This article features some of the SOL’s players to watch heading into the 2014-15 season.
By Mike Prince
For SuburbanOneSports.com
National Conference
With Abington and Pennsbury each returning a pair of first team All-Conference players from last year's teams, the Ghosts and the Falcons should remain the teams to beat in the National Conference. One season after falling just a couple baskets short of a trip to the PIAA Class AAAA championship game, Abington is hopeful that the return of two-way star Matt Penecale, along with guard Amir Hinton, can bring the Ghosts the same success they had last winter. The Falcons bring back the Bucks County Courier Player of the Year in Cameron Jones, four-year varsity player and first-team selection Mekhi Bryant along with Division One big man Derrick Woods, and they hope to follow last year's 23-win season with another state playoff berth.
Cameron Jones, senior guard, Pennsbury: Jones averaged more than 17 points per game while bringing down roughly six rebounds per game. A first team All-Conference and third team All-State player, Jones, a 6-foot-3 guard, has been getting looks from such schools as Rider, Monmouth and Wagner, among others.
Coach Bill Coleman says: "He's the ultimate floor general. He grew up in a basketball family and he knows the game very well. He's going to have to be a big leader for us this year, and he kind of had that role last year. We had seven seniors graduate, and he was really the go-to person and when we needed something done, Cameron was the one to do so for us."
Mekhi Bryant, senior guard, Pennsbury:Bryant has been starting since late in his freshman year. The four-year starter averaged 15 points, four rebounds and three assists per game last year. He currently has offers from East Stroudsburg, Holy Family and Caldwell. Bryant is a physical player who can handle the ball well, shoot the three and he plays with a high motor.
Coach Bill Coleman says:“He’s been around for so long that the leadership role has been an easy transition forhim. Even though there were seven seniors last year, he was one of the captains having been around the block. He started for us when we struggled, and he’s matured as well as the program has. The kids rely on him a lot, and he knows exactly what we’re trying to do both offensively and defensively. He’s a tough kid and he pretty much sets the tone defensively for us. He has high energy and that’s what we like about him the most.”
Derrick Woods, senior forward, Pennsbury: A 6-foot-9 forward, Woods recently committed to play his college ball at St. Bonaventure. Last season, he averaged just over 10 points and eight rebounds per game to go along with roughly three blocked shots per contest in his first full season as a starter.
Coach Bill Coleman says: "Derrick progressed his game last year and we saw that by the time we went to districts. His progression continued through the summer, which has given him the opportunity to get better. We're expecting big things from him. He's a flat-out presence out there and is very strong. It's up to him and the other guys to continue to put the effort in on a daily basis. We're approaching this year with a win-the-day attitude, and guys like Derrick (Mekhi and Cameron) should help us to go from there."
Matt Penecale, senior guard, Abington: Ever since he was a freshman, Penecale has been a starter for the Ghosts. He has been with the team through multiple final four runs in the district, as well as last year’s state final four run. As basically a do-it-all player, a guy who can score, drive to the basket, shoot the three, get the blocked shot underneath, make the steal at the top of the key, grab a tough rebound or make a perfect pass, the 6-3 point guard has been a leader for the Ghosts for years. Last season, he averaged 12.9 points and four rebounds per game, while contributing a few assists, a couple of steals and blocked shots as well. In the classroom, he has a 4.2 GPA and scored 2020 on his SATs, and is now being looked at by schools such as Penn for his prestigious academics. Penecale wants to major in engineering when he gets to college.
Coach Charles Grasty says: “He knows what it takes to lead our guys. He’s so smart and he doesn’t even have to play basketball in life, but he wants to play for as long as he can. He was a captain last year and he’s doing well with it. He has our guys working hard in practice, and he definitely leads by example. He comes in and works hard and doesn’t have a whole lot to say, but he will speak up when he has to get the guys going. He knows his role.”
Amir Hinton, senior guard, Abington: Hinton, a 6-foot-4 perimeter play, shot up a few inches in the offseason and is now one of Abington’s tallest players. He averaged 13.8 points and three rebounds per game last season and has been on the team since his sophomore season, starting his junior year. Hinton has been getting looks from such schools as American University and Hartford.
Coach Charles Grasty says: “Amir is another captain and he’s a leader. He was part of our run last year and he’s one of those guys that has been around and knows what it takes. He’s more vocal than Matt (Penecale), and he’ll keep the guys going, especially defensively. He looks to get after it every time. He can score the ball, and it’ll be a big part of his game for us if he can score. But he understands that it’s not all about scoring and he helps in other ways.”
Abington – Amir Hinton, Matt Penecale
Bensalem – Avery Nyekan
Council Rock North – Matt Margolis, Steve Nowmos
Council Rock South – Matt Stewart
Harry S Truman – Tyquan Law
Neshaminy – Shammond Thomas, Billy Warren
Pennsbury – Mekhi Bryant, Cameron Jones, Derrick Woods
William Tennent – John Ryan
Continental Conference
One season ago, there was an unprecedented four-way tie atop the Continental Conference. One of those four teams, Pennridge, is returning two first team all-league players and is hoping that it can pull away from the pack in what should be another very even year in the conference. With Zach Muredda and Joe Molettiere returning, the Rams, who finished 15-8 overall and 9-5 in conference play last year while ending their season with a first round loss in districts to conference rival Souderton, have three returning starters from last year on this team’s roster, including senior Dan Long, who averaged 13.4 points per game. Pennridge coach Dean Behrens believes that the conference is again set up where teams could win or could lose any game in league play.
Zach Muredda, senior guard, Pennridge: Muredda is going into his fourth year as a starting guard for the varsity team. Behrens said that Muredda is the first four-year varsity starter he has had in his time with the Rams. The 6-foot guard averaged 15.8 points and five assists per game last season, and currently has interest from Chestnut Hill College, Ursinus, Scranton, Juniata, DeSales and many more Division III schools. Muredda is excellent from beyond the arc and can also take it to the hole.
Coach Dean Behrens says: “Zach is a big reason we won 15 games last year. He offers a ton of experience and he was a good floor leader last year. He handles the ball extremely well, he drives to the basket, he gets there and he’s very strong. He gets to the foul line. He has high expectations for himself and we have his expectations for him.”
Joe Molettiere, senior forward, Pennridge: Molettiere, who also excels in baseball, is 6-2, 165 pounds. He averaged 13.5 points per game last season, while earning himself a scholarship to Monmouth University to play baseball. An excellent shooter and defender, Molettiere is not afraid to take it to the hole despite his thin frame.
Coach Dean Behrens says: “Joe is an extremely athletically gifted person. He can play at the rim, and while he may not be the tallest or biggest guy in the world, boy, can he get off the floor. He can do everything. He can shoot, he can play defense, he can rebound and he’s almost like a point forward type because he can handle the ball well in the open floor.”
Central Bucks East – Tommy Strasburger, Blake Peterson
Central Bucks South – Josh Brodie, Chris Hones
Central Bucks West – Cal Reichwein, Owen Cooney, Nico Munari
Hatboro-Horsham – Walt Kimble
North Penn – Joe Richards
Pennridge – Joe Molettiere, Zach Muredda, Dan Long
Quakertown – Griffin Schmidt, Jake Perrine, Brian Rejniak,, Kevin Norvaisis
Souderton – Tracy Simsick, Evan Slone
American Conference
The return of seniors Jimmy Murray and Andre Mitchell automatically put Plymouth Whitemarsh in the driver’s seat as the team to beat in the American Conference this season. The two first team All-Conference guards, along with fellow senior Cameron Johnson, are ready to step in and help the Colonials forget about a first-round exit of last year’s District One playoffs. PW finished last season with a 20-5 overall mark following a 13-1 conference season, but the Colonials fell to Central Bucks West in their first postseason game. Besides the two stars, PW coach Jim Donofrio called Johnson “the workhorse guy,” and claims that he doesn’t get all of the accolades because he’s a “trench guy.” Johnson averaged 6.5 points and eight rebounds per game last season.
Jimmy Murray, senior guard, Plymouth Whitemarsh: Murray had a big year for PW last season, averaging 19.7 points per game while knocking down close to 80 three-pointers, according to Donofrio. Murray, a 6-foot guard who plays the point, is getting looks at from a number of Division II schools, though he has no offer yet.
Coach Jim Donofrio says: “Opponents know Jimmy, and they will be looking at the stats. He’s one of the leading guys, and he had a great offseason and I think he’s even improved. He was a real big surprise to people because they really didn’t know who he was. He was a nice, well-kept secret for us, but he won’t be this year. He’s a very confident young guy and more than just a three-point shooter. He really can get to the basket, and he’s one of the standout players in the district. It’s going to be everyone’s key to determine what kind of year he has with that kind of attention on him. It should bring out his game to a new level, and if so, it will be interesting to see how he’s looked at as far as colleges.”
Andre Mitchell, senior guard, Plymouth Whitemarsh: Mitchell, who averaged 14.7 points per game in his junior season, is getting looks out from such schools as East Stroudsburg and a number of other Division III colleges. A 6-foot-1 guard, Mitchell, while being an excellent scorer, is also very quick and is known to drive to the basket if he’s not shooting from outside the arc.
Coach Jim Donofrio says: “Andre is a classic point guard and leader. No college has submitted to him yet, but I think that as long as everything goes well, he’s going to draw some really solid interest at the Division II level. He’s too good a scorer not to be looked at. He’s very athletic and he can get to the hole and shoot off the dribble. He really is a weapon.”
Simeon Fryer, junior guard/forward; Upper Dublin: With Fryer leading the way, the Cardinals hope to improve upon last year's .500 finish, both overall (11-11) and in conference play (7-7). A first team All-Conference player in 2014, Fryer, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, has already grown two inches in height since last season with some more growing possibly on the way, according to Upper Dublin coach Josh Adelman. Last season, he averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per game and is already getting looks from such schools as St. Joseph's University, Temple, Hofstra and James Madison. Matt Thompson is the only other returning starter for the Cardinals.
Coach Josh Adelman says: "(Simeon) is an excellent player. He can really beat you in a lot of different ways and he's got a real nice handle, so he can take it off the dribble. He can hit the three, he's very elusive, and he can get to where he wants to go. He's a really good finisher and I think he's going to have an excellent year. We have a lot of talented players around him, but I think he can bring us to the next level."
Cheltenham – Justin Sutton, Khalil White, Fatir Al-Ahad
Norristown – Darryl Carr, Carlton Brown, Roy Green
Plymouth Whitemarsh – Jim Murray, Andrew Mitchell, Cameron Johnson
Springfield – Larry Clark
Upper Dublin – Simeon Fryer
Upper Merion – Matthew Faw, Ethan Miller
Upper Moreland – James Martin
Wissahickon – Todd Bentley, Tre Holcomb
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