St. Anthony versus St. Patrick is finally a reality

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Since early December, everyone around the state sensed it coming. Even Bob Hurley, Sr., begrudgingly went against his legendary one game-at-a-time grain weeks ago and acknowledged the inevitable after St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) beat Boys & Girls at the SNY Invitational.

After St. Anthony overpowered Oratory Prep, 92-32 on Monday night, a season of foreshadowing finally brings us what everyone wanted all along Wednesday night at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Although Hurley and his No. 2 Friars will play No. 1 St. Patrick (Elizabeth) under the guise of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association North Non-Public B championship, this is about more than bragging rights within their bracket or between state borders.

Indeed, the biggest boys basketball game ever played in the Garden State could legitimately crown a national champion.

"I think in the history of high school basketball in our state, there was a great, great game a long time ago: Neptune-Camden at Princeton. It's the only game that even comes close to this," Hurley recalled. "This is two teams at this point of the season that have beaten everybody out there and in the rankings, we're 1-2 in the state and in some of these other things we're pretty high up.

"It's a spectacular event for our state. And I just hope that the game reflects that, that it's played like it hopefully could be."

Although fans have clamored for this all season, this game is actually two seasons in the making. St. Anthony saw its run to another Tournament of Champions title derailed by Trenton Catholic in the Non-Public B final last March, months before Paterson Catholic – ironically the team Hurley's bunch beat in last year's sectional title game – shuttered its doors and the dynamic duo of junior guard-forward Kyle Anderson and senior guard Myles Mack transferred to play for the Friars

With the Rutgers-bound Mack running the show and the multi-dimensional Anderson flashing an inside-outside game that's drawn considerable Division I interest, the Friars steadily rose up the rankings before dismantling perennial power DeMatha by a 75-25 count Jan. 15 at the Spalding Hall of Fame Classic.

This display of dominance offered the possibility of St. Anthony-St. Patrick playing a bigger March game than usual, although players kept talk of St. Patrick quiet within Hurley's earshot.

On Monday, finally, they freely talked aloud about the big game.

"It was in the back of my mind," said junior forward Jerome Frink, who tied Anderson for game-high honors with 18 points.

"It's hard to not focus on St. Pat's, because it's such an exciting game," Anderson admitted. "We kind of had an idea we were going to end up playing them, but now it's here and now we can put all our focus on St. Pat's."

While St. Anthony lost out on a potential TOC on the court, St. Patrick lost in court when a district judge ruled, on the evidence of videotapes, that coach Kevin Boyle held unsanctioned offseason workouts and the NJSIAA stopped the Celtics from vying for their fourth TOC championship in five seasons.

Boyle will bring three current Division I prospects to Rutgers on Wednesday, led by senior swingman, Kentucky signee and McDonald's All-American Michael Gilchrist, who emerged as the state's best player a season after Kyrie Irving took his talents to Duke. Senior guard Derrick Gordon will play across the Commonwealth State next season at Western Kentucky, although his game and that of senior backcourt mate Chris Martin look translatable to playing in a power conference.

And this is not even accounting for 6-10 freshman Dakari Johnson, who might be Boyle's best big man since Samuel Dalembert played the post in the 1990s.

"I think this is the best coaching job he's done," Hurley said. "When I look at their pieces, their pieces are not as difficult to play against as other teams we've played. But the sum is very difficult to play against right now. They know each other so well. Gilchrist is an extremely difficult matchup and I think Gordon is one of the kids that, all he does is make plays at both ends of the floor.

"They're going to be a handful. But I'd like for everybody to appreciate the fact that this guy can coach. We may not always get along but he's an outstanding coach and what they've done this year is terrific."

"And with that said, we're going to try to take their heads off Wednesday," Hurley said, smiling.

After a season of foreshadowing, we will finally see No. 1 vs. No. 2. St. Anthony-St. Patrick. The biggest game ever played in the Garden State.