Boys Basketball 2025-26 All-Freshman Honors, Freshman of the Year

2025-26 Shore Sports Insider Freshman of the Year

Ryan Gannon, Middletown South

With a reputation that preceded his arrival at Middletown South High School, talent was not a question for Ryan Gannon in his quest to make an impact in New Jersey High School basketball as a freshman.

Talent is one thing, but a flare for the dramatic is another. If there was any doubt that Gannon would thrive in the most critical minutes within the intense world of high school varsity athletics against players two and three years his senior, he answered those questions within the first hour of his high school career.

In the final five minutes of Middletown South’s season-opener at St. Rose, Gannon scored the last 12 points of the game to turn a two-point deficit into a 64-54 win for the Eagles. Gannon finished with 29 points in his high school debut – 21 in the second half – to kick off a rookie campaign that nets him the Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Freshman of the Year award.

Few seasons in recent Shore Conference memory have featured so many freshmen not only making an impact, but being tasked with being leading scorers and producers for their respective teams. Within that landscape, Gannon and his classmate Evan Wells led the charge, with the two Middletown South freshmen leading their team in scoring while playing with a group of three returning senior starters and a senior transfer.

The 29-point performance at St. Rose set the course for one of the best freshman season of the last decade. Gannon’s 17 points per game is the highest per-game average by a Shore Conference freshman since Bryan Antoine averaged better than 20 at Ranney in 2015-16. Those 17 points per game also beat out former Middletown North star Rob Higgins, who averaged 16.4 in 2015-16 playing for Mike Iasparro, who coached Gannon through his first high school season at Middletown South 10 years after he did the same for Higgins.

Rumson cut Midd South’s lead to 30-22 but Ryan Gannon banks in the 3 at the buzzer to send the Eagles to the half with a 33-22 lead. pic.twitter.com/G0fWCTJqCR

— Matt Manley (@Matt_Manley) January 10, 2026

On top of the 17 points per game, Gannon posted 5.1 rebounds, an even four assists and 2.24 steals per game while leading Middletown South to a 17-12 record and the program’s first appearance in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship game since 2008.

Gannon quickly had to adapt to the attention that follows a start such as the one he authored, which included hitting a game-winning shot to beat Notre Dame in his second high school game. The season-opener at St. Rose was Gannon’s only 20-plus-point game in December and his three games of more than 20 points in January were against the bottom two teams in the Class A Central division, Manalapan and St. John Vianney.

In February, though, Gannon found another gear and finished the season at a speed few other players of his experience level have. He went for 23 points in a rout of Howell – the No. 8 team in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 – and rained in a career-high 33 in a win over No. 9 Ranney in the final game before the Shore Conference Tournament.

In his Shore Conference Tournament debut, Gannon led 62-55 win over Brick Memorial with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, earning the Eagles a dose of payback after the Mustangs beat Middletown South by 20 during the regular season. He closed out his SCT with 14 points in a one-point loss at Howell.

Final: No. 13 Middletown South 62, Brick Memorial 55. Ryan Gannon and Evan Wells close it out with some key buckets, including this and-1 by Gannon. Midd South will head to Howell on Thursday at 6. pic.twitter.com/o2L9LMHlhb

— Matt Manley (@Matt_Manley) February 11, 2026

During the NJSIAA Tournament, Gannon tapped into the same flair for the dramatic that helped him steal the show on opening night. It started with 23 points in a one-sided win over Allentown in the opening round, which set the stage for two memorable moments.

In the sectional semifinals vs. Hopewell Valley, Gannon scored just eight points during regulation, but his team battled its way to overtime with the score tied, 43-43. From there, Gannon took over. He hit a game-tying three-pointer from the top of the key with nine seconds left in the first overtime, then went 7-for-8 from the free-throw in the final 1:30 of the second overtime as Middletown South locked down a 66-62 win over the Bulldogs. Gannon scored 16 points in the two extra sessions to finish with 24.

Middletown South hit the road for the Central Jersey Group III semifinals looking to knock off top-seeded Lawrence and once again, the Eagles would need overtime to settle the score. For the second straight game, Gannon nailed a contested three-pointer to tie the game, this time at the end of regulation with six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Then, with his team down one in overtime, Gannon drilled another clutch three-pointer, this time giving Middletown South a 64-62 lead with five seconds left. After a defensive stand, Middletown South marched on to its first sectional final in 18 years, with Gannon leading the way with his 30 points in the road win.

In the sectional final, Gannon and Co. ran into a bigger, more athletic Westampton Tech squad that ended Middletown South’s bid for a title in a 66-56 win that gave the host Panthers their first ever sectional title. Gannon closed out his freshman year with a team-high 16 points and four assists in the loss.

Gannon and Wells were the standout freshman duo in a Shore Conference that boasted multiple freshman duos, namely at Ocean (twins Omar and Ahmad Ayyash), Barnegat (twins Myles and Chancellor Joseph) and Donovan Catholic (Gerard Gallo and Ethan Sulkowski). The two Eagles rookies combined for 29.8 points per game while setting a high bar for the remainder of their Shore Conference careers.

As for the rest of the landmark Shore Conference freshman class of 2025-26, here are the rookies that shined this past season.

 

2026 Shore Sports Insider All-Freshman Team

First Team

Ryan Gannon, Middletown South (17.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.2 steals)

Omar Ayyash, Ocean (14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists)

Evan Wells, Middletown South (12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 blocks)

Gerard Gallo, Donovan Catholic (14.5 points)

Clint Martin, Rumson-Fair Haven (10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 blocks)

Myles Joseph, Barnegat (11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks)

 

Second Team

Ahmad Ayyash, Ocean (6.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.7 blocks)

Josh Sosinov, Manalapan (8.7 points, 7.7 rebounds)

Chancellor Joseph, Barnegat (9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.5 blocks)

Ethan Sulkowski, Donovan Catholic (6.8 points)

Nick DiGiovanni, Middletown North (9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 blocks)

Chase Scarponi, Point Boro (4.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.7 blocks)