SJV, Mater Dei coaches earn historic Shore Conference wins for respective programs
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
In front of another sold out crowd at Monmouth University’s Multipurpose Activities Center, two things occurred that had never happened before.
Mater Dei’s boys’ basketball team won the first Shore Conference Tournament championship in its history, and the St. John Vianney girls’ team won its first SCT title with Dawn Karpell as head coach.
It was a history-making day in West Long Branch, with a jam-packed crowd of more than 4,000 enjoying every minute of it.
“This is surreal,” said Ben Campbell, the Seraphs first-year coach. “I don’t even have words for it. It’s surreal.”
The Lancer seniors, who had never reached the finals, said the win was for Karpell. The coach said just the opposite.
“This is not about me or my accomplishments,” said Karpell, who won an SCT championship when she played as Dawn Werner. “This is about the seniors sitting in that lockerroom who lost in three straight semifinals, and the fact they came into this game and owned it is more what it’s about. They get to leave here with a Shore Conference championship. That’s the most important part of today.”
The day started with SJV of Holmdel leading Manasquan for all but the first two possessions in taking a 59-48 victory for their first conference crown since 2005 and their SCT record 13th overall. It ended on, as Gamble said, a “surreal” note when Mater Dei of Middletown rallied from an 18-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game en route to a 50-43 win over Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft.
The Seraphs avenged their only other trip to the finals when they lost to CBA, 58-51, in 1984.
“It’s history,” said senior NyQuan McCombs, one of the game’s heroes.
After Cardinal McCarrick High School, South Amboy, shut down last year, Gamble had just completed his first year as a head coach. Gamble moved from the Diocese of Metuchen school to Mater Dei and brought with him several players, including McCombs.
“I love coach,” McCombs said. “He pushes us hard. He teaches us a lot about everything.”
And Gamble was part of the reason Elijah Barnes transferred from Central Regional in Bayville.
“This was a great opportunity academically,” Barnes said. “You get ready to go to college and it was a new beginning with coach Gamble.
“This means everything. It’s what we worked hard for. This was our goal and I’m glad we could make it happen. Coach Gamble worked us hard for it and I’m glad we could give this day to our school.”
And what a day it was for the Seraph student section. They were largely outnumbered by the huge rooting section of “Colt Crazies” behind the opposite basket, but made just as much noise when Mater Dei mounted its comeback and eventually won the title.
The players definitely fed off the enthusiasm.
“It’s just a great community we have at Mater Dei and it shows with our team,” Barnes said. “We’re a family and we play hard every day in the gym and it shows when we win this championship.”
Defensive wizard Marvin Pierre shared his teammates take on the title.
“It’s history man,” Pierre said. “We did this for the community, for Mater Dei prep. It’s history. This was a big day for Mater Dei Prep.”
And a big day for Gamble, who won countless titles as an assistant at St. Anthony, Jersey City, and finally got one as the man in charge.
“I dreamed about this for a long time that I would win a championship and it would be my stamp,” Gamble said. “How this thing turned out tonight was tremendous. CBA, I have tons of respect for. They have a tremendous program and this is a great feeling.”
Having lost in three straight finals, CBA is feeling the frustration that the SJV girls finally put an end to.
“This was our last chance,” said guard Tina Lebron, one of seven seniors on the veteran roster. “It was huge pulling this one out. That was the main focus, that it’s our last time. Moving forward this is our last season together, the best team I ever played for, so we just want to pull it all out now.”
And then came a familiar refrain.
“We worked so hard the past four years and coach deserved it so much,” Lebron said. “We’re happy we can do it for her.”
When the buzzer sounded, the players all ran over to Karpell, who has won five NJSIAA Non-Public A titles and one Tournament of Champions crown in her 10 years as coach, but never the SCT. She insisted, however, that this was bigger than herself as the players descended upon her.
“That was a really special moment for me as a coach,” Karpell said. “Not from the coaching pinnacle part or winning something. But those kids, here it is, their moment and they’re celebrating it with me. That made me feel really good as a coach that they look at me in that light.”
Senior Kelly Campbell, the Lancers heart and soul, probably put it in the best perspective.
“We all wanted to win it for each other,” Campbell said. “Coach has never won one, we never won one so it was big for all of us. It still has to sink in a lot, but still great to win.
“We were always the team that almost made it. Every year we were almost there. This year we just did it, and we were really happy about it.”
Senior Vanessa Pinho discussed the team’s twitter hashtag of “unfinished business,” saying that despite winning division, state and Tournament of Champions titles, the work was not complete without owning the Shore trophy.
“This year we came in with a chip on our shoulder,” Pinho said. “We said coach hasn’t won this, we haven’t done this, our school hasn’t done this in a really, really long time. We’re really gonna do it this year. This year was hashtag unfinished business.”
And while that hashtag may have been completed in terms of the SCT, it is still in effect for this season with the state tournament looming.
“We definitely get bragging rights for the Shore,” Pinho said. “And with those bragging rights, you have to prove a point to people (in states). We always try to prove that point each game. We can’t let ourselves think we’re too good and we’re gonna take this game a little easier than others. No game should be taken easily, especially in this part of the season. Each game we look at what we’re playing and whoever we have to get after and just win.”
Karpell felt a big reason her team got over the hump this year is that she had the best player on the court in Campbell, who won the Kerwin award as the Shore Conference’s top female player.
Asked how she needed to bring her team off the high of the SCT title to re-focus on states, the coach’s answer was simple and to the point
“Have you ever met Kelly Campbell?” she asked. “We kind of call her coach Campbell because she’s on the coaching staff. She will not allow that to happen.”[[In-content Ad]]Related Stories
Thursday, September 21, 2023
E-Editions
Events
In front of another sold out crowd at Monmouth University’s Multipurpose Activities Center, two things occurred that had never happened before.
Mater Dei’s boys’ basketball team won the first Shore Conference Tournament championship in its history, and the St. John Vianney girls’ team won its first SCT title with Dawn Karpell as head coach.
It was a history-making day in West Long Branch, with a jam-packed crowd of more than 4,000 enjoying every minute of it.
“This is surreal,” said Ben Campbell, the Seraphs first-year coach. “I don’t even have words for it. It’s surreal.”
The Lancer seniors, who had never reached the finals, said the win was for Karpell. The coach said just the opposite.
“This is not about me or my accomplishments,” said Karpell, who won an SCT championship when she played as Dawn Werner. “This is about the seniors sitting in that lockerroom who lost in three straight semifinals, and the fact they came into this game and owned it is more what it’s about. They get to leave here with a Shore Conference championship. That’s the most important part of today.”
The day started with SJV of Holmdel leading Manasquan for all but the first two possessions in taking a 59-48 victory for their first conference crown since 2005 and their SCT record 13th overall. It ended on, as Gamble said, a “surreal” note when Mater Dei of Middletown rallied from an 18-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game en route to a 50-43 win over Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft.
The Seraphs avenged their only other trip to the finals when they lost to CBA, 58-51, in 1984.
“It’s history,” said senior NyQuan McCombs, one of the game’s heroes.
After Cardinal McCarrick High School, South Amboy, shut down last year, Gamble had just completed his first year as a head coach. Gamble moved from the Diocese of Metuchen school to Mater Dei and brought with him several players, including McCombs.
“I love coach,” McCombs said. “He pushes us hard. He teaches us a lot about everything.”
And Gamble was part of the reason Elijah Barnes transferred from Central Regional in Bayville.
“This was a great opportunity academically,” Barnes said. “You get ready to go to college and it was a new beginning with coach Gamble.
“This means everything. It’s what we worked hard for. This was our goal and I’m glad we could make it happen. Coach Gamble worked us hard for it and I’m glad we could give this day to our school.”
And what a day it was for the Seraph student section. They were largely outnumbered by the huge rooting section of “Colt Crazies” behind the opposite basket, but made just as much noise when Mater Dei mounted its comeback and eventually won the title.
The players definitely fed off the enthusiasm.
“It’s just a great community we have at Mater Dei and it shows with our team,” Barnes said. “We’re a family and we play hard every day in the gym and it shows when we win this championship.”
Defensive wizard Marvin Pierre shared his teammates take on the title.
“It’s history man,” Pierre said. “We did this for the community, for Mater Dei prep. It’s history. This was a big day for Mater Dei Prep.”
And a big day for Gamble, who won countless titles as an assistant at St. Anthony, Jersey City, and finally got one as the man in charge.
“I dreamed about this for a long time that I would win a championship and it would be my stamp,” Gamble said. “How this thing turned out tonight was tremendous. CBA, I have tons of respect for. They have a tremendous program and this is a great feeling.”
Having lost in three straight finals, CBA is feeling the frustration that the SJV girls finally put an end to.
“This was our last chance,” said guard Tina Lebron, one of seven seniors on the veteran roster. “It was huge pulling this one out. That was the main focus, that it’s our last time. Moving forward this is our last season together, the best team I ever played for, so we just want to pull it all out now.”
And then came a familiar refrain.
“We worked so hard the past four years and coach deserved it so much,” Lebron said. “We’re happy we can do it for her.”
When the buzzer sounded, the players all ran over to Karpell, who has won five NJSIAA Non-Public A titles and one Tournament of Champions crown in her 10 years as coach, but never the SCT. She insisted, however, that this was bigger than herself as the players descended upon her.
“That was a really special moment for me as a coach,” Karpell said. “Not from the coaching pinnacle part or winning something. But those kids, here it is, their moment and they’re celebrating it with me. That made me feel really good as a coach that they look at me in that light.”
Senior Kelly Campbell, the Lancers heart and soul, probably put it in the best perspective.
“We all wanted to win it for each other,” Campbell said. “Coach has never won one, we never won one so it was big for all of us. It still has to sink in a lot, but still great to win.
“We were always the team that almost made it. Every year we were almost there. This year we just did it, and we were really happy about it.”
Senior Vanessa Pinho discussed the team’s twitter hashtag of “unfinished business,” saying that despite winning division, state and Tournament of Champions titles, the work was not complete without owning the Shore trophy.
“This year we came in with a chip on our shoulder,” Pinho said. “We said coach hasn’t won this, we haven’t done this, our school hasn’t done this in a really, really long time. We’re really gonna do it this year. This year was hashtag unfinished business.”
And while that hashtag may have been completed in terms of the SCT, it is still in effect for this season with the state tournament looming.
“We definitely get bragging rights for the Shore,” Pinho said. “And with those bragging rights, you have to prove a point to people (in states). We always try to prove that point each game. We can’t let ourselves think we’re too good and we’re gonna take this game a little easier than others. No game should be taken easily, especially in this part of the season. Each game we look at what we’re playing and whoever we have to get after and just win.”
Karpell felt a big reason her team got over the hump this year is that she had the best player on the court in Campbell, who won the Kerwin award as the Shore Conference’s top female player.
Asked how she needed to bring her team off the high of the SCT title to re-focus on states, the coach’s answer was simple and to the point
“Have you ever met Kelly Campbell?” she asked. “We kind of call her coach Campbell because she’s on the coaching staff. She will not allow that to happen.”[[In-content Ad]]