Bloomfield Tech Helps Prepare Student Athletes

Bloomfield Tech Head Coach Nick Mariniello has always had a special bond with his players. Here, he gives 2007 graduate Wesley Jenkins (now at St. Peter's) a big hug after the standout's final moments as a high school player in last March's Tournament of Champions final vs. St. Patrick's. (Photo by Todd Mundt)

Coach Mariniello's latest D-1 signee is BT's outstanding senior point guard R.J. Hall (left), who recently committed to Florida Atlantic. (Sideline Chatter photo)

What better source could there be to learn from about the life of a college basketball player than to hear from a former teammate and recent alumnus from your own school?

In the case of the current Bloomfield Tech hoops’ squad, a recent visit to the Franklin Street school by 2006 graduate Casiem Drummond, a sophomore center at Villanova University, provided further evidence to veteran Head Coach Nick Mariniello why he does what he does in always trying to prepare his players in all aspects on and of the court for the next level.

“Casiem is a bright and well-spoken young man who is doing so well at Villanova, and his talk to the kids about the business and life of a college basketball player was a valuable lesson for our kids,” said the Spartans’ ninth-year head mentor. “Plus, he’s not that far removed from what they’re going through right now for them to fully realize how important it is for them to do what they need to do in and out of the classroom to get ready for what awaits down the road in their lives.”

Drummond, who is currently sidelined with a stress fracture, is just one of the success stories for BT, which has risen over the years as an academic institution, expanding its already real-life curriculum to include important, modern-age classes such as graphic arts, architecture, desk-top publishing and other design classes along with many other professionally-oriented offerings.

It’s interesting to note that BT’s latest of nine college basketball signees in the past five years, senior point guard R.J. Hall, is a young man with a strong interest in both graphic arts and basketball. He recently made a commitment to accept a scholarship to play at Florida Atlantic, coached by former Kansas University and NBA guard Rex Walters.

Hall joins Drummond, Desean Butler ( West Virginia), Rashon Dwight (Iona), Wesley Jenkins (St. Peter’s), Courtney Nelson ( Richmond and now Rutgers), Jason Wilson (Quinnipiac and now Caldwell College), DeShawn Dwight (Quinnipiac and now William Paterson) and Dante Rollins ( Caldwell) as current college basketball players, all of whom were eligible right out of high school to play college hoops.

“We’re most proud of the fact that every kid offered a scholarship here has qualified, and R.J., who has a 3.0 grade point average and the necessary test scores, is the latest to accept an offer to be a student-athlete at the next level,” said Mariniello. “He’s mature and confident and will be a great ambassador for Florida Atlantic when he goes there,

“Right now, he’s doing a terrific job of leading our basketball team.”

BT (4-1) lost by four points to strong Archbishop Malloy (N.Y.) in the second round of the Aviator Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Friday night.

“We didn’t shoot particularly well and we played with a (35-second) shot clock, which we’re not used to and against a good Jack Curran-coached Archbishop Malloy team,” said Mariniello. “We cut the lead down to two at one point late, and lost by four, but I think we’ll benefit from the experience later in the season.

“After all, it’s not what you necessarily do win-loss-wise in December and January that counts as much as playing good opponents and improving along the way.”

And, winning basketball games is not as pressure-packed as making sure the program prepares young men for what Drummond, Butler, Dwight, Jenkins, Nelson and the others are all currently experiencing.

“To tell you the truth, there is more pressure I think in making sure we do all the right things for our kids in the school, and in their academics, than winning or losing in basketball,” said Mariniello. “It’s a process, no doubt about it, and our kids have all responded.

“(Villanova coach) Jay Wright calls me every week to update me on Casiem’s progress and he says he’s doing everything he has to, and then some, which I’m incredibly proud about. "

“Casiem (who is 6-10) has trimmed down from 330 pounds to 270 and his waist has decreased from a 44 to a 38. His development and maturity as a young man is what this is all about."

“He said he didn’t always agree with everything I told him when he was at Bloomfield Tech, but he said he understands now why we did what we did in keeping on him because we want him to do as well as he can, and he’s definitely responding and then some at Villanova!”

Talk about great second options for teams around Essex County, one example has to be BT’s swingman Todd Fleming, the 6-3 senior, who like the Spartan’s main option, Hall, is generating a lot of interest because of his outstanding all-around play.

Completely healthy for the first time in a couple of seasons, Fleming is averaging more than 16 points per game, while emerging as a very key component of BT’s offensive and defensive schemes.

“Todd has been more of a frontcourt presence for us because of our needs the last couple of seasons, but he’s more of a wing player at the next level,” said Mariniello. “He’s been flying under the radar for a while, but no longer and colleges are definitely starting to become interested in seeing him play.

“He’ll definitely play college basketball next year and it could be at the Division I level.”