St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball assistant coach Austin Whitehurst (second from left) has been named the school’s new head coach. (Submitted photo)
For Athletic Director Jerry Smith, it was a no-brainer.
St. Thomas Aquinas – seeking continuity after the departure of head coach Bob Turco to Piscataway – has named Austin Whitehurst, an assistant with the Trojans for the last four seasons, as its new head coach.
Whitehurst played scholastically at Monmouth Regional, graduating in 2009. He got a scholarship to Drexel, but injuries cut short his playing days, and he spent two seasons at Brookdale Community College.
After some time as an assistant and coaching AAU ball, Whitehurst landed in North Edison four seasons ago, where some of his AAU players were already with Turco.
Now, he’ll head a program that won three straight GMC Tournament titles in six years under Turco, going 123-34. Several of his AAU players – including Jalen Pichardo – were on the most successful team under Turco’s tenure, in 2021-22, when St. Thomas went 27-2 with only one loss to a New Jersey opponent, to eventual Non-Public South A champion Rutgers Prep.
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with new St. Thomas Aquinas coach Austin Whitehurst:
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