JSBL Week 3 Notebook: Surprise Team, MVP Candidates, NBA three point line, and more

The Jersey Shore Basketball League’s 57th season is in full swing with 2 weeks of action in the rear view mirror. As part of Shore Sports Insider’s wire-to-wire coverage here are a variety of our thoughts heading into Week 3’s four night slate of games.

Surprise Team

Larson Ford: The only remaining original JSBL franchise was picked to finish last place in our season preview. On opening night, it looked like that prediction was going to hold strong as Larson Ford was soundly defeated by ACI/Robin’s Nest 100-63. Head Coach Larry Marshall and Assistant Coach Lloyd Daniels, an NBA veteran and New York City street ball legend, made a significant addition that may have been the missing ingredient. Pepperdine’s Zion Bethea, who starred at Immaculate Conception in high school, was added to the roster for the 2nd game and he has averaged 20.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 5.5 apg in his two appearances, both victories.

Gene Campbell, an overseas professional guard who most recently played in Jordan after a college stint at NJCU has led the team in scoring with 21.3 ppg on an efficient 49.1% from the field. Recent Red Bank graduate and All-Shore guard Zayier Dean, who will head to Western Texas College in the fall, has been one of the most improved players in the league averaging 17 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 3.7 apg.

Surprise Player

Dane Moran, RKE Athletic: Moran, a Rumson resident who attended Christian Brothers Academy before heading off to Lawrenceville Prep and later Trinity College, has been the unsung hero for the league’s only undefeated team through the first three games. The 6’9 Moran has averaged 13.3 ppg and a league-leading 13.3 rpg with 28 of his 40 total rebounds coming on the offensive end of the floor. If there is an area Moran can clean up going forward it is on his field goal percentage which sits at 44.2%, slightly low for a big. Moran intends on transferring to Dickinson College in Pennsylvania in the fall with 2 seasons of college eligibility remaining.

Early MVP Candidates

Kyle Cardaci, RKE Athletic: Cardaci, a Mater Dei Prep alumnus who saw action at Bryant, Coppin State, and Saint Peter’s before embarking on his professional career overseas, was the breakout player of the summer in 2024 when he earned 1st Team All-JSBL honors and led the league in total three pointers. His follow-up season has been equally as impressive so far as he currently averages 28.3 ppg on 43.2% from the floor and 38.8% from the NBA three point line on 49 attempted triples. Far more than a shooter, Cardaci averages 5.7 rpg and is a strong defender who is currently 7th in the league in steals per game (2.3) and 10th in the league in blocks per game (1.0), a particularly impressive statistic considering he is 6’2. Considering the MVP is often the top player on the top team during the regular season, that would put Cardaci ahead as the favorite at this point in the season.

Justin Robinson, Sea View Jeep: Monmouth University’s all-time leading Division 1 scorer has been the face of the JSBL during the modern era and remains in the discussion for the top player in the league. Robinson’s 37 ppg may pale in comparision to the 48.8 ppg he averaged in 2022, but his numbers remain elite. Robinson’s most recent professional stop was in Poland this past winter and his numbers reflect the fact that he is an extremely accomplished veteran professional. In addition to his 37 ppg, he is averaging a league-leading 9 apg, 7 rpg, and he is currently third in the league in steals with a 2.7 average. The only knock on him so far is that he has struggled from the outside early on at 27.1% from deep on 48 attempts, a number that will likely increase closer towards his career average as the season goes on.

Xander Rice, Sea View Jeep: Rice, who starred at Monmouth University as a 5th year under his father King Rice, excelled in his first professional season in Greece where he averaged over 15 ppg as a rookie. He has made just 2 appearances so far, but his numbers have been incredible as he has averaged 40 ppg and 10 rpg on 57.7% from the floor, 50% from the NBA three point line, and 88.9% from the free throw line. The only question mark regarding Rice in the MVP race is his availability this season as he is expected to be out-of-state for the next week which will cause him to miss a significant portion of the season.

Jakari Spence, Sterns Trailer: Spence, who finished his college career at Jacksonville after multiple seasons at Monmouth, returned to the JSBL after missing the entirety of last summer due to being on campus in Florida. In 2 appearances, he has averaged 35 ppg on 58% from the floor and 6 rpg. Considering the fact that Sterns Trailer is the three-time defending champions, it is likely Spence will remain in the MVP race as long his game attendance keeps up.

ACI/Robin’s Nest Player gets picked up for the NBA Summer League

ACI/Robin’s Nest’s Jack Clark appeared to be the one of the biggest pick-ups of the summer after a solid debut in which he scored an efficient 15 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and distributed 4 assists. Clark, a 6’10 wing who finished his college career at VCU where he was the 2025 A-10 Tournament MVP after stops at Clemson, NC State, and La Salle, was signed by the Philadelphia 76ers’ NBA Summer League team. The roster includes big names such as 1st round pick VJ Edgecombe of Baylor and last year’s Auburn star Johni Broome among others. Clark did not see action in the 76ers first game, a 93-89 win over the Utah Jazz, but he is expected to remain on the roster over the duration of both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas summer leagues, the last of which ends July 20th. At that point, Clark could then return to ACI/Robin’s Nest much like other JSBL players who have played in the NBA Summer League have done over the years including Justin Robinson, Nate Pierre-Louis, Josh Pierre-Louis, RJ Cole, and others.

Several JSBL Stars to play in the TBT

A handful of JSBL players currently appear on TBT rosters. The TBT is a single elimination professional basketball tournament with a 1 million dollar prize for the winning team that will air on Fox networks (the tournament formerly aired on ESPN networks).

Sea View Jeep’s Josh Cohen, who scored 36 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in his opening night JSBL performance, will play on 4-seed Sideline Cancer. Sideline Cancer has raised 500K towards cancer research since 2022 in large part due to the promotion involved in participating in the TBT.

RKE Athletic’s Nico Galette, who registered 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in his lone JSBL appearance this season, will suit up for 5-seed X-Rayted. Galette will play alongside several prominent names including former NBA veteran point guard Ty Lawson who won a national championship at North Carolina, former Duke point guard Trevon Duval, former Rutgers big man CJ Gettys, and former Villanova big man Daniel Ochefu.

Melik Martin, who appears on Larson Ford’s roster and has played in the past, but not yet appeared this season, will play with 3-seed Red Rose Thunder. Red Rose Thunder advanced to the regional final last season.

Sea View Jeep’s Justin Robinson will play on one of the favorites to win the million dollar prize. He will suit up on top-seeded Elite Nation whose roster also features the likes of former Iona stars AJ English and TK Edogi, former Saint Peter’s star Desi Washington, and former Rutgers wing Dane Miller who has also played at the JSBL in the past.

Larson Ford’s Gene Campbell appears on the 4-seed We Are D3 roster, consisting of former lower level college standouts.

Several former JSBL players that have not played for a few seasons are also participating in the event including Tarin Smith (Los Angeles Ignite), Jachai Simmons (Fire Family), Jordan Washington (OffDaHook), Junior Saintel (OffDaHook), RJ Cole (Stars of Storrs), and former NBA player Xavier Munford (Herd That) who made a cameo appearance with Larson Ford back when the league was at Wall High School.

The TBT will run from July 18th until August 3rd. Generally, JSBL players return shortly after their team is eliminated. Should Justin Robinson’s top-seeded team make it all the way to the TBT championship, he would in theory be available to play in the JSBL championship the following night if Sea View Jeep is able to make it.

Performance of the Year Candidates

George Papas, Ortho-NJ: Papas exploded for a single-game league wide high of 51 points in his only appearance so far this summer. The Greek professional who played 5 seasons at Monmouth finished 16 for 32 from the floor including an impressive 10 for 24 from NBA three point line distance. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 6 assists though his team lost despite the herculean performance.

Xander Rice, Sea View Jeep: Rice erupted on opening night going for 47 points on 17 for 29 from the field. He finished an impressive 7 for 15 from NBA three point range and grabbed 9 rebounds in the win against Intern Helpers.

Rookie of the Year Candidates

Zion Bethea, Larson Ford: Bethea who was mentioned earlier in the article is averaging 20.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 5.5 apg and has been the catalyst in both Larson Ford wins since showing up after their season opening defeat.

Peter Gorman, RKE Athletic: The 2025 NJAC Player of the Year out of Ramapo College sandwiched two solid performances around one of the better performances of the summer so far. In the second game, Gorman scored 33 points on an efficient 13 for 23 from the floor including 6 for 11 from NBA three point range along with registering 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The 6’0 guard’s scoring averages are not too shabby as he currently has scored 19.3 ppg on 52.4% from the field, shot 50% from NBA three point range on 18 attempts, and shot 100% at the free throw line. In a league stock full of professional and Division 1 talent, the Division 3 product has stood out so far on the league’s lone undefeated team.

Leon Daniels, Intern Helpers: Calling a 27 year old active professional a rookie feels a bit unfair, but it is Daniels first season in the JSBL. The Alabama State product who most recently played professionally for the Atlantic City Gambits has the highest scoring average of any rookie this season with 23.7 ppg in addition to 6.3 rpg.

Jinup Dobuol, WCT Warriors: The latest Monmouth transfer to appear in the JSBL, Dobuol has impressed everyone in the building and it feels like he is just scratching the surface as far as what he can become as a player. Dobuol has averaged 20 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and blocked 2 shots per game proving to be a long, rangy player with a good shooting touch that can cause a lot of problems for his opponents.

Derrick Woods, Sterns Trailer: The newest key addition for the three time defending champions has been solid in his first two appearances. The Saint Peter’s product has averaged 15.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Woods played his previous professional season in Kosovo.

Josh Cohen, Sea View Jeep: Cohen exploded in his JSBL debut with 36 points on 15 for 22 from the field and 17 rebounds. It’s likely that he would be a shoe-in for the award if not for playing in the TBT which will limit his availability. Should he return before the end of the regular season, he will be a massive piece for Sea View Jeep in the playoffs.

Doug Edert, Ortho-NJ: Edert, less formally known as “Dougie Buckets” after he famously led Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2022, has appeared in only one game so far this season so he has a long way to go to win the award however he flashed a ton of potential in his debut. Edert scored 23 points on an efficient 8 for 13 including 5 for 10 from NBA three point distance.

Jaycen Santucci, Ortho-NJ: The Central Regional product who will head off to Georgian Court in the fall has been the most consistent performer out of the newest batch of Shore Conference high school graduates to make their debut in the league. Santucci has scored 12.5 ppg and grabbed 6.5 rpg in his two appearances so far. His notable athleticism that showed up for the last few years at Central has flashed even playing against much older, more physically developed players.

NBA Three Point Line returns to the JSBL

After a long hiatus, the NBA three point line has returned to the Jersey Shore Basketball League. The move was lauded by many professionals and college players who felt that the enhanced distance would improve the spacing and quality of games. As to be expected, three point averages are down a couple percentages, but not nearly as much as people expected. The league is currently shooting 239 for 768 from three point range which comes out to 31.1%. For reference, last season the league collectively shot 1,053 for 3,185 from behind the high school three point line which comes out to 33.1%. So far, the league as a whole is shooting 2% worse from the increased distance. For further reference, the NBA league average from deep has hovered between 35-36% for most of the last 20 years.

While it is only a 3 game sample size, many of the league’s top teams and shooters have been virtually unaffected. RKE Athletic was one of the top three point shooting teams in the league last season from the high school line at 38%. This season they are again at the top shooting 36.7% from the NBA line, well above the NBA average and only slightly below last season’s average. Sterns Trailer shot a very solid 36.2% last season and have only dropped to 34.2% so far this season. Teams like the Intern Helpers and Larson Ford have actually increased their three point percentages so far this season. Intern Helpers shot a measly 27.7% from deep behind the high school line last year, but the reformed squad is shooting 33% from the NBA line. Larson Ford shot a league worst 23.8% from deep last season, but are now up to 31.3% this season. The line has really hurt teams like the WCT Warriors who boast the youngest roster in the league comprising of almost entirely college players and no professionals. WCT is shooting 25.6% from deep which has greatly contributed to their 1-2 start after a solid season in which they shot 34.2% from deep last season.

From an individual perspective, most of the top shooters from last season are still having very strong seasons from beyond the arc. Last season’s three point leader, Kyle Cardaci is shooting 38.8% from deep on 49 attempts after he finished at a stellar 44.4% from the high school line. George Papas, who finished 2nd in made threes last season shot 41.7% on 10/24 shooting in his lone appearance after finishing with the same exact percentage on 146 attempts last summer. Xander Rice, another of the league’s better shooters, has shot a blistering 50% on 12/24 for the season. We will see how the numbers shape out with a bigger sample size, but so far most of the elite shooters are still elite at the further distance.