Lundy is S. Jersey player of year

When Xavier Lundy moved to Paulsboro in the third grade, he noticed something about the little town on the Delaware River in Gloucester County.

"Everybody here plays sports," Lundy said.

Lundy decided to play, too. As a youngster in West Philadelphia, he hadn't participated in any organized sports. But that changed when he entered the fourth grade in his new hometown.

Seven years later, Lundy was the best high school basketball player in South Jersey. He is The Inquirer's Player of the Year after leading Paulsboro to a school-record 30 victories and the Colonial Conference Patriot Division and South Jersey Group 1 championships.

A junior forward who impacted the game at both ends of the court, the 6-foot-5 Lundy averaged 22.3 points and 12.7 rebounds. He was a major force at the defensive end, both as a shot blocker and at the top of Paulsboro's trapping, 1-3-1, half-court zone.

With Lundy raising his performance in the biggest games of the season, Paulsboro became the first South Jersey team since Shawnee in 1995 to reach 30-0. The Red Raiders finished 30-1 after losing to eventual Group 1 state champion Asbury Park in the state semifinals.

"The undefeated season," Lundy said when asked what he remembers most about his junior year. "Nobody expected it. When we got to 30-0, it was incredible. There was so much emotion because it's so rare."

A three-year starter, Lundy has 1,563 career points. He thought he made his biggest improvement this season as a leader.

"I never really spoke up before," Lundy said. "I was young, and I didn't want to say anything. I'm normally a quiet person. I don't show a lot of emotion. But this year, I became a lot more vocal."

Paulsboro coach Sean Collins said Lundy is "unselfish to a fault" but made major strides this season in assuming more of a leadership role.

"It's not his nature to be loud, but he took on a much more vocal role," Collins said. "Along with the seniors, this became his team."

Lundy said Paulsboro's 69-59 victory over then-No. 1 Paul VI in the Cherry Hill Invitational on Feb. 18 was a signature moment for the Red Raiders.

"We knew how good we were, but that opened a lot of people's eyes," Lundy said.

Lundy was an impact freshman and averaged 21.3 points as a sophomore for a Paulsboro team that reached the South Jersey Group 1 finals.

But this season, Lundy took his game to another level. He scored 24 with 14 rebounds as Paulsboro, without three starters, beat then-No. 8 Westampton Tech. He scored 33 in a victory over Group 4 power Rancocas Valley. He averaged 29 points in four tournament games as Paulsboro won the Group 1 sectional title.

Lundy said he started playing basketball as a fourth grader. He played football, too, but gave up the sport after realizing he could excel in basketball.

That wasn't the case at first.

"I was kind of goofy on the court," said Lundy, who has drawn recruiting interest from colleges such as Temple, St. Joseph's, La Salle, Rider, Monmouth, Delaware, Boston, and Iona, among others. "I was tall, and I was a little awkward. But I was good on defense.

"When I was in eighth grade, some other [high] schools were talking to me about going there. That's when I started to realize I was pretty good.

"But I wanted to stay in Paulsboro because this is such a great place to play sports."