Can unbeaten St. Rose join NJ boys' basketball elite? Big week begins with win over Patrick School

Stephen Edelson, Asbury Park Press
·5 min read
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As St. Rose’s meteoric rise gained height over the past month, the only question was what altitude the Purple Roses could reach.

For second year head coach Brian Lynch, the gameplan includes the stratosphere of New Jersey high school basketball – and beyond.

“Part of the reason why I went to St. Rose as a coach was I wanted to use my experience to build a program that would be not only competitive at the Shore, but in the state and nationally,” said the former CBA star, who played and coached professionally in Belgium, last week. “In high school, my brother Patrick’s (CBA) team was nationally ranked, and my team was nationally ranked. “

We’ll know more about the trajectory of that goal this week. The unbeaten Purple Roses, top-ranked in the Asbury Park Press Top 10, have a chance to rocket into some rarified air, with a trio of games against elite competition serving as the ultimate measuring stick.

St. Rose's Peter Mauro (2) drives by the Patrick School's Marqiis Samuels during the Purple Roses' 53-49 win on Jan. 16, 2023.
St. Rose's Peter Mauro (2) drives by the Patrick School's Marqiis Samuels during the Purple Roses' 53-49 win on Jan. 16, 2023.

And it began with St. Rose improving to 13-0 in a Martin Luther King Day showdown against the Patrick School, going on an 11-2 run over the final four minutes to pull off a 53-49 victory in Belmar, just two days after three high-level transfers became eligible to play, rounding out a lineup featuring six new faces.

Next there’s Thursday’s C North rematch with No. 2 Manasquan, a top rival for a Shore Conference Tournament title, after the Purple Roses' 56-48 home win on Dec. 22. And the week closes with a Saturday night showdown at Roselle Catholic, with the Lions, also in Non-Public B, featuring a lineup laden with high-major talent.

More:'That's a realistic goal now': Ex-CBA star Brian Lynch has St. Rose boys' basketball aiming high

“I thought this was going to be a five-to-seven-year process. We got very, very lucky that it almost happened overnight, right?,” Lynch said. “There’s a lot of excitement. We have a lot of kids who want to play at the next level, are really good basketball players. Let’s figure out how we can get them to play together. Are we eventually going to be good enough to challenge the Patrick School and Roselle? Where are we at?”

All hands on deck

At full strength for the first time Saturday, St. Rose got big lifts against the Patrick School from sophomore guard Peter Mauro, a transfer from Gill St. Bernard's who scored eight points, including a basket that tied the game at 49-49 with 2:45 to play, Holmdel transfer Evan Romano, whose free throw with 53.8 seconds left provided the eventual winning point, and junior Gio Panzini from Red Bank Catholic, who had at least seven blocks. All three sat out 30 days in accordance with the NJSIAA’s transfer rules.

St Rose Coach Brian Lynch coaches his team during break in second half action. St Rose Boys Basketball defeats Red Bank Regional 47-26 in BUC Basketball Classic in Red Bank NJ on December 30, 2022.
St Rose Coach Brian Lynch coaches his team during break in second half action. St Rose Boys Basketball defeats Red Bank Regional 47-26 in BUC Basketball Classic in Red Bank NJ on December 30, 2022.

They join a trio of international arrivals, including Belgian brothers Matt Hodge, a 6-8 junior who scored 12 points against the Patrick School, including three triples, and 6-5 freshman Jayden, who scored 13 points, and Italian import Bryan Ebeling, a 6-3 sophomore who finished with nine points.

“We have a lot of guys here they came here to get coached really hard, and be in a situation where they can play for a team that can be competitive against the top teams,” Lynch said after the Patrick School game. “A lot of these guys want to play at the next level. So I told them, ‘if you want to play at the next level, it’s actually team, not individual. When you beat teams like this that have high level players, coaches will see that and say ‘hey, they must have good players.’ So they are buying into the fact that if you want to play at the next level you have to learn to go out and beat good teams.”

Historic perspective

Lynch was a junior on CBA's 1995 NJSIAA Non-Public A championship team, which lost a 55-52 heartbreaker in a Tournament of Champions semifinal to St. Anthony, after beating the Friars during the regular season. The Colts went 73-7 during his three seasons.

More:Shore Conference boys' basketball: 30 early difference-makers for 2023

The last Shore Conference team to rise well into the national rankings was the Scottie Lewis, Bryan Antoine-led Ranney teams that won a pair of Shore Conference Tournament titles, and in 2019 became the only area team ever to win the Tournament of Champions, played for the final time last season. The Panthers got up to No. 4 in the USA TODAY Super 25 in 2019.

St. Rose defeated Red Bank, 47-26, in the championship game at the Buc Classic on Dec. 30, 2022.
St. Rose defeated Red Bank, 47-26, in the championship game at the Buc Classic on Dec. 30, 2022.

“There could be growing pains in the beginning, who knows?” Lynch said. “And maybe they click a lot quicker than I expect. But if we’re able to already win or compete against those three guys it will definitely set the bar where were at and where we’re trying to go.”

“I’m glad we’ve got a good team together and can compete against these teams and have a chance for these kids to prove themselves against high competition, against kids who are ranked high. It’s a lot of fun. I think the next year-and-a-half in general because, we don’t really lose any major pieces. We have all six coming back.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: St. Rose NJ boys' basketball: Can unbeaten Purple Roses continue rise?