When Louis Del Pra was at Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School, he and his classmates knew there was “something special” going on at Red Bank Regional High School.
Whenever he could, Del Pra, who wrestled for the Bulldogs, would go down the road to Red Bank Regional to watch the 1982-83 Buccaneers boys basketball team.
“I tried to catch them as much as I could,” he said. “At the time, we didn’t know how important in the history of Shore basketball it was. It was a great thing to be around.”
Nick Pizzulli, the head coach of the 1982-83 Buccaneers said, “The gym was packed. Everybody was there.”
Fast forward 30 years and Del Pra is now the athletic director at Red Bank Regional and on Jan. 9, the high school will celebrate the 30th anniversary of that 31-0 team that is the last team from the Shore Conference to go through a season undefeated. Members from that team will be introduced prior to the start of the Buccaneers’ game with Shore Regional High School, which tips off at 6 p.m.
Pizzulli knew he had something special even before the season began. The Buccaneers won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II title the previous year and went 24-4. But, that wasn’t enough for them.
After losing in triple overtime to Salem High School in the Group championships, Pizzulli said his players came to him and told him that they “weren’t going to lose again.”
“They had the right attitude,” said Pizzulli. “That’s the key. They were a group of kids that get along with one another, accepted one another and accepted their roles. They had camaraderie. They were willing to play for one another.”
The camaraderie came from playing together for years.
“They are a group that played together since middle school,” said Pizzulli. “It was an unselfish team. All the starters averaged between 12 and 16 points a game.
“The team had outstanding athleticism,” he continued. “It had speed, quickness, an inside presence and outside shooting.”
The group had something else going on for it, too.
“They were a bunch of kids determined to win,” said Pizzulli.
That determination was on full display from the very first game. They were running teams out of the gym, winning their first 20 games by between 20 and 30 points each night.
Of course, they would be tested.
In the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals against Ed Zuker-led Manalapan High School, they needed a late steal by Edgar Boynton to seal the win.
The Shore Conference Tournament final was one of the most anticipated in years, featuring undefeated Red Bank Regional against once-beaten Christian Brothers Academy (CBA). The teams were tied headed into the fourth quarter when two plays that take on legendary status swayed the game in the Buccaneers’ favor.
In a fight for a loose ball in the paint under the Red Bank Regional basket, Danny Stubbs gained possession of the ball on his back and threw up a shot that went in.
If that wasn’t a sign that it was the Buccaneers’ night, Barry Phoenix raised the roof moments later when he stole a CBA inbound pass and turned it into a soaring dunk. It was game, set and match in favor of Red Bank Regional.
In the Central Jersey Group II final, the Buccaneers faced Freehold High School and future NBA forward Tim Perri, an intimidating inside presence. The Buccaneers didn’t let that stop them from repeating as the sectional champions and it proved to be their final test. They easily handled Elmwood Park Memorial High School in the state championship game to complete their perfect 31-0 season. They were ranked the No. 1 team in state after the season.
Phoenix, who went on to play college basketball at the University of New Haven, and George Hall, who scored 1,000 points during his scholastic career and went on to play for Franklin Pierce College, were Red Bank Regional’s all-state stars.
Stubbs, of course, would find fame in football. He went to the University of Miami before his 10-year NFL career, which saw him win a pair of Super Bowl championships with the San Francisco 49ers.
Boynton, George Simms, Russell Perry and Edwin Perez were starters that season. Completing the memorable team were Darrell Yarborough, Scott Willis, Shannon Stevens, Vinnie Hill, Bill Bowie, Robert Lewit and Dan Mueller.
When the players get together before the start of the Shore Regional game, Pizzulli said it will be good to see them. They shared something that will always be a part of their lives and Red Bank Regional history.