Five-star sophomore Chidi Nwigwe breaks down early recruitment
By CHARLIE PARENT THE BRONX — Chidi Nwigwe,
By CHARLIE PARENT THE BRONX — Chidi Nwigwe,
By ADAM ZAGORIA
Father Edwin Leahy still remembers the message Dan Hurley had for him that day in 2010 when Hurley fought through tears over the telephone.
After nine years as the boys basketball coach at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., Hurley was leaving the high school ranks to coach at Wagner College on Staten Island.
“The one thing my old man never taught me, Father Ed, was how to leave,” Hurley said.
Bob Hurley Sr., of course, never left his post as the head coach at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City, coaching there for 50 years until the school closed in 2017 due to financial reasons.
By ADAM ZAGORIA UNION, N.J. -- Following two
By ZACK CURRAN The Hoop Group Tip-Off event opened
Like his older brother, God’sgift Achiuwa, Precious Achiuwa came to the United States from Nigeria for a better life.
And like his brother, his path to that life comes by way of basketball.
While Gift was a solid forward at St. John’s for one season, his younger brother is now being recruited at the highest levels.
Ohio State and Kansas are the latest schools to offer the 6-foot-9, 206-pound wing from St. Benedict’s Prep and the New Heights AAU program who is ranked the No. 10 small forward in 2019 by 247Sports.com.
“Everything is going fine,” Achiuwa said Tuesday by phone. “Right now I’m just worrying about getting better. I’m not really focused on recruiting and stuff. I’m just trying to get better. I’m trying to work on my jump shot and my dribbling.”.
UNION, N.J. — For Coach Mark Taylor and his St. Benedict’s Gray Bees, the entire season is geared toward qualifying for the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School Nationals in New York City.
This year’s event is slated for March 30-April 1 at Christ the King High School in Queens.
St. Benedict’s took a major step toward qualifying for the tournament for a fifth time by beating national power Oak Hill Academy, 59-47, in the Metro Classic on Saturday night at Kean University. Syracuse-bound big man Bourama Sidibe went for 13 points and 7 rebounds and junior wing Matthue Cotton tallied 10 points and five assists.
By HARRISON VALENTINE
BLAIRSTOWN, N.J. –– On Wednesday night, Blair Academy hosted St. Benedict’s in a battle for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming New Jersey State Prep A tournament.
The two teams entered the contest quite familiar with one another, possessing a unique rivalry that has brewed silently in recent years, producing some instant classic games, always with much at stake. This latest encounter was no different.
Blair prevailed, 55-53, after St. Benedict’s half-court heave fell short in the final seconds.
With the win, Blair improved to 13-2 on the season and earned the No. 1 seed in the state tournament.
