Ocean County College Men’s Basketball clinched a playoff berth just a season ago. The Vikings went 13-13 in the regular season and 1-1 in the postseason, before eventually losing to the Division III national champions.
I sat down with Dallas Weisse and Colin Raimann to reflect on the 2022-23 season and also look ahead into the 2023-24 season.
Weisse, coming into his second season with the team, solidified himself into the starting rotation as the season went on last year. “Early on, I was coming off the bench and I got more and more minutes as the season progressed,” Weisse said. Weisse made his first of 19 starts just four games into the season, and he finished the season with some solid numbers. Averaging roughly 30 minutes per game, he would record 12.2 PTS/G, 4.1 REB/G, and 1.9 A/G. Weisse is challenging himself to bring his assist numbers up, as well as lead the region in three point percentage.
Raimann, also going into his second year, has set a goal for himself: play consistent minutes in the rotation. Raimann was in and out of the lineup, playing in 14 games where he’d get a handful of minutes. “Individually, I’m aiming to crack quality minutes in the rotation and move on to a four-year school to continue playing after I’m done here,” Raimann said. He also earned a placement on the NJCAA All-Academic Third Team.
The goals for this team are to make the playoffs and beat Brookdale. “It’s personal,” Raimann said, when asked about the rivalry between the two teams. Brookdale, coming off a district and national championship, ended the Vikings season in the playoffs by a final score of 95-88. The Vikings want to make a statement and take down Brookdale, and they’ll have an opportunity to on January 18.
The Vikings go into the season with almost an entirely new roster. There are only three returning players, Weisse, Raimann, and Brien Dunphy II. Dunphy joined the team in January and he was able to contribute right away. He appeared in 12 games, averaging around 19 minutes per game, scoring 10.5 PTS/G, 1.8 REB/G, and 1.1 A/G. The team loses two key players in Josh Kline and Ethan Paul, who both averaged 18+ points and logged 30+ minutes per game. Kline committed to Drew University, and Paul committed to William Paterson. To step in, numerous guys like Dorian Alston, Dylan Hall, Kahlil Campbell, Dekari Harrell, and Kai Messeroll will need to find a role on this team. Whether that’s putting points on the board or playing stingy defense, this team has some big shoes to fill, and the Vikings feel they have players who can make an impact game in and game out.
A strength of the Vikings last season was that they played as a team. “Last year, we were a team who would never argue over something that happened in the middle of a game. We figured it out as a team and we need to continue to do that,” Weisse said. The Vikings do feel they have some things to work on as well. “We need to limit our turnovers, win the free throw battle, and improve at rebounding,” Raimann said.
The mindset of this team is to trust the process. “Be patient and be confident in your ability. When your number is called, be ready,” Weisse said.
