VOTE: Week 3 Boys Basketball Player of the Week

Week 3 Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Players of the Week 

Each week, Shore Sports Insider will recognize the top boys basketball performers in each of the eight Shore Conference divisions and nominate those eight for the weekly SSI Player of the Week Award. Two wild cards will also be part of the contest, giving the basketball fans of the Jersey Shore 10 candidates to choose from every week.

Read about this week’s honorees and vote in the poll at the bottom of the post for the best as this week’s Player of the Week. Vote once per hour until the poll closes Friday at 10 p.m.

Before we get to the Week 3 contest, here is the Week 2 winner:

Week 2 Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Player of the Week Winner

Shane Gambarony, Toms River South

Toms River South went 1-2 at the WOBM Christmas Classic and Gambarony’s scoring was one of the stories of the tournament. He scored 83 points in three games, including 33 each in the first and last game of his team’s run. Gambarony scored 33 in a 71-70 loss to Manchester and later poured in 33 of the Indians’ 57 points in a win over Brick. In between, he knocked down 21 in a loss to Toms River East.

Gambarony won last week’s award with 42.9 percent of the vote to beat out Pinelands senior Ty Kline (25.9 percent) and Wall junior Liam Killea (20.2).

 

Week 3 Players of the Week

Class A North Player of the Week

Jake Schultzel, Freehold Twp.

Freehold Township nailed down a key Class A North win over Manalapan last week, led by a career-best performance by one of its standout sophomores. Schultzel poured in 22 points to lift the Patriots to a 63-60 win over the Braves and get them on the board with their first divisional win of the season.

Class A North Honorable Mention: Justin Fuerbacher, CBA; MeSean Williams, Ranney; Connor Andree, CBA; Dylan McEwan, Marlboro; Jordan Dulnuan, Freehold Twp.; Aiden Sosinov, Manalapan; Justin Buck, Ranney; Lukas Sloan, Colts Neck

 

Class A North Player of the Week

Ryan Prior, Red Bank Catholic

Prior’s scoring output got increasingly higher as the week went on, culminating with a 30-point outburst in a two-point loss at Lawrence. In that loss, Prior scored the 1,000th point of his four-year varsity career for the Caseys. He also scored 20 in a win over Middletown South and 12 in a loss at Red Bank.

Class A Coastal Honorable Mention: Luke Lydon, Rumson-Fair Haven; Luke Cruz, Rumson-Fair Haven; Jack Vallillo, Holmdel; Ryan Fisher, Red Bank; Zayier Dean, Red Bank; Sean Saxton, Red Bank Catholic; Matt Trimble, Middletown South; C.J. Karis, Holmdel; Nicky Mejia, St. John Vianney; Brady Hahn, Middletown South

 

Class A North Player of the Week

Rey Weinseimer, Manasquan

Weinseimer stole the show at the Boardwalk Showcase, scoring 25 of the 65 points scored in Manasquan’s win vs. CBA. You read that right: 25 of the 65 points – not by Manasquan – in the entire game. It was the third game of 25 points or more in Weinseimer’s last five, with a 26-point, 13-rebound game vs. Jackson Memorial part of last week’s résumé.

Class A Central Honorable Mention: Jayden Hodge, St. Rose; Evan Romano, St. Rose; Hunter Hynes, Point Boro; Jimmy Pappalardo, Jackson Memorial; Avery Lynch, St. Rose; Sean Collins, Brick Memorial; Nyzier Matthews, Brick Memorial; Peter Barkauskas, Howell

 

Class A North Player of the Week

Royalty Riley, Central

Riley figured to be Central’s third option heading into the season and he has been just that over the last week. In a win over Toms River North, he was the No. 1 option, scoring 17 points to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals in a rivalry win for the Golden Eagles. He also scored double-figures in two more games during the week, putting up 13 vs. Manchester and 13 more in Saturday’s win over previously unbeaten Red Bank.

Class A South Honorable Mention: Noah Perna, Southern; Jackson Sias, Toms River North; Pat Gallo, Donovan Catholic; Jaycen Santucci, Central; Ryan Jacobs, Donovan Catholic; Jake Sliwinski, Southern; Mekai Morse, Toms River North; Shane Gambarony, Toms River South

 

Class B North Player of the Week

Aidan Saint Louis, Ocean

A monster scoring week for Saint Louis not only landed him among the SSI Player of the Week; it sparked his Spartans to their first two wins of the season. The junior scored 25 points in a win over Long Branch, then went off for a career-high 31 as Ocean beat a Shore squad that entered the game 7-0.

Class B North Honorable Mention: Bryce Crowe, Shore; Cameron DeJesus, Long Branch; Brian Tassey, Freehold Boro; Aidain Hamlin-Woolfolk, Freehold Boro

 

Class B Coastal Player of the Week

Nico Dispenza, Keyport

There is a long way to go before any team in Class B Coastal clinches a division championship, but Keyport got off on the right foot by beating defending Class B Central champion Henry Hudson. Dispenza led the way in that victory with 27 points, then scored 15 points in a three-point loss vs. Middletown North and 25 in a win at Jonathan Dayton.

Class B Coastal Honorable Mention: Colin Byrne, Middletown North; Ian Mullan, Raritan; Amir Martinez, Matawan; Jack Fitzpatrick, Henry Hudson; Jayden Elijah, Matawan; Kai Arrington, Keyport; Ja’Zier Wynn, Keansburg; Sean Burnett, Raritan

 

Class B Central Player of the Week

Aidan Kelly, Jackson Liberty

The Lions went 2-1 during a stretch of three games in four days and Kelly was the highlight for the Lions in each game. After opening his week with 13 points in a loss to Neptune, the sophomore exploded for a career-high 31 in an overtime win over Toms River South. Kelly followed that up with 24 points and seven steals in a rout of Lakewood.

Class B Central Honorable Mention: Cris Rosario, Lakewood; Jayvion Rogers, Neptune; Darren Fonrose, Neptune; Tyler Preston, Point Beach; Nolan Arnold, Point Beach; Dan Hennessy, Wall

 

Class B South Player of the Week

Ty Kline, Pinelands

Make it a double for Kline, who is the B South Player of the Week for the second straight week. This past week started with Kline throwing up 24 points in a Pinelands win over Barnegat to open up divisional play on a winning note. Two nights later, Kline was even better. In a 57-30 win over Toms River East, the senior guard scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out five assists in carrying the Wildcats to victory.

Class B South Honorable Mention: Jamel Pitts, Brick; Jon Stabile, Lacey; Josh Barongo, Pinelands; Cole Toddings, Barnegat

 

Wild Cards

Bryce Crowe, Shore

The Blue Devils stumbled to a 1-2 week after heading in 6-0, but Crowe did his part. The senior scored 21 of Shore’s 41 points in a win over Monmouth Regional, put up 13 in a loss to Ocean, the scored a game-high 24 in a loss to Middlesex – currently the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group I.

Cris Rosario, Lakewood

In its first game of 2025, Lakewood started the New Year in style with a 53-50 win over Lacey, led by a career-high 35 points by Rosario. The following night, Rosario again scored half his team’s points in a 67-32 loss to Jackson Liberty, with Rosario connecting for 16 points.