HART AND SOUL: Princeton High boys’ basketball player Matt Hart puts up a shot in a game last season. Senior forward Hart, an All-CVC selection last winter,  will be a go-to player for PHS again this season. The Little Tigers get their 2015-16 campaign underway by hosting WW/P-S on December 18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Coming into the winter, the Princeton High boys’ basketball team is poised to deliver a one-two punch to its foes.

Featuring the tandem of senior forward Matt Hart and junior Zahrion Blue, PHS boasts a potent inside-out attack.

The duo gave graphic evidence of their potential last Friday as the Little Tigers cruised to a win over New Brunswick in a preseason scrimmage.

“Matt had 29 points and Zahrion had 21; it made me realize how difficult it is going to be to guard us when they are both in the game,” said PHS head coach Mark Shelley, who guided the Little Tigers to a 10-12 record last winter.

“Matt is such a fundamental player, everything from ball fakes to jump stops, he can hit step back 3s, he can get to the foul line, he makes all of his free throws. He is just super fundamental. Zahrion is getting better at that, he doesn’t have as consistent an outside shot. He hit one 3 and a long 2 in the scrimmage but he was just slashing to the basket. Both of them were passing so well to each other. I have been real pleased so far as a coach.”

Shelley, though, realizes that PHS has to be more than a two-man team in order to have a winning campaign.

“If I look at games over the last three years where we have been really successful, it is when we have had a third guy score double figures,” said Shelley, whose team tips off its 2015-16 campaign when it hosts WW/P-S on December 18.

“This year because we play so many people, it may be the point guard in total to score 10 points. We can’t relay on Matt and Zahrion to score all the points. Good teams with good players are going to contain them. One thing that makes it so tough when you have both of them on the floor is that you can’t focus on one.”

PHS need juniors Spencer Zullo and Justin Marciano to share the load in the front court.

“Spencer is tall and lanky; he is the tallest guy on the team,” added Shelley.

“Justin is not that tall but he is real muscular. I am real pleased with them
defensively in our zone and and half court man-to-man, being strong in the post. Offensively, they are serviceable. They know how to pass, they know the offense, they pick their spots.”

Senior forward Michael Dowers figures to give the Little Tigers strong play all over the court.

“Michael plays every position; he is a good outside shooter but at the same time, he has really improved inside,” said Shelley.

“He has really bought into the fact that we are going to need him to play all over the place. He had some outside looks last night but he also played in the middle of the zone on offense to let Matt outside. He plays the middle of our zone on defense. I ended up starting five other players and he was the first one in. We like that because if anybody gets in foul trouble or messes up and needs a break, we can put him in and reshuffle the lineup based on whoever he replaces.”

In the backcourt, PHS features a trio of juniors Sam Serxner, junior Andrew Goldsmith, and Cristobal Silva.

“We started Serxner, Goldsmith, Silva in the scrimmage,” said Shelley. “We turned them over a ton in our half court trap. It was real active. Andrew is one of the best on-ball defenders I have seen. He is so good with his feet and his hands. Cristo did hit one jumper in the scrimmage, it was a long 2 but he had a couple of open 3s and he will make those. Mainly it will be Sam and Cristo at the point; when they are both in, it can be either one.”

The addition of senior Colin Taylor has given Shelley additional depth at guard.

“The other guard that is going to play a ton for us is Colin Taylor,” said Shelley, who also plans to use junior Teddy Marttila and senior Reykwaun Lozada in the back court.

“He played freshman and he played JV as a sophomore, but last year he didn’t play in order to work on baseball. He really accentuates our depth there. Serxner and Colin bring a toughness that some players don’t have. They will not back down from anybody. We really have four guards that I feel so comfortable with.”

Shelley feels good about his team’s interchangeable parts. “We have 11 guys who we really feel comfortable with, some are better at one end of the floor than the other,” said Shelley.

“Part of that is that we feel at Princeton High, we have a lot of intelligent players who can understand a lot of different offenses and defensive concepts. We run probably more than most teams in terms of more different things. We try to take advantage of that.”

Due to its depth, PHS plans to run and gun a little more this winter than in the past.

“I think we will be more willing to play up-tempo with teams that also like to play up-tempo,” noted Shelley.

“Last year, if we saw a team that really looked to get up and down, we were going to try to slow them down. This year, depending on who it is and the personnel, we may be willing to run down the floor with them.”

In Shelley’s view, the program is on the upswing. “We feel like we have a chance to have our best season in a number of years,” said Shelley.

“So we will see, you never know. I think while we are certainly deep, there is a premium on Matt and Zahrion staying healthy.”