The Lafayette projects were just a quick stroll away from Dunbar High, and Wade knew of the troubles and struggles that his kids faced on a daily basis. For the Suns to beat the Nuggets, let alone reach The Finals, they need Ayton to narrow his role - then thrive in it. Youre all good parents, I got the best parents. And those are the legacies that last long after the shine of the hardwood fades away. [2][4] In his junior year he was already considered one of the top players of his class. Camden officials have denied the allegations, saying the out-of-district enrollments were handled properly. Follow him on Twitter@StevePoliti. No one knows your passion or heart like you do.. This one is easy: The Newark native is one of the greatest centers in the history of the sport, a four-time NBA champion and a three-time NBA Finals MVP who scored 28,596 points in his career, more than all but seven players in league history. It just kind of flows over.". has echoed at Panthers games for decades. "I just tell him go out and play hard, be a good teammate, make everybody else around you better. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 4:39AM. All content 2000-2023 RealGM, L.L.C. "I have known DJ his entire life and Ive always wanted to coach him," head coach John Calipari said in November. 91; 247Sports Composite . Today, many of its rowhouse neighborhoods are gap-toothed, marked by vacant homes and litter-strewn lots. Coach Wade pounced on that, and preached teamwork and togetherness. This is tricky, because several great players such as Luol Deng only stayed in New Jersey briefly. [3], The following year he played in 28 games. He retired with 7,868 career points. The Panthers finally broke through last season, winning the 2022 state championship. College, you mentor them and they want, theyre like, yo, he was where I want to be, they listen to you. Of all his achievements, Dajuan counts winning the state championship at Camden High as his most memorable basketball moment. For Wagner, who is just a couple weeks removed from winning a gold medal with the U.S. team at the FIBA U-17 World Cup in Spain, the attention appears to be no big deal. Todays players are skilled, large but agileThe game is faster today. Milt Wagner said he hoped to attend as many Camden games as possible this season. Our capsules show the matchups along with the Net Rating, Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating for each team. Wagner scored 15 points, making a pair of three-pointers, as Camden beat a Gratz team that entered play with an 8-0 record. The top-ranked junior prospect is a front-runner for National MaxPreps Player of the Year honors after winning Sophomore MaxPreps Player of the Year last season. But if it is proved that Camden broke the rules, the Panthers could face serious consequences. Wagner, the No. The following year, in 1981, Bogues transferred for his junior season (high school for them was just three years). He has languished on some bad teams during his 12 years as a pro, including the woeful Brooklyn Nets last season. During the summer heading into his freshman season at Camden, Wagner was one of just three Class of 2023 prospects invited to the USA Basketball July mini camp in Colorado Springs. As a freshman, he once scored 45 points in a game and as a senior he went for 100. That goes back the credit to his mom (Syreeta Brittingham) and dad, they raised him well. Averaging 40 points per game over the course of a season in high school basketball is hard. Wiping out every opponent, Dunbar was so good that they felt their practices were more intense than actual games. His family and friends eagerly chanted his name. His advice to kids today? 1 and it isn't Bronny", "Son of former Memphis star Dajuan Wagner excels at USA", "Basketball is a Passion Three Generations in the Making for Dajuan Wagner Jr", "Boys basketball: D.J. I fell in love with the community, the fans, the students., More: South Jersey Football Mean 15 Rankings for Nov. 8. CAMDEN, N.J. - Pat Croce rarely saw anything that could ruin his feel-great spirit, but he would make an exception in the 1997 NBA offseason. Before D.J. 6 overall according to the industry average 247Sports Composite. ET. Its rumored that Coach Wade laid a punch or two on recruiters who tried to do his players dirty. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. In an area where most kids dont expect to live past 20, Bogues and Williams retreated to basketball. Shorter than his peers, all he had to do was steal the ball a few times or drive right past a guy, and theyd look at him differently. If he was on a fast break, he might have David Wingate open, but Muggsy was passing to his friend Reggie Williams instead. The Elizabeth native, known for an ever-present headband after he suffered a serious head injury as a child, played for eight different teams during his 12-season career. Last year, when Camden County needed help getting more people vaccinated against COVID-19, it called on D.J. He played on six teams over end seasons and was out of the NBA at 26. He was drafted 6th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2002 NBA draft. He finished his career at Camden as New Jersey . The Columbia High and Seton Hall graduate had a long and productive career in the NBA, one that started in 1988 with Portland and ended in 2003 in Boston. Still, if we included players who came to the state for college, it wouldn't really be a New Jersey list. Camden earned New Jersey Boys Basketball Team of the Year honors by NJ.com.[8]. Milt Wagner, who lives in Louisville, praised his grandsons performance in his Camden debut. Basketball became a source of pride for kids in the inner city. Featuring four future NBA players, the Dunbar Poets from 1981-1983 have made their case to be the best high school basketball team of all time. Lines forms outside the gymnasium long before they take the court. People here call that more than coincidence. He helped bring down an athletic department. A BUZZ SURROUNDS the New Jersey Scholars in July at Peach Jam, the capstone of the Nike AAU basketball season. Boasting four future NBA players, the Poets took the life out of their opponents and their gyms. High School: Camden High School. He also has outstanding footwork, speed and balance. If D.J., ranked by ESPN as the No. When the small-of-stature Muggsy was announced in the starting lineup, the whole Camden High gym laughed and jeered. They always had each others backs something Muggsy didnt get elsewhere on the court because of his size. Wagner. After all, Muggsy was playing alongside guys hed been playing with and against his whole life. "To see everybody in those shirts walking around out here, that means a lot to me," he tells the audience. Wagner is only a senior at Camden High School. The 7-foot-1 star also ranks third all-time in field goal percentage (58.2). D.J., a sleek, 6-3 combo guard, led a stacked Panthers squad to a state championship last season, averaging over 19 points a game. Many recruiters were known to be corrupt, Bogues told us he still watches the league today and is a fan. Brunson played college basketball for the Temple Owls . Brunson was inundated with calls after word leaked he was leaving, but the city only gave him love, which was another reason he couldnt bring himself to leave. But the crowd that filled the Sky Lounge, now, celebrated him for his off-court character and who he had become as a person. They retired his No.. . He (Dajuan) was a middle-school phenom and D.J. Send along your thoughts. Sparrow, who starred at Eastside High in Paterson, had a productive 12-year career as a point guard in the NBA. Camden High School, NJ: 2023: 1: Justin Edwards: Imhotep Charter School, PA: 2023: 2: . This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 2000s is a stub. On Friday, Milt Wagner watched his grandson, D.J. The team brought in top players from five counties outside Camden to help him, including 7-foot center Aaron Bradshaw, who recently committed to Kentucky. [7] Wagner is considered by many to be the greatest high school basketball player in New Jersey history. Camden is set to play Sierra Canyon of Los Angeles in a game that would match rising sophomores D.J. Take me, show me, lead me. Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau remain linked. I think hes really tries to put that effort out there to do that, make his guys around him better.. 6 min read. (79 kg). The Perth Amboy native is a two-time ABA champion who successfully made the transition to the NBA, where he averaged a career-high 17 points a game for the Kansas City Kings in 1976. They took Coach Wades words to heart. I grew up with five brothers and sisters all having different fathers. And hes still famously recognized as the shortest player to have ever played in the league. Milt Wagner scored 2,003 career points at Camden. The first family of Camden basketball: Freshman guard D.J. Modify, Export & Share Table. Under all the circumstances, all the hoopla, I think he played well. In total, 12 Poets players went on to Division I basketball programs in college. They rarely played against each other, or wanted to. Brunson is back for this season and the foreseeable future. "But to see a kid like that doing something for himself and doing something for the community is a great thing. Wagner, who signed with the Wildcats during the early period, chose Kentucky over archrival Louisville. He averaged a career-low 4.0 points in 11 games played during the 200405 season, and was hospitalized for ulcerative colitis. If Edey returns in 2023-24, after announcing he'll enter the 2023 NBA draft but retain his eligibility, Purdue will be the . A member of the Dunbar High Poets in Baltimore, Bogues and Coach Bob Wades Poets went 59-0 over two seasons in the early 80s. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dajuan_Wagner_Jr.&oldid=1151730067. Jones, who grew up in Hamilton Square and played at Steinert High and (for two seasons) Rutgers, has carved out a 13-year career in the NBA. But college recruiting was no easy field. Wade was willing to do whatever it took to protect his players from the hostile, greed-infested environment outside of their gym. And Wagner's decision of where to play next doesn't just impact him. The slender 6-foot-5 shooting guard led the Panthers to the 1979 New Jersey state championship before going on to star for the Louisville Cardinals, leading them to three Final Fours and the 1986 national championship. June 23, 2022. He also won the event's 3-Point Contest, making 16 of 25 shots from beyond the arc on his homecourt at Camden on Thursday, becoming the second UK signee to win the event in the last three years, joining TyTy Washington, who won it in 2021. "Through three generations, they have all reached mountaintops that have pushed this city forward. The pride of Bloomfield carved out an impressive 10-year career in the NBA after playing collegiately for Notre Dame, scoring 12,142 points -- that's 17.2 a game -- while twice being chosen for the All-Star Game. . He finished with 999 career assists. "This is your shot," he says in a video campaign. They turn out to pick up backpacks and school supplies given away by Nike and Subaru, to shoot hoops and eat free food, but mostly they come to celebrate a young man. He is closing in on that with the Golden State Warriors now, where a player who averaged more than 20 points in back-to-back seasons has settled into a valuable bench presence. Even more surprising, he didnt realize he was walking into a surprise wedding his own. Since retiring in 2001, Muggsy has coached in the WNBA, coached high school basketball, and been a team ambassador for the Charlotte Hornets. J." He averaged 13.4 points for Cleveland as a rookie before illness and injuries ended his professional career. "I take a lot of pride in playing for Camden," he says. 12 in the 1987 Draft and is the shortest player ever to play in the NBA. They retired his No. The 5-foot-10 guard was lightly recruited out of Seton Hall Prep, but he went onto have an outstanding career at Stanford before becoming a reliable ball handler in the NBA who averaged 7.3 points and 6.1 assists a game during a 13-year career. Barry, who was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996, is the only player in basketball history to lead the NCAA, the ABA and the NBA in scoring for a single season. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Thats unbelievable, Milt Wagner said. He didnt realize he was walking into a surprise birthday party, with a crowd of anxious family and friends around the corner. On January 31, 2000 he scored 80 points (24 of which in the fourth quarter) in a 12266 win against Pennsauken Tech. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. The 6-11 center averaged 7.8 rebounds a game during his career, and used those long arms to become one of the league's most effective shot blockers. People of all ages pack the bleachers at home games and a large contingent of Panthers fans follows the team on the road. Not one of em said can you reconsider., More: Coping with death: Camden senior Alijah Clark uses football to carry on in tragic year. Featuring four future NBA players, the Dunbar Poets from 1981-1983 have made their case to be the best high school basketball team of all time. He is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 recruiting class. Wagner attended Camden High School, where he played with the varsity team freshman year. The primary knock against Ayton is that he wants more. His feisty and fast-paced style of play has no doubt influenced the league in the modern era. The Metro Classic basketball tournament has featured some of the best teams and top high . But photos of him peer down from a line of banners strung from lampposts along the redeveloped waterfront, and white T-shirts bear his name in purple and gold letters. was the same.. Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Brunson will replace Vic Carstarphen, his former teammate at Temple. They even crowded him for autographs afterwards. I learned from the master, (former Temple coach) John Chaney, he was my mentor, he was my father. More: 'Chase Street' on Amazon Prime is passion project for former Camden basketball star. The River Dell High graduatestarted his long career in the ABA in 1970 with the New York Americans and finished it in 1985 with the Utah Jazz. Saint Augustine College Preparatory School. They knew each others games well. [19], Wagner has been a resident of West Deptford Township, New Jersey.[20]. As a result, the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association launched an investigation that is ongoing, officials said. "That was big for me," Milt, now 59, says. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He attacks the offensive end and is a versatile scorer, but he is equally as tough on defense. Bibby, who was born in Cherry Hill before moving to California as a child, played in 1,001 NBA games and averaged 14.7 points. [4], In his first game, December 20, 2019, in front of a capacity crowd that waited more than an hour to try to get admission into the game,[5] Wagner scored 15 points despite missing 6 of his first 7 field goal attempts. He underwent surgery to have a portion of his colon removed, and by 2006 he was out of the league. The Knicks might want a return on the four-year, $72 million contract they gave him, though. The team was undefeated in his sophomore year, but the state championship tournament was again cancelled due to the pandemic. Camden defeated Lenape, 76-64. Eric Daniel Brunson [1] (born June 14, 1972) is an American basketball coach for the New York Knicks and former professional player. Both played in McDonald's All-American games before going on to college and eventually the pros. After an introduction by the school board president, Wagner takes the microphone and thanks the crowd. [3] In his sophomore year, Dajuan played in 17 games and had a new career-high of 57 points against Pennsauken Tech on January 26. Who did we rank too high? Brunson, who served as a substitute teacher at Camden High last year, fell in love working with high school students, something hed never done previously. He was an eighth-grader competing for a middle school championship the first time he played a real game on the court at Camden High School. Still disagree? [10], In the middle of his junior season, Wagner saw his ranking of number one player in the class of 2023 drop to third by Rivals after holding the reign of consensus number one pick in the class of 2023 for two years since 2020. A tragic car accident during his rookie year with the Sacramento Kings devastated his chances of having an elite professional career. And that's what we're gunning for with this project. On October 12, 2015, he attempted to return to basketball and planned to sign with the AmeriLeague. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honoree was a part of eight NBA championships with the Boston Celtics as a player and two more as a coach. Allegations of cheating are not unusual in high school sports, even if they are infrequently upheld. The flamboyant Rodman is a five-time NBA champion, a two-time defensive player of the year and arguably the greatest rebounder in the sport's history, averaging 13.1 rebounds a game during 14-year career. but the district charged the players just . Todays players are skilled, large but agileThe game is faster today. So tell us: Who did we rank too low? Well, these have been two ridiculous seasons for the Piscataway native and St. Joseph's (Metuchen) star. And he made it a point to steep D.J. [12], Wagner is the son of Dajuan Wagner and Syreeta Brittingham. 3 in the nation at the Seagull Classic at Holy Spirit. First, some ground rules. The city threw a victory parade for the Panthers, as well as three other city teams that won championships in other sports. Milt Wagner said his conversations with his grandson dont focus on any technical aspects of the sport.