Eastern Kentucky-Bound Asante Gist Makes History With Second Tournament of Champions Title

By ADAM ZAGORIA

TRENTON, N.J. — Asante Gist made history on Monday night.

Of all the players in the history of New Jersey high school basketball, none had ever won the prestigious Tournament of Champions title with two different schools.

Until Gist, that is.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior scored a game-best 16 points, including making 4-of-5 from deep, to lead St. Anthony’s to a 55-38 victory over Linden in the TOC final at Sun National Bank Center.

The win completed a perfect 32-0 season for the Friars, who won their 13th TOC title under Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley. All other New Jersey schools have combined to win 15 TOCs.

“It feels great,” Gist told SNY.tv. “It’s a great accomplishment for me. I knew that we were going to be a special team before the season even started because of the group of guys that we have. Everyone played hard and together and were like a family and that’s always the key to success. But as far as me yeah it’s a feeling that I can’t even express. I’m just going to enjoy it and let it speak for itself.”