2002–03 St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish men's basketball team
| 2002–03 St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish men's basketball | |
|---|---|
Ohio State Champion | |
OHSAA Division II Tournament, Champion | |
| 2002–03 record | 25–1 (26-0 Unadjusted, one win vacated due to violations of OHSAA rules ) |
| Head coach | Dru Joyce II (2nd season) |
| Home arena | St. Vincent-St. Mary High School Rhodes Arena |
[1] The 2002–03 St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented St. Vincent-St. Mary High School from Akron, Ohio in the 2002-03 School Year.
The story of the year was obviously senior forward LeBron James, who had put SVSM in the national spotlight for the previous three years at that time. This year, being his last of high school ended up being an unforgettable one. Led by James, the Irish saw themselves with the only loss on their record a forfeit of an initial win due to James accepting Jerseys from a clothing store in exchange for pictures, a violation of OHSAA rules.[2] For many high-profile games throughout the season, the Irish would play at the University of Akron's Rhodes Arena due to James' heavy selling value. The Biggest game of the season came on December 12, 2002, when SVSM would upset Virginia's Oak Hill Academy, one of the most prominent high school basketball teams in the country at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center[3]. Many Games from this season would be televised on ESPN, and Time Warner Cable would even offer SVSM Games on pay-per-view.
James, Who averaged 31.6 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, and 3.4 steals would be named Ohio Mr. Basketball and attend not only the McDonald's All-American Game, but also the EA Sports Roundball Classic and Jordan Capital Classic.
Despite being heavily recruited by Ohio State,[4] James opted to forgo college and enter the NBA draft straight out of high school. He would be selected first overall in 2003 by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom he would play for until 2010, departing for the Miami Heat, but returning to the Cavs in 2014.
References[edit]
This article "2002–03 St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish men's basketball team" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:2002–03 St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish men's basketball team. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "2003 Division II State Final". www.ohsaa.org. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ↑ "NBA.com: Prospect Profile: LeBron James". www.nba.com. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ↑ M1GUEL94 (30 May 2013). "High School (12/12/2002) St.Vincent St.Marys vs. Oak Hill Academy (LeBron James)". Retrieved 19 June 2018 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Where Would These NBA Stars Have Gone to College? - Orlando Magic". Orlando Magic. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
