Boyle at last weekend's Nike Extravaganza in California.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Former national No. 1
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) suffered another tough loss Friday morning – this one to the governing body in its own state.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association ruled that the Celtics would not be eligible to defend their state title this year and suspended head coach Kevin Boyle for three games after he was accused of overseeing improper workouts.
The story is being treated as the biggest sports headline of the day in New Jersey (click for more from NJ.com) – a sign of just how powerful and recognizable the Elizabeth school has become in high school basketball.
The timing could not be worse for the program as it prepares for one of the biggest weekends of the year. Friday night in Union, St. Patrick – ranked No. 11 nationally by MaxPreps – faces No. 12 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) in an ESPNU-televised contest. The Celtics follow with a showdown against Rice (New York, N.Y.) on Saturday in Trenton. Both games are part of the PrimeTime Shootout.
It’s been a season of extreme highs and lows for St. Patrick after beginning the year ranked No. 2. The Celts roared to an 11-0 record – including a tournament title at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in San Diego – and climbed to No. 1 before falling to Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) in controversial fashion in Springfield, Mass.
Rival St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) nipped them again four days later and dreams of a mythical national championship were gone. With Friday's decision from the NJSIAA, all postseason dreams are wiped out.
Despite the losses, the team’s dynamic duo of senior guard Kyrie Irving and junior forward Michael Gilchrist has lived up expectations – and then some.
Irving, a Duke signee, has emerged as a national player of the year candidate while averaging over 25 points per game.
Gilchrist has been a double-double machine and done nothing to damage his reputation as the No. 1 player if the 2011 class.
