<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Mike Rosario of St. Anthony and Samardo Samuels of St. Benedict's were named to the McDonald's All-American Game March 26 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Rosario becomes the first Rutgers recruit in recent history to achieve All-American distinction. The 6-9 Samuels is ranked among the top post players in the nation and is headed to Louisville. St. Anthony and St. Benedict's are ranked 1-2 in numerous national polls, including the Prepnation.com poll. The team will be officially announced Feb. 19. Rosario, a 6-2 senior shooting guard, scored 18 points Wednesday night when the unbeaten Friars knocked off Linden, 60-40. He will be in action Friday at his future school when St. Anthony meets John Carroll of Maryland in the PrimeTime Shootout. "Mike Rosario is the William Tell of this year's edition of the Friars," recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski told the Herald News. "He's a kid with a lot of quickness. Not great playing off the dribble, but a terrific shooter who can extend defenses. "What he brings to Rutgers is a hired gun who can really score. He's quick, he's athletic and he's one of the surest shots in New Jersey."</div> per zagsblog. Gotta be happy for Mike. Rutgers can finally say they have an All-American.
There are rumblings that this might be Hurley's best St. Ant's team ever...and that's saying something. I think they are a good deal better than St. Pat's this year. Hopefully they play at the RAC in the non-pub B finals again during my spring break so i can go see it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kid Chocolate @ Feb 9 2008, 12:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>There are rumblings that this might be Hurley's best St. Ant's team ever...and that's saying something. I think they are a good deal better than St. Pat's this year. Hopefully they play at the RAC in the non-pub B finals again during my spring break so i can go see it.</div> March 5 is the sectional final. I'm not sure if it's being played at the RAC. In recent years it has been. Before that it was at St. Peter's College in Jersey City. As for this being St. Anthony's greatest team ever, it certainly could be. The 1989 team with Hurley Jr., Terry Dehere, and Jerry Walker was insane. The 2004 St. Anthony team didn't boast any true "stars," but for anyone who's ever read The Miracle of St. Anthony, they know just how good that team was despite all the problems they went through. Six division one players is ridiclious. They still have a long way to go though.
Six D-1 seniors, with a junior in Dominic Cheek who is a top 15 prospect nationally and will probably end up as the best of the bunch. Plus, they have Manute Bol's son.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JCB @ Feb 9 2008, 01:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Six D-1 seniors, with a junior in Dominic Cheek who is a top 15 prospect nationally and will probably end up as the best of the bunch. Plus, they have Manute Bol's son.</div> What? How did the Bol family expand to Jersey?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Feb 9 2008, 01:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JCB @ Feb 9 2008, 01:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Six D-1 seniors, with a junior in Dominic Cheek who is a top 15 prospect nationally and will probably end up as the best of the bunch. Plus, they have Manute Bol's son.</div> What? How did the Bol family expand to Jersey? </div> No idea.
St. Ant's vs American Christian coming up on ESPN. Chance to see two McDonald's All Americans in Rosario and Tyreke Evans.
Dominic Cheek is so damn good. He's the type of kid RU and Seton Hall need to keep home. Really hope he doesn't go to Nova.
Natural-born leader | Rosario plans to make St. Anthony a champ, then revive Rutgers <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The fight started over a playground game called "Tops." It happened like this all the time in the Duncan Avenue projects. One minute, a couple of 11-year-old kids were playing a silly game for pocket change, and the next, they were scrapping for their lives on the pavement with a crowd gathering to see blood. Mike Rosario figures the fight, his first but certainly not his last growing up in Jersey City, lasted nearly two hours. And he knew no matter what happened, he wouldn't be the kid who didn't get up. "He was the neighborhood bully," the St. Anthony senior said, spinning a basketball on his fingers as he told the story. "I knew if I fought him, he wouldn't mess with me any more and he wouldn't mess with nobody else, either." It is the kind of tale of survival in the projects that leaves outsiders cringing or shaking their heads. Yet, for Rutgers basketball coach Fred Hill, hearing it has to bring a certain amount of excitement and anticipation. Hill needs a fighter nearly as much as he needs a great basketball player to rescue his program. He needs a kid who can change the losing culture on a team finishing up one of its worst seasons. Rosario, a wiry 6-2 guard, wants to be that player, and tonight he will play the biggest game of his life on his future home court. He and undefeated St. Anthony, No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, come to the Rutgers Athletic Center to face No. 2 St. Patrick in the most anticipated high school game of the season.</div> later on in the article . . . <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The same attitude kept him instate for college. Most of the best recruits flee this state the first chance they get when a college recruiter comes calling -- it's the reason New Jersey will be a complete nonfactor in the NCAA Tournament this month. Rosario, a McDonald's All-American who could have gone just about anywhere, never considered leaving. "I'm not from nowhere else but Jersey City," he said. "You know how many kids in Jersey City want to be in my shoes right now? This is where I started. Everywhere I go, I want to represent New Jersey." He is trying to convince his talented teammate, junior Dominic Cheek, and St. Benedict's star Greg Echenique to come to Rutgers with him. Rutgers has recruited other players who promised to become the "Pied Piper" over the years, and their attempts to change the program ended in disappointment. Rosario insists it will be different this time, and it starts with him holding the players around him accountable. "If you're not doing your job and if I'm the leader on that team, I'll holler at you," he said. "And if you don't like it, well, then do something about it."</div>
