Game 7 Sharks

Game 7 Sharks ELITE traveled to Jersey City on July 9th for a double header in the Hamilton Park Summer League. The first contest was against Sports University. Mike Aaman (6'8'', F, 2012, Raritan) got the Sharks going early with 10 straight points; finishing with 14 in the quarter and 22 for the game, to go along with 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Eric Youncofski (5'9'', G, 2012, Middletown North) took control of the game right from the start, pushing the ball down court for easy baskets in transition. John Martens (6'4'', G/F, 2012, Middletown North) pumped in 15 points with strong finishes inside and back-to-back breakaway dunks to start the fourth quarter.

In the second game the Sharks squared off with the New Jersey Panthers. Youncofski started the game off with a deep three-pointer from the right wing. Jason Huelbig (6'3'', G, 2012, Middletown North) followed that up with a steal and tomahawk dunk to get the Sharks rolling. Huelbig had a strong game with several athletic finishes around the rim.  Tim Frawley (6'3'', G/F, 2012, Middletown North) connected on three three-pointers in the first quarter; finishing with 13 points in the game.

On Thursday, July 15th, the Sharks had another double header. The Sharks defeated Dickinson High School by 22 points, 66-44. Shilique Calhoun (6'6'', F, 2011, Middletown North) was dominant inside with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Huelbig dropped in 18 points, including three three-pointers. Dickinson attempted to get back in the game with a man-to-man press in the second half, but Youncofski went coast to coast for a lay-up that brought them out of it.

St. Mary's of Jersey City started the second game in a 2-3 zone, but Martens hit two quick long range bombs to open the interior for Calhoun. The high basketball IQ of Frawley, Martens, and Calhoun helped the three of them work the high-low offense. The Sharks finished with a 44-24 victory.

The Sharks match up with Bayonne High School on Friday, July 16th, brought a big crowd to Hamilton Park in Jersey City. Sharks Head Coach Greg Youncofski, Jr. was under a great deal of pressure as Sharks CEO Mr. Murray, Sr., and Sharks President Brian Murray were on hand to watch. Bayonne took an early lead in the first quarter, but the Sharks battled back to take control. Another great team defensive effort brought the Sharks a 51-41 win over a tough team. The Sharks are now 7-1 in the league, and look to increase that record as the playoffs approach.

Game 7 Sharks ELITE started their summer part of the season off with a bang in the Hamilton Park Summer League in Jersey City, NJ. The Sharks played a double header on June 29 in front of a packed crowd. Many people in attendance were anxious to see the Sharks in action, as the Sharks have created a big buzz with their successful spring season. After an opening loss to a tough Marist High School team, the Sharks bounced back with an eight point win over a very good Union High School team. Down eight at halftime, the Sharks started the second half off with a baseline jumper from Jack Keating (6'6'', F, 2011, Rumson-Fair Haven). The relentless defensive pressure began to frustrate the Union players, and a buzzer beating three-pointer by Mike Aaman (6'8'', F, 2012, Raritan) cut the deficit to three at the end of the third quarter. Big defensive stops by Eric Youncofski (5'9'', G, 2012, Middletown North) and tough rebounding by Tim Frawley (6'3'', G/F, 2012, Middletown North) showed the toughness and determination of the Sharks. The Sharks took the lead on an and-1 finish by Will Boman (5'9'', G, 2012, Middletown North) and never looked back. The win showed the perserverance of the Sharks.

On July 1, the Sharks met Paramus Catholic in a highly anticpated showdown. The Sharks jumped out to a quick lead with a few easy baskets inside, and a steal by Youncofski lead to a fast break dunk for Aaman which forced Paramus Catholic to call a timeout. Paramus Catholic looked to get the ball inside to their highly regarded 2011 post player, but great post defense by John Martens (6'4'', G/F, 2011, Middletown North) made that difficult. Paramus Catholic made a run towards the end of the half and looked to grab the momentum in the third quarter. The Sharks put the run to rest, starting the second half off with Youncofski throwing an alley-oop pass to Shilique Calhoun (6'6'', F, 2011, Middletown North), who rose up over the Paramus Catholic big men and finished the play with a two-handed dunk that brought the crowd to their feet. Paramus Catholic cut the lead down in the fourth quarter, but Jason Huelbig (6'3'', G, 2012, Middletown North) and Martens had several tough finishes in transition and made late game free throws to keep the Sharks ahead. Aaman capitalized on a tough hook shot in traffic with 1:20 remaining in the fourth to push the lead to four points, and Frawley had two defensive stops in a row to seal the 52-48 victory.

The Sharks are back in action July 9, with games against Sports U and New Jersey Panthers.

John Martens (6’4’’, G/F, 2011, Middletown North) has experienced the best of both worlds. Martens has been a member of both the original team and current ELITE team, and has played a big part in the program’s success. Joining the program in August of 2008, he made his Sharks debut at the Red Storm Classic in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His impact was immediate and John played himself into a starting role during the tournament. He was also a part of the Sharks strong showings in the Hoop Group Fall Jam Fest (tough games against Team Boss, Connecticut Basketball Club, and Mountain Basketball) and Rebounds Fall High School League (big wins against Brick Memorial, Southern, Marlboro). Capping off a stellar debut season, John helped the Sharks win their first tournament in the program’s short history by capturing the 2008 Push The Rock Invitational with wins over House of Hoops, Hoop Starz Gym Ratz, and a championship game win over IYB Basketball.

Martens role increased in 2009. His leadership was evident in the 3T Summer Press in Newark, NJ. Martens helped the Sharks score a big Quarter-Final win vs. Newark Shields, and played his best game of the season in a tough Semi-Finals loss to the Delaware AIM Select. Closing out the 2009 season in the program’s first annual Go Hard Or Go Home tournament, Martens made sure the host team left with a championship. He dominated offensively in the Semi-Finals against Team Randy Foye, and had a very good defensive effort in the championship victory. 

After the 2009 AAU season, John went right to work for his school team, Middletown North. He averaged 13 PPG, 10 RPG, and 4 BPG, and was named team Most Valuable Player. One of his highlights from the season was a season high 26 points against Colts Neck, a game in which he connected on four long range bombs. At the season’s conclusion, John got to work right away with the Sharks coaching staff and has benefited from the program’s seriousness towards player development.

• “Words cannot explain how much the coaching staff has helped me.” – John Martens

Once the young gun of the program, Martens has been groomed to take over as the elder statesman of the Sharks. John has stepped up his leadership and overall game. Looking to make a statement early in the season, John matched the program record with 36 points in the season opener win versus the Lloyd Daniels Mid-Jersey Heat. He has helped lead the Sharks to runner up finishes in the USBA March Madness, Tip Off Classic, Hoop Challenge Super Series, and most recently the 17th annual Central Jersey Hawks Shore Shootout. In the Shootout, John gave the Sharks a 65-62 win over the Central Jersey Devils with a game winning three-pointer, and put up 25 points in a close championship loss to GSP.

• “He is the unquestioned vocal leader of not only the Game 7 Sharks program, but also of Middletown North. John has a very good all around game and has become one of the unsung heros of the Shore Conference and AAU/USBA scenes.” – Game 7 Sharks 15U Head Coach Tom Passafaro

He continues to improve both skill wise and physically, and has his sights on delievering more championships to the program. John’s leadership and composure will be put to the test this summer in the Hamilton Park Summer League in Jersey City, NJ. In the league, which runs through August, the Sharks will face state powerhouses such as St. Anthony’s, Paramus Catholic, and Sports University. John is currently attracting serious college interest from many programs at all levels. If you are interested in John Martens as a college prospect, please email Game7Sharks@aol.com. 

• “John has a very high ceiling and will be a steal to whichever school he decides on. He came into our program as primarily a four man/mobile five, but has worked extremely hard and now we can use him from all five positions on the court. I remember, when I played with him, being very impressed with his low post footwork and saying to myself that if he ever developed an outside game he would be close to unguardable. Well, he has brought his perimeter game to a whole new level this season and keeps improving. In college he most likely be a very efficient off guard/swingman.” – Game 7 Sharks ELITE Head Coach Greg Youncofski, Jr

John Martens (6’4’’, G/F, 2011, Middletown North)

• 3 year Shark

• Member of two Sharks championship teams

o 2008 Push The Rock Invitational

o 2009 Go Hard Or Go Home

• 2010 Middletown North MVP

• Sharks single game points record co-owner

Hope all is well with everyone. We have had a solid May and have started off June very strong. Our first tournament after the Jayhawk Invitational was the New Jersey Panthers Shootout in Sparta, NJ. On Saturday, May 15, the Sharks dropped two very close games against very good teams. The morning game was against the New Jersey Hurricanes. The Hurricanes built a sizeable lead towards the end of the game, but the Sharks were able to cut the lead to four with their press. After failing to capitalize on several opportunities, the Sharks went down. The later game was against the host New Jersey Panthers, and the game was tightly contested. Mike Aaman (6'8'', F, 2012, Raritan) was dominant inside scoring in a variety of ways and controlling the board. The Sharks lost another close one where they had several opportunities.

The Sharks came back to Sparta with a vengeance the next morning and beat another Hurricanes team by over thirty points. Jack Donnelly (6'0'', G, 2012, Rumson-Fair Haven) played a major role in putting the Hurricanes away with his scoring on the offensive end and tenacious defense.

On June 5-6, the Sharks went to war in the 17th annual Central Jersey Hawks Shore Shootout. On Saturday, the Sharks found themselves in a very tight game with the Central Jersey Devils. The two teams exchanged leads several times and the game was tied at 62 with only a few seconds remaining. John Martens (6'4'', G/F, 2011, Middletown North) stepped up once again and hit a game-winning three pointer as time expired. Martens had a very strong all around game and Jack Keating (6'6'', F, 2011, Rumson-Fair Haven) was a big part of the victory on both sides of the floor. The Sharks took on the Monmouth Breakers later that evening. Jason Huelbig (6'3'', G, 2012, Middletown North) was able to score easy and early to get his game going. Eric Youncofski (5'9'', G, 2012, Middletown North) helped put the Breakers to rest by easily breaking their second half press.

After a Sunday morning tune up victory versus Brooklyn United, the Sharks run ended in a close championship game loss to GSP. Tim Frawley (6'3'', G/F, 2012, CBA) played a strong game and helped keep the Sharks in it towards the end. The Sharks finished the tournament in second place.

As one can see on the front page, I have posted our schedule for our Jersey City summer league. We are already 33 games into the season and it is looking like we will end up playing close to 70 games; much more than just about every program. Please continue to check the website daily for updates!

Game 7 Sharks ELITE took the trip to the 11th annual Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, KS. The tournament is widely recognized as the premier grassroots basketball tournament in the Midwest. Players such as Team USA and current NBA players Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) first burst onto the national stage here. The prestigious tournament is held at The University of Kansas surrounding areas. Kansas, arguably the greatest college basketball tradition school, has been home to great players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning, and Paul Pierce. Many highly respected coaches have been at the helm of Kansas or started there as assistants. Notable ones include Dr. James Naismith (Inventor of the game), Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen (longtime legendary Kansas coach, invented pressure defense), Adolph Rupp (former Kansas player and assistant, legendary Kentucky coach), Dean Smith (former Kansas player and assistant, legendary North Carolina coach),  Larry Brown (former Kansas coach, now coach of Charlotte Bobcats), Gregg Poppovich (former Kansas assistant, now coach of San Antonio Spurs), Jerry Colangelo (former Kansas player, now director of USA Basketball), and many more.

The Sharks started off the weekend against one of the top ranked teams in Minnesota, Net Gain Sports. The game was back and forth, with the Sharks taking a two point lead towards the middle of the second half. However, Net Gain Sports were able to counter and put together a strong last few minutes to gain the victory. On Saturday morning, the Sharks slow start against the Wendam Blue Pumas was too much to overcome as the Pumas, who were coached by former Boston Celtics standout Scott Wendam, put the Sharks down early.

After a team meeting and a pre-game speech from University of Kansas standout Tyshawn Taylor, the Sharks rebounded strong with a 26-point stomping over the St. Louis Majestics. The Majestics are one of the top ranked programs in the St. Louis area, which has been a hotbed for hoops. The Sharks started the game 9-0 and had the lead going into the half. Eric Youncofski (5'9'', G, 2012, Middletown North) started the big second half run with a steal and pass that led to a bucket. Jack Donnelly (6'0'', G, 2012, Rumson-Fair Haven) followed that up with a deep three pointer. Several plays later, Jason Huelbig (6'3'', G, 2012, Middletown North) brought the crowd to life with a one handed dunk over one of the Majestics defenders. On the very next play, Mike Aaman (6'8'', F, 2012, Raritan) rocked the building with an and1 slam over a Majestics defender. Guards Will Boman (5'9'', G, 2013, Middletown North) and Pete Passafaro (5'9'', G, 2013, Middletown North) also had strong second halves. 

The Sharks match up with Kansas City Gametime  may have possibly been the game of the day Sunday. John Martens (6'4'', G/F, 2011, Middletown North) had his best game of the tournament, scoring several big buckets down the stretch and taking a big charge. Tim Frawley (6'3'', G/F, 2012, CBA) continued his great play on the season with big plays at key moments. After a questionable call towards the end of the game, Gametime was able to put the Sharks away 50-52.

After a disappointing 1-3 showing on the weekend, Coach Greg Youncofski was asked about his team's performance:

• "In the long run this is the best thing that could ever happen to us. I'm interested in seeing how we respond to the adversity; interested in seeing who steps up to be a leader in the coming weeks. We built these guys up endlessly over the past few months, now it's about time we take them back down to reality. But, in the long run, this learning experience will be a big reason for our success as a team."