A year ago, St. Mary High School of Jersey City captured the first HCIAA championship of any kind since 1984, when the boys’ basketball team won the HCIAA Seglio Division title.
It was a time for celebration for the tiny, close-knit school on Third Street, especially for the most beloved fixture at the school, namely head coach and athletic director Tom Lalicato. The man affectionately known as “The Bell of St. Mary” finally got to taste a title after nearly two decades of “what ifs” and “what was.”
However, some things changed in the off-season. Leading scorer Devon Stanberry, the Hudson Reporter Player of the Year last season, graduated. So did other key players. Another returning player was dismissed from school. “Devon ranks right up there with some of the best players we’ve ever had,” Lalicato said. “He had an outstanding season and led us in every fashion. But we had some other people coming back. I really thought that we had the guys who could step up and play the style of basketball we’ve been used to.”
However, just 10 games into the new season, the Ramblers weren’t exactly playing up to Lalicato’s standards. They owned a 4-6 record.
“I think there were a few factors why we got off to a slow start,” Lalicato said. “We had some injuries and illnesses. We had some discipline problems. But I had a feeling that we were going to get the players back and play our style of basketball.”
Lalicato had an inkling that the Ramblers were not a sub-.500 team when they played well in the Jersey City Recreation High School Summer League.
“We had a pretty decent run in the summer league, and that’s when Justin Gardenhire started to emerge,” Lalicato said. “That’s when people started to take notice of him.”
Gardenhire was the sixth man on the Ramblers’ championship team of a year ago. As a junior, Gardenhire averaged around seven points per game last season. But no one could have ever predicted what the 6-0 off-guard would become.
Gardenhire has transformed himself into one of the finest players in Hudson County, improving from seven points per contest to almost 20 per game.
“I think it was wishful thinking to think that Justin could become the leader he has become,” Lalicato said. “He’s been truly remarkable.”
Gardenhire has been the key to the Ramblers turning things around.
“He’s an exceptional shooter,” Lalicato said of Gardenhire. “But lately, he’s shown the ability to get to the rim, so he’s now a threat inside and out. When he’s going to the rim, he’s going to score.”
The rest of the Ramblers soon followed Gardenhire’s lead. Lamarr Williams, a 6-6 center, has also stepped up his game of late.
“He’s given us balance inside and outside,” Lalicato said of Williams, who is averaging 11 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Senior Yasien Beatty has been the catalyst. He’s the lone returning starter from a year ago.
“He’s the best on-the-ball defender I’ve ever had,” Lalicato said. “He does the tough things.”
Lalicato said that the Ramblers have been getting solid play from three other seniors – 6-2 forward Rodney Jean-Baptiste, 6-2 forward Joe Neals and 6-0 shooting guard Chris Gonzalez.
“Those are the six kids that we count on night in and night out,” Lalicato said. “They’ve been doing most of the work for us.”
A year ago, the Ramblers were 2-3 to start the year, and Lalicato told his team that they had to take each game separately. They did exactly that, winning 21 straight games before falling in the NJSIAA Parochial B state playoffs.
So when the Ramblers were 4-6 this season, Lalicato tried the same approach.
“We decided to have the same commitment we had last year,” Lalicato said. “That meant practicing every single day except Christmas. It’s asking a lot, but the seniors know what it took to be successful. Some of the others had to learn.”
So it was a combination of a lot of things that got the ball rolling. The Ramblers got healthy. They stayed out of trouble. They climbed aboard Gardenhire, which rhymes with fire, because that’s what he is on right now, evidenced by the 25 he had against Hoboken and the 28 he put up against St. Joseph of the Palisades last week. They committed themselves to winning.
There was another change.
“Last year, we played a lot of zone [defense],” Lalicato said. “But after the Christmas tournament, we became a man-to-man team. My assistant coach, Joe Rosario, suggested that and he took on the responsibility of the defense. It’s worked well.”
So well that the Ramblers have now won nine straight games and have pulled themselves into a first-place tie with Hoboken as the Seglio playoffs approach next week. They’re right back in the championship picture once again.
“I really believed it was possible,” Lalicato said. “I always love to coach and these kids have made it a joy to go to the gym, every day. They want to keep it going. They know that they want to finish with another championship. It’s as simple as that. We want it and we’re going for it. Last year was a great ride. It’s exciting to see everyone emerge like this at the right time.”
We’ll see how far they’ve come on HCIAA Super Saturday, coming up on Feb. 21 at Yanitelli Center. – Jim Hague