Tahj Holden

Tahj Holden and wife Carrie's three-year son, Max, passed away Tuesday night.

TINTON FALLS - Four years ago, the talk was all about the future for a special group of eighth-graders who were eager to transform Ranney from a basketball backwater into a national power. Buzz about capturing Shore Conference and state titles, maybe even winning the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, was all just a far-off dream back then...

Ranney's senior class, and specifically is five-star duo, have a chance to cement their legacy at the Shore and in the state with one last run at a Tournament of Champions crown.

Former NBA guard and NCAA champion point guard Steve Blake was among the former teammates and rivals to support Tahj Holden and his family Saturday at an event to raise money for his son battling cancer.

When Ranney boys basketball coach Tahj Holden found out he and his youngest son, Max, were facing the fight of their lives, it did not take long for the Shore Community and beyond to show their support to the former Red Bank Regional and University of Maryland standout.

Third-year coach Tahj Holden and Ranney lived up to massive expectations, even in the face of unexpected adversity.

Just two days after hearing the sobering news involving head coach Tahj Holden and his family, Ranney will attempt to rally and pull off one of the biggest wins in Shore basketball history.

MIDDLETOWN - Senior guard Joe Mahoney remembers what Ranney's boys basketball games used to be like only two seasons ago, before the Panthers became a must-see show in the Shore Conference. "My sophomore year, we probably had four or five Ranney fans in the stands,'' he said before smiling...

With everything he accomplished as an amateur basketball player, Tahj Holden is not one to run away from high expectations. At the high school and college levels, he has played on teams with the highest of goals and went on to meet every one of them...

Former Red Bank Regional and University of Maryland standout Tahj Holden has been hired as the new boys basketball coach at Ranney, which is welcoming a freshman class expected to transform a program that traditionally has been stuck near the bottom of the standings...