Sports
2014-15 Manasquan Boys Basketball Preview
Despite some key losses, Manasquan boys are favored to win Class A Central
Photo above: Aiden McMenamen, Jack Sheehan and Luke O’Shaughnessy
MANASQUAN – Last season the Manasquan Warriors won 19 games and went 13-1 in the division to capture the Class A Central behind senior guards Jack Fay and Tommy Toole. Fay – a second-team All-Shore selection – averaged 15 points, four rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while hitting 40 three-point shots. Toole – an All-Division pick - averaged 8.7 points 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
This season, despite losing Fay and Toole due to graduation, the Warriors are once again favored to win the Class A Central. They’ve faced similar challenges in the past and have a knack of overcoming those hurdles year-after-year and this season appears to be no different.
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The Warriors return one of the top juniors in the Shore in 6-foot-4 forward Ryan Jensen. Jensen has been a starter since his freshman year and last season was a breakout year for him as he developed into a force to be reckoned with. He averaged 13.9 points, two blocked shot and 9.3 rebounds (ninth in the Shore) per game. His 320 points scored were second on the team behind Fay’s 344.
Another junior, point guard Jack Sheehan burst onto the scene last season and worked his way into a starting spot after spending his freshman year at CBA. Sheehan averaged 8.9 points, 3.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He’ll be joined in the starting backcourt with 6-foot-2 senior guard Luke O’Shaughnessy, who transferred to Manasquan late in the season from CBA and immediately made an impact in the seven games he got to play in.
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“Jack and I can both handle the ball and shoot,” O’Shaughnessy said. “We’re both very versatile players so it doesn’t matter which guard positon we play.”
Senior Aiden McMenaman steps into starting small forward spot opposite Jensen after seeing valuable minutes last season with an occasional start as a junior. In 23 games last season the 6-foot-3 leaper scored 75 points, grabbed 65 rebounds and blocked nine shots. Senior guard Matt Paturzo – who played in 20 games last season and was a key contributor – will be the fifth starter when the Warriors are in their three-guard offensive set.
Kyle Bradshaw, an athletic 6-foot-4 senior forward is a transfer from Monmouth Regional and the versatile swingman will either start or be the first man off the bench for the Warriors after averaging double digits in scoring last season for the Falcons.
Senior Liam McAlister – a 6-foot-7 center who saw action in 14 games last season – will be counted on to supply some rebounding and shot blocking off the bench while junior guard Shane Flanagan, sophomore guard Devin Jensen and sophomore forward Tommy Sheehan will all be in the mix.
The battle for the division will most likely go down to the wire as both Rumson-Fair Haven and Shore Regional are ranked in the top ten preseason polls; as are the Warriors.
“I feel very confident about our team and feel we can compete with anyone,” O’Shaughnessy said. “We’d like to go further in the post season tournaments this year and win the division again; I think we have the talent to do that. I think this is going to be a very successful season for us.”
The Warriors defeated division rival Rumson-Fair Haven 50-46 on the Bulldogs home court Friday night to open the season. Sheehan scored a game-high 15 points and Jensen added 11 points, 18 rebounds, and seven blocks. McMenaman finished with 11 points in the win.
