Boys’ Basketball

STATE PREP A CHAMPIONS
2024 2019 2014 2011 2009

New Jersey Prep Open Title
2025

— MAPL CHAMPS —
 2025 2024 2023 2022 2020 2019 2018 2016 2015 2012 2010
2006 2005 2003 2002 2001

Varsity Boys' Basketball in New Jersey

We believe basketball is a simple game played by complicated people and not a complicated game played by simple people.

A high-school boys' basketball team that is fundamentally sound, mentally tough and unselfish will always have a chance to win. To what degree will largely be determined by the talent level and the commitment of the players and the demands placed on the team by the coaching staff on a daily basis. We will be a top basketball program where simplicity and execution will be emphasized, and the demands of the coaching staff will be abundantly clear.

Defensive Strategy

Defensively, we believe in laying a foundation of quarter-court man-to-man defense. Our defense will be the cornerstone of our program. A player who cannot play our brand of aggressive defense will not be able to play regardless of his offensive prowess. We believe in man-to-man defense because it calls for individual accountability, which in turn, strengthens our total defensive concept. Also, it creates a high intensity level every day in practice, which leads to championship habits. Our overriding philosophy will be to guard the arc and give up few easy shots. Our defense will be relentlessly physical and technically sound given time. We will bump every cutter, put great pressure on the ball and finish every defensive possession with a checkout. In short, we will try to dictate the game to the offense.

Offensive Strategy

Offensively, we will look to be very aggressive and quickly push the ball up the floor on both makes and misses to gain numeric advantages that lead to easy shots in transition. If our transition game is neutralized, we will flow into a half-court motion and quick-hitter offense. We will teach some set plays, but more importantly, we will teach players HOW to play. This style puts a premium on individual offensive development and role identification. This offensive system is by no means a democracy, the best players will get more shots and every player must be made quickly aware of both his strengths and weaknesses.

Basically, we feel that basketball, at its simplest, is a game of percentages. Our defense will attempt to force low percentage, contested shots. In so doing, our aim is to be physical and disciplined enough to limit both our opponents’ second shots and transition hoops. Conversely, our players will possess the knowledge of how to play, they will be driven to constantly improve their skill level, and they will be disciplined to limit their turnovers and create high-percentage scoring opportunities. We believe this formula combined with a continued personal off-season commitment and a talented group of young people with a positive attitude can lead to more Basketball Banners in Hardwick Hall.

Beyond basketball, Blair athletes strive for excellence in the classroom and as citizens and leaders of our close-knit community. Blair's rigorous college-preparatory academic program gives our athletes the opportunity to develop to their highest potential as scholars, enabling their future success off the court as well as on.

Inquire today or contact Coach Mantegna at mantej@blair.edu to learn more about the basketball program and other high-school sports at our dynamic private school in New Jersey.

View directions to athletic events. To read recaps about past events, go to the "Team News" tab above.

Fall 2025 Schedule

About Coach Mantegna

A 1991 graduate of Ithaca College, head boys’ varsity basketball coach Joe Mantegna arrived at Blair in 1999 and has built Blair into a national prep school basketball powerhouse. Blair’s record since Coach Mantegna’s arrival is 488-163, including 17 of the last 24 Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) titles (2000-2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) and 21 trips to the NJ prep “A” state finals, where Blair earned state titles in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2019 and 2024 and a NJ Open Title in 2025.

Blair has helped six former players go on to the NBA and was the only school in the country to put two players (Luol Deng ’03 and Charlie Villanueva ’03) in the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Game. Nine Blair alums have played in the NCAA Final Four, three Blair alums have won NCAA D1 National Championship (Kyle Cuffe / Kansas, Tim Delaney / Villanova twice and Charlie Villanueva / UConn) and more than 80 Blair players have ended up on Division I rosters in the last two decades. Finally, ten former players have played professionally overseas a number of Mantegna's former Blair former players are now coaching at the NBA, NCAA and prep school levels as well.

Before arriving at Blair, Coach Mantegna served as an assistant coach at four colleges in an eight-year span, including three years at both Boston University and Lehigh University. In 2023, Coach Mantegna helped lead the South Sudan Men's National Team to three wins in the FIBA World Cup in Manila, Philippines, as an assistant coach, the first time an African team has won three games in the history of the tournament. With those three wins, South Sudan qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the 2024 Paris Olympics the South Sudanese team became only the second African nation to ever win a basketball game. He and three of his former players (Federation President Luol Deng '03, Head Coach Royal Ivey '00 and South Sudan player Marial Shayok '14 will all be a part of the South Sudan Olympic team.) In 2022, Coach Mantegna was chosen by USA Basketball to coach the USA team at the NIKE Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon where his squad was able to secure a 102-80 victory over the "World Team". In the summer of 2021, Coach Mantegna served as an assistant to his former player, Royal Ivey '00 with the South Sudan Men's National Team where they finished 5th in FIBA AfroBasket.  In the summer of 2022, this same South Sudan National Team qualified for the 2023 FIBA World Championships in Asia.  In 2014 and 2016, Coach Mantegna served as defensive coordinator for the U.S.-Select U-18 team in the U-18 World Championships at the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany. In 2018, he was head coach of that same U.S.-Select team. 

In 2022, Coach Mantegna was chosen by USA Basketball to coach the USA team at the NIKE Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon where his squad was able to secure a 102-80 victory over the "World Team". He coached eleven future NBA players on that team. In the summer of 2021, Coach Mantegna served as an assistant to his former player, Royal Ivey '00 with the South Sudan Men's National Team where they finished 5th in FIBA AfroBasket. In 2014 and 2016, Coach Mantegna served as defensive coordinator for the U.S.Select U-18 team in the U-18 at the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany. In 2018, he was head coach of that same U.S.Select team. 

Additionally, Coach Mantegna teams with Luol Deng to run the basketball instruction at both the Deng Top 50 Camp in London, England, and the Luol Deng Invitational Camps each summer for student athletes of South Sudanese descent in various North American sites and in Melbourne, Australia. Coach Mantegna has also lectured at basketball camps and coaches’ clinics throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, while also hosting the annual College Coaches Roundtable each June on Blair’s campus. Finally, he regularly serves as a featured speaker for USA Basketball Coach Academy in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta, where young coaches learn to become USA Basketball-certified teachers of the game and can also be found as a guest on numerous coaching podcasts.

In addition, Coach Mantegna has run the Joe Mantegna Basketball School for the last 30 years in Northampton, Massachusetts, as well as the Buccaneer FUNdamentals Basketball School and Blair Academy Elite Camp in Blairstown, New Jersey, for over two decades. Finally, Coach Mantegna is a sought-after corporate leadership speaker.

Mantegna lives on campus with his wife, Shelly, and their three children. In addition to his coaching duties, he serves as Blair's Associate Dean of College Counseling. He can be reached at (908) 362-3125 or mantej@blair.edu.

About Coach DeJesus

View more photos from the most recent season here.

Making the Decision to Come to Blair

Celebrating Alumni Basketball

• Kentucky's Otega Oweh always was athletic. Then he added consistency. It's a winning combo.
• NC State’s Michael O’Connell has been a March Madness hero. His coach called it.
• Virginia’s Mike Tobey '12, freed from high expectations, taps into his potential (2/16)
• Former Pitman basketball star Tim Delaney displays toughness every step of the way at Blair Academy (1/15)
• Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luol Deng wins J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (4/14)
• The extraordinary life of Cleveland Cavaliers' Luol Deng - and a plea for peace in his homeland of South Sudan (4/14)
• Blair Basketball Teams Pick Turnips for Local Food Pantries (11/13)
• Jesse Pritchard Elected 2013-14 Captain of Yale Bulldogs (4/13)
• Nate Healy Named Student-Athlete of the Week (1/13)
• Summit High School Honors Hoops Legend Wellington Smith (1/13)
• Get to know the 2012-13 impact freshmen (11/12)
• Royal Ivey: 'The sky is not the limit' (8/12)
• Charlie Villanueva Anti-Bullying Basketball Camp 2012 (8/12)
• Sixers sign veteran guard Ivey for one year (8/12)
• Joe Hart ’12 hopes GB call is step nearer to Games (7/12)
• Jordan Alston counted on to take the reins for Blair Academy (12/11)
• Lionel Gomis selects Siena (11/10)
• Summit native Wellington Smith overlooked by everyone but WV teammates (3/10)
• Swifts' Hart off to States (9/09)
• Hart's off to USA (8/09)
• Mark Bevacqua transfers to Blair Academy (7/09)
• Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva relieved to sign long-term deals with Pistons (7/09)
• Huskies’ Alvarez Closes Long Stint Away From Home (3/09)
• Louisville’s Will Scott closing in on MBA, not NBA (3/09)
• Royal Flush; A Q & A with Sixers guard Royal Ivey (11/08)

NBA Alumni

Royal Ivey ’00 –
2004 second-round draft choice Atlanta Hawks (37th pick from Texas), played in the NBA from 2004-2014, current assistant coach Brooklyn Nets

Luol Deng ’03 –
2004 first round draft choice (7th pick in the NBA Draft Phoenix Suns), NBA All-Rookie Team 2005, NBA All-Star 2012 & 2013, NBA Sportsmanship Award 2007, J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award 2014, 13,361 career points, played in the NBA from 2004-2019

Charlie Villanueva ’03 – 
2005 first-round draft choice (7th pick in the NBA Draft Toronto Raptors), NBA All-Rookie Team 2006, Had a 50 point game, Played in the NBA from 2005-2016, 

Mike Tobey ’12 – Charlotte Hornets (University of Virginia)
Signed as a free agent in 2017, currently plays for Valencia Basketball in the Spanish ACB and the EuroLeague

Marial Shayok '14 – Drafted by the Philadelphia 76'ers in 2019 (54th overall by the Philadelphia 76'ers from Iowa State), Led the G-League in scoring 2020, currently plays for Fenerbahce in the EuroLeague

NBA Action Shots
Luol Deng ’03 - McDonald's High School All-American ACC Freshman of the Year (Duke) # 7 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft (Chicago Bulls). Photo courtesy of the Chicago Bulls/Bill Smith	Charlie Villanueva ’03 - McDonald's High School All-American First Blair alum to win an NCAA Basketball National Championship (UCONN)
Royal Ivey ’00 - Two time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (Texas) #37 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft (currently with the Philadelphia 76'ers)	Mike Tobey '12 - Mike will go down as one of the winning- nest players in UVA History and was signed in 2017 by the Charlotte Hornets.

Current & Former College Players

Coach Mantegna's Camps & Clinics

Blair Academy Basketball 'Elite Skill Development Camp' 2025

• WHO: Serious-minded male and female players (rising 7th to 12th graders)
• WHEN: June 24-26, 2025 (5-8 p.m.)
• WHERE: Blair Academy Hardwick Hall Athletic Complex
• WHY: High level skill development and tactical training for middle school and high school players
• GOAL: Teach skill development and the nuances of basketball tactics to older players
• COST: $235 for the three sessions of instruction (receive $25 off if you register before May 15th)
• CAMP DIRECTOR: Joe Mantegna, Head Boys' Varsity Basketball Coach at Blair Academy, coachmantegna@gmail.com (862)268-4282 
• REGISTER HERE

Blair Academy Basketball 'FUNdamentals Camp' 2025

• WHO: Boys and girls in grade and middle school
• WHEN: July 21-24, 2024 (9 a.m.-12 p.m.)
• WHERE: Blair Academy Hardwick Hall Athletic Complex
• WHY: Entertaining and informative basketball environment for players of all skill levels
• GOAL: Grow basketball at a grassroots level in northwestern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania
• COST: $250 for four sessions of instruction (receive $40 off if you register before May 30th)
• FAMILY DISCOUNT: $100 for each additional sibling
• CAMP DIRECTOR: Jon DeJesus, Assistant Boys' Varsity Basketball Coach at Blair Academy, jdejesus221@gmail.com (570) 499-9802
• REGISTER HERE 

Blair Basketball Facts & Figures Since 1999

• Coach Mantegna's 26-year record: 488 wins – 163 losses
• Ten Blair alumni have played in the NCAA Final Four: Royal Ivey '00, Patrick Davidson ’03 (Duke), Luol Deng ’03 (Duke), Charlie Villanueva ’03 (University of Connecticut), Jordan Davidson '05 (Duke), Wellington Smith '06 (West Virginia), Tim Delaney '15 (Villanova), Keenan Worthington '19 (Duke), Jaylen Blakes '21 (Duke), Kyle Cuffe '21 (Kansas).
• Over 90 Blair alumni had played at the college level, over 70 of these at the Division 1 level.
• Five Blair alumni have played in the NBA: Luol Deng ’03, Charlie Villanueva ’03, Royal Ivey '00, Mike Tobey '12, Marial Shayok '14. (Royal now coaches for the Houston in the NBA).
• Fifteen Blair alumni have played professionally internationally:  Shamari Spears ’06 , Wellington Smith '06, Justin Robinson ’07,  Julius Coles ’07, Alexis Wangmene '07, Nate Healy ’09, Chris Matagrano ’09, Mike Tobey '12, Joe Hart '12, Elijah Burns '15, Jack Rauch '16, Akoldah Gak '21, Tucker Richardson ‘19, Gabe Ravetz ‘19, Henry Makeny ‘20
• Seventeen Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Tournament Championships (2000-2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
• Six New Jersey prep “A” state championships (2009, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2024, 2025)
• Blair was the only high school in the nation to have two McDonald’s and Parade All-Americans in 2003 (Luol Deng ’03 and Charlie Villanueva ’03)
   
• Blair Academy alumni have competed at top universities, including:

Grit - A Blair Basketball player should strive to conduct themselves on and off the court with courage, determination, tenacity and resilience. 

Gratitude - A Blair basketball player should have the perspective to appreciate every day and every opportunity afforded to them.

Joyfulness - A Blair Basketball player should never lose sight of the fact that basketball is only a game and should be at it's core a fun and joyful experience to share with one's teammates.

Selflessness - The Blair Basketball Cause Over Self motto is at the very core of all that we do.  We always value the team over any selfish motives.

Podcasts

Simple Talk Ep. 3 - with Joe Mantegna

The Euro Stepping: No Lies Told with Joe Mantegna

The Basketball Strong Podcast: Putting Cause Above Self on the Court, Mentoring Young Players Through Personal Tragedy, and Continuing his Father's High School Coaching Legacy

United Basketball & Champions 101: Ep 124 Joe Mantegna | Coaching Elite Players

Sports Business Secrets with Kevin Tarca: Episode 194: Head Coach of Blair Academy, Joe Mantegna

Duke Basketball Report: Episode #310 with Joe Mantegna 

Slappin' Glass Podcast: Joe Mantegna on Radical Truthfulness, Pistol Action, and the Two-Sided Fast Break

Basketball Immersion: Joe Mantegna on Teaching Basketball and Radical Transparency

By: Nico Parauda '13

The definition of Mudita:
Mudita is an altruistic concept found in Buddhist teaching. Defined as “vicarious joy”, it
is a primary pillar of Blair Basketball Culture. In sports, mudita is exhibited as genuine
excitement for teammates’ success.

Background:
Mudita is a Sanskrit and Pali word that has no direct English translation. The German
word “Schadenfreude” (taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune) is often used as
an antonym for mudita. Mudita’s closest English synonyms are empathy, sympathy,
solidarity, and compassion - but these only begin to describe mudita. Mudita is defined
as a sympathetic or empathetic joy, boundless delight in the well-being of others.
Mudita is one of four Bubrahmavihārās in Buddhist teaching and the most difficult to
master. Similar themes are found in the Bible. The apostle Paul said, "Rejoice with those
who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15).

Mudita should not be confused with pride. Pride is defined as “a feeling of deep pleasure
or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements or the achievements of those with
whom one is closely associated.” Mudita is characterized by joy for others' happiness,
even if we did not contribute to that happiness.

The enemies of mudita are envy and greed. One way to combat this is by practicing
gratitude and appreciation. If we consciously acknowledge that we have all that we need,
there far is less to be envious or greedy about. By practicing mudita we are actively
eradicating our own greed and craving.

The happiness born of shared pleasures, shared love, shared possessions, shared
delights in another's success, will surpass the meager selfish happiness of the miser. -
C.F. Knight

Letting Go of Ego:
Practicing mudita requires a level of humility that most people raised in our
individualistic, zero-sum society simply are not prepared for. That is why it is so
valuable to cultivate mudita at the adolescence team level. Because it is easier to feel
genuine happiness for people we care about, the “shortcut” to cultivating mudita is to
care. If we know our teammates' story - their fears and aspirations, if we genuinely care
about them - sharing in their joyfulness will come naturally. To care deeply about others
in this way requires removing the ego.

If we are able to let go of our ego and the joy for others rises naturally within us, we will
find happiness much easier to come by. Let go of your self-pity and jealousy and
joyfulness will abound. A Ryan Holiday quote illustrates the inverse relationship
between egotism and mudita.

Ego is the enemy - giving us wicked feedback, disconnected from reality. It’s defensive,
precisely when we cannot afford to be defensive. It blocks us from improving by telling
us that we don’t need to improve. Then we wonder why we don’t get the results we
want, why others are better and why their success is more lasting.

In this way, it is important not only to rejoice in the successes of our teammates but to
acknowledge our individual successes are, in fact, not individual at all and accept them
with humility and appreciation for all those that made it possible.

Mudita has the power not only to improve a team, but the world. Happiness is infectious
and exercising shared joy requires optimistic faith in mankind as a whole.
If this potential for unselfish joy is widely and methodically encouraged and
developed... The seed of mudita can grow into a strong plant that will blossom forth
and find fruition in many other virtues, as a kind of beneficial "chain reaction":
magnanimity, tolerance, generosity (of both heart and purse), friendliness, and
compassion. When unselfish joy grows, many noxious weeds in the human heart will
die a natural death (or will, at least, shrink): jealousy and envy, ill will in various
degrees and manifestations, cold-heartedness, miserliness (also in one's concern for
others), and so forth. Unselfish joy can, indeed, act as a powerful agent in releasing
dormant forces of the Good in the human heart. - Nyanaponika Thera

"Mudita: The Buddha's Teaching on Unselfish Joy", four essays by Nyanaponika Thera,
Natasha Jackson, C.F. Knight, and L.R. Oates. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 30
November 2013, https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel170.html

Boys’ Junior Varsity Basketball Program

Like Blair's varsity basketball team, the JV team believes basketball is a simple game played by complicated people and not a complicated game played by simple people.

A boys' basketball team that is fundamentally sound, mentally tough and unselfish will always have a chance to win. To what degree will largely be determined by the talent level and commitment of the players and the daily demands placed on the team by the coaching staff. Blair's JV basketball program emphasizes simplicity and execution; the demands of the coaching staff are abundantly clear.

Meet Coach Moroses

Rhett Moroses '13 is the assistant athletic director and head junior varsity boys' basketball coach. While attending Blair as a postgraduate, Moroses was a member of the 2012-2013 varsity boys' basketball team under Coach Mantegna. He has coaching experience in the AAU and youth levels of basketball.

As assistant athletic director, he is responsible for all internal and external operations of the athletic department. Additionally, he serves as an 11th grade academic monitor. He holds an undergraduate degree in sports management and M.Ed in athletic administration from Endicott College. Currently, Rhett resides in Bunnell House with his wife, Margo, daughter, Ophelia, and their cat, Milo.

Meet Coach Smith

Matt Smith was appointed in 2025 as Blair’s head varsity baseball coach, assistant JV boys' basketball coach and English teacher. He comes to Blair with a highly successful career coaching high school baseball and high school basketball. Most recently, he led the JV baseball team at Brophy College Prep of Arizona to a No. 1 state ranking and a 17-1 overall record, and helped guide Brophy to it’s first-ever 6A state championship in basketball as an assistant coach. He is also a two-time Arizona Charter School State Coach of the Year. Before Brophy, Mr. Smith coached basketball and baseball as the assistant coach for the Bullis School, helping the team earn a #3 ranking in the Washington Post and a IAC basketball championship. He has coached and developed multiple division I players in baseball and basketball over his career.  

Before coaching, he graduated from Union College in 2007 and was a four-year starting outfield for the varsity baseball team. Additionally, Mr. Smith was a former producer for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. 

He is joined by his wife, Theresa Lau, an MLB physical therapist/athletic trainer who is currently working with players acrosse the league, including the New York Mets, following nine seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. They reside in Lakeside, where Mr. Smith serves as the dorm head.

View directions to athletic events.

View more photos from the most recent season here.

Boys’ 3rds Basketball Program

Like the varsity and JV basketball teams, the 3rds team believes basketball is a simple game played by complicated people and not a complicated game played by simple people.

A boys' basketball team that is fundamentally sound, mentally tough and unselfish will always have a chance to win. To what degree will largely be determined by the talent level and commitment of the players and the daily demands placed on the team by the coaching staff. Blair's 3rds basketball program emphasizes simplicity and execution; the demands of the coaching staff are abundantly clear.

Meet Coach Grady

Eamon Grady joins Blair's math department after graduating in December 2023 from Williams College, where he earned a BA in statistics. During his time as a student, Eamon served as a research assistant for Williams’ mathematics and statistics department and worked as a sportswriter for the college’s office of sports information. Additionally, he captained the men’s soccer team; under his leadership, the team advanced to the 2022 NCAA Division III championship game. In addition to his work with Blair's math department, he looks forward to his role head coaching the Blair's boys' soccer team in the fall and 3rds' boys basketball in the winter.

Meet Coach Watson

George Watson joined Blair’s math department in 2025. He began his teaching career at Mount St. Joseph’s High School in Baltimore, after earning his bachelor’s in mathematics from Manhattan College, graduating summa cum laude in 1990, and completing his master’s in mathematics at Purdue University in 1992. Over 33 years, he has taught at a variety of secondary schools, as well as at the college level at New York University, Manhattan College, American University and Drexel University, covering subjects from algebra and calculus to statistics and computer literacy. In addition to teaching math, Mr. Watson serves as the assistant 3rds boys' basketball coach. George comes to Blair with his partner, Keith.

View more photos from the most recent season here.

View directions to athletic events.