Sean Fealey and Tim Gordon;The faces of Nutley Varsity Basketball

From Ryan Ibrahim to Will Llanza to Jordan Small to Erik Thompson to Anthony Pinal, Nutley boys basketball has been improving incrementally each year. For years, Nutley boys basketball has had at least one to two key players who step up and show their talent. This year it’s two juniors who have worked hard and given their best: Sean Fealey and Tim Gordon.

The two boys have been varsity starters since their sophomore year and are continuing to show why they hold that place. Racking up points, two’s or three’s, and rebounding every chance they get, the two are the definition of team leaders. They encourage their teammates, show great sportsmanship, and are positive no matter if it’s a win or a loss. Their new head coach, Rob Porrino, who was an assistant coach for many great Nutley coaches in football, track, and basketball, has helped the two improve and take ownership of their skills while also helping them build a strong confidence.

Tim Gordon got into his love of basketball from his dad, Tim Gordon Sr., who picked up basketball later on in life and encouraged Tim to start playing. The younger Gordon’s love and skill for the game skyrocketed from there. Standing at 5’10 as a junior, Gordon plays guard and forward.

Not only does the junior put up shots, but he drives to the basket with a strong passion to snatch the rebounds before anyone else can. As Gordon said, “Getting to the rim is what I do most. I do a lot like passing and rebounding but I would say getting to the rim is my best strength.” This strength is showcased in games when Gordon jumps for the rebounds over guys who have a better height advantage, and takes it like he was born rebounding.

Besides rebounding, he’s got amazing shooting skills. Whether it’s a three point shot or a strong drive to the basket for a layup, Gordon is always on point with his shots. He's has worked on shooting since the start of high school where he claims he was an alright shooter; now, after improving, he believes he is a better shooter. You don’t even need to see a game to know his shooting is great, with outstanding stats from his 2025-2026 season: he had 56 two-point shots and 13 three-point shots.

Gordon explains he is expected to control the pace on offense, be a leader and play by the rules. He also teaches his other teammates the qualities of working hard and being a leader. It doesn’t matter if Gordon is on the bench for a break or working hard on the court, he still shows his leadership characteristics when he encourages his teammates. Even off court, Gordon makes sure hang out with the guys and spread encouragement, along with confidence, throughout the team by giving them tips.

Gordon feels his game against Barringer was his best where he played better than he did the rest of the season. Gordon stated that he doesn’t let refs get in the way nor affect his attitude with them. He said, “We’ve just got to play through it. Refs can’t decide the game; you’ve just got to go through.” Even through a loss Gordon says he just gets back in the gym and works on what he needs, no matter if it’s putting up shots or working on certain skills.

As a starting point guard Gordon controls the court and plays hard, and Coach Porrino sees it, too. “Tim is always tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player; that is not an easy task. Tim welcomes the challenge and takes it head on. It is not easy to exhaust so much energy on the defensive side of the ball and then be as effective and productive as he is on the offensive side of the ball. His contributions to the team are unmatched.” Gordon is always up for a challenge to guard a different top player each game but makes the challenge seem easy when he gets steals or blocks. Perrino noted that Gordon never shows low energy and actually spreads his energy throughout his team no matter if they are winning or losing. Perrino sees Gordon’s work ethic, leadership and desire that he brings each game and stated he picked a great starter to lead the team. Gordon is looking forward to playing basketball in college.

Junior Sean Fealey got into his love of basketball from his friends. He decided to start his career in 5th grade and has continued ever since. Standing 6’3 as a junior, Fealey plays center. Not only does he have good in-the-paint shots, but his ball control is outstanding. Fealey never chucks the ball away, even if he’s under pressure; he makes sure to make a great pass that will be effective. “When I get the ball in the paint I’m good at passing it to my teammates,” he said. 

Fealey feels he has improved greatly on his shooting and passing in high school. He’s upgraded from racking up twos to also sinking three point shots. Being strong in the paint is another factor he considers a strength of his. As he explained he “wasn’t that big” his freshman year but still strived to get rebounds. 

As a starter, Fealey said he is expected to play well and help man the rim. As seen in games he's always down low, whether it’s offense or defense, always ready for an easy jumper or layup or a nice block. Fealey said being a starter since sophomore year has been fun while also being important. He also added the importance works both ways, for him and to him. For him, basketball is important because it’s a fun amazing sport he enjoys deeply; but to him, it makes him feel important. Being the starting center since sophomore year is a big deal and with skills like his, of course he feels important as he is a big contributor to the team.  

Fealey carries the title of team leader very clearly as he dominates the court every time he’s on it while he also encourages his teammates. He admitted whenever this teammates are down he lifts them up and tries to calm them down when they are mad. Even off court he contributes to the team leader title greatly as he is friends with all the guys and hangs out with them outside of basketball.  

Fealey feels his game against Clifton might have been his best as he feels he has played the same all season but during the Clifton game he scored 15 points and grabbed a bunch of rebounds. He said it doesn’t matter that they lost; they just have to work harder and play better. Although he doesn’t always agree with all the refs’ calls, that doesn’t affect his game at all. He said, “Just don’t worry about them; they don’t really determine the game as much as you think they do.” Even after a loss he tends to have a positive attitude as he says he doesn’t worry about it too much and he puts it behind him and just dives into the next game. Fealey said he tries to teach confidence, positivity, leadership and sportsmanship to the rest of his teammates.

Fealey’s biggest focus is to get better everyday, build connections with his teammates and have fun. He feels that now that he learned Nutley is good at basketball he has a better mindset and rhythm. He isn’t too sure about if he is going to continue his career in college.

Coach Porrino notices Fealey’s strong game. “Sean Fealey contributes to the team on the court especially since he is one of the few players with varsity experience; but, what I appreciate most about him is his constant positive attitude and how he is an excellent teammate. Last year Fealey was a starting center as a sophomore so that experience he gained has helped him immensely with his confidence and play this year.” Sean is indeed one of very few players with varsity experience and he shows it every time he’s on the court no matter if he’s on offense or defense. Perrino explained that Sean plays with an unmatchable confidence that not only does he carry himself with, but carries his team with as he radiates his confidence. Fealey can shoot, drive and pass all while being under pressure both from the opposing team and his own team to set an example for them. Perrino sees that Sean leads by example, is a good teammate, and has amazing confidence, positive attitude and skill.

Both Fealey and Gordon mentioned they think Nicholas DelTufo will move to starter next season. DelTufo is an amazing player as he comes onto the court he comes with a high energy.  He is strong on defense with amazing pressure and is even better on offense where he makes threes and twos like it’s nothing. After a shot, whether he makes it or not, DelTufo gets straight back into the game, sprinting back to man up on defense. Fealey said “[DelTufo’s] been doing good, putting up shots; he’s a good player.”  Gordon said he thinks DelTufo is a great player who has some good skills that should be seen more.

Porrino said that he wants his starters to “hold and keep high standards and expectations on the court and in the classroom.”  He wants them to play hard, be good teammates and use basketball as an experience to develop and improve as an overall person. He said all players exceed his expectations as soon as they step on the court in both games and practices. He understands it’s not easy being a student-athlete and that it takes extreme focus and commitment. In practices they switch skills daily, between defensive-focused days and offensive-focused days. On offensive days the boys use the first hour to practice their ball handling, shooting, passing and playing under pressure skills. On defensive days the first hour is spent practicing rep skills like closing out defenders, boxing out, fighting over screens and creating pressure.  

Porrino also said his players expect him, as a coach, to hold high standards, no matter if it’s practice or games, and to maintain a high intensity level. Porrino loves his position as head coach. He explained how fortunate he was to be able to work with Coach [Bob] Harbison for over a decade and learn so much about coaching from him. Porrino says he added his own coaching style to his role but he definitely brought some of the foundations he learned from Harbison while he was assistant coach. Porrino said, “I have been an assistant coach for many years working under some great head coaches like Coach Harbison, Coach [Steve] Digregorio, and Coach [Gerald] Ryan, which enabled me to pull from their experiences and coaching styles to create my own style.” After years of assistant coaching with extraordinary head coaches Porrino was able to build his own coaching style as head coach to lead the new generation of Nutley Raider boys basketball.

The Nutley Boys Basketball Varsity team currently only has four seniors: Micheal Misner, Noah Smith, Nicholas Gaccione and Shane O’Connor. Looking towards next year’s team, Porrino said that “There are a lot of juniors, sophomores and even some freshmen that can be ready to take a role for next year. But I am having too much fun this year to even worry about next year.  I think these two questions go hand in hand; if you work hard in practice, commit yourself to the game, and work hard in the off season, success will carry over to the next year. This model is how you create a lasting winning culture.”

To Porrino, the work and dedication that one puts into training, practice and games is what he looks for when scouting for his team. Porrino has been enjoying his coaching experience as he has been hyped every game and practice, building strong bonds with the boys while also teaching them. The one freshman Porrino stated he has his eye on is Josiah Gordon, Tim Gordon’s younger brother. The younger Gordon has recently warmed up with varsity before games and has already skipped right over the freshman team to JV as the only current freshman.

Porrino said that “Sean and Tim are great leaders by example. They do the right thing as student-athletes. They work hard in school, they are respectful to their peers, staff and faculty of Nutley High School.  In addition to being great students, they are great athletes. They work hard each and every practice and that attitude is contagious.” Porrino enjoys Sean and Tim’s company as they are respectful, hardworking and energetic. He always sees full potential from them no matter where they are or what mood they are in. Porrino said that he made a great selection in his team leaders.