HAMILTON — The challenging part being of being a senior transfer in New Jersey high school sports is having to integrate with your team once your period of ineligibility is over.
For a first-time senior transfer, that’s 22 days. For a second-time transfer, that’s 30 days.
Lawrence senior Blake Amos-Whitfield had to sit for a month because he previously attended both WW-P South and WW-P North, so the boys basketball team had already played 12 games when Amos-Whitfield became eligible this week.
Now at full strength with Amos-Whitfield and Notre Dame transfer Elijah Ale in the mix, Lawrence flexed its depth Thursday night in a 63-54 victory at Nottingham.
“I think we have some of the best guards in this league,” said Amos-Whitfield, who contributed nine points off the bench. “Even though we may be small, I feel like we have the skill to outwork and outhustle teams, so I think we’re going to be solid going later into the season.”
Amos-Whitfield, one of the stars of the NJSIAA state tournament last year when WW-P North made an unprecedented run to the Central Group IV final, admitted it hasn’t been easy subbing into his first two games since he was used to being in the starting lineup last season.
But the Cardinals have a deeper unit than the Knights did last year, and his mindset is that the harder he works, the more he’ll prove himself and earn his spot.
“I definitely had to work in practice to earn my spot because nothing is given,” said Amos-Whitfield, who could still practice with the team during his period of ineligibility. “I’ve been working, grinding, trying to fit in where I can fit in because they already have a solid group and program that they’ve been running for years. So I had to figure out what I need to work on to fit into the piece to help us be successful later on in the season.”
It’s a competitive process when you’re surrounded by standouts like Marvin McNeill, who dropped 25 points against Nottingham and is now 15 away from 1,000 for his career.
Lawrence also got double figures from Michael Carrick (14 points) and Josh Wilson (10 points), who have developed into play-making guards in their second year with significant varsity playing time.
“Michael from his freshman year to now has been unbelievable,” coach Jeff Mollinelli said. “He’s our spark plug. He plays his butt off. He hits big shots and defends and has great energy. And Josh, he’s really stepping up this year for us. You saw today, he got a bunch of steals. He’s athletic. I’m really proud of them. They got both a lot better. They put a lot of work in in the offseason.”
Ale started and knocked down a 3-pointer in the first quarter as Lawrence quickly grabbed the lead and never trailed.
Meanwhile, Amos-Whitfield played the entire second quarter and then the rest of the game after subbing in at the 4:36 mark of the third quarter, giving the Cardinals solid defense and timely assists in addition to his scoring.
“He’s just very fundamental which is what we need,” said Molinelli, who also praised Amos-Whitfield’s leadership. “He just plays basketball the right way. It helps our offense and our defense a lot.”
Amos-Whitfield thinks he fits in well and hopes to contribute more as the weeks go on. For now, he’s just happy to be the floor for a 9-5 team that has the potential to win trophies in the CVC and in the state tournament.
“Our defense is our strong suit and something we take pride in,” Amos-Whitfield said. “If we keep pushing teams out of their comfort zone, I feel like we’ll have success.”
Molinelli is also high on what looks like one of his best teams in his 13 years at the helm. The challenge is sifting through different lineups and evaluating what works best depending on the size and quickness of their opponents.
“Definitely trying to figure out the best rotation for us,” Molinelli said. “I think we can really defend. We usually have four or five guys on the floor that can shoot, dribble and pass, which helps our offense. I like our team.”
Nottingham came into the game with a 7-2 record but couldn’t generate consistent offense outside of Liam Cox, who poured in 21 points.
The Northstars also hung around thanks to a trio of 3-pointers from both Darlen Antoine and Harry Bisset, but the Cardinals led by double digits for most of the second half.
“This is a tough place to play and (Chris) Raba’s program is something I truly respect,” Molinelli said. “To come in here and get a big win is a credit to my guys. They played well.”
LAWRENCE (63)
Carrick 5-3-14, Ale 1-0-3, Wilson 4-2-10, McNeill 7-7-23, Amos-Whitfield 3-2-9, Lafontant 1-0-2, Moore 0-2-2.
Totals — 24-16-63.
NOTTINGHAM (54)
Dormevil 1-3-5, Cox 9-3-21, Rumph 1-0-2, Antoine 4-1-12, Bisset 3-0-9, Roberts 0-2-2, Cullers-Boyd 1-0-3.
Totals — 19-9-54.
Lawrence (9-5) 15 15 20 13 — 63
Nottingham (7-4) 10 7 21 16 — 54
3-point goals: McNeill 2, Carrick, Ale, Amos-Whitfield (L), Antoine 3, Bisset 3, Cullers-Boyd (N).