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Men's Basketball By: Jim Hague

Scarlet Raider Profile: Abe Kromah

Abe Kromah's basketball career began innocently at Fourth Ward Park in his hometown of Linden.

"It made me be the fierce competitor I am today," said Kromah, a senior guard on the Rutgers-Newark men's basketball team. "Playing there got me ready. It gave me all the confidence in the world. I grew up playing in that park. Everyone loves basketball there."

Some of the other standouts to come out of Fourth Ward Park include Corey Floyd, who went to Marquette University, Antoine Allen, who played at St. Peter's University, Desmond Wade, who played for the University of Houston and Otis Livingston, Jr., who played at George Mason.

"I looked up to Desmond Wade," Kromah said. "I competed with Otis (the son of CBS-TV sportscaster Otis Livingston) every day. There are guys who play basketball there all day long. It really made me better."

When the time came for Kromah to play at Linden High School, he got the chance to play for famed coach Phil Colicchio, now at Elizabeth High School.

"Coach Colicchio is a fierce coach who made sure everything was competitive," Kromah said. "It was so cool growing up in Linden. It was very competitive every day and that helped me get better every day."

When the time came to leave Linden High, Kromah didn't have great grades, so he had to travel the junior college route at the County College of Morris, where Kromah's AAU coach Anwar King was coaching.

"I thought I might go to Kean," Kromah said. "But I decided to go to Morris. The first day there, I felt lost and wanted to go back home. It was different for me. But once I got adjusted, it worked out for me."

Kromah was the leading scorer for a good CCM program for two years. When he had to choose a four-year school, he remembered the attention he received from Rutgers-Newark head coach Joe Loughran.

"I liked Coach Loughran," Kromah said. "I thought he was a coach like Coach Colicchio."

And then there was the selling point.

"I walked into the Golden Dome for the first time and I saw how beautiful it was," Kromah said. "I walked around the campus and I said, 'This is for me.'"

Kromah watched the Scarlet Raiders play and totally fell in love.

"They played defense," Kromah said. "That's their Number One philosophy. And that's how I play. I feed off my defense and like to play aggressively. It was perfect for me. That's what drew me to the school. Coach Loughran told me that I was the guy he wanted and would try to get the best out of me. I loved that."

Loughran agreed that Kromah would be a great fit for his program.

"Abe has great passion," Loughran said. "He fights hard all the time and he wants to win. I thought he would fit right in. He just wanted an opportunity to play and we had a spot."

Losing leading scorer Chase Barneys to graduation after the 2019-2020 season left a major gap in the Scarlet Raiders' rotation, so Kromah could step right in there.

"He can score the ball," Loughran said. "He's quick and moves his feet well. He's also very energetic and I love guys like that. It's great to get a guy like that. He's just a great kid who is very motivated. He's a vert good student. He has all the things you look for in a kid to come and play for you. His energy carries over the other guys and that always helps us."

Kromah is also a player who could fit more than one role, playing either guard slot.

"He's mostly a two (shooting guard), but he can play the point," Loughran said. "He's just a little better off the ball."

Kromah is now determined to prove the coaches who voted the Scarlet Raiders to finish ninth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference this season wrong.

"With the preseason ranking and getting a full season, we were definitely a team with something to prove," Kromah said. "Even our best players feel like we have something to prove. We're only going to get better. If everybody stays strong, we should be fine. Everyone should just stay tuned , because we're going to end up on top."

Kromah is majoring in public administration.

"One day, I want to be able to give back," Kromah said. "I might like to be able to coach and give back to the community. Maybe help with a charity or a non-profit."

Either way, Kromah is a key member to the Scarlet Raiders' rotation.

"No question, we're very happy to have him," Loughran said.
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Players Mentioned

Abe Kromah

#5 Abe Kromah

G
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Abe Kromah

#5 Abe Kromah

6' 0"
Junior
G