Saturday, December 14, 2013

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

With seven seniors returning and with size to burn, Passaic Valley is shaping up to be one of the top public school boys basketball teams this winter.

LITTLE FALLS – In the 2012-2013 season, the Passaic Valley boys basketball team showed flashes of brilliance mixed with a lack of consistency that ultimately led to the end of its season in a blowout loss against Sparta in the North 1, Group 3 quarterfinals. With a talented squad that returns seven seniors, a ton of size, and over 95-percent of the scoring from last season, the Hornets are not just looking to contend for league, county, and section titles, they feel like they have a legitimate shot at making a run at all three.

The Hornets will be as big as any team in North Jersey this season they have size across the board starting with Stefan Minic, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard and the leading scorer from last year when he averaged 17.5 points per game with 90 three-pointers made. He played his best down the stretch scoring at least 14 points in each of the Hornets’ final 10 games of the season, including scoring at least 21 in six of those games. This season, the senior knows he will have to step up his game even more with defenses keying on him.

“We have the experience and we know what to expect coming into this season,” said Minic. “Our schedule is going to be very tough, so we have to focus on our mental game more than anything and being a consistent team. We have seven seniors, so leadership won’t be an issue. If we get better every day, we know we can be a team that has chance to win championships. So that’s our focus, working hard and getting better every single day and peak at the right time.”

With 6-foot-6 triplets Dan, Joe, and Mike Cirrincione along with emerging 6-foot-8 junior Shawn Ulrich and 6-foot-4 Alex Pezzino coming off the bench, the Hornets should be able to establish an inside presence from the opening tap in every game they play. With a sharpshooter like Minic on the outside and numerous options inside the paint, there should be room to operate for guards Zach Damiano and Jihad Wright, who will handle the ball the majority of the time.

Senior Stefan Minic, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, averaged 17.5 points per game and made 90 three-pointers last season.

“I think the feeling going into the first day of tryouts was way different than it was last year,” said Damiano. “It’s not us looking around wondering what will be and if we’ll be any good, but it’s more what we’ll be and how good we can be. Teamwork and communication is way better than it was at this time last year. You can’t hear yourself think when we’re on the court this year because we’re constantly communicating. There are a lot of seniors on this team as opposed to just having one last year. When you have a team with a lot of seniors there’s just a different sense of urgency. Physically, we have the ability to play with anyone. Mentally, there’s always something we can work on and learn from. Hopefully, by the end of the season, we’ll be right where we want to be.”

The Hornets will be tested early against Lakeland, who they beat twice by a single point last season, before a January 5th showdown against defending two-time defending North 1, Group 3 and Bergen County champion Teaneck.

But for the 2013-2014 Passaic Valley team, achieving the ultimate goals will start with the smaller goals that it has set in the preseason; to become a more balanced team on both ends of the floor and not the emotional roller coaster that was last year’s squad. With a year of seasoning under their belt, the Hornets know that their time is now and head coach Rob Carcich is excited to see how this team progresses throughout the season.

“Our players, being extremely coachable, and the maturity that we’re showing is the major difference that I see already from where we were last year,” said Carcich. “We know we’re capable of being a very good defensive team and that’s something you can fall back on in tough times. This team knows it has a chance to be a special team, but we still have a long way to go and a lot of work left to do before we can even think about that stuff. We know it’s cliché, but our concern for the season is to get better every day and be as ready as we can be for our opener against Lakeland.”

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