Three Years After Leading Tiny Saint Peter's to NCAA Elite 8 Run, Doug Edert Returns as Assistant at HS Alma Mater

Doug Edert is an Assistant Coach for the No, 1-ranked New Jersey High School Basketball Team

Doug Edert now assistant basketball coach at his high school alma mater shown during his days at Bergan Catholic HS (left) and at Saint Peter's University (right.) / Photo courtesy of YouTube.

Nearly three years after he helped stand college basketball on its collective ear, playing a leading role in tiny Saint Peter’s University of Jersey City, NJ’s historically improbable run to the Elite Eight of the the 2022 NCAA Basketball Tournament, Doug Edert is back where it all began.

Prior to the 2024-25 season, Edert rejoined the Bergen Catholic High School basketball program, where he formerly starred, as an assistant coach. The pinnacle of his inaugural season roaming the sidelines with the Crusaders came on Saturday when Bergen Catholic, the No. 1-ranked team in the nj.com Top 20 Poll, knocked off No. 18 St. Joseph Regional High School of Montvale 53-50 in the prestigious 68th annual Bergen County Jamboree Boys Basketball championship.

Bergen Catholic defeats St. Joseph in Bergen County Jamboree boys basketball championship https://t.co/daakqPXLrD

— Varsity Aces (@VarsityAces) February 22, 2025

The contest was played in front of a raucous crowd at the Bogota Savings Bank Center’s Stratis Arena in Hackensack, NJ, on the campus of FDU.

Before becoming a literal overnight national sensation in March of 2022, Edert played four impassioned seasons as a guard for Bergen Catholic, leading the perennial North Jersey kingpin to the Bergen County Championship title, State Championship title, and NJSIAA Boys Basketball Tournament of Champions finals appearance.

During his career at Bergen Catholic, the Nutley, NJ native played four years of varsity basketball at Bergen Catholic, ending his career with 1,017 career points, while serving as team captain in his senior season of 2018-19.

A highlight of his senior season came in February of 2019 when Edert dropped in 21 points in pacing the Crusaders to a stirring 54-41 victory over arch-rival Don Bosco Prep, in the Bergen County Jamboree finals. BC got off to a sluggish start and didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 2:20 mark of the first quarter when the Crusaders were trailing 6-0.

A pair of three-pointers by Edert tied the game at 8-8 and steadied the ship as BC would go on to take a lead into the locker room at halftime that it would not relinquish. The swagger supplied by Edert was the key to the win.

“He was lights out today, teammate Zach Freemantle told Darren Cooper of northjersey.com. “He wanted this game so bad. He got us going. His intensity. His everything. He was amazing.”

Following the game, Edert screamed into the Jersey Sports Zone’s camera, “We broke the curse!”

Fast forward three years and it was on college basketball’s grandest stage where the now mustachioed maestro helped lead Saint Peter’s to preposterously improbable victories over Kentucky, Murray State and finally, Purdue, in the NCAA Basketball Round of 16.

The Peacocks made history in becoming the first No. 15 seed to make the Elite Eight in the men’s NCAA tournament. After the Peacock’s thrilling 67-64 win at the hands of No. 3 Purdue, they had beaten the No. 2 (Kentucky) and No. 3 seeds, taking the entire sport by storm. Edert tallied 20 points in the first-round upset over No. 2 Kentucky, added 13 points against No. 7 Murray State in the second round, and had a 10-point outing in the miraculous takedown of mighty Purdue.

The metaphorical sound of March Madness brackets bursting across the land was deafening.

It was such a whirlwind that Edert announced on Instagram that he’s signed a name, image and likeness deal with Buffalo Wild Wings amid his team’s success. 

On top of all that, Edert landed an apparel deal with Barstool that featured his face and the moniker, “Dougie Buckets.” Edert’s mustache has also become a nice marketing tool. In the post’s caption, he used the hashtags, “#stacheiscash” and “#fearthestache.”

All of Edert’s intensity, flair for the dramatic, and contagious enthusiasm that played out on national television during the 2022 NCAA run had already been displayed during his formative days at the control of the Bergen Catholic High School Crusaders.