By RICH FISHER
Contributing Editor
Dawn Karpell had seemingly garnished every honor a high school girls basketball coach can get; and then it got even better when she was named the East head coach for this year’s prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game last week.
“A couple years ago I was up for the Naismith National Coach of the Year, and I was the runner-up,” the veteran St. John Vianney, Holmdel, coach said. “So, to actually get named in this case, it’s probably one of the top honors as a coach that you can obtain at the high school level. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”
It’s also well deserved.
Now in her 18th season as her alma mater’s head coach, Karpell has won 542 games, three NJSIAA Tournament of Champion titles, seven NJSIAA Non-Public A state championships, 10 South Jersey Non-Public A crowns and five Shore Conference Tournament titles.
Three important criteria to being nominated is the individual must still be coaching, have a lengthy resume and 500 victories. After the nomination process, Karpell knew she was a finalist when she was asked to provide more information to the committee in December.
From there, she was voted in. And when she got the good news call?
“I was like ‘Get the heck out of here!’” she said. “I didn’t know what to say. It was so awesome.”
SJV Principal Margaret Kane knew exactly what to say.
“Dawn is an accomplished alumna of Saint John Vianney High School, a proud mother of alumnae, and ranks among the best coaches nationally,” Kane said. “This honor is a testament to her dedication, passion, and commitment to excellence both on and off the court. We are incredibly proud of her.”
St. John Vianney girls basketball coach Dawn Karpell advises one of her players. Courtesy photo
The McDonald’s game, which started for boys in 1977 and for girls in 2002, will be played Apr. 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Starting at 6:30 p.m., it will be televised on ESPN2 and the ESPN App.
A national audience will not only see Karpell on the sidelines, but one of her mentors and proteges as well. She has selected Nick Russo, her coach at SJV who now leads the Colts Neck girls team, and Zoe Pero, a former player/current assistant, as her assistants.
“Nick is such a basketball diehard,” Karpell said. “He influenced me as a coach with the coach-player relationship. Even when I was in high school, he understood my love for the game and that I was probably headed down that road. And the second Zoe got into (St. Peter’s University) she couldn’t wait to come back and be part of my staff.
“So, Nick mentored me, he was the first call I made. I kind of mentored Zoey. For me it crosses a little bit of a generational thing, where I can extend that (invitation) and give the experience to both of them. That makes it really special.”
Karpell has some attachment to the McDonald’s game. Her former star guard Zoey Brooks (now at North Carolina State) played in the 2023 contest, and she is friends with Rutgers Prep coach Mary Coyle Klinger and Bob Mackey, coach of Christ the King, Middle Village NY. Both have coached the East squad.
As for her all-star roster, Karpell is familiar with Mia Pauldo, whose Morris Catholic team defeated SJV on Jan. 26. She will meet the rest of her squad March 29 when players and coaches gather in Brooklyn. The game will be held on a Tuesday.
“We’ll go up on Friday, and Saturday and Sunday we’ll have two scheduled practices for the kids,” Karpell said. “Then they’ll have the slam dunk contest, the three-point contest, a dinner cruise where the kids take a trip to Ronald McDonald’s House.
“I’m excited just to be able to watch these kids scrimmage, see their personalities and all that stuff that goes along with it,” she continued. “Then you can say ‘Hey, I knew them back when. . .’ I know about (Pauldo) and I know a few of their names from coaching against them on different circuits but I’m looking forward to getting to know them personally.”
Many of them were born the same year Karpell began coaching SJV. They will now get to get to experience what countless Lancer players have enjoyed – a first-class coach and person.
Karpell not only teaches basketball, but faith as well. A member of St. Catherine Parish, Middletown, she infuses her program with faith-based practices before and after games.
“Her leadership inspires not only our athletes but our entire school community,” Kane said. “This honor is well deserved.”
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