Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
In this installment of our series, “Suburban Stories,” we will talk about Don Bosco Prep, the best team in the state of New Jersey who took the country and their home state by storm and have plenty of top-tier talent on the floor, including two Division I signees.
Throughout this season, the state of New Jersey had plenty of solid teams, and there was plenty of competition night in and night out. But there was one that made their presence felt in and out of the state. One program that held their own against some of the best teams in the nation. One that stood out above the rest in their own county.
The program in question was none other than the Don Bosco Prep Ironmen.
First, one must think about the school, which has long been a powerhouse in athletics, primarily with their football program, which has always been a powerhouse for many, many years and has been in the national rankings. In the summer of 2008, the program was rated at No. 9 in the nation by Sports Illustrated.
Don Bosco Preparatory High School, which opened in 1915 as a boarding school for Polish boys, is a Catholic all-boys school run by the Salesians of Don Bosco and is located in Ramsey, New Jersey, which is located in Bergen County. For the grand price of $18,975 this year, the young men are able to obtain a quality education. With an enrollment of more than 700 students in the building, there is always some great camaraderie in the building. One can tell that it’s like a brotherhood at Don Bosco.
Not many people outside of Bergen County may know this, but before these last few seasons, the Ironman have had some great hoopers come out of the school, which includes Paul Jorgensen (Butler), Kyle Smyth (Seton Hall), Owen McGlashan (Sam Houston State), Lonnie Rivera (Wagner), Matt Herasme (New Hampshire), Tyrell Biggs (Pittsburgh), Brandon Anderson (Brown) and last but not least, Ron Harper, Jr. (Rutgers).
Since 1995, Kevin Diverio has built a top-flight program and one of the best parochial school programs that are still standing today. A graduate of Don Bosco Prep himself (Class of 1986), he was a standout at Division III Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and is a member of their Hall of Fame, as he scored over 1,000 points and handed out over 400 assists.
In his time as the leader at Don Bosco Prep, he has won 15 league championships, eight Bergen County Jamboree championships, three Non-Public A state sectional championships and two NJSIAA Non-Public A state championships. And he has also won more than 500 games in his career. That right there is quite an impressive resume.
And behind the coach is also the players.
This story starts with two senior guards in Dylan Harper, the McDonald’s All-American and a top-five recruit in the Class of 2024, who is signed to Rutgers University and Isaiah Brown, who is signed to Howard University. The difference between the two is the former is a bigger guard that is a skilled scorer and is lights out and has a penchant for producing in big games. The other is a true point guard that gets everyone involved and is a lights-out shooter from long range.
Also on the team that made a difference this season were underclassmen such as sophomore forward Keiner Asprilla, junior guard Jordan Ghee, junior guard Brady Loughlin and sophomore guards Israel Jackson and JP Skoric.
Another senior that held his own was forward William Mensah, who was known for his athleticism.
Throughout the season, the Ironmen played in a lot of major games and went 29-3 overall. They played in a major events such as City of Palms in Fort Myers, Florida, where they went 2-1, the Jordan Holiday Classic at Baruch College in Midtown Manhattan, The Battle at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey, and the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts.
As far as competition in the state of New Jersey, the Ironmen went on a torrid pace, as they steamrolled the competition, losing only one game to the Patrick School. It was safe to say that Don Bosco Prep owned the Garden State this past season.
They won the Bergen County Jamboree title against Ramapo on Feb. 18th, 57-33, at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Rothman Center in Hackensack, and then went on to win the sectional championship on March 4th in Franklin, 56-42, over Hudson County champions, St. Peter’s Prep. And then lastly, on March 8th, they capped off their season with a win in the NJSIAA Non-Public B championship, 56-29, over South Jersey’s Paul VI.
No matter what odds may have been stacked against them, it was only right that they deflated the obstacles that came their way. Now that Harper, the McDonald’s All-American, has gone on to play in the Big Ten for the Scarlet Knights and Brown will be playing in the MEAC for the Bisons, it’s definitely not over.
There’s still a lot more in store for the boys in Ramsey, New Jersey, as they have a special talent in Asprilla, a 7-footer that hails originally from Colombia and looks to be a promising forward that will one day play for a high-major school, and also Loughlin, the shooter that has also made his presence felt as a Division I prospect that could end up at a high-academic conference such as the Ivy League.
There’s still talent walking through the doors at Don Bosco Prep, they just need to be seen.
Look out for the next installment of “Suburban Stories,” as we will be talking about the Notre Dame-Fairfield Lancers basketball program out of Fairfield, Connecticut, that is churning out some special talent and looks to be a promising power in the CIAC.
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