Joel Cineus is different on than off the basketball court.
The Ewing High School senior often is the center of attention for the Blue Devils team, but off the court he sometimes takes quiet walks in the woods and enjoys time to himself.
“Just peaceful things,” said Cineus. “I’m a really introverted guy. You see a lot of people when they come up to me and stuff, I have a good personality, but really I don’t like to be out in the public all the time. I like to be a little more private.”
Cineus has let his game do the talking as part of a Ewing team that has the highest ambitions. The Blue Devils were 17-11 last year and made the Central Jersey Group III semifinals but bowed out of the Mercer County Tournament in the first round. This year, Cineus is fixated on winning a state title.
“That’s the ultimate goal, and a county tournament as well,” he said. “It’s not (called) the county now, it’s the CVC tournament. But we are looking to just overall dominate all competition and get to the state championship level—especially because this is my last year. To to be close to winning a state championship would be the ultimate goal for the entire team, not just me.”
Ewing got off to a roller coaster start at 3-3 before ripping off six straight wins. That run put them on track to match last year’s 11-3 start. The Blue Devils are hoping to ride the wave to a stronger finish this year by relying on the staples of their 9-3 start. Their only Colonial Valley Conference loss so far was a tight contest against Hopewell Valley.
“We’ve played tremendous defense so far, even to the point where we played the private schools and they haven’t even scored 60 on us,” said Ewing coach Paul Jones. “So I would say our defense has been the biggest thing. Both senior Joel Cineus and junior guard Terrance Traylor, between the starts of them and us just being very athletic as a full team, there are a lot of benefits for us.”
Cineus is one of only three seniors on the Ewing roster. The Blue Devils took a hit with the loss of another senior, Cameron James, for the season due to injury. Cineus has helped to be a leader along with classmates Naquan Pate and Leslie Summiel.
“Being a leader as well as Naquan and Leslie being willing step up and take charge of the team, we feel like there’s more of an emphasis on being leaders this year,” Cineus said. “We take pride in that.”
Cineus, whose first name is pronounced the same as Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, has brought along his less experienced teammates and helped them understand where to go to be effective and how to play the game. His own play has been steadily evolving over the years, and he is a college prospect now at 6-foot-6 with inside scoring ability and a blend of guard-type skills that are shining more than ever.
“He’s finally understanding that he’s 6’6” and eight times out of 10, he’s gonna have an offensive advantage over the other person,” Jones said. “So just understanding his full potential. And then realizing that he’s only got about half a season left to show everything. He can shoot the 3 a little bit better, but down low the kid’s unstoppable. He’s our engine. He gets us going. He steers us in the right direction, his energy, his point guard skills and everything, and if he’s going down low, we’re going as a team.”
Through the first 12 games, Cineus has averaged 14.2 points per game and six rebounds per game. Traylor is just behind and another junior, Kristian Thomas, has been a consistent contributor offensively. There is plenty of balance beyond them.
Cineus’ complete game comes from his evolution as a player. There was a time when he wasn’t the biggest player on the court. He was only 5’6” or 5’7” in middle school before he shot up to 6’ in eighth grade. Cineus’ game was different in the middle school.
“I wasn’t the smallest, I was probably average size, but I grew up playing point guard,” he said. “Then I got a little taller as I got older and started going under the basket a lot more.”
Cineus didn’t get to show off his new height as an eighth grader when the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the season. But since then he has noticed the benefits of his growth spurt on top of maintaining his guard skills. The combination makes him difficult to guard.
“On the floor usually I have a mismatch,” Cineus said. “I’m usually quicker than guys my size or if they’re a little smaller, I’m stronger. Even if they are my size, I’m usually a lot stronger, so having that guard quickness with my size is lethal. We also worked on things during the offseason that look like they’re translating well this season.”
As strong as his offense has been, he also has been a force at the defensive end. That aspect has helped to set the tone for Ewing.
“Joel has done everything I’ve asked,” Jones said. “He’s answered the bell. He usually guards the other team’s best player. He gets after it.”
His work and talents have helped earn him interest for colleges. Cineus has always been interested in playing at the next level, and his height and skillwork are opening some doors to a bright future.
“I’m just keeping my options open,” he said. “And after that, hopefully I’m looking to play basketball in the professional setting as well as having some educational outlets.”
Cineus believed in himself growing up. But when he actually grew, it reinforced that he could continue on a high trajectory to being a college player and beyond.
“When I grew, I guess the height helped that a lot,” he said. “It helped give me a little more confidence towards the dream.”
His first priority for this winter is helping to push Ewing as far as possible. He has been a part of the program’s success since his class got to high school. The Blue Devils won 14 games when he made just a handful of appearances in his freshman season, then won 23 games and reached the sectional final as he played more as a sophomore. Then came last year’s run to the sectional semifinals to set up this year’s lofty expectations despite not having a big senior class.
“We saw the time that we had flying under the radar that we had talent we were able to bring up and the offseason helped a lot,” said Cineus. “Our record is better than it was at the start of last year. And the offseason helped a lot. The coaches put in a lot of time and it was just a great offseason. Those guys were able to step up their skill and help the team out.”
The growth has continued through the season. Jones has seen the team’s basketball IQ develop at both ends of the court. The defense has been reliable and the Blue Devils have profited by being able to mix styles at the defensive end while the offense is coming along as well.
“We’re sharing the ball more,” Jones said. “We’re playing team basketball. That has been the biggest change. They’re starting to understand the game of basketball a little bit better as well. Just the game, the flow of it, the understanding if a play breaks down to continue to run that offense. If we get in motion, that’s what we want. I always try to tell them let’s try to get five passes before we get a shot. Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don’t. But I will say all of our kids have confidence. They don’t lack confidence at all. They are confident, but we put in a lot of time.”
Joel Cineus is one of those confident players. He’s always believed in himself, and he’s proud of the way Ewing is shaping up in his final scholastic season. He may be quieter off the court, but his game has been making a statement while carrying the Blue Devils to a promising start.
“On the court, I can get a little extroverted sometimes in the heat of the battle,” he said. “It can always bring something out of you. But overall I try to let my game do the talking.”
Ewing High School basketball player Joel Cineus.,
