Austin Whitehurst – Central Jersey Sports Radio

As phones lit up in basketball and football coaching circles Friday afternoon with rumors that St. Thomas football coach Tarig Holman and basketball coach Austin Whitehurst had been let go on the same day, a confluence of events led to confusion.

Whitehurst had just finished serving the eighth and final game of an NJSIAA suspension for improper contact with a student-athlete from another school, and word started trickling out that he was gone. He even said goodbye to his players, and the tears flowed.

Central Jersey Sports Radio broke the news, and other media outlets soon followed.

But by the middle of the following week, STA parents and guardians were emailed by the school’s president, Kevin Sacco, and Principal Harry Ziegler, to set the record straight.

While they said that the football head coaching job already had been posted, they noted that “Basketball Coach Austin Whitehurst has not been fired. We are following the directives issued by the NJSIAA and working with Coach Whitehurst to resolve that situation.”

Ziegler and Athletic Director Jerry Smith did not return emails and texts seeking comment Friday before Central Jersey Sports Radio published the story. Ziegler returned CJSR’s email Monday saying he couldn’t comment on the status of Whitehurst or Holman because they were personnel issues.

Whitehurst told Joe Zedalis of NJ Advance Media in a story published Monday on NJ.com that there was an issue of a photograph purported to be of him at a game between St. Thomas Aquinas and Bayonne on December 28th in the city as part of the Bayonne Holiday Classic. That was brought to the attention of administrators at Aquinas weeks ago, but Whitehurst says the person in the photos was someone he was mentoring, with a resemblance to him, but not him.

Whitehurst told Central Jersey Sports Radio via text Thursday morning that he is “working with the school as well as the NJSIAA to resolve any confusion regarding my status as head coach,” but confirmed he has not been fired.

“There are many moving pieces, and have been many stories about my status, however the school and I have been working in conjunction with the state to make sure we get things right and are all on the same page. As a precaution, I have not been with the team.”

It’s unknown how soon Whitehurst could return, if indeed he does. Assistant Victor Verdecia will continue running the team in Whitehurst’s absence, and – unless the issues are resolved by then – is expected to be on the bench when the seventh-ranked Trojans (6-3) travel to top-ranked Colonia (11-1).

Despite the noise, St. Thomas has won two straight, and on Tuesday beat Old Bridge at home, 74-56, in their first and only game since Friday. Thursday, the Trojans visit Saddle River Day 6-4) at 7 pm.

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: