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ABOUT THE COVER
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he Mainland girls basketball team, defending Group 3 state champion, was looking to jump out of the gate firing on all cylinders when the season began back in December. But the day before the Mustangs’ first game, starting point guard Camryn Dirkes went down with what would turn out to be a season-ending injury. All of a sudden, the Mustangs had to scrap everything they’d been working on in the preseason, and even before that. After a slow start that produced a 3-3 record, though, coach Scott Betson and his staff figured something out, because Mainland went on to win 13 of its next 15 games, its only losses coming against rival Ocean City and defending Group 2 state champ Manchester. We’ll see if sophomore Cadence Fitzgerald (above) and the Stangs can keep it going in the CAL and state playoffs. Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE General contact: 609-788-4294/advertising@acglorydays.com Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher: sully@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDsullysays Giuseppe Ungaro, Managing Editor: gungaro@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDgisepu Amy D’Adamo, Graphic Design: advertising@acglorydays.com Bill Lynskey, Director of Advertising: bill@acglorydays.com STORY IDEAS/ADVERTISING: Have a story you’d like to see told in Glory Days Magazine? Want to get your business noticed with a marketing campaign at glorydaysonline.com? Call us anytime at 609-788-4294. Volume: 7 Issue: 9 Overall Issue Number: 143. Cover Photography: Dave O’Sullivan 2020 Glory Days Magazine. All rights reserved.
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MAKING HEADLINES Sully takes a closer look at the athletes, coaches and teams who are generating news and highlights in the Cape-Atlantic League and throughout South Jersey.
u Now or never: The sprint to the finish in the high school wres-
tling season has begun, as wrestlers try to punch their tickets to the NJSIAA Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City the first weekend of March. Oakcrest’s David Flippen, a District 30 champion, will join four of his Falcons teammates this week at the Region 8 Championships at Egg Harbor Township, where the top four in each weight class will advance to Boardwalk Hall. u Chasing a CAL championship: The Cape-Atlantic League basketball tournament has begun and champions will be crowned on Saturday at Stockton University. On the girls side, Mainland Regional, Wildwood Catholic, Atlantic City and Ocean City, the top four seeds, are all still alive. On the boys side, Wildwood Catholic, St. Joseph, Mainland and St. Augustine Prep all still have a chance. u Close, but no cigar: The Mainland boys swimming team recently came up short in its bid for a fifth straight state title.
glory days digital Want the best high school sports coverage every day of the week? Visit glorydaysonline.com for game coverage, features and more! You can also like us at facebook.com/acglorydays/, and follow Sully on Twitter @GDsullysays. Get the best. Every day.
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CAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS BOYS
GIRLS
Defending Champion Wildwood Catholic
First-round results (Feb. 24)
Opening round: (1) Wildwood Catholic 84, (8) Ocean City 47; (5) St. Joseph 59, (4) Atlantic City 52 (OT); (3) Mainland Regional 44, (6) Holy Spirit 37; (2) St. Augustine Prep 78, (7) Pleasantville 57
Semifinals (Feb. 26 at Absegami)
5 p.m.: Mainland winner vs. St. Augustine Prep 7 p.m. Wildwood Catholic vs. St. Joseph *Finals are Saturday, Feb. 29, at Stockton University at 2 p.m.
The skinny
Wildwood Catholic is the clear-cut favorite in this field despite the Crusaders coming in with seven losses. They’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state, and nobody can match up one-onone with either Taj Thweatt or Jahlil White. St. Joseph has played them tough, however, losing just 66-58 on Feb. 11. Mainland has a tough challenge ahead of it, particularly because star senior forward Jake Cook recently suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Players to Watch
Elmarko Jackson, G, St. Augustine Prep: Just a sophomore, he’s really starting to come into his own. Luke Mazur, G, Mainland: A senior who has been building toward a moment like this, he’ll need to carry a significant scoring load for the Mustangs, especially with Jake Cook injured. Jacob Hopping, G, Wildwood Catholic: One of the best 3-point shooters in South Jersey, if he gets hot from the outside, it’s game-over. Marcus Pierce, G, St. Joseph: He dropped nearly 30 points in an overtime win over Atlantic City in the first round.
Defending Champion Ocean City
First-round results (Feb. 24)
Opening round: (1) Wildwood Catholic 63, (8) Absegami 33; (4) Mainland Regional 42, (5) Middle Township 36; (3) Atlantic City 52, (6) ACIT 27 ; (2) Ocean City 34, (7) OLMA 20
Semifinals (Feb. 25 at Ocean City)
5 p.m.: Wildwood Catholic vs. Mainland Regional 7 p.m. Atlantic City vs. Ocean City *Finals are Saturday, Feb. 29, at Stockton University at noon.
The skinny
All four top seeds advanced into the semifinals and that should make for some intense basketball and some great matchups. Kylee Watson and Mainland have been playing really good team basketball in February but will have a tough challenge with the Crusaders, and in the other semi the Brestle sisters go at it again, Madison for Atlantic City and Marlee for Ocean City. Ocean City won the regularseason matchup, 40-38.
Players to Watch
Cadence Fitzgerald, F, Mainland: She wasn’t even getting much time early in the season, but has emerged as a threat the past three weeks. Emma Finnegan and Lauren Mirsky, F, Ocean City: This duo will have to do a ton of dirty work in the low post and on the glass if the Raiders hope to defend their title. Ciani Redd-Howard, F, Atlantic City: Seniors need to step up in these situations, and the Vikings will be counting on their leader.
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GREATE PERFORMANCES PRESENTED BY GREATE BAY RACQUET & FITNESS Oakcrest sophomore Hogan Horsey reacts after winning the 106-pound title at the District 30 Championships at Delsea Regional High School on Feb. 22. He was one of five Falcons wrestlers to advance to the Region 8 Championships at EHT. Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
Oakcrest wrestlers show their stuff at District 30
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he Oakcrest wrestling team’s lower weights had a fun time showing off their skills at the District 30 Championships on Feb. 22, as all five wrestlers from 106 pounds through the 132-pound weight class finished either first or second, and all five punched their tickets to the Region 8 Championships this week at Egg Harbor Township High School. All five were in the finals, and David Flippen got things started at 126 pounds, scoring his third straight pin to win the district title. He pinned Salem’s Corey Bagby and Woodstown’s Paul Labonne in the quarterfinals and semis, respectively, each in less than two minutes, then finished off his title by pinning Lower Cape May’s Wesley Tosto in 4 minutes, 56 seconds. Frank Gabriel, a senior who came into the tournament with a 34-3 record and more than 100 wins in his career, then capped off his first district title with three straight pins in the 132-pound weight class, taking care of Delsea’s Travis Griffith in 1:45 in the finals.
When the finals came back around to 106 pounds, sophomore Hogan Horsey pinned Delsea’s Alexander Zimmerman to win the title. Horsey’s twin brother, Hunter, finished second at 113 pounds and their older brother, Hayden, took second at 120. n Braydon Castillo, Lower Cape May wrestling: Castillo had a heck of a tournament at District 30, pinning his way into the finals and then outlasting Delsea’s Asa Walton, the No. 1 seed at 160 pounds, 6-4 in overtime to win the title. n Lila Schoen, Mainland girls basketball: Schoen scored 12 points during the Mustangs’ win over Middle Township in the opening round of the CapeAtlantic League Tournament, which may not sound like anything special, but most of her baskets came at important times during a defensive struggle, including a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that ultimately helped Mainland seal the win. n Jahlil White, Wildwood Catholic boys basketball: White had an impressive outing to start the CAL Tournament, racking up 20 points during the
Crusaders’ 84-47 win over Ocean City. White and the defending tournament champion Crusaders now face St. Joseph in the semifinals on Wednesday night at Absegami High. n Marcus Pierce, St. Joseph boys basketball: The Wildcats originally thought they would be at home as the No. 4 seed in the CAL Tournament, but a loss to Pleasantville right before the tourney began bumped them down to No. 5 and had them on the road at Atlantic City. Pierce took out his frustrations to the tune of 28 points as St. Joe took down the Vikings 59-52 in overtime in the opening round on Monday night. n Ciani Redd-Howard, Atlantic City girls basketball: The senior came to play on Monday night in the opening round of the CAL Tournament, scoring 17 points and adding 10 rebounds to help lead her team past ACIT and into the semifinals, where the Vikings will take on Ocean City on Thursday night, at Ocean City.
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY
Making the adjustments n Mainland has rebounded nicely from the season-ending injury to starting point guard Camryn Dirkes By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer he Mainland Regional High School girls basketball team entered the third week of February with a 15-5 record, in first place in the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference, had garnered the No. 1 seed in the upcoming South Jersey Group 3 playoffs and earned the No. 4 seed in the CAL Tournament, which began Feb. 24. Sure, of course, that makes sense, the Mustangs are the defending Group 3 state champion, after all. But to get to where the Mustangs are now has been quite a challenge, as everything coach Scott Betson had planned leading up to the season went up in smoke a day before regular-season games began when star sophomore point guard Camryn Dirkes went down with a foot injury that would end up costing her the entire season. In basketball, being without a point guard is like having no starting quarterback in football. Betson and his coaching staff had to scramble for a new plan, and after the first six games the Mustangs were just 3-3 and not looking anything like a team that could contend for a second straight state title. It hasn’t exactly been duct tape and epoxy to put a starting lineup together — since Mainland has arguably the best player in the state in senior and University of Oregon commit Kylee Watson — but it has been challenging. “We spent the whole offseason putting things in for (Camryn) and the
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things she can do off the dribble, so it was a lot of adjustment to undo everything we had put in during the months leading up to the season. We kind of had to start from scratch,” Betson said. “Because we were in Florida when her injury happened, we played two games down there, then traveled home and played a game, then we had Christmas, played a game, had one practice then played another game. So the way the schedule played out, we played five games with just one practice to try to adjust, which is not ideal. We also had some tough games, we had to play Lenape, Middle and Cherokee in a row and those were our early three losses. “There was a lot of adjustment,” he added. “We had people handling the ball who normally wouldn’t. Kylee has stepped up in that role and so has Madi (Hafetz). Both of them can handle the ball when we need them to.” Even with Watson, Hafetz and Dirkes returning to the starting lineup this season the Mustangs still had some question marks. Who would fill the roles of the other two starters, Claudia Mairone and Taylor Dalzell, as well as some great bench play from other 2019 seniors such as Lauren Toner and Jillian Gatley? Aside from the three returning starters, there weren’t many players on the roster with any significant varsity experience. Having Dirkes go down just made things even more difficult. “This season has definitely been a roller coaster in a lot of different ways. Last year, coming off such an amazing
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Star senior Kylee Watson has been instrumental in turning Mainland’s season around after a 3-3 start, as the 6-foot-4 University of Oregon commit has played many different positions, including point guard. season — it was a good thing, but also a bad thing in a way because we had such high expectations, in the beginning of the season especially. But then losing Cam and going on that stretch of losing three games in a row, we were kind of like, ‘wow, this really hasn’t happened before.’ We were coming off a season in which we won the state championship and here we were losing three games in a row. That was the turning point in the season, facing that adversity,” Watson said. “Then we won some good games but lost to Ocean City, but we built off of that and got a big win (in the rematch). So there have been ups and downs, but I think we’re starting to play our best basketball now and this is when it’s most important.
We’ve learned through the past couple of seasons that it doesn’t really matter what you do in the regular season, it’s the postseason that really matters. “Even coming into the season when we thought we’d have Cam, we knew there would be some growing pains because we lost Taylor (Dalzell), Claudia (Mairone), Lauren (Toner) and Jillian (Gatley),” Watson added. “It’s just been gaining confidence with Lila (Schoen) and Cadence (Fitzgerald), and Cadence especially, having that big game against Ocean City, I was really happy for her. That game was a great confidence booster for everyone, and we’re beginning to play for each
See Mainland, page 11
Feb. 26, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 11 Mainland, from page 10 other. It’s really fun when we’re able to pass the ball and get some big wins.” In the past few weeks, players like junior Lila Schoen and a pair of sophomores, Kaitlyn Boggs and Cadence Fitzgerald, have begun to make more contributions and help stabilize the lineup. “Nobody is going to feel bad for us, they’ll point to Kylee and say ‘you have Kylee on the court,’ which is true. Kylee can erase a lot of that stuff, but early on we were in a bit of a bind because we want Kylee and Madi to score, but they also needed to handle the ball, so we had to find ways to have them handle the ball, get into a quick set then find spots for them to get open and get the ball back,” Betson explained. “We try to build confidence at practice. We’re trying to put kids in positions where they are comfortable making plays and as coaches that took us a little bit. But once they start making plays their confidence can build quickly. A lot of that is on me just trying to figure things out after Cam went down.” Without the services of Dirkes, Mainland has had to create a whole new identity. Watson, who was a force in the low post a year ago, is playing a much different role this year, as she has become the de-facto point guard, while Hafetz also has had to assume more ball-handling responsibilities, which limits her ability to get open on the wing for 3-pointers. But
u Mainland went 13-2 after a 3-3 start and earned the No. 4 seed in the CAL Tournament and No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group 3 state playoff bracket. since the start of February some of the less experienced players have begun to step up. Schoen, a junior who also starts for the soccer team, has become more involved in ball-handling duties and Fitzgerald — a sophomore who played junior varsity a year ago — have really started to make an impact. Fitzgerald scored a team-high 20 points in a recent 66-44 win over Ocean City. And Kareema Rex has played an important role, coming off the bench to spell Fitzgerald or Kaitlyn Boggs whenever they need a break or get into foul trouble. “Going back to last year, Claudia and Madi would be there to hit those big threes, Lauren would do all the things she did best, and Cam was there. This year our identity has had to change and we’ve had to adjust. We’ve had different contributors stepping up in different ways. Some days it could be Lila stepping up and scoring, Cadence the same thing, and Madi knocking down shots. In a lot of different ways we can be versatile in our scoring
and that’s good, everyone is gaining confidence heading into the playoffs,” Watson said. “I was put into a different situation than I had been before. We don’t have somebody who has played point guard their entire life. Madi can handle the ball, but the majority of her career she had Cameron or someone else bringing the ball up so she could get open for shots. I think we were all kind of put in different situations — Madi might be bringing up the ball, or I would, or Lila would sometimes. But I think that’s been a good thing for all of us, being put in uncomfortable situations in the beginning of the year is what led to wins like the one over Ocean City. It didn’t work out too well in the beginning of the season, but we got better with the things we weren’t great with. It was a rough experience, but we knew we had potential and just had to work through those growing pains. We’re not settling for what we’ve accomplished — we really haven’t accomplished anything meaningful yet — yes, we’ve won a few games, but we still have to make it through the CAL playoffs and the South Jersey tournament. But being able to overcome (a rough start) says a lot about our team, being able to do the little things so that everything will work out.” “Injuries happen and then all of a sudden people
See Mainland, page 13
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Kareema Rex has been one of the key players off the bench for Scott Betson’s Mustangs and has provided quality minutes in relief of some of the starters.
who may not have necessarily planned on it are going to get opportunities, so it’s all about taking advantage of those opportunities,” Betson added. “Cadence certainly has and I think Kareema has been giving us great minutes if Kaitlyn gets into foul trouble. Our biggest challenge is going to be when we’re not shooting well from the outside just finding other ways to manufacture some points. We have to use rebounding and defense together. We hit a bunch of shots in the win over Ocean City, but we have to be able to play both ends of the floor, especially when our shots aren’t falling.” Watson has spent her entire career racking up awards and recognition, and earlier this season she became the leading scorer in Mainland basketball history, both boys and girls. But this might be her most impressive season yet simply because of all the different things she’s had to do in order to help this team win. “That’s the blessing about Kylee that most people don’t recognize unless you’ve watched her play a lot, is that for all the attention she gets she has no
problem passing the ball,” Betson said. “And, quite honestly, she has to a lot because she draws so much attention, and she knows that. She really enjoys that part of the game. She thrives off making plays for other people, and that boosts everybody.” And Watson being as good as she is, and as unselfish, has paved the way for players like Schoen, Hafetz, Fitgerald, Boggs and other to have big games and gain recognition. “It’s awesome. I’m so happy for all the girls when they do great things. We hype each other up all the time in practice,” Watson said. “I was talking to Cadence and she was nominated for that Jersey Sports Zone Game Ball of the Week thing, and she was like, ‘that’s crazy, I feel famous!’ It’s awesome for their confidence and the whole morale of the team to know that when we play as a team everyone can be effective and everyone can make a difference in the game. It’s great team basketball when we play like that, and it’s exciting for everyone.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Melody Pugliese, Holy Spirit Girls Basketball, Soccer
A star in her own right Spirit senior Melody Pugliese has some well known family members, but she’s been creating her own identity the past four years By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer f you grew up in the 1970s or 80s, you’re probably quite familiar with the movie “Annie.” The musical comedy/drama captured the hearts of many families during that era, telling the story of Annie, an orphan in the early 1930s who is taken in by America’s richest billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. The character “Molly”, who served as Annie’s younger sister of sorts, was played by then-6-year-old Toni Ann Gisondi. So how does all this tie into high school sports? Well, Toni Ann just happens to be the mother of Holy Spirit senior point guard Melody Pugliese. Toni Ann married Ted Pugliese, who is now a middle school principal, and the couple had two daughters, Molly — named after the character Toni Ann played in the movie — and Melody, presumably named after Toni Ann’s love of music. She’s not only an actress, but also a singer. Melody said she’s used to having a famous mom. “My friends talk about that all the time. Whenever we’re out or if I bring a new friend over, my friends are like, ‘did you know this is her mom?’ It’s funny,” Melody said. “They all know and get a kick out of it. My mom is pretty humble about it and she doesn’t bring it up much unless somebody asks. People get a kick out of it.” And Toni Ann wasn’t the only star the Gisondi family produced. Melody’s aunts, Kristen Schulman and Linda Gisondi, twins, were athletic stars during their days at Egg Harbor Township High School. They were the ones who took a young fourth-grade soccer star and turned her into a basketball player. It seems as though they did a pretty good job, too, since Melody has spent the past two seasons as the Spartans’ point guard and is one of just two seniors, along with Jules Lynch, leading the way for a young basketball team that is trying to recapture its reputation as one of the premier hoops programs in the Cape-Atlantic League. “Soccer is my main sports but I started playing basketball in fourth grade and I love the game. I love
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how fast-paced it is, and my aunts have taught me a lot about the game. My dad was more into football and baseball, and my mom played softball as well as being into acting and singing. My aunts really taught me everything I know about the game,” Melody said. “I wouldn’t say there is pressure (having well known relatives), I like to think of it more as motivation.” Pugliese has been carving out her own identity the past four years, not only as one of the stars of Holy Spirit’s soccer team, but also a key contributor in basketball and track. Each spring she runs the 100 and 200 meters and also competes in the sprint relay events. “I was kind of afraid going into high school. You go from being an eighth-grader, the big dog on campus, to back down to the bottom. But immediately I became such good friends with all the girls on my soccer team in the summer (before freshman year) and then throughout the fall. We got super close, it was like a family. And then I was really excited to get into basketball season. A lot of the girls from soccer also played basketball, which was great,” Melody said, looking back at the start of her career in Absecon. “My coach, Alicia Downey, she really pushed me and she’s the reason why I wanted to focus on soccer. Growing up, I played soccer since I was 4 years old
and started basketball in fourth grade. When I started basketball I thought that was going to be my main sport. But when I joined the Holy Spirit soccer team, she totally changed my outlook on that, and soccer was really my thing. She told me that she saw so much potential in me. She thought I was some sort of cross country girl because I ran the fastest two-mile of my life. She really pushed me and made me see the potential in myself, and I started having a greater appreciation for soccer.” “Me and Melody, being the only seniors, we know (teammates) are looking up to us because we used to look up to the seniors. We knew we had to step up and be those leaders and fill the shoes of all the other seniors who came before us,” Lynch said. “She has stepped up a lot. Our sophomore year, our team was small and with our starting five, everybody on the floor was out there for nearly the entire time, and our junior year is when she became a starter and stepped up and played really well. As a senior and as a leader, she’s done an incredible job of being the one all the younger players want to talk to. She’s been a great leader and a great role model to the younger kids. You couldn’t really ask
See Pugliese, page 17
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Feb. 26, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 17 Pugliese, from page 14 for anybody better to spend your senior year with.” The Spartans struggled at the start of this season, losing their first four games and six of their first seven. But since then Spirit has played better than .500 basketball, going 8-6 to improve to 9-12 heading into the third week of February. First-year head coach Tim Whitworth gave a lot of credit to both Pugliese and Lynch when it came to turning the Spartans’ season around after such a rough start. The turnaround was highlighted by a five-game winning streak from Jan. 15-25 that included wins over Oakcrest, Millville and Egg Harbor Township. “What I said to (Lynch and Pugliese) is you have an opportunity here. It may not be a 20-win season, but they have a chance to set the tone for the program moving forward,” Whitworth said. “They take so much pride in it, and they understand the value of what Year One can be when you’re trying to build a program back up — when you have your two oldest players as your
hardest workers, everything else pretty much falls in line. Each and every one of those kids is giving me everything they’ve got, and as a coach you really can’t ask for more than that. And it’s a credit to those two, they’ve accepted the challenge and are really on board to get this thing right. They want to be the ones who get it moving in the right direction again. “Mel is our point guard, she’s the one who sets the table and she’s starting to understand how to make good decisions with the basketball and the pace we want to play at. I can’t say enough good things about her.” “I don’t think I could have done it without the coaching staff we have this year. They’ve really boosted my confidence. I never thought of myself as much of a basketball player, but they said, ‘no, Melody, you really are. You’re our point guard and you play such a big role on this team. You’re like an older sister and you don’t realize how important you are to this team.’ The reassurance they gave me really helped. I remember looking up to the seniors when I was a freshman, and they really helped me take on that
(leadership) role,” Pugliese said. “In the beginning of the season it was hard because we only have two seniors on the team, so all of these girls lacked experience. And Jules and I really aren’t even that experienced, so we all had to learn how to work together. Those first few games were difficult, and we played some challenging teams, but as time went on we kind of molded together a little bit and started communicating better.” Hearing high praise from coach Whitworth means a lot to Pugliese, she said. “That’s the best feeling, and I wouldn’t want to have any other coach for my senior year. He’s really made me such a better player,” she said. “I have a lot of faith in us and I believe in what we do. We play at a fast pace, which shocks a lot of teams. We can run on them, and we play from the first whistle to the final buzzer. We may be young, but we’ve surprised some people.” Pugliese only has a few more weeks left in her high school basketball career, and one more season of spring track, then she’s on to the next stage
of her life. It won’t include any acting, however, although she did appear in some commercials as a child. She has a different calling in life, she said. She plans to enroll at Atlantic Cape Community College next fall as the first step in a nursing career. “When I got to a certain age I went into sports because I had more of a passion for that than being on the screen. My sister is the other way around,” she said. “I’ve had a great time at Holy Spirit. I wouldn’t change anything about my experiences the last four years. It will be bittersweet when I graduate. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to play sports in college because I’ll have a lot on my plate with nursing, so it will be an emotional moment (when my career ends), but I’m so thankful for everything. My senior year has been great. I got first-team All-CAL for soccer, and in basketball the coaches are amazing and the girls are great. I know the program has a bright future with these girls.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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A scientific approach to arm care BPC teaming with physical therapist Ryan Buccafurni to help prevent potential injuries By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer bout 25 percent of all active Major League Baseball players have had Tommy John surgery, the revolutionary elbow procedure that gets its namesake from former Yankees pitcher Tommy John, who first underwent the procedure in 1974. But a 2015 study by the American Journal of Sports Medicine showed that the greatest number of procedures was done on athletes ages 15 to 19, and the rate of increase is six percent per year. Younger players are throwing harder than they ever have before, in part because velocity is king now and opens doors to the collegiate and professional levels, so more care needs to be taken, not only by coaches, but by private trainers who are mentoring teenage pitchers. The Baseball Performance Center, located in Pleasantville and run by former local standouts Mike Adams of Holy Spirit and Ed Charlton of St. Augustine Prep, is taking what it believes is an advanced approach to arm care by bringing in Integrity Physical Therapy’s Ryan Buccafurni for scientific evaluations of players it trains. Buccafurni does a full evaluation of each new trainee, and from there the group — which also includes A.J. Holland — designs a specific strength and conditioning program for each athlete, not only to correct imbalances that may lead to injuries, but also to help maximize each player’s talents. “I’ve been watching these guys for a while. A.J., I’ve known him forever and he has a great reputation in the community. The idea was — and I think we were both thinking the same thing but never really talked to each other about it — I felt like I could get a really thorough orthopedic evaluation on all these pitchers to make sure we can individualize (offseason) workout programs. Every pitcher is different and has a little bit different needs, everybody’s imbalances are different, so you can’t really have one arm care program. We all know we need an arm care program, but you can’t just have one generic arm care program for all throwers. (BPC) identified that need. I tried to do an arm care program at my office years ago, but the idea of blending it with this facility and having dialog with the guys who are teaching it is what drew me to this,” Buccafurni said. “Some-
BASEBALL 365
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Ryan Buccafurni of Integrity Physical Therapy in Northfield demonstrates his arm evaluation on Baseball Performance Center strength and conditioning coach A.J. Holland. Buccafurni has teamed with BPC to help identify and correct potential imbalances that can lead to arm injuries in young pitchers. times it’s just total volume and some of these guys just throw harder, and when you throw harder you’re inherently going to be at greater risk of injury. So, we have to make sure we’re controlling the body. And with muscular imbalance, there are predictors — we’ve already caught a bunch of little red flags on guys with imbalances that occur throughout the course of a season. If they kept going without correcting these imbalances and kept throwing that way, they’re heading down the road of potential elbow or shoulder injuries.” “I think mechanics are the biggest piece of the puzzle. We evaluate every kid who comes in, break down their mechanics, take video and from there talk to them about what they might need to fix. We video everything, talk about it and from there we create a program to help them fix it. The mechanics are
the biggest adjustment some of these guys have to make,” Adams said. “We get some guys where we’re like, ‘you’re arm’s not laying back enough and you can’t keep your knee down as you’re coming forward.’ Some of that is stuff they physically can’t do so they have to train over time to be able to do it. That’s how Buccafurni helps us because he can kind of look under the hood. We’re looking at what we see in the video and we want guys to do stuff, but sometimes they can’t do certain things. Having that evaluation helps bridge the gap between mobility issues and guys just not doing the mechanics properly. “Throwing is the worst thing you can do with your arm, basically, so having a physical therapist who can
See Approach, page 21
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Feb. 26, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 21 Approach, from page 18 diagnose things early and see where guys lack efficiency is good,” Adams explained. “We’re talking about 17- or 18-year-olds who are throwing 90 miles-per-hour and some of them aren’t mature enough to handle that. It’s nothing they can control, they are throwing 90-plus at age 17. But that’s why it’s important that we have this so we can check for things that most people can’t see. We’re talking about guys who, if they are draft prospects, you’re talking about hundreds of thousands to a million dollars that they could get if they stay healthy. When you’re talking about that caliber of athlete, it’s important to have this.” Holland said he believes the approach that BPC is taking with its dozens of understudies could end up being a game-changer in South Jersey. “At the end of the day, I think the best is yet to come. It’s hard to find guys as passionate and caring. They care about these kids, not just as players, but as individuals. We talk about it all the time in terms of Mike and Ed being the technicians, and to add somebody like Buccafurni with his expertise in the medical field — it’s a no-brainer,” he said. “These kids are coming in here and getting the opportunity to play at the next level, and at the end of the day that’s what it’s about. It’s about getting these kids better every day and getting them to buy in to the process. And not only the process of getting better, but how do they get better? You can look at it from a business standpoint. Buccafurni comes into play, Mike comes into play, Ed comes into play — mechanical issues, health issues, anatomical issues, those are the issues, and from there you figure out your goals. What are our objectives going to be? We lay out the platform, and from there you get the strategies to get there. Between those things, with these guys it’s a three-headed monster and the best is yet to come.” Back in the 1980s and 90s, many high school baseball players were on their own when it came to offseason workouts, conditioning and arm care. Many times a kid would simply have a catch with his dad, or his buddy down the street, maybe do some running or lifting, without really knowing what
“Some of it is genetics, some is mechanics, some is just they’ve been playing baseball since they were 8 years old and have a lot of usage in their arm, and now these imbalances are starting to rear their head when they get to be 14, 15, 16 years old. It’s a unilateral imbalanced sport, so asymmetry occurs. Some are normal but some can be predictors of injury. We’re starting to be able to catch them and fix them, and work together from a program standpoint to say, OK, this kid doesn’t need to throw right now he needs to focus on strengthening his body, where as another kid can go right into plyometric work. I think that’s been a huge help.”
Ryan Buccafurni of Integrity Physical Therapy in Northfield
the proper mechanics were to all of that. But now, with so much technology, the game has changed and forced personal trainers to keep up with the times. Facilities like BPC can’t attract today’s high school baseball player with just a bucket of balls and a pitching machine. The worlds of baseball and science are beginning to collide, and, as the guys from BPC and Buccafurni hope, that is a change that will benefit everyone. “Some of it is genetics, some is mechanics, some is just they’ve been playing baseball since they were 8 years old and have a lot of usage in their arm, and now these imbalances are starting to rear their head when they get to be 14, 15, 16 years old. It’s a unilateral imbalanced sport, so asymmetry occurs. Some are normal but some can be predictors of injury. We’re starting to be able to catch them and fix them, and work together from a program standpoint to say, OK, this kid doesn’t need to throw right now he needs to focus on strengthening his body, where as another kid can go right into plyometric work. I think that’s been a huge help. I’ll do an orthopedic movement exam where right there you can see if they are losing internal rotation or losing shoulder elevation because their lateral muscles are tight from throwing so much. For every degree of shoulder inflection contraction, there is a higher chance of injury. Same with elbow extension. If you see somebody who doesn’t have complete elbow extension, that can be a predictor of UCL (Tommy John) injury. Rotator cuff weakness is a predictor of potential shoulder injuries. So there is a lot within a couple of minutes we can learn,” Buccafurni said. “The player is sitting there with me, which is awesome, so I’m doing the evaluation and telling him what I see, and
we’re individualizing the program for what they need. And Mike is a machine when it comes to mechanics so we’re able to correlate what we’re doing. A kid’s arm slot might be off or they’re not getting out in front, so they are flicking the ball. We can kind of piece the puzzle together with anatomical evaluation and mechanics. “They can’t fix their mechanics if their anatomy is holding them back,” Buccafurni added. “You might say, ‘why is this guy throwing like a weirdo?’ But he can’t help it. Even though Mike is teaching him, it’s because he doesn’t have external rotation stability, so he’s short-arming. It’s really a team of dialog. The more eyes that look at a kid the safer the kid is going to be.” Adams and Buccafurni know that kids are throwing harder than ever before and they all want to grab the eye of potential college or professional scouts. And they know injuries are going to happen, that’s always been a part of the game. But they hope that a scientific approach can help minimize potential career-ending injuries to young players. “Twenty or thirty years ago, you might have had 10,000 guys across the country throwing 90, and now we have 40 guys within 30 miles, so you’re talking about hundreds of thousands of guys throwing that hard. The numbers are higher, so obviously the injuries are going to be higher as well. When you are throwing a baseball you’re always at a risk for injury, so our goal is to minimize that risk as best we can. People think (injuries) might just be a problem in their area, but MLB organizations have the best staff, the best doctors, trainers — the best everything — and they have 25 guys a year getting Tommy John surgery. There is no answer to it, but it’s just trying to take whatever
steps you can to stop it,” Adams said. “It all depends on the athlete. Say we get a guy who is 17 and comes in here with a mechanical flaw, he’s probably been throwing that way for more than 10 years. If he’s a really good athlete it could take him a month, a week, a day (to change). It’s different for everyone. But we strive to have them fix their mechanical flaws before we put them back on the mound because it makes it easier when they are only focused on executing where the ball is going.” Buccafurni said that while some parents may be skeptical at first, the players themselves have been eager to buy in to a more detailed approach to something that may ultimately save their career. “What has been so impressive with the evaluations has been the buy-in from the kids. You are picking out the flaws of high school kids and they can see it pretty quickly. They are usually shocked. Some of these kids never realized their (throwing) elbow couldn’t fully extend. So, it’s easy to get buy-in, and because of the culture (BPC and Second 2 None, in Absecon) have created, these kids want to get better, they want to stay healthy. I give credit to the culture that has been created. I wasn’t sure if kids would buy in, but these kids see it, they want to get better, they ask questions and they are taking an active role in it,” he said. “Using science and the research that is out there, we’re using data and we’re making plans based on data and science. In the old days they were using their gut and what they thought was right. Real vs. feel, we talk about that all the time. As long as we’re using the data and making the best choices we can based on science.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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220 baseball academy thriving Monell brings Major League Baseball experience to Absecon facility By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer here’s a warehouse off California Avenue in Absecon, fairly nondescript. You wouldn’t even know anything is happening there save for the “220” sign on the side of the road. But if you take a closer look, a lot is happening there — and it’s a sign of where the future of baseball training is headed. The number “220” refers to Second 2 None, a baseball training facility launched last summer by former Major League Baseball player Johnny Monell, a New York City native who grew up visiting the Jersey Shore. Second 2 None is the latest in a crop of baseball training facilities that have popped up all over South Jersey, as the area began to attract professional scouts with the meteoric rise of Mike Trout, a 2009 Millville High School graduate who is now considered the best player in the MLB. Second 2 None follows in the footsteps of Baseball Performance Center in Pleasantville, which started several years ago under the guidance of former local standouts Mike Adams of Holy Spirit and Ed Charlton of St. Augustine Prep, both of whom played professionally before returning home to turn their passion into a business. The two businesses don’t consider themselves competition or rivals, as each has its own unique niche. BPC focuses mainly on developing pitchers and hitters, while 220 trains a lot of catchers, hitters and infielders. The goal of both facilities is to help get high school players — and even middle schoolers — advance their skills to the point where they can take their game to the next level, whether that means college baseball or professional. Monell points to Mainland Regional junior pitcher Chase Petty as an example of the kind of talent that is being unearthed in South Jersey. Petty has rocketed onto the scene in the past year or so as his fastball has reached 95 miles-per-hour, and he certainly is on the radar of every MLB team. Monell said he wants to help develop the rest of the talent that is bubbling up in the area, using the knowledge he gained through his more than 10 years of minor league and Major League experience. “You see what Chase Petty at Mainland is doing and he’s in a good position to be in the (MLB) draft (in 2021). You see what he’s doing and the noise he’s bringing to get a buzz going in this area, which is
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Johnny Monell played in the Major Leagues in 2013 with the San Francisco Giants and 2015 with the New York Mets, and brings his knowledge to his facility in Absecon, which opened last summer.
Second 2 None (220) Location: 720 W. California Ave., Building B, Absecon Phone: 609-241-0565
great. You see that and you’re like, ‘why is it that we only have one Chase Petty for every 20 to 25 kids? Let’s get 10 of those guys and get it going,’” Monell said. “That’s development and that’s the process that we seek here. I’ve been a part of it my entire career, seeing the focus, dedication and sacrifice it takes to get better. That’s the best word, sacrifice, understanding that you have to put in three or four days a week and then going home and taking care of your studies.
Being able to create some value for yourself can go a long way.” Monell, a catcher by trade who also played some first base in the minor leagues, attended Christopher Columbus High in New York City and was drafted twice — in 2005 by the San Francisco Giants and 2006 by the New York Mets — before being drafted again by the Giants in 2007 and ultimately signing with them. He made his MLB debut in 2013 with the Giants, playing in eight games, and also played the 2015 season with the Mets. He remembers fondly when he got called up to the big leagues late in the 2013 season, when the Giants were on the road facing the San Diego Padres. “The first day in the Major Leagues was with San
See Monell, page 23
Feb. 26, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 23 Monell, from page 22 Francisco and my (minor league) manager at the time played a nice little trick on me. We had a day game to finish up the minor league season — September callups had already happened, but they were still going to call players up after the minor league season — I was with the Fresno Grizzlies and they called all of the 40-man roster players into the office. I wasn’t on the 40-man roster, so I was packing my stuff. I was pissed. I had more than 20 homers that year and was hitting about .290, I had been lights out the whole season,” Monell said. “That year, I had a really good spring training and didn’t make the Giants. I did what I did (in the minors) and still didn’t get called up. You feel like, what more can I do? I knew I was going to be a free agent at the end of the season, so my best bet was I could get onto a new team, who knows? The hitting coach comes up and says, ‘Mo, (the manager) wants to see you.’ So he says, ‘what were you doing at first base?’ I said, ‘this is the last game of the season, I’m going home. Why are you ragging me about how I was holding a runner on?’ He says, ‘because you can’t do that in San Francisco.’ I was like, ‘what
did you say?’ I got emotional, called my family to let them know, and then we went to San Diego. “Once I signed the paperwork and got to the hotel and got my Major League ID card, it was surreal,” he added. “All that hard work, six years in the minor leagues, I had some good seasons and put my name on the map. At first, I was wondering what number I would get. Would I get No. 97 or something, or would I get a real number? I got to my locker, my name was above it, and it said ‘Monell, 12.’ I immediately took a picture to send to my family. It was an awesome moment. To be a fan of the game for so long and to see my dad go through the grind for 17 years and me live it, it was something really special. Especially all the work he has put in for me. It was awesome. You’re wide-eyed and smiling. You don’t feel like you just played 100 games (in the minors). I was beat up, but I didn’t feel a thing (when I stepped onto the field in San Diego). I was ready to roll. You see some of the best in the world.” Although his time with the Giants was short, Monell credits the organization with turning him into the businessman he is today. From his first at-bat until he signed as a free agent with the Mets in 2014, the
Giants organization, he said, taught him how to go about his business in a professional manner. “I got a nice good fastball out over the plate ... and I popped it up to left,” Monell recalls about his first time at the plate in a Major League uniform. “I had to wait four or five days before I got another at-bat, against the Dodgers, and I got my first hit in Dodger Stadium. Vin Scully was on the radio breaking down my at-bat and where I was from. Jon Miller was broadcasting for the Giants. Hearing those voices that I heard growing up, and seeing them in the clubhouse. Willy Mays was in our clubhouse every day, Willy McCovey. Being with the Giants organization really gave me a sense of how to go about my business as a professional, and it was really impactful for my career.” Monell, whose father, also named Johnny, played professionally and finished his career with the nowdefunct Atlantic City Surf, is taking that same professional approach to 220. “Seeing this area and the need for a facility like ours, with being able to get ground ball drills, ve-
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Page 24 w Glory Days Magazine w Feb. 26 2020 Monell, from page 23 locity work, throwing programs. When we get the high school group in here it’s nuts, we’ll have 30 guys in here. Now that we’re getting ready for the high school season we’re in a really strong phase. I believe in what I’ve been doing throughout my career and how much it has helped me, and I’m just trying to pass that along to guys in a good facility. Being able to have the technology and the knowledge that my dad and I have — we’re just trying to put everything together so guys have a good chance. We want to give them an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and really test themselves and see something grow,” Monell said. “We have about 85 kids from the Sand Sharks, about 30 kids in our high school program now, we have a college program that is starting to fill up. We’re slowly getting into what we want to do, and that’s to develop and create an opportunity for these kids to get better. We want to have a strong summer program, a strong winter program, and even an in-season program for these guys to take part in so they can understand how to stay strong throughout the season and avoid injury.” Monell, 33, said he has no regrets about his MLB career coming to an end, he knew it would at some point, and catchers typically don’t last as long as guys who play other positions. “When you catch for 14 years and get beat up, how much can you take? How much can you stay away from your family? Hopefully I’ll have my own family one day as well. I just want to be able to give back, and I’m enjoying it. I’m happy where I’m at. I’ve played at every level, and did I want to go back and forth and go through the drama of being up and down (between the majors and minors)? I had a job offer to be a skills coach with the Dodgers, but I was involved in getting this up and running, and here we are now,” he said. “I was playing well, hitting about .275 with some homers, but the grind of getting beat up — I got hit in the head a lot (in 2018) and had a thumb injury. I was year-to-year, I wasn’t a big-time prospect and I had to grind my way through the minor leagues to get to the majors. To stay in that up-and-down status is
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Monell and his staff provide high-level baseball training to youth, high school and college players, including more than two dozen members of the South Jersey Sand Sharks organization.
“Once I signed the paperwork and got to the hotel and got my Major League ID card, it was surreal,” he added. “All that hard work, six years in the minor leagues, I had some good seasons and put my name on the map. At first, I was wondering what number I would get. Would I get No. 97 or something, or would I get a real number? I got to my locker, my name was above it, and it said ‘Monell, 12.’ I immediately took a picture to send to my family. It was an awesome moment. To be a fan of the game for so long and to see my dad go through the grind for 17 years and me live it, it was something really special.” Johnny Monell, on his first day as a Major League Baseball player intense, and then to go and play winter ball every year just to maintain that job status, it was just tiring. I was beat up. I said, ‘you know what, I have to start thinking about taking care of my body so I can walk when I’m 45 years old.’ I knew I couldn’t play forever, but there are still ways I can give back and be an impact in this game.” One of those ways is sharing his knowledge with young players who are eager to prove themselves, and hopefully get some scholarship money
along the way. “I’m not a big fan of talking about myself, that’s just who I am. I’m humble and I understand the dedication it takes, and the things I lost out on to get to where I did. If that’s an impact for these players, that’s a plus,” Monell said. “I know what I can bring to the table every day for these guys and I want to give them my best. I really don’t look at it like a job. I feel like I’m back with the guys in the clubhouse. Other than the day-to-day operations
and making sure QuickBooks and the scheduling are good — being able to use the skills I learned in college and getting my associates in business management — it’s good that I was prepared before and now it’s just about taking care of business. I’m done playing and now I’m in this business, but I really feel like I’m a part of this team.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
snapshots Seniors Luke Mazur, right, and Nana Osunniyi celebrate Mainland’s victory over Holy Spirit in the opening round of the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament on Feb. 24. Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan