Haddonfield Duo Headed to Rowan

During the past four years, two of the most exciting basketball players in South Jersey were twins Nick and Rob DePersia of Haddonfield.

It was not only that they were four-year starters, that Haddonfield was a Top 10 program in each year, and that Haddonfield was also a four-time Colonial Conference Liberty Division champion. It was all made even more spectacular because the DePersias brought a high level of excitement simply because they excelled at both ends of the court.

They were dogged defenders, and as 1,000-point scorers, dangerous on offense.

Now the two will be applying their craft together at Rowan University.

This is a great coup for Rowan. There were a number of schools that were recruiting one of the DePersias, but Rowan made it known from the beginning that it wanted both of them. And since the brothers have enjoyed such a close relationship their entire lives, they had long ago made the decision that they wanted to attend college together.

At Haddonfield, they brought an extra level of excitement because of how hard they played. Opposing guards often had trouble bringing up the ball because of the relentless pressure the twins provided.

During the last two years, it took one of the top programs in South Jersey to eliminate the Bulldogs in the postseason. In 2014, Camden beat the Bulldogs in the South Jersey Group 2 semifinals. This year, Camden again topped Haddonfield, this time in the South Jersey Group 2 championship game.

Both youngsters are outstanding students and have been accepted into Rowan’s Engineering School.

As for the impact on the basketball program? While the DePersias shouldn’t be looked on as saviors, they should greatly help coach Joe Cassidy’s program.

This past season, the Profs finished with a 16-10 record and lost in their first New Jersey Athletic Conference playoff game, 83-58 against Rutgers Newark.

The NJAC is a difficult conference, and Rowan rival Stockton has been in the forefront recently. Stockton won its second straight conference title and ended up ranked No. 21 nationally in the final D-3hoops.com national poll.

Rowan and the rest of the NJAC are now striving to catch Stockton. Just like Rowan, Stockton relies on many New Jersey players and, of course, recruiting well in South Jersey is obviously a key.

Stockton’s best player this season was 6-2 senior Josh Blamon, a graduate of Cinnaminson. Blamon was a D-3hoops.com second-team all-American. He was a player who only appeared in three games for Stockton as a freshman, but continued to get better each year and was a force his final two seasons.

These are the types of players who can take a program to the next level. The DePersias certainly have the ability to improve Rowan’s program. How they fare at the next level remains to be seen, but based on their track record of being winners and providing maximum effort, this is surely a move that should greatly benefit the Rowan program.

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Author: Marc Narducci