Christopher Long

Chris Long is one of the relatively few athletes from Hazleton Area who signed to play Division I college basketball at Princeton University following a fabulous high school career.

At Hazleton High School, where he was a 1993 top-ten academic graduate, he became the first Mountaineer to go over 1,000 points in his junior year, finishing the season with 1,037.

In his senior year, the first year under the banner of Hazleton Area High School, he was a key figure in the march of Coach Bruce Leib’s Cougars to the PIAA Eastern Class AAAA, championship.  He concluded his high school career with Hazleton record 1,618 points and chose to play his college ball at Div. I Princeton University.

He played on Four PIAA Dist.2 Class AAAA championship teams and three Wyoming Valley Conference Div. I title teams.

“He was a great player,” Leib said.  “He probably stands out more than anyone else for his desire and ability to score points.”

He averaged 18.6 points a game in 87 games.  During his last three years the Mountaineers and Cougars were 77-11. including a 29-2 season.

His many honors included Associated Press All-State third team as a senior, AP All-State fifth team as a junior, Reading Eagle All-Time 50 years Top 15 Boys Basketball Team, a nomination to McDonald’s All-American team, USA Today All-American honorable mention, PIAA Dist. 2 scholar-athlete award; HAHS top scholar-athlete, WVC Div. 1 All-Star team three years, Standard-Speaker first team three years; Reading Eagle All-Anthracite first team and WINH and WNEP-TV awards.  he was a co-recipient of the Scotty Roman Award that goes to the region’s outstanding athlete.

A cum laude graduate of Princeton, he currently resides in New York City with his wife, the former Angie Knight, also a Princeton graduate.  He is an associate with TH Lee and is serving on the board of directors of Restaurant Trade and Rentport.