Familiar ‘Tune: Former Neptune standouts still going strong in the JSBL

MANASQUAN — Neptune High School boasts a long and proud history of basketball success, with numerous championships and players who have gone on to excel at the collegiate and professional levels.

That tradition was on display Tuesday night when the Scarlet Fliers were well-represented with five former players and two current coaches taking part in RKE Athletic’s 114-92 win over ACI/Robin’s Nest at Manasquan High School during Week 2 of the Jersey Shore Basketball League season.

“It means a lot. We all still have that connection,” said Jared Kimbrough, a 2018 Neptune graduate. “We had a pretty good team back then, so we all have that feel for each other and know what each other wants to do. Even Sean (Grennan). He didn’t play with us but he’s still a disciple of coach Fagan.”

Kimbrough was joined by Sam Fagan (2021 graduate), Dwaine Jones (2019), and Micah Kerr (2015) as former Neptune players who suited up for ACI/Robin’s Nest on Tuesday. Dan Singleton, a 2009 Neptune graduate who helped lead the Scarlet Fliers to the Group 3 state title as a senior, plays for RKE Athletic. ACI/Robin’s Nest’s head coach is Neptune head coach Joe Fagan, while Grennan is a Neptune assistant coach. There’s also Joe Fagan Jr., who was not present on Tuesday but is usually beside his father on the bench.

“It’s great,” Sam Fagan said. “I watched Micah play when I was 12 years old. Jared was a freshman when Micah was a senior. I was a freshman when Jared was a senior. We’ve been around each other for almost 11 years now so it’s fun now that we’re all older and bigger. It’s fun when you’re adults and you can still put it together.”

“In Neptune, not many people expect things and people doubt us from the outside,” Kimbrough said. “That made us stick together even more and put a chip on our shoulder. It’s a proud basketball community.”

Following high school where he was a 1,000-point scorer and led the Shore Conference in rebounding as a senior, Kimbrough, a 6-foot-7 forward, began his college career at La Salle University. He played there for three seasons before transferring to the University of Hartford. Kimbrough has played professionally in Europe for three years, including last season for BBC Monthey-Chablais in Switzerland. He averaged 15.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game as a team’s starting center.

Playing overseas has been an excellent opportunity for Kimbrough. It also forced him to refine his game.

“The first year I was just trying to figure out how they expect the Americans to play,” Kimbrough said. “It’s a way different style. I’m more of a facilitator but overseas you have to be a ball-dominant scorer. It’s a hard mindset for me and it was definitely a learning experience. I found out a lot about myself and how much better I can be.”

On Tuesday night vs. RKE, Kimbrough scored 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked three shots in a strong all-around game.

Sam Fagan played for his father at Neptune and now does the same during the summers in the JSBL.

“My dad always comes up with some random play out of halftime to get me a wide-open three,” Fagan quipped.

Fagan was a four-year starter for the Scarlet Fliers and a Second Team All-Shore selection as a senior. His junior season marked an incredible and inspiring comeback from a devastating leg injury during his sophomore season. During the 2018 Neptune Jubilee final, Fagan suffered a tibial tubercle avulsion, an injury that occurred when his quad muscles pulled up the top of his tibia, fracturing the bone. As a junior, he helped lead Neptune to an appearance in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 3 section final, a run that included Fagan dropping 40 points on Somerville in the quarterfinals.

The 6-foot-1 guard just finished up four years at Monmouth University.

Jones scored 16 points and added four assists for ACI/Robin’s Nest. A 2019 Neptune graduate, he was a 1,000-point scorer and a Third Team All-Shore selection as a senior. The 6-foot-5 guard played collegiately at Coppin State, West Virginia State, and the University of Charleston (WV), scoring over 1,200 points in his college career. He was the MVP of the 2024 Mountain East Conference Tournament when he led Charleston to the title. He was a first-team all-conference selection as a senior, a third-team pick as a junior, and finished his career as the Mountain East’s all-time assists leader with 648.

Kerr, a 6-foot-5 forward/center, played at Kean University after graduating from Neptune in 2015. He played in 95 games with 52 starts across his four years with the Cougars, averaging 11.5 points per game.

Singleton was an All-Shore player for the Scarlet Fliers and a standout on the last Neptune team to win an overall state championship. He dropped 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in a 74-52 win over Teaneck that delivered Neptune the 2009 Group 3 championship.

Grennan, who is Neptune’s junior varsity coach, was an All-Shore player at Donovan Catholic before a college career that spanned stops at Seton Hall, Fairfield, and the University of San Francisco.

Joe Fagan Sr. has been Neptune’s head coach since 2014. He was previously the head coach at Jackson Memorial before being tabbed to replace legendary Neptune coach Ken O’Donnell 11 years ago.

Despite strong games from Kimbrough and Jones, ACI/Robin’s Nest had no answer for another Shore Conference alumnus. Former Mater Dei Prep standout Kyle Cardaci poured in a game-high 33 points to lead RKE to a 3-0 start. The sharpshooter hit five threes and knocked down 9 of 11 shots from inside the arc.  It was a balanced effort among the secondary scorers with Dane Moran adding 16 points and 12 rebounds, former Mater Dei standout Peter Gorman scoring 14 points, Nick Davidson supplying 13 points and nine rebounds, Shack Scott scoring 12 points and Tyler Armstrong adding 10 points.

Gio Panzini, a rising sophomore at Cornell and a former All-Shore star at St. Rose, led ACI/Robin’s Nest (1-2) with 20 points and nine rebounds. Kimbrough and Jones had 17 and 16 points, respectively, while Lucas Orchard and Ibn Loyal chipped in with 10 points each.

 

Game 2 recap – Larson Ford 100, Ortho-NJ 86

Gene Campbell scored a game-high 28 points and Alex Leiba delivered 27 points and 14 rebounds as Larson Ford pulled away from Ortho-NJ in the second half to improve to 2-1.

Leiba, a former St. John Vianney standout, just finished his graduate year at Pepperdine University after four years at Penn State-Harrisburg. Campbell played at East Brunswick Tech in high school and New Jersey City University. He now plays professionally in Europe.

Ortho-NJ led 43-35 at halftime before Larson Ford came roaring back with a 26-15 run in the third quarter to take the lead. They outscored Ortho-NJ 65-43 in the second half. Zion Bethea added 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Zayier Dean chipped in with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Doug Edert, a star for St. Peter’s during its Cinderella run to the NCAA Elite 8 as a 15 seed in 2022, scored a team-high 23 points for Ortho-NJ. Jesse Steele added 21 and 2025 Central Regional graduate Jaycen Santucci scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. Former Raritan star Mike Aaman pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds.

Ortho-NJ fell to 0-3.