Basketball Tradition

Seton Hall Prep basketball has established a rich tradition steeped in the success of its program, not simply in a diverse collection of titles, trophies, and wins, but formed from the fabric of a family of coaches, players, managers, administrators, and fans that devote year after year to the betterment and development of SHP basketball.

Prior to current head coach Sterling Gibbs '11 taking the reins of the team in 2024, the program has only three other head coaches since 1948 - Frank “Finn” Tracey (1948-1977), Bob Farrell (1978-2011), and Kevin Williams (2012-2024).
Coach Tracey’s teams won three Essex County Tournament titles, in 1951, 1952 and 1956, and also two Non Public “A” state titles in 1961 and 1964.

Coach Farrell won a remarkable 12 Non Public “A” state titles, 10 Essex County Tournament championships, and two Tournament of Champions championships. His teams also won 24 out of a possible 27 Iron Hills Conference championships and two Super Essex Conference/American Division championships since conference realignment in 2009.

Kevin Williams took over the program in 2012 after serving as an assistant coach under Farrell for 15 seasons. During his 14 seasons at the helm, he amassed a record of 267 - 70 with 7 SEC American Division titles and 6 Essex County Titles. The Pirates also captured the Non-Public A North sectional championship in his first season.

The 2024-2025 season marks the first campaign of the Sterling Gibbs era. Gibbs, a Seton Hall Prep Hall of Fame inductee and former All-State player, sits second all-time on the leading scorers list with 1,984 career points and heads back to his alma mater after a decades long professional playing career across Europe's top leagues, and a college career that took him to the University of Texas, Seton Hall, and UConn. He served as a volunteer assistant with the Pirates while rehabbing an injury during the 2021-2022 season. 

Part of establishing the Seton Hall Prep Basketball brand has been the program’s success in national tournaments over the past 30 years. A 1985 Beach Ball Classic contest against Crenshaw HS (CA) in Myrtle Beach, S.C. marked the programs first win over team ranked #1 in the USA Today poll. In 2015, the Pirates won the Roundball Rotary Classic in Charleston S.C., defeating Class 4A South Carolina State Champion Wando High School on a three point shot by T.J. Gibbs ’16 with only two seconds remaining off a great drive and kick from his backcourt mate Steve Ferraro ‘16. Along the way, SHP knocked off then ranked #9 in USA Today Super 25, L.I. Lutheran (NY) in the semi-final.

Putting on the blue and white for Seton Hall Prep Basketball represents the tradition and history of the program, holding true to the ideals of unselfishness, hard work, preparation, and sacrifice which have been passed through generations of Pirate Basketball faithful.

List of 3 items.

  • Coach Sterling Gibbs '11 Bio

    Coach Sterling Gibbs '11 was named head coach of Seton Hall Prep ahead of the 2024-2025 season.

    His inaugural 2024-2025 campaign finished with a 23-7 record which included a share of the regular season Super Essex Conference American Division Title, the Essex County Tournament title, and the Governor's Challenge holiday tournament championship.

    Gibbs began his playing career as the starting point guard at Seton Hall from 2012 to 2015 before transferring to UCONN, where he continued in the same role for the 2015-2016 season. Following his college career, he played professionally overseas in Hungary, Dominican Republic, Russia, Greece, France, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, and Slovenia. Gibbs returns to his high school alma mater where he is the second all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2022. He is the fourth coach in the history of Seton Hall Prep. Coach Gibbs prides himself on being relatable to young players, drawing on his recently concluded playing career to provide firsthand knowledge and guidance to young athletes. Additionally, Coach Gibbs utilizes his Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology to serve as a full-time employee in the school counseling department, ensuring he is a consistent and familiar presence at The Prep throughout the school year.

    YearRecordSECECTNPAAdditional
    2024-202523-71st1stSemifinalistsGovernor's Challenge Champions

  • Awards, History, and Accomplishments

    • The Prep retires the silver Essex County trophy by winning ECT titles in ’51,’52 and ’56 (which still sits in SHP Trophy case til this day)
    • SHP, led by Coach “Finn” Tracey wins school's first of many Non Public “A” State Championships in ’61 and ‘64
    • Defeated #1 in USA Today Crenshaw HS at Beach Ball Classic in December 1985; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
    • 1986- Coach Farrell wins his first Non Public “A” state championship by defeating CBA.
    • The 1991 team led by Brevin Knight (Stanford, NBA), Wardell Strickland and Ira Bowman (UPenn, ‘76ers) sets a school record for victories with 31
    • Won 3 Non- Public “A” State titles in a row ’91,’92,’93
    • Won 5 Non- Public “A” State titles in a row ’96,’97,’98,’99,’00
    • Won 5 ECT Championships in a row ‘96,’97,’98,’99,’00
    • 1998- Basketball captain Jeff Miller (Seton Hall) wins MSG/ Daily News Tri-state athlete of the year, as an all-state player in football, basketball and baseball. Miller finished with 1324 career points.
    • 1999 team led by Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh, Houston Rockets), Marcus Toney-el (Seton Hall) and Mark Curry (Delaware) wins school's first TOC title and finishes 30-1, Ranked #4 in USA Today Super 25, #1 in MSG/Daily News Tri-state poll and #1 in Star-Ledger Top 20
    • 2002- Coach Farrell named to coach East team of McDonald’s All-American Game
    • Won back to back ECT titles in ’04 and ‘05
    • 2005 team led by Chris Andrews, Andrew Pusar (Harvard) and Brandon Costner (NC State) wins second TOC title and finishes 30-1, Ranked #5 in USA Today Super 25 and #1 Star Ledger Top 20
    • Won 3 Non- Public “A” State titles in a row 2005, 2006, 2007
    • 2007: Prep team led by Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh), Gary Wallace (Robert Morris), and Jason Banzhaf (Catholic) wins ECT and finishes 30-1.
    • 2008 Ashton Gibbs breaks Keven McDonald's (UPenn, Seattle Supersonics) career scoring mark and finishes with 1882 points ahead of McDonald's 1774.
    • 2009 team wins last Iron Hills Conference Championship – winning the last 20 years in a row. SHP finishes 424-32 in IHC.
    • 2010 team wins SEC Conference Championship going 14-0 in inaugural year of SEC.
    • Coach Farrell concludes his brilliant career in 2011, finishing 26-4, SEC Conference Champion, ECT Champion and another Non – Public “A” North championship and an appearance in the Non Public “A” state championship.
    • 2011- Sterling Gibbs (Texas, Seton Hall, UConn) passes older brother Ashton to become SHP’s all-time leading scorer with 1984 points.
    • 2012 –Kevin Williams named Head Coach and goes 26-3 in his first year including SEC Conference Champion, ECT Champion, Non-Public “A” North State Champion and an appearance in Non-Public “A” state championship.
    • Three consecutive ECT titles (2011, 2012, 2013)
    • 2015- Undefeated in SEC/Conference champions, ECT champions, Rotary Roundball Classic Champions.
    • 2024- Sterling Gibbs '11 named fourth head coach of the program since 1948, and the first alumnus tasked with leading the Pirates' basketball program.
    • 2024-2025: Pirates' win SEC, ECT, Governor's Challenge in Gibbs' first year as Head Coach going 23-7 overall.

  • SHP Basketball Footprint

    Chris Andrews - Yale
    Dallas Anglin - Northern Colorado
    Tyrone Barley - St. Joseph's University
    Pat Bosworth - Boston College
    Ira Bowman - UPENN, NBA: PHiladeplphia 76ers
    John Caprio - Georgetown
    Donald Carey - St. Peter's College
    Tom Cook - Fairfield
    Brandon Costner - NC State
    Jordan Costner - St. Peter's College
    Mark Curry - St. Peter's College
    Anthony Drejaj - St. Louis University
    Frank Drejaj - Manhattan College
    Michael Everett - University of Albany
    AShton Gibbs - University of Pittsburgh
    Sterling Gibbs - UCONN
    Darien Henry - University of Maryland
    Kerry Keating - Seton Hall University
    Shayle Keating - Rutgers University
    Kevin Kelly - Farleigh Dicksinson University
    Brandin Knight - University of Pittsburgh, NBA: Houston Rockets
    Brevin Knight - Stanford University, NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers (1st Rd. #16 Overall 1997 NBA Draft)
    Mel Knight - Seton Hall University
    Tom Lacey - US Naval Academy
    Mark Madden - University of Vermont
    Mike Malone - Loyola College - Md.
    Keven McDonald - UPENN , NBA Seattle Supersonics (42nd Overall NBA Draft)
    Stephon Mosley - St. Francis (PA)
    Pete McLaughlin - University of Virginia
    Jamar Nutter - Seton Hall University
    Tony Peters - St. Francis (PA)
    Ryan Peterson - Seton Hall University
    Andrew Pusar - Harvard
    Jose Rebimbas - Seton Hall University
    Spencer Weisz - Princeton
    Mike Shannon - Providence College
    Robert Sullivan - George Mason
    Dominick Taylor - Brown
    Marcus Toney-El - Seton Hall University
    Frantz Volcy - Seton Hall University
    Gary Wallace - Robert Morris
    T.J. Whitaker - University of Vermont

    SHP BASKETBALL COACHING TREE

    Mike Malone - HC - Denver Nuggets (NBA)
    Brandin Knight - AC - Rutgers University
    Kerry Keating - HC - University of Santa Clara
    Anthony Drejaj - AC - Linden HS
    Marcus Toney-El - HC - North 13th St. 
    Dennis Quinn - AC - Seton Hall Prep
    Greg Walsh - AC - Seton Hall Prep
    Tim Gardner - AC - LIU Brooklyn (women)
    Tariq Francis - HC - George Westinghouse HS (PA)
    Ira Bowman - AC - UPENN
    Sterling Gibbs - HC - Seton Hall Prep
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West Orange, NJ 07052

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