Karl Towns Jr. hopes to add a NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title to his resume before heading to Kentucky.
Photo by Richard Ta
Dave Turco
2012-13 record: 27-5, Non-Public Group A champions
Players to watch: Wade Baldwin (6-3, Sr., G, Vanderbilt verbal commitment),
Raven Owen (5-11, Sr., G, Canisius verbal commitment),
Karl Towns Jr. (6-11, Sr., F/C, Kentucky verbal commitment),
Marques Townes (6-3, Sr., G/F)
Breaking down the FalconsSt. Anthony under Bob Hurley and St. Patrick during the Kevin Boyle era have dominated the high school basketball headlines in New Jersey for the better part of the last two decades.
Wade Baldwin is one of the most athletic guards in the country.
Photo by Richard Ta
But neither program was involved in last season's Tournament of Champions final, which saw Turco's Falcons fall to Roselle Catholic. Both teams appear to be primed for repeat runs.
St. Joe's doesn't appear to be particularly deep, but the team wasn't last year either en route to a 27-5 record.
And depth isn't all that important when you have one of the nation's top big men in Towns, a dynamic athlete who can run the point in Baldwin and a strong, tough utility man in Townes. Owen will play Division I college ball at Canisius.
Towns was New Jersey's Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and Baldwin was a first team All-State selection.
One matchup that deserves special mention will come late in the season at the Metro Classic as St. Joseph welcomes Boyle back to the Garden State in his second year at Montverde Academy (read on for more on Boyle and the Eagles).
Key datesDec. 27 – vs.
Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) at Shooting Touch Shootout
Dec. 28 – vs.
Central (Springfield, Mass.) at Shooting Touch Shootout
Jan. 11 – vs.
Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Wilbraham, Mass.) at Under Armour Invitational
Jan. 19 – vs.
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) at Spalding Hoophall Classic
Feb. 16 – vs.
Montverde Academy (Fla.) at Metro Classic
