RBC boys one of Shore's nicest surprises
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Things are certainly looking up for senior Mike Oriolo and the Red BankCatholic boys basketball team, as the Caseys have raced out to a strong 6-3 start this season.

Picked to finish at or near the bottom of the Shore Conference's loaded Class A Central division, the Red Bank Catholic boys basketball team has already proved to be better than anticipated.

Head coach Joe Nappo's squad has raced out to a 6-3 mark early on, and has been competitive in two out of its three losses to some of the Shore's elite teams.

"I'm very, very happy with what's going on here," Nappo said. "We play hard every night."

And the results of that effort has become obvious to everyone. The Caseys, who are coming off a 6-17 season, took third-ranked Red Bank Regional and eighth-ranked Raritan to overtime before falling, and have a win over 10th-ranked Monsignor Donovan to their credit.

"We got beat up by (seventh-ranked) St. John Vianney, but that's the only one we were out of so far," Nappo said. "We've been getting good senior leadership and the young kids are responding."

And the success of the varsity team seems to be contagious, as both RBC's junior varsity and freshman teams have raced out to 8-1 starts.

It all points to progress throughout a program that has historically been overshadowed by the success of the RBC girls team - a perennial state power.

"They are starting to believe they can play with some of the better teams," Nappo said. "Last year we had a lot of young, inexperienced guys. We started three guys who had never played in a varsity game. But we took our lumps, and now those waters aren't so uncharted anymore."

And while the Caseys are playing well right now, Nappo is quick to point out that the tide could turn in a hurry if they don't remain focused.

"We've won a number of close games that we just as easily could have lost," the coach said. "We beat Hudson Catholic by five, the Holmdel game was very close until the end, we beat Mon Don 46-42, and beat Manasquan by 15, although we kind of padded the lead in the closing minutes. We could have lost any one of those games, but we found ways to win."

And the team's losses, at least two of the three, also pointed to the team's progress.

"Against Red Bank, we really played over our heads," the coach said. "With their size and experience, a lot of people were amazed we were able to play with them.

"Raritan, for the last three or four years, has really had a winning tradition, where they simply refuse to lose," Nappo added. "That's what we're trying to establish.

"And against St. John Vianney, we were missing [senior point guard] John Oriolo. That's not a major excuse, but the way our program is, we can't afford to lose anyone."

Oriolo is the floor general, and shares the backcourt with his twin brother, Michael, and sophomore David Reeves.

Meanwhile, another brother combo, 6-5 junior forward Andrew Walsh and his senior brother, J.T., make up the Caseys' starting frontcourt.

Eric Farmer is the team's fourth senior, and the 6-0 guard is the first player off the bench for Nappo. The other players who see significant time are sophomores Dan Calandrillo, a three-point shooting specialist, and Luke McCarthy, a 6-0 center who "plays big," according to his coach, as well as junior forward Glen Ford, who at 6-2 provides a presence under the hoop.

"We play nine guys every game," Nappo said.

And the coach doesn't hesitate to point out what has made his team successful so far this year.

"Defense," he said. "We play great man-to-man defense and have been tiring people out. It all starts with our defense.

"And you have to get some breaks along the way too," he added. "Against Mon Don, they played the night before and we didn't, and I think by the end of the night we kind of wore them down a little bit."

Now that the Caseys have proved to be better than most people anticipated, you would think they would be catching some teams by surprise this winter, but Nappo doesn't think that's the case at all.

"Shore coaches are very, very bright," he said. "They do a lot of scouting; we see them in the stands all the time. And the word's out - when you play RBC you have to bring your 'A' game.

"I don't think anybody has taken anybody lightly in the Shore Conference; it's too balanced. And that goes for us, too. Any game we play we can lose, and we know that. That's how balanced our schedule is."

For now, the Caseys, who took on Rumson-Fair Haven on Tuesday and will face St. Rose tomorrow, will continue to take it one game at a time this winter. That type of thinking will keep them from getting ahead of themselves.

And it keeps their coach from making any predictions about the rest of the season.

"I never do that," he said. "I don't want to put that pressure on them.

"We haven't been in the Shore Conference or state tournaments in five or six years, so we'd love to get back there."

They will certainly have their work cut out for them, playing a difficult schedule filled with many of the Shore's top teams.

But they've already exceeded most people's expectations. And they're starting to believe they can do more than just compete in A Central.

The RBC girls may have the spotlight once again this season. Just be aware that the RBC boys are starting to make their way out of the shadows.