The 2012-13 Hudson Reporter All-Area Basketball Teams feature some of the very best players in the entire state of New Jersey, never mind just Hudson County.
The Boys All-Area team features repeat honorees Reggie Cameron and Kavon Stewart of Hudson Catholic, Josh Brown and Hallice Cooke of St. Anthony, Trevis Wyche and Austin White of St. Peter’s Prep and Duane James of Dickinson.
Cameron, who led the Hawks to a second straight Hudson County championship and a berth in the NJSIAA Non-Public B state title game, is a repeat First Team honoree.
Brown, the leading scorer on the St. Anthony team that won the sectional title in Non-Public B, moves up from Second Team to First Team.
Wyche, who led St. Peter’s Prep to the Non-Public A state sectional title, moves from Third Team last year to First Team this year.
The other First Team recipients are James Richardson of Snyder and Manny Suarez of Marist, neither of whom earned recognition last year.
The Hudson Reporter Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year is Cameron of Hudson Catholic, who averaged 22 points and nine rebounds per game for the Hawks, who spent most of the season as the No. 2 team in the entire state.
Cameron is a strong contender for the overall Player of the Year in New Jersey. He heads to Georgetown in the fall having carved a niche as being one of the best players in the history of Hudson Catholic.
The Hudson Reporter Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year is Shelton Gibbs of Snyder. Just two years ago, the Tigers were 2-21, but Gibbs turned the program around and the Tigers went all the way to the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group II title game, falling to eventual champion and Tournament of Champions participant Newark Tech by a single point.
After winning just two games two seasons ago, the Tigers won 21 games this season under Gibbs’ leadership.
The Girls All-Area team features several repeat honorees, including two on the First Team.
Lincoln’s Breana Bey and Secaucus’ Julia McClure are both repeat honorees on the First Team. The two locked horns in a thrilling Hudson County Tournament finale that will be remembered for years to come.
Lincoln’s Kiante Johnson makes the leap from Third Team last year to First Team this year. The other two First Team honorees, namely Doris Illic of North Bergen and Aneia Williams of Bayonne, make their first appearance on the All-Area squad.
Secaucus’ Andie Lennon, North Bergen’s Icies Hammer and Bayonne’s Alex Fajardo are all repeat honorees from last year’s All-Area squad.
The Hudson Reporter Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year is Bey of Lincoln, who averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds per game for the two-time county champion Lions. Bey provided the consistent spark as the Lions repeated as county champs.
The Hudson Reporter Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year is John Sterling of Secaucus, who guided the Patriots to a 27-3 record, the most wins the program has ever had. The Patriots were game customers, defeating several schools early on that had much bigger enrollments and advanced to the finals in both the Hudson County Tournament and the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I playoffs. It was a fine year for the Patriots, who will be a major force to be reckoned with in the years to come, as McClure, Lennon and Second Team honoree Zoe Pero all return next year.
It was another fine year for high school basketball in the county, evidenced by the achievements of the All-Area team. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.