Presenting: 2021-22 Elite Boys’ Basketball Team

By Ron Brocato
Clarion Herald



Until Wesley Laurendine arrived on the campus to coach the Archbishop Shaw basketball team in 2005, the program had slowly declined.

Using the tools of competitiveness from his days as a player at Archbishop Rummel and his apprenticeship under veteran coach Chris Jennings at Jesuit, Laurendine turned the Shaw fortunes around in 2021-22.

In the school’s final year as a member of the Class 5A Catholic League, he led the Eagles to a 25-5 record, its first district championship in 22 years and a spot in the Division I semifinals before losing to eventual champion Scotlandville.

On the other side of Lake Pontchartrain, Errol Gauff went one step further by leading the Archbishop Hannan boys’ team to the Division II championship via a resounding 81-60 victory over Liberty of Baton Rouge.

Gauff’s amazing coaching feat gave the school its first state title in boys’ sports.

Gauff’s career had been successful on both the high school and college levels. He joined the Archbishop Hannan faculty in 2017 as director of development.

For their leadership in guiding their respective schools to successful seasons, Laurendine and Gauff share Coach of the Year honors on the Clarion Herald’s 2021-22 Elite Boys’ Basketball Team.

The team, composed of the top basketball talent from Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, includes six seniors, four juniors and a freshman.

One of those juniors distinguished himself as the team’s Most Outstanding Player.

Shaw’s point guard, Kameron Johnson, exuded the leadership Laurendine needed to vault the Eagles to the top of the district.

Quick, agile and a crafty ball-handler, Johnson paced the Catholic League in scoring at a 20.3 points per game average while grabbing 5.8 rebounds and recording 4.1 assists and 4.5 steals per game.
 

He joins two other seniors who are repeat members of the Elite team:




St. Paul’s Zach Fenn, the MVP of District 6-5A; 














and Archbishop Hannan point guard Grant Kemp.

The Division II champion Hawks also placed Drew Timmons, a talented freshman forward-guard, on the Elite team. He displayed his maturity in the state championship game when he scored 31 points and was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player.









Remaining players of the Elite Boys' Basketball Team are:

RODNEY PHILLIPS   6-3
Archbishop Shaw, Senior
 

EAMON KELLY 5-11
De La Salle, Senior
 

DEVIN HARRIS 5-11
Holy Cross, Junior
 

CHRIS LANDERS   6-5
St. Augustine, Senior

 

MATTHEW KNIGHT   6-1
Jesuit, Senior
 

COREY SKILLMAN     6-4
Brother Martin, Junior
 

REECE SEICSHNAYDRE     6-3
St. Paul’s, Junior