St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark finished 24-1 and ranked No. 2 nationally a year ago but had no postseason tournament to peak for.
That’s because Dan Hurley’s Gray Bees played a national independent schedule that didn’t culminate in a postseason tournament.
That will all change this year.
The Gray Bees have been selected to participate in the National High School Invitational, a new event being put together by ESPN, Nike and Paragon Marketing. It is set for April 3-5, the Final Four weekend, and will be held at Georgetown Prep in Washington, D.C.
“This is exciting for us,” Hurley, who has a 179-17 career record, told Ron Jandoli for the team’s season preview. “We now can start talking about setting a goal for the end of the year. In the past couple years, we haven’t had anything to build toward, but this year we have something at the end and that adds a little incentive to strive for and that should help.”
Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. and Montrose (Md.) Christian are also expected to attend the prestigious event.
“It’s been really tough because when our season has ended in the past, all my friends at other schools are still playing in the playoffs,” said Rice-bound guard Tamir Jackson of Paterson, N.J. “To have this happen for my senior year is great. Playing in this type of tournament has us really pumped up.”
Here are some key dates on the St. Ben’s schedule:
Dec. 1- Edison Academy
Dec. 19-23 – Kreul Classic, Fort Lauderdale
Dec. 26-30 – Nike Invitational, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jan. 24 – Lincoln, Prudential Center, Newark
Feb. 2 – St. Patrick, Rutgers Athletic Center
Feb. 7 – Mater Dei, Nike Extravaganza, Calif.
(Photo courtesy St. Benedict’s Prep)
