North Jersey Interscholastic Conference 2025 boys basketball Player of the Year & full conference honors

Player of the Year:

Mason Mangione, Glen Rock, Sr.

The TCNJ commit wrapped up a record-setting career by leading Glen Rock to its first sectional title since 1972. Mangione delivered in the championship game, scoring 24 points in a 55-49 overtime win against Vernon that averaged last year’s loss to that same team in the semifinals.

It was a sweet way for Mangione to go out in his final home game.

The 6-foot-4 guard earned a starting role as a sophomore at the Bergen County school and rewrote the record book in just three years, scoring 1,411 points for the Panthers. Magione kept getting better and with his 3-point shot developing, it was hard to find a way to stop him.

“As a sophomore he was basically just a catch-and-shoot three-point shooter,” Glen Rock coach Jason Mittelman said after the sectional final. ”As a junior he started driving towards the basket more and now as a senior he’s posting up a lot more. He’s super aggressive attacking the rim and his game just keeps evolving year after year after year.”

Earlier this season, the senior came through with the best offensive game of his life. Magione dropped 39 points and led his team to a 61-54 win over a good Pascack Valley squad. That effort came days after Mangione dropped 38 on Ridgewood. Teams struggled to slow down Mangione, hoping only to find a way to contain him in order to have a shot at winning.

Coach/Team of the Year:

Jason Mittelman, Glen Rock

Magione headlined a team that came back this year laser focused on winning a title.

Glen Rock (23-7) felt like it let its shot at the championship slip away in 2024, when it lost to Vernon in overtime in the sectional semifinals. That bothered this veteran group. Magione set the tone in a lot of games, but the role players around him also stepped up and made plays.

“The kids have stayed motivated and helped push us to get better and get us ready for this moment,” Mittleman said after Glen Rock ended its championship drought.

Junior Robert Lopez is best known for a dagger 3-pointer he hit at the buzzer to beat St. Mary (Ruth.) a year ago in the NJIC Tournament semifinals. The veteran guard has grown into a leader that Glen Rock can trust. Junior Zachary Ashkenazy was another guard that Glen Rock turned to. He led the team in assists and steals, and played winning basketball all year.

Senior guard Sam Viggiano played a key role as well and juniors forwards Charles Garrett and Zachary Kaplan gave Glen Rock size. Senior Porter Beaudoin was also part of the rotation.

This team won the Colonial Division title and the North 1, Group 2 championship.

“Having the guys around supporting each other and being there for each other has been a part of this,” Ashkenazy said. “Every second counts for us. All of the hard work in every game, the bench, the JV kids, everyone put work into this overtime game after we lost to them last year.”

Other Notable Storylines

-Rutherford (23-6) put together a great year and after winning the National Division title, it turned it on and won the overall NJIC Tournament title. The Bulldogs beat Glen Rock and Paterson Charter on the way to that title. Both those programs went on to win sectional championships.

Senior Matthew Remias was a monster all year. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. He had 16 double-doubles this winter. Reimas also blocked 74 shots. His size in the paint gave Rutherford an edge that it leaned into, especially in big games.

“Just coming together as a team is really energy for us,” Remias said after putting up 13 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in the NJIC final. “Energy off the bench and energy on the court, we brought it everywhere. Our defense is our best thing out there. It leads to our offense.”

Reimas led a team that also relied on seniors Noah Pesantez, Chris Gioia and Spencer Budinich and juniors Max Gastelu and Alex Tran. Rookie Quinn Weber earned time and found a role for this team. Noah Anderson, Drew Carney, Maximo Correa chipped in as well.

Rutherford’s depth and ist experience paid off and led this team to a championship.

“They’re steady, gutsy and gritty,” Rutherford coach Jamie Parnofiello said after the win in the NJIC title game. “Those are things we preach — consistency, grit and toughness.”

-Paterson Charter (22-7) continued its success in the NJIC and in Group 1. The Passaic County program won the American Division title and took home the North 1, Group 1 championship. Senior Giovanny Figueroa was dynamic with the ball in his hands and showed no fear as he drove into the lane to score. The senior also was comfortable pulling up and hitting deep shots. He ended his career with 1,087 points. Senior Kyle Fulcher played the best offense of his life in the state playoffs. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the sectional final win over Cresskill.

Junior Julian Estrella emerged as a go-to guy for the sectional champs. Sophomore J’Khai Singletary and senior Joshua Diaby gave Paterson Charter size in big games.

-St. Mary (Ruth.) (20-10) brought in a lot of talent this season and that helped this team win the Meadowlands Division title. Lodi transfer Matt Kennedy came in and averaged 17 points. He led a cast of newcomers that also featured Montclair transfer Merrick Olkowski, Don Bosco Prep transfer Xavier Sam, North Arlington transfer Jesse Calfayan and Verona transfer Noah Garson. Senior B.J. Cunningham was a mainstay for the Bergen County program.

–Park Ridge (15-11) and Waldwick (14-13) split the Patriot Division title this season.

Park Ridge dropped its first game against Waldwick, but rallied in the rematch to win, 55-52. That upset victory secured a share of the division title. Senior Anthony Walter and junior Sam Fasola came through with double-digit points in that game. Fasola scored his 1,000th point in the playoffs and will look to add to that number when he’s back next winter.

Waldwick was on fire to start the year and junior Andrew Del Rey was a big reason why. He averaged 23.5 points and showed off insane range from 3-point range. The junior guard has the chance to be Bergen County’s next 2,000-point scorer. Del Ray scored a season-high 50 points earlier in the year to lead Waldwick to a win over Midland Park. He also had 48 points against Cresskill and 40 against Becton. Del Ray’s shooting gives Waldwick a winning edge.

–Cresskill (15-15) had a slow start to the year and finished behind Park Ridge and Waldwick in the division, but this program took off in the playoffs and made it to the North 1, Group 1 final. Senior Omer Tal was great down low and his strength in the paint set the tone. Junior Luke Kopczynski was another lengthy forward who stepped up. Ryan Faynzilbert, Jake Lewin and Sella Sharon were the top shooters from the outside for the Cougars.

–Dwight-Englewood (17-10) came back and played well down the stretch to win the Liberty Division. Junior Leo Colosimo took a leading role for this team along with seniors Dusan Dobric, Addison Leak. Rookies Leonard Rubin and Dylan Stone earning starting spots.

–Ridgefield (17-10) was led by two all-time great players in program history. Seniors Jason Marasciulo and Christopher Pallatta helped the small school program make the Bergen County Jamboree. Marasciulo finished his career with a program record 1,281 points. Pallatta also climbed the Ridgefield scoring ranks and ended his career with 1,151 points.

–Weehawken (18-6) put together a really good year and earned the top seed in the North 2, Group 1 bracket this season. Senior Jayden Ayala was hard to stop and when you get into the paint and finished strong. The senior finished his career with 1,287 points. Ean Britt and Tommy Gobel used their size to step up and make a winning impact for this program.

–New Milford (17-9) won a divisional title last year for just the second time in program history. This year’s team did not match that feat, but New Miflord had a great year. Senior guard Luis Placido had a big moment, scoring his 1,000th career point on a bank shot. He finished his career with 1,277 points and did it in a three-year span. Placido is going to play baseball in college, but also was a star for the football and basketball teams at New Milford this year.

–Manchester Regional (18-9) has watched top-level talent leave through transfers the last few years, but senior Ashawn Johnson stayed and helped this program thrive. The dynamic guard capped off his career at the Passaic County school with 1,140 points.

–Midland Park’s JT Graham also hit the 1,000-point mark this season and put himself in position to hit a key number next winter. The scoring guard is piling up points and if he keeps this up, Graham will have a shot at hitting 2,000. The junior can catch fire from 3-point range and hit a career-high nine deep balls in a win over Wood-Ridge this season. He averaged 23.5 points per game this year. Graham will be one of the top scorers back in Bergen County next winter.

–Becton had a tough year, but senior guard Adrian Rozon dazzled. He ended the year with 1,318 career points. What’s more impressive is that Rozon hit that number in just three years. Rozon averaged 18.5 points per game this winter and was one of the top guards in the NJIC.