It’s been six years since St. Mary’s of Jersey City closed its doors forever, but it hasn’t diminished the competitive spirit and drive in long-time basketball coach Tom Lalicato.
Since the demise of the school where Lalicato served as head basketball coach and athletic director for almost 30 years, he’s been a dutiful assistant to legendary Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony.
The marriage of Hurley and Lalicato has been a perfect pairing and the two together helped lead the fabulous Friars to the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title last March.
In the summer months, Lalicato is left to be the head coach of the Friars while Hurley does his assortment of camps and clinics all over the map. Hurley is also now the president of the entire school, so he keeps very busy with activities outside of basketball.
So when the Friars convene for summer league games, Lalicato is the one in charge.
“Bob is very generous to me,” Lalicato said. “He allows me to put my own picture in with the kids and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I like that idea for the summer. There are aspects of coaching that I do miss, but the summer is just about right for me now. It’s not as demanding as it once was at St. Mary’s. It’s a very interesting place to coach at. This is a good routine.”
Lalicato was on the sidelines this week, giving instruction to the Friars as they played in the Jersey City Recreation Summer League at Hamilton Park in downtown Jersey City, facing most of the top teams in New Jersey in the process.
The Friars lost most of the entire roster from last year’s T of C winner, so on paper, it looked like a rebuilding year.
But as everyone knows, the Friars never rebuild. It’s always reload.
The Friars defeated five-time defending Hudson County Tournament champion Hudson Catholic in the league semifinals Tuesday, then had to come back Wednesday to face the Patrick School.
The Friars, winners of the summer league for 12 of the last 14 years, suffered a 76-63 setback to the much older Patrick School Celtics in the title game.
But that does not diminish what the Friars were able to accomplish and gives Friar Nation a lot of hope for the future.
“I’m really happy with our development,” Lalicato said. “We really did a lot of coming together this summer. The goal was to be a team first, then learn how to be a good team. The kids put forth a good effort and really bonded together as a unit and got better as players. The way we were playing, I’m very hopeful for the coming season.”
Perhaps the biggest reason for the Friars’ summer success has to begin and end with senior R.J. Cole, the lone returning key player from the overall state championship team of a year ago.
“He’s progressed both in terms of maturity and physically,” Lalicato said of Cole, who scored 29 points in the title game for the Friars. “He’s become the team leader. He’s a quiet leader, but he leads by example and everyone listens to him. He’s fearless. He has a tremendous basketball IQ that has developed since perhaps third grade. His father was a coach and worked with him tremendously. R.J. carries this team on his shoulders.”
Cole has yet to announce his intentions for college, but he has a host of solid offers, including Hofstra, Bucknell, Boston University and Brown. Cole is also among the top students in his class, thus the attention he’s receiving from some top Patriot League and Ivy League schools.
While Cole’s star continues to shine, the other Friar players have also developed.
“The other boys keep getting better,” Lalicato said.
One of those is 6-foot-8 forward Saviour Akuwovo, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the loss to Patrick School in the finals.
“Saviour really gives us a tremendous inside presence, both offensively and defensively,” Lalicato said. “He’s cleaning up inside and doing a great job rebounding. He’s developed a nice 12-foot jump shot and has better hands with the ball.”
Lonce Bethea, a 6-foot-4 junior swingman, has also shown a lot of promise.
“He’s a good jump shooter and has been improving on defense, getting better every week,” Lalicato said.
Lalicato also credited the play of another junior, 6-foot-2 Ithiel Horton. All these kids are relative unknowns, but they will become recognized soon enough.
Sophomore Alexander Rice, the son of Monmouth University head basketball coach King Rice, the former North Carolina standout, is a 6-foot-3 guard with “excellent long range shooting ability,” according to Lalicato.
Before facing Hudson Catholic in the semifinals, Lalicato was a little nervous, considering that the Hawks had all three of their highly regarded players Jahvon Quinerly, Luther Muhammad and Louis King all together for the first time, juggling a very busy AAU and national talent camp schedule.
“I was extremely anxious and apprehensive,” Lalicato said. “I respect Hudson Catholic and they have some excellent players. They’re a great team. We went in thinking we’re going to have to earn it.”
And once again, the Friars earned it. The two local powers won’t meet this season unless it is in the T of C finale, so it’s a long shot. Once again, the Friars hold local bragging rights, thanks to the development of the players and the coach who once was “The Bell of St. Mary’s.”…
Disturbing news to report: Former Snyder girls’ basketball coach and Lincoln assistant football coach Tom Ferriero was arrested last week and levied with an assortment of charges, including driving while intoxicated.
The 50-year-old Ferriero, who was just hired as the head football coach at his alma mater Harrison in March, allegedly took a Harrison Board of Education van that was signed out to his father, Tom Sr., and crashed the van into five parked cars in a stretch of streets near Harrison High.
Ferriero was suspended without pay from coaching in Harrison, but more than likely, he will lose that position within the next few days. He is also a physical education teacher in the Jersey City public school system. Needless to say, Ferriero, who was an excellent coach in every sport he touched, may not be coaching anywhere anytime soon…
There’s more fallout to report about the St. Peter’s University athletic department that wasn’t mentioned in the Scoreboard column two weeks ago. T.J. Baxter, the head baseball coach, has in fact resigned, citing philosophical differences he had with the beleaguered athletic director Belinda “Boe” Pearman. That makes four head coaches that have either resigned or been fired by Pearman, a list that also includes the sports information director, all within the last calendar year.
I also received four other e-mails from people involved with Pearman. Apparently, she also eliminated the Bill Stein Peacock Pride Award, named after the former long-time athletic director, given to the student or team who best represented the school and athletic department. That award was annually presented at the Student-Athlete Senior Awards Dinner at the year’s end. It was just eliminated this year with no warning or notice. Stein spent 28 years as the AD at the school. He left with the title of athletic director emeritus.
All of the people who have reached out and contacted me via e-mail or phone have requested anonymity, which is a shame because the quotes can’t be used. But you can rest assured that there’s a firestorm brewing at Harvard on the Boulevard…
Continuing with the list of the top 25 sports characters of the last 25 years, here’s No. 14 Howard “Wimpy” Crawford of Jersey City.
Wimpy, who I know for sure passed away a few years ago, was amazing, because whenever there was a sporting event going on, there was Wimpy, with his milk truck that had an assortment of dairy products and such that he sold.
Wimpy, who was a great baseball player in his day, went to games all over Jersey City – and beyond – because he loved watching kids play. He would also pull one or two kids over and tell them that they were hitting incorrectly or throwing the ball wrong. Wimpy had to be in his 80s, yet he was there every single day, watching games and offering tips. He also had to make his milk deliveries, so he was known to some kids as “The Milk Man.”
Until he died, Wimpy was omnipresent at practically every single sporting event known to man. He wasn’t loud, boisterous or a braggart. But he was there and with that, he earns his place in immortality as one of the Top 25 Sports Characters of the last 25 years.—Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com