Since opening its doors in 1956 Central Regional High School has been one of the premier public school basketball programs in South Jersey. Names that have worn the garnet and gold of Central Regional throughout history still bring out stories of greatness in gyms around the Shore. Garris, Clay, Tice, Moye, Keyes, Mattox, Pozo, Morin, Moye all were Golden Eagles that left their marks on the game.
Many of these greats went on to play at the college level where success followed. Harrie Garris went on to play Division I basketball at Monmouth University where he averaged over 12 points and 3 rebounds per game over his career. Jermaine Clay is Central Regional’s all-time scoring leader with 2,210 points, as well as Division III Stockton College’s with 1,674 points. John Tice - a player famed Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun openly wanted to “throw a white UConn jersey on him” - led two different Division I teams to the NCAA tournament. While at Fairfield, Tice and his Stags nearly pulled a historic upset over top seeded and eventual Final Four participant North Carolina, a team that featured Vince Carter and was coached by Hall of Famer Dean Smith. Jason Pozo was selected as the 1993 - 1994 season’s Kerwin Award winner for best player in the Shore Conference, four years after Clay was awarded the same honor.
Past Golden Eagles have found success in other endeavors. Robbie Keyes went on to play football at storied powerhouse Florida State. James Plummer, who holds the single game record for rebounds with 30, was a two-time Big East champion in the discus at Rutgers University. Michael Clemente went on to coach at the collegiate level before returning to take the reins at his high school alma mater, the place where his father Mike Clemente Sr. was the head coach for 31 years.
At Central Regional tradition is a guiding principle and each student-athlete is an integral part of adding to, and building upon it - because tradition never graduates.
