St. Patrick High School (New Jersey) - Athletics

Athletics

St. Patrick High School now competes in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

St. Patrick High School's athletic program is most noted for a storied boys basketball program that has produced numerous college and professional level players. For nearly 20 years, under the direction of head coach Kevin Boyle, the team has captured multiple New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) sectional and state titles as well as three NJSIAA Tournament of Champions titles (2006, 2007, 2009). A national powerhouse, they have gained recognition from multiple national media outlets and have been a staple in many national rankings, including the ESPN RISE Fab 50, USA Today Super 25, and the Max Preps Top 25.

In 2000, the boys basketball team won the Parochial North B sectional title with a 77-56 win over Paterson Catholic High School in the tournament final.

In 2003, the boys basketball team won the Non-Public, North B sectional title with a 76-64 win against Paterson Catholic. The team advanced to take the Parochial Group B State championship with an 86-56 win against Cardinal McCarrick High School. The team took the title in the 2003 Boys Basketball Tournament of Champions, defeating Camden Catholic High School in the tournament final.

The team won the Non-Public, North B sectional title in 2005 with a 77-62 win against Paterson Catholic. The team fell short in the final game of the 2005 Boys Basketball Tournament of Champions, falling 63-60 to Seton Hall Preparatory School.

The team took the 2006 Non-Public Group B State Championship with an 83-57 win against Wildwood Catholic High School. The team won the 2006 Tournament of Champions with a 61-54 win against Linden High School. The team ended the season ranked 11th in the nation by USA Today in its final 2006 rankings.

The 2007 boys basketball team won the North B state sectional championship with a 62-46 win against St. Anthony High School. The team moved on to win the Non-Public Group B State Championship with an 85-56 victory against Wildwood Catholic. The team won the 2007 Boys Basketball Tournament of Champions for the second consecutive year with an 85-61 win over Bloomfield Tech High School; Corey Fisher (Villanova University) broke the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final record by scoring 32 points. The team was ranked second in the nation by USA Today in its final rankings for 2007, falling just short of the top spot in the newspaper's calculations.

Coming on the heels of his team's second consecutive Tournament of Champions win, boys basketball head coach Kevin Boyle was selected as the 2007 Coach of the Year by USA Today. Through the 2007 season, Boyle had coached the team to a 407-120 record in his 19 seasons with the team, including a 58-6 record in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

In 2009, the boys basketball team captured its third NJSIAA Tournament of Champions Title in four years, beating Science Park High School 73-57. Along the way winning the Non-Public B North Sectional title beating Paterson Catholic 79-54, and the Non-Public B state title defeating Trenton Catholic Academy 76-62. Finishing one of the most successful seasons in the school's illustrious basketball history with a record of 30-3. Ranked #3 nationally in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 and #4 nationally in the USA Today Super 25.

In 2010, the NJSIAA executive committee banned St. Patrick's boys basketball team from competing in the 2010 state tournament and suspended head coach Kevin Boyle for three games after it had come to light that the team had violated state regulations when Boyle had attended and been involved in unsanctioned off-season workouts. Guidelines stipulate that coaches are not allowed to be involved in basketball related activities prior to Thanksgiving Day, which according to the NJSIAA is the official start of the basketball season. These sessions were intentionally video taped by a former state police officer hired by the NJSIAA. St. Patrick's argued that taping these events violated the players' constitutional rights, and were therefore unlawful evidence. Despite being unable to defend their 2009 Tournament of Champions title, the team had a very successful season finishing 26-3 including winning the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in San Diego.