Essex County Team of the Year: Seton Hall Prep- Pirates simply gelled from the start, winning nine of their first 10 games and proceeded to earn a share of the SEC-American Division championship with Payne Tech along with capturing the ECT crown with a hard-fought 65-61 victory over the Lions at Essex County College in Newark. SHP also won two state tournament games in the ultra-strong Non-Public, North A section, highlighted by a 52-49 triumph over Bergen Jamboree runner-up St. Joe’s of Montvale in the sectional quarters. Along with Essex POY Gonzalez the Pirates also received strong seasons from several other contributors in their deep rotation led also by senior guards Dylan Guzzardo (11.0 ppg, 2.6 apg) and Primo Delgado (6.9 ppg, 3.2 apg) and strong rebounding junior forward Alex Ante (10.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg).

Runner-Up Essex Team of the Year- Payne Tech- A very tough handle for any opponent, especially after senior guard Jamir Westry became eligible in January, the Lions put together a strong 21-8 campaign while also sharing the SEC-American Division crown with SHP which it gave a tremendous effort against in a narrow setback in the Newark school’s first-ever appearance in an ECT final. Essex POY runner-up Edwell along with Westry (19.5 ppg), senior guard Robert Foster (13 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.4 apg) and sophomore guard De’An Armstrong (10.7 ppg) spearheaded an athletic and very effective lineup under the guidance of Brad Howard who did a superb job keeping everything in a positive vein from start to finish which came with a narrow 57-56 loss at Mendham in the N2G3 state sectional semifinals.

Around Essex- It was a terrific run of reaching three straight Group 1 state finals achieved by Newark Tech and its fine cast of seniors led by twins Malcolm and Marcus Bragg, Jalen Baker and Rodney Tullis. Altough coach Marques Bragg’s Terriers lost in all three finals, including this season vs. Thrive Charter at Rutgers…East Orange Campus (18-12) finished strong under veteran coach Gabe Baltimore while advancing to the N1G4 state sectional final vs. a very strong Ridgewood squad…Caldwell, which continues its terrific run of strong seasons under its fine coach Mike Fess, won the SEC-Colonial Division title and registered an impressive ECT first round win at Newark Tech…Both Glen Ridge (21-7 and 11-2 in the SEC-Freedom Division) and Cedar Grove (19-6, 13-1 in the SEC-National) produced superb seasons under their respective coaches Mike Salvatelli and TJ Jones…East Side (15-15), which operates out of the SEC’s second-rated division, the Liberty, had a nice rebound season under longtime coach Anthony Tavares, including playing in the EIT final where it absorbed a narrow setback to Livingston…Immaculate Conception, which has been a mainstay in the county for the last several seasons, finished 11-16 in what will be its final season since the Newark Archdiocese plans to close the 100-year-old Montclair-based Catholic school for good in June.

Sideline Chatter’s Final Essex Top 10:
1-Seton Hall Prep (23-7)- Pirates won ECT title and shared SEC-American crown
2-Payne Tech (21-8)- Lions earned SEC co-championship and reached N2G3 semis
3-Newark Tech (24-5)- Terriers reached third straight Group 1 state final
4-Arts (18-13)- Talented Jaguars lost to Newark Tech in N2G1 final
5-St. Benedict’s (15-14)- Defending ECT champs rode talented frosh backcourt
6-Immaculate (11-16)- As per usual coach Jimmy Salmon had tough ‘indie’ slate
7-East Orange Campus (18-12)- Jaguars were strong down the stretch
8-Newark Collegiate (19-8)- Talent-laden Brick City team had strong guards
9-Caldwell (22-4)- Chiefs were solid throughout while winning SEC-Colonial
10-Montclair (16-11)- Mounties finished strong with five wins in last six games

Sideline Chatter 2024-2025 All Essex:
First Team:
Anthony Gonzalez, sophomore, Seton Hall Prep
Malcolm Bragg, senior, Newark Tech
Gerald Edwell, junior Payne Tech
Machai White, freshman, St. Benedict’s
Jamir Westry, senior, Payne Tech

Second Team:
Shelton Colwell, senior, Arts
Robert Foster, senior, Payne Tech
James Roberts, sophomore, East Orange Campus
Myles Blackley, senior, Immaculate
Dylan Guzzardo, senior, Seton Hall Prep

Third Team:
Chace Redler, sophomore, Millburn
Jayden Solomon, senior, Newark Collegiate
Jazmir Taylor, junior, Irvington
Jalen Baker, senior, Newark Tech
Tyshaun Boyd, junior, Arts

Fourth Team:
Alex Ante, junior, Seton Hall Prep
Jaden Barnett, junior, Immaculate
Brodie Cook, senior, Caldwell
Rodney Tullis, Jr., senior, Newark Tech
Kevin Freeman, senior Arts

Fifth Team:
Carlyle Adams, senior, East Orange Campus
Zach Smith, senior, Livingston
Chase Plotkin, junior, Millburn
Gregory Burton, senior, Orange
Alieu Kelleh, junior, Newark Collegiate