Montclair High School frosh boys hoops captures Essex County Tournament title

The Montclair High School boys basketball program’s future looks bright, and the proof is in the pudding: Not only has the varsity team improved, but the Mounties freshman team has also brought home the Essex County Sub-Varsity Tournament title.

The Montclair varsity went 13-12 under first-year head coach Cecil Stinson, a far cry from the 2021-22 record of 6-15.

It appears that in the next few years, the arrow is pointing up, as the Montclair freshman team went 22-0 and defeated Irvington, 79-70, on Feb. 18 at Bloomfield High School to grab the county championship, completing the undefeated season.

It was the first time Montclair won the county tournament in the decade of its existence.

For freshman head coach Brian Cunado, his team’s winning the county title will help the entire program's future.

"The overall experience that this season will have for the future is extremely important," Cunado said. "To have the players come together and find success early will prove beneficial for many years to come. 

“The varsity and JV teams supported the freshmen, and that example is something that the coaching staff will continue to build on as the players move up next season. Each player from top to bottom is looking forward to bringing their abilities to the JV and varsity levels to help the program succeed."

The coach added that the “team” aspect was what propelled the Mounties in the county tournament as well as in the regular season.

"The key for the season was how they all played for each other," Cunado said. "Each player recognized that there was potential for a special season, and each player filled their role to help the team win.

"Finishing the season undefeated was never the goal, but once we realized how special the team was it became a quiet goal that we focused on every game." 

While the win over Irvington brought home the county title, it was the 66-56 victory over Seton Hall Prep in the semifinals that was possibly the most important. Seton Hall Prep's varsity team has won seven of the last dozen Essex County Tournament titles, including this season.

"The Seton Hall Prep win was definitely a big win because of the reputation that their basketball team has throughout the county," Cunado said. "Many Montclair kids also attend Seton Hall Prep, so for the freshmen to win that game for the opportunity to play for the county championship was an emotional game."

The starters on the Montclair freshman team were Bashir Lucas, La'Mear Singletary, Jayvon Rogers, Merrick Olkowski and Mezuo Okaro.

Singletary was the Mounties’ top scorer, averaging 18 points per game. "He has a calming presence about him which helped him produce in tough game situations," Cunado said.

After Singletary, the next-highest scorer for Montclair was point guard Lucas, with 13.8 points per game. "He provided defensive intensity and easy passes to open teammates," the coach said. 

Both center Okaro and small forward Rogers averaged about 9 points per game. Okaro “was a strong interior presence, grabbing almost every rebound that was in his vicinity," Cunado said.

The coach said of Rogers: "He was a defensive presence every game, using his size and strength to his advantage."

Power forward Olkowski dropped 7 points per game. "He showed great poise, shooting timely free throws in tight games and in late-game situations," Cunado said. 

In addition to winning the sub-varsity county tournament, the Mounties won the Jingle Bells Jubilee Holiday Tournament in Paterson with wins over Kennedy High School of Paterson and Hackensack, and then over Ramapo in the finals. 

The team opened the Essex County tournament with a dominating 54-25 win over West Orange. Before facing Seton Hall Prep in the semifinals, the Mounties took care of Livingston, 62-50, in the quarterfinals.

The other players on the team were Mason Determann, Morrie Davis, Jesse Charkow, Ayden Simms, Bennett Simon, David DeNunzio and Michael Poole.