MARCH 17
PIAA AAAA STATE PLAYOFF - (QUARTER-FINAL)
Gratz 61, Lower Merion 58
   Another day at the office for the Bulldogs. In very impressive fashion, Gratz closed out the defending state champs scoring the first 6 of the game's last 9 points in the last 1:10 to break a 55-55 tie. Who scored those 6 you ask? The answer: Tommie "T.J" Sykes (all 18 of his points after halftime), whose as iron-willed as they come and once again has proven that he's one of the best the city has to offer. He scored the quick six, by first nailing both ends of the double bonus, then putting in his own miss and then finally with a two-handed slam off a pass from Martin. Sykes did all of his damage while battling three and even four personals. He also corralled 8 boards. Jr. CG Charles White (13P, 4R) might have been the game's overall hero as he's normally the team's secondary ball-handler, but with his backcourt mate sr. PG Josh Martin missing roughly half the game in foul trouble, he had to do the brunt of the ball-handling and he was almost flawless in that role after halftime while also scoring 10 of his 13 points. White, like most quick-sters, has that extra gear, but today he had one of those rare assignments to cover a guy that is probably even quicker than he in the Aces slick jr. lefty Carl Johnson (15 points). He did a great job of controlling him too after halftime by forcing him to his off right side. Martin had a solid outing with 11P & 3A including the game's last two dishes. He was spirited throughout and his state playoff experience will pay huge dividends in the Semis against Chester. 6-5 sr. F Ishmawiyl McFadden was solid throughout posting 8P, 4R, 2S, 2B and trying to slow down LM wunderkind 6-5 soph. SF Greg Robbins (25 points & 8 boards). Little used sub sr. G Jeremy Herbert (2S) lent a huge boost off the bench when others battled foul problems playing tough defense and not hurting his team on offense.
AA's Notes: And the Bulldogs live to fight another day as they took down the state champs in what was actually the battle of the Bulldogs. Although Lower Merion's nickname is the Aces, their mascot is indeed a Bulldog as well... Get this stat: Josh Martin is now 8-0 in State Tournament play (5-0 last year with Prep Charter & 3-0 now at Gratz). That's the kind of stuff that leaves a lasting impression... During the game, I couldn't help but grimace at the EXTRA poor officiating during this one. Gratz got not one close call, had 4 starters (3 with foul trouble) on the bench to end the first half and were whistled for three technical fouls. They still found a way to win though and I guess that's all that matters, but boy it would be nice to get a fair shake... Finally, the Semi-Final game should be a goodie as two of the Area/State/Country's better programs will face off for the rite to go to state college. Hopefully, if Imhotep can pull out a victory tomorrow against 30-0 Bishop Hoban there can be a double header at a college venue Wednesday night with AA & AAAA. Talks are in the works as we speak... Finally, how funny is this: As the game ended about 20 Bulldog fans stormed the floor and waved/shouted good-bye to the Lower Merion student section. The LM then immediately began to chant, "Let's go Chester! Let's go Chester!" Wait-a-minute. Last I checked, weren't Lower Merion and Chester bitter rivals. Man this stuff is nuts...

MARCH 14
PIAA AAAA STATE PLAYOFF - (SECOND ROUND)
Chester 70, Southern 55
   I knew going in that I couldn't miss this one as both teams are two of the more fun teams to watch in this area and the state. Chester speaks for itself as the Clippers are literally on and island all by themselves when it comes to sustained quality basketball on the state-wide level as "The High" has been a PIAA powerhouse for like ever. Southern's had their day in the Pub too and has also had its fair share of individual stars. This year's edition is no different as the Rams Ramone Moore is indeed a candidate for City player of the year. He single-handedly kept his team in the game by scoring 23 points in the first half and knotting the score at 34 going into the break. The Clippers did a great job of adjusting after halftime with a mixture of TUFF' Russell Johnson defense (great job of denying Moore the ball) and running multiple guys at Moore whenever he was in a position to make something happen. 'Mone only got two shots off in the entire 3rd quarter and of course that's when the Clippers did their damage winning the 3rd, 20-6. Anyway, he wound up finishing with 33 points (13-for-23, 2 treys, 5-of-6), 5 rebounds, 4 assists & 5 steals in one of those all-time guns blazing going away parties that many of the city's greats have had. The type of performance that leaves that lasting impression... Moore didn't having much help though as Chester feasted on the rest of the Rams. Here's a strange happening: Sr. F Robert "Jay" McKee (aka The Elevator Man) had THE dunk of the season/century (He was actually up so high that he could have dunked his head in the basket -- No lie!!!) so far in the 1st quarter and took just three shots thereafter making two and getting fouled on both of them. His teammates straight up forgot he existed. He would flash and they would go in another direction. Very strange as they could have rode his energy out to the end if he were getting a touch here and there. I don't think another Clipper would have challenged him? In a very short 4th quarter stint, I LOVED what I saw from freshman PG Deshon "Biggie" Minnis (4A). The youngster is one to watch as he has grown from 5-10 to about 6-1 since the beginning of the season and he has a decent build and golden bloodlines. I wonder what the possibilities would have been had he been called to duty earlier. As for Chester, the Clipper ship keeps rolling along and since the DN now covers Delaware County, who not mention a few of them. (Smile) The Clippers have 4 bona-fide D-I Prospects and all are underclassmen. The best Clipper tonight and throughout the playoffs has been 6-6 jr. SF Russell Johnson. He went for 22 points, 15 rebounds & 7 steals. There's a lot of potential wrapped in his body and its starting to become production which could be scary. He is arguably Chester's best Low Post scorer, best rebounder, best outside shooter & best defender. He's all business out there too, very little to no-frills. Next up is Pittsburgh commit, 6-5 jr. SF Nasir Robinson (10P, 14R, 4S). He is the epitome of what is known as a Power guard. He has one of those body's (probably 225+) that was born to bruise and he plays in relentless fashion. Next is the ever feisty and even more spirited 5-8 jr. PG Karon Burton (11P, 3S). He was rather quiet tonight, but when it comes to true brass, toughness, heart, intestinal fortitude, marbles and all that good stuff, he's got it. Plus he's the most exciting player to watch in the state as he's quite the showman. Finally, there's the young buck and probably the best college prospect of the 4 in 6-6 soph. SF Rahlir Jefferson (10P, 8R, 3A, 3B), who for now holds the 6th man role. Like Johnson & Robinson, he does a bit of everything, but he does it while also being a top-flight athlete (They are both just very good athletes -- like that's a problem) who has yet to have grown into his body or even grown a hair on his body.
AA's Notes: The Clippers shot an ouch, ouch and ouch some more, 20-for-43 from the line for the game though most of the foul shots came when the game was already in doubt. I'm sure there will extra emphasis on foul shooting before this weekend's game against Wilson West Lawn of Berks County. What canceled that out was their domination on the boards as they maimed the Rams, 59-23 in that department... There was a brief scuffle with :51 remaining between both teams supporters. It was rather minor and was under control pretty quickly. A Ram player was ejected in the aftermath as he argued with a fan. he was rather ornery too... Coach George Anderson and all his assistants (Bill Williams, Lou Sammarone, Arthur "Bunky" Russell, Jarrad "Mutch" Jones, David "Dooby" Elliott & Eric Weinstein) all deserved to be commended for a job well done this year. They maxed this team's potential out. It just goes to show what a coach can do when he has help... Oh and by the way, I just had to slip this in about Moore: With all due respect to the great players at Neumann Goretti and Prep Charter, the best player in South Philly this year wears #23 and resides at Broad and Snyder. His name is Ramone Moore and he's scored a whopping 733 points this season. The scary part about it is that the best has yet to come...

MARCH 14
PIAA AA STATE PLAYOFF - (SECOND ROUND)
Prep Charter 56, Lower Moreland 44
   Welcome to dream-land... The Huskies pretty much slept through this one and were VERY lucky that the Lions went cold (2-for-17) in the 4th Quarter. Sure PC stepped up the defense, but LM did get the shots that they wanted, just didn't drop. I think the Huskies might have been guilty of looking ahead to, yikes!, York Catholic, who is always a scary team to play because of their style/will. In the end, the Morris twin towers put together solid numbers with Marcus going for 16 points, 14 boards & 4 Blocks and Markieff with 12, 9 & 2. I'd bet neither of them weren't satisfied with their performance and I'd expect more from them in the next round. Both soph. reserve forwards, 6-7 Tyree "Chuck" Harris (5P, tough defense) & 6-6 Ferg Myrick (9P, 3R) made solid/much needed contributions.
AA's Notes: I guess we'll chalk this one up to an off-night for PC. Every good team has one. What makes those teams good and even great is one winning the game on an off night and two bouncing back and having a non-off night the next time around... PC and YC is becoming a great rivalry as they will meet on Saturday for the third year in a row during the state playoffs. In 05', YC eliminated PC in the 2nd Round at Coatesville. Last year, PC took out YC in the Eastern Final at Reading. Hopefully, PC can do the same this go' round, but as always, you never know with high school kids. That's why I'm a fixture on the scene...

MARCH 9
PIAA AAA STATE PLAYOFF - (FIRST ROUND)
Green Castle - Antrim 68, Franklin Learning Center 59
   Boy what a tough way to go out for the Bobcats. FLC has indeed had a great year (20-7) and sr. PG Malcolm Eleby, a great career (1,556 -- 2nd all-time at the school), but to lose your last two games including a state playoff game in Philadelphia sure is tough. They seemed to be snake-bitten from the start here as coach Cedric Powell had to miss this one with an illness along with some other circus-like activity throughout while having to go against a tough G-A squad from Franklin County, PA. The Blue Devils were by no means any cream puffs. They played hard and smart. Plus they weren't the easiest team to match up with as basically all five starters were guards including their best player/prospect 6-6 jr. SF Dameatric Scott (17P - 3 treys, 8R, 2A). Scott is probably a mid major D-I prospect as he's very versatile. Plus he's very edgy, even a little crazy. (smile) He wasn't the star today though as that distinction belonged to jr. WG Jordan Gembe. Gembe nailed 6 bombs (5-for-5 in the second half) and scored 16 of his 26 in the 4th quarter assuring his squad the W. You had to love his emotion. He was pumped after every make and wanted to put the dagger in the Bobcats. What he can do demoralizes a team. His brother, sr. PG Jaren Gembe wasn't shabby either dishing 6 assists. The coach is their father, Garen Gembe, and he's not bad in the Xs and Os department. Eleby ended with 23 points, 9 boards, 6 assists & 4 steals which equates to: Nothing to hang his head about. He didn't get the necessary help required to beat a quality club on this night. Jr. PG Kyle Sawyer did score 11 while plucking 4 steals. Soph. G Denzel Yard also scored 11, but settled for 1-for-9 from the field.
AA's Notes: Another big point in the game was early in the 4th when an FLC parent came to the sideline and confronted the coaching staff and even argued with the other players. He was totally out of line and was a big hindrance during the comeback. He was escorted out by school police... After having an amazing run last year with Comm Tech going all the way to the state final, AAA didn't fair to well this go round in state play. CT had travel to Franklin County (Chambersburg Area high school) to play another school from that way to take on James Buchanan high school of Mercersburg only to lose at the buzzer. Still don't understand why CT, the 2 seed from D-I had to go all the way up there to play the 3 seed from District 3. Chambersburg is only a close to 3 hour drive as Franklin County sits a stone's throw from the Mason Dixon Line which divides the North from the South meaning its damn near Maryland/West Virginia... On another front, I want to thank everyone for their emails and calls in reference to my father. Its greatly appreciated! By the way, he looks and sounds better than he has in the last 5 years. It has truly been a blessing to my family and one of the miracles of God. Thanks again!..

FEB. 27
PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFF - (SEMI-FINAL)
Prep Charter 49, Franklin Learning Center 40
   This one might have set the game back about a century or so. In other words: Its was quite hard on the eyes. Neither team can claim to have played well and both teams even the winners, Prep Charter might want to play the game over. FLC to of course try to get the W and PC to give a better impression. Nevertheless, the Huskies came out on top and controlled throughout with their masterful 3-2 Zone that was very hard for the Bobcats to penetrate and caused them to shoot jump shots and they went 13-for-54 (under 25%) from the field for the game which isn't very good folks. PC only shot 15-for-42 themselves and made 20 turnovers many of which were unforced mistakes (Its almost March! Unforced errors should be a thing of the past by now...). The Huskies basically did just enough here and enough was indeed enough if you get my drift. The Morris twins both put up decent numbers even in an out-of-sync way as 6-9 SF Marcus (15P, 8R) & 6-10 PF Markieff (10P, 11R, 2B) both had decent moments. Soph. PG Parrish Grant dished 6 assists and very important and emerging by the way sub 6-6 soph. F Ferg Myrick had 7 points and rebounds. The best Bobcat was jr. PG Kyle Sawyer (15 points -- 4-for-6 on treys, 4 steals). he didn't get nearly enough shots. The Huskies did a great job of not giving St. Bonaventure signee Malcolm Eleby enough room to operate. The lefty WILL kill you when given room to go. Here he shot an abysmal 3-for-19 & 6-of-10 from 12 points. As always, he did contribute in the other stiff department with 8R, 3A & 5S. 6-8 sr. C Donte Wooten (7 Blocks) had some nice moments and really made an impact. Too bad his PT was limited by some ticky-tack foul calls. I would have liked to have seen more of 6-8 jr. PF-C Jacob Wasco as he looked into it in his short stints in blocking two shots. He could have made an impact...
AA's Notes: This was a pretty forget-able Semi-Final doubleheader, the worst I've ever witnessed. I'm sure next year things won't go like this and a better playoff system will come about. I hear League officials are putting their heads together to come up with one as we speak... The Gratz/Prep Final has plenty of sidebars with the twins once attending and living very close to Gratz and Bulldog sr. PG Josh Martin being a part of the PC experience last year, should make things rather interesting...

FEB. 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFF - AAAA TITLE GAME (QUARTER-FINAL)
Gratz 62, Frankford 50
   This was the one we've all been waiting for... The 4A Title game -- the state's glamour game and this one didn't disappoint as there was much high-flying action to be enjoyed by all. Even Thomas McKenna was in enjoyment and he hates the Pub (Smile). The Bulldogs once again stake claim to the 4A Title and did so with a balanced effort. Sr. SF Tommie "T.J." Sykes once again led the charge with 20 points (6-for-8, 8-of-10, 3 monster dunks), with 5 boards and 3 blocks. He is the heart and soul of this operation by all means. That says a lot because he comes from good stock. His future looks extremely bright! Jr. PG-WG Charles White did it all with 17 points, 5 boards & 7 assists as he's coming on strong at the perfect time of the year. Sr. PG Josh Martin was steady with 11P, 7R & 3A while 6-5 sr. SF Ishmawiyl McFadden (9P, 6R, 2S) battled foul trouble throughout, but still had nice contributions. Also jr./sr. SF Keith Harding lent a nice hand off the bench with 5R, 3A & tough defense on Pioneer star Kenny Spotwood (11P, 5R, 5A). Jr. PF Khayree Brown rumbled for 8P & 8R. Sr. PF J.C. Montgomery had 6 points on 3 high-flying slams. 6-6 jr. SF Malik Tinsley (7P, 3R, 3B) looked much more aggressive this go-round and was a game-long factor. With this kind of play, he could finally reach his vast potential.
AA's Notes: Both teams are amongst the cream of the crop in the state's 4A puzzle and could make deep runs. FKD will draw District I's #5 seed next Saturday somewhere in the city while Gratz will get their 7 seed. If I were a betting man I'd say Frankford will draw Pennsbury while Gratz will get Upper Darby (If everything holds true to form...). That would be one heluva double header... This was great as both benches were animated throughout. You could see that both coaches wanted this one badly. I hope that this translates to State Tournament play this time around...

FEB. 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFF - A TITLE GAME (QUARTER-FINAL)
Freire Charter 62, Robeson 60
   This one was truly a fun game to cover and I'm pretty glad I was there. I had only saw Freire once this year and they weren't nearly at full strength that day and I hadn't seen Robeson yet all season which I felt very bad about being that I'm very friendly with their coaches. Both teams played very hard and the game went down to the wire so I guess you can't ask for much more than that. Plus the crowd was into it and the officiating was A+ and that's not always the case in the Pub these days. The Dragons outlasted Robeson here and had the game gone to OT I'm positive the Huskies would have been victorious as Freire's two most important players had fouled out. jr. WG Jarrod Denard, a tricky-dick lefty is their best player, but most important guys are jr. PG Antoine "Blueberry" Singleton (their only PG) & 6-5 fr. PF Octavius Booker (their only effective guy with size). Singleton had a huge game too with 23 points, 8 boards & 2 dishes. He continuously finished at the rim and snatched rebounds over bigger guys at only 5-8 (heart 6-8!). Booker snatched 12 boards of his own and swatted two shots while altering many others. It was when he fouled out that the Huskies made their big push. FC was up 55-43 and the lights were dimming for Robeson, but a fast and furious comeback tied the game at 55 with 3:12 to play. FC called time and scored two buckets out of the timeout and down the stretch held onto a two point lead. The Huskies had the opportunity to tie the game, but two missed foul shots by sr. SF Kahri Harris (10R, 3A) caused a scramble for the rebound which was finally corralled by sr. F Dom Medlock but there was no time for a put back. Medlock led the way with 21 points and 14 boards. He's only about 6-2 (maybe), but he's the all-time garbage man. Harris might be their best overall player as he does a little of everything. He was chief in hounding Denard into a 7-for-22 shooting day. He's said to be a good student and has good size at 6-3 so D-IIIs should be all over him. Jr. PG Rob Hall, a sniper from deep, went for 19 points, 3 dishes and 6 steals. He'll be a D-III special next year. Denard wasn't bad though his shot was off. He did score 15 points to go with 5 dishes and 3 pilfers. Soph. F Ameen Rorie battled for 15 points (6-for-7) and 6 boards.
AA's Notes: Both teams are now headed for the state playoffs. Robeson will play in a pigtail game next Tuesday at a neutral site while Freire will get a home game against a team from D-XI next Friday... I enjoyed the second half of this one with Thomas McKenna as of course he claimed he was told that the game started at 1. The "Puckle-head" was his nuisance self throughout, but did have a funny comment when he babbled, "Yo! I didn't know they had a Robeson in Philly. I knew that they had one in New York. I thought New York Robeson come down here and play in the Pub playoffs..."

FEB. 24
CATHOLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
Roman Catholic 47, St. Joseph's Prep 36
   Two days go by and two wars are the outcome. This time it was the Catholic League Quarters and the two teams were CL Powers Roman and Prep, but the game was an old fashioned defensive struggle and well Roman just like last year may well be the best defensive team in the city so that kind of game suits them perfectly. The best Cahillite was sr. WG Brian Wanamaker as he both got the Roman Engine started at the beginning and kept them in overdrive at the end scoring 13 of his 16 points in the 1st (7) and 4th quarters (6) including 6-of-6 from the line down the stretch. His brother Pitt signee Brad (10P, 10R, 4A, 2S) had another one of his famous lines. Jr. WG-SF Will Kirkland had an impressive line of 14 points and sr. WG-SF Nick Daggett (6R, 2B) excelled as usual in little things duty. The Prep may have played their ugliest game of the season and no one can truly claim to have played well though I liked and have all season for the matter, the play of jr. WG Jim Mower (10P, 3A). He's been one of the more pleasant surprises of the season and should be eyed by Low D-Is this off season. Sr. PF-C Rob Coney had a respectable 8P, 5R & 4B & Rider commit sr. PG Matt Griffin went for 8P, 2A, 2S.
AA's Notes: Both of these squads will be heading to Cumberland, MD for the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament (ACIT) in two weeks. Strangely, Neumann-Goretti has yet to be invited though an they weren't invited last year. This might be the last year CL teams can go to Alhambra (maybe not...), but it would be a total injustice if the Saints aren't in this year's mix especially after not being invited last year... Next up for the Cahillites: a date with Cardinal Dougherty on Wednesday at the Palestra. That should be fun right...

FEB. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFF - AAA SEMI-FINAL
Franklin Learning Center 42, Engineering & Science 39
   This is becoming one of the city's more bitter rivalries folks and this war of attrition put the stamp on that. For some reason in 4 of the last 6 years, these two have met in the playoffs spelling the end for one another. The series from those 4 games now stands at 2-2 as FLC got a large monkey off their backs with a big win. I've been lucky to cover each of the 4 games and all of them have been spirited, physical all out wars. A great sidebar to this one was the fact that E&S spelled the end for FLC in the last two seasons after FLC had handled the Engineers during the regular season. The Bobcats almost let this one slip away as well late after being up by 12 early in the 4th 32-20, but they were able to hold on and get a huge W catapulting them into the AAA Final Sunday against defending 3A Champs Comm. Tech. The two big reasons were senior leaders PG Malcolm Eleby & 6-8 225-lb C Donte Wooten. The two lefties made their marks on both ends of the floor with Eleby handling the offense and Wooten handling the defense. Eleby went for 18 points (7-for-10 from the field), 11 boards & 4 dishes while constantly imposing his will on the game and playing with a constantly bleeding mouth. Wooten scored all 6 of his points before halftime, but grabbed 7 boards & swatted 5 shots while also altering many others in the second half. He totally locked the paint down and was the main reason that the Enigneers shot an ice cold 12-for-43 from the field for the game. Jrs. PG Kyle Sawyer (10) & WG Khalief Trawick (8) also lent scoring. E&S' flex offense was totally out of sync here. Sr. PG Sandy Tanner fought hard, but just had a sub-par outing thanks mostly to the on-ball defense of Sawyer. Strangely, his backcourt mate sr. Jaret Richardson didn't get much run, but came in late and took the last 3 shots of the game after tanner fouled out. All three shots were close, but off. The sr. frontcourt of: SF Darrell Mills (8R), SF Anthony Pough (8P, 5R) & PF-C Thiel Benn (7P, 9R) controlled the inside with help from sub jr. WG Jamil Cherry (10P, 7R, 2A). Cherry was the most impressive Engineer here as he set us up for things to come. He, Pough and Benn are all lefties themselves.
AA's Notes: This one was draining! Everybody screamed and hollered all game long from coaches to players to fans, ect. All involved will get to bed early I'm sure... Its a shame that E&S will miss the state playoffs as they are very well deserving, but D-XII only gets to slots for AAA... Moment of the game: When E&S' Tanner & his little brother FLC soph. PG Denzel Yard had squared off one on one. Tanner blew right by him and Yard had to foul. I guess that's why he's the little brother right...

FEB. 22
PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFF - AAAA QUARTER-FINAL
Edison 75, Dobbins Tech 61
   One place that's always enjoyable to go in the Pub has always been Edison as when they are good, their fans come out in deep support. This Edison squad is now 19-3 and boy are they TUFF' at home which Dobbins found out very early as Edison went up 20-2 after the game's first 6 minutes then 41-20 by halftime (14-for-22, 5 treys, 8-of-8 at the line). The leader was the usual culprit jr. WG George Baker (22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists & 3 steals). Mr. Set Shot had it going here and his will can never be put into words. His competitive style is second to none in this league and that's why his team is so good. Sr. PG Daniel Johnson also had it going. He had a great line of 14 points, 11 boards & 4 dishes while putting the exclamation point on the game with a vicious jump over everybody dunk with :48 left that prompted the fans to run onto the court. He was sensational and after 2-years of JC should be in D-I. Jr. CG Eric Jones (12P) did more ball-handling than I could remember which will help his prospectus. He always plays tough D. Soph. CG Luis Martinez scored 17 points (even though his normally money shot wasn't falling) while snatching 5 boards & dishing 5 assists. The Mustangs were led by tricky jr. CG James Lewis with 17 of his 26 points in the 4th quarter. He is a dead-eye from deep, but also knows how to use his body hence his 18 foul shot attempts. He made 17 of them which was even more amazing in this day and age. He's one to watch for future reference. Sr. CG Marcellus Willoughby went out with a bang with a nice array of medium distance and long range pull-ups and some tough D. Someone at the D-III level should give him a shot as he's no park bum. He could indeed play this game at the next level.
AA's Notes: Its always a fun experience at Edison. Baker is poised to become the basketball rich school's all-time leading scorer. He went over 1000 points Tuesday at Overbrook and now sits at 1,041. He's also much more vocal/outgoing now which is a great sign. I truly hope he succeeds as do many in the Edison community as he's such a good-natured kid... Dobbins boss Greg Moore was so upset by the officiating that he opted to play with 3 guys after 3 guys had already fouled out for the last 10 seconds. Edison also made its second straight trip to the state tournament with its win here. Next up for Edison is a trip to FKD who won a wild one yesterday at Bartram as the playoff trail goes on...

FEB. 21
PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFF - AAA PIGTAIL
Franklin 46, Fitzsimons 39
   What happened to Ben Franklin? Folks the fond memories that I once had at the now Hamilton Hall are gone. I saw some of the best ball that I ever seen at any level in this gym over the years, but now the thrill is GONE. Its not that there's no talent on the team because there is, but things aren't nearly the same as they once were. What I watched yesterday was not Electron B-Ball. The Electrons I remember could have competed on the National Level year in and year out with a bunch of non-household names and even win (hence the 01' W over Nationally ranked St. Anthony's). Plus they always gave a good show especially when playing one of their bitter rivals like Gratz, Mansion, FLC, Dobbins, Southern or U-City. Well they did beat the upstart former Electron feeder school Fitzsimons, but truly struggled to do so when that should have never been the case. Fitz' is well-coached and they indeed play hard, but Franklin had the superior talent. The Eletrons were saved by the clutch foul shooting of sr. PG Tariq Timmons (6-of-8 down the stretch after missing his first 5???). The waterbug ended with 12 points, but shoots a little too much for my liking and doesn't make free throws which PGs HAVE to do. He is still indeed a college prospect worth checking out by D-IIIs. The star is 6-6 jr. SF Brandon Penn (9P, 9R) and he had a weird afternoon. He missed 12 of 16 shots from the field, never once posted up the much smaller FS and committed some silly fouls that caused him to sit for a few long stretches. Penn has shown flashes this season of becoming a D-I prospect, but on both of my looks at him kind of struggled. He'll have a long off-season to prove yeh or neh on the D-I thing so we'll see, the skills are there... Jr. CG William "B.J." Kearse had an equally weird day. He plucked 7 steals, but all 5 of his fouls were cheap reach-ins and many of his shots fell short. He, too has the tools to be a good player and already has a great build, but for now there's something missing. I liked jr. SF Ronnie Lee as well. He's REALLY strong and brings a workman approach. He looks to be about 6-3 205 and has a soft lefty stroke. He may have been the most productive Electron with 10 points & 8 boards. Sr. F Chris Herron, son of Villanova all-timer Keith Herron, made nice contributions off the bench with 4P & 4R in limited time. The FS leader was sr. SF Mark Lawrence (12P, 11R, 2B, 2S). He was all over the place and played with much heart. I also liked sr. PG Tyrone Waters (8P, 5A, 2S). He kept the ball hopping and made plays as well.
AA's Notes: This was like a trip to the twighlight zone. Franklin did have about 60 fans stream in, but they were there as more of like their own social gathering than to watch the game itself, very strange???... Franklin used to routinely pack the house and everyone was deep into the game. The word around the gym was that all-time coach ken Hamilton would return to assist current boss Larry Gainey next year an try to right the ship. That would be a saving grace for the program and a testament to the person that Coach "Ham" is. I hope it indeed goes down. The clock at Franklin has finally went out of commission so a portable was used. FB star Tajidin McGough held flip score across the court so the coaches could see the score...

FEB. 16
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SOUTH
Bonner 47, Carroll 43
   Isn't it great when you get to watch a meaningful game? This one didn't disappoint as although it had many sloppy moments, both teams went as hard as they could and it went down to the wire and you can't ask for more than that for any game in any sport at any level. Bonner showed much moxie as they trailed for much of the 4th quarter and things looked in doubt as heads were down and for a time nothing would go right. All of that was erased though when star sr. WG Jeff Jones buried a deep, contested right wing trey with 2:11 remaining to tie the score at 43. From there, the Friars locked up on D not allowed the Patriots to score again while making 4-of-7 from the line themselves en route to the W. Jones wasn't sensational here, but he made the big plays when he was needed and that's what the great ones do. He only took 9 shots, making 5 (2 treys) and made 6-of-8 at the line for 18 points. He did snatch 9 boards and even swatted 2. Credit must go to Carroll jr. G Ellis Rogers for his tough denial defense on Jones. He was glued to him throughout and never considered backing down. 6-7 soph. C Ligah Thompson was again impressive with 10P, 8R & 4B. 6-5 sr. PF Rob Wyley was similar with 8, 6 & 2. Nice contributions came from the bench from both sr. F Tim Vanderslice (7P, 2B) & sr. F John "The Doctor of Rebounds" Sheehan (5R, 2 big free throws down the stretch). Carroll was led by the inspired play of soph. WG Andre Wilburn (19P, 7R). 'Dre is Carroll's best scoring threat, but he's been hampered by nagging injuries all year. He had it going here with his array of short and medium distance pull-ups and drives to the hole. He's really good with the ball and has excellent pace and body control. He's one of those guys that appears to be slow, but is actually just moving at his own pace so that makes him a tough cover. 6-5 soph. PF Kasheef Festus was a warrior going for 11 points and 16 rebounds while battling a stress fracture. He's tough to handle when going forward as he'll either score get fouled or both. Rogers (9P, 3R) wasn't shabby either. He can be a dead-eye when his feet are set. Jr. PG Lamar Jackson (3A, 4S) had a big impact on the game as well though it won't show in his numbers. He'll be a D-I PG and even at a decent level with an improved jumper. Everything else is already in place especially in the intensity department and at 5-10 (probably more like 5-8), he even dunks. Now Bonner must handle business Sunday against West on senior day where Jones will be looking to break the CL scoring record while Carroll will travel to Neumann for a date with the Saints and a win would keep their playoff hopes alive.
AA's Notes: Most of my notes will be consumed by the one and only Thomas McKenna, better known as Hockey Puck or Nutman and Head fakes or Hock or Puck or Pucklehead or Puckster or Yo Boy, well you get my drift. The world renown one was in rare form here. First when he kept mistaking one Bonner player for another, he remarked, "Yo, Them names are Greek to me. I don't never see the South guys." Then as the second half began and Sheehan entered the game he yelled, "I know that kid! That's the doctor of rebounds from the Narberth League. He always kills the boards." Then finally he said, "Yo I like Lamar Jackson. He look like Velton (Jones)! Holy Cwap!, he act like Velton too!.." Its always fun when watching a game with the Puckster... Finally, you gotta love the school spirit displayed by FB player P.J. Shirdan (West Virginia). The big fella cheered for his Friars all game long. I wish him the best of success in his journey to the Mountain State...

Amauro's End of Regular Season Notes
(How to Fix the Pub)

FEB. 8
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. D
Masterman 45, Bodine 42
   Not the greatest game in the world, but I knew that coming in. It isn't always about that as you have to cover the teams with the kids that work hard in the classroom and use that to become the leaders of tomorrow as well. Also its always a treat to get down to the Northern Liberties Rec center for a Bodine Home game as they almost always get good fan support which make for a fun game. Going into the year, I thought the Ambassadors had a chance to be decent, but that's when their star jr. PG Lamar Jackson was swept away by the transfer winds to Carroll an back to bottom feeder they went. They competed hard though (played without 2 starters) and even led this one for almost the entire game. In fact, Masterman only led for the last ten seconds of this one. Here's the scene: With Bodine up 42-41, Masterman soph. WG Bryan Stevenson drove in and took a short pull-up. It was contested and fell short. There was a scramble for the rebound that was tipped out to sr. WG Mark "Don't Call Me Mickey Anymore" McGuire, who struggled with his normally deadly three-point stroke today. McGuire drove the lane all the way to the basket where he was fouled on the way up with 10 seconds remaining. He calmly drained the first. Bodine coach Steve Kikendall called a time-out to ice him, but to no avail as he calmly again nailed the second. Now the score was 42-41 Blue Dragons. Bodine inbounded and Freshman PG Kirk Wynn (11P, 3A, 3S) came in for a steal and then bobbed and weaved before being fouled with :04 on the clock. He then nailed both ends of the double-bonus making it 45-42. The Ambassadors had one last shot, a 25-foot heave by jr. PF-C Wayne Wilson (8P, 3B) that was way off and that was the ball game. It was great to see McGuire (8P, 5R, 3S) come up big as he struggled with his shot throughout (only 3-for-16). I like his tough(rugged)ness. He's been around a long time and even deserves a D-III look. He'd make for a pretty good specialist. Wynn is a good-looking young player. He already understands the game and even more importantly already has his older 'mates respect. I REALLY like the possibilities for bookend 6-3 jr. SFs Adam "All My Children" Chandler (14P, 11R, 3S) & Jordan Perkins (8P, 9R, 4S). Both are very bouncy and both get after it especially on the defensive end. They, too are college prospects for the D-IIIs to check out. Chandler is the thinner of the two, but boy does he get after it and he even wolfed down a slam in traffic. Perkins is more muscular and even more defensive minded. Bodine had a line-up of 5 left-handers though their best player/prospect was a righty in 6-3 sr. SF Bradley Pointer (12P, 10R, 3B). He's one of those quick leaper types who jumps twice to your once. He also deserves some D-III attention.
AA's Notes: Kudos to the Public League/District XII for getting NBA star Stephon Marbury to donate his brand sneakers, the Star-Bury to each team in the League. I hear that they are very comfortable to play in... I also had a good short talk with Bodine star girls player Jasmine Elum who is said by people in the know to be the best PG in the city. She's only a junior and she leads the city & area in scoring by far for her squad which won their first 19 games this season and now sit at 20-2. Good luck Jas' and keep putting a great school like Bodine on the map... Finally, no disrespect to Masterman or Bodine, but why in the world was the VERY good crew of former 70s Pub stars Kevin "Cat" Compton (Frankford) & Norman "Tyson" Winston (West) on THIS game. I've seen games all year long where I looked at the officials and thought to myself, what in the world is this guy doing on this game? And I had the same thought here, but for different reasons. When is the Pub gonna get it together on the little things like these as these small matters can make the big matters a piece of cake?...

FEB. 6
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. A
Overbrook 86, Bok 42
   Well folks, I made another boo-boo as I came to a game that I knew could get out-of-hand. 'Brook is probably playing their best basketball of the season right now and well Bok is extremely green so going on the road is not an easy task especially against a decent club. The Panther mainstays were the usuals sr. CG Derrick Evans (12P, 8R, 7A), jr./sr. PF-C Kevin Leland (21P, 12R, 3A, 3S) & soph. WG Nurideen Lindsey (37 points, 5R & 4A, also 3 dunks). All three only played 3 quarters. The Wildcats just never had a chance here, but the future does look bright as they do have a decent mix of sophs and juniors, mostly ball-handlers and wings. If coach Lloyd Jenkins can get anything close to an inside presence then they could be a force in AAA by next season.
AA's Notes: I will have my end of the first season notes column coming up on Monday as we come up on the second season, the always entertaining City playoffs. I will address a few changes that I'd like to see in the Pub. Some things that WILL make the League better. I will also unveil a few of my brainstorms. It'll be some good stuff, so stay tuned... Gotta love to see a team peaking at the right time and the Panthers are indeed doing just that. Watch out Public League... Leland is one of those cases that will need to have a hearing in order to be granted a 5th year of eligibility. Let's hope that he gets it. Let's also hope that he tried Football this Fall as at 6-1 225 with great athleticism, he'd make one hell of a FB/LB, right... Finally, Cudos to Brook's Band and Drill/Dance team who put on a great half time show. I'd like to see more of this around the League...

JAN. 30
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. A
Southern 72, Franklin Learning Center 61
   Phew!!! What a wild one. I haven't seen a Pub game like this in some time and I mean it. Not that the game itself was great of anything as it was exciting though marred by 43 foul calls and 51 turnovers between the two squads. There was atmosphere and emotion and suspense to go along with more emotion and a cast of characters in and out of the game that made for an unreal site to see. I went to this one mostly because it pit the top two seniors not named Morris in the League against one another in Southern's 6-5 WG Ramone Moore (Temple) & FLC's 6-3 PG-WG Malcolm Eleby (St. Bonaventure). These two are pretty good friends and will be doing battle for the next 4 years so it was great to get a look at both of them here. Moore led his squad with 34 points, 13 rebounds & 6 steals while scoring 17 in the 4th quarter as he prevented a Bobcat comeback. Oh yeah, he played with a touch of the flu. He has truly come of age this year and that's a testament to the close-nit group around him. I know first hand that 'Mone has come a long way... His main partner is Robert "Jay/Elevator Man" McKee (13P, 10R, 3S). McKee had one of his patented slams here too as he caught a left-handed ally-oop in which his entire arm was over top of the rim and he actually had to come down to get it. Boy did he dunk it hard too as the entire basket support shook. He was also a killer in the high post when they gave it to him there (Still wonder why he didn't get it there more...) as he made quick, darting moves into the lane and got good looks. Juniors: PG-WG Anthony "Crip" Reese (6P, 7R, 6A, 4S), WG-SF Antoine Reese (7P, 6R, 2S) & SF Byron Jones (8P on 4-for-4) all lent decent contributions. Eleby led his Bobcats once again with his unrelenting play before fouling out 3:10 in the 4th with 19 points, 7 boards & 4 steals. Sr. C Donte Wooten was solid with 8 points (2 vicious dunks) & 8 boards, but he didn't play any more than half the game due to foul trouble which effected his shot blocking (normally the best part of his game). His was called for some cheep ones too, 2 of the phantom variety while just standing straight up. 6-5 jr. F Ryan White, who is always steady and quite the role player/defender, went for 11 & 9. The Bobcats were without Coach Cedric Powell who was either sick or handling a family emergency (I got two different stories...) and it showed. Most of the Bobcats were guilty of going off half-cocked and even catching attitudes and just doing things that they wouldn't even think of doing if Coach Powell was in attendance. Very strange... I guess when the cat's away, the mice will play. (Big Smile!)
AA's Notes: There isn't a more dangerous AAAA team than Southern in the Pub. One night the team that beat Imhotep and FLC might show up or the next night the team that wet to the wire with King or lost at home to 'Brook might show. I just know that I wouldn't want to play them and if the playoffs were to begin today that's just what Northeast would have to do... I must commend both schools for having something going that many of the other schools in the League have not had which has bothered me and that is having their alumni back around in either help out or support roles. Coach George Anderson has 5 assistant coaches and two: Arthur "Bunky" Russell & Jarrard "Mutch" Jones are SPHS grads who did great things while athletes there. FLC had three main guys from their 04' Team in attendance in: C Denis Deli, F Josh Grier & G/F Meril Branch. This is something I wish everyone had going because the kids need to see this and start tradition... Moore is simply sensational and is making a strong claim to push the Morris twins for League Player of the Year. There hasn't been one night that he hasn't shown up this year and he's playing in the toughest division in the League... I have a theory on why Pub players normally thrive wherever they go when they leave for college and that's because they are normally used to anything and everything. Nothing phases them at the next level which gives them a chance to do the phasing. Its truly unbelievable... Many city hoops heads were in attendance to check out two of the League's best and boy were they treated to a show. The calendar now turns to February and the playoffs looms as the trail will indeed go on...

JAN. 28
Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic XIII
Roman Catholic 82, Simon Gratz 67
   This game is always a classic as the Bulldogs and Cahillites are the two most consistent Basketball Programs in recent City history. The game here was pretty one-sided as the normally tough Bulldog defense kind of took a night off as they never got truly adjusted to Roman's rather unorthodox style on D. Roman basically has an 8-man rotation mostly made up of guards, probably all made up of guards as the Kirkland twins Will and Wes probably project as 2-guards/3-men in college. Although the Wanamaker twins were pretty good and led the charge, this was a great performance for soph. PG Maalik Wayns whose been talented since the first time I saw him, but is now in tip-top shape (lost 30-lbs from his freshman year and now a svelte 185). Here he went for 16 points (4-for-8, 8-of-8) while dishing 3 assists and making sure that his club only turned the ball over 8 times for the game (compared to Gratz' 24). Wayns has many buzzing that he's the best 10th grader in the city and I won't argue that statement because he indeed might be. The Wanamakers indeed set the tone as Brad went for 24 points, 8 boards, 4 assists & 4 steals while Brian had 21 & plucked 3 steals. They also combined to shoot 21-for-26 at the line which never would have happened a year ago. Jr. CG Courtney Stanley, the 4th guard scored 10 and plucked 3 steals. For Gratz, the only player with game-long juice was sr. PG Josh "Scrap" Martin (22 points, 6 rebounds & 3 dishes). His other partners mostly battled game-long foul woes. Nevertheless, this was a great test for Gratz with the City and State playoffs looming. It should give coach Leonard Poole a gauge for where they are and where they need to be say a month from now.
AA's Notes: You gotta love events like this! It takes a hoops junkie like myself to premature heaven. You get to see all these great teams and players in one gym, on one afternoon. It just doesn't get any better than this... What a weekend for Roman. First a one-point W over Neumann-Goretti and then a comfortable W over Gratz. This should catapult them into the rest of their season... Two of the teams that Gratz must eye for the very near future in Chester & Pittsburgh's Schenley did battle just before and what a battle it was. Schenley is quite powerful and took care of Chester 85-74. Don't count out the Clippers though as sure they've lost to both Harrisburg and Schenley in the last 8 days, but the calendar is about to turn to February and if you know anything about the Clippers, that's when you start see the ship start to sail. Plus, they've got one dynamite little guard in 5-8/5-9 jr. Karon Burton and he's not only one of the best in his class in this area, but the entire country. He's probably the best mini-guard that I've ever seen as he's quite the showman. He's one guy that I would not hesitate and pay to watch play a basketball game as you'll indeed be entertained... The same can be said for Pitt signee DeJuan "Big Fella" Blair of Schenley. The big man goes 6-8 260-lbs and has had both knees surgically repaired, but it hasn't stopped him from being the best wide-body that I ever saw at the high school level. None of the others could fly the way he does and not many play with that kind of passion. I look for great things from the Big Fella as the trail will indeed go on...

JAN. 28
Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic XIII
Prep Charter 66, Harrisburg 52
   This was a monumental win for the Huskies Basketball Program, probably the 2nd biggest win (behind last year's state final) in the Program's short (6-year) existence. You see the Cougars of Harrisburg came in with a 16-0 record and the state's #1 ranking in AAAA (also checked in on some Top-25 National lists). Also, they owned a thumping of State power and always tough Chester just a week ago, a team the PC took to OT, but eventually lost to last month. The Huskies surprisingly controlled the game throughout and handled the Cougars despite being plagued by 28 turnovers. The star here is also a surprise as it wasn't the cult hero-like Morris twins. Instead the main man today was, INTRODUCING: 6-3 soph. G Jessie Morgan. Morgan led the charge by nailing 6-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point land, 1of-2 from the line en route to 17 points. He also snatched 5 boards & dished 3 assists. It looked like each and every one of Morgan's shots was going to go straight through the basket, not even hitting the net. That's when you know your feeling it folks... He REALLY made a name for himself on an afternoon when there were about 10 D-I schools (no exaggeration, maybe even more) represented in the gym. The twins weren't shabby now. As they played in front of their future coach, John Calipari, 6-9 SF Marcus went for 19 points, 9 boards & 3 dishes while 6-10 PF Markieff had 8, 9 & 5 plus 4 blocks and many other alterations which are very important when playing against a relentless attacking team like Harrisburg. Soph. PG Parrish Grant (11P, 7R, 3A, 3S) had a nice line and has been rather steady all year long. He'll have to cut down on his turnovers long range and even short range (as the state tourney can be quite a grind). He's a heady kid though so I feel he'll be alright now and especially down the road as he adds strength which will also add strength with the ball. The Harrisburg line-up has up to 5 D-I prospects in it, but they just didn't have it here. The most intriguing was the game MVP 6-4 jr. WG-PG Quincy Roberts (15 points). There's a lot to like about his game. I could see schools from the A-10 on up killing to get his services.
AA's Notes: The Huskies shot a sweltering 22-for-35 from the field including 7-for-11 from three. Harrisburg went a measly 18-for-58 and 6-for-18, but their quick, ball-hawking D did force 28 turnovers, just didn't cash in... The game was delayed more almost a half hour because of a PC uniform snafu. They forgot to bring them and the game was to be televised live on PCN (Pennsylvania Cable Network). Luckily, PCN was able to fill in the time slot...

JAN. 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. B
Communications Tech 68, William Penn 53
   This one was intriguing as I hadn't had a chance to see Penn, who is coached by good friend Harold Alexander, all year long and I had to see what was the matter with the Phoenix who've had season long chemistry/selfishness problems to date that even caused them to drop a home game to middle-of-the-packer Mastbaum last week. This was a great test as Coach Harold has his boys, BALLIN'. CT played very well and showed a hint of what we saw in a long title run last season my playing hard/smart and getting the more-than-you-would think important W. (More on this in my notes) The leader here was sr. SF Shyheem Satchell who scored 17 (5-for-6, 3 treys, 4-of-5) of his 25 points in the decisive third quarter (21-8, CT). He was feeling it folks. This was important as Satch' has been up and down this year and I think he's now found a defined role as the team's 6th man. He also snatched 11 boards. 6-6 jr. SF Andrew "Scootie" Randall (18P, 7R, 3B, 2A, AS) was again is steady self and came through with the kind of performance that has become his trademark. That's why some say, he's the best junior prospect in the city. Sr. WG Najee Edwards, another guy that has kind of struggled with his role this year, came through fine here with his best game to date having a line of: 13P (3 treys), 5R, 5A. He's been recently relieved of his PG duties and that will work wonders in time as he's now free to be himself... Soph. PG Antonio "Gee/G" Monroe dished 5 assists and set the tone with two early treys. Penn's banner was carried by their super 6th man 5-4 giant (smile) PG Orie Johnson (17 points). "O" is waterbug personified and gave everyone that tried to check him fits. He's a D-III special! Jr./Sr. SF Kevin Hudson, a great athlete, also came off the bench for 10P, 8R, 4S, but was guilty of three charges. Stop and pop son, stop and pop... I also like the prospectus of jr. PF Dante Mobley, the brother of Keith Mobley who went 6-8 and played at Penn 2 years ago. This Mobley goes 6-4 and has a much better build/much better coordination than his more lanky brother who is now in his second season at Harcum JC and being eyed by the D-II State schools... 
AA's Notes: This was important for CT as they must keep pace with E&S for playoff purposes. The Engineers are a game ahead, but still must go to FKD which if all goes to projection would make both CT & E&S, 12-2 in League play with CT winning the tie-breaker in head-to-head. That would make CT, B1 for seeding purposes and E&S, B2. B2 will have to go to FLC (a place E&S has won the last two years in the playoffs) in the 3A semis. It also effects Penn who is also 3A and will probably corral the B3 spot to play God knows who, maybe Sayre??? Sayre deserves that spot. A Penn at Sayre game could be a goodie, although Coach Alexander has a good gripe in that Sayre hasn't had to play the kind of teams that he has so why should the game be at their place. Stay tuned folks... This game began at 3:18 and ended at 4:19, 61 minutes total. Is there another half to be played or something?..

JAN. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. B
Frankford 69, Northeast 41
   I thought that I was going to FKD to see a good game and even blew off what I knew would be a goodie in Franklin-Penn to see it. Well I was wrong and if you only could have heard me in the car ride back up the boulevard (smile)... The Pioneers pretty much toyed with the Vikings throughout before pulling away in the 4th. If you don't already know what I think of this Pioneer squad, then I'll say it again: They are the best TEAM in the League! There are no true stars, but a bunch of guys that just flat out get it done by any means and a group that pretty much feeds off of and quite frankly likes each other. Remember they took the #1 AAAA Team in the state, Harrisburg down to the wire in their gym only losing by 4 after being ahead almost all the way through. They'll be heard from again... As for the Vikings, they just were totally out of sync here and that's in large part to their star 6-7 225-lb sr. F Sean Evans being out of it. I was greatly disappointed (and even told him about it after the game) with his performance here. Quite frankly, he kind of dogged it here and there were three D-I assistants in attendance looking at him. He could have done so much more, but for some reason I guess chose not too. Maybe it was playing in front of his Frankford friends and against his off season buddies or maybe just one of those nights, but I've seen him play so much better in the past. Nevertheless, things like this shouldn't happen as Sean is thought of by many as the top unsigned Basketball (probably also FB) prospect in the city and has many colleges on the trail. I'd be willing to bet that we don't see a performance like this one again from the big guy as its truly a lesson learned.
AA's Notes: What happened to the Pub athlete of old. It seemed before that the every Pub athlete of old had that cut-your-heart-out mentality and all of them were road warriors. I almost feel that this new kid is even too friendly (Nothing at all wrong with being friends) with the opposition in this age of everybody knowing everybody. Its like guys don't understand game-time intensity or what its takes to be a winner. (not just singling out the uber-talented Evans -- who IS the best athlete in the city, state? -- Could play at a pretty high level in the world's two most glamorous sports...) Sometimes its painful to watch... I felt bad the whole rest of the day about not going to see Franklin/Penn as I haven't seen Penn and only have seen Franklin once this season. Plus I knew it would be a war and I'm pretty friendly with both coaches. Can someone clone me please? (Smile) Or maybe let me turn back the hands of time to 1:30 this afternoon. You know its tough to see all the Pub squads these days... Oh well, I guess the trail must go on...

JAN. 18
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. B
Washington 75, Fels 55
   What a revelation! First off, somebody please tell me how in the world this Washington group is a lowly 4-12? They are much better than that and could be VERY dangerous during this stretch run if they can manage to make the playoffs. Second, what medicine has coach Calvin Jones given to his known pumper 6-5 jr. SF Miguel Bocachica (sir-pump-a-lot himself -- smile) as he is now he's just as well-versed in little things duty (smile again). Bocachica is widely known in city circles for his pistol of a right hand which he uses to jack up shots mostly from 25-feet away, but today he was VERY impressive in that he did whatever he needed for his team to win including defer to his sure-handed teammates. His finishing line: A modest 7P (2-for-8, 2-of-2, a trey), 8R, 3A, 5B. Two plays stood out. First as the third quarter wound down Boc' snatched a board dribbled three-quarters of the court and whipped a pass to soph. SF Will McFillin for a buzzer beating lay-up that made the score 51-42. Then at the 5:27 mark of the 4th, he set an authorative screen for 6-2 sr. CG Damon Harper's long deuce that gave them their largest lead of the game at 59-43. That's a great teammate folks, something Miguel might admittedly tell you he hasn't always been. Overall, I really like this group of Eagles. Their 4-guard offense could be lethal and I would want no parts of them come playoff time as I stated earlier. Harper is a hidden gem who IIIs should be all over. He's got that certain something about him. Plus, he is said to be an excellent student. He, too had a nice, unselfish line: 8P, 6R, 5A, 3S. Sr. WG-SF Dante Williams has warrior qualities. Here, he battled for 17P & 10R. Sr. PG Jerel Barnwell (16P, 6-of-6 at the line in the 4th, 3S) is a classic waterbug, who competes hard. Jr. CG Andrew Goodman came off the bench for 14P, 3S while playing with a nice blend of confidence/smarts. As for the Panthers, they fought hard throughout and that seems to have been the story all year long, but they just came up short. There is some talent there and no one goes off half cocked. Srs. PG Darien Mitchell (15P, 3A, 2S) & SF Tristian Lundy (14P, 7R) battled hard and showed well. While I also like soph./jr. SF George Jones (7P, 8R), a long/lanky lefty who goes at least 6-3. His best basketball is in front of him.
AA's Notes: This wasn't a bad game at all. The two teams combined records coming in was something like 4-26, ouch!.. The Eagles could be really dangerous next year as they'll have both Bocachica and Goodman back as seniors along with McFillin and two 6-5/6-6 sophs. in Dan Conner & Jimere Parker back as juniors. Both looked decent in limited action. A good PG would complete this group... Fels did look nice. Every player had personalized uniforms with names on the back and sneakers with their number engraved in them. Camaraderie is always a GREAT thing right...

JAN. 16
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. C
Imhotep 72, Freire 33
   This one won't be long as it was indeed tainted before it started. The Dragons were missing 3 starters for various reasons and quite honestly, they had no chance without them, probably not with them either on the road. Imhotep seems to be gearing up for the stretch run and looked quite sharp after a shaky first quarter. With 3 D-I signees and two of the leagues better sophs: Swingmen Will Adams (14P -- treys to dunks) & Kenny Battle, the Panthers are deeply in the mix of teams to beat for the big prize: The Pub Title. As for Freire, they have a goodie in jr. CG Jarrod Denard, a tricky left-hander (14P, 5S), but he had a tough night as the Panthers just ran the whole pack at him. However, expect Freire at full strength to make a decent run at the D-XII A title and a state Tourney bid.... 

JAN. 16
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. A
Bartram 79, Overbrook 78
   For my second straight Pub game, I saw an ol' school type affair as these two squads relentlessly attacked, attacked and attacked some more. It was one of those deals that you could just see that the game would come down to the final possession and it did. Here's the stretch sequence: Both teams teetered on the see-saw for the entire second half, but with just under a minute to play the Braves took a lead as 6-5 jr. WG Novar Gadson converted a pass from jr. F Clyde James (15P, 7R) for a bucket plus the foul. Gadson completed the 3-point play making the score 78-76, Maroon. After 'Brook failed to cash in at the other end on two free-throws by wise beyond his years so. WG Nurideen Lindsey, reserve jr. PG Mike Edmondson was fouled, he missed the front end and made thee second giving the Braves a 79-76 lead. So. PG Najee Underwood was then fouled and made the front end of the double bonus and missed the second making it 79-77 with :21.9 tics remaining. Somehow, the Braves then turned it over in a rush to go nowhere down at their end giving the Panthers new life once again. Lindsey cleared it out and went hard to the hole and of course he was fouled (he could get fouled playing against 5 70-year old nuns), but almost got the bucket too as the ball rolled in and out of the hole with :02.1 seconds left. He made the first, then missed the second. There was a scramble for the rebound and it looked as if both Gadson & jr. PF Kevin Leland, a game-long hero both had it, a timeout was called with 1 second left, but by who. Shouldn't there have been a jump ball? And if so, it would have been 'Brook possession. Oh well, the TO was awarded to Gadson and then the game was basically over. Gadson was sensational in playing what was probably his best high school game to date. He went for 33 points on 13-for-22 (4 treys) & 3-of-4 at the line while also snatching 11 boards, dishing 5 assists & swatting 4 shots. There aren't too many more skilled swingmen in the Pub (or City for that matter). The long lefty can pretty much score from anywhere on the court and is hard to guard because of his herky-jerky-ness. Sure he must get stronger and work on his lateral quickness which would make him a much better defender, but there's much to like already. Freshman PG Tyrone Garland is one to watch. He looks so unassuming (looks frail/weak, very non-emotional) and even Freshman-like if you will, but he's indeed a player right now who only has one way to go later and that's up. The silent assassin scored 16 points (4-for-6 on treys) while dishing 7 assists & plucking 4 steals. Reserve jr. Fs Clark Dure (9R) & Oscar Lawrence (4P, 2R, 2A, loads of energy, big 4th quarter dunk -- the big fella was way up there) did a great job off the bench as did Edmondson who allowed the dead-eye shooting Garland to go to the wing in the 4th quarter while controlling the tempo. Leland is an OX and that means he's hard to control once in a comfortable spot even for guys 4-5 inches bigger. He went for 26 points, 15 boards & 3 blocks. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better 6-2 C in the city. Lindsey went for 25, but it was an uneven performance as he missed some shots in tight and also only made 7-of-17 from the foul line. That's GOTTA change. This guy could score over 2000 points one day in this city and will if he makes 75% of his free throws. Otherwise, he's probably the best Sophomore in this City and one of the best in the country. Sr. CG Derrick Evans played through severe foul trouble for 13 points & 5 dishes. Jr. F Vernon Harris (11R, 3B) also manned up inside. If only every game on the trail could be like this. With the Pub these days, you never know.
AA's Notes: This is getting ridiculous! In a fast paced affair like this, you have to get some better officials. They almost ruined this one. Late in the game, when 'Brook should have been shooting 2 from the line, the Brave table people told them one-and-one. It was the 10th foul and 10 was even showing on the scoreboard and I even told one of the officials it was the 10th and to look at the board. He looked, but never blew his whistle and had a confused/overwhelmed look in his eye. How do we get better officials on games like this? One solution: Play these grander scale games at night when some of the better guys can get out. For so many reasons, many of these contests should be night affairs. It just has to be done for the good of the league. They do it in Baltimore, NY & DC and those places are very similar if not worse in some ways than Philly... This was the Pub that I remember! There was drama, players making basketball plays, a good crowd and energy throughout the room. I just hope that this is what's to come because there are more days than not, that I just give up hope...

JAN. 15
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SOUTH
Neumann-Goretti 63, Bonner 56
   Very interesting game. I was eager to get to this one as N-G had just taken down #9 Ranked DeMatha (Md) the day before up in Springfield, MA. I always love to hear that as it great bragging rights when I boast against other colleagues up and down the East Coast. Well this one might have been tougher for the Saints as it could have been a let-down type game against a more-than-formidable Bonner squad on the road. The Saints handled business and took out the game Friars controlling the game throughout. The Saints leader once again was sr. PG Antonio "Scoop" Jardine (21P, 7R, 6A) who is more and more becoming one of my personal favorites in the city. I love his respect for the game and his competitive spirit. Plus, I believe that he's worked extremely hard in becoming a better defender which may have been his lone flaw. His confidence is unmatched and he's the epitome of slick. The Final Evaluation: A Big-Time D-I guard prospect headed to Syracuse, a recent National Champion. Oh yeah and the very best guard in the City. 6-9 235-lb sr. C Rick Jackson is pretty good himself as he's the most dominating big guy in the city. He went for 16 points & 14 boards here. Jr. SF Jamal Wilson caught two-ally-oops (He was WAY up there!) and made sr. WG Jeff Jones work hard to get his. One problem though, there's no reason Jamal, as athletic as he is should ever take just 4 shots. I'd like to see him be consistently more aggressive. I know its not his role to be a primary option with this group, but hey live a little kid (smile). 6-5 jr. PF Rashad Savage (8P, 8R) did yeomen's work next to Jackson. You gotta love the play off the bench for the unsung sr. SFs Mark Hatty & Wali Hepburn. Both lend the perfect blend of little things/court savvy to the team. Jones was indeed himself going for 27 points, 6R, 2A, 2S. That's an improvement as well because I remember last year in the same game, he lacked the other stuff. His nose is much harder now witnessed by his trip down the lane and slam over all the Saints plus the foul. The next best Friar was 6th man sr. WG Nagbae Saylee with 10 points (2 treys) & 5 boards. He played with a lot of confidence. So. C Ligah Thompson (6-7 215) did a great job battling Jackson and even controlled him to an extent. He could next in line after Jackson as the CL's next great big man. Freshman PG Jamal Melvin showed very well. He could be an all-time water-bug in time.
AA's Notes: Great game, great atmosphere!.. Nuff said... 

JAN. 11
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. D
Sayre 83, Vaux 77
   Folks, this no Middle school game and these were no middle school teams as Sayre and Vaux have arrived in the new (jury still out on improved) Public League. Both are these squads play Old-Time, run-and-gun Pub Basketball and I loved every second of it! Sayre could be factor in AAA where powers, Comm. Tech, E&S & FLC loom. Ditto for Vaux in AA with Prep Charter, Imhotep & Mansion in their sights. This was the first Vaux loss on the season and give the West Philly boyz credit as they plainly and simply outlasted their North Philly counterparts. Nothing less, nothing more well except if you want to look at the 26 foul shots (14-of-40 -- OUCH!) that Vaux clanked. That must have been a factor right? Sayre is lead by three seniors who are all college type prospects in 6-7 230-lb PF Wayne Johnson, 6-4 SF Kevin "Yao" White & 6-1WG Jovan "Hov" Brown. Johnson has a bright future ahead of him and the more I see him, the more I feel he could get some D-I looks this Spring. He's both big and strong and with a college weight program could get even stronger. Plus he's light on his feet and has great hands/a soft touch. In other words, there's a lot to like. He did miss some chippies here, but mustered 22 points and snatched 21 boards while even dishing 4 against the small Vaux frontline (really 4 guards and 1 SF out there). Brown is one of those natural born scorer types as proven by his 20 points here. White, IMO was the player of the game. He only scored 7 points and didn't even think of taking a shot until the beginning of the 3rd quarter, but he drained 5-of-6 at the line down the stretch while also head-lining in the intangibles department. He grabbed 13 boards & dished 8 assists many times tossing picture-perfect outlet passes to teammates for easy scores. Plus, he just did everything the right way and led by example. He's a D-III special as he's also a good kid/student and has a plan which is always a plus when dealing with today's kid... Jr. WG-SF Jayvon Johnson had a huge 4th quarter scoring 12 of his 16 & plucking 3 steals. Vaux was led by the near triple-double by 6-3 sr. F Victor Nwakpuda (25P, 14R, 9B). He, too is very much like White in many ways and deserves widespread D-III attention. He had the play of the game, an easy as pie jump through the basket slam in traffic. He must have the arms of a man 6-9 because it looks like he barely even jumps. The best prospect is 6-2 sr. PG Melvin Williams. Williams is a JC Special (might be the best PG prospect in this area for JCs...). He went for 18 points, 11 boards, 3 dishes & 5 pilfers while playing hard from beginning to end. He's got a masterful handle, deep range, size, quickness, athleticism -- you know the total package. There's no doubt in my mind that with a successful stint in JC, D-I would come after it. It almost looks as if Mel' has modeled his game after AND 1/North Philly/Gratz cult hero Aaron "A.O." Owens and even looks a lot him body/face wise. Sr. WG Phillip Michaels (17P, 7R, 4A) is the new master of the mid range though his game is much more diverse than just that. Sr. CG Hakeem Williams is probably the 2nd best college prospect on the team. He, too stuffed the stat-sheet with 10P, 10R, 2A, 3S, 2B while showing that he could do other things when his offense was off. My head is still spinning with stats after watching this one. I just hope that it doesn't turn me into a Puck clone (smile).
AA's Notes: Johnson had PSAC power West Chester checking him out here. I think that they liked what they saw... White is one of those kids that could probably be a decent player in any one of the City Leagues even for a team like Judge or Ryan. He has such a calm demeanor and a penchant for doing things the right way. I hope to see him succeed and believe that he will... On Sayre's roster, there are 3 Johnsons, 2 Colemans & 2 Whites. All three Johnsons were in today's rotation... The star of the game: The referee Keith "Showtime" Saunders, normally a fixture on the summer playground scene. His antics are classic. I'd love to see him and Pub veteran Ron "Ricky" Palmer work together. That would indeed be Showtime...

JAN. 9
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. B
Frankford 73, Communications Tech 67
   Phew, What a game! This was a very good Pub play-date and looking at the schedule the best game of the day was this one as the top two squads in Division B met up for what proved to be an exciting tilt. FKD controlled this one throughout and protected their home court with a huge victory from the big scope of things standpoint as both of these squads are favorites to win the whole sha-bang. The Pioneers even led by as many as 22 early in the 3rd, but as we know, the Phoenix are warriors and never wilted cutting the lead all the way to 6 in the 4th before running out of steam. The key stat of the game: Rebounding, Fkd - 45, CT - 28. The Pioneers indeed wanted this one more as they took the fight right at the Phoenix from the opening buzzer. The star here was jr. PG Malik Ballard, whose one of those all-time tough guys, but is a developing skill guy as well. Here he went for a career-high 22 points (3 treys), 8 boards & 5 dishes while playing his normal dogged defense. He's normally one of the unsung guys, but not here -- his star was as bright as anyone's. Sr. WG-SF Kenny Spotwood led with 17 points, 14 boards & 5 steals. Sr. PG Rakeem Golden-White sprinkled 11 assists. Jr. PF Khayree Brown, a physical lefty, was also important with 16 points (6-for-8, 4-of-5) & 6 boards. CT is a VERY weird bunch for the moment. Coach Lou Biester still doesn't have a full handle on this crew and is still kind of mixing and matching. He seems to be growing impatient while doing so... For my money, the best Phoenix here was emerging Freshman PG Tyree Johnson (11 points on 4-for-4, 1 trey, 2-of-2). The young PG is fearless, bearing many of the same traits as last year's leader Jernardo "Jay" Lucas even a strong physical resemblance, as he was indeed the main reason for the Phoenix comeback as he turned up the defensive intensity by plucking 3 steals twice plucking the Pioneer Vets clean. Sr. G Najee Edwards had a weird outing to say the least. He started out making some horrific mistakes, but never lost his always aggressive nature and eventually good things happened. He scored 15 of his 18 points (also 5 dishes, 2 of each steals/blocks) after halftime and was also a main culprit during the comeback. He did some serious eye-popping things in the process. Edwards has a qualifying SAT score and is one of those kids that if he ever put all that talent together into a finished package, a scholarship will have his name on it. 6-6 jr. F Andrew "Scootie" Randall had another consistent performance of 18P, 8R, 2 of each A, S & B, BUT the feeling was that he could have/should have done more. He drifted at TOO many points in this one so those numbers could have easily been 26, 12 and 3 of everything else which would have gotten his team the W.
AA's Notes: CT has a good-looking project in 6-8 235-lb jr. C Mozerawah "Tadzzi" Berkel (4R, 2B). The big fella is an import from the Virgin Islands and already looks willing to rebound/do little things. His progress bears watching... I said this before and will say it again and that's that the Pioneers are my odds on favorite to take the Pub. They have such a cohesive unit with depth at every position. They could be even more dangerous during the states... The Fan of the day was Pioneer FB player jr. Chris Spence. I don't think he ever shut up all game long (smile). Coach Ben Dubin says that he's becoming a rather productive JV player that should eventually help his Varsity, maybe even this year... This was the Pioneers 10th straight W...

JAN. 8
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. A
Gratz 60, Edison 38
   This match-up between Division A heavyweights never really materialized as the Bulldogs never let the Owls get comfortable in their offense and pretty much cruised. Gratz plays the best 3-2 Zone this side of the Prep and though Edison was able to penetrate, there wasn't anyone to kick to most of the times which flustered the Owls. Plus, after Edison made its first trey by known sniper so. WG-PG Luis Martinez, they went on to miss their next 21 attempts from distance and that's what they do. The Bulldogs were led by the play of their forward tandem of seniors Tommie "T.J" Sykes (13P, 6R, 4S) & Ishmawiyl "Ish" McFadden (14P, 7R). Sykes is normally the defensive stopper, but he does have some O too and McFadden vice versa. Both are the kind of players that will be appreciably better at the next level. Sykes is admittedly new to organized hoops and also an admitted ex-knucklehead who has done a total 180 when it comes to changing his life for the better and he gives coach Leonard Poole much of the credit, great to hear that right? If the tag JC Special was in the dictionary, his pic should be right next to it. He's the cream of the crop in our area in terms of JC guys. McFadden is becoming one of my favorites to watch. He's both very offensively skilled and efficient which is why Low D-I schools are starting to get involved. Plus, he's starting to lose that tendency to drift that we saw earlier in his career. Jr. G Charles White was again very impressive with 13 points, 3 assists & 3 steals. He's the next in the long line of VERY GOOD Gratz guards. His younger bro, also jr. PG Travis made a nice showing off the bench in the 2nd quarter when the Bulldogs were in foul trouble by draining 2 jumpers and playing tough defense while being a big factor in the Bulldogs maintaining control. 6-5 jr. strongman Sebree Johnson corralled 10 boards & 6th man Ali-Baba Odd (9P, 6R, 3A) was also very productive. The Edison banner was carried as always by one of the Pub's finest jr. G George Baker (15P, 7R, 5S). Sr. PG-WG Daniel Johnson (8P, 3A, 2S) was again his steady self. He could make some D-III coach VERY happy next year.
AA's Notes: A nice gesture was made as Coach Poole sent his entire team over to greet Coach Bill Ellerbee, who watched from the stands, afterwards. I'm sure, "The Sarge" liked what he saw during the game... Even while his team was handling the Owls, Coach Poole gestured to his assistants, "This is a DANGEROUS team..." Lastly, the Duckster is right on once again. Night games must come to pass in the Pub. These coaches should at least be able to see their JVs once a week. Plus, the visiting team won't need an early dismissal and parents/the community can come to more games. AS far as I can see only good can come out of starting the JV games at 4:30, then Varsity at 6 especially in the buildings that are open anyway like all the comprehensive high schools which have twighlight classes. This is one of the small things that can make the Pub competitive again as a whole with the rest of the state...

JAN. 5
NON-LEAGUE
Gratz 44, Penn Wood 40
   I probably check out over 100 Non-League games during the season that you'll never see a report on and more often than not that's because the teams involved aren't a part of our primary coverage base, the city leagues. Sometimes they are, but with the other 999,999 tasks that I have, well I just choose not to do one, but in this case a report had to be done as this was the first game at Gratz' refurbished gym, the new Rasheed Wallace Gym & Bill Ellerbee Court. Coach Ell' was often controversial, but was also wildly successful (451-100) in terms of making his team into a program at an inner-city Public school which is hardly easy to do. Whether you agreed or disagreed with his methods, you had to respect the normal outcome which was over 100 basketball players during his tenure with college degrees. How many can say that? Forget the National titles, rankings and League title game appearances. That aforementioned feat is more amazing than anything. Coach Ell was not in attendance, but a formal ceremony is being planned for later this season... As for the game, the Bulldogs got a real scare from the upstart Patriots. Coach Ellerbee would have loved how the Pats played as they controlled the tempo and lulled the Bulldogs into their game. They were in it until the very end because of that. This was my third look at Gratz and they still have yet to hit their full stride. They'll be extremely tough by this time next month though and that's when things start to count. Is there a better undersized 6-3/6-4 player than sr. F Tommie "T.J." Sykes? He is an indeed an ultimate warrior. Here he went for 13 points (5-for-6, 3-of-6) & 7 boards while bringing his normal brand of toughness + tough Defense. Three others with star qualities all scored 9 in sr. PG Josh "Scrap" Martin (3A, 2S), jr. CG Charles White (6A, 3S) & sr. SF Ishmawiyl "Ish" McFadden (7R, 3S). Both seniors are receiving D-I attention. White is probably the best overall prospect on the team. The big boys could come sniffin' in time. He blends a very skilled offensive game, with in-your-face on the ball defense (some of the best you'll ever see by the way...). The Bulldogs have some decent role players too so with continued gelling, watch out! They just had a respectable showing at a National Tourney over the holidays so things look very bright, although Edison looms on Monday.
AA's Notes: Another A+ for the Pub in terms of refurbished gyms that is. The Gratz facility looks awesome and though its not totally finished its still an unbelievable spot to watch hoops... As for Penn Wood, that's the school district that yours truly has lived in for exactly the last 10 years. Their top player is 5-11 scoring PG Gerald Bryant (22 points), a known D-II prospect who is VERY hard to check. A D-II assistant was in the house to watch him gain the respect of the North Philly crowd...

JAN. 4
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. B
Lincoln 80, Kensington 33
   There won't be much said about this one as the final score pretty much says it all. Kensington has some serious internal problems to handle and I think part of the blame can be attributed to there guys doing nothing over the holidays. Its an easy way to lose cohesion which the Tigers were lacking in their first game after the holidays. Lincoln was running full tilt as the whole squad got some run before the first half was over. I liked what I saw from two deep subs in jr. G Dorrell Harrington (11 points) & sr. WG Deryk Barnes (4P, 3R, 4A, 3S all in the 4th quarter). They might have earned themselves more minutes here. Barnes especially has loads of ability. He had the play of the day, a high-flying jump through the basket dunk. I bet he's a load in practice and maybe a performance like this can translate to showtime. I guess we'll soon see...
AA's Notes: No notes for this one, just catch me along the trail...

JAN. 2
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SOUTH
O'Hara 49, Carroll 44
   As for the game, it wasn't the greatest. As for the moment, not the greatest either, but very good. This happened to be the night that O'Hara boss Buddy Gardler, one of the CL's best ever, became the all-time winningest coach in CL history. Buddy was very modest about the situation nd I'm sure he'll have many more. This year's group seems to be coming of age as they are buying in to Gardler's rules of patience, taking care of the ball, taking good shots & last but not least playing defense. Sounds about right, eh?... It helps when you have two of the League's better juniors in PF-C Mark Wedderburn (listed 6-7 225) & CG Zach Tansey. Wedderburn pretty much controlled this one at both ends with 10 points, 10 boards, 4 assists & 6 blocks. He's probably the only player in the League that can match N-G's studly sr. C Rick Jackson physically. He REALLY made some nice basketball plays too hence the 4 dishes. Tansey is somewhat of a sleeper. I myself think he's a very good basketball player. He mixes smarts with juice and has decent size at 6-1. Plus he's a decent athlete. I could see the D-IIs being all over him by this time next season. He, too had an impressive line with: 16P, 5R, 3A, 3S. Two other juniors showed well in 6-4 bookends: the skilled - Jim Kelleher (8P, 4R) & the gritty - Matt Romano (9P, 6R, 2A). The starting PG is also a junior in Ryan Wolski. That means that the best is yet to come for this squad and there's no wonder why Coach Gardler is so optimistic. As for Carroll, they had a bit of a clunker. Their best two prospects, transfers jr. PG Lamar Jackson (Bodine) & so. PF Kasheef Festus (K-K) both struggled mightily which won't happen every night or can't for that matter. Plus as a whole, the team shot a chilly 16-for-54, which isn't very good. Sr. CG Pete Clancy (13P, 4A, 2S) & jr. WG Ellis Rogers (14P, 6R, 2S) both showed well.
AA's Notes: No atmosphere! Where are all the Carroll and O'Hara supporters? I thought the Pub was bad, but this was just as if not worse because this was a night game. Sure there was no school today, but so what where are all the people coming to support these kids. What better could you have to do?... O'Hara WILL prove quite dangerous during the stretch run in the CL as their deliberate type of game could lull you to sleep and this group is a nice blend of playmakers/tough guys, should be interesting to watch... Finally, on my win onto Carroll's beautiful campus, a rather large buck (male deer) ran in front of my truck causing me to slam on the brakes. The big guy stood there for a second then got out of the way causing me to exhale. I've had nightmares about hitting deer and they are never pretty folks and in all my travels, I sure do see them a lot. Once again, I dodged the bullet...

DEC. 19
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. B
Engineeering and Science 70, Mastbaum 59
   As always, I try to get an early look at the Engineers as year in and out they are one of the more well-coached -- and dangerous, for that matter -- clubs in the Pub. This year is no different as this is a senior-laden group that indeed tasted success last season and now looks to take things further. Their one weakness might be not having a natural scorer, but that’s kind of being solved by committee thus far although I truly believe that 6-4 so. F Marcus Brown (11P, 4R) , might indeed be ready for that role. Brown has flat out stud potential and is already one of the better athletes that the Pub has to offer. Here he came off the bench in the 2nd quarter and calmly scored 10 of the next 14 Engineer points. Also sr. guards Sandy Tanner & Jaret Richardson, who have been playing together for probably the last 6-7 years, are stepping up their offense. Here, Tanner was the star as he collected 25 points (9-for-11, 2-for-2 on treys, 5-of-8 at the line), 5 assists & 2 steals. His big quarter was the decisive 3rd in which he went 5-for-5 and had a buzzer beater that kind of caused the Panthers to pack it in as that shot made the score 51-35. He was also the maestro behind the Engineers shooting a sweltering 23-for-37 from the field. Richardson went for 19 points, 3 dished & 5 pilfers while going a death & taxes, 13-of-16 from the line. What I like is that in a close game, he’s always looking to go to line in the 4th quarter as he KNOWS he’ll make them. That’s confidence folks! 6-6 sr. F-C Thiel Benn, a late-blooming lefty, with a decent build and  mushrooming interest from IIs & IIIs far and wide, battled foul woes, but made two nice jump hooks late and swatted 4 shots. I thought coming into the season that the Panthers would be a sleeper team and I do still feel that way. Coach Jim Taylor does as fine as job as anyone and it will show in time although right now he’s 0-3 in League play. He’s got 7 or 8 nice interchangeable pieces to work with and that’s always a plus. The wing tandem of sr. WG-PG  Sean Rice (17P, 5A) and jr. SF Michael Rainey (15P, 8R) both showed well. Both are very good shooters when their feet are set. Rice is much improved from last season and deserves some small college interest. The best Panther prospect is 6-5 sr. F-C Chris Ayandokun (8P, 11R, 3B). This kid is a D-III special if I’ve ever seen one! He’s a quick leaper with a long, athletic frame. In fact, if he carried 10-15-lbs more than his 175-180, the IIs would be all over him. Plus, he’s a decent student/well-spoken kid with close to 900 on the old SAT. All the ‘Baum people in the gym raved about how great a kid he is which is always good to hear. On a side note, coach Taylor actually has two of last year’s starters and his 6th man from last year coming off the bench. With the right attitude these three could be the difference makers and with the wrong one, well you know . . .
   AA’s Notes: Once again the Engineers are one of the more dangerous squads in the Pub. This year they have 3 lefties in their top 7 in Benn, sr. SF Anthony Pough & jr. WG-SF Jamil Cherry. A 4th is a promising soph in 6-5 F Andre Howard... I got some help at this one from Howard freshman Michael Leak, a former Panther FB player. We won’t hold him going to Howard against him though – smile... Boy does Mastbaum’s gym look great. It was indeed always one of my favorite stops on the trail and now it looks great in there... Sorry to people on the trail as I haven't posted reports on a few recent Pub games. I saw Lincoln take Parkway on Friday and Bok outlast World Communications on Monday. There were some decent D-III types in both games... Finally, it was great to see some D-III coaches in the gym. I counted 4 different schools at this game. See what can happen for you when you have grades.

DEC. 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. A
West 86, Overbrook 67
    The Battle of West Philly this go-round was won by the Speedboys and who'd have think it. Especially considering that 'Brook had to be considered the favorite and was the home team. Guess what though: Nobody relayed that message to West who not only beat thee Panthers, but indeed whipped them and thoroughly I might add. 'Brook was never even remotely in the game as the Speedboys jumped out to leads of 9-0 (OVB TO), then 17-2 (Another OVB TO), then 43-27 at the half. It seemed that every time the Panthers would make a run, West would have a resounding answer and send them back-pedaling. The main Speedboy culprit was introducing: sr. PG-WG Branden Burnett. Folks, this kid can flat out do it on the basketball court. I don't recall him making one bad decision en route to his 37 points here. In fact, he made all the right plays and never wasted a motion. The kid flat out got it done. His line: 14-for-24 (5 treys), 4-of-5 at the line, 6 boards & 3 dimes. Burnett moved back to Philadelphia early this year from Lithonia, GA (a suburb of Atlanta) and get this has never suited up for Varsity hoops until now. He's probably the City's biggest sleeper and something tells me that he's going to build off of this performance. Stay tuned... The next best Speedboy was 6-6 260-lb sr. C Edward Cruz, an Overbrook transfer also in his first year of organized hoops. He came off the bench and added 8P, 11R & 2B along with all kinds of inside fight. Sr. PG Derrick Pitts (8P, 5R, 4A, 6S) & sr. SF Jason Blythe (9P, 10R, 4A, 2S) also made nice showings for the Orange and Blue. As for Overbrook, there will be better days. Especially once so. WG-SF Nurideen Lindsey (12P, 3A, 2 high-flying slams), one of the Nation's very best in his class, gets re-acclimated to things. This was the first game of his season and he pressed for sure causing him to not be himself. In his defense, a game like this is tough for anyone as their first game of the season and he is still only a soph so bigger/better things are expected. His teammates are the blame as well for sometimes watching Lindsey do his thing instead of playing their games. The one who did fully show up was jr. F Kevin Leland as he battled for 16 points & 18 rebounds. He's an offensive rebounding machine to say the least. I also really liked what I saw from 6-4 so. F Vernon Harris (10P, 12R, 5B). He's one of those classic pogo-stick types -- a run/jump athlete who is capable of making a play every time he's near the ball. The Panthers biggest plague was their 10-for-30 showing at the foul line. There aren't many games you'll get back in shooting that poorly from the charity stripe. Once again, all is well on the City trail...
AA's Notes: Once again my travels have led me to a sleeper. This time hi name is: Branden Burnett and folks, he sure can go. He made shots with hands all in his face while also getting into the lane and pulling up from 12-feet (something many youngsters just refuse to do). I don't know his grades situation, but he goes about 5-9 160 and could indeed play at the PSAC/D-II level/ Who knows? Maybe even higher. Stay tuned... Overbrook has new stands and some new features to its gym and stings look great around school... 'Brook assistant Fred Stokes, a product of West, said he got all-kinds of calls last night about him being a traitor and said he expects to really hear it tonight after taking an L to his alma mater (smile)... Finally, this was West coach Dawn Hoover's first win after 3 losses to begin the season. Hopefully, this will turn into the norm (smile)...

DEC. 12
PUBLIC LEAGUE DIV. A
Edison 79, Southern 72
    This one was indeed a thriller! Is there a more dangerous/harder to match up with team in the Public League than Edison? The answer is: NO! The Owls/Inventors are a tough bunch of customers if I've even seen one and I think they want to throw their names in the hat of teams to watch in the Pub this year. Their 4-out/1-in or 5-out motion penetrate & kick offense is lethal to say the least because they have three super-quick/athletic guards and 2 dead-eye shooters. The one player for them who fits both of those bills is whirlwind jr. WG-PG George Baker. Folks, this kid is only my favorite player to watch in the entire Public League! Why, you ask? Because he does so many things well. His Court sense/IQ is off the charts, he's an excellent defender and he does something that some that might be taller or more talented do not and that is compete like crazy. Here, he went for 27 points (4 treys), 5 boards, 6 dishes & 4 plucks. This is as strong a big game performance as you'll see. His main partner was so. sniper WG-PG Luis Martinez, and please note the word sniper because "Lu" is the epitome of that word. He only shoots from behind the line baby and here he sniped 8-for-15 from distance for all 24 of his points, but he did do other things as he went for 9 rebounds (team high) and 3 apiece of assists & steals. Every time he shoots, the whole gym thinks its good. This kid was easily the most confident kid in the gym and that says a lot as there were some pretty good players on the floor. Sr. PG Daniel Johnson (4P, 5R, 9A) was the man in charge on holding everything together and that he did very well. He made smart decision after smart decision after smart decision especially during the stretch run where he assisted on 3 of Edison's 4 final buckets. Here's the sequence: With the Owls down 71-70, Johnson dished to Baker for a lay-up that made is 72-71 (1:15). Then Southern jr. PG Anthony "Crip" Reese (14P, 5R, 6A, 4S) went to the line for a one-on-one. He made the front end and missed the second so the game was tied at 72 (1:05). Next Johnson penetrated and found a WIDE-OPEN (How did that happen? He had already only put in 7 of them to that point.) Martinez who calmly nailed a bomb from way behind the line in the left corner, 75-72 (:50). From there the Inventors never looked back as they went on to score the next 4 and final points of the game. Jr. G Eric Jones (15P -- 7-for-11, 5R, 2S) was his steady self. 6-4 so. F Ernesto Sanchez (7P, 6R), the only Owl with any kind of size also played decent. The Rams actually played a decent game at least offensively, but it wasn't enough. They did make some bonehead mistakes, but that's life in the Pub. This was only the first league game so there's plenty of time to correct some things. 6-5 sr. WG Ramone Moore was simply sensational with an assistant from Temple checking things out. Mr. Cool himself went for 34 points (17 in the first quarter) on 13-for-18 from the field -- Oh yeah he missed his last three shots which were kind of late forces. He also grabbed 7 boards and had 2 apiece of As, Ss & Bs. I'd bet 8 of those shots were long jumpers too. Three were treys. My only problem with him here was that he didn't shoot nearly enough. When your hot like that, you have to shoot and he was indeed hot. Also a mystery was why high-flying sr. SF Robert "Jay" McKee (6P, 5R, 2A, 2S) almost never touched the rock. This kid knows how to play the high post like no other, but for some reason the Southern PGs seemed to never look his way. Anthony Reese put up nice numbers as you can see above, but didn't play the best of floor games. His 6 assists were probably matched with 6 turnovers and the turns were crucial ones. One that came to mind was when he had McKee wide open for a 4th quarter fast break ally-oop, the kind that would have totally took the crowd out of the game, took the Owls out of the game and put the Rams in control for good. Reese fumbled with the ball and was called for walking. Its ok though as this is his first true meaningful Varsity action. Plus his twin, jr. WG-SF Antoine Reese (did hustle for 5 steals) just didn't have it here. A better game from him, equals a sure W. Oh well, that's why the game's are played.
AA's Notes: You gotta love the job that coach Kevin Reilly is doing with his team. Are they big? NO (One rotation member over 6-0). Are they deep? NO (Only plays seven, the 2 key bench members are freshman). Do they have seniors? NO (Only one that plays). Are they good? YES! Could they be even better next year? YES again!.. Martinez is a protégé of former Edison/Kensington star Baltazar Feliciano and it shows. Baltazar tries to make all of his games and even hopes that he one days breaks all of his records and he indeed has a chance... Former Ram star Shawn Sabb was in attendance. He's home on break from Independence CC where he's finishing up his graduation requirements before he goes to a 4-year school. He's actually helping them with recruiting (He loved Baker and said that he'd be all over him for Indy). Shawn will have 2-years of eligibility remaining and could still go D-I. The Morgan and Coppin states of the world should be banging down his door...

DEC. 11
NON-LEAGUE
Bartram 57, Northeast 48
    Another interesting afternoon on the trail folks. I figured this would be a decent game as two of the Pub's sleepers teams would match up with nothing really to lose. That and Bartram is a 5-minute drive from the crib and well its always good to be able to take a short trip to see some good hoops especially since I'll be in Baltimore this weekend and Reading next for different events. Well anyway, the Braves controlled this one for the two middle quarters and had as much as a 20-point lead even early in the 4th. They got kind of rattled late as NE went to a helter-skelter type press, but did close them out for a nice W. The Braves have some solid personnel with only 2 seniors (neither saw extended time) on their 12-man roster. The best Brave today was freshman PG Tyrone Garland (15 points, 6 assists & 4 steals). This kid, who just recently turned 14, is very wise beyond his years. He already knows the game cold and has decent skills to match. I love the fact that every chance he got, he stopped on a dime for sweet pull-up jumpers even from distance. How many 18-year old seniors don't do that? Plus he never in the least looked rattled playing in only his second Varsity game. Donnel Feaster, a West/Overbrook legend who was in attendance, is this kid's old head and works with him so that's a good sign. Don was unbelievably good as a youngster and always attributed much of that to his first high school coach. Feaster's coach coming up was 1st year Bartram coach James Brown -- should be an interesting development... The normal Brave headliner is 6-5 jr. WG-SF Novar Gadson (12P, 11R, 5A), a herky-jerky southpaw. Gadson is a D-I lock providing his does his end in the classroom, but he's capable of playing much better than he did here today. He seemed to be pressing a bit and trying to make the spectacular play in oppose to the simple play. Once he puts it all together, PHEW, Watch out!!! This kid is already capable of getting 20 in his sleep while snatching 10 boards and sprinkling 5 dimes. Hardworking jr. swingman Tyreese Wheeler, another lefty went for 11 points & 9 boards. Another decent jr., F Clarck Dure hustled for 12 boards & 4 blocks. The Viking big man is indeed a big man in 6-6 225-lb SF Sean Evans (18P, 15R, 2B, 2 monster slams). "Big Shiz" is still rounding into shape from a long FB season so there could be some serious monster performances to come. I could see a 30 & 20 game or 3 in the future. He's one of those guys that's always going forward and he's capable of scoring with guys hanging off of him. Plus rebounds just seem to find him. He did look impressive making many plays from the wing -- short dribble drives, pull-ups, big strides, ect. If Sean chooses this sport, I'd say he could step into the Atlantic 10, MAC or CAA Conferences next year and make an impact. The sky would be the limit with a prep year. Wouldn't you just love to have his problems? (Smile) His next best mate was defensive-minded sr. WG Keurlin Charles (10P, 7R, 4B, 5S). He seemed to be everywhere during the Viking rally, but it was a shade too late. I remembered him last year for his hard-nosed play, but he didn't start having a hard nose until mid-way through the 3rd quarter -- strange right? Jr. PG Tyron Lytes (4A) is probably the 2nd best Viking, but for some strange reason he never has a good outing when I'm in the gym. Nothing went right for him here, but guess what? I still like him and think he's a good player with a good head for the game. There's just that certain something about the kid that won't allow me to write him off. Maybe its that Big "C". You know, CONFIDENCE, that quality that you just can't teach and the quality that Lytes oozes.
AA's Notes: The Braves could be getting another Freshman guard in their line-up very soon in phenom Dion Waiters, who some believe is the best Freshman in the area. Some others say he'd be Bartram's best player right now. He's had some problems getting a physical, but could be suited up as early as Thursday if all goes well and I don't think it will take long for him to make an impact. This situation bares watching... Its wonderful to see coach James Brown back on the sideline with the boys after a 10-year hiatus. He would have been the man to bring the Speedboys back to prominence before his situation went South. He seems recharged now days and he has a pretty good crew to work with... Another day at the beginning of a LONG trail...

DEC. 8
NON-LEAGUE
Southern 82, Del-Val Charter 65
    Another very good early season match-up. Not many people are talking about Southern, but they too could figure into the title chase mix and DVC isn't bad either as they'll have their say in the Charter Division. In fact, this game was tied at 61 mid-way through the 4th quarter before the Rams went on a lethal 21-4 run to end the game. That run was fueled by 6-3 205-lb sr. SF Robert "Jay" McKee (16 points, 6 boards). McKee, who is Bartram and now Coppin State star Tywain McKee's younger brother, was kind of salty all game long as the refs called 4 ticky-tackers on him which in turn caused him to sit most of the game. McKee scored 9 points during that stretch including 3 powerful and I mean nasty dunks! The first of which put the Rams up 6 and kind of demoralized the young Warriors from Del Val. Folks, McKee is indeed the best athlete in the city and he also might be the best wing defender in the city as well. His slams put fear in the opponent which could really take the Rams a long way. While, McKee is the Rams most important player, 6-5 sr. WG-PG Ramone Moore is indeed their best. 'Mone forced things early, but then settled down to go for 27 points (10-for-20 from the field, 2 treys, 5-of-6 at the line). Some coaches in the Pub feel like Moore is the League's best player and he might well be. He is the one player that rivals Prep Charter's Marcus Morris in terms of size and skill. 6-4 jr. WG-SF Antoine Reese is pretty good as well. 'Toine went for an efficient 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 5 steals. He is probably has the highest basketball IQ on the team and should be a future D-I guy. He always moves without the ball and is already a master of the stop and pop. Skills-wise, he rivals Moore and he too is also slinky/athletic. His fraternal twin jr. PG Anthony "Crip" Reese came off the bench and stuffed the stat-sheet with 5P, 5R, 10A & 5S. 6-4 jr. SF Nasir "Bird" Johnson (8P, 6R, 4S, 2B) who is also in the slinky/athletic mold was another player who had a nice outing. The Warriors played hard and smart which in turn gave them their chances late in this one. Southern just kind of stepped on the gas at a point and well there wasn't much that they could do. Their leader is 6-4 sr. WG Troy Blue, a city-renowned gunner. Here he settled for 23 while snatching 8 boards & dishing 4 assists. Blue is truly capable of going off for 40 and even 50 on the given night, but what I liked today was the marked improvement in his floor game. He's one of those JC Special types who if he does what he's supposed to do there, you'll then see him playing on TV somewhere in the Midwest. Jr. WG Malik Rice (11P, 3 treys, 4 dishes) is his main playing buddy and he's a sniper in his own right. I also liked two other players in so. G Dain "D.J" Suber (13P, 2S) & jr. F Terrell "T.O" Jenkins (14P, 8R, 2S). Both are have strong builds and no-nonsense approaches to the game.
AA's Notes: I really like the Rams possibilities. They have a nice mix of players. Plus they already own a huge Ws over Imhotep and on the the road at York-William Penn... Two young Ram guards with great bloodlines could become factors even this year. They are 6-1 Shaquille Gaskins, brother of Carlos Monroe (Bonner, then Florida and now one of the best big men in the South at Florida Atlantic) & 5-11 Deshon "Biggie" Minnis who is an extension of one of the first families in South Philly, the Myers'... A statement by Southern assistant/video guru Bill Williams said it all about this year's version of the Pub when he noted, "Everybody keeps saying the Pub is watered down, but it doesn't look that way to me. Every team that I've seen has good players. Its going to be a fun year." Indeed Bill, Indeed!..

DEC. 7
NON-LEAGUE
North Catholic 58, Frankford 54
    Very good early season match-up between one of the better CL Teams and one of the better Pub Teams. The Falcons won because of better decisions down the stretch and during the whole game for that matter as they had just 8 turnovers to Frankford's 20. Also North has jr. PG Velton Jones and he's the sole reason why the Falcons aren't just an average team, yes he's that good folks! It seemed like if he went out of the game for even a second, the Pioneers would make a huge run and when he returned North would regain control. "V" went for 20 points (9-for-12, 2 treys), 3 assists & 4 steals while having an impact on the game that the stats just can't show. In the game's final sequence with North up 2 with just over 7 seconds left and Frankford inbounding from the North end of the court, Jones stripped sr. PG Rakeem Golden-White clean and sr. SF Andrew Pomager (11P) picked it up for a buzzer beating lay-up. Sr. F Chris Edwards played decent with 12P & 7R. 6-4 250-lb jr. F-C Shahid Paulhill, who really looks GREAT physically, came off the bench for 7 & 4. The Pioneers were led by its headliner gritty sr. WG-SF Kenny Spotwood with 16 points, 6 boards & 4 assists, but he was strangely almost nonexistent in the 4th quarter. The next best 3 guys all came off the bench in jr. PG Malik Ballard (7A), 6-5 jr. F Antwaine Brown (3P, 4R, 2B -- all in the second half after sitting out the first) & 6-6 sr. F Edmond Gonzalez (11P, 3B -- 3-for-3 on treys). The Pioneers are a very strong team that could go very far this year in the Pub picture and the state picture. They have more than enough pieces. It'll be interesting to watch them develop.
AA's Notes: Very good game for the early season and a good win for North. As for Frankford, this was their 3rd game of the season and they lost by 4 to both Nationally ranked Harrisburg and North (Best North team since '93 -- right???) on both of their home floors. IMO - The Pioneers just might be the favorite to win the whole thing, well the Pub that is. They have 10 legit players that probably would start almost anywhere in the league. Plus there probably isn't a more mentally tough bunch. It will depend on consistent PG play, but I just like their make up. Another factor will be the progression of sr. F J.C Montgomery. He didn't play that bad today in limited action and looked quite lively after a long FB season, but you could see that his timing still was slightly off...

DEC. 6
Glen Mills Tip-Off Tournament
Final: Glen Mills 77, Central 50
Consolation: Strawberry Mansion 99, Lamberton 55
Just Notes...
    Frankly these two games weren't very good as the title game was actually probably played the day before when Glen Mills beat Mansion in a close one... Lamberton has a good player in so. WG Jamil Brown (34 points). He is looking to pick up right where last year's star Nafis Ricks left off. He's strong, tough & confident -- Three qualities that are marks for success in this game... Central will be much better as the season goes on. Their top 2 college prospects are both out for the moment and so they are just making due. Sr. F Marcus Morris, the last holdover from the title team two years ago, had a decent performance with 16 points & 9 boards... Mansion looked very good! And frankly are one of the more dangerous teams in the league and that's saying a lot. The Knights have a strong 8 man rotation that contains just one senior which means the future looks extremely bright. Even more unique was the fact that all 8 guys did things differently. Their top player here was so. PG Darren "D.L" Lawrence (23 points, 4 assists). He looks unassuming at 6-0 and a kind of chunky 185, but folks the kid is as slick as a can of oil. He has an awesome court demeanor that entails a strong handle, stroke with range & deceptive quickness. I'd bet the farm that this kid watched Mansion's best player all-time Maureece Rice like a hawk coming up because he has many of 'Reece's attributes. The other starting guard is 5-11 so. CG Marcus Grimes (10P, 5S) and his name says it all as Grimes is indeed quite grimy. He is defensive stopper personified due to his unbelievable motor and his long arms and legs. What's impressive though is that these two guys are probably player 4 and 5 on the depth chart. The top 3 players are the all-junior frontcourt of 6-7 235-lb F-C Devon White (12P, 7R, 3S), 6-4 WG-SF Dwayne Davis (12P, 5A, 5S) & 6-4 SF Eddie Frazier (10P, 5R, 3A, 3S), a slinky, slashing lefty. The Knights should challenge both Prep Charter & Imhotep hard for a spot in the AA playoffs... As many of you know, Glen Mills is probably my second favorite stop on the trail after Chester. There's no atmosphere like it when the Battling Bulls are playing at home. You just gotta' see for yourself...

DEC. 5
NON-LEAGUE
Roxborough 45, Olney 40
    Another day at the office in the Pub! First off, this one didn't get started until 3:59 and that was due to the fact that no officials showed up. At 3:46, phys-ed teacher/FB assistant Bob Stoman came through and said, he'd officiate the game if they'd let him. A call was put in to Basketball chairman Charles Sumter for the OK. He said that it was fine and so it was. 'Sto is indeed a PIAA official, but has been inactive for 2 years. This was a great gesture as the kids, coaches, fans and yours truly were beginning to get a shade antsy. I got one of those instant headaches when no refs were in the building by 3:10(smile). 'Sto did a pretty good job considering too as the game was played out pretty much smoothly. The Indians are capable of doing some nice things this year and should be a lot better than they are today by say 3 weeks from now. That's pretty much do to a 4-guard offense that could keep teams off balance. The best of those four is jr. WG-PG Clayton Brothers (11P, 5R, 5S). "Clayt" is one of those stat-sheet stuffers who does whatever his team needs for him to win. His best position is probably PG, but he's also the Indians best shooter, defender & scorer so he'll probably move around a lot. His best days are probably ahead of him for college purposes and this could be a big year. Strong sr. WG Derrick Segers (13P,4R, 4S) is his top backcourt mate. He's a veteran who should know his way around the Pub by now as a 3-year starter. Steady sr. PG Chauncy Shuler (5 assists) is also a vet. He's a 4-year varsity player. VERY strong/equally athletic sr. swingman Joe Saunders (8P, 7R, 2S) is the 6th man, probably one of the better ones in the Pub. The Indians pretty much controlled this one throughout though Olney made its runs and even had a shot at the end. The top Trojan by far is sr. scoring PG Joey Scott. The hard-driving lefty went off for 32 of the 40 Trojan points on 13-for-20 shooting and 3-of-5 at the line. He also plucked 3 steals. What I liked most about him was that he was always in motion whether he had the ball or did not and he sure made defenders pay when he did. One great sequence was when the Indian coaches kept yelling to the players to make him shoot a jump shot as everything before had been to the basket. Scott calmly drained his next 3 trey attempts (One was from NBA range). Joey could have some seriously huge nights this year as he's an emerging prospect. Scott is said to be a decent student who should be eligible for college so stay tuned. The PSAC schools could do a lot worse. Olney has one other prospect to watch in 6-8 215-lb sr. C Maleke McCurry (9 blocks). The big fella has a ways to go, but he does have size/length/grades so somebody will take a shot at him. Plus, he already knows how to defend the basket. He's indeed a project worth taking a shot at for D-IIIs and possibly even the IIs.
AA's Notes: Here's a suggestion: Why doesn't Pub basketball chairman Charles Sumter just allow the home team's AD assign his own officials for Non-League games? Wouldn't that be a big burden off of him? They may play 3-4 NL home games, so they could get the same two guys to work all three games as sort of house officials... I love to check out many of the middle-of-the-road and lesser light teams early on. You can always find a good sleeper at these games. So far in two games, I have found 4 sleepers -- Not bad 'eh...

DEC. 1
NON-LEAGUE
Sayre 72, PET Charter 68 (OT)
    Happy new year folks! The 06-07 Basketball season is upon us and this turned out to be a great place for me to start. First off I saw good hoops, secondly I saw some very good/intriguing players & lastly well I had never saw either team before. Sayre is one of the middle schools that are now high schools and Philadelphia Electric & Technology Charter school is just one of those charters that I had yet to see since they came into the league. Both of these clubs could be rather effective in their respective divisions this year. PET (AAA) moves up to Division B which is the slightly weaker of the two main tier divisions of the Pub while Sayre (AA) should be one of the teams that challenges Strawberry Mansion in the small school Division D. The game had its sloppy moments, but for the most part was played cleanly and I had some fun so... PET is rather organized. It ran quite a few sets to get its franchise: 6-5 jr. SF Marcus Langley, who is quite the long range bomber, open looks. Langley responded by sniping 6-for-13 from long range finishing with 24 points overall to go with 9 rebounds. He is truly a smooth player and a prospect to watch no doubt. He's got a lot of good things going in his favor. I will be watching his development rather closely. The Sayre Panthers (How many frick'in Panthers can there be?) were led by 6-7 228-lb sr. Wayne Johnson (20P, 14R, 4A, 3B). You might remember big Wayne from his days last season playing at West Philly. He is to be commended as he could have transferred to West, but stayed at Sayre because he wanted to be a part of its first graduating high school class. The big man could be recruited by Lower level D-I schools this spring if everything goes well. He's got size and skill and with D-Is, size is at a premium right now -- Stay tuned. SLEEPER ALERT! Last year 6-4 sr. F Kevin White also played for West while attending Sayre, but he did much more watching than playing. He seemed very timid and unsure of himself at that time and even still kind of does things in his own quiet way. Here he went for 20 points (8 in the OT period), 18 rebounds & 10 blocks in his first game in a Sayre uniform. He really got better as the game went on and he always seemed to play within himself too. Case in point: He never committed a foul while blocking 10 shots. Amazing! Everyone who attended the game asked who is that kid? and where's he going? He played that well. I hope that Kevin builds on this game and does this well all year long. Sr. WG Javon "Hove" Brown (11P, 9R, 4A) is the perfect nuts and bolts type and complements Johnson & White very well. Jr. PG Hakeem Jones came off the bench and gave 10 points, 4 assists & 4 steals while playing some seriously sticky defense. He's one of those kids that never gets rattled. The next best PET player was jr. PF Marquis Moore (12P, 12R), a wide-body who also comes off the bench.
AA's Notes: This game was played at Shot Tower Recreation Center on Front and Carpenter (just above Washington Ave.) in South Philly. The normal place PET plays is up the street at Front and Moore. Good thing I called first because I would have been on a wild goose chase... What a great way to start the season! Games like this one are what its all about to me. I get to see some underdogs and sing their praises and then watch them blow up as the year goes on. There's nothing like it!.. Had a long weekend folks. I've been out to Chester twice and over to Cherry Hill, NJ for other events. In Chester, I saw the new look Gratz Bulldogs take Imhotep, 43-40 then get outlasted by Chester (one of the state's/country's best teams) 75-61. The edition of Bulldogs will be very good a month from now. Just watch and see. The Imhotep Panthers bounced back from the Gratz loss with a statement 58-42 win over a very good 4A school in Cheltenham. For me, this was almost better than a beautiful woman (my first love ofcourse) -- being in Chester, my sole favorite stop on the trail because of the way its always spirited gym/atmosphere reminds me so much of what the Pub used to be like when I was coming up... And the trail goes on...