If you're looking for good basketball, and I'm talking really good basketball, you don't have to look very far. Right here in our backyard, the state of New Jersey, there is some of the best high school basketball in the country. In total, their have been over 30 McDonald's High School All Americans from the Garden State. NJ has three teams that are regularly in the country's tom 25 teams: St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, St. Benedict's of Newark, and St. Anthony's of Jersey City. This year, the state was shaken up when the state championship did not include any of these three giants. Instead, the state championship came back close to home for me, going to the Trenton Catholic Academy team of Hamilton, NJ. Because my friend plays on the Trenton Catholic team, I attended nearly every game in the tournament. Even though the tournament was missing St. Patrick's because of an illegal practicing scandal, the tournament still displayed top talent across the board. Some famous alumni from the state are Charlie Villanueva and Luol Deng who both played for Blair and now are in the NBA. Others are Joakim Noah, J.R. Smith, Al Harrington, Andrew Bynum, Tim Thomas, and Jay Williams, all of whom are or were recently in the NBA.
Speaking NJ high school basketball, our school is one of the many competitive teams in the state.
One of the NBA's all time greats, Willis Reed is played basketball in NJ. He was raised in Cedar Grove, NJ. If you don't know who he is, here is a video
This video shows Willis Reed's heroic return from an injury in Game 7 of an intense playoff series. His Knicks would go on to win the series thanks to his stellar play. Willis Reed's heart and skill epitomizes the New Jersey Basketball Player.
What's your favorite sport to play or watch? Is the sport popular in your state? What professional athletes are from your area?
My favorite sports are
ReplyDelete1. Crew
2. Cross-country
3. Track
I like to watch all 3 on TV. I also liked the ski cross-country competition in the Olympics this past year.
Guiseppe Lanzone is a local rower that I look up to. He has many accomplishments nationaly and internationaly in rowing.
I played basketball in middle school and we played against TCA. They had a really good team and I hear that their high school team is good too.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite sport is ice hockey, and it is relatively popular in New Jersey. However, when many people think of hockey they also think of Canada, not the United States. James van Riemsdyk is now becoming a local hockey sensation with his involvement with the Philadelphia Flyers. His hometown is Middletown N.J.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite sport is basketball. I travel a lot to watch games therefore I've seen NBA players play in high school such as Brandon Jennings. But from my town in Piscataway there has only been one man to go all the way to the NBA. His name was John Celestand. He played for the Lakers for a few years and got a championship ring. He is now a commentator and a trainer.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite sports are Ice hockey, tennis, and football. Hockey is not that popular in new Jersey, and two NHL players who came from my area are VanriemsDyk and Powe, who both play on the Philadelphia flyers.
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