For the second time in the last four seasons,
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) is home to an undefeated national champion.
Legendary head coach Bob Hurley's Friars defeated
Plainfield 61-49 in New Jersey's Tournament of Champions final Monday night, putting the exclamation mark on a 33-0 season that will likely result in a consensus No. 1 national ranking.
Myles Mack
File photo by Lonnie Webb
One of high school basketball's biggest offseason stories was the relocation of senior
Myles Mack (Rutgers signee) and 6-foot-8 junior
Kyle Anderson. Both ended up at St. Anthony after the doors closed last spring at
Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.). The pair loomed large against Plainfield as they have much of the season, combining for 34 points.
The Cardinals didn't hand it to St. Anthony, however, trailing by just five points heading into the final quarter.
The Friars vaulted to the top spot after a 62-45 win over then-No. 1 St. Patrick on March 9. The Tournament of Champions title is the program's 11th under Hurley, who entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last summer and won the 1,000th game of his illustrious career earlier this season.
St. Anthony also finished as a consensus No. 1 in 2007-08 following a 32-0 campaign. Five members of that team are on the roster for programs that qualified for the NCAA Tournament; Jio Fontan (USC), Mike Rosario (Florida), Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh), Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas) and Dominic Cheek (Villanova).
