O'Koren gets childhood courts named after him

O’Koren returns to courts where it all began St. Joseph Courts renamed, honoring former Carolina, Nets standout forward When Mike O’Koren was a little boy growing up in Jersey City, he always dreamed about one day playing basketball at the famed courts that sit behind St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, just a stone’s throw away from the O’Koren family residence inside the Pavonia Gardens housing projects near Dickinson High School “For us kids, this was our Madison Square Garden,” O’Koren said. “I spent so much time here playing and learning.” So O’Koren used to make the two-block journey from his home to the courts at St. Joe’s, just trying to absorb so much about the game he loved to play. One of his first coaches at St. Joseph’s CYO program was Ron Steinmetz, better known as “Stymie” to the basketball faithful of Jersey City. Stymie knew early on that O’Koren, better known as “Little” to the people of his hometown, would develop into a good player.

“When he first started playing, he couldn’t even tie his sneakers,” Steinmetz said. “Once we got him playing regularly, he fell in love with the game. And it was fun to watch him progress.” And progress he did. After he went to Hudson Catholic, O’Koren became a three-time All-Hudson County honoree and an overall First Team All-State selection, quickly becoming a household name across the country. O’Koren went off to the University of North Carolina, where he had a brilliant career, leading the Tar Heels to the 1977 NCAA Tournament title game against Marquette, scoring 31 points in the national semifinals against UNLV. After his brilliant four-year career with the Tar Heels, O’Koren was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 1980 NBA Draft. He spent 10 solid years with the Nets, playing home games just a stone’s throw away from his Jersey City home. O’Koren then became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards, the Philadelphia 76ers as well as Rutgers University. He also did some color analysis work for the Nets on television and radio. O’Koren has already earned Hall of Fame honors from both of his alma maters (Hudson Catholic and UNC) as well as the Hudson County Athletic Hall of Fame. But the greatest honor of O’Koren’s life came last week, when the St. Joseph courts were renamed the Mike O’Koren Courts. O’Koren was present for the dedication of the courts, speaking to the approximately 200 people in attendance. “I have family and friends here,” O’Koren said. “I’m glad to have the chance to see this happen while I’m still here. It’s the schoolyard, near where I grew up. It can’t get any better than this.” When the plaque hanging on the fence and the etching on the blacktop was revealed, O’Koren, usually stoic and not one to wear his feelings on his sleeve, got emotional. “It’s home,” O’Koren said. “It’s my family and friends. I’ve been around the world and no matter where I go, it always comes back to Jersey City. I was in Russia, walking the streets of Moscow with the World University Games team in 1980, before the Olympics (which never took place due to the boycott), and I had people recognize me from being from Jersey City. But this is beautiful. I spent so much time here. I’m so proud of this.” It was something to get all those people to a schoolyard on a Saturday morning in June. But they all came to pay tribute to the guy known as “Little,” to one of Hudson County’s best basketball players ever. Before he headed off to Chapel Hill, O’Koren was perhaps the best all-around hoopsters to ever come from McGinley Square, earning an NJSIAA Parochial A state title along with another decorated 1,000-point scorer from Hudson Catholic named Jim Spanarkel. Back in the mid-1970s, you couldn’t say one’s name without the other. Spanarkel and O’Koren were like peanut butter and jelly, like Abbott and Costello, like Martin and Lewis. When he graduated from Hudson Catholic, O’Koren’s 1,856 points was the third highest total in Hudson County history, but a handful of players have surpassed O’Koren’s point total. But nothing will take away from his greatness and now young, aspiring players will get to see up close how truly great O’Koren was. And it all began in the St. Joseph’s courtyard, a place that now bears his name for eternity. O’Koren reflected on how playing on the courts, with its famed metal backboards and chain link nets, made him a better shooter from the perimeter. “I tried to shoot the ball high off the backboard,” O’Koren recalled. “If you got it high off the backboard, it would go right in. But you had to shoot it soft. I spent a lot of hours there shooting off the backboard.” Steinmetz, who remains O’Koren’s closest friend, give credit to his buddy. “He could shoot anything,” Steinmetz said. “He could shoot bottle caps. This is just fabulous. It’s well deserved.” Bellifemini organizes youth basketball groups in the area, including the Jersey Bounce Basketball Academy and Team New Jersey Triple Threat that has approximately 300 youngsters participating. Many of those players were on hand for the court dedication. “This was the hotbed of basketball in Jersey City in its day,” Bellifemini said. “I was looking at the court and there was grass in the cracks of the court. I knew we had to do what we could to fix the courts. When Mike retired, I asked him to think about having the courts named after him. I kept my promise to him.” O’Koren was pleased to have his sister, Mary Jane Baker, and her family on hand for the dedication. Mary Jane’s son, Jack Baker, is the current athletic director at Hoboken High School after a brilliant baseball career at St. Peter’s Prep and St. Peter’s University and William Paterson University. O’Koren’s brother, Ron, couldn’t attend, but Mike wanted to make sure his brother got credit as well. Bellifemini credited other members of his organization like Nick Petruzelli, Chris Esposito and Vito Gigante for their assistance in the day. “They haven’t missed a day working with the kids,” Bellifemini said. But this day belonged to the big kid they all call “LIttle.” “I’ve been around the world and wherever I go, they always ask me about Jersey City,” O’Koren said. “It’s love for my hometown, no matter where I go.

In 1978, I was in Russia, walking the streets of Moscow and I had someone come up to me and said, ‘Jersey City.’ It’s home. This is beautiful. I have friends and family here.” And they were there to show a little bit of appreciation for a guy they all know as “Little,” just a little bit of love for one of their own.