(South Jersey Glory Days’ new feature, “Keep an eye on”, aims to give fans a quick look at an athlete who has impressed our staff with their play. We want to recognize things that don’t necessarily show up in the box score, such as knowledge of the game, hustle, athletic ability, being coachable, etc. These are athletes we think are capable of doing some good things for their respective teams. If you know an athlete we should keep our eye on, reach out to us on social media or email sullyglorydays@gmail.com.)
Staff Report
When it comes to the Pitman High boys basketball team, all eyes are on senior guard Elijah Crispin and his pursuit of 2,000 career points. Heading into tonight’s game at Clayton (7 p.m. start), Crispin — who is averaging nearly 29 points per game — needs 314 more points to hit that rarified air. It’s conceivable, at his current average he’d need about 11 more games — not out of the question if the Panthers make a postseason run. They have eight more games left on the regular-season schedule.
But in order to make a run at a sectional championship, and possibly beyond, Crispin is going to need help from some teammates. Keep an eye on fellow senior guard Mike Fisicaro, who has really been shooting the ball well lately. He’s nailed 10 three-pointers in the last two games, including six in the Panthers’ 73-61loss to Group 4 Cherry Hill East in last weekend’s Jeff Coney Classic at Rancocas Valley High.
That’s the kind of production the Panthers will need, as the Cougars swarmed Crispin with double- and triple-team defense all game and limited him to a season-low 13 points.
Fisicaro might not be a well-known name in South Jersey basketball, but he’s no scoring slouch himself. He’s closing in on 1,000 career points (968 as of today) and has averaged nearly 10 points per game throughout his four-year career. This season he’s upped his scoring average to nearly 14 points per game — a pretty good trick considering that Crispin is getting the bulk of the shots.
Fisicaro can do a little bit of everything, too, which will be vital in the postseason. He’s hit more than 200 threes in his career, is an 86 percent free-throw shooter throughout his career and has racked up nearly 300 rebounds and more than 250 assists. He also can play defense, amassing more than 100 steals in his career.
Dave O’Sullivan, Staff Writer
