Colonia boys basketball starts season with a win
BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer
After playing through a close first quarter, the Colonia High School boys basketball team took control of the game in the second quarter to cruise to a 63-44 win over Carteret on opening night.

"Carteret should be one of the top contenders this year in the White Division," Colonia head coach Chris Chiera said. "They were forced to play without one of their better players in Brian Williams, so I think that made a difference."

The Patriots certainly took a hit at the end of last season with the departure of starters Joe LaSala and Kevin Edmonds in addition to bench players Brendan Wagner, Mike Salvador and Bryant Androvich. However, the return of starters Brandon Hall, J.J. D'Amico and Nnamdi Usuwa has left the team in able hands.

Hall is back for his senior season, with Division I and Division II colleges taking notice. Opening night against Carteret, he finished with 14 points, eight steals, eights assists and four rebounds.

D'Amico also had a strong game from the Colonia backcourt with a team-high 16 points.

"J.J. obviously had a nice offensive game, but he also gave us a solid all-around defensive game, too," Chiera said. "His defense is something he's been working on, and he's been working very hard. He's the type of kid you love to have on a team because he's a real gym-rat that is constantly working to improve."

"Nnamdi put on close to 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason and his strength has greatly improved," Chiera said. "He put in the time, and we're looking for a strong season from him."

Cracking the starting lineup along with the three veterans is senior center Jeff Mentzel and junior forward Mike Nweme.

"Jeff missed about four days last week with a mild case of chicken pox," Chiera said. "He gave us some solid minutes Friday night and finished with six points and six boards."

Nweme also gave the team some valuable minutes and another inside threat. Nweme is expected to share time with junior Mike Karabin. The first Patriot off the bench, Karabin may find himself in the starting role from time to time.

"Karabin is more of a defensive specialist," Chiera said. "We'll usually put him on the opponent's best guard, and he always does a nice job defensively."

"We always preach defense around here, so we hope it will once again be our strength," Chiera said. "We tell the kids we can always have a shot at winning if our defense consistently shows up to play. This year, we will look to run a bit more and put up some more points than we're accustomed to."