Mike Ricci returns to basketball court as Highland's new head coach

Mike Ricci is back in the game.

The 53-year-old was approved as the head boys’ basketball coach at Highland Regional High School by the board of education on Thursday night.

Ricci is among South Jersey’s all-time winningest coaches with over 400 wins on his resume with stops at Gateway, Paulsboro and Haddon Heights.

Ricci takes over a Highland program that is coming off three consecutive sub-.500 seasons. He’s the third head coach in the last four years.

“I’m super excited,” said Ricci, who will coach in the Tri-County Conference after spending his first 27 seasons in the Colonial. “It’s a fresh start and that’s exciting.

“I’ve always through Highland was a diamond in the rough. They’ve always had good athletes, good players.”

Three months ago, Ricci said he wouldn’t seek another coaching job after his contract at Haddon Heights was not renewed. Ricci said that he wasn’t reappointed for the position because of an “irresponsible” parenting decision that stemmed from an incident at his home in September.

Following the administration’s decision, Ricci received an outpouring of support across the region from parents, players and coaching colleagues.

“The coaching bond in South Jersey is like no other,” Ricci said. “I had an incredible amount of support from family, friends and coaches during that whole process.

“I realized I had more to give to the game and more to these kids.”

Ricci led the Garnets to 278 wins over his 16 seasons at the helm, the most wins by a coach in program history.

Ricci guided Paulsboro for eight seasons, leading Big Red to their first-ever state championship in 1996. At 23, he was the youngest coach to win a state title in NJSIAA history. He also won four Colonial Conference titles and two South Jersey crowns.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.