Boys Basketball Preview: Youth movement ready to lead St. Joseph

After a volatile offseason, the St. Joseph (Met.) basketball team is ready to move forward and put the past behind them. 

The Falcons completely overhauled their coaching staff after Hall of Fame head coach Dave Turco was not rehired in September after 12 seasons. Mike Thompson, a former player and 1982 graduate of St. Joseph, was hired to take over the program. 

"I got a call in September and I didn’t have anything on my mind but what I was having for dinner that night," Thompson said. "When I got the call they asked if I had any interest and I said yes, and the next thing you know I’m coaching at St. Joseph."

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Thompson, who has coached on many different levels over the last 30 years, got his start at the Jersey City Boys Club and coached a number of players who went on to play for legendary coach Bob Hurley at the now-defunct St. Anthony's. Thompson spent nine years as an AAU coach and was also an assistant coach at St. Joseph from 1996-99, but stepped away from scholastic coaching after his wife gave birth to quadruplets. Until he got the call from the Falcons, he had been a volunteer assistant at St. Dominic in Brick Township. 

Now that Thompson is "back home" at St. Joseph, his attention has been on getting a team that lost seven players and its core of starters ready for the season. 

"Transitions are never easy but they’re working really hard at it," Thompson said. "They’re 100 percent in and they just want to go out and play. They need to be led and they accept that, they’re working hard."

The Falcons lost reigning Home News Tribune Boys Basketball Player of the Year Letrell West, along with starters Michael Granda and Malachi Walker to graduation, and sophomores Richie Greaves and Zach Martini, who transferred to Rutgers Prep. 

"We lost a lot of experience for sure, we’re coming in pretty young," Thompson said. "We have a lot of sophomores and juniors, a couple of seniors, so we do have some senior leadership. Everyone is trying to learn and the young kids are really working hard, they see what’s ahead, it’s a youthful team with a lot of good years ahead."

Sophomore Tyree Taganeca-Ford is the lone returning starter from last year after seeing an increase of playing time in the second half of the season. He finished with 276 points and averaged 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27 games.

"I think one of the biggest things we have, we have senior Dan Young. He’s been in the program all four years, so we’re hoping for some big things from him being a senior captain," Thompson said. "Alongside him we have some great juniors in Howard McBurnie and Luke Fresco."

Young scored 20 points in 15 games last season, while McBurnie and Fresco also saw time. Juniors Matt Cruz, Ryan Granito and Jack Hogarty also return from last year's team, while K-Shawn Schulters is one of seven sophomores who are new this season. 

"We don’t have any starting players from last year except Tyree, but we do have experience from players that have been in the program for three years and know how the program is run and are going to bring good things," Young said. "It’s a great group of guys and I’m excited to see how we’re going to do this year."

Young said the players have accepted the changes that have occurred within the program and are ready to just focus on basketball and having a successful season. 

"We kind of realized we have to take it as a whole and move on, whatever happened, happened and our goal is to win the first game and move on," Young said. "We have definitely bought into what (Thompson has) brought to the program and bought into everything he’s given us. Everyone has each other’s back and doing very well."

Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego

HNT/GMC BOYS BASKETBALL PRESEASON TOP 10

1. Linden (26-5)

2. Sayreville (22-8)

3. Woodbridge (21-6)

4. Old Bridge (19-11)

5. Rahway (21-4)

6. Colonia (7-16)

7. St. Joseph (Met.) (26-2)

8. South River (13-13)

9. South Brunswick (21-5)

10. East Brunswick (14-12)

Records are final from last season.