EX-NOTRE DAME STANDOUT FARRELL NAMED HEAD COACHFOR USA GARDEN STATE BASKETBALL TEAM’S EUROPEAN TOUR
EAST HANOVER, N.J. – Former Notre Dame standout guard Matt Farrell has been named the head coach for the USA Garden State Basketball team that will go on a 10-day European tour from June 21-30 with three games in Croatia and one in Slovenia, it was announced today. “This is exciting for me because my sophomore year at Notre Dame we went on a similar trip and it was a great experience,” said the 27-year-old Farrell. “It’s another opportunity for me to coach, which I love to do, and I will be coaching some high-level players.” The tour will depart from Dubrovnik, Croatia, via Seabourn Cruise Lines, with games taking place in the Croatian cities of Dubrovnik, Zadar and Opatija. There will also be a game in Koper, Slovenia. The first game on the tour will be June 23 in Dubrovnik. College-aged players with ties to New Jersey – which includes either playing at a New Jersey college, having attended a New Jersey high school or having New Jersey roots – are eligible to participate. Farrell, who led Point Pleasant Beach High School to the most successful stretch in school history during his scholastic playing days, played professionally in Turkey, Israel and Germany, as well in the NBA’s G League. He has participated in the NBA’s Coaching Development Program and has also coached at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. A third-team All-ACC selection in 2018 as a senior at Notre Dame, when he averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 assists, Farrell finished his college career with 1,097 points. He was The Asbury Park Press Player of the Year and a first-team All-State selection by The Star-Ledger of Newark during his senior year at Point Pleasant Beach High School, when he averaged 19.5 ppg and led the program to a 29-2 record, a state title and the first Shore Conference championship in school history. He has now turned his focus to coaching. “The main thing with this trip will be to teach, to let the players learn, and to have fun,” he said. “The professional game is very different from college.” Seven players have committed to the 12-player roster so far: Nick Boyd (Florida Atlantic), Joe Carroll (Bentley), Vern Collins (Princeton), Ben Roy (Boston U.), Jake Scott (Princeton), Derek Simpson (Rutgers) and Matt Solomon (College of New Jersey), The selection process to fill out the remaining five spots on the 12-player roster is ongoing. For more information, contact USA Garden State Basketball Executive Director Gabi D’Agostino at 631-339-1502 or via email at usagardenstatebasketball@gmail.com. https://www.gofundme.com/f/new-jersey-hoops?utm_campaign=p_cp+share- sheet&utm_medium=email&utm_source=customer