by two,” Morano said. “That was a good sign for me. Maybe we’ll get a few more of those, to reverse what happened last year. Maybe things can balance out.”

Added Morano, “This is Hudson County. Teams come to play every night. We have to be ready.”

So to get ready, Morano regularly calls upon the knowledge of the finest basketball mind he knows – his father. “He still comes into the gym once a week and gives us some help,” Morano said of his legendary dad. “He’s always around and the kids love it. What my father can bring to the table is invaluable. I can’t put a price tag on it. We have some pretty intense conversations, but he knows that the bottom line is that it’s my team.”

Morano also calls upon the intelligence of his assistant coach, Steve Ricciardi, Jr., the former Seton Hall Prep and New Jersey Institute of Technology standout who is also the son of the head coach at Hudson Catholic. So there’s a family affair every where you turn with the Emerson coaching staff.

Morano knows that 9-1 and 3-0 are nice records, but it’s not enough.

“I know that wins or losses in January aren’t going to make or break us,” Morano said. “I just hope we’re kicking it into gear in February. We have to keep getting better. That’s our goal. Even the good teams have lulls they go through.”

However, with Team Unity and Team Togetherness going on at Emerson these days, chances are that the Bulldogs are in the hunt for the long haul. Count on it.