Shabazz is our pick as the top girls basketball team in New Jersey. Also watch out for Gill St. Bernard's, Point Pleasant Beach, Rancocas Valley and St. John-Vianney.
Zaire O'Neil looks to lead national power Shabazz to a state, and possible national title.
Photo by Richard Ta
MaxPreps 2013-14 New Jersey Girls Basketball Preseason Fab 5 presented by the Army National Guard
Click here to see the girls basketball preseason Fab 5 from every state
1. Shabazz (Newark)Head coach: Vanessa Watson
2012-2013 finish: 33-1
Led by 682-game winner Watson, Shabazz should be the class of the Garden State hoops scene once again.
Zaire O'Neil, a 6-foot-1 senior, is one of the state’s top players. A possible match up with national No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) will test the Bulldogs’ mettle against one of the nation’s premier programs — a label that also fits the Bulldogs themselves.
2. Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone)Head coach: Josuf Dema
2012-2013 finish: 23-5
There’s been a lot of turnover at the head coaching position for Gill St. Bernard's, but the production has been consistent. Josuf Dema takes over at the helm, becoming the fourth head coach in five years at a program that has won four Somerset County Tournament titles in the last six seasons. Stanford-bound
Taylor Rooks returns after a prodigious junior campaign that saw her average over 26 points and nine rebounds.
3. Point Pleasant Beach (Point Pleasant Beach)Head coach: Mike Feerst
2012-2013 finish: 26-2
Last season, Point Pleasant Beach overcame the effects of superstorm Sandy to earn its first Group I state title. The nucleus of that team returns in the form of senior
Katelynn Flaherty, a Michigan signee, and junior
Marina Mabrey. Expect Point Pleasant Beach to be even better this season.
4. Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly)Head coach: Anthony Corrado
2012-2013 finish: 26-2
One of South Jersey’s most consistent programs will be back in the hunt for a state title this winter.
Lauren Moses, a 6-foot-2 forward on her way to Virginia, will be the focal point of the team’s offense.
Dominique Ward, who transferred to Rancocas Valley before the start of last season, will run the point for the defending Group 4 champions.
5. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel)Head coach: Dawn Karpell
2012-2013 finish: 18-12
With only three seniors on the roster last season, St. John-Vianney took some lumps. This fall, the team will be without Lyndsey Rowe, now at Wagner, but returns some promising underclassmen. Sophomore point guard
Kelly Campbell is one of the state’s top tenth-graders.
Katie Beriont, a 6-foot forward who also stars on the school’s softball team, returns for her senior season. Sophomores
Gabrielle Camponegro and
Emily Uribe should also contribute.
Kim Evans, a 6-foot-3 freshman center, is one to watch.
