
Rice said PASA will feature multiple teams and will draw players from the New York/New Jersey area as well as nationally and internationally. Several high-level prospects have already verbally committed to the program, but weren’t able to publicly comment yet..@CoachMikeRice will be back on the sidelines in New Jersey next seasonhttps://t.co/1e0TdB7t33 pic.twitter.com/x5iW63xnCU
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 26, 2019
Rice plans to play a national schedule and hopes to compete against the nation’s top high school teams. Earlier this month, IMG Academy beat La Lumiere (IN) in the GEICO Nationals to win its first national championship at Christ the King High School in Queens, N.Y. “We’re going to have a heck of a roster,” Rice said. “I think we’re going to be very competitive from Day One and we’ll look forward to coaching a lot of highly talented individuals.” Rice was fired at Rutgers for 2013 for verbally and physically abusing his players, but has rehabilitated his image in recent years by working and coaching at the Hoop Group and with Team Rio, as I wrote in this 2016 New York Times piece During the 2016-17 high school season, Rice and Chris Chavannes co-coached the Patrick School to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title. That team featured multiple high-major Division 1 players, including current Kentucky big man Nick Richards.They have a nice gym at the Princeton Academy. Sources said Nike may be involved as a sponsor of all the teams. pic.twitter.com/PtqdBoP7YV
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 28, 2019
Dave Lipman, who is on the Board of Directors at The Patrick School and is working with PASA, said earlier this year his hope is that it could one day become New Jersey’s version of IMG Academy, which sits on 450 acres in Bradenton, Fla. and is a nationally respected brand. “IMG began as a tennis camp run by Nick Bollettieri. It then grew and has changed ownership four times,” Lipman said. “They now have eight sports on 550 acres in Florida. It has 1,000 student-athletes, half of them are from overseas. They are now owned by the William Morris Agency, they’re for-profit, because not only do they develop the stars of the future, they handle their contracts and endorsements and everything else. “So it’s become a big business. I think over the next 5-10 years, the way we look at basketball at all levels is going to change and we hope to be at the forefront of that change.” Photo: The New York Times Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter And Like ZAGS on FacebookThey also have a Junior Olympic pool here at the Princeton Academy. pic.twitter.com/RLUHLOw9eL
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 28, 2019