New Jersey celebrates its basketball history with inaugural 'The Basketball Reunion'
New Jersey honored its college and high school basketball all-time greats with the inaugural 'The Basketball Reunion' at Prudential Center in Newark.
www.northjersey.com
Greg Mattura
NorthJersey.com
NEWARK – Doug Edert of St. Peter’s shook the most hands and posed for the most photos, while Rutgers’ Ronald Harper Jr. kept busy schmoozing with former players and coaches.
Edert and Harper hit the floor and joined a lineup of New Jersey hoops legends at the inaugural “The Basketball Reunion” Monday night at the Prudential Center.
A roster of more than 500 guests included Phil Sellers, who led Rutgers to the 1976 Final Four, and John Morton, who spearheaded Seton Hall’s drive to the 1989 NCAA final and one debatable whistle from the title.
“It’s great to be here, around all of them, and have a lot of great conversations,” said Harper, who last month helped Rutgers reach the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. “It’s a privilege to be here, and I’m honored to be here.”
Honoring New Jersey’s all-time high school and college greats was the game plan of The Basketball Reunion, the brainchild of Fred Hill Jr., a native son who has coached at five Garden State colleges: Montclair State, Rider, Fairleigh Dickinson, Rutgers, and two stints at Seton Hall.
“The tradition and history of New Jersey basketball is second to none,” said an emotional Hill, “and I want to honor all of those people for all of the things they’ve done for so many kids, mentors to so many.”
Awards at the banquet were presented in categories such as “Made in Jersey” and "Coaching Legends." The ceremony featured video highlights of memorable moments, including Harper’s 40-foot hoist in December to beat Purdue, 70-68 – the program’s first win over a No. 1 team. It also served as a fundraiser for inner-city youth.
“To see the history, and to see so many people back together, was just so much fun,” said Phyllis Mangina, who starred at Seton Hall and coached the Pirates for 25 years. “There’s just so many great memories in Jersey, and seeing the coaches and all the players back together, and just celebrate what people have accomplished one more time, is really fun.”
New Jersey's March Madness
Edert and St. Peter’s gave New Jersey something to celebrate this March Madness as the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight. Edert’s mustache and shooting made him a memorable part of the Peacocks’ run and a fan favorite at Prudential Center.“I’m happy that we put St. Peter’s on the map, the whole state of New Jersey was rooting for us, and it was just amazing to be part of it, and to have all of this love and support from everybody here,” said Edert, who in high school helped Bergen Catholic win a state title.
Long before Edert was born, Morton and Seton Hall were making an improbable run to the NCAA final. The Pirates beat Indiana, UNLV and Duke by double digits before losing to Michigan, 80-79. Morton scored a game-high 35 points in the final.
“It was a long time ago, and people have stopped me on the street every year for the last 30 years to appreciate what we have done for the state of New Jersey,” Morton said.
That Seton Hall squad was among four college teams honored for reaching the Final Four. Also honored: Princeton’s 1964-65 team, featuring future Knicks’ forward Bill Bradley; the Rutgers’ 1975-76 team, which also included Eddie Jordan, a future NBA player and college and NBA coach; and Montclair State’s 1977-78 women’s team, led by Carol Blazejowski.
The event offered guests the chance to get reacquainted with old friends, and Sellers made sure to thank Ron Kornegay, Monmouth’s all-time scorer, for his guidance in the 1970s.
“He doesn’t know how much he was a mentor to me when we used to play down at the Jersey Shore,” said Sellers, who played in the NBA for the Pistons and was an assistant at Rutgers for several seasons. “Out of respect, I said, ‘Ron, I couldn’t tell you how much it meant to me that you were like a mentor.’”
Putting together the Reunion
