Cutters' Ortiz Emerges as One of Bergen's Best

VERONA - Prior to Friday night, few fans inside the Verona High School gym knew about the exploits of Cutters' senior guard Josh Ortiz.

But after his dynamic shooting display over the game's final three minutes sparked a near miraculous comeback, the crowd learned what hoops fans in Fair Lawn have known for some time -- Ortiz can flat out score.

Even with the Cutters struggling through a 4-10 season, Ortiz has emerged as one of Bergen County's top scoring threats. On the season he's averaging 18.6 points per game, which puts him among the top 20 scorers in North Jersey, according to The Record.

"Josh is a hell of a player," head coach Rich Micallef said. "Some college is going to be lucky to have him. He's a winner, he plays hard."

Those characteristics were on full display in a 52-49 loss at Verona on Friday.

With 3:12 left and his team trailing by 11 points, Ortiz buried a 3-pointer and then followed it with another trey 70 seconds later to cut the deficit to seven points.

The 5-foot-7 senior continued his torrid offensive streak, attacking the basket and drawing fouls that he turned into four free throws. Ortiz then scored his 11th and 12th points in a span of 2:20 as his jump shot from the wing made it a 50-49 game with just 53 seconds left.

"He has that ability to do that," said Micallef of Ortiz's gift for scoring points in bunches. "That's what makes him so good. He's an offensive force."

Ortiz, who finished with 26 points in the loss, has recently taken his scoring prowess to a new level, averaging 23.4 points over the past five games. He scored 32 points in a win over St. Joseph Regional on Jan. 12 and had 19 points in a Jan. 19 loss to Teaneck, a team currently ranked No. 4 in the state.

In a season where Fair Lawn has struggled with inconsistency, Ortiz has been a constant for the Cutters. He has scored 13 or more points in all but one game this season thanks to his devastating combination of a smooth outside shooting touch and a knack for driving to the basket.

In past years, Ortiz primarily relied on his quickness to get the rim, but this season he's been pulling up from outside more -- the benefit of a much-improved jump shot he worked hard this summer to refine.

"He's good at both spot shooting and slashing," Micallef said. "He's really dangerous when he's a slasher because he creates so much off the dribble."

Ortiz, who described his game as "very active," has been a starter since midway through his sophomore year, but said prior to this season that it wasn't until now -- with a new head coach and new system -- that he felt at home in the offense.

"Over the past years our coach has had us slow it down and go different speeds, but that’s not really my game," he said in December. "This year my coach understands I like to run and move fast.”

Ortiz's college plans are currently up in the air, but Micallef believes his guard would be an excellent addition to a Division III program.

"He's a college player," said Micallef, a former standout at Brooklyn College. "I think he's going to have a great career in college if someone gets him."