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Special Basketball Season Edition
Celebrating 50 Years of
1,000-Point Memories
by Gary Ferrari and Peter Morales
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In 73 total seasons of Hudson Catholic Boys and Girls Basketball, the Hawk ‘1,000 Point Club’ boasts just 16 members -- 13 Boys and 3 Girls, recognized as the best of the best. On the Boys side, the first three into the club are from the 70s, actually playing one season together in 1973. This rare feat occurred once more, in 2015. Our first five 1,000 point boys played for our Hall of Fame Coach, Rocky Pope, and our last four played for the winningest coach in school history, Nick Mariniello, on his dominant Hawk teams of the 2010s. The Girls’ Club was initiated in 2017, and they have provided the most recent two members to the Hudson Catholic 1,000 Point Club, with all three playing for Coach Pete Vincent. | |
Banners commemorating our 1,000 Point Clubs displayed with Hawk Pride in the Joseph 'Rocky' Pope Gymnasium. | |
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Jim McDonough ’73
‘Big Mac’, Jim McDonough, was the hardest-working, most modest guy in the world, but he had a lot on his shoulders fifty years ago on the night of February 2nd, 1973. Jim recalls: “What is scary is that it was 50 years ago. It was home in a win against Dickinson. I think it was a foul shot. I do remember that my teammates passed up shots so I could get 1,000 at home.” The game account in the Jersey Journal the next day reported that Jim became Hudson Catholic’s first member of the 1,000 point club when he indeed dropped in a free throw with 3:36 left in the game to finish at 21 points for the night and an even 1,000 at that point in his high school career, in a 56-47 victory over Dickinson, with the Hawks record standing at 11-5 at that point in the season. Fellow senior and starting forward Mike Finley recalls “that was a big night for Big Mac and all of Hudson Catholic,” with Mac making his milestone despite “going up against our old pal,” Mike ‘Banjo’ Mangini, a very good defensive player. Our Club originator led the Hawks in the '72-'73 season to a North Parochial A Championship in a 50-43 win over Seton Hall Prep, with 14 points and 16 blocks(!), and a State Final appearance. He went on to a D-1 career at William & Mary after finishing his Hudson career at 1,111 points, underscoring that Mac was indeed #1!
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Jim Spanarkel ’75
The former Duke All American and NBA first round draft choice recently told us: “I really don’t have any recollection of when I scored the 1,000th point. All I know is that it wasn’t on a 360 dunk, Lol!” Well, we can help Jim with his memory. The Jersey Journal account of a game played during his senior season on January 10th, 1975 resulted in a 67-39 thrashing of Ferris at “the Hawk hideaway!” ‘Sparks’ became the second Hudson Catholic 1,000 Point Scorer, arriving at his milestone on a lay-up assisted by junior and fellow HC Hall of Famer Tom Clark at 2:29 into the game, and he finished with 20 for the night. Jim wound up owning the school career scoring record, at 1,387, for just one season, ceding it to his three-year teammate, the next guy on the list, who has never relinquished the title of school career scoring leader.
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Mike O’Koren ’76
A former North Carolina All American and NBA first round draft choice, Mike recalls that he scored his milestone point against Ferris, too, adding, “more importantly we won the game.” Well it was in his junior season, only a month after Spanarkel got his, on February 11th, against those same Ferris Bulldogs, in a Hudson 56-38 victory. The Jersey Journal reported that Mike became the third Hawk in the last three years to surpass the 1,000-point mark. Mike finished with 15 for the night. Of course, in his senior season, 'Little' went on to become a one-man wrecking crew and a Parade Magazine Second Team High School All American, scoring a personal high of 37 versus Essex Catholic and leading Hudson to our first State Championship of any kind, defeating Holy Spirit of Absecon and achieving the loftiest point scoring level in school AND JERSEY CITY history -- and his school record still stands 47 seasons later. 1,854 is the number.
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Ed Nierstedt ’81
Having some tough acts to follow, Ed topped the 1,000 point milestone in perhaps the most prolific way, during his senior year and finishing with 1,060 for his career. He tells it like this: “I do remember how and when I scored my 1,000th. We were playing in the State Tournament against Union Catholic at their home court. They were highly rated and expected to beat us pretty easily. I scored my 1,000th on a jumper from the left side of the court. They stopped the game and presented me with the game ball. And we ended up beating Union Catholic, too! Fond memories for sure. Can't wait to hear about the other stories.” Well, again, the Jersey Journal corroborates Ed’s account of that game played on March 5th, 1981, adding that it took two OTs for the Hawks to gain the 67-65 victory. Nierstedt is credited with a game-high 24 points, including a base-line jumper at the buzzer to send the game into the second overtime. He had to share game laurels, however, because fellow senior Al Coulter, scoring his only two points of the night, tossed in a 35-footer with two seconds remaining to gain the victory! Incidentally, the next man to reach the 1,000 Point threshold was a junior in this game, adding 21 points on his way toward rarified air. And it should be noted that he stole the ball and fed Coulter for the game-winner! Ed played his college ball for the then-Cougars, now Blue Crabs, of the College of Charleston.
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Paul Lee ’82
The 6’3” All County senior forward became the fifth member of the club by scoring point number 1,000 in the final game of his high school career, a State Tournament loss to Union Catholic, a game in which the Vikings gained revenge with its 55-46 victory a year after being bounced out by the Hawks. The Hawks finished 16-11 on the campaign. Lee averaged 17.4 ppg and hit double figures in all but one game on the season, finishing with a career total of 1,012. Along with teammate Tom Gaynor, he turned his basketball success into an Ivy League education, moving on to Columbia University. Both Gaynor, and the late Mike “Mooney” Ryan gained Honorable Mention honors for the All County Team that year.
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Egon Lewis ’90
The 6’1” guard scored 683 points and averaged 26 points per game in his senior season, earning All County Honors, and did just enough scoring to pull himself over the 1,000 mark in the last game of his high school career versus North Bergen at the Hawks Nest. He had a season high of 42 versus Lincoln and finished his career at 1,005 points, amassing that total in just two varsity seasons. Egon recalls his bucket coming on a baseline screen jumper just before the half of a close game that we won by six. At that point the game was stopped for presentation of the game ball and photos with his Coach, Dennis Kielty, teammates, and a Christian Brother or two. Egon went on to play at Montclair State.
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Michael Corso ’93
For a team that notched its first post-season victory in 12 years, under the helm of Coach Bob Ryan ’68, Mike Corso notched his 1,000th career point on February 12, 1993, at home, and may be the only Hawk to achieve that against arch-rival St. Peter's Prep. How sweet it is! He hit his bucket at 1:36 of the 3rd quarter and knows this because the game was stopped so that, at center court, Principal Brother Tom Gerrow, Coach Ryan, and Mike’s parents, Maryanne & Mike Sr., could present him with the same black and gold 1,000 point milestone ball that resides, still, in the trophy display case in the school lobby just outside the Gym. Mike recalls: “Prep at home, a packed gym, standing room only. Prep fans filled up one side of the bleachers and Hudson fans the other. It felt like a game at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. After I hit for my 1,000th point, we had the lead at 35-33 and stole the tempo of the game to come away with our first victory (67-48) over Prep in three years and carried the momentum into the semi-finals of the state playoffs.” Mike added one other significant memory from that game. “I had been sick with the flu but insisted on playing because it was Prep and a win would clinch our spot in the State Playoff's. So with about a minute left, I asked Coach Ryan to take me out because I felt tired, and he replaced me with my classmate and friend, Rob Nguyen, who scored the last bucket of the game shortly before the final buzzer.” (Robert Nyugen died in the line of duty as a Jersey City Police Officer on December 25, 2005.) Corso finished with 1,124 for his high school career.
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Darlington Okerulu ’02
A one-man wrecking crew, Okerulu scored 697 points, averaging 27.9 for his senior year, garnering First Team All County and Second Team Parochial A All State Honors. Highlights included 49 points vs. Paterson East Side (which is believed to be the school’s all-time single game scoring record), followed by 44 against Paterson Kennedy. His milestone game came at home in a win against the Hoboken Red Wings, on a lay-up, whereupon the game was stopped briefly and he was presented with a plaque commemorating his achievement. He finished ‘his game’ with 35. The 6’3” forward finished his career at 1,355 points when Coach Steve Ricciardi’s Hawks bowed out in the County semi-finals, then went on to play college ball with the St. Anselm Hawks, a D2 Division power, ultimately being enshrined in their Athletic Hall of Fame. Upon selecting St. Anselm, Darlington stated: “I’ll be a Hawk for life!”
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Jonathan Cortez ’08
The 6’3” Forward averaged 16.5 ppg in his senior season for Coach Damel Ling’s Hawks to log in to the 1,000 Point Club on Senior Night of all nights, but in defeat at the hands of powerhouse St. Anthony’s. However, the season highlight was a win over Prep! 1,004 is his final total.
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Reggie Cameron ’13
The Hudson County Coaches’ Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season, the 6’7” Forward averaged 22.6 points per game. The Georgetown recruit led the Hawks to our best-in-history 29-2 record that year and an appearance in the North Jersey Non-Public Group B final, bowing to St. Anthony - no shame in that. Reggie reached the coveted 1,000-point milestone in his junior season on February 2, 2012 in a lopsided home victory against University Charter, 100-58, in which he ripped the cords with 17 points, making him the first of four Hawks to reach the milestone during Coach Mariniello’s tenure at the Hawks Nest.
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Nassir Barrino ’15
Named the Jersey Journal’s Hudson County Player of the Year for 2015, Nassir scored his 1,000th point against Snyder, at the Tigers den, and it came on a dunk from a transition break and pass from Tyheem Burno, making it perhaps the most emphatic 1,000th point scored among the Hudson Catholic greats! Nassir finished with 1,089 for his career, and says: That was something I had worked my entire life for.” He went on to play at the University of San Diego.
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Luther Muhammad ’18
Luther’s 1,000th point came as a junior on January 23rd, 2017 against St. Mary’s Elizabeth in a game played as part of The Investors Classic at Kean University, with just 50 seconds remaining on the clock of a game that was closer at that point than the 62-53 final score. He is part of the first tandem of Hawk teammates, along with Jahvon ‘Jelly’ Quinerly, to each hit the 1,000-point mark since the Spanarkel and O’Koren glory days. He was recruited to Ohio State, and is now in his senior year, at Arizona State, playing for Jersey City legend Bobby Hurley Jr., there being a certain symmetry there, with Luther having been on the Hawk team that ended Coach Hurley, Sr.’s illustrious career. The 2017-18 Hawks won the County title for the 7th consecutive year, with icing on the cake being what seemed to be the perennial defeat of The Prep in the title game -- 6 times in those 7 seasons. Luther tallied 1,620 for his Hawk career, good for fourth on the all-time scoring list.
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Jahvon Quinerly ’18
The most recent member to join the Hawk Boys 1,000 Point Club and second highest Hawk scorer of all time. Just three days after Luther crossed the milestone marker, Jahvon joined him as Juniors in the Club, in an overtime, buzzer-beating upset loss to Snyder on January 26th, 2017, scoring his 1,000th among a game-high 28. Being named a McDonalds All American and 2-time Gatorade NJ Player of the Year makes the 6’2” guard about the most decorated player in school history. Originally on to Villanova, he is presently playing his senior season at the nearly top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. ‘Jelly’ and Luther led Hudson Catholic that year to a distinctive defeat of venerable St. Anthony’s for the 2017 NJ North B Parochial Championship -- the Hawks’ first victory over St. Anthony since the 1975 Spanarkel/O’Koren-led Hawks beat them in the County title game, and sending Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley Sr. into retirement on the losing end in St. Anthony’s last game ever.
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Editor’s Note: For top scorers in Hawk history, the big three are O'Koren with 1,854...Quinerly with 1,808, and Cameron with 1,793. Cameron had 1,931 career points, with 138 scored in his freshman year at Paterson Catholic. He transferred to Hudson as a soph, upon PC's closing. | |
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Tania Scott ’17
Tania initiated the Girls Hawk 1,000 Point Club on March 1st, 2017 in a game that was notable for several reasons, among them that she became the third Hawk to hit the milestone in the same season, along with two on the Boys' side! Tania scored only 9 points, but they were instrumental in helping her to the milestone and the Hawks past St. Anthony, to attain Hudson’s first ever State Playoff victory on the Girls’ side in Non Public North Group B. Tania finished up with 1,015 career points and went on to put her talents on display at Felician College.
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Hayley Ramirez ’19
Three-time All County First-teamer Hayley entered the Hawk 1,000 Point Club on December 18, 2018 on a corner three-pointer in the 2nd quarter, ending her night shortly after that with 13 points in a lopsided home victory, 82-21, over Kearny. She completed her career with a 1,197 total. As teammates with Zanai Jones, the third member to enter the 1,000 Point Club two years later, they secured the Hawks’ first-ever Hudson County Tournament Championship in the 10-year school history to that point. Haylee joined Tania Scott in playing college ball at Felician.
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Zanai Jones ’21
Zanai enjoyed two straight seasons as Third Team All State and is the most recent member of the Hawk Basketball 1,000 Point Club, and all-time leading scorer in the 13-year history of Girls Basketball at Hudson Catholic, with 1,388, curtailed somewhat by a shortened season in the pandemic. She entered the club on February 14, 2020 with a school record 40-point performance versus Dickinson, on a three-pointer near the end of the first half, boosting the Hawks to the long end of an 86-20 victory. The guard is currently playing at Villanova as the first girl from Hudson County (that’s County!) in 14 years to play for a Big East school. She holds nearly every girls basketball record in program history -- most points in a career (1,388), season (523), and game (40), most assists in a season (200) and career (622), and is close behind in rebounds, blocks and steals.
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To Jared Hall '13. As every list seems to have that one special circumstance, Jared is the only 1,000 point scorer to appear on the gym banner and not score 1,000 points as a Hawk. While he did not score 1,000 points AT Hudson Catholic, he did score his 1,000th high school point FOR Hudson Catholic. In fact, Jared would be worthy of the moniker, 'Mr. 1,000' because he's done it twice! A senior transfer from Newark Tech, Jared sat out the first 30 days of the season, by regulation, then served as the Hawks’ 6th man throughout their run to their second consecutive title as Hudson County Champions and third in school history. He went on to become a 1,000 Point Scorer yet again at Division I Long Island University.
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To Louis King ’18, who transferred into Hudson mid-sophomore year from Pope John XXIII. He played his full junior season and only 16 games in his senior season due to injury. He notably scored 20 points in the NJ North Parochial Group B Championship game victory over St. Anthony’s. While not in the Hawk 1,000 Point Club, he was distinguished as a McDonalds All American, was selected to the US Junior Olympic Team, and has the distinction of being the third Hawk to make it to the NBA, and the first since Mike O’Koren in 1980! So there’s that!
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There are many things that connect these court stars over the many years of attendance at Hudson Catholic -- representation of their school, the wearing of the Black and Gold, the love of the game, and on and on......... and there is actually one person who connects to all of them as well -- our President-Principal.
Special Basketball Edition Message From the Prez:
"This basketball edition is especially meaningful to me, not only because of Hudson Catholic’s storied basketball history, but also because I have a personal connection with every player on the list in some way or another. While Athletic Director, I was the first to retire the numbers of former players, and Jimmy McDonough, Mike O’Koren and Jim Spanarkel were clear choices for that first class. Eddie Nierstadt was soon to follow. It also helped that I grew up down the block from 'Little' and around the corner from Eddie, graduating high school in the same year, and I personally witnessed those legendary Jersey City pickup games on the courts of St. Joseph’s Grammar School. Paul Lee was another contemporary of mine and a privilege to induct. As a member of the faculty and administration, I have been lucky to be at Hudson for the milestones of Egon, Mike, Darlington, Jonathan, Jared, Reggie, Nassir, Luther and Jahvon. To make things even better, I was there as Tania, Hayley and Zanai each scored their 1000th point and helped vault our girls athletic programs to new heights. Ultimately, the best part about our 1,000 point scorers is that each of them was a student-athlete first and foremost, and they have all remained connected to the Hawks Nest no matter where life has taken them."
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There have been three Hawks to progress to the pinnacle of their sport, the most obvious being legendary Hawks Jim Spanarkel and Michael O'Koren back in the day. And now you know that Louis King is a present-day NBA baller.
But all good Hawk sports fans know that a fourth ‘Hawk’ played in the NBA. That was George Blaney, who played at St. Peter's Prep before Hudson existed, and for the New York Knicks, then later became the first Varsity Basketball Coach in Hudson Catholic history before going on to greater heights in the college game at Holy Cross and Seton Hall.
On the all-time NBA regular season points list, O'Koren finished at 3,355, Spanarkel 2,505, and, at present, Blaney is ahead of Louis King, 117 vs. 109, but that is not likely to last too much longer!
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Highest Scorer
in a Hawk Basketball Game
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In 2002, Darlington Okerulu '02 authored a 49-point game vs. Paterson East Side. Does anyone else recall a game in which a Hawk scored 50 or more? That is a very tall task in a 32-minute high school game!
On the Girls’ side, Zanai Jones ’21 poured in 40, twice, which is believed to be the highest game score by a female in school history.
Prove us wrong if you can, to: advancement@hudsoncatholic.org
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The All Time Hawk Scoring List | |
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1,854 Mike O’Koren
1,808 Jahvon Quinerly
1,793 Reggie Cameron
1,620 Luther Muhammad
1,388 Zanai Jones
1,387 Jim Spanarkel
1,355 Darlington Okerulu
1,197 Hayley Ramirez
1,124 Mike Corso
1,111 Jim McDonough
1,089 Nassir Barrino
1,060 Ed Nierstedt
1,015 Tania Scott
1,012 Paul Lee
1,005 Egon Lewis
1,004 Jonathan Cortez
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The Alpha & Omega
Hawks' Greatest Victories
Were Always Against St. Anthony
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The classic photo for the ages in the Main Lobby Trophy Case commemorating the Hawks' first Hudson County Championship in the 1975 title game played at the Jersey City Armory, won, 63-53, on February 27, 1975. | |
Hawk elation captured right at the final buzzer of the 2017 North Jersey State Title victory played at Rutgers' RAC, 64-61, on March 18, 2017 in the last game ever played by St. Anthony and coached by Bob Hurley, Sr. | |
All Time Boys Basketball Team | |
Whether it is from among these guys, or any others, let’s have a little fun with selecting the All-Time Hawk Starting Five. Select your five, and send to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org. We’ll tally the vote and publish some responses. | |
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It has been said that “when legend becomes fact, then print the legend.” So, we’ll leave you with, if not quite legend, then a very, very good story.
It recently came to our attention that a book by Jerry Tarkanian, former UNLV head basketball coach, entitled “Runnin’ Rebel: Shark’s Tales,” contains a story about enlisting the services of ‘The Chairman of the Board’, Frank Sinatra, who was Tarkanian’s long-time friend, to help recruit our very own ‘Little’, Michael O’Koren, to play for the Running Rebels in college.
At the time in 1976, O’Koren was one of the most sought-after players in the country and was being recruited by every college in America. Tarkanian asked Hoboken’s native son and crooner to pay a visit to the Hudson Gardens in Jersey City to Mike’s home and see if “Ol’ Blue Eyes” could sway O’Koren to choose UNLV. Tarkanian wrote that Sinatra did in fact visit O’Koren in his home, but the attempt obviously didn’t work, as we know Mike chose North Carolina instead, where he became an All-American.
Making matters worse for Tarkanian, in 1977, when O’Koren was a freshman at UNC, he scored 31 points in the NCAA Final Four against – yes, UNLV. “I told Sinatra that he was a lousy recruiter,” Tarkanian wrote in his book.
Epilogue: As this story was not well known in Jersey City, and by all means shoulda and woulda been, we went back to the source for corroboration. The response from Mike was simple: “I was always taught to not let a little truth get in the way of a good story, but Sinatra never came to Hudson Gardens.” There you have it. A funny anecdote that never happened, yet makes for great urban legend.
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And the Bigger they are.......
.........the Bigger they are
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Tony Monte '78 recently wrote to say this: "Reminiscing about Hudson Catholic reminded me when my father and I went back to the school for Mike O'Koren when his jersey was being retired. My dad loved Mike not only for his exceptional basketball ability but for how warmly and respectfully he always treated my father.
After the ceremony, my dad (getting up in age) sat on the bleachers while I walked on the court to congratulate Mike. He asked about my father and when I pointed him out, Mike went right to the bleachers, sat and talked with my father, putting his arm around him....even though everyone was trying to grab Mike for a handshake. I see the smile on my father's face to this day. It was like sitting with Mickey Mantle although in this case...better. Mike may not remember this but he gave me (and dad) a wonderful memory.
I cheered many nights for O'Koren, but none more important than for the love he showed my dad. That's Hudson Catholic and THAT'S Hawk Pride. Just wanted to share that with you and happy this brought back such a great moment."
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Peter Morales ’74, a veritable one-man Elias Sports Bureau, has our unending gratitude for performing the lion's share of the research needed to develop this special edition, and for his personal dedication to all things Hudson Catholic and Hudson Catholic sports. | |
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We hope you've enjoyed this Special Edition of Building The Legacy.
To build many more memories and special moments like these, you know we count on all good Hawks to support our school, as every gift of any amount works to optimize the high school experience of every boy and girl in the student body.
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We are grateful for our Sponsors | |
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