By JOSH NEWMAN
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Is Hudson Catholic the favorite to win the New Jersey Tournament of Champions?
The Hawks were already in the conversation as one of a small handful of teams statewide with a legitimate case. Then, the extended holiday weekend happened.
Five-star Oregon commit Louis King spearheaded an early tidal wave, which John Carroll (Md.) had no answer for. With Ducks head coach Dana Altman on hand, King finished with a game-high 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Hudson Catholic led by as many as 20, and it cruised to a 71-58 decision over Kentucky-bound Immanuel Quickley and the Patriots at the HoopHall Classic on the campus of Springfield College.
“Our end-all, be-all for our season and how we’re going to be judged is our county championship, our section, which is loaded, our state championship and the Tournament of Champions,” Hudson Catholic head coach Nick Mariniello said. “New Jersey basketball is some of the best basketball that’s played in the country. “I thought we did a good job. From the St. Pat’s win, to traveling up here, to taking it seriously as a business trip, I’m proud of my guys.” Hudson Catholic’s win came two days after it registered a 67-59 over another North Jersey parochial contender, The Patrick School, at the Dan Finn Classic. Of its three losses, two came out of state at the City of Palms Classic late last month. The third came Jan. 7 against St. Benedict’s Prep of Newark, which is a consensus top-5 team nationally, but does not participate in the NJSIAA playoffs. “Louis was tremendous,” Mariniello said. “When he’s engaged, he’s as good as anyone in the country. I thought he defended well, I thought he shot the ball well, I thought he drove the ball well. “It was a big weekend for us,” King said. “To come up with a win on Saturday, it was big, then to come up here on a big stage, show our versatility, and show what we can bring against high-level teams.” Uncommitted point guard Jahvon Quinerly put together a nice all-around game of 6 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds after a slow start. He declined to discuss his recruitment postgame, but had Steve Pikiell and Brandin Knight of Rutgers watching him Monday, in addition to Oregon and two Villanova assistants. Aside from King and Quinerly, Mariniello’s other senior star, Luther Muhammad, was terrific. The Ohio State-bound Muhammad scored 17 points, but his greatest value was the terrific defense played on Quickley, who found openings and opportunities at a premium. Between King’s offensive prowess and Muhammad’s defense on one of the nation’s elite weapons, this game was over long before anyone thought it would be. “Yeah, he’s tough,” Quickley said of Muhammad. “I probably could’ve gotten off the ball a little bit more, or used my teammates a bit better. “But, you know, he’s tough and respect to him.” With so much older talent, Mariniello may never have a better chance than now to win a TOC. The Hawks broke through the vaunted Non-Public North B bracket last winter, defeating St. Anthony in the championship game before falling to a loaded Nick Richards-led Patrick School in the Non-Public B final. The landscape this time around is different. St. Anthony is closed for good, while Patrick School, Roselle Catholic and Gill St. Bernard’s are among the contenders in Non-Public North B. Whoever emerges could face Scottie Lewis, Brian Antoine and Non-Public South B favorite Ranney School in the Non-Public B final. “When we play them (Patrick School) again, they’re going to make adjustments and we have to do the same thing,” Quinerly said. “We have to be prepared, and we’re looking forward to it.” Follow Josh Newman on TwitterLouis King with the tomahawk dunk in front of Dana Altman. He has 15 pic.twitter.com/qIXkdYALhO
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 15, 2018
