T.J. Whitaker poses prior to the team practice on Dec. 2.
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — T.J. Whitaker wanted to stay.
In the past two years, Whitaker served as the assistant head coach of the Columbia High School boys basketball team under then-head coach Deon Mingo, who is now the head coach at Garfield HS. But to Whitaker, the two seasons were not great. There weren’t a lot of wins and the players were not having fun, he said.
Despite all of that, Whitaker was interested in taking over as head coach.
After talking to parents and players who threw their support for him, Whitaker was promoted to head coach of the team.
In a county that is known for its rich basketball history, Whitaker wants the CHS program to become competitive again.
“I want this place and our team to be a tough out, no matter who we are playing,” said Whitaker, as he was preparing his team for its second official practice on Dec. 2. “Even if we lose a game, I want the other team to know that Columbia is getting better. Once we become competitive, we want to be consistent and I think that is our goal, to hopefully keep some really good players at home and our goal is to create a program where local parents would want to send their kids to.”
Whitaker knows what it takes to be on a strong program, having played at perennial power Seton Hall Prep in West Orange. The 1987 SHP graduate played for legendary head coach Bob Farrell. In his junior year, Whitaker, who played point guard, helped lead SHP to its first state championship.
As the Cougars are getting ready for the upcoming season, Whitaker has been impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment. He also is excited about the returning players.
“I love our guys,” said Whitaker, who is an Honors English and social studies teacher at CHS. “We have four or five returning guys on varsity. Jayvon Rogers is a senior, Nate Kirby is a junior and one of our leading scorers. Matthew Synsmir is a junior who was injured last year and I think a lot of teams won’t have him on their radar, because he is going to be a big force for us. And then, I am excited, as a former point guard myself, to work with (seniors) Liam Ayers and Zach Alexander, who are both really smart and intelligent team guys and they are always looking to set other guys up. So if you have a point guard who is looking to do that, it just helps.”
The Cougars, who won 12 games two seasons ago and seven games last season, will tip off the season on Dec. 16 at West Side in Newark at 7 p.m.
Whitaker’s comments on free-throw shooting
Free-throw shooting is invariably viewed as an important part of basketball. It can help decide the outcome of a game.
Of course, every player wants to be exceptional at free-throw shooting. True, it’s hard to be perfect at the charity stripe, but the hope is to hit your attempts at a high rate.
Whitaker expressed his thoughts about the value of free-throw shooting, sharing his own experience when he was at SHP.
“Free-throw shooting is a very important part of the game,” Whitaker said. “It can, in many instances, make or break wins or losses.
“Going back to my own training with coach Farrell, we ended every practice shooting free throws for sprints. There were times, practices might have been two hours, but if we didn’t make our free throws and it took 20 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 40 minutes for us to make our free throws and cut down on the sprints, that’s how long we stayed. And then, at the end of games, it showed.”
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