By Jeff Appelblatt
Coach Mike Nausedas was set to relax. The boys’ basketball season at Marlboro High School was over, but then Nausedas was asked to be one of the coaches at the Shore Basketball Coaches Senior All-Star Game.
He wasn’t going to turn that down. And then next thing he knew, one of his best players over the last four years, P.J. Ringel, was on the other team.
“I really appreciated the Shore Conference coaches recognizing the team’s success, as well as giving me the opportunity to represent our school and program,” Nausedas said. “Coaching against P.J. was different. I realized how lucky I was to have coached a player like him. I would not want to coach against him.”
Marlboro’s coach did coach against Ringel for a day, though.
“Although he was on the opposing team, it was great to have been a part of one more game with P.J. and Dan [Weiss],” Nausedas said.
Ringel and Weiss were two of Marlboro’s leaders this season on and off the floor. Numbers-wise, Ringel was the team’s ringleader. He put up 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 steals and three assists per game. Weiss, meanwhile, scored 10.5 points per game to go along with nearly 3.5 boards and 2.5 assists.
As for the all-star game itself, it was the most relaxed game Nausedas watched all year.
“It was the first time I actually sat down coaching a game,” the coach said. “The players were an amazing group of young men. It was awesome to meet them and spend time with them.”
Some of the players Marlboro’s coach was in charge of at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River, other than Weiss, were those he was rather familiar with, like Stephen Staklinski from Freehold Township High School. The Mustangs and Patriots had three hard-fought battles during the season — all games that Staklinski led his team in scoring.
One of the things Nausedas enjoyed the most at the all-star game was coaching alongside Lakewood High School’s coach.
“It was great to work with coach Randy Holmes,” Nausedas said, “Coach Holmes is a legend in the Shore Conference, as well as a great person.”
Marlboro’s coach had too much on his mind to really worry about the 124-119 loss. After all, he was named as the Shore Conference’s Coach of the Year at halftime of the game.
“It was an honor,” Nausedas said.
For now, it’s time to get away from the court for Marlboro’s coach. In addition to Ringel and Weiss, however, he’ll remember all of the seniors that helped the Mustangs (18-7) have their most successful season in school history.
“I am done for now,” the Marlboro Memorial Middle School physical education teacher said regarding basketball. “Our program [at Marlboro High School] knows that Ryan LaRocca, Emir Anda, Matt Cabrejos, Ethan Sherman, Salomon Nachum and Noah Turner will always be our senior all-stars.”
