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There is no public high school program in Central Jersey that has enjoyed the consistent championship success the New Providence girls basketball team has seen over the past two decades.
The Pioneers have gone 418-134 since 2005, best among public schools and second only to Rutgers Prep in wins. And when New Providence won the Group 1 championship this season, it marked the program’s second in three years and fifth overall state title – all since 2010 -- with juggernaut Manasquan and perennial power University the only public-school programs in the state to win more crowns in that span.
The constant has been head coach Cap Pazdera, who is the Courier News Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
Girls basketball index: Links to Courier News, Home News Tribune All-Area honors package
More: Girls basketball: New Providence claims state Group 1 championship
And while the Pioneers and their coach have certainly become accustomed to success – New Providence has had just one losing season in Pazdera’s 20 years guiding the program -- this year’s championship run might have been the biggest surprise.
After heavy graduation losses, a haul that included Grace Kinum, who is one of the program’s all-time greats, New Providence returned a team coming off disappointing semifinals exits in both the Union County and state sectional tournaments. It was also a team without an established star and featured just two players who saw regular time last season.
In the end, junior Annie Conover went from role player to superstar, senior Brenna Slattery stepped up on and off the court, and a group of unproven varsity players all fell nicely into their roles and New Providence reached all its goals.
They set a program record for wins, finishing 30-2, won their seventh straight division title and five straight Union County Conference Watchung Division crown, and took the Union County Tournament championship en route to a state title.
“It was completely unexpected,” said Pazdera, whose team’s only losses were to Group 3 power Teaneck and Group 3 finalist Chatham. “We started off in the summer with a big question mark. We just weren’t sure. We knew we had talent returning, with Annie and Brenna, but most of the other players really didn’t have any varsity playing experience. So, we just weren’t sure what we were going to get and how it was going to work out.”
New Providence’s two returning starters each took it up a notch, as Conover went from averaging 11.8 points per game last year, in support of graduated star Grace Kinum, to averaging 18.8 points and 8.3 rebounds this season, including putting up 31 in the Central Group 1 sectional final. The Pioneers saw Slattery go from part-time player as a freshman and sophomore to improving on last year’s solid junior campaign by posting a career year with 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds, while providing the senior leadership of a four-year letterwinner.
But the question marks that adorned the rest of the roster were all answered in the affirmative, as junior forward Megan Henn emerged as a dual threat after a very limited role last year, posting 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and providing a scoring weapon inside and from long range, and classmate Haley Kessler, who hardly saw the court last year, excelled as a first-year starter. Freshman Addy Fitzgerald was also key, both scoring and on the boards, and she hit some huge shots in the state tournament to aid the cause, and junior Ava Kelly provided key minutes off the bench.
And everybody played defense.
“The girls that played, they listened to us, they embraced their roles, and they did everything we asked them to do to get to this point, so it’s actually really satisfying,” Pazdera said. “We kind of had a vision and we knew what we needed them to do, and they were able to follow along and buy into it. And Annie and Brenna stepped up, as well.
“Having those players be able to do those things and buy into their role and contribute – and, maybe, not get the recognition -- is a big reason why we won, and it’s pretty special.”
Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Girls basketball: New Providence’s Cap Pazdera CN Coach of the Year
Continue reading...
The Pioneers have gone 418-134 since 2005, best among public schools and second only to Rutgers Prep in wins. And when New Providence won the Group 1 championship this season, it marked the program’s second in three years and fifth overall state title – all since 2010 -- with juggernaut Manasquan and perennial power University the only public-school programs in the state to win more crowns in that span.
The constant has been head coach Cap Pazdera, who is the Courier News Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
Girls basketball index: Links to Courier News, Home News Tribune All-Area honors package
More: Girls basketball: New Providence claims state Group 1 championship
And while the Pioneers and their coach have certainly become accustomed to success – New Providence has had just one losing season in Pazdera’s 20 years guiding the program -- this year’s championship run might have been the biggest surprise.
After heavy graduation losses, a haul that included Grace Kinum, who is one of the program’s all-time greats, New Providence returned a team coming off disappointing semifinals exits in both the Union County and state sectional tournaments. It was also a team without an established star and featured just two players who saw regular time last season.
In the end, junior Annie Conover went from role player to superstar, senior Brenna Slattery stepped up on and off the court, and a group of unproven varsity players all fell nicely into their roles and New Providence reached all its goals.
They set a program record for wins, finishing 30-2, won their seventh straight division title and five straight Union County Conference Watchung Division crown, and took the Union County Tournament championship en route to a state title.
“It was completely unexpected,” said Pazdera, whose team’s only losses were to Group 3 power Teaneck and Group 3 finalist Chatham. “We started off in the summer with a big question mark. We just weren’t sure. We knew we had talent returning, with Annie and Brenna, but most of the other players really didn’t have any varsity playing experience. So, we just weren’t sure what we were going to get and how it was going to work out.”
New Providence’s two returning starters each took it up a notch, as Conover went from averaging 11.8 points per game last year, in support of graduated star Grace Kinum, to averaging 18.8 points and 8.3 rebounds this season, including putting up 31 in the Central Group 1 sectional final. The Pioneers saw Slattery go from part-time player as a freshman and sophomore to improving on last year’s solid junior campaign by posting a career year with 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds, while providing the senior leadership of a four-year letterwinner.
But the question marks that adorned the rest of the roster were all answered in the affirmative, as junior forward Megan Henn emerged as a dual threat after a very limited role last year, posting 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and providing a scoring weapon inside and from long range, and classmate Haley Kessler, who hardly saw the court last year, excelled as a first-year starter. Freshman Addy Fitzgerald was also key, both scoring and on the boards, and she hit some huge shots in the state tournament to aid the cause, and junior Ava Kelly provided key minutes off the bench.
And everybody played defense.
“The girls that played, they listened to us, they embraced their roles, and they did everything we asked them to do to get to this point, so it’s actually really satisfying,” Pazdera said. “We kind of had a vision and we knew what we needed them to do, and they were able to follow along and buy into it. And Annie and Brenna stepped up, as well.
“Having those players be able to do those things and buy into their role and contribute – and, maybe, not get the recognition -- is a big reason why we won, and it’s pretty special.”
Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Girls basketball: New Providence’s Cap Pazdera CN Coach of the Year
Continue reading...
