DePaul Loses to St. Peter's in North A Quarterfinals
By Skiffo Drake
3/3/05: State Tournament, First Round: The Mike McDuffie era at DePaul came to s screeching halt when the seventh-seeded Spartans (15-7) were up-ended by 10th seeded St. Peter's (15-10) in the North A, Non Public quarterfinals, 60-54.
McDuffie came to DePaul in 2002 as a sophomore transfer from Don Bosco Tech. DBT, the Paterson-based Technical Institute, closed its doors for good that year. McDuffie enrolled at DePaul and became the final piece of the puzzle. McDuffie and fellow-transfer Andre Perry, teamed with seniors Max Schaffer, John Kelly and Jack Sullivan. That group quickly turned into one of Wayne Township’s all-time best teams. They finished 26-1 and won the 2003 Passaic County Championship. It is the schools only-such-title.
In 2004, McDuffie and Perry led DePaul to quarterfinal appearances in the County and the State Sectional playoffs. In 2005, McDuffie led a young Spartan team to the quarterfinals in both tournaments again.
It all came to an end last week against St. Peter’s. McDuffie scored a team-high 14 points. Greg Gillespie and Chaz Cervino had 13 each. Matt Emker had 11 points. Pat O'Rourke tallied 26 for St. Peter's.
McDuffie Reaches 1,000 Point Plateau
By Skiffo Drake, 2/20/05
The 2003 Passaic County Champion DePaul Spartans continue to achieve. Senior Mike McDuffie, a sophomore starter on that team, eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark this past week. He is the third member of the ’03 team to reach that plateau. Princeton’s Max Schaffer and Penn State’s John Kelly reached that mark during that title march.
“That was a special team,” DePaul coach Bart Fazio said. “We had the big-three that year (Schaffer, Kelly and NYU’s Jack Sullivan). Those guys were the seniors, so they got the most attention. Mike was also a big part of it. Since he was just a sophomore, he didn’t get as much attention.
“He could have actually scored a lot more that year. I used to have to beg him to shoot that year. He’s such an unselfish player and he’s just as effective passing the ball.”
Since ’03, McDuffie has evolved into the team’s undisputed leader. He averaged over 15 points per game in his junior and senior season.
2/18/05, Hawthorne Christian 67, DePaul 53: Hawthorne Christian (16-4) defeated DePaul (13-6) for the first time in school history, 67-53. Mike McDuffie led DePaul with 22 points. Brandon Farraye scored 18 points for HCA.
2/16/05: DePaul 67, Montville 51: Mike McDuffie torched Montville (7-10) for 29 points as DePaul (13-5) sailed to 67-51 triumph. Chaz Cervino contributed 13 points. Matt Emker chipped in 10.
Kennedy Trips Up DePaul in County Quarters
By Skiffo Drake
Paterson – Wayne boy’s basketball fans had grown awfully spoiled over last two years. Two township teams – DePaul and Passaic Tech – captured the imagination of the community by forging deep into the Passaic County Tournament over that span. DePaul won it all in 2003. Passaic Tech reached the final game last year, before bowing to Paterson-Eastside. The Bulldogs also lost in the 2001 final.
Wayne’s final game streak came to a crashing halt in the quarterfinals this year. DePaul and Passaic Tech fell short of the County Final Four by losing respective games this weekend. Wayne Valley was previously eliminated by Passaic in the first round. Wayne Hills lost to Manchester in the play-in game.
Tech (No. 2) suffered a crushing, last second defeat to Passaic (No. 7), 56-55. DePaul (No. 5) dropped a 66-59 decision to Paterson-Kennedy.
DePaul’s game with Kennedy (11-8), meanwhile, was also close. The Spartans (12-5) tied the game 32-32 midway through the third quarter and trailed 43-42 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Eventually, the Knights were able to pull away.
DePaul was ultimately overwhelmed by Kennedy’s strong inside game. The Knights out-rebounded the Spartans, 40-18. DePaul simply didn’t haven’t answer for Terry Williams, Kennedy’s bruising center. The senior finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
“He killed us on the boards,” DePaul coach Bart Fazio said. “We just couldn’t rebound the ball. Kennedy probably could have blown us out. We kept coming back, but couldn’t get over the hump.”
Kennedy coach Jim Ring concurred with Fazio’s assessment of Williams.
“Terry is a physical force,” the coach said. “He’s big-time. His play inside set the tone for the entire game.”
The Spartans countered with stellar guard play. Chaz Cervino led DePaul with 19 points. Mike McDuffie chipped in 16 points. Greg Gillespie contributed 10 points.
Kennedy was also paced by Rashad Bishop, who scored 16 points. Richard Haywood added seven points and 12 rebounds. Jamar Coleman contributed 11 points. Quadire Grayson had eight points.
DePaul will host St. Peter’s Prep in the Non-Public, North A State Playoffs on March 1. If the seventh-seeded Spartans prevail, they will take on Seton Hall Prep (No 2) in Round 2. St. Joseph’s-Montvale (No. 1), Delbarton (No. 3) and Don Bosco Prep (No. 4) are the top seeds.
The Passaic County semi-finals, meanwhile, will be played at Wayne Valley on Saturday. Kennedy will square off against top-seeded Paterson Catholic. Passaic will take on third-seeded West Milford.
DePaul Beats Passaic Valley in County Opener
By Skiffo Drake, 2/7/05
Wayne – At the beginning of the high school basketball season, one of the last teams DePaul wanted to face in the Passaic County Tournament was Passaic Valley.
The Hornets tore out of the gates to win four out of their first five games this year. The entire county was starting to take notice. Bart Fazio, DePaul’s head coach, was one of PV’s admirers.
“Early on, they were one of the hottest teams in the county,” he said. “They really turned things around.”
Passaic Valley, under the guidance of first-year coach Rob Carcich, was easily the most improved team in the county. The Hornets went 3-20 in 2004. This year’s team had eclipsed that win-total before the New Year.
Unfortunately for the Hornet faithful, the team could not keep it up. Joey Castro, who torched Wayne Valley for 26 points on opening night, fractured his wrist during the school Christmas Tournament. The Hornets haven’t been the same since.
“They’ve had some tough injuries this year,” Fazio said. “Everyone in this business has been through it. Things are going well, then all of the sudden a few guys get hurt. It’s tough to regroup. They have everybody back now, but they lost some momentum. Injuries are difficult to overcome.”
DePaul (No. 5) did end up drawing Passaic Valley (No. 12) in the first round of the Passaic County Tournament. The Spartans (11-3) made short work of the Hornets (6-9), 60-40.
Mike McDuffie had 16 points and Chaz Cervino had 11 as DePaul triumphed. Greg Gillespie added nine points. Matt Emker and Kevin Goodwin tallied eight and seven points respectively. Jon Coral paced the Hornets with 12 points.
DePaul will now face Kennedy (No. 4) in the quarterfinals. The game will be played at Kennedy on Saturday. The Paterson High school has long-hosted quarterfinals. DePaul knows what its like to play in its home town in the Passaic County later rounds. The Spartans beat Paterson Catholic in the 2003 title game at Wayne Valley.
“That the way it goes,” Fazio said. “Someone always has to play Kennedy at Kennedy in the quarterfinals. Kennedy would be tough draw on a neutral court. At home, they’re even tougher. We'll have our work cut out for us. We’ll be ready, though.”
DePaul defeated Paterson-Eastside at Kennedy in the 2003 quarterfinals. They lost to Passaic Tech at Kennedy in the 2004 quarterfinals.
“We won (at Kennedy) before,” Fazio said. “That’s the goal again. Right now, though, that’s only one of our goals. We’ve still got a chance to win the (Northern Hills Suburban) conference. We also have the states coming up. We’re not going to look too far ahead.”
2/4/05, DePaul 46, Butler 39: Mike McDuffie scored 17 points and Matt Emker scored 14 as DePaul (10-3) beat Butler (4-11), 46-39. Jared Greenberg had 10 points for the Bulldogs. Rene Garay added eight.
1/28/05, DePaul 63, Millburn 51: Matt Emker scored a career-high 28 points to lift DePaul (9-3) past Millburn (8-3), 63-51. Mike McDuffie and Chaz Cervino scored nine and eight points respectively.
1/26/05, DePaul 75, Caldwell 68: Mike McDuffie poured in 24 points to lead DePaul (8-3) to a 75-68 overtime triumph over Caldwell (9-4). Matt Emker added 18 points for the Spartans. Chaz Cervino contributed 14 points. Nick Moretta had seven.
1/22/05, DePaul 58, Millburn 46: Matt Emker scored 21 points to lead DePaul (7-3) past Madison, 58-46. Mike McDuffie scored 19 points for the Spartans. Chaz Cervino added nine points. Nick Corvino paced Madison with 11 points.
1/15/05: DePaul 81, Montville 45: Mike McDuffie torched Montville (1-6) for 18 points as DePaul (6-2) rolled to a 81-45 win. Chaz Cervino and Nick Moretta chipped in 13 points respectively. Matt Emker and Kevin Goodwin added 10 points each. Mike Kim scored 11 points for the Mustangs. Mike Matarazzo had nine.
Spartans Defeat Butler, Pequannock
By Skiffo Drake
Pequannock – DePaul’s boys basketball team was cooked. It looked like they were in for a long season.
What else could be assumed after an irksome, demoralizing loss to Parsippany Hills in the first round of the Parsippany Hills Christmas Tournament.
DePaul was coming off a banner 2004 season in which they reached the Passaic County and State quarterfinals. In the 2003 they were even better. The Spartans won the County Championship and reached the State semi-finals that season.
After all of that glory, the once-powerful Spartans found themselves playing in the consolation game of a suburban Christmas Tournament.
“We never should have lost to Parsippany Hills,” DePaul head coach Bart Fazio said. “That was a terrible loss. We didn’t play well at all.
“We’ve had a few pretty good years now. Maybe we were starting to take it for granted.”
Since that dark day in Parsippany, the Spartans have recaptured some of its magic. They have now won four games in a row and again appear to one of the better teams in the area. Its recent surge includes wins over long-time rivals Butler and Pequannock.
“We had to put that (Parsippany Hills) game behind us,” Fazio said. “It may have been a wakeup call for us. We’re playing a little better, but we’re not where we should be. We have a few new starters and we haven’t been able to find that chemistry yet.”
In the 63-49 win over Butler, Nick Moretta led the way with 15 points. Matt Emker and Mike McDuffie had 10 and 8 points respectively. Jared Greenberg and Doug Hertz scored 11 and 10 points respectively for the Bulldogs.
Greg Gillespie and Mike McDuffie poured in 20 points apiece as DePaul (5-2) turned back Pequannock (1-5), 56-53. Emker added nine. Mike Moran led the Panthers with 11 points. Teammates D.J. Sackman and Justin Benscko both scored nine points.
“Pequannock’s not having a typical year,” Fazio said. “That doesn’t matter when they play us, though. It’s a rivalry. They always get up to play us.
“McDuffie and Gillespie have been our best players so far,” Fazio said. “Mike does everything well. He’s averaging over 17 points per game. Greg’s been doing most of our ball handling. He’s averaging about 10 points per game. They’ve been carrying us, more or less. Everyone else has been up and down.”
If the Spartans continue at this pace, they should be able to match last year’s No. 6 seed in the county tournament.
“That’s where we’re headed,” Fazio said. “The county is tough again this year. We should get to about 6 or 7. We can’t stumble again, though.”
12/31/04, DePaul 59, Montville 40: Mike McDuffie poured in 18 points as DePaul (3-1) toppled Montville, 59-40. Chaz Cervino and Greg Gillespie tallied 11 and 10 points respectively. Matt Emker and Nick Moretta had six points apiece.
12/18/04, DePaul 64, Caldwell 54: Nick Moretta scored 18 points to lead DePaul to a 63-54 opening day triumph over Caldwell. Mike McDuffie and Matt Emker had 15 and 12 points respectively. Chaz Cervino added 10.
Preview
By Skiffo Drake, 12/15/04
It might have been the greatest local high school basketball game of all-time.
That seemed to be the consensus-opinion of the over 2,500-plus who attended the 2003 Passaic County Championship game between DePaul and Paterson Catholic at Wayne Valley.
A game that was supposed to be a walk in the park for Paterson Catholic turned into one of the most thrilling and suspenseful high school games ever. Underdog DePaul pulled out an amazing 61-59 victory over the star-studded Cougars.
Paterson Catholic, a nationally regarded powerhouse, boasted two Big East-bound players – Daryl Watkins (Syracuse) and Marquis Webb (Rutgers). DePaul, meanwhile, wasn’t exactly a slouch. The Spartans boasted three college-bound players – Max Schaffer (Princeton), John Kelly (Penn State) and Jack Sullivan (N.Y.U).
Most of the players on the court that day have moved on to the collegiate hardwood. For DePaul, one 2003 starter remains. Mike McDuffie returns to the Spartan first string for his third straight year.
As a sophomore, McDuffie played in the immense shadow of Schaffer, Kelly and Sullivan. In the thrilling win over Paterson Catholic, he hit two crucial free throws in the waning moments.
As a junior, McDuffie went on to share leadership responsibilities with backcourt mate Andre Perry.
This year, the leadership responsibilities fall completely to McDuffie. According to coach Bart Fazio, the senior is more than ready.
“He’s been a multi-dimensional player since he’s been here,” Fazio says. “He’s been a leader too. In 2003, we had the Big 3 (Schaffer, Kelly and Sullivan), so Mike didn’t stand out as much. He could have scored more points that year. He’s so unselfish, though. He was always looking to pass. I had to practically beg him to shoot.”
Fazio did not have that problem last year when McDuffie led the team with over 14 points per game.
The Spartans, meanwhile, finished with a 16-6 record and reached the County and State quarterfinals.
“He did everything,” Fazio said. “He was our top scorer, our top-defensive player and a great passer. He’s very clearly our leader and go-to guy this year. Overall, we’re a very young team. Mike, though, brings experience.”
Replacing Perry as McDuffie’s backcourt mate will be Chaz Cervino. The sophomore came off the bench last year to average 9 points per game. After quarterbacking the Spartan football team to the final game in the Non-Public, Group II State final game, he joined the basketball team two weeks late.
“He had to be drained after the football season,” Fazio said. “We gave him a week off and then he got sick. He’s a little behind, but he’s catching up quickly. He’s a great athlete and a hard worker.”
Senior Matt Emker joins McDuffie as the only other returning first-string player. He will again start at forward. Junior Nick Moretta and sophomore Dave Ulak are both 6-foot-5 and will see time underneath the basket. Junior Kevin Goodwin and sophomore Greg Gillespie will chip in as forwards.
“Right now, it looks like we’ll go with a seven-man rotation,” Fazio said. “Our strength will be on the perimeter. We’ve had some pretty good guard tandems in the past. This one (McDuffie and Cervino) will be a good one. We’re inexperienced under the boards. If we develop into a strong rebounding team, we’ll be in pretty good shape.”
No comments:
Post a Comment