Jones has even coached one of the NBA’s best backcourt performers during the last decade in Kyrie Irving from West Orange, who spent his first two years of high school at MKA where he scored his first 1,000 points before transferring to St. Patrick’s in Elizabeth where he played for coach Kevn Boyle.

He also coached a major league pitcher in former Cleveland Indians reliever Frank Herrmann, a 3-sport standout at MKA who also pitched in the College World Series for Harvard University, and Matt Lane, another 3-sport star for the Cougars, who then was a collegiate lacrosse standout at Syracuse University, and presently the head lacrosse coach at Non-Public A power Don Bosco Prep.

“I heard about Kyrie from former Mount St. Dominic coach Jerry Aquino, who had called me and said that the young man was not interested in attending either West Orange or Seton Hall Prep and wanted to be able to play right away,” Jones recalled. “When I watched him play I could see right away that he had a high basketball IQ, was a good finisher around the basket, and could certainly dribble, pass and shoot at a high level.

“When Kyrie was at MKA he fit in very well, not only with the team concept on our basketball team but also as a student who was very comfortable with all his classmates. As a freshman and sophomore, he would sometimes watch video of games and future opponents with me and just loved to study the game that he loved to play and wanted to be the best at.”

The current crop of Cougars is led by rising senior second-year captain Joe Morante (7.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg), a solid all-around player at 6-foot-1, who is also a goalkeeper for the MKA soccer team in the fall.

Two talented lacrosse players, rising junior guards Carter Convey (11.2 ppg, 3 apg) and Braeden Dawes (9.7 ppg, 3.3 steals per game), are two backcourt performers to watch as they keep ascending on the hardwood next winter.

In the front court, strong 6-2 rising junior RJ Michel 11.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg), plays bigger than his size and can be a force inside.

“We’re working on RJ’s perimeter game and he is having a really good summer averaging close to 20 points per game for us so far,” said Jones. “Both Carter and Braeden are other talented kids who we are looking to take on more leadership responsibility next season as they enter their junior seasons.

“Joe Morante is a natural leader, a fine all-round player, and one of just two seniors on next season’s team along with Luca Rizio.”

Another youngster to watch develop further next season is rising 6-0 sophomore forward Alli Monxhwedey who Jones will look to as another strong presence inside while also displaying solid decision making and an accurate touch from the perimeter.

“We have the pieces to put together a successful season next year,” said Jones. “And all the work we’re able to put in this summer, including in two good summer leagues in Bloomfield, will help us a great deal moving forward.”  

NOTES- One of MKA’s very talented underclassmen from last season, rising senior guard Khalil Shah-Brown (14.1 ppg), has transferred to Bridgeport (Conn.) International Academy for his senior high school year…Former MKA standout guard Marley Stewart, who led the Cougars to the 2023 state prep B Tournament championship and a 19-6 record (13-2 in the SEC-Freedom Division), will be a junior this fall at Trinity (Conn.) College in the strong New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and as a freshman was a member of Trinity’s 2025 NCAA Division III national championship team…Tony Jones’ son, Brandon, who also starred scholastically playing for his father at MKA, was a key contributor as a 6-7 senior forward on the 2007 NESCAC member Amherst College’s D3 national championship squad…MKA assistant basketball coach Anthony Rea is the Essex County Coaches Hall of Fame veteran head football coach at MKA during the fall season…Along with defeating Glen Ridge, 64-46, last winter’s MKA team was very competitive with Group 2 state champions Shabazz falling 74-64 at home to the talented Bulldogs and 55-51 in Newark.          . 

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