UNION COUNTY, NJ — Can Linden High School, as of Tuesday, Feb. 3, the only public school to beat the defending champion, prevent a second consecutive Plainfield High School vs. Roselle Catholic High School boys basketball Union County Tournament final?
The third-seeded Tigers will attempt to do just that en route to trying to win the crown for the first time in 11 years.
The 89th annual boys basketball Union County Tournament was seeded Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark, with defending champion Plainfield earning the top seed and Roselle Catholic the second seed.
Plainfield, which won the event last year for the first time since 2012 and for the fifth time overall, defeated Roselle Catholic, 66-53, in last year’s final at Kean University’s Harwood Arena in Union.
Roselle Catholic has reached the last seven championship games and last captured the title in 2023, its fourth.
Linden, with the third most crowns at 11, last reached the final in 2023 and last won it in 2015.
Elizabeth High School and The Patrick School are tied with the most championships with 21 each.
Competition was set to commence Tuesday, Feb. 10. The championship game is set for Sunday, Feb. 22, at Kean. The title contest has been at Kean every year since 2010.
New Providence High School head coach Art Cattano, in his 43rd season at the helm of the Pioneers, won his 600th game on Tuesday, Feb. 3, when New Providence won at Rahway High School, 51-44, in Union County Conference–Mountain Division play. New Providence improved to 3-14.
It was reported that Cattano became the 25th boys coach in New Jersey to reach 600 victories.
Cattano guided New Providence to Group 1 state championships in 1999 and 2019. A New Providence alum himself, Class of 1973, Cattano’s first team in 1983-1984 reached the North 2, Group 1 final.
Also on Feb. 3, Linden 2000 graduate Jamaal Tate had his No. 21 retired before Linden’s UCC-Watchung Division home game against Elizabeth. Tate, an all-state player at Linden who went on to play collegiately at Penn State, starred on Linden’s first-ever state championship team his senior season of 1999-2000 when the Tigers captured Group 4 honors for the first of six times with head coach Phil Colicchio.
Now in his eighth season as head coach at his alma mater Elizabeth, Colicchio, a 1984 Elizabeth grad, was at 598 wins as of Feb. 3. In the Feb. 3 division clash at Linden, it was the host Tigers that were decisive in a convincing 58-35 win against the visiting Minutemen. Linden also previously won at Elizabeth, 57-50, on Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Thomas Dunn Sports Center.
Linden snapped a two-game losing streak on Feb. 3 to improve to 13-7, while Elizabeth had a three-game winning streak halted and fell to 11-8.
Union High School, with a two-game winning streak after losing two in a row, began the week at 17-3.
As the seventh seed, Union sought to win at home against 18th-seeded Jonathan Dayton High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10, to reach the next round of games scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12. If Union beat Jonathan Dayton, then the Farmers will host 10th-seeded Arthur L. Johnson or 15th-seeded Abraham Clark High School on Feb. 12. The quarterfinals are this Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Thomas Dunn Sport Center in Elizabeth.
With wins at Scotch Plains–Fanwood High School, 59-43, on Thursday, Feb. 5, and against Chester, Pa., by the score of 66-50 in the Battle by the Bay in Atlantic City on Saturday, Feb. 7, Colicchio became the 26th boys coach in New Jersey to reach 600 wins.
Colicchio has guided Linden to six Group 4 state championships and Elizabeth to two. When Colicchio led Linden to the 2016 Group 4 state championship at Rutgers, it was his 400th victory.
89th annual Boys Basketball
Union County Tournament
Seeds: 1-Plainfield. 2-Roselle Catholic. 3-Linden. 4-Elizabeth. 5-Union Catholic. 6-Scotch Plains–Fanwood. 7-Union. 8-Westfield. 9-Oratory Prep. 10-Arthur L. Johnson. 11-Cranford. 12-Summit. 13-Hillside. 14-New Providence. 15-Abraham Clark. 16-Rahway. 17-Governor Livingston. 18-Jonathan Dayton.
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 10
17-Governor Livingston at 8-Westfield
16-Rahway at 9-Oratory Prep
13-Hilside at 12-Summit
14-New Providence at 11-Cranford
15-Abraham Clark at 10-Arthur L. Johnson
18-Jonathan Dayton at 7-Union
Second Round
Thursday, Feb. 12
At higher seeds
17-Governor Livingston/8-Westfield vs. 16-Rahway/9-Oratory Prep
Winner faces 1-Plainfield in quarterfinals.
13-Hillside/12-Summit at 5-Union Catholic
Winner faces 4-Elizabeth in quarterfinals.
14-New Providence/11-Cranford at 6-Scotch Plains–Fanwood
Winner faces 3-Linden in quarterfinals.
15-Abraham Clark/10-Arthur L. Johnson vs. 18-Jonathan Dayton/7-Union
Winner faces 2-Roselle Catholic in quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Feb. 14
At Dunn Center, Elizabeth
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 17
and
Thursday, Feb. 19
At Kean University
Final
Sunday, Feb. 22
At Kean University
Frank J. Cicarell UCT Boys’ Basketball
Championship Game Scores, Winning Coaches:
2025: Plainfield 66, Roselle Catholic 53 – Michael Gordon – Kean
2024: Union Catholic 66, Roselle Catholic 56 – Dr. Jim Reagan Jr. – Kean
2023: Roselle Catholic 64, Linden 55 – Dave Boff – Kean
2022: Roselle Catholic 63, Elizabeth 58 – Dave Boff – Kean
2021: No UCT because of COVID-19
2020: Patrick School 56, Roselle Catholic 42 – Chris Chavannes – Kean
2019: Roselle Catholic 71, Patrick School 66 – Dave Boff – Kean
2018: Roselle Catholic 68, Patrick School 58 – Dave Boff – Kean
2017: Patrick School 58, Linden 44 – Chris Chavannes – Kean
2016: Patrick School 58, Roselle Catholic 54 (2OT) – Mike Rice – Kean
2015: Linden 60, Roselle Catholic 56 – Phil Colicchio – at Kean
2014: Patrick School 62, Linden 54 – Chris Chavannes – at Kean
2013: Patrick School 44, Linden 42 – Chris Chavannes – at Kean
2012: Plainfield 72, Roselle Catholic 66 – Jeff Lubreski – at Kean
2011: St. Patrick 70, Linden 58 – Kevin Boyle – at Kean
2010: St. Patrick 82, Plainfield 45 – Kevin Boyle – at Kean
2009: St. Patrick 89, Elizabeth 72 – Kevin Boyle – last one at Dunn
2008: St. Patrick 67, Linden 56 – Kevin Boyle
2007: Linden 63, St. Patrick 51 – Phil Colicchio
2006: St. Patrick 65, Plainfield 52 – Kevin Boyle
2005: St. Patrick 77, Linden 68 – Kevin Boyle
2004: Elizabeth 58, St. Patrick 51 – Donald Stewart
2003: St. Patrick 68, Linden 62 – Kevin Boyle
2002: Elizabeth 75, St. Patrick 61 – Pat Brunner
2001: Linden 76, St. Patrick 59 – Phil Colicchio
2000: St. Patrick 69, Linden 55 – Kevin Boyle
1999: St. Patrick 52, Union 43 – Kevin Boyle
1998: St. Patrick 76, Union 45 – Kevin Boyle
1997: St. Patrick 61, Elizabeth 48 – Kevin Boyle
1996: St. Patrick 65, Elizabeth 47 – Kevin Boyle
1995: Elizabeth 50, St. Patrick 49 – Ben Candelino
1994: St. Patrick 63, Hillside 47 – Kevin Boyle
1993: St. Patrick 45, Elizabeth 41 – Kevin Boyle
1992: Elizabeth 69, Linden 57 – Ben Candelino
1991: Elizabeth 76, Linden 49 – Ben Candelino
1990: Elizabeth 96, Abraham Clark 67 – Ben Candelino
1989: Elizabeth 65, Abraham Clark 57 – Ben Candelino
1988: Linden 50, Elizabeth 45 – Wilbur Aikens
1987: Elizabeth 62, Linden 61 – Ben Candelino
1986: Elizabeth 50, Union Catholic 43 – Ben Candelino
1985: Elizabeth 70, Rahway 56 – Ben Candelino
1984: Elizabeth 57, Plainfield 42 – Ben Candelino
1983: Linden 66, Abraham Clark 60 – Wilbur Aikens
1982: Linden 86, Union Catholic 67 – Wilbur Aikens
1981: Arthur L. Johnson Regional 73, Hillside 61 – Steve Petruzzelli
1980: Union 65, Plainfield 63 – Tom Fox
1979: Plainfield 70, Linden 68 – Rico Parenti
1978: Elizabeth 62, Plainfield 60 – Ron Kelly
1977: Abraham Clark 75, Rahway 54 – Dick Young
1976: Abraham Clark 61, Union 54 – Dick Young
1975: Plainfield 69, Rahway 64 – Rico Parenti
1974: Union 61, Cranford 48 – Tom Fox
1973: Linden 69, Abraham Clark 53 – Wayman Everly
1972: Jefferson 50, Linden 43 – Ron Kelly
1971: Abraham Clark 73, Linden 71 – Dick Young
1970: Jefferson 68, St. Mary’s 61 – Ron Kelly
1969: Jefferson 55, St. Mary’s 47 – Ron Kelly
1968: Linden 63, Jefferson 62 – Joe Gaines
1967: St. Patrick 58, Plainfield 50 – Ed “Buzzy” Fox
1966: Linden 61, St. Patrick 56 – Joe Gaines
1965: Westfield 61, Cranford 52 – Bob Sanislow
1964: Cranford 68, Linden 61 – Bill Martin
1963: Westfield 65, Roselle Catholic 45 – John Lay
1962: St. Mary’s 40, Linden 30 – Al LoBalbo
1961: Abraham Clark 45, St. Mary’s 43 – Ralph Arminio
1960: St. Mary’s 53, Jefferson 43 – Al LoBalbo
1959: Westfield 54, Cranford 46 – John Lay
1958: Abraham Clark 66, Cranford 64 – Ralph Arminio
1957: Rahway 64, Jefferson 51 – Bob Berger
1956: Plainfield 58, Sacred Heart 51 – Bill Brann
1955: Jefferson 52, St. Mary’s 44 – Bill Tranavitch
1954: Jefferson 57, Springfield 44 – Bill Tranavitch
1953: Linden 59, Union 38 – G. St. Andrassy
1952: St. Mary’s 48, Linden 30 – Al LoBalbo
1951: St. Mary’s 37, Jefferson 36 – Al LoBalbo
1950: Jefferson 69, Hillside 57 – Bill Tranavitch
1949: Jefferson 42, Hillside 41 – Bob Cox
1948: Jefferson 33, Springfield 32 – Bob Cox
1947: Springfield 31, Linden 29 – Walter Hohn
1946: Springfield 37, Linden 34 – Walter Hohn
1945: Jefferson 39, Roselle Park 23 – Abner West
1944: St. Patrick 40, Roselle Park 36 – Ken Milsop
1943: Rahway 34, Jefferson 33 – Earl Walter
1942: Rahway 46, Jefferson 30 – Earl Walter
1941: Rahway 32, Hillside 24 – Earl Walter
1940: Springfield 35, Cranford 33 – Bill Brown
1939: Linden 30, Plainfield 20 – Les Goodwin
1938: Springfield 25, Rahway 24 – Bill Brown
1937: Rahway 27, Hillside 17 – Earl Walter
Championships
Jefferson–Elizabeth (21)
St. Patrick–Patrick School (21)
Linden (11)
Rahway (5)
Abraham Clark (5)
Plainfield (5)
Roselle Catholic (4)
Springfield (4)
St. Mary’s, Elizabeth (4)
Westfield (3)
Union (2)
Union Catholic (1)
Arthur L. Johnson Regional (1)
Cranford (1)
Photo by JR Parachini
