Patrick School has accepted an invitation to play in the 2015 City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., coach Chris Chavannes and tournament director Donnie Wilkie confirmed to NJ Advance Media on Friday. The Celtics will open their season at the tournament, playing games on Dec. 18, Dec. 19 and Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 if necessary.
The event will be Patrick School’s first holiday tournament action since an incident in the Under Armour Holiday Classic last December that led to five player ejections andthe school’s disqualification from the state tournament. Wilkie was a staunch defender of Patrick School during the controversy. The fact that Patrick School, currently No. 3 in the NJ.com Top 20, is projected to be one of the best teams in the state next season was the main reason the Elizabeth school earned an invite to the tournament. But Wilkie also said Patrick School “certainly attracted our attention, in part because of all the hoopla resulting from its December issues.”
The City of Palms Classic is one of the most prestigious high school basketball tournaments in the country, featuring top competition from all over the United States. The 2015 edition will include Montverde (Fla.), led by former St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle. Boyle has not played against his old team since taking the Montverde job in 2011.
“The Patrick School boys basketball program is honored to receive an invitation to the City of Palms 2015 basketball tournament and has accepted. We are very thankful for being invited to such a prestigious Nike-sponsored event. All Nike events are always first-class experiences for the student-athletes, as was clear at the games during the NBA All-Star Weekend,” Chavannes said. “Our goal is to bring the program back to the status that Mr. Boyle had it at, as one of the top programs in the nation, and we feel we are close to accomplishing that. The City of Palms is the most prestigious and competitive tournament in the country, and playing in an event such as this will help the program return to national prominence.”
Boyle told NJ Advance Media last week that while he would prefer to not schedule a head-to-head match-up with the Celtics, he would be open to playing in a tournament that features Patrick School. Wilike said the two schools would be on different sides of the bracket, meaning for the teams to meet, they’d have to have identical results until the last day of the tournament, where they could face off in the final or in a consolation game.”
“The fact that Montverde is also in the City of Palms adds further proof that it is the preeminent holiday tournament in America. Mr. Boyle has quickly built Montverde into the top program in the country,” Chavannes said. “We will be focused on the teams in our bracket, taking it one game at a time. If we eventually play Montverde, it would be an honor and an opportunity to test ourselves against the top program in America.”
Patrick School played in the event 10 times when it was known as St. Patrick. Boyle led the Celtics to the 2010 tournament title, which was the last time the school played in the event.
The 2015 field will also include Weslyan Christan (N.C.), Chaminade (Mo.), Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.) Wheeler (Ga.) and Tampa Prep (Fla.) among others.