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2010 GARDEN STATE GREAT: KYRIE IRVING

by Matt Whitfield

The phrase ‘the sky is the limit,’ is a phrase used loosely almost to the point where it loses its real meaning. With Kyrie Irving, however, many truly do believe the sky is limit for this basketball prodigy.

Despite being just a junior in high school, Kyrie, the son of former Boston University star Drederick Irving, is arguably the most heralded high school basketball player in the Garden State right now, regardless of class. Irving told NBE he already has offers from practically every school in the Big East (South Florida and Louisville the only exceptions) as well as powerhouses Duke, Indiana, Memphis and Florida with North Carolina now showing interest too.

Irving plays on New Jersey’s top rated team, St. Patrick’s, which just captured the NJSIAA Non-Public B championship on Saturday with a 76-62 win over Trenton Catholic. Despite all the attention and accolades he receives, it would surprise many that Irving played in relative obscurity last year.

“Kyrie Irving, when it’s all said and done, he will arguably be as good as any guard who’s played in New Jersey,” St. Patrick’s head coach Kevin Boyle said. “Any guard. Ever. Ever. DaJuan Wagner, Bobby Hurley. You’re talking about a guy who’s a great shooter, a great finisher; he’s going to be as good as anybody who’s played in New Jersey.”

These were the words out of a coach’s mouth that has coached the likes of Garden State legends such as Al Harrington, Derrick Caracter and Samuel Dalembert, all top players during their time. Kyrie himself feels he has potential too, saying after St. Patrick’s dismantling of St. Benedict’s, a game where he erupted for 21 points in helping lead his squad over the then #2 ranked USA Today program, that he has aspirations of playing one day in the NBA. Strong words for a high school junior, but scouts don’t disagree and playing alongside fellow top prep stars such as UNC-commit Dexter Strickland and sophomore sensation Michael Gilchrist can only help.

Irving’s journey to stardom is a different one. Last season he played and went to school at Montclair Kimberly Academy, in Montclair (NJ). Montclair Kimberly is a part of the Colonial Hills Conference which is a competitive conference, yet its basketball schedule featured nothing close to the line-ups thrown at St. Patrick’s. As a sophomore, Irving averaged approximately 26 points a game and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in just two seasons.

At St. Patrick, the Elizabeth (NJ) program is almost always featured in the USA Today Super 25, and faces the likes of top ranked teams such as Oak Hill, St. Benedict’s, and Paterson Catholic yearly. This is what helped Irving make his decision to transfer as he told NBE it was a, “family decision, [as I] just [wanted] to show people I could play on the next level.” At St. Patrick’s Irving stated to NBE that he is very happy saying that, “playing here is just great, the coaching staff is great, everybody’s [just] great.”

The team Irving plays on is great as well to say the least. Despite suffering a tough loss against Oak Hill a month ago in which Irving dubbed the toughest loss of his high school career, saying he just didn’t show up, and needed two weeks to recover from, St. Patrick’s is still the top ranked team in New Jersey and fourth ranked team in the entire country according to the USA Today. Irving and his St. Patrick’s squad just dismantled Paterson Catholic, arguably the second best team in the Garden State, this past Wednesday, 79-54. Irving stated to NBE following that agme how much he wanted to win the next three games, which included Saturday’s NJSIAA Non-Public B championship and the Tournament of Champions, for the seniors on the team.

“Making my teammates better and just the ability to score the ball,” remarked Irving when asked to describe his top attributes on the court.

Having another high-level basketball talent in the family has not hurt Irving’s development either. Besides playing AAU basketball this summer with the New Jersey Road Runners, Kyrie will also undoubtedly have some heated pickup games with his dad Drederick, the second leading scorer all-time at Boston University. Irving told NBE he gets the better of his dad now-a-days, however, it was not always that case as his dad helped him develop toughness on the court.

“Before, when I was younger, my dad used to bully me, and you know it got me mentally tough and physically tough,” the younger Irving said of the father and son meetings on the court.

While Kyrie may be tough on the basketball court, he is also soft spoken off it. A year from now, in addition to wanting to be known as one of the Garden State’s all time greats, Kyrie wants people to remember him as a, “Great person, and a great student.”

With the likes of schools like Duke and Notre Dame offering Irving, who has 3.5 GPA, he knows being a great basketball player with these schools just won’t cut it.

As far the recruiting process goes Kyrie indicated to NBE that he is pretty much open. Kyrie stated that he has taken visits too Memphis and Indiana and that he has an upcoming visit to Notre Dame too.

As far as the recruitment processes goes, Irving is starting to formulate a list of factors he will look for from the school he will call his future home.

“Home away from home, a family atmosphere, and just a place where I can come in and make a quick impact,” Irving stated to NBE on what he will look for from a college. “Anywhere I go I think I can be an impact player.”

For now, the 6-foot-2 junior is focused on the task at hand, winning the New Jersey Tournament of Champions. With solid people in his corner educated on the recruiting process and knowing the game, look for the recruiting process to have meaning and run smoothly, just like his game on the court.

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