Tis the season

Salem County basketball teams hit the court with scrimmages this week; Salem gets it started at Cinnaminson Monday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – When Anthony Farmer answers the phone and right off the bat apologizes for the raspiness of his voice, you know exactly what time of year it is.

“That means basketball season is here and we still have work to do,” he said.

It’s the price a coach pays for trying to get the most out of a team he believes has the potential to be pretty good.

Salem’s boys lost a couple dynamic scorers and rebounders off last year’s 13-13 team and a 6-8 transfer starter who didn’t make it through the first semester, but Farmer is confident his Rams have the makings to be even better than the 21-8 team they put on the floor in his first season two years ago.

That team enjoyed a 15-game winning streak in the middle of the season and wound up losing in the South Jersey Group I finals. They started last year with equally high hopes and a pair of top 20 wins, but went through some early-season turmoil and never quite recovered.

This year hopes are high.

“I’m excited about this year’s team,” he said. “I think we can get back to where we were a few years ago and in fact go even further. Salem hasn’t had that level of success in quite some time.”

His optimism is rooted in a veteran team with size inside and guard play that’s expected to be the strength of the team. The backcourt is anchored by senior Anthony Farmer and will get a boost from Tymear Lecator, a 6-1 transfer who is expected to be one of the top freshmen in the state.

The Rams are the first in Salem County to get things started Monday in a scrimmage at Cinnaminson. Everyone else in the county hits the court start Tuesday.

“Just (looking) for the guys to compete, not hang their head,” Farmer said. “It’ll look ugly at times because you’re not there, but just do the little things, compete, share the ball, take the right shots; just go in there and do the things that people don’t write about, but things that win games.”

The Rams open the season for real against defending Group I state champion Woodbury in Penns Grove’s Red Devil Classic. Later this month they’ll travel to Bayonne for a holiday tournament in which they’ll face a Charlestown (Mass.) team that went 21-5 a year ago. They have set up a GoFundMe page to help defray expenses on their first overnight tournament trip.

Here is this week’s scrimmage schedule:

MONDAY
Boys
Salem at Cinnaminson, 3:45 p.m.

TUESDAY 
Girls
Schalick at Cumberland Christian, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Gateway, 4 p.m.
Haddon Twp. at Penns Grove, 4:15 p.m.
Boys
Cumberland Christian at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Gateway at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Triton at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY
Girls
Pennsville at Millville, 4 p.m.
Camden Academy at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Kipp at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Clearview, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY
Girls
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Bridgeton, 4 p.m.
West Deptford at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Camden Co. Tech at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Egg Harbor Twp. at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Paulsboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Camden Co. Tech, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY
Girls
Camden Tech at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Boys
Salem at Bridgeton, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY
Boys
Brandywine at Woodstown, 10 a.m.