Vegas performance boosts freshman hoops class

If a summer tournament in Las Vegas is any indication, this should be a fruitful freshman class in high school boys' basketball.

A group of mostly incoming freshmen competed for Team Speed-Unleashed Energy from Cherry Hill, which captured the 14-and-under Swoosh World Championship in July. The winners played in the Gold Division, the highest caliber of competition.

"This capped off an incredible year," coach Bob DePersia said.

The only two players on the team who won't be entering high school are the coach's sons, twins Robbie and Nicky DePersia. Both guards will be eighth graders at Rosa International in Cherry Hill.

The rising high school freshmen from South Jersey are 5-foot-10 Rodney Williams (Cherry Hill West), 6-3 Nick Tretina (Camden Catholic), 6-3 Jake Johnson (Camden Catholic), 6-4 Matt Klinewski (Eastern), 5-10 Ryan Lazarow (Cherry Hill West), 5-10 Joel Roberts (Seneca), and 5-11 Ted Stavetski (Haddonfield).

The other three team members were 6-2 Sheppard Garner, who will attend Philadelphia's Roman Catholic; 6-5 Dion Jones, Philadelphia's Communications High; and 6-2 Austin Tilghman, St. Andrews in Delaware.

Team Speed went 3-1 in pool play, beating teams from Colorado, Canada and Minnesota and losing to Compton, Calif.

In the elimination round, the New Jersey squad beat No. 1 seed Las Vegas Valley, 61-57, as Williams and Klinewski each scored 14 points.

The New Jersey team then earned a 52-41 victory over Compton on July 30 as Garner scored 15 and Robbie DePersia added 11.

That ended a summer that included plenty of basketball and miles. Among the other places to which the team traveled for tournaments were Atlantic City, Boston and Puerto Rico.

DePersia says he thinks many of these youngsters could see varsity time as freshmen.

"I think this is going to be a talented freshman class in South Jersey," DePersia said. "What is good is to see how they developed over the summer."