Newark Tech Boys Basketball Team Honored By Freeholders

The Group 2 State Championship victory by the Newark Tech Boys Basketball Team not only invigorated the spirit of athleticism, but touched on the merits of vocational schools.

The Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders commended the boys at its April 9 meeting with an acclamation presented by Freeholder President Blonnie Watson.

Freeholder Vice President Sebold, who served as a member of the Essex County Vocational Schools Board of Education for six years, praised the boys as a special part of the school community family.

“This has been a very good year for high school basketball in Essex County because we have three state champions,” she said, referencing  Shabazz girls and East Side boys teams. "But tonight’s state champions are truly special to this freeholder board, because you are our team from just across the street…you are part of our Essex County Vo-Tech family, and we are as proud as we can be."

The Newark Tech boys team defeated Camden High by a score of 48-44 in March to become to 2014 Group 2 champions. Tyree Sykes, senior captain, attributed the victory to the closeness of the team.

“We are more than a team… we’re more like a family, and we’ve treated each other like brothers," he said. “It’s more than just basketball, it’s also about academics, and we picked each other up and now everyone is on the Honor Roll.”