Balanced BCC women expect another big season Blues are defending GSAC champions BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer Brookdale Community College’s (BCC) womens basketball team has made it difficult for teams to defend them. Armed with size and strength inside, a sharp-shooting guard and a savvy point guard to run the show, opposing teams will have to pick their poison when they play the Jersey Blues. “We have an inside game and an outside game,” said co-head coach Joanne Cobb. “You can’t defend one thing.” Up front, the Blues return one of the country’s best in 6-1 forward Amy Gaudious. The Long Branch graduate was the fourth-leading rebounder in the country last year and averaged a double-double for the season, 13 points and 12.5 rebounds a game. She had 12 double-doubles during the season and threw in a pair triple doubles for good measure. On top of all that, she’s a crafty passer. Because the Jersey Blues have other effective players in the paint, they can pull Gaudious out away from the basket and utilize her passing. Tammy Wood, better known for her goal-keeping with the soccer team, may eclipse what she did in the fall on the hardwood. The 6-0 South River grad played in just seven games last year and was a force with her defense and shot blocking. Having her around for the entire season will be gravy. Danielle Vitalone, a forward from Middletown South, also played in just a few games for BCC last year, but it was enough to demonstrate that she’ll make a contribution under the boards and on defense. Wood and Vitalone are sophomores. Two freshmen, 6-0 Ashley Healy, of Howell, and 5-11 Keneka Gordon, of Neptune, provide Cobb and co-head coach Marianne Campacci with a lot of flexibility on the front line. Last year, point guard Jess Williams was injured before the season even started and missed the entire campaign. In her place, shooting-guard Becky Piper moved to the point and responded with unexpected effectiveness, earning All-Conference and All-Region honors. This year, Williams, a Central Regional grad, has returned and Piper is back to her normal position and playing the best ball of her career. In BCC’s first two games (the team is 1-1) she is averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists a game. Piper, a Colts Neck graduate, made the All-Tournament honors at the recent Mercer Thanksgiving Classic. Williams is averaging more the five assists and running the offense like clockwork. Piper and Williams are a very formidable backcourt duo. Both Piper and Williams can force teams to extend their defense because of their three-point shooting. Guard Cara Capestro, a freshman from Brick Township, can also light it up from beyond the arc. Vitalone and Gaudious can step outside and hit jumpers as well. Teams are forced to defend the entire court because of Brookdale’s balance. If teams try to take away the inside game, Piper, Williams and Capestro will make them pay for it, and likewise, if they try to defend the three, Brookdale will get the ball into the paint. Even with all the talent and versatility on offense, Cobb and Campacci know that if Brookdale is going to repeat as the Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) champions, it will be on the defensive end where the Blues really get after teams. “Defense is our forte,” Cobb pointed out. “We love to play a fullcourt press.” Brookdale utilizes it quickness, size and bench to go after teams for a full 40 minutes. At the Thanksgiving Classic, the Blues uncharacteristically had to play a zone defense because preseason injuries had them down to just five healthy starting bodies. They did get through the Classic at 1-1 with a third-place finish. “We started on Nov. 6 and when we had a practice on Nov. 23, we had only three kids who could suit up and practice,” noted Cobb. “We had a series of injuries early, but we have everyone back now and everything is looking real good. “We expect a lot out of them this year,” she added. “It’s going to be tough in the league with everyone gunning for us.” Brookdale was 20-7 last year and a perfect 12-0 in GSAC play. The Blues are home tomorrow in a GSAC and Region XIX contest against Morris that will tip off at 5 p.m. (the men’s team will follow at 7 p.m. against Morris). That will be BCC’s last home game before the New Year. Their next game in Lincroft is Jan. 6 against Mercer. The Blues will be spending the Holiday season in Las Vegas, Nev., playing in the Dixie State College of Utah Invitational, Dec. 28-30.