Camden High School (Camden, New Jersey), with players competing under the Camden Avalanche name, was banned from the NJSIAA state tournament in the wake of an on-court brawl that ended a county championship game. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. It just kind of flows over.". His undying dedication to his players paid off. "There is no better feeling in the world.". [7] Wagner is considered by many to be the greatest high school basketball player in New Jersey history. All content 2000-2023 RealGM, L.L.C. [2] He scored 3,462 points in high school (the most in New Jersey high school history, breaking former high school star John Somogyi's scoring record of 3,451 points; when Somogyi played there was no 3-point shot), and scored 25 points in the McDonald's All-American Game. The Camden (N.J.) 5-star combo guard is the second straight Kentucky signee to win the award, following Cason Wallace, who took home the honor in 2021. Steve Politi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Looking back on their departure to Brooklyn, Derek Jeter, Mike Trout and other stars top the list, He helped bring down an athletic department, Steve Pikiell's team showing signs of progress, Franco Harris, Joe Theisman and other stars. He debuted on December 19, 1997 against Highland High School, scoring 12 points. He won all seven state titles between 1974-87, a remarkable run of great players, great teams and great moments. Wagner Jr. (born May 4, 2005) is an American basketball player who attends Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey. He works for the NBA Players' Association as a regional representative. [11] [2][4] In his junior year he was already considered one of the top players of his class. I was being, in my opinion, selfish. Join our linker program. CAMDEN, WHICH SITS on nine square miles just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, was once renowned as a manufacturing hub, churning out products from Navy vessels and RCA Victor phonographs to Campbell's soup. In the 1981-82 season, their biggest game came against the Camden High Panthers, the number-one ranked high school team in the nation. He was selected by the Warriors in the first round of the 1978 NBA draft, with the 22nd overall pick, and became the first Filipino-American to play in the NBA. How can we rank a player this high after just two seasons? Putting a list together like this is an inexact science. Wagner was hampered by injuries and health problems thereafter. 6 overall according to the industry average 247Sports Composite. . When Lewis went No. During the 2004-2005 season, he was hospitalized with ulcerative colitis. The following year, in the 1982-83 season, Dunbar picked up right where they left off, and further solidified themselves as a national powerhouse. 5 min read. Ford, who played at Holy Family Spirit High in Absecon, is better known as a head coach than as a player. With their dominance, they were unofficially crowned the best high school team of all time by many. Each era has its uniqueness. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and while he is just entering his prime, he has already earned his lofty spot on this list. First, some ground rules. Who did we rank too high? No more rumors until I decide to say, hey, Im leaving. The goal was to build endurance, strength, and of course, character. Catholic team that was ranked No. He played one year of college basketball at the University of Memphis. Yes, Shaquille O'Neal moved away before he could play high school basketball in New Jersey, but we know what his birth certificate says: Newark. 6. Still, he won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 1981, and is credited for hitting the first 3-point shot in NBA history. ; Step 2: Choose the . Wagner came of age as a player at a time when his city was in a downward spiral, and even then, he could sense that Camden High basketball was a civic lifeline. to drum up support. They hope to see him on top someday, the biggest star Camden has produced in its long line of prodigies. The 6-11 center averaged 7.8 rebounds a game during his career, and used those long arms to become one of the league's most effective shot blockers. Hype erupts around Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins. The game is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 16. Wagner impresses in debut as Camden rolls to season-opening win", "Camden opens basketball season with victory over Gratz", "New Camden basketball coach Rick Brunson sees himself in players: 'I was that kid', "Camden is NJ.com's Boys Basketball Team of the Year, 2019-2020", "MaxPreps 2019-20 Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team", "Reed Sheppard in the new national rankings, and more Kentucky basketball recruiting links", "No. Milt Wagner said the expectations that surround D.J. Coming into the tournament, the Scholars, which includes Wagner and three other Camden High players, is among the best on the summer circuit. Milt Wagner, a legendary Camden High basketball player who won an NCAA title at Louisville and an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, watched his son Dajuan Wagner take the court for the Panthers as a freshman in the late 1990s. Averaging 40 points per game over the course of a season in high school basketball is hard. I learned from the master, (former Temple coach) John Chaney, he was my mentor, he was my father. The. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. He also has outstanding footwork, speed and balance. On August 31, 2007, Wagner signed a one-year contract with Prokom Trefl Sopot in Poland. Since retiring in 2001, Muggsy has coached in the WNBA, coached high school basketball, and been a team ambassador for the Charlotte Hornets. Even Camden star Billy Thompson was laughing along. His backstory -- he was raised by a lesbian couple in the city -- became a compelling narrative after he was drafted in the first round in 2011. There is a more holistic power Jimmy Butler has access to, involving his fearlessness and his great strategic intelligence but not limited to these things. Add these hints to the . Get table as CSV (for Excel) Get Link to Table. West, a Teaneck native, has turned down millions in pursuit of the one thing he has lacked in his career: A championship ring. Unlike many of his peers, he posts sparingly on social media. Featuring four future NBA players, the Dunbar Poets from 1981-1983 have made their case to be the best high school basketball team of all time. He came up with the idea and got buy-in from his sponsor Nike and city officials, says his mother Syreeta Brittingham, who hopes the party will become an annual event "to honor D.J. I just jumped in with them, I made it, why cant you? The 6-foot-11 forward, who grew up in Sparta and starred at nearby Delbarton before becoming a college star at Notre Dame, averaged a double-doublein five of his 12 NBA seasons. He was born in Jersey City and played at St. Michael's High School in Union City, and in 1957 was named NBA Rookie of the Year ahead of teammate Bill Russell. Before he inherited his winningest teams, Wade would walk over to watch the kids in the area play. 's name. D.J. Milt Wagner, a legendary Camden High basketball player who won an NCAA title at Louisville and an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, watched his son . Camden is set to play Sierra Canyon of Los Angeles in a game that would match rising sophomores D.J. He averaged 20.7 points a game for the 2008-09 season with the Knicks, the best of his career on a bad New York team. He retired with 7,868 career points. A former NFL player, Wade implemented a military-like approach to his practices. Find out more. List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game, List of second-generation National Basketball Association players, List of people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, "Wagner signs with Warriors after two years out of NBA", "Camden's Dajuan Wagner still hears about his 100-point game in 2001", Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes - Philly.com, "Too Slick, Too Loud, Too Successful Why John Calipari Can't Catch A Break", "Tryout over: Warriors release little-used guard Wagner", "Dajuan Wagner Continues Comeback Signs With AmeriLeague", "AmeriLeague Founder Revealed As Con Artist", "Intestinal Fortitude; After surgery for colitis, Dajuan Wagner is trying to resume a career that once showed such promise", "Class of 2023 recruiting rankings headlined by DaJuan Wagner Jr., Mikey Williams and Bronny James", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dajuan_Wagner&oldid=1149170560, American expatriate basketball people in Poland, Basketball players from Camden, New Jersey, Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball), People from West Deptford Township, New Jersey, 21st-century African-American sportspeople, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 April 2023, at 15:41. [10], In the middle of his junior season, Wagner saw his ranking of number one player in the class of 2023 drop to third by Rivals after holding the reign of consensus number one pick in the class of 2023 for two years since 2020. But photos of . They even crowded him for autographs afterwards. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? In an area where most kids dont expect to live past 20, Bogues and Williams retreated to basketball. "We are just out here to have fun, to have a good day and enjoy our time.". The following year, in 1981, Bogues transferred for his junior season (high school for them was just three years). And hes still famously recognized as the shortest player to have ever played in the league. Milt Wagner said he hoped to attend as many Camden games as possible this season. Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. Wagner and Bronny James, two of the top players in the class of 2023, according to a Masslive.com report. He started all 20 games for the Miami Heat during their 2011 playoff run that ended with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. ET. But what no one knew at the time what no one dared dream was that they were witnessing four future high school stars, future college standouts, and eventually, future NBA players. Muggsy was the spark that made the whole team go, and his infectious energy led their fast-paced attack. It also was different -- the same sense of pride tinged with the bittersweet realization of the passage of time. With families sometimes struggling to make ends meet, the one thing these kids could count on was a ball and a hoop, and their local rec league team tearing it up. Wingate, Lewis, and Reggie Williams all transferred to Dunbar, but Muggsy was held up a year in 1980. "This is a poor city; it was really, really bad at one time," says Kevin Cooke, who attended The High in the 1980s. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. He hoped and dreamed that high school was his. [2], On January 16, 2001 he scored 100 points against Camden County Tech. "He said he would be with me until the wheels fall off the car either way. The 7-foot-1 star also ranks third all-time in field goal percentage (58.2). Players listed for each high school attended; Active players in bold; * Indicates Hall of Famer; Includes stats from NBA and ABA. After being one of five finalists for Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year, Kentucky signee DJ Wagner was named Iverson Classic National High School Player of the Year. 25. He was an eighth-grader competing for a middle school championship the first time he played a real game on the court at Camden High School. Two of the team's star players were from 70 miles north of Camden, and one lived in a house owned by Wagner's father, Dajuan, a former Camden star and NBA lottery pick. could potentially make it.". And he made it a point to steep D.J. D.J. ClutchPoints was able to catch up briefly with Muggsy Bogues recently. Expanded Nav. D.J. NBA players, you manage their time. He is also the answer to a trivia question: Who scored the first field goal in Miami Heat history? We present them here for purely educational purposes. [6], Coached by former NBA player Rick Brunson,[7] Wagner helped lead Camden to 25 consecutive victories before the team's season was ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wagner (left), his grandfather Milt Wagner (center) and his father Dajuan after Camden's 72-52 win over Gratz on Friday. But most of Camden's factories shut down long ago, choking off key routes to working-class prosperity and helping to trigger an exodus. many NBA First Round Draft Picks, College All-Americans and McDonald's All-Americans. Son: A long family lineage continues as father Dajuan Wagner scored 3,451 career points and his grandfather Milt Wagner scored 2,003 career points, with both resulting in state championships for Camden. Both played in McDonald's All-American games before going on to college and eventually the pros. After college, Wingate, Williams, Lewis, and Bogues were all drafted and migrated to the NBA. Im like really? worked out under his father's tutelage, learning some of the game's subtleties, and becoming a standout wherever he played. the Wagners could become the first family with three generations of McDonald's All-Americans and NBA players. They always had each others backs something Muggsy didnt get elsewhere on the court because of his size. He led the Panthers to a 29-1 record and their first South Jersey Group 2 title since 2017. Wagner has said he plans to attend college before going pro. 11 by MaxPreps, but that was not the reason Brunson felt compelled to return. The familiar chant, "You want The High? If he was on a fast break, he might have David Wingate open, but Muggsy was passing to his friend Reggie Williams instead. In his rookie season he averaged 13.4 points per game and shot 36.9% from the field. I would say I dont see anyone quite like the game I played but Patrick (Beverley) and Rondo are the closest.. College, you mentor them and they want, theyre like, yo, he was where I want to be, they listen to you. He averaged 13.4 points for Cleveland as a rookie before illness and injuries ended his professional career. He's only getting better, too. The pride of Bloomfield carved out an impressive 10-year career in the NBA after playing collegiately for Notre Dame, scoring 12,142 points -- that's 17.2 a game -- while twice being chosen for the All-Star Game. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. That goes back the credit to his mom (Syreeta Brittingham) and dad, they raised him well. CAMDEN, N.J. -- On a sunny Saturday just before the start of the school year, hundreds of people flock to Wiggins Waterfront Park for a block party. Thats what I noticed at Camden High.. As a freshman, Wagner averaged 18.5 points en route to earning MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors. They dont complain, theyre great. They were ranked the top high school team in the nation throughout the season, and they won the state title again Dunbars sixth title in eight years. Camden's Cornelius Robinson puts up a shot during the 4th quarter of the boys basketball game between Lenape and Camden played at Camden High School on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. The 6-10 forward with a soft-shooting touch from Paterson never quite lived up to the lofty expectations when he arrived in the NBA, but he played for seven different teams during a productive 13-year NBA career. 6 min read. The game was played on November 11, 2006 with the Warriors defeating the Detroit Pistons 111 - 79. As a kid he revered Camden High stars led by coach Clarence Turner, who molded the Panthers into a powerhouse in the 1970s and '80s. 21 jersey in Camdens season-opener vs. Philadelphia Public League power Simon Gratz. Wagner attended Camden High School, where he played with the varsity team freshman year. This page is not available in other languages. Not one of em said can you reconsider., More: Coping with death: Camden senior Alijah Clark uses football to carry on in tragic year. For Wagner, who is just a couple weeks removed from winning a gold medal with the U.S. team at the FIBA U-17 World Cup in Spain, the attention appears to be no big deal. Finishing 59-0 over two seasons, those Dunbar teams were a force. On Friday, Milt Wagner watched his grandson, D.J. Tyrone Bogues and Reggie Williams both grew up in the Lafayette projects in Baltimore. [2] For his senior year he debuted on December 15 scoring 36 points against Eastern, followed by a 50-points performance against Bishop Eustace. . Steve Pikiell's team showing signs of progress. Data Provided By As a result, the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association launched an investigation that is ongoing, officials said.