A DIVISION PLAYER - FINALLY!

By Greg Herenda

My goal growing up in North Bergen , New Jersey, was to be a Division I scholarship basketball player. Initially I wanted to play for the Knicks, but that dream quickly became just that - a far off fairly tale. Still, I was still fortunate enough to have a chance to reach another goal, which was to play at the Division I level. 

I was very fortunate to have grown up and played  with and against some really phenomenal players in my time. Living in Hudson County there were tough, great players from every neighborhood and surrounding town. In my very own neighborhood, I played against older guys that made me better from day one. I would play all day at the 82nd street park and then all  night under the street lights of the 79th Street courts - first with my brother Bill and our neighbor friends,  and then eventually with Dan Callandrillo, who later led the Big East in scoring during his sophomore season at Seton Hall (1979-80) and again as a senior (1981-82). I learned a lot going up against some straight up ballers !

When I got older I ventured to Jersey City and found out that my game had to translate better to the high-paced city game of White Eagle Hall, where the Miracle of St Anthony was born. There we would whoosh young Bobby and Danny Hurley off of the floor as coach Hurley let a St Peter's Prep guy workout with the great early Friar teams.

Also in Jersey City, the summer league at Pershing Field was where I teamed up with Hall of Famer Chris Mullins of St John's and the Golden State Warriors, and Mike O'Koren of North Carolina and the NJ Nets. I then went out to the great Five Star basketball Camp, and on my team was  Hall of Famer Dominique Williams of the Atlanta Hawks - the Human High Light  Reel!

After that, I was fortunate enough to be recruited by three colleges, all smaller catholic colleges with good solid basketball programs. One was a Division I school in the city, the other was a small Division II school in New England and the third was a Division III school in mountains of Pennsylvania. St Peter’s , Merrimack and Scranton.

I chose the Division II scholarship to experience the beautiful New England campus of the Augustinians, and to get out of Jersey City and see that there was grass, trees and another world outside of the Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.