Sights and sounds from Seton Hall
by Ray Floriani
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seventy-two high school teams gathering for the two-day And One event gives basketball fans a veritable smorgasbord of viewing. Eight courts at Seton Hall University were in action from nine A.M. through nine P.M. on Saturday. On Sunday, there was still plenty of action before the 2:00 PM championship. Activity was intense on the floor, and off of it was quite a scene as well.
- Walk up to the Walsh Gym-Richie Regan Complex and you were certain to see at least one team huddled with their coach outside the facility engaged in an impromptu strategy session.
- You couldn’t walk one hundred feet with out seeing someone wearing a ‘I’m down with the Playaz’ t-shirt. The Tim Thomas Playaz AAU organization ran the concessions and coach Jim Salmon was frequently making the rounds.
- Six of the courts were in the Regan Center on one floor , virtually guaranteeing that a game would be stopped at least one because a ball from the neighboring court strayed on the floor.
- Prominent coaches Bob Hurley, Bob Farrell and Kevin Boyle were closer to the spectators than their respective benches. All three took a step back to get a read on their respective teams, allowing their assistants to run the club as they watched from the stands.
- Noted AAU mentors such as Salmon and Sandy Pyonin frequently moved about taking in the action and chatting with coaches.
- It was not a ‘live’ period for Division I coaches, but D-II and III mentors were out in force evaluating talent. Getting close to the action, the college coaches move court to court, mostly taking notes and occasionally chatting with colleagues.
- It was not uncommon to see Joe Battiato, clipboard in hand, making assignment changes and ensuring sure games were adequately covered by officials. Joe is a Northeast Conference official entrusted with the task of assigning the tournament’s 126 games. He gets it done and still maintains his friendly disposition – and sanity.
- Frequently milling about were the Hoop Group’s (the tournament directors) Rob Kennedy and Dennis Gregory, as well as the many helpers they had on hand moving around from court to court and keep a watchful eye on things going smoothly.
- The Seton Hall trainer in the Regan Center was wearing shorts and running shoes. Good thing, as it was not uncommon seeing her frequently on the go, moving among the six courts at the center to attend to an injured athlete. In her ‘spare’ time she taped ankles and checked minor bumps and bruises.
- Some familiar faces among the media and talent evaluators were on hand. Jay Gomes from njhoops.com and Eastern Basketball was seated in his chair at courtside while keeping score of key games in a traditional school notebook. Others, such as the Star Ledger’s Josh Rosenfeld, focused on key games while moving about to see other prominent teams and individual players. And of course there was Hoopville colleague Phil Kasiecki dutifully making the rounds. Phil caught at least a half of two games I officiated, so he now has the distiction of critiqiung my work in this column as well as on the basketball court.
St. Benedict’s, with outstanding senior talent Lance Thomas, edged St. Patrick’s for the team championship. As regional winners, St. Benedict’s advances to the national championships (the June 24-26 weekend) at La Salle University in Philadelphia. The Newark-based school, coached by Danny Hurley, advanced to the final after defeating an athletic Our Savior Lutheran (NY) club in the semifinals. St. Pat’s earned a berth in the final with a hard-fought won over Paterson Catholic in the other semifinal contest.
Judging by the teams playing far into this tournament, the always tough Parochial B North division of the New Jersey State Tournament should be even more treacherous next season. St. Pat’s and Paterson Catholic, both B schools, faced each other in the other semifinal. Meanwhile, no one can forget perennial powerhouse St. Anthony’s. The Friars were defeated by Paterson Catholic in the quarterfinal round but will be very much in the hunt for Parochial B and TOC (Tournament of hampions) honors next season. Derrick Caracter did not play in the tournament for St. Pat’s, but Kevin Boyle’s club is loaded as evidenced by their strong showing during the two-day event.
On the officiating side there were four games, two each day, worked by the author. The best game? A tossup. The Grady–Our Savior Lutheran quarterfinal on Sunday morning was interesting. Grady jumped to an early lead before Savior regrouped and used their size and speed to post a double-digit triumph.
On Saturday there was an interesting second round game as Westwood faced defending TOC champs Seton Hall Prep. Westwood, from Northern Bergen County (NJ), has a good group of guards and wings around Corey Raji. A 6-5 junior, Raji is already projected as a Division I prospect. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor, size and moves to post up. With eight minutes remaining Westwood, largely due to Raji, trailed by just two before Seton Hall went on a late tear and pulled away for an 11-point victory.
Hall was later eliminated by St. Pat’s, the team they defeated in the TOC title game. Here, it was no contest as Pat’s won going away. Prep lost several key players, notably NC-State bound Brandon Costner, but Bob Farrell’s club will be solid and the type that improves as the year progresses.
