JSBL: Intern Helpers earns 1st win; Justin Robinson leads epic Sea View Jeep rally
MANASQUAN –Marc Nelson has been a fan of the Jersey Shore Basketball League for more than 35 years. Like many longtime fans of the league, he never had a specific loyalty to one team. He certainly had his list of preferred teams to watch and several favorite players, but his loyalty wavered from year to year and sometimes night to night depending on who walked in the gym.
“As a youngster, I would watch Rod Strickland, Alex Blackwell, and Kelly Tripucka battle it out at the outdoor courts of Birch Hill in Marlboro. In 1992, the league moved to St. Rose High School in Belmar and my passion for the league grew even more. Seeing Rick Brunson, Anthony Mason, and Horace Jenkins dominate their games are memories that I will never forget,” Nelson said.
In 2024, Nelson founded his own company known as Intern Helpers, and decided he wanted a JSBL team of his own. Last year, Intern Helpers donned yellow jerseys and made their debut. At times, they suited up the likes of two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith and former New York Knicks guard Chris Smith. Like most expansion franchises, Intern Helpers fell flat in their first season. While they did not win a game in their first season, they improved as the season went on and the roster stabilized. The season culminated with a first round playoff loss to top-seeded RKE Athletic in a game that came down to the final play.
Nelson’s franchise made significant changes in 2025 including a major rehaul of the roster adding more veteran talent and naming Shore Conference legend Randy Holmes as their head coach. Holmes made a name for himself at Lakewood as both a player and later a head coach with over 300 career wins. He currently coaches at Jackson Memorial.
On Monday night, Nelson and his son were on the bench as Holmes paced the sideline leading Intern Helpers to their first win in franchise history, a 95-92 victory over ACI/Robin’s Nest. Intern Helpers were paced by Josh Treadwell, an overseas professional who registered 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in his JSBL debut and Leon Daniels, an Alabama State alumnus, who also scored 24 points to go along with 5 rebounds.
Josh Treadwell of Intern Helpers (Photo by Nick Doll)
Intern Helpers put the ball in Treadwell’s hands with 25 seconds to go in the game leading 91-90. Treadwell backed down Gio Panzini (Cornell/St. Rose) and sank an impressive turnaround shot to extend the lead to 3. A strong drive from ACI/Robin’s Nest’s Jared Kimbrough (Hartford/Neptune) cut the lead to 1 before Treadwell sank 2 free throws to bring the score to 95-92. ACI/Robin’s Nest had a chance to tie the game in the final moments, but an off-balance corner three from Dwaine Jones (U of Charleston/Neptune) was short off the front of the rim as time expired.
Leon Daniels of Intern Helpers (Photo by Nick Doll)
Intern Helpers also received key contributions from James Stanback (Stockton/Keansburg) who scored 15 points and Ahmad Biggins (South Suburban College) who added 10 points.
ACI/Robin’s Nest was led by Dwaine Jones who scored 24 points and dished out 9 assists. Jared Kimbrough scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Sam Fagan (Monmouth/Neptune) added 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Dwaine Jones of ACI/Robin’s Nest (Photo by Nick Doll)
Justin Robinson leads epic Sea View Jeep rally over Sterns Trailer
Leading by 17 points at the end of the 3rd quarter, Sterns Trailer’s Jakari Spence (Jacksonville/Toms River North) looked over at the JSBL staff and playfully taunted them for picking Sea View Jeep ahead of his team in the preseason power rankings. Spence had every reason to believe that Sterns Trailer was going to close out the game. The juggernaut of the JSBL, Sterns has won the last 3 championships and only lost a total of 3 games over the last 3 seasons. Spence’s last full season was in 2023 when Sterns Trailer finished undefeated, a feat accomplished only 2 other times in the JSBL’s 57 year history. So when Sterns Trailer took the court in the 4th quarter it seemed like the final outcome was a forgone conclusion. In the words of legendary college football commentator Lee Corso… “Not so fast my friend.”
Jakari Spence of Sterns Trailer (Photo by Nick Doll)
As Sterns Trailer celebrated their 17 point lead, Justin Robinson (Monmouth), one of only 6 players in the league’s 6 decade history to be unanimously voted into the league’s hall of fame, and his Sea View Jeep teammates were getting a critical second wind in a game in which both teams had just 5 players in uniform.
“I took this one a little personal, said Justin Robinson. It’s a long game and a lot can happen in these JSBL games. Keep the foot on the gas long enough and eventually you’ll pull through.”
Robinson set the tone in the final quarter when he stole the ball and dove towards his bench to save the ball from going out of bounds leading to a Xander Rice layup. He would add a free throw on a technical foul on the following possession and two driving layups over the next few possessions. A combination of defensive stops and some key buckets from Xander Rice (Monmouth), Max Mahoney (Boston U), and Roy Mabrey (St. Anselm/CBA) brought Sea View Jeep back into the game and a three-pointer from Xander Rice gave them their first lead. Robinson would ultimately seal the game on a strong three point play through contact with 54 seconds to go. Sea View Jeep would close it out and win 116-109 outscoring Sterns Trailer by a whooping 34-10 margin in the final quarter.
Robinson finished with 40 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals to help improve Sea View Jeep’s record to 2-0. He was far from alone however as Rice finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists and Mahoney ended up with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
“No one gets it done alone. I’ll say this until I’m blue in the face, Xander Rice is an absolute stud. He’s a star. Max Mahoney is a workhorse. We’ve put together a very good group and we’ve been playing together a couple years. It’s always fun to come out here and play with the same guys,” said Robinson.
Xander Rice and Parker Dortch battle for a rebound while Roy Mabrey looks on
When asked about the entire team playing the full 40 minutes Robinson added, “When you’re in shape, you’re in shape. The last seven minutes showed whose got it and who doesn’t. You’ve just got to be able to figure it out and tough it out. We finally got a little stretch and we pulled through.”
Whether it be the OceanFirst Bank Center at Monmouth University, the NBA Summer League, any of the top leagues overseas, or the Jersey Shore Basketball League at Manasquan High School, Robinson is known for bringing his “A” Game and playing to win wherever he goes.
“I trust my work and I’ve done this so often for so long. At some point I’ll figure it out and put some balls in the basket. Tonight, I shot well from the free throw line, didn’t shoot it well from 3, but was able to find a way to the basket and convert.”
The former Monmouth star played most recently for WKS Slask Wroclaw in Poland.
Sterns Trailer’s Jakari Spence scored 40 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss. Larry Smith (Matawan) added 25 points and 8 rebounds. Jalen Gaffney (Florida Atlantic) finished with 19 points and 5 assists.
Larry Smith of Sterns Trailer (Photo by Nick Doll)