Ocean City High School girls’ basketball team’s recent South Jersey championship brought to mind our town’s great hoops heritage. From championship teams to organized rec leagues, to a thriving summer pickup ball scene, Ocean City has a lot to offer fans and participants for the roundball sport.
And now that a long winter is just about in the rear-view mirror and soon fans will be filling out their NCAA tournament brackets and gearing up for the NBA playoffs, Ocean City is rolling out the welcome mat as only Ocean City can.
The Recreation Department hosts free “open play” basketball every day at the Civic Center, 6th and Boardwalk. Players are welcome to show up to shoot around or join a pickup game.
There are also organized spring leagues for men and women, high school boys and girls, junior high boys and girls, boys and girls intermediate and “Biddy” ball for the youngest hoopsters. That’s nine organized leagues!
City Councilman Pete Madden, 38, has played in the men’s league for more than a decade. “It’s just a lot of fun,” says Madden, a 5-11 shooting guard. “I only wish I could slow down Father Time. I am at an age where I am just trying to do anything I can to help my team. The culture of the rec league is highly competitive.”
One would expect nothing less in Ocean City, where Ocean City High School has had a championship legacy since the 1950s.
In 1955, Red Raiders coach Dixie Howell’s squad went 21-1 and went on a 16-game winning streak, culminating in a 58-56 overtime win over North Arlington for the school’s first state title. Nine years later, led by South Jersey Basketball Hall of Famer John Cranston, the Raiders did it again, going 21-4 and beating North Arlington once more, this time for the state Group II title. Howell would go on to post a 277-69 overall record during his 16 years leading the Raiders.
Not to be outdone, the girls program has dominated in recent years. In 2013, led by Natalie Landi, the Raiders won the state Group III championship. Paul Baruffi’s Raiders nearly duplicated that feat this season, before falling in the state semi-final earlier this week.
The heart and soul of Ocean City’s hoop scene is the outdoor game. Vacationing college players from Philadelphia and all parts of South Jersey and beyond can be found at pickup hotbeds such as the outdoor courts at 34th St. and 6th St. The late Dr. Jack Ramsay, a former ESPN commentator and NBA champion coach, could oft-times be seen checking out the action.
Longtime Ocean City resident Harry Klause, 67, is a legendary pickup star who still gets out there mostly to shoot around. He said it’s harder to find pickup games these days, as many of the younger players devote their efforts to organized AAU ball. But if you look around, games can be found. He said the courts at the Ocean City Intermediate School draw a regular group of guys most days. And once the vacationers arrive, there will be a plethora of action at most City playgrounds.
To illustrate, one merely needs to talk to former longtime Stockton College (now University) coach Chris Crowley. Head coach Gerry Matthews took a one-year leave from the job in the mid-90s and Crowley was named head coach for the year. That meant he needed to replace himself with an assistant. He immediately thought of former Ospreys star Kevin Brooks as the choice but he had no contact information for him.
“But what I did know was he played a lot of pickup in Ocean City and played in the summer league,” Crowley said. “I used to scout the OC League on a regular basis anyway, so I figured I would head over there to catch a game.
“Sure enough, Kevin was playing in the very first game I went to. He joined our staff and 20 years later he is still making a great contribution to Stockton basketball.”
