Basketball star looking to rebound from broken hand
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer
Jay Frank starts the college basketball preseason for The College of New Jersey with another tough break, literally speaking.

Two years ago, the former Brick Memorial star guard joined his team a month late because of mononucleosis and last year it was a back injury.

This year the senior has a broken right hand — his shooting hand — suffered six weeks ago. But Frank, a New Jersey Athletic Conference first-team selection last season who will be a co-captain on the team for the second straight year, said he expects his hand to be nearly fully healed by early next week as he prepares with his Lions for their Nov. 15 opener at Lehman College.

"It's healed up pretty good," said Frank, who has participated in practices with a glove on his hand. "It should be pretty good. It's made me work on my left (hand) a lot with this, which is good."

Frank suffered the mishap while getting fouled and falling during a pickup game.

"I never had a broken bone, not even stitches," said Frank, who also was named to the 2008-09 National Association of Basketball Coaches Atlantic All- District All-Stars second team last season.

"Jay looks extremely strong," said TCNJ coach Kelly Williams as he launched his second season when practices began on Oct. 17.

"He had a great junior year and with some of the recognition he received, we laugh that he's no longer the No. 3 and No. 4 (on the team) on scouting reports," Williams said. "We have to be ready for that and, up to that point, he has accepted that challenge from conditioning and taking care of the ball."

As a result, Williams said Frank — primarily an off guard last season when the team went 10-15 and lost in the opening round of the NJAC playoffs to Rutgers-Newark — may play more at the point guard spot this year.

"It's a very interesting mix this season with seven seniors so, from that point of view, we do have some experience," Williams said. "But the one area we're trying to build up is our point guard position where we'll slide Jay over there and have a freshman behind him. That's what we're having this season when we're going from seniors to freshmen in important positions."

Early in the summer Frank was in the Central American countries of Guatemala and El Salvador for a series of games for Athletes in Action in impoverished areas while sharing the message of Christianity. The team played seven games, many against high caliber teams in those countries. Frank is a member of a Bible study group at the school. Many of the games were played under difficult conditions with rims that were off alignment and poorly finished floors but Frank, ironically, still avoided any injury until he returned home.

"We're in pretty good shape physically as a team, compared to other years," he said.

But Frank said he expects to be one of five seniors in the starting lineup, as those players look to conclude their college careers with their best season there.

"We're more mature, we're focused," he said. "It's our last year, so we feel desperate (to do well)."

Frank was third in the NJAC in scoring last season at 15.7 points per game and led the league in free throw shooting at 85.9 percent (67-for-78). His 1.68 steals per game ranked seventh in the league and he led the Lions in rebounding in six games, averaging 4.9 per outing.

Last year he concentrated on further improving his defense to the level of the rest of his game as he did last season.

"I really have focused on it," he said. "My offense has been an A-minus to an A, but my defense has been a Bminus. I want it to be on the same level so I'll be good on both ends. It's going good as long as I keep in shape."

And Frank has done that with bicycling and running and stepping up his weight lifting with the school's program.

The team follows the Lehman game with a home opener on Nov. 18 against Berkeley and plays its NJAC opener against Rowan at home on Dec. 2.

Frank isn't the only one focusing on defense.

"Our defensive presence really must take a step up," Williams said. "We gave up 72 points a game last year and I'd like to get that down to 60 to 65. We worked on that the first week and rebounding the basketball (better) because we got beat up on the offensive boards by teams last year. Those two areas we're looking to correct. If we are able to improve there, we'll win more games and go farther into the playoffs."

Frank said after the five senior starters, the Lions' depth this year "is okay."

"It's an issue because we're so young (after the starters)," he said. "Besides, they did not play much (last season). We're really fast this year so the young guys we need to help and to make a big play here and there."

"We're making progress," Williams said. "The team as well as myself is much more comfortable going into my second year. The players know the system now and, hopefully, we'll go on to increase our chances to have a better season. Everyone is excited and playing with a lot of energy."

With the way Frank pushes the ball and dictates the offense from the point guard position, he'll make sure that the players who come in also get involved in the scheme of things.