Salem CC basketball team holds open scrimmage Saturday, first of several initiatives designed to drum up community support
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green has spent the last two seasons getting his Salem CC basketball team just the way he likes, but it’s largely been within the walls of the DuPont Fieldhouse. Now he’d like more of the community to see what he’s been seeing – and to keep coming back.
That chance to see what it’s all about comes Saturday when the Mighty Oaks open the doors for their Green-White Scrimmage. The 11 a.m. exercise is free and open to the public – just like their games are during the season.
It’s the first of what promises to be a number of initiatives to get the word out about the program to the public at large. In the coming days, folks can expect to see the players in public places interacting with community to drum up support.
“We’ve got something good going,” Green said. “We have respectable kids. We’ve got kids who work hard. We’ve got athletes who compete at a high level. We’re the defending champs, which is a really big deal; first time in school history that they won championships.
“We have a lot of stuff for the town to be proud of and we’ve just got to get that product out to them, to get them to us. We’ve got the product. We’ve just got to get them to us. Come and fill up these seats. We’ve got a good product.”
Last year the program enjoyed its winningest year in school history. The Mighty Oaks went 26-8, made their first region tournament appearance since 2022 and won a district title to make their first trip to the nations, where they won three games to finish fifth.
Akeem Taylor was the District MVP and Green was Coach of the Year. Many of the players have moved on to four-year programs even after only one year under Green.
Soon, the community can expect to see the current players out and about in their snazzy warmups going through the neighborhoods passing our schedule cards.
“Just to let them know we’re here,” Green said. “It’s our job to (get) them in and we want to try.
“Guys are playing hard with Salem across their chest. These aren’t Salem kids, but they honor and wear it, representing their town. You want to see who’s out there representing your town and hopefully they’re representing it in a good way, like we did last year.”
The Mighty Oaks return only three players from last year’s championship squad, so while the faces may have changed, with more length and players who can create off the dribble, the expectations never have. Several NCAA Division I coaches already have been in to watch their workouts.
“We expect to compete a championship year in and year out, that’s what we want to be. That’s what the new Salem is going to be, competing for a championship year in and year out.
“We’re not going to be at the bottom hoping we get a win or hoping somebody loses to get in the playoffs. We want to be at the top of the standings every year.”
And they’d like to have a packed gym to see it.
Later this month, the Mighty Oaks host a jamboree with Prince George’s, Union and Bucks CC at Cristo Rey High School in Philadelphia Oct. 18; a jamboree at West Virginia-Potomac Oct. 19 (with CC Baltimore and CCBC-Dundalk among others); and scrimmages at Alvernia (Oct. 23) and Penn State Brandywine (Oct. 29).
They open the regular season Nov. 6 at Atlantic Cape. The home opener is Nov. 13 against Bergen, when they’ll raise the district championship banner.
2025-26 SALEM CC MENS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
OCTOBER
12: x-Prince George’s CC; 18: x-Jamboree (Salem, PGCC, Bucks, Union), Cristo Rey HS, Philadelphia;; 19: x-Jamboree (vs. West Virginia Potomoc, CC Baltimore, CCBC-Dundalk); 23: x-at Alvernia; 28: x-at Penn State-Brandywine, 6:30 p.m.
NOVEMBER
6: at Atlantic Cape, 7 p.m., 8: at Delaware County; 13: Bergen, 7 p.m.; 15: vs. Bryant & Stratton at Penn Highlands Tournament, 5:30 p.m.; 16: vs. Sandhills or Penn Highlands, 3 p.m.; 18: Ocean, 5:30 p.m.; 20: at Passaic, 7 p.m.; 22: at Essex; 25: at Camden, 7 p.m.
DECEMBER
4: Thaddeus Stevens, 5 p.m.; 6: at Bergen, 2 p.m.; 9: RC-Gloucester, 7 p.m.; 11: at RC-Cumberland, 5 p.m.; 13: Brookdale, 2 p.m.; 18: at Ocean, 5 p.m.; 20: at Sussex, noon.
JANUARY
6: at Union, 6 p.m.; 10: at RC-Gloucester; 13: RC-Cumberland, 5 p.m.; 15: at Northampton; 17: Passaic, 2 p.m.; 22: Atlantic Cape, 5 p.m.; 27: Philadelphia, 7 p.m.; 29: at Brookdale; 31: at Luzerne, noon
FEBRUARY
3: Montgomery, 5 p.m.; 5: Harrisburg Area, 5 p.m.; 10: Union, 5 p.m.; 12: Camden, 6 p.m.; 14: Sussex, 2 p.m.
(x-scrimmage)
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