The 2010-11 high school basketball season was one to remember for the fabulous Friars of St. Anthony High School, who rolled through the campaign undefeated with a 34-0 record, winning the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions crown and mythical national championship along the way.
As the new high school season is set to begin next weekend, the Friars should be among the top teams in the country, featuring one of the very best players in the land.
However, legendary St. Anthony Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley doesn’t know if the Friars are worthy right now of the lofty attention among the nation’s best.
“I don’t think we view ourselves as being the pursued right now,” Hurley said. “We’re still trying to figure things out. We’re still putting together the pieces of the puzzle. We have some good ingredients and no doubt, we could be a good team come state tournament time. Each practice and each scrimmage, we’re looking like a better team. We have some good pieces, some versatility and we have a kid who can make us look pretty good when he has the ball in his hands.”
That kid is 6-foot-9 senior Kyle Anderson, who was the 2010-11 Hudson Reporter Player of the Year, leading the Friars to the undefeated national championship.
Anderson spent the summer and fall playing in a host of different invitational talent showcases – and dominating every single one along the way.
Having already given a verbal commitment to attend UCLA, the North Bergen native Anderson is primed to have perhaps the best senior season of any player in Hudson County history.
“He runs everything now,” Hurley said of Anderson, who will play point guard on offense and guard a post player on defense. “We’re not going to waste Kyle, so we’re going to keep him near the basket on defense so he can guard and rebound. His shot is much more consistent now. He was really a reluctant shooter last year and only shot when his pass options were exhausted.”
Anderson, who averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists per game last season, should improve those numbers this year.
“I told Kyle that we need him to score more,” Hurley said. “He can use the jump shot and drive it. I really think he should fill up the stat sheet. I’m sure there will be nights where he’s a triple-double guy [meaning double figures in three statistical categories].”
And Hurley gives Anderson very high praise.
“His game would definitely draw comparisons to Magic Johnson,” Hurley said. “He has the same ability to get a rebound, bring it up the court and create things. It’s very much like the way Kyle plays on the high school level. We’re definitely going to utilize his talent. When he’s on the court, his team wins games.”
Hurley loves watching Anderson, the son of former Ferris head coach and St. Peter’s College assistant Kyle Sr., operate on the floor.
“He’s an absolute joy,” Hurley said. “He understands what I’m saying and conveys that to the other players. We just have to find him the ball and he’s able to calm everyone else down.”
The Friars also welcome back 6-foot-5 senior forward Jerome Frink, who earned Hudson Reporter All-Area Second Team honors a year ago, averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. Frink is a solid inside presence who should be a college scholarship player.
Six-foot-two junior guard Hallice ClarkJimmy Hall, who has already given a verbal commitment to Hofstra, is a 6-foot-7 shot blocker and solid defender.
Junior Josh Brown, a 6-3 junior guard, has already given a verbal commitment to Temple, a move that caught Hurley by surprise.
Junior Chris Regus is a 6-2 guard who also gained experience last year. Kentrall Brooks is a 6-8 junior who played junior varsity last year and gives the Friars depth on the front line.
The Friars were bolstered by the addition of two transfers from Newark, senior guard Tariq Carey, who was a 1,000-point scorer and three-year starter at Newark East Side, and 6-4 junior forward Tim Coleman, who played last season at University High.
Hurley likes the makeup of his team.
“I think it’s going to be a fun group,” Hurley said. “Over the last week or so, things have looked much smoother. We can’t live off what happened last year. If they think they’re going to go undefeated again, it’s not a smart way to think. The odds against it happening again are astronomical. We’re not going to have that kind of year again. But it will be nice to see how we end up.”
The Friars begin defense of their national title Friday night when they face Emily Fischer and will face a tough foe in Trenton Catholic at Kean University on Sunday, Dec. 18.
“We might take a hit early on,” Hurley said. “But by the end of the season, if the kids work out, we can be dangerous. I just don’t know how consistent they are now.”
Chances are the Friars will go as far as the multi-talented Anderson takes them and he should be a player to watch and appreciate all season, because players like him don’t come along every day. More like once in a lifetime. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
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