“Nosym is phenomenal on both sides of the ball for our football team and is a terrific defender for us,” said Barrino. “We have an athletic group on our basketball team and he was a big part of that.”

Looking ahead to next season Shabazz will certainly move up a division or two in the Super Essex Conference after being in the SEC’s fifth of six divisions, the Freedom, this past season.

The Bulldogs who were 0-18 just six years ago in 2019-2020, just as the covid virus was making an impact, were 8-20 in Barrino’s first season at the helm in 2022-2023 before making the move up to 14-13 (5-9 in the SEC-Independence Division) in 2023-2024 and 15-12 (8-6 in the Freedom) in 2024-2025.

“We look forward to continuing to move up in divisions,” said Blackmon. “We did go 4-1 against the American this season (defeating Arts twice, Newark Tech in the state tourney and East Orange Campus in the Essex County Tournament quarterfinals, while losing to Seton Hall Prep in the ECT semis), and also defeated teams such as Bloomfield and Montclair (from the SEC’s third division, the Colonial), and I believe that no matter what division you are in it comes down to which guys come to play that particular day, and our guys did that for 29 wins in 30 games.

“It was great to our team be on that stage (at Rutgers) in a state final against Thrive, and perform as well as we did.

“I feel blessed to be coaching the Malcolm X. Shabazz High School basketball team which I feel has some great years ahead as these young men continue to stay the course, mature on and off the court, and look to be legendary because it’s about how you want to be remembered which means bringing your best each and every day!”

NOTES- Nas Barrino scored 1,089 points while also being the main distributor on the court as a standout point guard for Mariniello at Hudson Catholic, which won four straight Hudson County Tournament titles during his time there…He graduated from University of San Diego where he played one season for coach Lamont Smith before recurring knee injuries ended his playing career…Shabazz won its first Newark Public Schools Tournament title back on Dec. 30 with its 48-45 victory over Arts at Weequahic High School…The Bulldogs’ trademark pressure defense was in full evidence when the team scored 17 points in a second overtime period to defeat East Orange Campus, 79-66, in the quarterfinals of the ECT…Naz Barrino’s dad Angelo Barrino was a standout guard for Shabazz in the mid-1990s as the Bulldogs won Group 3 titles in both 1995 and 1997 and reached an ECT final in ‘97 with a team that included the elder Barrino, Khalid Coursen and Shahib White…Shabazz last won an ECT title in 1990 and won overall Group 3 state titles in 1962, ’65, ’71, ’79, ’77, and under longtime coach Lou Grimsley in 2001 and 2005 along with a Central Jersey, Group 2 crown in 2010...Shabazz junior guard Elijah Colon is the son of Shabazz Athletic Director Noel Colon.                  

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