Jackson Bleecker, junior forward, goes to the basket in the ECT championship win over Newark Central.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep basketball team had another great season, with a 23-4 final record.
During the season, the Pirates had winning streaks of three, five and 14 games. They captured their ninth Super Essex Conference–American Division title in the 13 years of the conference. They won their 18th Essex County Tournament title in the 75 years of that historic tournament, defeating Central 60-55. They were 2-1 in the NJSIAA Non-Public A North tournament. Following their 39-38 loss to Don Bosco Prep in the Non-Public A North semifinals, SHP head coach Kevin Williams said, “I thought our guys had a phenomenal performance, doing everything we asked of them. Our defense was suffocating, and we didn’t allow them to get out in transition. We showed our grit and toughness, and made big plays down the stretch when we needed to. While we weren’t happy with the result, we know that, in the final seconds, it was still anyone’s ball game.”
Regarding the season, Williams added, “We really grew and got better and better as the season progressed. Winning the Super Essex Conference–American Division and the counties is a tremendous accomplishment that everyone can look back on and be really proud of.”
Williams has completed his 11th season as the head coach of the Pirates. His current record stands at 235-51, for a .822 winning percentage. In the SEC–American Division, his record stands at 111-18, for a .860 winning percentage. In the Essex County Tournament, his record is 31-5, for a .861 winning percentage, and in the state tournament, his record is 15-10 for a .600 winning percentage.
SHP stat leaders
Points per game:
- 13.7, junior Jackson Bleecker.
- 12.7, senior Nick Dunneman.
- 10.7, senior Gavin Kreitz.
- 7.1, junior Shawn Lyght.
- 5.7, junior Darrius Phillips.
- 5.5, senior Myles Thomason.
Rebounds per game:
- 7.0, Phillips.
- 5.0, Dunneman.
- 4.8, Lyght.
- 4.2, Thomason.
- 3.7, Bleecker.
- 3.3, senior Elijah Garris.
Assists per game:
- 5.2, Thomason.
- 3.5, Dunneman.
- 3.1, Kreitz.
Steals per game:
- 2.0, Thomason.
Free-throw percentage:
- 74, Bleecker.
- 71, Dunneman.
- 69, Kreitz.
- 66, Thomason.
The All–SEC–American Division honors, selected by the divisional coaches, were announced. Dunneman and Bleecker made the first team, Kreitz and Thomason made the second team, and Phillips and Lyght made honorable mention.
Photos Courtesy of Rich Morris/SHP
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