Morris County boys basketball coaches recognize best players at annual lunch

EAST HANOVER — When Ryan Kress got a call from Randolph basketball coach Nick Lavender during breakfast on a weekend morning, he was surprised. When Lavender said Kress had not been named to the Morris County coaches' first team, he was even more surprised, and a bit disappointed.

But finally, Lavender let Kress in on the joke. He'd been selected as the Player of the Year.

The Morris County Boys Basketball Coaches Association recognized Kress and the rest of its first-, second- and third-team honorees at a luncheon on Tuesday at Hanover Manor.

Asked why he was honored, Kress brought up "my overall presence on the court, whether it was scoring when my team needed it, taking charges, or making the right pass."

Kress will graduate as Randolph's all-time leading scorer for boys basketball, with 1,394 points. He also set school records for made 3-pointers (192) and assists (333).

"What Ryan meant to our program goes way beyond statistics," Lavender told the group. "Not every player can handle the pressure and perseverance it requires to do what Ryan was asked to do for our team night in and night out. ... Throughout all the adversity that our team faced, his work ethic, composure and selflessness pushed him to be great."

The rest of the first team included:

▪ Senior Michael Van Raaphorst, who helped Delbarton go 42-10 in the past two years and was named the Morris County Tournament Most Valuable Player.

▪ 6-foot-10 senior forward Michelangelo Oberti, who averaged a double-double as Morris Catholic reached the NJSIAA Non-Public B North final.

▪ Madison junior point guard Evan Colao, who scored in double figures in all but one game.

▪ Two-time first-team honoree Karson Culuko, who became Pequannock's all-time leading scorer for boys basketball.

▪ Mendham junior guard Kevin King, who head coach Bill Connolly said is "a hometown hero" to the young fans who come to games, but "to his teammates, he's just one of the guys."

Connolly was recognized as Coach of the Year by his peers, and thanked his wife and four children.

It is his fifth year at Mendham after eight as Morristown's head coach. His teams have accumulated 197 wins, made two appearances in the MCT final, and one trip to a sectional final. This season, the Minutemen went 19-8 and reached the MCT final despite graduating 80% of their scoring.

"I was really lucky, eight years ago, to be able to coach a group of guys from Morris County," said Morris Hills coach Andrew Maclay, whose son Cyrus was one of the third-team honorees. "Coaching them for those four years in middle school was an honor, and it's no surprise to see what they've done."

More: Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference boys basketball postseason honors

First team

Michael Van Raaphorst (Delbarton); Michelangelo Oberti (Morris Catholic); Kevin King (Mendham); Karson Culuko (Pequannock); Evan Colao (Madison)

Player of the Year: Ryan Kress (Randolph)

Coach of the Year: Bill Connolly (Mendham)

George Tyree Award for officials: Todd Maupai

Second team

Michael Amador (West Morris); Justin Hanson (Morris Knolls); Lincoln Zimmermann (Delbarton); Jackson Maloney (Madison); Michael MacAniff (Chatham)

Third team

Brendan Brunnock (Mendham); Nick Canariato (Kinnelon); John Karpinski (Hanover Park); Cyrus Maclay (Morris Hills); Simeon Washington (Parsippany Hills)

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ boys hoops: Morris County coaches luncheon, postseason honors