Jabs and jump shots: Ocean County health official runs Metro Classic boys basketball showcase

Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press
·5 min read

Right now, RWJ Barnabas Health Arena in Toms River is home to a COVID vaccination clinic.

From Feb. 3-6, it will be home to a big-time high school baseball showcase.

The same guy is in charge of both.

Dr. Mukesh Roy, director of emergency preparedness and response for the Ocean County Health Department, moonlights as a grassroots hoops influencer whose reach extends from McDonald’s All-Americans to NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

“Most people at the Health Department, we’re just exhausted, but it’s been gratifying, doing what we do,” Roy said. “But basketball has been my passion. That’s my outlet.”

Dr. Mukesh Roy (left) and his brother Pryia Roy (right) with NBA commissioner Adam Silver in India, where they helped coordinate an exhibition game between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers
Dr. Mukesh Roy (left) and his brother Pryia Roy (right) with NBA commissioner Adam Silver in India, where they helped coordinate an exhibition game between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers

Now his worlds are colliding, by design. The Metro Classic Basketball Showcase is bringing together some of the best schoolboy talent in the country, including 10 McDonald’s All-Americans and 12 of USA Today’s top 20 teams. There are 26 games, one of which will be televised by ESPNU. Eleven New Jersey schools are taking part, including Rumson-Fair Haven, Manasquan, Camden, Gill St. Bernard’s, Bergen Catholic, Patrick School, Newark West Side, St. Peter’s Prep, Roselle Catholic, Newark Arts and Westfield.

“People have said, ‘Dr. Roy, how are you going to do this with COVID?’” he said. “I said, ‘Guys, we’re going on three years now. We have to learn to live with this.’”

As the father of a lacrosse player, Roy saw the damage done during the pandemic’s first year, when sports were canceled or limited.

“You can’t shut down,” he said. “There’s huge mental-health implications here that we are not even absorbing. We need to get back to normal, and let’s do it safely.”

Rumson Trent Sloan goes up with a shot. Rumson-Fair Haven Boys Basketball defeats Raritan in Hazlet, NJ on January 20, 2022.
Rumson Trent Sloan goes up with a shot. Rumson-Fair Haven Boys Basketball defeats Raritan in Hazlet, NJ on January 20, 2022.

'Everybody wanted to do this'

An immigrant from India, Roy grew up in Rahway and Scotch Plains before attending prep school at St. Thomas More in Connecticut, where he played hoops in the mid-1980s.

“In those days UConn would scrimmage our ‘A’ team,” he said. “They would bring this raggedy bus and we were like, ‘Man, this college must be no good, look at their bus.’”

As fans of Union County’s talent-rich high school scene, he and his brother Pryia befriended Kevin Boyle, the coach of powerhouse St. Patrick in Elizabeth. When Boyle left for Montverde Academy (Fla.) a decade ago, the Roy brothers launched the Metro Classic as a homecoming opportunity for him. The event outgrew its original home at Kean University, so Roy brought it closer to home. RWJ Barnabas Arena seats 3,500 and ticket sales have been brisk. Some games are taking place at a secondary site, Toms River Intermediate East.

Vaccinations are administered at Toms River North High School in RWJ Barnabas Arena and officials say they have more than enough vaccine to handle anyone who wants an appointment. Toms River on April 20 2021.
Vaccinations are administered at Toms River North High School in RWJ Barnabas Arena and officials say they have more than enough vaccine to handle anyone who wants an appointment. Toms River on April 20 2021.

“RWJBarnabas Health has worked closely with Dr. Roy throughout the pandemic by supporting COVID-19 vaccination and testing in collaboration with the Ocean County Health Department and we are delighted to support this showcase event,” said Bill Arnold, president RWJBarnabas Health's southern region (which spans Monmouth and Ocean counties) and of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Masks are required of spectators at both venues. Roy said he had no problem lining up schools despite the recent COVID spike due to the omicron variant.

“Everybody wanted to do this because people are hungry to go back to their normal activities,” he said.

Lois and Frank Eager get their shots together. Vaccinations are administered at Toms River North High School in RWJ Barnabas Arena and officials say they have more than enough vaccine to handle anyone who wants an appointment. Toms River on April 20 2021.
Lois and Frank Eager get their shots together. Vaccinations are administered at Toms River North High School in RWJ Barnabas Arena and officials say they have more than enough vaccine to handle anyone who wants an appointment. Toms River on April 20 2021.

The Metro Classic did not take place last year. Roy, a 55-year-old Atlantic County resident who helped orchestrate a 2019 NBA exhibition game in India, got his hardwood fix in 2021 as medical director of the MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City.

“It was kind of weird watching it with no clapping,” he said. “I would clap and the commissioner would look like at me like, ‘No, you’re supposed to be neutral.’”

Vaccine message wars

In another fusing of his worlds, Roy said one of his goals during the Metro Classic is to promote vaccinations by airing a public-service video and announcements at the arena.

“Vaccination numbers are lagging — not just in New Jersey, but everywhere,” he said. “At the height, we were vaccinating 2,500 people a day (in RWJ Barnabas Arena). Now it’s about 100-150, but we’re going to keep doing it.”

Dr. Mukesh Roy
Dr. Mukesh Roy

He sees sports as a way to get the message across to under-vaccinated communities — and to counter signals sent by high-profile holdouts like Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers and Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (a Patrick School grad).

“That does damage our messaging,” Roy said. “It’s very important to have role models in this process. It’s a disservice when high-profile athletes refuse to do it.”

Most of all, Roy is proud to bring a hardwood spotlight to his backyard.

“New Jersey I consider to have the best basketball in the country, but the focus is always on North Jersey,” he said. “For a town like Toms River to have an assemblage of players of this magnitude is just unheard of. We don’t get that in Ocean County.”

Metro Classic Schedule

(Games are at RWJ Barnabas Health Arena in Toms River unless otherwise noted)

Thursday, Feb. 3

Oak Hill v. Legacy, 1:00pm

Sunrise Christian v. Bishop Walsh, 3:00pm (airing on ESPNU)

IMG v. La Lumiere, 5:00pm

Wasach v. Long Island Lutheran, 6:00pm (Toms River Intermediate East)

Camden v. Gill St. Bernard’s, 7:00pm

Montverde Academy v. Bergen Catholic, 9:00pm

Friday, Feb. 4

Link Academy v. First Love Christian, 12:00 pm (Toms River Intermediate East)

IMG v. Patrick School, 1:00 pm

Legacy v. Bishop Walsh, 3:00 pm

Oak Hill v. Wasatch, 5:00 PM

Sunrise Christian v. Westtown, 7:00 PM

Montverde v. La Lumiere, 9:00 PM

Saturday, Feb. 5

Compass v. St Thomas More, 9:00 AM

La Lumiere v. Gill St. Bernard’s, 11:00AM

Manasquan v. West Side, 12:00 PM (Toms River Intermediate East)

Wasatch v. Bishop Walsh, 1:00 PM

Patrick School v. Link Academy, 1:30 PM (Toms River Intermediate East)

Montverde Academy v. Legacy, 3:00 PM

IMG v. Sunrise, 5:00 PM

Camden v. St Peter’s Prep, 7:00 PM

Oak Hill v. Roselle Catholic, 9:00 PM

Sunday, Feb. 6

St. Thomas More v. Phelps Prep, 10:30 AM

Phelps Prep v. First Love Christian, 12:30 PM

Rumson v. Newark Arts, 2:00 PM

IMG Prep v. Patrick School Prep, 3:30 PM

Westfield v. St Joes Prep, 5:30 PM

For more information on the Metro Basketball Classic, including tickets, visit www.metroclassicbasketball.com.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean County health chief runs Metro Classic boys basketball showcase