James Ono returns to the Rutgers-Camden soccer program after spending a year at Camden County College, where he didn’t play soccer. Ono, who played a key role on the 2004 and 2005 Raptors, saw action in 41 games during his first two years in Camden.

        A sparkplug midfielder who gave Rutgers-Camden a big lift off the bench with his energy and skills, Ono played in 20 games during his sophomore season in 2005, making four starts. He scored one goal and added one assist for three points.

        Ono’s lone goal as a sophomore came in a 4-3 loss to Franklin & Marshall College (Oct. 19). He had his one assist in a 3-0 victory at Delaware Valley College (Oct. 3).

        Ono made quite an impression during his freshman year at Rutgers-Camden, finishing third on the team with five goals, notching one assist and tying for fifth in scoring (11 points). He played in all 21 games and contributed a pair of game-winning goals for the 2004 Scarlet Raptors.

        Ono scored the winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Widener University (Sept. 15) and a 7-0 triumph against Delaware Valley College (Sept. 27). He had his highest collegiate scoring output in the Delaware Valley game, notching two goals and his first collegiate assist for five points. He also scored single goals in wins over Goucher College (Oct. 9) and Ramapo College (Oct. 27).

        Ono completed his stellar soccer career at Cumberland Regional High School with a slew of honors in 2003. He was named First Team All-South Jersey and First Team All-Group 3 by the Courier-Post newspaper, and earned Second Team All-South Jersey honors from the Philadelphia Inquirer. He also was named to the All-Tri-County Conference Royal Division First Team and earned Second Team honors from the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association after his outstanding season as the Colts’ stopper. 

        During his junior season, Ono helped Cumberland capture the South Jersey Group 3 championship.

        Ono earned three varsity letters in soccer and four in golf at Cumberland Regional, while serving as team captain for both programs. He also was the National Honor Society Vice-President.

        Ono’s hobbies include playing golf and poker.

        A Finance major at Rutgers-Camden, James is the son of Gregory and Diane Ono of Bridgeton.