Since his freshman year at Colonia, Aiden Derkack was known as someone who could do damage with the ball in his hands and also defensively with it in the hands of an opponent.
But maybe a bigger strength for the 6-7 senior is his play when he is lying in wait in a corner or along a wing and the ball is at the top of the key or clear across the floor.
That’s when Derkack’s sharp eye for spotting an open space joins up with the supreme effort he always puts forth, and he suddenly cuts to the lane for a well-timed pass and a layup or an unchallenged putback off a miss.
The Providence commit curled and cut his way to numerous baskets at the rim on his way to a game-high 24 points to lead nationally ranked Spire Academy (OH) to an 85-62 victory over third-ranked Roselle Catholic at the Tom Lewis Memorial Scholarship Games Sunday at Kean University in Union.
Four other Spire players double figures, including 6-7 Alabama commit Tarris Bouie III with 144 points to help Spires improve to 8-1. It is ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps, No. 8 by Sports Illustrated and No. 11 by ESPN.
Trevon Lewis and Tyrease Hunter each scored 12 points and fellow senior guard Kahlik Thomas had 11 for Roselle Catholic (2-1).
Off-ball movement was certainly a well-known element in Derkack’s game at Colonia, but he was always considered a little too talented to not have the ball in his hands at the start many possessions.
Now he is one of many highly talented players on a team coached by another Jersey guy, Kevin Boyle.
“I think playing on Spire with a bunch of talented, high-level Division 1 players teaches me a lot; how to move without the ball, how to cut, how to finish,” Derkack said. “And that is going to be my role in college. So doing it now, my senior year, is going to put me in a great position to effect the game next year at the college level.”
Derkack, no doubt, could have stayed at Colonia and still landed a scholarship offer from Providence, and he likely would have led the Patriots to a fifth straight North 2, Group 3 championship, a third consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament crown and perhaps even an overall Group 3 state title.
But he wouldn’t have been acclimating himself so readily for the college game as he is now by playing for a head coach who groomed scores of players for successful college careers in his previous stops at Montverde (FLA) and St. Patrick in Elizabeth.
Boyle, who has over 850 career wins, is in his first season at Spire after guiding Montverde to eight national crowns in his 14 seasons. He led St. Patrick to five Tournament of Champions titles and 15 Union County Tournament championships.
“He is a phenomenal coach,” Derkack said of Boyle. “He’s taught me a lot in the past few months I’ve been here. I mean, he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had.”
Derkack left a very good one in order to have his next steps as a player measured and molded by Boyle.
Jose Rodriguez – working with the talent that grows up in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township – has put together a 155-46 record since the 2018-19 season.
“Nothing against Colonia at all. Colonia was an amazing school. It’s given me so much,” Derkack said.
“Coach J-Rod is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. But I thought for the next step in college, I had to go somewhere and I think going with Coach Boyle was my best option. He’s a legend. And I think, more importantly, he’s a Jersey legend too, which meant a lot to me.”
Derkack had been building some legendary status of his own at Colonia by establishing himself as the program’s leading all-time scorer with 1,739 points in three seasons while leading the Patriots to a 71-23 overall record with those three sectional titles and two conference tournament crowns.
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