Millburn senior Joe Kizel proved again in Sunday's 48-44 Essex County Tournament win over Irvington why he is one of the very best guards around. (photos courtesy of corbosport.com)

Millburn players have been picking each other up bot figuratively and literally all season long.

Joe Kizel's ability to draw fouls underneath has been huge in keeping Millburn going to the charity stripe all season long in helping the team win 16 of its first 18 games so far.

Coach Rodger Blind's players have had plenty to be pleased about during a productive season.

Kizel Commands The Floor For Millburn
To Lead Way In ECT Win Vs. Irvington
By Steve Tober
For sidelinechatter.com

MILLBURN - There are more renowned guards on a statewide basis, such as St. Patrick’s Duke-bound, all-stater Kyrie Irving, and even more talented backcourt performers in Essex County, such as Seton Hall Prep’s junior Division I recruit Sterling Gibbs. But, when it comes to running precisely what his coach wants done, and dictating the pace and tempo of a basketball game to his team’s ultimate benefit there are few more adroit floor generals than Millburn senior Joe Kizel.

In Sunday’s hard-fought 48-44 Essex County Tournament first-round victory over a persistent and athletic Irvington team, it was Kizel who took the fifth-seeded Millers on his shoulders and helped engineer an important victory for the hoops program that he, fellow senior Alex Rosenberg and veteran coach Rodger Blind have helped put on the Essex County hoops map the past two seasons highlighted by this winter’s 16-2 record to date.

Kizel, a 6-footer headed to play Division III college hoops at Middlebury, scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, handed out four assists and had a pair of steals, which were impressive numbers enough in a low-scoring, Millburn-like patiently-played game. However, it was his overall smarts and ability to lift his teammates at the most opportune times that helped the Millers hold off continued challenges by the 12th-seeded Blue Knights (9-11) and preserve a victory that sends Millburn into this Saturday’s ECT quarters against fourth-seeded Shabazz, which rolled past 20th-seeded Montclair Kimberley Academy, 58-27, on Monday.

Irvington pressured Millburn all over the court virtually Sunday's entire contest, hoping to induce turnovers, which is how the Blue Knights try and deliver their game plan. Conversely, Millburn seeks a more patient deliberate approach, seeking just the right outside shot or attempting to find the back door cut at the most opportune time.

While some fans who follow the Millers day-to-day point to the team’s uncanny ability to play an up tempo when the opportunity arises, against a fast team such as Irvington, slowing the pace, and trying to establish one’s offense in the forecourt is the intention, even if it’s not always fulfilled.

With Kizel assisting teammates Andrew Spelman and Max Miller in breaking the press and with Rosenberg and forward Brian Brown helping out as well, Millburn could play its brand of basketball and flourish, especially at crunch time when trips to the foul line and converting there (Millers made 19 of 24 from the charity stripe) the result is usually in its favor.

“A lot of times for a while there we had trouble getting into our offense, but we have the guy in Joe Kizel who can make decisions with the ball against their press and-most of all-knows where the ball should go,” said Blind. “This was a typical Millburn game and although we had some tough times offensively, our guys gutted it out and to hold them to 44 is a good job.”

Kizel and Miller each sank 5-of-6 from the line in the fourth quarter as Irvington kept the pressure on, but also continued to foul down the stretch.

“We knew they were going to pressure us and didn’t want to come out and play soft so it was critical that we took care of the ball, took good shots and come out with a win,” said Kizel. “We also knew it would probably take making 10 to 15 free throws and we knew we needed to make some easy points as well and defensively hold them to a decent number, which we did.”

One of the key ‘easy’ buckets for the Millers came on a perfectly-executed back door cut to the hoop by Spelman, who took a nice feed from Brown for a very key bucket to give Millburn a 35-30 lead with 5:23 to go, just when it looked like Irvington might claw its way back into it.

“I try to be a team player and we certainly know Joe and Alex are the main guys for us, but everyone just tries to contribute,” said Brown, who was back in the lineup after missing two games with an ankle sprain. “We came out with the same type of intensity we’ve had in practice and this was a real good win against a quality opponent.”

Rosenberg, the 6-6 senior, chipped in with 12 points, but was not as productive offensively as he was on the backboards where he hauled down 11 rebounds to help thwart Irvington’s advantage in quickness and leaping ability down low.

Meanwhile, with solid floor games turned in by Spelman and Brown, and Kizel taking the team on his back as far as dictating pace and avoiding disastrous turnovers, Millburn moves on to the Final Eight in the county.

“I have coached college (former head man at St. Peter’s), high school, freshman, junior high and the smartest player I’ve had in my 37 years is Joe Kizel,” said Blind. “If you watch him in practice every ‘rep’ he does is perfect and it’s the quality of the reps.

“His intelligence on the floor is remarkable and he’s one heck of a high school guard, that’s for sure!”

GAME NOTES- Irvington’s outstanding 6-3 freshman Shakur Edwards led the Blue Knights with 17 points, including a trio of 3-pointers…Senior swing Sammy Cureton also had a productive game for Irvington with 10 points and five rebounds…Rosenberg’s current list of colleges include Emory, Middlebury, Williams and NYU…Kizel said in a post-game interview that he has already informed the Middlebury coach that he wants to go there. His other colleges that had been in the running were Rochester and Hamilton.

IRVINGTON (9-11) 12 5 13 14 -44

MILLBURN (16-2) 11 10 12 15 -48

Irvington: Shakur Edwards 3-3-2-17, Geneve Montfluery 0-0-1-1, Kimman Muhammad 3-0-0-6, Justin Harte 0-1-0-3, Antoine Vines 0-0-1-1, Sammy Cureton 3-1-1-10, Devante Chang 1-0-0-2, Shakir Cox 1-0-0-2, Dashon Lewis 1-0-0-2. Totals: 12-5-5-44

Millburn: Tony Bei 1-0-2-4, Andrew Spelman 2-0-0-4, Alex Rosenberg 4-0-4-12, Joe Kizel 4-1-7-18, Max Miller 0-0-5-5, Brian Brown 2-0-1-5, Wil Spellman 0-0-0-0, Adam Whitten 0-0-0-0. Totals: 13-1-19-48

ECT First Round Games from Monday, Feb. 8:

(1) Seton Hall Prep 79 (16) Newark Tech 44

(7) Newark Central 77 (10) Montcalir 69 (in OT)

(8) East Orange 68 (9) Columbia 56

(2) Newark East Side 85 (15) Caldwell 36

(4) Shabazz 58 (20) MKA 27

(3) University 61 (14) Barringer 49

Irvington 6-3 freshman Shakur Edwards (11) has been a strong performer all season for the Blue Knights, who fell to 9-11 with Sunday afternoon's 48-44 ECT loss at Millburn.

Veteran Coach Eugene "Bam" Robinson and his Irvington Blue Knights will look to keep it together as they return to action this week in the tough Super Essex Conference-American Division, which is one of the strongest basketball loops in the entire state.

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