Jack Collins had big night in front of hometown crowd

Manasquan native Jack Collins (13) scored 24 points for RKE Athletic in the win over OrthoNJ. The game was played at Manasquan High School in front of his hometown fans.

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

Two years ago Jack Collins was playing basketball for the Warriors of Manasquan High School where he helped lead them to three Shore Conference Divisional Titles, two Shore Conference crowns, and two NJSIAA Group titles. In his final two years as a Warrior the teams went 43-1.

Collins was a First Team All-Shore selection in 2021 where he averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists per-game. He was one of 200 underclassman chosen to attend the NCAA Basketball Academy in 2019.

Monmouth University is where the 6’5” guard plays his collegiate hoops. During the summer, he plays for RKE Athletic in the Jersey Shore Basketball League. The JSBL plays all their games at Manasquan High School, and last Thursday night there were a lot of locals to watch 20-year old Collins and his RKE teammates beat OrthoNJ 110-92.

In that win, Collins scored 24 points and was high man for RKE Athletic. He also had 15 rebounds and six assists. RKE had eight players in uniform and seven scored in double digits to give the team a 2-0 record, good for second place in the JSBL standings.

Sidney Brown had 16 points and eight rebounds, Nick Davidson scored 15 points and eight rebounds, Amir Maddred finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, Kevin Mateo had 13 points and four rebounds. Dane Moran and TJ Berger both scored 11 points.

Lloyd Daniels Jr., finished with six points for RKE Athletic. His name might sound familiar as his dad, Lloyd Daniels was a professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Lakers, Sacramento Kings, NJ Nets and the Toronto Raptors. The 6’7” NBA star was in the stands to cheer on and support his son.

Leading OrthoNJ was Jesse Jones, the 6’ guard who finished with 42 of his team’s 92 points. He made 15 of 20 shots from the floor and three of nine from outside the arch. He also had four rebounds, three assists and steals. His hometown is Irvington, and he played his college ball at the University of Bridgeport.

Ray Salnave played for Cardozo HS in New York. He played four years at Monmouth University and was second-team All-MAAC. He had 26 games for the Hawks where he scored in double digits. His highest game at MU was against Fairfield, where he had 34 points. In the loss to RKE Athletic, Salnave scored 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Jersey Shore Basketball League standings has defending champions Sterns Trailer undefeated at 3-0, RKE Athletic at 2-0, Sea View Jeep 2-1, Larson Ford 1-1, OrthoNJ 1-1, Sea Shore Auto 1-2, WCT Warriors 0-2 and ACI/Robin’s Nest 0-3.

JSBL games are Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday nights at Manasquan High School. First game is at 7:00 p.m., and game two at 8:30 p.m. No spectator fees.

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