LAWRENCE TWP. — There was a moment in the third quarter of the Notre Dame boys basketball team’s home game against Hillsborough on Saturday when it looked for sure like Will Foley was going to shoot.
The senior guard pulled up from beyond the 3-point arc and held his form in midair. But at the last moment, he passed the ball to his teammate, Angelo Pesce, who was wide open in the corner for a 3 of his own. And the junior knocked it down.
That’s Will Foley, who is on a mission this season to become an even better play-maker for the Irish.
“Make everyone else around me better,” Foley said. “That’s all I care about.”
That was his goal last summer after Foley established himself as one of the CVC’s top players as a junior, largely because he was a dynamic scorer who could break defenders down off the dribble and score from all three levels.
So it’s no surprise that Foley reached the 1,000-point milestone in only the fifth game of his senior season on Dec. 22 against WW-P South. He’s one of 12 players in program history to score 1,000 and the first since Cartier Bowman got there in 2018.
Foley said the milestone was a goal after he got a taste of varsity action as a freshman, knowing he was going to play significant minutes as a sophomore.
“It was awesome,” Foley said. “Everyone that came out to support me meant a lot, and obviously the team being super excited for me. I love those guys in there. But now, looking forward, we’ve just got to start stacking wins.”
Notre Dame fell to 2-6 on Saturday with a 65-58 loss after letting an 11-point lead slip away against Hillsborough and its talented sophomore duo, but the Irish have made strides with a young team. Foley was the only returning starter from last year’s 16-win team.
It’s an undersized group that needs to defend well and play fast. That was on display when the Irish had 55 points with countless assists through three quarters, but the Raiders got hot in the fourth quarter and rattled Notre Dame with their press defense.
Still, it was encouraging for Notre Dame to see growth from players like senior guards Lucas Chuderewicz, who had a career-high 19 points, and Colin Cunningham, who netted 14.
“It’s a young team with not a lot of experience, so we’re just getting better as the season goes on,” Foley said. “Colin and Lucas played great. Our ability for me to most possessions not have to be the main ball-handler and someone else can start the offense, it was good to see today. But I got to play better in the second half for sure.”
Foley fouled out with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, yet he still managed to score double digits (11 points) for the 16th straight game dating back to last season. He currently ranks 10th in team history with 1,055 points and is on pace to move into the top five by the end of the winter.
“I’d love to leave a legacy here,” said Foley, a West Windsor native. “I think my family definitely leaves a legacy here. Luke playing before me and I played with him as a freshman. My twin sister (Caroline) on the girls team … so this place is like home to me. I try not to think about what my career total is gonna be, but that’s always in the back of my mind.”
Foley played AAU basketball over the summer with Jersey Force, which helped connect him to schools and eventually commit to York College of Pennsylvania in October. He intends to study finance with a minor in accounting while playing Division III basketball.
For now, his main focus is helping Notre Dame go from underdog to contender when the CVC Tournament rolls around in February.
“That’s what sports is all about,” Foley said. “I love it here. I wouldn’t change anything about this season. We’re gonna figure it out. It’s all about dealing with adversity.”
HILLSBOROUGH (65)
Toth 8-2-18, Albee 2-0-5, A. Feath 11-6-31, Quargine 2-0-4, Boatang 1-0-3, Pawlowski 2-0-4. Totals — 26-8-65.
NOTRE DAME (58)
Cunningham 6-0-14, Foley 3-3-11, Pesce 2-0-6, Chuderewicz 8-1-19, Beacham 3-1-7, Kamera 0-1-1. Totals — 22-6-58.
Hillsborough (4-3) 11 22 16 16 — 65
Notre Dame (2-6) 17 16 22 3 — 58
3-point goals: A. Feath 3, Albee, Boatang (H), Cunningham 2, Foley 2, Pesce 2, Chuderewicz 2 (ND).
