Another year of high school boys basketball is on the horizon, and South Jersey’s Catholic school teams will have plenty to offer this winter as several schools look to be in contention for divisional and sectional titles.
This week, the Catholic Star Herald takes a look at its local boys basketball teams and presents a preseason guide to the 2023-24 season.
Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Pennsauken: The Crusaders made a deep run into the state playoffs last year by reaching the South Jersey Non-Public B final as the No. 2 seed, but fell to top-seeded Saint Rose in the championship game. Bishop Eustace went 18-10 on the year, which was the Crusaders’ best showing since 2018.
Bishop Eustace wasn’t incredibly flashy offensively but held the opposition to 50 points or fewer 19 times. Leading scorer James Iannelli has graduated, leaving the keys to junior Tommy Semiraglio, who scored 275 points last year. The Crusaders will field a young team without much senior experience. They will look to Ian Glassmacher (109 points) and Frank Semiraglio (60) for an uptick in production.
Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill: The Irish were the top seed in the South Jersey Non-Public A bracket last season after a tremendous 22-6 season, but fell short in the semifinal round. Junior Luke Kennevan, who scored 397 points last season, is also in the range of 1,000 career points, needing 336. With Kennevan, who can shoot from long range, the Irish were able to play a variety of different styles. But a large outgoing senior class will provide plenty of open roster spots and the challenges in filling them. It will be trial by fire as the Irish don’t have another returning player with more than 85 career points.
Gloucester Catholic High School, Gloucester City: The Rams experienced both hot and cold streaks last year before finishing with a respectable 16-11 record. Gloucester Catholic won seven of its first eight games before losing nine of its next 12. Then the Rams won six straight including a Tri-County Conference B-Flight championship before bowing out in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs. Seniors Trey Battle and Kyle Guldin return with juniors Jack Mustaro and Carlos Mendez to take another shot at glory.
Holy Spirit High School, Absecon: Last year brought challenges as the Spartans were curbed with their first losing season since the 2017-18 campaign – and just their second in more than a decade – as Holy Spirit ended up 9-17. Making things more challenging was the fact that five of the Spartans’ top six scorers from last year received their diplomas in the spring. The Spartans appear to be in complete rebuild mode, which will open opportunities to younger players for a program that has experienced success in the past.
Paul VI High School, Haddonfield: After a stumble out of the gate last year in the form of a 2-4 start, the Eagles found their game and ended up with a 19-11 record and were quarterfinalists in the South Jersey Non-Public A playoffs. They’re hoping to build off that momentum with scoring in sophomores Adiel Fred (240), Judah Hidalgo (245) and Isaiah Thomas (236), and junior Torren Greene (128). A tough slate of games including a competitive Olympic Conference National Division should have the Eagles battle-tested for another postseason run.
Saint Augustine Preparatory School, Richland: It was a special season last year for Saint Augustine as coach Paul Rodio eclipsed 1,000 career wins, becoming just the second in the state to achieve that incredible mark. He’ll likely keep climbing the charts this year as the Hermits are fresh off a 23-6 campaign with a plethora of scoring options returning for the 2023-24 season.
Senior Elijah Brown has already surpassed 1,000 points after pouring in 512 last year. He’s joined by fellow seniors Semaj Bethea (399) and Matt Kouser (278). Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, the Hermits have reached the 20-win plateau in their last 15 tries.
Wildwood Catholic Academy, North Wildwood: The Crusaders are hoping to recapture some of the magic of recent success that saw the school compile a combined 77-12 record over three seasons just before the pandemic. Since the 2019-20 season, Wildwood Catholic is a combined 22-31, which included a 9-18 run last year. The Crusaders lost 1,000-point scorer Justin Harper, who graduated in the spring. Harper led the Crusaders with 593 points last year, but the good news is that there are plenty of experienced players returning. Pat Bean, Charlie Dunner, Tayshaun Jackson, Ryan McGrath and Jah Walker each scored north of 100 points last year, and they should collectively chip in to fill the void left by Harper.
Coming Up
Check out the Dec. 15 issue of the Catholic Star Herald for the high school girls basketball season preview.
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