Shore Sports Insider 2026 Final Boys Basketball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Top 10 — Final Rankings

For the first time since 2022, the boys basketball season in New Jersey ends without an overall state champion from the Shore, but another streak remains intact. Since the 2018-19 season, at least one Shore Conference team has appeared in an overall group final in every year the NJSIAA Tournament has been contested. That distinction this season belongs solely to Rumson-Fair Haven, which made it to the Group II championship game for the first time in its history.

Rumson played deeper into the season than any of its fellow Shore teams, but the Bulldogs – and everyone else – fell well short of the No. 1 ranking. That honor goes to the team that opened the year No. 1 and has not finished No. 1 since 2009-10.

After No. 1, there is plenty of debate warranted throughout the rest of the Top 10 and Next 10, but when it is close between two teams, postseason performance was a separator.

 

1. Christian Brothers Academy (24-4, 10-0) Preseason Rank: 1

Year one of the Brian Lynch Era went about as well as anyone at CBA could have hoped. The Colts returned to the top of the Shore Conference pecking order with their first Shore Conference Tournament championship in 16 years while going a perfect 15-0 against teams within the Shore. CBA’s only in-state losses during the year were to the top three teams in NJ Advance Media’s State Top 20: No. 1 Bergen Catholic, No. 2 St. Peter’s Prep and No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s. Lynch and his team would like to make the climb three more spots in the immediate years to come and a season like this one is a great place for the program to start. The Colts will miss seniors Connor Andree, Charlie Messano, Charlie Marcoullier and Matt Veisz, but the return of Izayah Cooper, Avery Lynch, David Buley and Oymere Rene give CBA a solid foundation for 2026-27.

2. Rumson-Fair Haven (21-9, 5-5) Preseason Rank: 3

From No. 3 to open the season, to unranked heading into the second week of the state tournament, Rumson rode the roller coaster this season and landed in the No. 2 spot by surviving the Shore-loaded Central Jersey Group II section and advancing to the program’s first ever NJSIAA state final. Little went right for the Bulldogs at Rutgers on Saturday against Ramsey, but getting to the final meant outlasting the likes of Manasquan, Wall, Holmdel, Ocean and Point Pleasant Boro in Central Group II, then beating a Middle Township team that knocked off both Haddonfield and Camden to reach the Group II semifinal. Rumson also owns regular-season wins at Red Bank Catholic and Manasquan, so the foundation was set for a surge up the rankings should the Bulldogs make a run and did they ever make a run. The team will look much different next year without Luke Cruz, Luke Lydon, Blake Ahmann, Drew Cavise and Zach Halpern, but Clint Martin, Casey Moore and a proven pipeline are a lot for coach George Sourlis to work with.

3. Red Bank Catholic (20-8, 8-2) Preseason Rank: 10

At No. 3 in the Shore Conference, RBC lands its highest end-of-season ranking since 2021-22. The Caseys made it to 20 wins while playing a challenging schedule and reached the Shore Conference Tournament championship game for the first time in program history. While they lost eight games, only five of those losses came against teams RBC did not beat at some other point in the season: CBA (twice), Rumson-Fair Haven, St. Joseph of Metuchen and East Brunswick. The other three were to Marlboro, Ranney and Wall and the Caseys avenged the last two by beating both Ranney and Wall in consecutive rounds of the SCT. The Caseys are set to graduate senior starters James Hankowski and Ryan Saxton while returning Gavin Biasi, Ryder Ciorciari and big man Tyler Hager as seniors, plus some underclass depth to fill out what should be a promising 2026-27 roster.

4. Manasquan (16-10, 6-4) Preseason Rank: 2

The news that All-Shore guard Rey Weinseimer would likely miss the entire season coupled with the fact that fellow returning junior starter Logan Cleveland began the season sidelined by injury provided a major stress test to Manasquan’s ability to churn out another successful season. Without much proven varsity experience, the Warriors took their early lumps and had a season worthy of the lofty standards they have set over the past seven championship seasons. They made it to the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals for the 15th straight year and avenged their quarterfinal loss to Wall by knocking off the top-seeded Crimson Knights in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II semifinals. They also took CBA down to the wire in both regular-season meetings, split regular-season series with both Rumson and Holmdel, and beat Group I runner-up Thrive Charter on a neutral floor. Jack O’Reilly and Jack Lattimer are the graduating senior starters, with Weinseimer, Cleveland and a deep group of current sophomores set to return for what they hope is a 2027 revenge tour.

5. Wall (21-3, 10-0) Preseason Rank: 8

The Crimson Knights’ list of accomplishments during the past season is lengthy: they tied Rumson, Marlboro, Point Pleasant Beach and Shore Regional for the lead among Shore Conference public schools with 21 wins; finished No. 1 at the Shore in winning percentage (.875); went 10-0 in winning a second straight division championship against a deep, dangerous Class A Central field; won the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic by beating RBC, Manasquan and Freehold Township; and earned the No. 1 seed in a loaded Central Jersey Group I section. The tournament exits – to RBC in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinal and to Manasquan in the Central Group II semifinal – will leave a bitter aftertaste and, ultimately, keep the Crimson Knights behind those teams in the rankings, but Wall’s season was outstanding. The Knights won their first 17 games and only lost after picking up a game vs. Group III runner-up Colonia, which beat Wall in a competitive, 52-46 contest. Wall will say goodbye to an accomplished senior class and turn the program over to its group of capable juniors off the bench: Navin Tu, Donovan Buist and Marius Rossi.

6. Marlboro (21-6, 7-3) Preseason Rank: 9

Two close division losses and a key absence for another division loss proved to be the difference between the second-place finish that Marlboro settled for and a potential first-place finish in Class B North, which went to Red Bank Catholic. Marlboro paid RBC back for a one-point loss to the Caseys on the road by beating them in Marlboro, but the difference in the division race proved to be Marlboro’s road loss to a Colts Neck team RBC beat twice, as well as a loss to Ranney in which Mustangs leading scorer Dylan McEwan did not play. Despite settling for the public division title, Marlboro went on to reach the 20-win mark while making it to the SCT semifinals – both for the third time in school history. The graduations of Drew Lubeck, Ajay Mathews and Christian Elmasri will sap Malboro’s depth and balance, but the return of McEwan and Nolan Gong as seniors should keep the Mustangs in the mix for a high ranking.

7. Holmdel (16-8, 6-4) Preseason Rank: 7

The season started for Holmdel with starters Jack Cannon and Anthony Serini sidelined with injuries and with one or both of those players out of the lineup, the Hornets were 4-4 to open the season. Once Cannon returned to give the team its full lineup, Holmdel went 12-4 to close out the season, with its only losses coming against CBA (twice), Sayreville at the buzzer and at Wall in the Central Jersey Group II quarterfinals. That 16-game stretch included two wins over Rumson, plus wins over Manasquan, Middletown South, Point Boro, Robbinsville and Colts Neck. Jack Vallillo, Connor Paul, Dylan Zammit and Cannon are all set to graduate, which means Holmdel will be looking for pieces with which to reload in 2026-27.

8. Howell (20-7, 7-3) Preseason Rank: Not ranked

The Rebels have reached several benchmarks over the past few seasons and this year, they coasted past the previous school record of 17 wins and set a new standard with the program’s first 20-win season. Howell set the tone for its season by winning the Albert E. Martin Buc Classic, which included two wins over top-four seeds from the Central Jersey Group IV bracket: No. 4 East Brunswick and No. 2 Marlboro. The Rebels then made it back to the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals for the second time in three years, where they lost an overtime thriller to Marlboro. The season ended in Atlantic City, where Howell lost to the Vikings in the South Jersey Group IV quarterfinals, 61-55. With junior starters Jayson Parker, Noah Musto and Eddie Garcia primed to return next season, Howell will keep school history on its list of goals for 2026-27.

9. Ranney (14-12, 7-3) Preseason Rank: Not ranked

No team in the Top 10 is closer to .500 than is Ranney and that is a result of a scheduled packed with quality opponents, a few of which Ranney cut down. The Panthers own wins over Red Bank Catholic, Marlboro and Middletown South during the regular season and knocked off Jackson on the road in the Shore Conference Tournament round of 16, 67-50. Of Ranney’s 12 losses, eight were inside the Shore Conference and six of those – Red Bank Catholic (twice), Rumson-Fair Haven, Wall, Marlboro and Holmdel – were against other top 10 teams. The other two (Middletown South and Colts Neck) were against teams Ranney also beat during the season. Senior guard and the coaches’ Class B North Player of the Year Shaan Nayar won’t be back, but the rest of Ranney’s balanced, skilled lineup is due back in 2026-27.

10. Jackson (18-7, 7-1) Preseason Rank: 4

While Jackson did not always perform consistently, the Jaguars could promise this much. If the game was close, they would find a way to win it. All seven of Jackson’s losses were by at least 16 points and that was not exactly a function of losing against quality competition. On the contrary, the Jaguars scored two hard-fought wins over Manasquan, won two critical games over Central Regional to secure the first official Class A South division title in Jackson Township High School history and took down East Brunswick on the road in the Central Jersey Group IV quarterfinals. That moment in the state tournament plus a division championship made it a successful season for a senior-led group that will turn the program over to a young group, led by sophomore Mi’Aire Anderson.

 

The Next 10

Middletown South (17-12, 6-4) – The freshman duo of Ryan Gannon and Evan Wells took the Shore by storm and, with the help of a solid group of seniors who accepted new roles around the freshmen, led the Eagles to their first NJSIAA sectional final appearance in 18 years.

Freehold Township (15-11, 5-5) – With a rotation of all juniors and sophomores, the Patriots are looking forward to a big 2027 after reaching the Kevin Williams Classic championships and winning a game each in the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournaments.

Point Pleasant Beach (21-8, 8-2) – An outright division title for the first time since 2014, 21 wins and a trip to the Central Jersey Group I final highlighted another stellar season for Point Beach, which brings back four of its top six players as seniors next season.

Point Pleasant Boro (17-10, 7-3) – The Panthers will wonder what could have been after two close losses to Point Beach and a 75-74 overtime loss to Group II finalist Rumson in the first round of the NJSIAA Tournament, but they showed their stuff in big games and will have some big-time talent back in 2027.

Ocean (19-10, 8-2) – The Spartans had their best season sin more than 50 years, winning 19 games for the first time since 1972-73 and reaching the sectional final round of the NJSIAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 with a team that leaned on just one senior starter in Aidan Saint Louis.

Red Bank (11-16, 2-8) – The Bucs took their lumps with an inexperienced team in an unforgiving Class A North division and made the grind worthwhile with a home win over rival Rumson-Fair Haven. They later went on to validate their tough schedule by rolling to a championship in the Shore Conference Coaches Cup.

Toms River South (16-13, 3-7) – The senior-led Indians did not shy away from the big game, as they proved by winning at Point Beach in divisional play, upsetting Central in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament, then reaching the sectional semifinals in South Jersey Group III for the first time in 11 years. Their SCT run ended at No. 6 Marlboro and their season ended with a loss at eventual Group III champion Ocean City.

Central (16-10, 6-2) – The Golden Eagles went down to the wire with Jackson for the Class A South championship and will bring back a strong nucleus next season, led by junior Derek Roth.

Brick Memorial (15-11, 5-5) – A one-sided win over Middletown South plus division wins over Point Beach and Toms River South headlined a Brick Memorial season driven by a strong group of seniors.

New Egypt (15-15, 6-4) – The lows were lower than some of the other teams that could be mentioned here, but the Warriors found the best version of themselves at the best time of year. Led by a group of four seniors, New Egypt qualified for the NJSIAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed in South Jersey Group I and proceeded to win its first ever sectional title by beating the three top seeds in the bracket on the road. The Warriors proved worthy of this mention by going toe-to-toe with Thrive Charter in the Group I semifinals.