Boys basketball: Two Skyland Conference coaches to be inducted into NJSCA Hall of Fame
Bound Brook High School’s Anthony Melesurgo and Gill St. Bernard's legend Mergin Sina can now be addressed as Hall of Fame basketball coaches.
Both boys basketball mentors got word recently that they will be inducted into the New Jersey State Coaches Association (NJSCA) Hall of Fame next month.
Melesurgo, a 2000 BBHS grad, has been boys coach at his alma mater since the 2004. The Seton Hall University alum took over a program in the throes of a 30-game losing streak. He had been an assistant coach for a team that finished 0-18 the previous season.
“When I took over the program, there were like four or five people in the stands, and now you can't find a seat for games, especially the big ones,” Melesurgo said. “At one point there was no gym because it was contaminated and flooded out. I don’t think the program could have been in any worse state than it was at the time. I'm grateful (then athletics director) Dan Gallagher gave me the chance, and I’ve run with it.”
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Melesurgo has led the Crusaders to a 362-143 record during his stint, and is now less than 20 wins from surpassing Bound Brook legend Joseph Barile as all-time winningest coach at the school, dating to the early 20th century.
Bound Brook went 30-0 the past three seasons in winning three straight division titles. The Crusaders were promoted from the Skyland Conference Valley Division to the Raritan division before this season.
“It’s humbling (to receive the honor), I didn't really expect it,” said Melesurgo, a special education teacher. “It’s really just about the good players we've had over the years, and I've had really good assistant coaches that helped me along the way.”
Sina, who is in his 20th year coaching at Gill, played collegiately at Seton Hall and the University of Rhode Island, and professionally in Europe for 12 years before coming to the school. He led the Knights girls for six seasons and has been with the boys the past 14.
His girls teams went 105-49 in six seasons, that included the program’s first two Somerset County Tournament titles, in 2009 and 2010. His boys teams have gone 292-79, winning seven of the past nine county tournaments, with five straight from 2015 to 2019.
“It’s a great honor but wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the great young men and women that were part of our program – they made my job easy,” said Sina, also a member of the Portuguese Basketball Federation Hall of Fame.
He and his son, Jaren, run Sina's Hoops Academy in Lake Hopatcong. Jaren was a two-time Courier News Boys Player of the Year for his father before playing at Seton Hall and professionally in Europe. He’s now an assistant coach for his father after coaching the last two seasons at Bernards. His daughter, Jasmine, was a superstar player for GSB, before playing four years of Division I college ball. She’s now a collegiate coach.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Boys basketball: Two Skyland Conference coaches to be inducted HOF
