Dunellen’s Tyje Kelton gets key minutes in NCAA Tournament, while the Destroyers watch history

It may be a first. We think.

About three dozen Dunellen students showed up after school in the cafeteria here Thursday to watch Tyje Kelton – a junior at Wagner, one of the more intriguing NCAA Tournament stories this year – play in the opening round of the Big Dance against top-seed North Carolina in the West region.

And while the 16th-seeded Seahawks didn’t pull off the upset – falling 90-62 to the Tar Heels – it was fun for everyone in attendance to watch what may be a first.

While some bigger schools may have had several players in The Dance in previous years, Kelton is believed to be the first from Dunellen.

Athletic Director Dave DeNapoli says Jimmy Robinson may be one of the most decorated boys’ basketball player in Dunellen history. He attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating in 1968, and is in their Hall of Fame, having averaged over 27 points a game over his career. But his team never made the NCAA Tournament while he was there.

*Tyje Kelton’s Dunellen jersey hangs on a chair as he plays for Wagner in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

In any event, Kelton got to play two NCAA Tournament games, and scored seven points – including three treys, a key one coming in the second half – in a First Four win over Howard, 71-68. Either way, Kelton got a win in the NCAA Tournament.

Kelton was the all-time leading scorer – boys or girls – when he graduated Dunellen in 2020 with 1,942 points. His senior year, the team went 25-5 and made the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 finals, where they lost to University (Newark) in the sectional final. They also reached the GMC Tournament quarterfinals that year, falling to St. Joe’s.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Dunellen boys’ basketball coach Howie Horowitz about watching former Destroyer Tyje Kelton in the NCAA Tournament.