Breaking: New Jersey Basketball Power St. Benedict’s Barred from State Tournament Over Bench Incident

Although no punches were thrown, three St. Benedict's players left the bench area during a scuffle and, according to strict New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) rule, the Gray Bees are banned from this year's upcoming state tournament.

St. Benedict's Prep has been disqualified from the state tournament. / St. Benedict's Prep

The St. Benedict’s boys basketball team has been banned from this year’s state tournament after receiving three disqualifications during an incident this month in Newark according to a report by NJAdvanceMedia.

A Hard Lesson

The disqualifications came down after a January 8 game against Arts, but the full story only surfaced earlier this week when the Essex County Tournament released its seeds. What unfolded that day at Arts High School in Newark was more heated words and pushing than any real brawl, according to Arts athletic director Ron Fazio. Still, at least three St. Benedict’s players left the bench area, a move that, under New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) rules, triggers an automatic and non-appealable tournament ban.

The NJSIAA is crystal clear on this point: “Any player that leaves the bench area during an altercation, regardless of whether the player engages in the altercation, shall be disqualified, and will be subject to the disqualification penalty,” according to the association’s rule.

The rule leaves little room for gray areas, and the consequences hit hard. No Arts players were disqualified in the incident

NJSIAA's DQ Hammer Drops

NJSIAA spokesperson Mike Cherenson confirmed the outcome without hesitation: “I can confirm that St. Benedict’s will not be seeded in the 2025–2026 NJSIAA Boys Basketball Tournament due to the application of the three-disqualification (3 DQ) rule. Under this rule, any varsity team that accumulates three or more player or coach disqualifications for flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct prior to the start of the tournament is not permitted to participate.”

The ban is limited to the state tournament and does not touch St. Benedict’s status in the Essex County Tournament, where the Gray Bees earned the No. 2 seed behind Seton Hall Prep. They open play at 11 a.m. Saturday against Livingston in the first round. It’s worth noting that St. Benedict’s captured the 2024 county title in its first year back as a full member after three decades as an independent school, a strong reminder of what this program can achieve when things align.

St. Benedict’s athletic director Frank DiPiano declined to comment.

Arts Knows This Pain All Too Well

The situation carries an eerie echo for Arts. Just two years ago, in 2023, the Panthers faced the same fate following a similar bench-clearing incident against Roselle Catholic. No punches were thrown, but multiple Arts players left the bench to support teammates, triggering the automatic disqualifications and state tournament ban.

Fazio and his program have internalized the lesson deeply.

“It’s built in now,” Fazio said. “We have coaches who police the bench, and if anything goes, they’re right there. I had one coach standing in front, waving his arms, just keeping the kids back.”

He praised the officials for their handling of the St. Benedict’s game, noting they prevented escalation and even commended his own bench: “The officials even told my coach (Prophet Kates), ‘Hey, Coach, your kids didn’t even stand.’ That’s where we are after the Roselle Catholic incident.”

The Takeaway from this Incident

These incidents highlight the strict line the NJSIAA draws around bench behavior in an effort to curb potential violence before it spirals. Leaving the bench, even without throwing a punch, carries severe team-wide penalties designed to reinforce discipline and safety. For St. Benedict’s, a program with a rich tradition and recent county success, the ban is a tough setback that sidelines them from chasing a state title this winter.