Veteran St. Anthony head basketball coach Bob Hurley said that he isn’t overly concerned that his Friars begin the 2001-2002 season this weekend ranked as high as No. 2 in some selected national high school basketball polls.
"It does nothing to me and I don’t think it does much to the kids," Hurley said. "But, boy, does it do a lot to the opposition. Since we’re perceived to the favorites, everybody is prepared to play against us. They’re all very intense. The mental preparation is the first obstacle."
"With our kids, it’s just explaining to them that getting to the top of the mountain is hard, but maintaining it is a tremendous accomplishment," said Hurley, whose Friars captured the school’s seventh NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title last March. "It’s up to our senior class to figure out how it gets done."
So Hurley’s not too worried about rankings in polls.
"They don’t need to play for the polls," Hurley said. "They need to please me. If I can live with losing games, as long as they’re improving, then there isn’t any pressure to stay on top of the national lists. But we do have the potential to remain there all year."
That’s for certain, because the fabulous Friars return a ton of talent from last year’s T of C winners, including three senior guards who all have big-game production, and all will play major college basketball next season.
Leading the way is senior guard Elijah Ingram, who was an All-State performer a year ago and the MVP of the T of C. Ingram is considered one of the best point guards in the country and has already committed to play at St. John’s next season.
Also returning is senior guard Dwayne Lee, who has already announced his intention to attend St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia next year. Both Ingram and Lee averaged better than 15 points per game last season, with Lee making a miraculous recovery from a mid-season ACL tear in his knee and being able to play through it.
The third piece of the trifecta is senior guard Donald Copeland, who hit the game-winning shot against Shabazz in the T of C finale in the Meadowlands last spring. Copeland will also get a college scholarship, but has decided to play out the season to see if the offers improve.
All three make the Friars very dangerous in the backcourt and make them very similar to the 1996 Friar backcourt (Anthony Perry, Rashon Burno and Delvon Arrington) that won a national championship.
"They are very much comparable to those three," Hurley said. "All three played big roles on the varsity for three years, won the T of C title as juniors and came back again as seniors. They all did different things, but they’re also very similar. I just want to push all of them to get ready for college. They know their responsibility with this team. I just want them to be ready to play right away in college."
Another key returnee is 6-2 sophomore do-everything Marcus Williams, who will come off the bench for the Friars to start the season. Imagine that. Hurley has so much talent that he can bring the state’s premier sophomore performer off the bench.
"We need Marcus to be the cornerstone of the future," Hurley said. "He doesn’t have any pressure on him and can come off the bench. I like what I’ve seen from him and he played a lot last year, so he knows what to expect. He just has to do the things he’s capable of doing. I just need to teach him to be more of a perimeter player."
Senior forward Obie Nwadike, a 6-4 strongman who saw a lot of key action last year, and 6-8 junior Terrance Roberts, complete the front line. Roberts is so talented that he has already been recruited by many of the major colleges already – and he has yet to play a minute of varsity basketball. Roberts missed all of last season with a knee injury.
"Roberts is our most important player," Hurley said. "He has a chance to be a very good offensive player."
Patrick Reed, a 6-5 senior, adds depth to the frontcourt. Lamar Alston, a 6-2 swingman and a transfer from Marist, and 6-3 senior forward Windell Bennett will also fit into the Friars’ rotation.
If Hurley has a concern, it’s the health of the Friars. Lee is still recovering from last year’s knee injury. Roberts has been in rehab for more than a year and is now gingerly coming back from a sprained ankle. Ingram is always receiving physical therapy.
"We could be a little fragile with injuries," Hurley said. "We have three guys who have had knee injuries. We’re working very hard every day, but we have to be careful with injuries. One good injury could knock us for a loop."
However, the potential is there for another run at the T of C title.
"I think we have a good of a chance as anybody," Hurley said. "Last year, as the season began, I felt like we needed to improve as the season went on and we did. This year, we have a good team to start the season."
How good? The Friars played 35 organized games at several different summer tournaments. They won 35 times.
Make the plans for March and the Meadowlands. The Friars will be there. And perhaps, just perhaps, a third national championship could be in the mix, to go along with 1989 and 1996. It’s not out of the realm of possibility.