Princeton Day’s Coit dominates prep ranks
Consistent team success was hard to come by in the local prep ranks this season, but one of the constants for individual starpower resided at Princeton Day School.
The Trentonian’s Prep Player of the Year is David Coit, a 5-foot10 guard whose talent showed on a nightly basis for the Panthers (12-13).
Tasked with leading a program that had recently graduated 1,000-point scorers John McArthur and Chase Lewis, Coit guided a young team with 22.6 points per game — second-best in the area among all high schools. The junior also finished with 81 assists, 68 rebounds and 45 steals.
What makes Coit such a tough cover is his explosive first step off the dribble, along with his dynamic shooting range. He also plays smart perimeter defense, and his ability to make opposing guards turn the ball over is a source of quick scoring bursts to shift momentum.
Also appearing on The Trentonian’s All-Prep team for the second straight season is Pennington forward Mitch Phillips, who capped a successful two-year run with the Red Raiders by posting averages of 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
Phillips, who will continue his playing career at NYU next season, is joined on the team by Patrick Higgins. The junior posted marks of 16.2 points and 5.5 assists per game as one of the area’s best facilitators and 3-point snipers.
For his work guiding Pennington (14-9) back to its first Prep B state championship game in three years, Bernie Gurick is The Trentonian’s Prep Coach of the Year.
Coming off two straight seasons with losing records, the Red Raiders peaked with eight straight wins late in the year before losing a triple-overtime heartbreaker at MorristownBeard in the state final.
Among the Mid-Atlantic Prep League schools, only Lawrenceville (13-11) finished above .500. Junior Matan Zucker led the team with 17 points per game, while postgraduate Ryan Leonard had a successful transition from Ireland as a versatile scorer, passer, rebounder and defender for the Big Red.
Terrell Prince, who will play football at The College of the Holy Cross in the fall, was a sparkplug all season for Peddie (12-13). Tyler Washington averaged 13.7 points per game in a solid senior campaign despite the team struggles of Hun (4-17).
Position Player School
F Mitch Phillips Pennington F Ryan Leonard Lawrenceville G Patrick Higgins Pennington G Matan Zucker Lawrenceville G Tyler Washington Hun G Terrell Prince Peddie
G David Coit Princeton Day
Year
Niels Lane, Max Gussen (Hun); Ryan Conroy, Kyle Murphy (Lawrenceville); Marlyn Johnson, R.J. Eytle-Rock (Peddie); Chauncey Sterling, Jamar Tucker (Pennington); Freddie Young, Dameon Samuels (PDS). David Coit (Princeton Day) Sr. PG Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Bernie Gurick (Pennington)