Shelton Gibbs stood in Snyder High School Annex gymnasium, a place also affectionately known as “The Tigers’ Den,” Tuesday afternoon and pointed toward the bright orange banners that hang on the walls.
“I had something to do with all of those,” said Gibbs, the veteran head boys’ basketball coach at the school.
Gibbs was right. He was a standout player at the school, leading the Tigers to the HCIAA title in 1981. He was an assistant coach when the Tigers became the first Jersey City public school to ever win an overall NJSIAA state title, taking the Group III crown in 1990.
And now, it’s Gibbs’ program to guide on his own.
But in recent years, there hasn’t been much reason to hang another banner. Frankly, it’s been a time to hang their heads. The once-proud Snyder basketball program took a radical turn downward and the once-feared “Tigers’ Den,” perhaps the most dreaded place in Hudson County basketball for opponents to visit, was totally tamed.
“We’ve really had a tough time recently,” said Gibbs, who went on from Snyder to have a brilliant career at St. Peter’s College in the early 1980s. “It hasn’t been fun.”
Last season, the Tigers thought they had the makings of a solid team, but a host of the players lost their eligibility due to their academic difficulties and the team’s record plummeted.
“We lost four or five kids due to their academics,” Gibbs said. “So some of the kids we had to play last year had no varsity experience at all and we had our struggles.”
The Tigers won all of four games. In years past, they would win four games in a week. Now, they won four for the entire season.
As the 2011-2012 season tipped off in December, Gibbs knew that something had to change, both on and off the court.
“We needed to make sure that the players got their grades up,” Gibbs said. “So we got a volunteer tutor to help them, but they also helped each other. They started to study more and eventually they brought their grades up.”
To Gibbs’ credit and the credit of the Tigers themselves, there have been no academic casualties this season.
The Tigers have also performed well on the court, winning seven of their first 10 games, already eclipsing their win total for the entire season a year ago.
“I’m a lot surprised about that, to tell you the truth,” Gibbs said. “We have only two kids with real varsity experience, but the entire team is working hard. They’ve really been coming together since they played together in the [Jersey City Recreation] summer league and they also played all throughout the fall together. They’re a very good group of kids who really work hard together. They’ve bonded well together. We have them all going on the same level and it’s working well.”
Leading the returnees is senior center Donovan Parker, a 6-foot-1 undersized center who gets the job done with determination.
“He has a lot of heart and plays hard every game,” Gibbs said. “He’s already had five double-doubles [double figures in points and rebounds] this season. He’s really done a good job of leading us.”
Junior James Richardson is a 5-foot-9 shooting guard. Richardson is averaging 12 points per game.
“He brings a lot of leadership to the table,” Gibbs said of Richardson. “He’s the first guard I’ve had who actually talks to his teammates and tells them what to do. I like that he takes charge like that.”
Senior Laquan Rouse is a 5-foot-11 senior who comes off the bench and provides instant offense.
“He’s been a big help to our offense,” Gibbs said of small forward Rouse, who had 17 points off the bench in a recent tough loss to Orange.
Sophomore William Conyers is a 6-foot-1 guard who plays solid defense. Tyler Caldwell is a 6-foot-2 junior power forward who rebounds with reckless abandon. Again, none of the last three aforementioned players ever played varsity basketball before.
Davon Streeter is a 6-foot-1 junior forward who has come a long way as well.
“He knows his role and has fit in nicely,” Gibbs said. “He’s another one who had no varsity experience. They’re all getting quality minutes on the floor and they’re all contributing. Any of them can get 10-to-12 points per night. It’s not just one kid leading us in scoring. They’re all chipping in.”
Senior Donald Gadson is a 5-foot-7 guard who is filled with energy and electricity when he gets on the floor. Junior Tymell White is a 6-foot-2 forward who defends well and goes after the ball. Jerome Hilton is a sophomore who has a ton of potential.
“I think Jerome is going to be an asset to this team,” Gibbs said.
The results are staggering. The Tigers are a force to be reckoned with again. They’re not going to force teams to run and hide, like they used to, just yet. But at 7-3, they’re making noise and they’re relevant again.
“It’s great,” Gibbs said. “It’s been a long time. I had patience with them, both with their basketball and their academics and it’s worked out. They’re very good kids. They listen and they work hard. I might have had teams that were more talented in the past, but this team works harder than any other team I’ve had.”
And the proof is in the record and the relevance. Snyder basketball means something once again…
Tuesday’s game against Kearny proved to be a homecoming of sorts for former Snyder head coach Artie Rubin, who was the head coach of that 1990 state championship team. Rubin returned as an assistant coach to Bill Mullins at Kearny.
“Artie is the one who got me into coaching at Snyder,” Gibbs said of his former mentor. “Artie, Billy Mullins and I all coached together at Snyder at one time.” …
Lincoln girls’ basketball sensation Breana Bey was ranked second in the entire state in scoring last week, averaging 25.8 points per game…
Hoboken’s Sybil Lynch is also ranked among the state’s top 20 scorers, averaging over 20 points per game…
Marist’s Andrew Martinez had a huge game, 15 points and 20 rebounds, in a recent win over Hoboken…
Hudson Catholic’s latest addition, forward Michael Young, continues to terrorize opponents, collecting 24 points and 10 rebounds in each of the Hawks’ last three victories…
Hudson Reporter Boys’ H.S. Basketball Top Five: 1. St. Anthony (10-0). 2. Hudson Catholic (7-2). 3. St. Peter’s Prep (7-2). 4. Dickinson (6-2). 5. Snyder (7-3).
Hudson Reporter Girls’ H.S. Basketball Top Five: 1. Bayonne (7-2). 2. Lincoln (6-1). 3. Secaucus (7-2). 4. North Bergen (4-4). 5. Marist (4-5)…–Jim Hague
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