Despite missing two games in February due to an injury, Pascack Valley senior Devin Merker still scored 101 points in the month—helping the PV Boys Basketball team clinch the number one seed in the state sectional tournament.
Merker’s love for the game has evolved over time. He remembers playing basketball throughout his early childhood.
“I got into playing the sport when my dad introduced it to me at a really young age, and I remember playing knockout with the 4th and 5th graders when I was in 1st grade at Woodside Elementary School,” Merker said.
Growing up, he continued playing basketball for his town and AAU. Eventually, when Merker reached high school, he immediately saw the varsity floor as a freshman.
“It took a little time for me to find my footing as a [freshman] player, but once I had one big game, I sort of earned the trust of the coaches and my teammates,” Merker said. “They supported me throughout the whole season, even if I had some freshman struggles with not knowing the plays or messing up on defense.”
Head Coach John Michael Santulli has nothing but praise for Devin.
“What makes Devin a pleasure to coach is his love for the game and his teammates,” the Valley coach said. “He is always looking to improve, he’s willing to accept criticism, and he is an absolute competitor.”
Off the court, Merker focuses on academics.
“I try to use any extra time in class to get my work done, or if I have a free period with a substitute teacher, I will try and get work done then too, so I don’t have to do it at home after a long day,” the senior said.
Merker and the Boys Basketball Team will look to make a deep run in their state sectional tournament.
Next year, Merker will continue his academic and athletic career at Middlebury College.
Sophomore Guard Raina Gibbs has been a key contributor for the Pascack Valley Girls Basketball Team this season. In the month of February, Gibbs has scored 127 points, with 99 of those points coming from her thirty-three three-pointers.
Gibbs credits her parents as her role models, especially her father. During Gibbs’s childhood, her father was the president of River Vale basketball, exposing her to the sport she now loves.
Coach Jeff Jasper is very proud of what Raina has accomplished thus far in her career at PV.
“Raina is a great three-point shooter, [possibly] one of the greatest three-point shooters in the state of New Jersey,” Jasper said. “Her game is so diversified now: she gets to the rim, handles the ball really well, she’s smart on the court, and she uses her voice.”
Gibbs had the chance to start varsity as a freshman, which is not common in Bergen County.
“I knew I had a large role to play on the team, and I think I stepped up to the challenge and pushed myself every day to become better for my team,” Gibbs said.
Before games, Gibbs listens to what she refers to as “hype-up music” and goes through stretching and ball handling. She also takes a number of shots before the game, sometimes both before school and during team warmups.
When discussing her shooting rituals before games, she explains that she makes herself make “30 threes from different spots in team warmups.”
As the girls team is currently in the state tournament, Gibbs has set goals for not only herself but also for the team.
“For the team, I want to go all the way and win states,” Gibbs said.
Coach Jasper also has some goals he’d like her to accomplish moving forward.
“I would like her to continue focusing on what she’s playing with,” Jasper said. “When you’re looking at a team that’s going to be without someone like Celina Bussanich, somebody has to be able to fill that gap of a leader and a role model. The next two years for Raina would be filling into that leadership role, and I believe that she can do it.”
Although only a sophomore, Gibbs hopes to play in college and plans to earn a degree in either business or sports medicine.
