By: Greg Mattura – Record Staff writer
LYNDHURST – Fairleigh Dickinson was the first Division I program to recruit Marc Dadika, and he said the first to offer him a scholarship.
So the 6-foot-8 senior forward from St. Mary of Rutherford decided this week to stay in Bergen County and committed to the Knights.
“I like New Jersey, I like the area, and it means a lot to me that my family can come and see my games,” the All-Bergen County standout said Thursday afternoon while working at a basketball camp for kids.
His Saddle Brook home is just a 10-minute drive to FDU’s Rothman Center, which is located in Hackensack and hosted the last two finals of the Bergen County Jamboree.
Dadika receiving a Division I offer is significant. Only a few Bergen County basketball players receive such offers each season, and they almost always go to those from the large-school Big North Conference. Rarely are they awarded to players from the small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference.
“He’s a kid who didn’t transfer,” said St. Mary coach Brian Gaccione. “He came to us as an eighth grader, and he’s leaving as a Division I player.”
Dadika’s strength is his versatility. He can post up and score in the paint, as well as handle the ball and hit the three-pointer. He averaged 22.2 points and 15.4 rebounds as a junior. He should be able to contribute at FDU, which competes in the Northeast Conference.
“I really like how it’s close to home,” said Dadika, also recruited by American, New Hampshire, and Loyola of Maryland. “My dad and I, we always visited. We’re familiar with the school, with the campus, everything.”
Coaches and fans who follow North Jersey basketball are familiar with the Dadika clan. Marc is the seventh member of his family to surpass 1,000 career points in high school. He has 1,203 career points and has a chance to break the St. Mary boys’ record of 1,748, held by current athletic director Matt Stone.
“This is a kid who never misses an open gym,” Gaccione said. “This is a kid who has worked on his skill set. And at this point, to be able to play the perimeter at 6-foot-8, is what separates him. And at the next level, he can stretch defenses, and things like that.”
“I really trust the coaching staff at Fairleigh Dickinson, and I’ve gotten to know them,” said Dadika, who must wait until November to sign his official letter of intent. “They were the first school to recruit me, my first offer, and I really feel comfortable.”
