Group III State Recap

The story of 2023-2024 in Group III is the dominance of Ramapo High. They sent a senior class out the door with an incredible legacy behind them and closed their high school careers with a dominant state title victory to cement that legacy.

THE LEGENDS

It's safe to say that the terminology that will be utilized to describe Nick Vier's 2024 graduating class of hoopers at Ramapo will be just that...Legends. Their four year record was an incredible one. They finished 85-22, including the lockdown year where they only played 11 games, otherwise that win total would be higher. Their average record in "full seasons" was 26-6. They have a trio of 1,000 point scorers in the class, including Peyton Seals, a 6'4" guard committed to Princeton. Seals is being hailed as the best player in Ramapo history. Wyatt Eglinton Manner also surpassed the magic mark and he will be taking his talents to Johns Hopkins, one of the finest academic institutions in the nation. Their classmate, Chris Cervino, crossed 1,000 in their state title victory over Freehold Boro.

ON THE MARCH

The Colonials of Freehold Boro had a season to remember, winning their first sectional title since the Nixon Administration(1973). They advanced all the way to the Group III final where they ran into the Ramapo buzzsaw, but have a lot to be proud of. Coach Ben DiBiase has to be in the mix for statewide coach of the year for how well they played dow the stretch to get to the state final. Senior guard Christian DiGiso is one of the hidden gems in a deep class of 2024. The march may continue into 2024-2025 as outside of DiGiso, the key contributors, led by junior Brian Tassey, all return.

SCORE FROM THE SHORE

Kori Segich of Ocean City and Cohen Cook of Mainland did just that in 2023-2024. The seniors who played just a short ride over the Stainton Memorial Causeway apart had video-game performances night after night.

Segich finished the year with 719 points, good for a 24ppg average. His lowest performance was against Cook and Mainland but he still managed double digits. Cook powered Mainland to the Group III State Semifinals. He finished with 683 points, averaging 21.3ppg. Cook emptied the tank in his final high school game, scoring 37 against Freehold Boro in a losing effort.

Coach Of The Year

Ben DiBiase, Freehold Boro

Freehold entered the playoffs as the 7 seed in Central Jersey Group III and DiBiase coached them to the final day of the season. They finished with a 24-8 record and no "bad" loss on the resume. He has plenty to work with next year and Boro could be back again.

Team Of The Year

Ramapo

We've covered the accolades above, but this Ramapo team was special and will long be remembered in Bergen County and Garden State basketball circles. Great coach, great senior class, tough supporting role players who stayed in their lane. The standard will remain high looking to next winter.

Group III All State Teams

Player Of The Year: Peyton Seals, Ramapo

First Team Group III Sensational Seven

Wyatt Eglinton Manner, Ramapo

Nick Amitie, Cranford

Aiden Derkack, Colonia

Brian Tassey, Freehold Boro

Chris Cervino, Ramapo

Kori Segich, Ocean City

Cohen Cook, Mainland

Second Team Group III Sensational Seven

Noah Ravitz, Millburn

Jaeden Jones, Colonia

Lucas Dipasupil, Northern Highlands

Christian DiGiso, Freehold Boro

Zach Benmorits, Millburn

Tim Travagline, Mainland

Jahaan Green, Camden Eastside

Third Team Group III Sensational Seven

Zayier Dean, RBR

Aidan Hamlin-Woolfolk, Freehold Boro

Robert Foster, Payne Tech

Vova Trotsko, Colts Neck

John Michael Vlasac, Hopewell Valley

Kevin King, Mendham

Anthony Apicella, Wayne Valley