'They remind me of us': Recalling Saint Peter's basketball pipeline from Ocean County

It was a pipeline from Lakewood High School to Jersey City, providing a steady stream of talent via Ocean County’s most storied program straight to Saint Peter’s, resulting in a golden era for Peacocks’ basketball.

Former Piner standouts Marvin Andrews, MVP of the 1991 MAAC Tournament, and Tony Walker led Saint Peter’s to its first NCAA Tournament as seniors.

Four years later it was Randy Holmes, who scored 1,936 points at Lakewood, scoring 24 in the MAAC championship game to punch their ticket by upsetting a juggernaut Manhattan team that would get an at-large bid and knock off Oklahoma in the first round.

Now the group, all Hall of Famers and part of the program’s sturdy foundation, is looking on in awe, along with the rest of the country, as Saint Peter’s streaks into Philadelphia for Friday’s Sweet 16 showdown with Big Ten power Purdue, having already beaten Kentucky and Murray State.

“It’s been surreal,” said Andrews, 52, who lives in Neptune. “I even took my jersey out of the glass — I have it hanging in my home office — and put it on. My daughter (Makayla), who plays at Lafayette, was laughing at me, but I said this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, especially after beating a blue-blood like Kentucky.”

Related: Saint Peter's president talks about a "seminal moment" for school

The Peacocks can become the first team seeded 15th or higher ever to reach the Elite Eight, if they can pull off yet another shocker against the Boilermakers.

More: What to know about Saint Peter's Sweet 16 opponent, Purdue

“It’s been unreal. Very, very exciting,” said Holmes, 49, the head coach at Jackson Memorial after 14 seasons at Lakewood, who will be at Friday’s game with his 14-year-old son, Randy Jr. “So proud of this team and the coaching staff. To be in the Sweet 16 as this Cinderella story, it’s been great to see.”

Holmes, who won Shore Conference Tournament titles as a player (1991) and coach (2013), scored 1,030 points at Saint Peter’s. Lakewood’s Diamond Navarro was a freshman guard on the 1995 NCAA team, as well.

The 6-6 Walker scored 1,352 points at Saint Peter’s — he averaged 15 ppg. for his career — and grabbed 527 rebounds.

“You never know what can happen when you get on a roll,” he said. “You can’t count this team out. They are really tough and play with a lot of heart. They remind me of us because we were undersized and showed some heart.”

The 1990-91 team started the season 11-2, and went into the NCAA Tournament with a 24-6 record, beating Iona in the MAAC title game. Against No. 25 Texas, the Peacocks trailed 32-30 at halftime, eventually falling, 72-65, as Walker scored 21 points and Andrews added 12.

“What I remember after the (MAAC championship) game we talked about how no one believed in us except for ourselves,” Andrews said. “In the NCAA Tournament game against Texas, we went back and forth with them in the first half, and then they opened up with eight straight points to start the second half and we just couldn’t break that deficit, it was like eight to 10 points the rest of the way.”

It was a different path taken by the 1994-95 team, which got hot in the middle of the season and was playing its best basketball in March, just like the current group.

In the NCAA Tournament against John Calipari-coached UMass, which was led by Marcus Camby and would reach the Final Four a year later, the Peacocks were in front with 11 minutes to play before dropping a 68-51 decision.

Those first two NCAA Tournament teams were coached by Ted Fiore, a Hall of Famer at Seton Hall for baseball. And the current team is led by fellow Hall of Famer Shaheen Holloway, the Pirates former standout on the hardwood who is the favorite to replace Kevin Willard at Seton Hall.

“I spoke with (Holloway) when I went up to their practice and at games, and spoke to congratulate them after semifinal and finals wins in Atlantic City at the MAAC Tournament,” Holmes said. “He just seems so passionate about what he does. He’s a loyal guy, and he’s been a great mentor and leader for the program, or any program he is a part of.”

Can the Peacocks shock the world again this weekend?

The oddsmakers aren’t so sure. Purdue is a heavy favorite.

“They got to lace up their shoes, too,” Andrews said. “On paper they say they’re supposed to win, but you have to prove it on the court.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Saint Peter's NJ had basketball pipeline from Lakewood, Ocean County