The young athletes on Saint Peters Prep basketball team probably wouldn’t know how many grownups felt watching Michael Jordan play in the 1989 NBA playoffs. But on Thursday, they came pretty close. The team’s 16-year-old star, Richie Rosa, unknowingly exuded His Airness with the game-winner. Specifically, he reminded everyone of ‘The Shot.’

When the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the pre-championship Chicago Bulls in 1989, the team’s star pulled a cinematic move with seconds left on the clock. He gave the Bulls a 101-100 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in front of the Cavs’ home crowd at the Richfield Coliseum in Ohio.

Something like that, Rosa made an 18-foot shot at the buzzer, ending the game 53-51 in his team’s favor over Hudson Catholic. He successfully sent his team to the NJSIAA Non-Public North A Finals. With Rosa’s buzzer-beater, the Marauders secured a fifth straight win and will face Don Bosco Prep on Monday.

“I wanted the shot. I was confident. I just felt in the moment I was gonna hit the shot,” Rosa said after the game. There was no mention of MJ, nor did anyone tell him he recreated one of the best NBA moments in history.

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After making Cavs’ Craig Ehlo stumble with that shot, MJ had celebrated with fist-pumps in the air. The Marauders’ sophomore guard didn’t immediately celebrate when his teammates mobbed him.

Teen gives off Black Cat vibes

This is not new for Rosa. A look at his high school career shows he’s always come in clutch at the buzzer. The 6-foot Marauder spun free from a defender and hit a Hail Mary shot from beyond a 3-point line and won the game in early February. It’s no wonder his teammates have dubbed him “Mr Clutch.” 

They have an implicit understanding that if they want to win, pass the ball to Rosa. They follow that strategy to a T. “I felt confident, I was in rhythm, I knew I was gonna hit that shot,” Rosa said.

Richie is set to graduate in 2026. But his resume could draw quite the D1 programs. He was a part of the 15U/16U Puerto Rican National Team. He’s led his team to gold in the Centrobasket 15U game and bronze in Americup 16U. Rosa’s also qualified for the 2024 17U World Cup.

Now St Peters Prep has a back-to-back shot at winning the title. We’d have to wait and see if Richie Rosa can be the Michael Jordan they need on Monday too.

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