Group I State Tournament Preview

There are years where Group I is "wide open"...There are years where Group I has a heavy favorite. 2024 became a year where a heavy favorite emerged and may stay at the top of the pile for years to come.

THE HEAVY FAVORITE

College Achieve Asbury Park

Record: 16-7

Best Wins: Middle Twp(65-63), Ramapo(52-42), Saint Peter's Prep(67-63)

The arrival of Dave Boff on the sidelines from Roselle Catholic, along with the host of transfers that followed him to the Jersey Shore have cemented College Achieve as the team to beat in Group I.

Deuce Jones(LaSalle) is an electric guard to lead their offense. They have plenty of talent in the backcourt, including 6'4" Jebron Harris. Add the size of Dave Munro(6'8"), Nas Hart(6'7") and Eunique Rink(6'10")...That gives them weapons that no Group I school has had in years, if ever. It's a team with 5 scholarship players starting.

CA has played a showcase schedule and is as prepared as any to win this classification.

It's state title or bust.

CONTENDERS

Paterson Charter

Record:20-3

Best Wins: Hackensack(71-68) and Lyndhurst Twice(72-60, 68-58)

PC has been powered by D'Angelo Hibbert and KaJuan Gee this season. The senior duo has carried them to another solid year with no drop in standard. Prior to College Achieve crashing the party, they would have been the favorite to win the title. Giovanny Figueroa has also stepped up this season...but is it enough? It's not impossible, but size will be the question against College Achieve for any Group I school.

Newark Tech

Record: 14-9

Best Wins:Brooklyn Collegiate(62-43), Irvington(88-68),

Tech has a talented backcourt, led by juniors Malcolm and Marcus Bragg. Juniors Jalen Baker and Rodney Tullis have stepped into bigger roles this year, while Ammon Eaton has done work as the glue guy in the lineup.

They have solid guards and some size...Enough to at least give College Achieve fits. While depth is an issue comparatively, they may be the squad most complete to tangle with CA.

Newark Tech has taken on a who's who throughout the season, playing well above their school classification against powerhouses such as Elizabeth, Ramapo, Saint Benedict's, Immaculate Conception and Morris Catholic. While they don't have a "marquee win"...They don't have a "bad loss." Their competition has them prepared to potentially make a run.

Hoboken High

Record: 19-5

Best Wins:Memorial WNY(66-65), Bayonne(50-35), Oratory(59-48), Bound Brook(76-62)

Concerning Losses: None.

Hoboken enters the tournament with a battle tested bunch out of Hudson County that has scored some solid wins throughout the seasn and doesn't have a "bad loss" on its record.

The Red Wings have plenty of guards, including juniors Lamir Boxley and Nick Petruzelli. They get help in the frontcourt from 6'3" junior Nico Esposito and 6'3" senior Jon Jones...but again, while they have guards and some athleticism in the lineup--Tangling with the frontcourt of CA would be a massive challenge...Everyone we highlight will rinse and repeat this statement.