Gentlemen, — as all should know — OP Hoops opens up this Thursday, December 14, in the annual Hypemas Game. However, there is an added element to this year’s affair since Hypemas has been designated for the home opener against our biggest in-county rival, the Summit Hilltoppers. In recent years, the post-pandemic precedent has been set that Summit can not compete in the DeGaeta Thunderdome. This was made evident by our 23-point home victory last year, and our 14-point victory the year before. Therefore, a dominating victory over Summit on our home floor is no longer a hope, but an expectation for this season. That remains true despite last season’s leading scorer, Greg Jones, and 1,000-point scorer Mike Pirone both graduating last year, as the Rams are still loaded with weapons across the board. The authenticity of this statement lies among returning varsity players and their potential impact when taking the next step for the 2023-24 season. With Asher Bradley commanding OP’s offense at the point guard position, the Rams will have a three-year varsity starter bringing up the rock. As a sophomore, Bradley scored 11.8 points per game and will look to take on a bigger role this year as an upperclassman, starting with this week’s game against Summit. On the wing, the likely leading scorer for this year’s squad will be John Pirone. Coming off a season in which he made 2.7 threes per game and shot a county-high 37% from deep, the senior will look to score on all three levels and be a threat from every spot on the floor. As a passionate yet skilled player, Pirone has all the tools to potentially become the squad’s motor and x-factor when facing Summit among various other opponents. Pirone’s classmate, Patrick Conniff, will also be key for the Rams against Pat’s hometown opponent this Thursday. The 6’5 captain provides Coach Daugherty with the flexibility to run perimeter-focused plays that open up the defense, or he can be utilized as a primary component when working the ball inside depending on the opposition’s style of play. The 1x UCC Player of the Week will look to replicate performances like his double-double against Delbarton or his highly efficient 5 threes in his 23-point outing against New Providence when facing Summit on Hypemas. Conniff, who averaged 1.24 blocks a game and led the team in rebounds, will also be greatly relied upon on the defensive end to make an impact. The same can be said about Max Cook, whose defensive capabilities will lead to him having an increased role this season. Nick Servitto is also sure to experience more playing time this year.
As for the Summit Hilltoppers, they graduated both the team leader in points and the team leader in assists when excluding Myles Blackley — a division-1 bound guard who scored 27 in last year’s disastrous one-point loss on the other side of Morris Avenue before transferring to Immaculata where he will play this season. That being said, Summit will still display a respectable team that the Rams will need to be firing on all cylinders against. Now for the Rowdie Faithful student body, let’s do our part in creating one of the best environments in NJ High School Hoops; Be there, Be Loud, Go Rams.
