The Colonial Valley Conference typically features at least one boys basketball team that surprisingly performs better than most people expected. What happened at West Windsor-Plainsboro North this winter wasn’t just surprising; it was historic and created a story that uplifted an entire community. For their efforts in leading the Knights (23-6) to a school record in wins — also the most in the CVC — including the program’s first sectional final after three memorable home playoff wins, senior Malachi Jeffers-Viera is our CVC Player of the Year and Luke Beesley is our CVC Coach of the Year. Jeffers-Viera is also our Area Player of the Year. Ewing’s Joel Cineus was a close runner-up for Player of the Year after leading the Blue Devils (22-8) to the first CVC Tournament championship and the Central Group III title game in Paul Jones’ second season as head coach. Coach Darryl Young’s Trenton (15-13) and coach Jeff Molinelli’s Lawrence (21-8) won the Colonial Division and Valley Division, respectively, and each won one state tournament game and have one player on our All-CVC First Team. The Cardinals also made the CVC Tournament title game and dramatically improved from 12-14 last season, making Molinelli the runner-up for Coach of the Year. Other teams to advance once in the state tournament included coach Matt Stein’s Hopewell Valley (21-7), coach Tim Stevens’ Notre Dame (16-12) and coach Conor Hayes’ Robbinsville (15-14). Here is a closer look at the CVC’s best performers this winter, along with our All-CVC selections. Marvin McNeil, Lawrence The 5-foot-11 junior guard was one of the CVC’s physically toughest and most dangerous players as he scored from all three levels, hit clutch shots, and created plays for his teammates. McNeil finished seventh in the league with 15.8 points per game despite always being at the top of teams’ scouting reports. His most memorable performance came when he lifted Lawrence to its first win over rival Notre Dame since 2010 with 27 points in the CVC Tournament semifinals. Will Foley, Notre Dame The 6-foot junior guard flashed as smooth of a handle as anyone in the league, effortlessly creating plays off the dribble and pulling up for shots from any range. Foley’s 18.8 points per game ranked fourth, and he also tallied 116 rebounds, 67 assists and 36 steals in 28 games. His 35 points against Central Bucks East on Jan. 4 was the high-water mark in the CVC this season. Juan Sanchez, Trenton The 5-foot-7 junior guard was small but mighty on the court with the third-highest scoring average (19.1 points per game) while being a constant pest on defense with 69 steals in 26 games. He was exactly the leader that Trenton needed to show drastic improvement from a 6-17 record last season. Sanchez guided the Tornadoes to a state tournament win against Hunterdon Central with 25 points, four rebounds and five steals. Malachi Jeffers-Viera, WW-P North The 6-foot-5 senior forward scored from everywhere and finished with the most total points (557) in the CVC and for his career (1,230) at North, but his value was so much more than that. Our Player of the Year also averaged 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals. But most important, he was a leader and pioneer for a program that was never known for being good in basketball. Jeffers-Viera always preached that he was simply having fun on the court with his best friends, and that created lifelong memories. Joel Cineus, Ewing The 6-foot-5 senior forward was the most physically imposing figure in the CVC with his strength and ability to score at will in the paint. Cineus averaged 15.1 points and nine rebounds and blocked 59 shots in 30 games. His most dominant game — 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks at Burlington Township — sent Ewing to the Central Group III final. The Blue Devils ultimately came up a bit short against Colts Neck, but they got their swag back as a program. Tyler Bunnell, Robbinsville The 6-foot-5 junior was a nightly double-double machine and leader for a Ravens team that lacked significant varsity game experience early in the season. Bunnell averaged 18 points to get to 1,030 career points as only a junior, putting him on pace to set the school record next season. He was a stellar rebounder and could match up with virtually any forward in the CVC. Luke Beesley, WW-P North The fourth-year head coach helped his first freshman class cap off a stellar career with historic achievements. The program had never won 20 games before, let alone 23. The program had never been to a sectional semifinal, let alone a final. Beesley is a former college player at Southern Connecticut State. He mixes up his defenses well to cause chaos, and his players really share the ball offensively. The Knights were not overloaded with talent this season; they simply had experienced players who cared deeply for one another, so it’s safe to say everyone involved got every ounce out of this team before it bowed out against powerhouse Montgomery in the Central Group IV championship game. Our First Team All-CVC Boys Basketball Selections: Lawrence’s Marvin McNeil, Notre Dame’s Will Foley, Trenton’s Juan Sanchez, WW-P North’s Malachi Jeffers-Viera, Ewing’s Joel Cineus, Robbinsville’s Tyler Bunnell and WW-P North’s Luke Beesley. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) ALL-CVC BOYS BASKETBALL First Team G Marvin McNeil Lawrence Jr. G Will Foley Notre Dame Jr. G Juan Sanchez Trenton Jr. F Malachi Jeffers-Viera WW-P North Sr. F Joel Cineus Ewing Sr. F Tyler Bunnell Robbinsville Jr. Second Team G Milan Desai Hopewell Valley Sr. G Terrance Traylor Ewing Jr. G Michael Bess Jr. Princeton Jr. G Gary Jennings Princeton Day So. G/F Qadir Dixon Trenton Sr. F Noah Johansen Lawrence Sr. F Jason Whitlock Hightstown Jr. Third Team G Ryan Jean-Baptiste WW-P North Sr. G Blake Amos-Whitfield WW-P North Jr. G Aivaye Ingram Trenton Jr. G Jude Berman Hopewell Valley Jr. G Kristian Thomas Ewing Jr. G Sean Turner Hamilton So. F Josh Gatete Notre Dame Sr. Honorable Mention Mattox Watson (Allentown); Davion Morton (Ewing); Nakye Bradshaw (Hamilton West); Chase Deutsch (Hightstown); Ethan Rich (Hopewell Valley); Josh Wilson (Lawrence); Wyatt Moore (Notre Dame); Liam Cox (Nottingham); Zion Madden (Princeton); Adam Stewart (Princeton Day); Marcus Rodolphe (Robbinsville); Anthony Santucci (Steinert); Thomas Munoz (Trenton); Aaryan Dadan (WW-P North); Cameron Jones (WW-P South). CVC Player of the Year Malachi Jeffers-Viera (WW-P North) CVC Coach of the Year Luke Beesley (WW-P North) ...read more read less