Todd Decker

Decker, 32, takes over for Mike Kelly, who spent five years at the parochial powerhouse before being promoted to captain in the Jersey City Police Department.

Kelly, 49, owns a career record of 340-175. He spent five years at St. Peter’s Prep, leading the school to the last four Hudson County Tournament cr0wns and advancing to the North Jersey, Non-Public A final last season after winning the sectional title in 2010.

Kelly couldn’t keep the job because of the promotion.

“I’ve been juggling a lot of balls in the air for the last five years,” he said. “I just got a promotion.”

He said Decker will continue to move the “ship in the right direction.”

“It’s nice to hand it off to a guy that played for me on a state title team [at Wayne Valley] so it’s a very comfortable situation,” Kelly added.

Said Decker: “”Not much is going to change. It’s a prestigious school, great athletic department, and we will always be about the Prep Basketball Family.  We have been very fortunate to get talented kids of high character, who want to be held accountable and consistently work hard.”

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Gary Trousdale

“The idea was we want to build Oak Hill West,” Trousdale, a former college coach, said in a phone interview.

Trousdale went so far as to spend a week visiting Oak Hill, the Mouth of Wilson, Va., school that has produced 26 McDonald’s All-Americans and perennially challenges for the No. 1 national ranking under head coach Steve Smith.

“Our goal has been to develop and build the best basketball program in the country,” Trousdale said. “It’s Year 4 and we’re headed in the right direction.”

Click here to read the full story at SBNation.com.

(Photo courtesy Richard Obert/ Arizona Republic)

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East Team

West Team

“This is an idea whose time has come,” said Rick Giles, president of The Gazelle Group. “The nation’s focus is on basketball during March and the first weekend of April and there is no better way to increase that focus than to bring the nation’s best high school basketball players to the city of the men’s collegiate basketball championship to compete in what will be one of the premier events of its kind in the country.”

ESPN traditionally runs its High School National Invitational this same weekend.

The inaugural All-American Championship will be held in suburban Houston, site of the men’s collegiate basketball championship, on April 1 and 3, 2011. The event will consist of four teams representing each region of the country. Each team will play a semifinal round game on Friday, April 1 with the consolation and championship games taking place on Sunday, April 3.

All games will be played at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center, a 6,400-seat arena in Aldine, Texas. In addition, the event will establish a cultural and educational program for the participants.

High school juniors and seniors can register for consideration for the All-American Championship by logging onto the event’s website – www.allamericanchampionship.com.

A panel of high school basketball experts, which will be announced at a later date, will review all candidates and select the teams. Each team will be coached by a head coach of a nationally-prominent high school program and assisted by a coach from the host city of the men’s collegiate basketball championship (Houston in 2011).

Ray Cella, a spokesman for Gazelle, said the coaches have not yet been chosen.

“National interest in high school basketball and recruiting is at an all-time high,” said Giles. “With the proliferation of television coverage and recruiting websites and magazines, fans are more aware than ever of the premier high school players. This is an opportunity for these players to showcase their talent on the biggest stage in the country.”

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Ticket information: Student Tickets: $5 per day (Must Enter Gym by 12 Noon each day) General Admission Tickets: $10 per day; Reserved Tickets: $20 per day; Season Pass: $25 for access for all three days.

For more info check out www.planetathlete.org.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29TH
11:00am- Kick Off Show
11:30am- Adelphi Academy (Brooklyn, NY) vs. Rise Academy (Philadelphia, PA)
1:00pm- Central Jersey Each One Teach One (Neptune, NJ) vs. Redemption Christian Academy (Troy, NY)
2:30pm- Paramus Catholic (Paramus, NJ) vs. Satellite Academy (Bronx, NY)
4:00pm- NIA Prep National Team (Newark, NJ) vs. Thelma Hamilton Campus (Brooklyn, NY)
5:30pm- East Orange Campus – Girls (NJ) vs. Newark Tech.-Girls (NJ)
7:00pm- Slam Dunk & 3 Point Contest – Hosted by Former NBA Players Sponsored by Cellus Foundation
8:30pm- East Orange Campus – Boys (NJ) vs. Paul Robeson (Brooklyn, NY)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30TH
10:30am- Queen City Prep National Team (Charlotte, NC) vs. Rise Academy (Philadelphia, PA)
12:00pm- Wings Academy (Bronx, NY) vs. TBD
1:30pm- Thelma Hamilton Campus (Brooklyn, NY) vs. Redemption Christian Academy (Troy, NY)
3:00pm- Paramus Catholic (Paramus, NJ) vs. Abraham Lincoln (Brooklyn, NY)
4:30pm- NIA Prep National Team (Newark, NJ) vs. Central Jersey Each One Teach One (Neptune, NJ)
6:00pm- Franklin Township High School (NJ) vs. McKee/Staten Island Tech (NY) – Boys
7:30pm- Plainfield High School (NJ) vs. Paul Robeson High School (NY)
9:00pm- St. Benedicts Prep (Newark, NJ) vs. Satellite Academy (Bronx, NY)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31ST
10:30am- Central Jersey Each One Teach One (Neptune, NJ) vs. Queen City Prep National Team (Charlotte, NC)
12:00pm- Redemption Christian Academy (NY) vs. Adelphi Academy (Brooklyn, NY)
1:30pm- Thelma Hamilton Campus vs. Our Savior New American (Long Island, NY)
3:00pm- Plainfield High School (NJ) vs. Mckee/Staten Island Tech – Boys (SI, NY)
4:30pm- East Orange Campus– Boys (NJ) vs. Wings Academy (Bronx, NY)
6:00pm- St. Benedicts Prep (NJ) vs. Abraham Lincoln (Brooklyn, NY)
7:30pm- NIA Prep National Team (NJ) vs. Queen City Prep (Charlotte, NC)

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They are only high school freshmen, but in just a small amount of time they have already made an impact on the basketball court.

While there is no clear-cut top prospect in the class of 2014, a number of players around the country appear destined to become stars

2014 features two top players who verbally committed to schools before they played a single game in high school.

Indiana head coach Tom Crean picked up commitments from Tre Lyles, a 6-foot-7 forward from Arsenal Technical (IN), and James Blackmon Jr., a 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Bishop Luers (IN).

While this was part of a recent trend in which the Hoosiers picked up some of the top local and national talent around the country, Indiana is stacked and loaded for the class of 2014. Lyles, who committed in September, plays AAU ball for the same program Kentucky-bound Marquis Teague ran with, Spiece Indy Heat. Blackmon Jr comes from the same program and will be coached by his father, James Blackmon Sr., a former Kentucky All American.

Despite no one emerging yet as the top player in class, one big man may end up being the best.

Coaches are drooling over New York native Dakari Johnson, the 6-foot-8 big man who attends New Jersey powerhouse St. Patrick, which won the prestigious City of Palms Classic Wednesday night on a last-second 3-pointer from Jarrel Lane.

Johnson put up 10 points and 12 rebounds in the semifinal win over Mater Dei (Calif.) and averaged 9.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in the event.

One opposing coach said of Dakari, “He has size and can score down low. I’m very impressed with him. He is the next big time St. Pat’s kid.”

St. Pat’s coach Kevin Boyle thinks Johnson could grow to 7-feet or taller.

“It would surprise me if he doesn’t end up 7-foot to 7-2 , 300 to 310 [pounds] and be able to carry it well,” Boyle said.

As far as his recruitment, Boyle added: “He went unofficially to Georgetown [and Xavier] and I don’t think there’s anybody who’s not going to offer him. He just has terrific potential. His biggest thing is to get in great condition.”

Boyle also has another son who will play basketball at St. Patrick. Although he won’t get much time on the varsity level this year, Brendan Boyle, a 5-8 guard and the younger brother of former St. Pat’s standout Kevin Boyle, will make an impact in the near future for his father’s team.

The youngest Boyle and Johnson have become great friends and Brendan is one of Dakari’s biggest supporters.

“To me, Dakari is the most skilled, smart and well rounded players at his heights and weight that I’ve ever seen,” he said. “That is saying a lot considering I have been around some of the top high school, college and pro players throughout my life.”

Illinois is another state that is stacked with talent for 2014.

One school, Whitney Young, is the home of two of the best. Forwards Paul White and Jahlil Okafor are absolute beasts and people are starting to notice.

White stands at 6-7 while Okafor is a force inside at 6- 8, 260 pounds. Multiple coaches have told me that they “love” the duo and landing both in a package deal would be ideal. Both have been on the Illinois campus a fair amount and would fit in well at the home-state school.

Don’t sleep on Canada, though. Grassroots Canada coach Ro Russell may no longer have Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson and Myck Kabongo at his dispatch, but he has a number of freshmen who will walk in their footsteps.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Kevin Zabo and Andrew Wiggins are all making big names for themselves in different locations. Rathan-Mayes, a 6-3 guard, plays high school ball with Russell and his Christian Faith Academy team in North Carolina. Zabo, a 6-2 guard, attends St. Mark’s (Mass.). Wiggins elected to stay in Canada for his freshman year and play at Vaughan.

“They are the cream of the crop for the 2014 class,” Russell said. “They all have Top Ten potential. When they play together in AAU, it would be a joy to watch, even for me.”

While he hasn’t established himself as a big name nationally yet, Kaison Randolph is a local prodigy.

A 6-2 native of Trenton, N.J., Randolph plays the guard position for the Pennington School. Randolph thrives off the dribble and finishes at the basket in traffic. His ability to grab his own offensive rebounds makes him even more dangerous as he gives himself second and third chances. With loads of potential, he has not hit his peak yet according to his AAU coach.

“Kaison has a lot of work ahead of him, but as of now he is definitely one of the top freshmen around,” said Matt Pauls of Team NJABC.

Pauls has coached a number of talented guards over the years including Steve Rennard (Penn), Frantz Massenat (Drexel), Tony Chennault (Wake Forest) and Khalid Lewis (Delaware), among others. Look for Randolph to grow into one of the top 2014 players in the Garden State.

With the days of Sebastian Telfair and Lance Stephenson over at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, it’s time for one freshman to step into the spotlight and follow in their footsteps.

Isaiah Whitehead, a 6-3 guard, had Lincoln coach Tiny Morton as his math teacher last year.

Now Morton is a teaching Whitehead the fundamentals of being the next great New York guard. Although he is not starting right off the bat, he is putting up good numbers and contributing to Lincoln’s great season so far.

The Railsplitters are currently unbeaten and have key wins over Brooklyn Thomas Jefferson, in which Whitehead scored 17 points, and Brooklyn Boys & Girls, in which he scored 12. While Whitehead is not flashy and does not like the attention of the media like Telfair and Stephenson did, he has the marketability. Isaiah will be Isaiah Whitehead and no one else.

The New England area is loaded with talented seniors, juniors and sophomores. While the top freshmen have not been established yet, one player is making a big name for himself: Wayne Selden, a 6-4 forward from the Tilton School (N.H.).

With a number of different schools after him, look for Selden to be the best up and coming talent to come out of New England for his grade.

“He’s going to be a very special player,” said one coach on Wayne.

For the Class of 2014, the talent level is there and the star power is already emerging.

It will only be a matter of time until we are all talking about their recruitment and watching them play in the McDonald’s All American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.

(Isaiah Whitehead photo courtesy Daily News)

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St. John’s, Arizona and Texas fans can watch Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep against Yates (Texas) Thursday at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

Findlay features Amir Garrett, who has signed with St. John’s, Arizona commit Nick Johnson and Texas commit Myck Kabongo.

The Pilots are 14-1 on the season and currently ranked No. 4 by ESPN Rise and No. 5 by USA Today.   Yates is riding a 66-game win streak.

Also, Duke and Kentucky fans — and hoopsters in general — should circle Jan. 14 when Duke-bound Austin Rivers and Winter Park (Fla.) hosts Kentucky commit Michael Gilchrist and Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick. These two were scheduled to meet in August in Orlando, but Gilchrist went on vacation with his family.

Here’s the complete ESPN high school schedule for the coming season:

2010-11 High School Basketball Showcase Schedule (All ESPN & ESPN2 games simulcast on ESPN3.com; schedule subject to change)

Here is a preliminary list; click on the name of the event for schedule and details.

If I’ve missed anything, shoot me an email at zagoria@hotmail with the tourney info and link.

CITY OF PALMS CLASSIC, Dec. 17-22, Fort Meyers, Fla.

KREUL CLASSIC, Dec. 17-21, Coral Springs, Fla.

BIG APPLE BASKETBALL CHALLENGE, Dec. 18, Baruch College (Manhattan)

HOOP GROUP TIP-OFF, Dec. 18-19, Plainfield, N.J./ South Orange, N.J.

JINGLE BELLS JUBILEE, Dec. 26-29, Hudson Catholic (N.J.)

BEACH BALL CLASSIC, Dec. 27-31, Myrtle Beach, Fla.

HOOPS IN OVERDRIVE SHOOT-OUT, Dec. 30-Jan. 1, Atlanta

NEW YEAR’S JUMP-OFF, Jan. 2, Teaneck, N.J.

4th ANNUAL VILLA HOLIDAY CLASSIC, Jan. 2, St. Joe’s University (Philly)

CANCER RESEARCH CLASSIC, Jan. 8, Wheeling, WV

SFIC BOYS BASKETBALL FESTIVAL featuring ST. BENEDICT’S vs. ST. PATRICK, Jan. 9, Kean University (N.J.)

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS, Jan 13.-15, Springfield, Mo.

SPALDING HOOPHALL CLASSIC, Jan. 14-17, Springfield, Mass.

DAN FINN CLASSIC, Jan. 15, Jersey City, N.J.

BOARDWALK SHOWCASE, Jan. 15, Monmouth University

BIG APPLE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL, Jan. 15/17, Baruch College (Manhattan)

FREEDOM FIGHTERS HOOP CHALLENGE, Jan, 17., Paterson, N.J.

PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT, Jan. 21-22, Morgantown, WV

NEWARK NATIONAL INVITATIONAL, Jan. 28, Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.

PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT, Jan. 28-30, Philadelphia

SNY INVITATIONAL, Jan. 28-29, LIU-Brooklyn

PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT, Feb. 11-13, Kean University (N.J.)

RUCKER SHOWCASE INVITATIONAL, Feb. 19, Wadleigh High, N.Y.

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Dinner tickets are still available and proceeds from the evening dinner will benefit the Hudson Catholic boys basketball program. All friends and alumni are invited to attend.

The dinner will have an added excitement, as we will honor two all-time Hudson Catholic greats – Jim Spanarkel (’75) and Michael O’Koren (’76).

The hope is to make this an annual event, and what better way to start the season than to honor the two most prominent basketball alumni in school history.

Spanarkel graduated from Hudson Catholic in 1975. He was a two-time First Team All-Hudson County selection in two sports – baseball and basketball. He led the Hawks to the HCIAA basketball championship in 1974, the first and only basketball county title in the school’s history. His senior year, he averaged 16 points and seven assists per game and played on the same team with O’Koren, as well as Mark Corrugan, Tom Clark and Ed Nierstadt. The Hawks won the HCIAA South Hudson baseball championship in 1975, with Spanarkel leading the way as a pitcher and hitter. He was actually offered scholarships in three sports, including football, even though he never played a down of competitive football at Hudson Catholic. He eventually landed at Duke University on a basketball scholarship, leading the Blue Devils to the National Championship game in 1978. He was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.

O’Koren graduated from Hudson Catholic in 1976. He also was a two-time All-Hudson County honoree and as a senior, he led Hudson County in scoring, averaging almost 27 points per game. He also led the Hawks to their only state sectional championship, winning the NJSIAA Parochial A North title, before falling to CBA in the state title game. When he graduated in 1976, he ranked as the No. 3 scorer in the history of Hudson County basketball with 1,800-plus points.

O’Koren trailed only former Seton Hall coach and basketball broadcaster Bill Raftery and former Memorial and South Carolina great Jackie Gilloon. He was one of the most highly recruited players in the country, and chose to take his talents to North Carolina and play for legendary coach Dean Smith. At UNC, O’Koren was a do-everything player, and had few equals in Tar Heel history. He’s still the only Carolina player with at least 1,500 points (1,765), 800 rebounds (815) and 300 assists (348). He also had 183 steals and a career field goal percentage of 57.2. He led the Tar Heels to the National Championship game in 1977. He was selected by the NJ Nets with the 6^th overall pick in the NBA Draft.

For more information on purchasing tickets for the Tip-off Dinner contact Head Coach Nick Mariniello at (201)221-6428 or e-mail ngmariniello@yahoo.com.

####

Further Information –

Nick Mariniello – (201) 221-6428 or e-mail ngmariniello@yahoo.com

To contact our honored guests for quotes –

Jim Spanarkel – (201) 803-6831 or e-mail – jim_spanarkel@ml.com

Mike O’Koren – (201) 723-8641 or e-mail – mrsaok1@aol.com

Here are the game times and rosters:

Sophomore Game – 3 p.m.

Junior Game – 4:30 p.m.

Senior Game – 6 p.m.

New Jersey Seniors

LaQuinton Ross     Life Center Academy (Ohio State)

Myles Mack           St Anthony (Rutgers)

Sterling Gibbs        Seton Hall Prep (Maryland)

Desmond Hubert    New Egypt HS (Uncommitted)

Jarelle Reischel    Point Pleasant (Uncommitted)

Derrick Gordon       St Patrick (Western Kentucky)

Vaughn Gray         St. Benedict’s (Uncommitted)

Tyler Harris           St. Benedict’s (Uncommitted)

Khalid Lewis-El      Trenton Catholic (Delaware)

Mario Moody           East Orange HS (Wagner)

Alternate: Rob Poole Paul XI (Siena)

New Jersey Juniors

Kyle Anderson         St Anthony

Jaylen Beckham      St Benedict’s

Rashad Andrews      St Anthony

Brandon Taylor        Trenton Catholic

Jerome Frink            St Anthony

Jameel Warney        Roselle Catholic

Dallas Anglin            Seton Hall Prep

Dom Hoffman            Gil St Bernard

Tariq Carey               Newark Eastside

Neville Fincher          St. Benedict’S

Alternate:  Da’shawn Suber – St. Patrick

New Jersey Sophomores

Austin Colbert          St Patrick

Jaren Sina               Gil St Bernard

Shacore Edwards     Irvington

Josh Brown              St Anthony

Mike Young              St Benedict

Jason Boswell            St Patrick

Reggie Cameron       Hudson Catholic

Kavon Stewart          Hudson Catholic

Tyler Roberson         Union

Spencer Weicz         Seton Hall Prep

Alternates: Jordan Forehand St Anthony and Jarrett Hall  Newark Tech

Philly Seniors

Aquil Younger               West Catholic  (Drexel)

Juanya Green                Arch Carroll (Niagara)

Aaron Brown                 Penn Wood (West Virginia)

Jerrell Wright                 Dobbins Tech (La Salle)

Devin Coleman              Friends Central (Uncommitted)

Jaylen Bond                  Penn Wood (Pittsburgh)

Jabril Trawick                Abington Friends (Georgetown)

John Johnson               Life Center (Pittsburgh)

Eric Copes                    Imhotep  (George Washington)

Ameen Tanksley            Imhotep (Niagara)

Alternates: Eddie Joiner-Mitchell  60   LaSalle HS   Rider  and  Joey Gripper  62 Abington frds  Undecided

Philly Juniors

Jeremiah Batts         Communications Tech

Khyree Wooten       Imhotep Charter

Ryan Arcidianano    Nehamany HS

Savon Goodman      Academy of the New Church (ANC)

Daiquan Walker       Constitution Charter

Jordan Reed            Wisahickon HS

Brendan Kilpatrick     Malvern Prep

Maurice Watson        Boys Latin

Derrick Stewart         Neumann-Gorretti

Amile Jefferson         Friends Central

Philly Sophomores

Brandon Austin          Imhotep Charter

Rondae Jefferson       Chester

Steve Vasturia           St Joesph Prep

Miles Overton             St. Joesph Prep

Britton Lee                Roman Catholic HS

Johnny Davis             Neumann – Gorretti

Shafeek Taylor          Roman Catholic

Yosef Yacoub            Arch Bishop Carroll

Karon Davis              Friends Central

Jeremiah Worthem    Math-Civics-Science

Alternate:  Rasheed Jordan   Vaux HS

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