MILLVILLE – A new era of Millville basketball got underway on Friday night.
And if the opening atmosphere and final outcome are any indications, the Thunderbolts could be pretty electric in their brand-new home.
While there will be thousands of baskets made, along with hundreds of victories and memories await in the future, the Millville boys’ basketball team capitalized on the only opportunity to make a first impression.
The Bolts opened the season with a 60-53 triumph over cross-county rival Cumberland, earning their head coach Mike LaTorre a victory in his debut.
“It was really, really cool,” said LaTorre, a 2002 Sacred Heart graduate who had been an assistant coach for a decade with the Thunderbolts before getting the top job. “I’ve been here over 10 years, this is my second home now.
“My family was here, a lot of my former players, too, and these guys in the program that I’ve been with for the last three or four years, it’s really cool to share this moment that we’re going to have forever.”
There was plenty of energy in the bright and shiny gymnasium, which features a scoreboard that hangs over center court and was dedicated to all the “past, present and future Thunderbolts of the basketball programs” in a small pre-game celebration.
The school’s marching band drumline added plenty of beat-thumping sounds during the game while three members of the choir performed a great rendition of the national anthem. Even a large projection screen brought a special message from Millville’s favorite son, Mike Trout, who wished the Thunderbolts good luck for the season.
“Millville deserves this kind of setting,” LaTorre said. “We’re trying to get everyone involved and make it special. We’re in the business of having to recruit kids to stay in Millville. We’ve did it with the football team and we’re trying to do it here (with the basketball team). We’re trying to create an atmosphere, an environment that is something special. Something that not every team can provide.”
The Thunderbolts certainly looked happy in their new surroundings.
“Every day we come in here and go to work,” senior Calem Bowman said. “It’s fun to be in this type of atmosphere. It helps us to try to get better every day.”
Junior Jaden Merrill added, “Great floor, great nets. I love this court, it’s a real step up from our old one.”
Merrill etched his name into Millville lore, scoring the first bucket for the Thunderbolts in the new home with a sweet turnaround jumper.
“That feels good,” Merrill said when told his name would be an answer to a trivia question for Millville hoops for years to come.
The junior center seemed more concerned with keeping Millville headed in the right direction. After a rough 3-10 season last winter, the Thunderbolts are shooting for more success this time around.
“People are doubting us after the whole COVID season,” said Merrill, who finished with eight points in the opener. “It feels good to be up now, get a win. We need to keep it going. I wanted to get out there and score as much as I could and contribute to this team winning.”
LaTorre is expecting big things from the center.
“He’s really improved from last season,” the coach said. “He played football this fall, got a lot tougher and more physical. He’s a big, aggressive guy.”
There’s been plenty of buzz around Holly City this month thanks to Millville’s football team, which captured the South-Central Group 4 regional championship a few weeks ago at Rutgers University.
“We’re tying to build off the success of the football team, but hey, that’s a lot of pressure,” LaTorre said with a laugh.
The Thunderbolts (1-0) rattled off a 12-4 run early in the fourth quarter to ice the win. Khalon Foster led all scorers with 20 points and Bowman chipped in 19 for the winners. Ethan Turner led Cumberland with 19 points.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
