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Sports

Union Catholic Basketball Team Has Tough Competition This Season

The Vikings are part of the newly-formed Mountain Division of the first-year Union County Conference.

Just because the Union Catholic boys' basketball team has all five of its starters back doesn't mean that the Vikings will be favored in every game they play this season.

As a member of the newly-formed Mountain Division of the first-year Union County Conference, the Vikings will be playing in a league that is very competitive.

"It feels like it's wide open," said eighth-year head coach James Reagan Jr., referring to a Mountain Division that consists of Union Catholic, Rahway, Hillside, Roselle, Governor Livingston, Cranford, Johnson and Summit.

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 Johnson was in the Mountain Valley Conference's Valley Division last year and Summit moves over from the Hills Division of the former Iron Hills Conference.

Teams that were in the MVC's Mountain Division last year that moved down to the Union County Conference's Valley Division for this year include Roselle Catholic and St. Mary's of Elizabeth.

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All eight teams in the Union County Conference's Mountain Division will face the other seven twice, home and away.

Union Catholic is coming off a 9-17 season, but was able to split last year against conference foes Roselle Catholic, Cranford, Hillside and GL.

Reagan has all five starters back for the first time in his tenure at Union Catholic.

Those five players are senior guard Dave Herren (6-1) and junior guard Brian Flores (6-2) in the back court and senior forwards Jamaad Nash (6-4) and Zach Dlabik (6-0) and junior center Mike Marciano (6-11) closer to the basket. Marciano is a three-year starter and the other four two-year.

"We were really inexperienced last year, starting three sophomores," Reagan said. "I'm real happy with our five guys back."

Marciano and Herren paced Union Catholic in scoring a year ago, both averaging 10 points.

"We have a real inside game with Marciano and Nash and are solid outside with Flores and Herren," Reagan said. "The question is do we bring it every day? Hopefully, our defense will lead to our offense."

That defensive style will be strictly man-to-man.

Marciano, one of the taller players in Union County, is becoming more of a presence in the middle. 

"He's really improved in two ways," Reagan said. "The first is passing the ball, he really does a nice job on the high-low look. The second is rebounding and outletting the ball."

Reagan reports that Ivy League schools are looking at Marciano now, in addition to some Patriot League colleges.

Nash seeks to be more of a force inside and a solid secondary scorer as well.

"He really improved over the summer and spent a lot of time in the weight room," Reagan said.

Herren and Flores have their own styles of getting the ball up court and filling up the hoop from the outside.

"Dave is a real good outside shooter and does a nice job of taking the ball to the basket," Reagan said. "He's real good in transition. Brian can create his own shot and is more of a 1-on-1 guy. He can break down the defense and make a big basket. He can create his own look."

Reagan describes Dlabik as a team leader who will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

"He's a bulldog," Reagan said. "He'll make the extra pass, get the loose ball and is a general on the floor."

Reagan said that junior forward Brandon Vargo and sophomore forward Brandon Reid — both 6-3 — are his top two players off the bench. Senior Chaz Carter will also see time at guard.

Union Catholic opens with three consecutive home games, the first and third of those being conference matchups. First is a league game against Rahway Dec. 18, followed by a non-league game the next night against Middlesex County foe Dunellen, which is coached by Union Catholic graduate Bernie Buniak. The third game is a league contest against Governor Livingston on Dec. 22.

"Our first three games will tell us where we stand in the conference," Reagan said.

After playing two games in the Al LoBalbo Tournament at St. Mary's in Elizabeth Dec. 28 and 29, Union Catholic will resume conference play at Cranford Jan. 8 and then host league foes Hillside Jan. 12 and Johnson Jan. 15 back-to-back. That gives Union Catholic five home dates among its first eight games.

The Vikings will have a four-game road trip against conference foes Summit, Roselle, Rahway and GL from Jan. 21-29.

"We really want to play better on the road," Reagan said.

Union Catholic opened last year with a 58-57 win at Dunellen, with Herren netting 17, Nash 15 and Marciano 10.

The Vikings also won at Roselle Catholic 46-44, at Roselle Park 76-57 and defeated Brearley 55-51 in a Union County Tournament preliminary round game at Rahway.

"We're hoping our style will help us get a couple of wins when we do travel," Reagan said.

That style, according to Reagan, is pressure man-to-man defense, which means making teams feel uncomfortable in what they normally run.

2009-2010 UNION CATHOLIC VIKINGS

VARSITY BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAM:

Anthony Calenza, junior forward, (6-1), from Colonia

Chaz Carter, senior guard, (5-11), from West Orange

Zach Dlabik, senior forward, (6-0), from Edison

Brian Flores, junior guard, (6-2), from Union

Dave Herren, senior guard, (6-1), from Edison

Drew Hines, junior guard, (5-10), from Roselle

Ebentz Hyppolite, senior center, (5-9), from Plainfield

Mike Marciano, junior center, (6-11), from Rahway

Jamaad Nash, junior forward, (6-4), from Plainfield

Marco Panlilio, senior guard, (5-10), from Elizabeth

Kevin Polt, junior guard, (5-9), from Colonia

Brandon Reid, sophomore forward, (6-3), from Newark

Brandon Vargo, junior forward, (6-3), from Edison

2009-2010 UNION CATHOLIC SCHEDULE:

Dec. 18 Rahway, 7 p.m.

Dec. 19 Dunellen, 7 p.m.

Dec. 22 Governor Livingston, 7 p.m.

Dec. 28 Morristown-Beard, 6 p.m.

in St. Mary's, Elizabeth Tournament

Dec. 29 St. Mary's Tournament,

third place game 6 p.m., first place 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8 at Cranford, 7 p.m.

Jan. 12 Hillside, 7 p.m.

Jan. 15 Johnson, 7 p.m.

Jan. 16 St. Mary's, Elizabeth, 2 p.m.

Jan. 19 at Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 4 p.m.

Jan. 21 New Providence, 7 p.m.

Jan. 22 at Summit, 7 p.m.

Jan. 26 at Roselle, 4 p.m.

Jan. 28 at Rahway, TBA

Jan. 29 at Governor Livingston, 7 p.m.

Feb. 2 Cranford, 7 p.m.

Feb. 5 at Johnson, 7 p.m.

Feb. 9 Summit, 7 p.m.

Feb. 11 at Hillside, 4 p.m.

Feb. 12 Roselle, 7 p.m.

Feb. 20 St. Mary's, Jersey City, TBA

Feb. 23 Somerville, 7 p.m.

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