Photo by Tom Zapcic
By Bill Clark
The Ocean Township High School boys basketball team is hitting the road — and not just around the Shore Conference, or even the state.
The Spartans will be heading to Springfield, Massachusetts for the Hoophall Invitational on Saturday, January 17. The second annual in-season tournament is hosted by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The 56-team field will play at sites in the area surrounding the Hall of Fame.
Ryan Pringle, the head coach of OTHS, received an invitation to participate last year. But with only a few weeks’ notice, he had to turn down the offer, as it wouldn’t be enough time to set up the undertaking required to get the team ready. Pringle told the organizers to keep them in mind for future events. Sure enough, a second invitation came through for 2026 — this time with plenty of time to get everything straight. Rusty Todd, the Ocean Township Athletic Director, gave them his blessing to move forward. Pringle reached out to teams that were already on the schedule, and they were flexible enough to move their dates around so the Spartans could make the trip.
With availability now secured, Pringle had to move forward with paying for the excursion. Buses, hotels, meals and other activities would all need to be funded, and the parents and community pulled together the money to make the trip happen.
“The community has been really supportive, with different businesses donating,” Pringle said. “We’ve been very fortunate and reached our fundraising goals. We're really excited to go.”
The tournament is an opportunity for OTHS to showcase the talent it has to a larger region. Schools from New Jersey, New York, and each New England state will be represented, and Pringle is excited to show what his hometown has to offer. Pringle said that the boys on the team deserve the opportunity based on their hard work both in season and during the off season.
“We are very lucky that we have a group of kids that are probably the most committed kids I've ever been around,” Pringle said.
Pringle works at the township’s elementary schools and his time for offseason coaching is limited, but that didn’t stop his squad from asking to arrive at the high school at 6 a.m. to get additional work in. Well before the morning bell rings for the first period, Pringle’s players have already been working up a sweat.
“I don't have to worry about the focus or the commitment or things like that,” he said.
Pringle is proud of the growth they’ve shown on the court, but his philosophy is that wins don’t matter much if the players are not also growing as people, especially with them on the cusp of adulthood. Instead, he judges the team’s success by asking a series of questions.
“Are they better than when we got them? Are they more responsible and focused and dedicated and caring and loving? Are they going to go out in the world and be good fathers? Are they going to be good spouses? Are they going to be good friends? Are they going to be good humans? I kind of judge it on that,” he says.
Home games foster a sense of community. Road games help build camaraderie in the face of harsh environments. But the trip to Massachusetts will give the team some of the longest stretches of time together to grow. Pringle is looking at team meals and activities to supplement the routine nature of the games themselves. He is focused on game plan and scouting, but also on the special opportunity he has with his team.
“It'll be a bit of an adventure going somewhere new,” he said. “I'm excited for the opportunity to bond outside of a two-hour basketball practice or even just being in class together.”
Pringle, an OTHS graduate himself, has spent 18 years on the basketball coaching staff. He’s seen the evolution of high school athletics and is proud to keep Ocean Township viable each year. Charter and private schools continue to pull some of the best talent that would otherwise make public school teams even better, but that doesn’t bother Pringle. The men — as he refers to his players — know what is expected of them on the court and in the classroom.
“If all you care about is playing time and Division 1 scholarships and that's your only focus, this probably isn't a place for you,” he said. “Because you do need to earn it here. You're going to have to show up and put in the work and be dedicated and commit yourself to the process of getting better.”
Superintendent Kelly Weldon points to the Spartan Legacy that she hopes the district instills in the students. Pringle said that Weldon upholds that when it comes to the athletic program, listening to the coaches in order to make the changes that benefit the students both academically and athletically.
Former students even come back to help Pringle after graduation, taking time away from their own Division I athletic endeavors to help the next class of Spartans.
“I'm proud that this is what occurs with some of the guys that we've had in the past,” Pringle said. “They want to come back and be around it and still be mentors to the guys that are suiting up for us.”
The record at the end of the season might reflect how the team performed, but the lessons of the program rise above that.
“Wins are fun. We've won games, we've lost games, Pringle said. “But at the end of the day, what kind of people are we raising?”
