Closing time
for the Crusaders

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Matt McLaughlin spent three years in the Father Judge High School sub-varsity system.
A point guard, McLaughlin did everything he could to prepare himself to become the starter for the Crusaders’ basketball team.
He worked on his shot.
He worked on his dribble.
He worked on his defense.
When it was time for him to become a starter this year, McLaughlin felt he was ready. But there also was one tangible element important to a starting point guard and teamwork.
"We’re all good friends, so I had a great relationship with all the guys on the team," McLaughlin said. "We had a team that had one of the best players in the Catholic League in Bob Zanneo, so we just needed to play together. My job, I just tried to get the ball to people and lead. All I wanted to do was have fun and win."
The fun part wasn’t a problem. The winning part . . . well, it wasn’t a bad year, but it certainly wasn’t what the Crusaders hoped for.
Judge finished 8-6 in Catholic League Northern Division play, a record that most years is good enough for a playoff spot.
This year, however, was one of the most competitive seasons in Northern Division history. Eight wins was only good enough for a fourth-place tie.
Judge and La Salle ended the year with identical records, forcing a preplayoff game. La Salle emerged victorious, spoiling a season that saw Judge win 15 games overall.
"You always want to make the playoffs, that’s always the goal," McLaughlin said. "So it was disappointing, but it was still fun. We had a good year overall, it just wasn’t what we wanted.
"When you have a league like we did this year, every game was tough," he continued. "But still, not making the playoffs in your senior year is tough because you always want to go out on a good note."
McLaughlin still had a chance to hit a good note. He played for the Northern Division in the preliminary Catholic League All-Star game, featuring the top seniors who weren’t All-Catholic selections. The game was played March 18 at Father Judge.
McLaughlin scored three points; North Catholic guard R.J. Handy had 14 to pace the Northern Division team to a 76-74 victory.
In the showcase game, despite 23 points from Zanneo, 14 from North Catholic’s Velton Jones and 11 from Ryan’s Chris Wilk, the Northern Division fell, 115-97.
McLaughlin and others liked to emphasize the fun aspect of the day.
"It was great because it gave me a chance to play with Jimmy (DiLisio, fellow Judge guard)," McLaughlin said. "I’ve been playing with him for years. In practice, he’s so tough because he’s bigger than most guards and he’s always hustling. It was nice to have a chance to play with him one final time."
Well, play basketball, anyway.
McLaughlin, DiLisio and Zanneo turned in the sneakers for spikes and are now playing for the Crusaders’ baseball team.
McLaughlin, a leftfielder, has high hopes for his senior year. But just as the basketball schedule had put the Crusaders to the test, their baseball schedule looks to be brutal.
"We have some experienced hitters, and if the pitching is good, we’ll be good," he said. "But it’s such a tough league. We play the best teams around, which is good, but it’s tough. You can’t make predictions; you just have to go out and play your best, see what happens.
"I’ve been playing both sports my whole life, but I’d probably say I’m more of a basketball player because I like it more. But I’m really glad I have a chance to play another sport. A lot of basketball players are done now, but we still have baseball to look forward to, so I’m happy about that," McLaughlin said.
Looking to the future, McLaughlin doesn’t plan to play sports next year, but he’s already decided on Temple University. He’ll likely major in business there — and minor in rooting for the Crusaders.
"Business is good because I’m not really sure what I want to be, but there’s so much you can do with it," he said. "And I’ll be back to Judge. I’m really going to miss it, but I’ll be back to see all the guys." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com