The Gym Rat
Basketball 2010-11

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  Joe "Haystacks" Hearon is a 2009 graduate of Philadelphia Academy Charter. He currently attends Bucks County CC, plays baseball and majors in sports management. Joe loves sports with a passion.
  Joe can be reached at PhilliesPhan7129@aol.com.
JAN. 31
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Judge 64, Conwell-Egan 56
  My first Catholic League Game action of the season! Sadly took this long because of my busy schedule with work and attending my spring semester classes at Bucks. But I was glad to check out my predicted team that will win the Catholic League title this season, the Father Judge Crusaders. The Crusaders hosted the Conwell-Egan Eagles tonight at the Bill Fox Gym. On paper this contest seemed to be lopsided because the Crusaders are 5-2 in League play, and sit as one of the top four teams in the Catholic League standings. Egan on the other had are on the bottom half teams in the standings sitting at 1-6.  The Crusaders played exactly the way it seemed on paper in the first quarter by outscoring Egan 22-9. The scoring came heavily from Sr. F Reggie Charles (20 Points). Reggie literally went off scoring eleven of the team’s twenty two points in the quarter, and even hit two consecutive treys from NBA range. The funny thing was that both treys were from the same spot on the court. Sr. G Nick Sullivan (9 Points) also contributed by scoring five of nine points in the first quarter. Second quarter nothing really explosive happened except that Egan outscored Judge 13-12. The highest scorer in the quarter came from Egan’s side Jr. F Dylan Pease (5 Points) scoring five points which was all he scored in the game. At Halftime the Crusaders were up 34-22. The halftime leading scorer for the Crusaders was Reggie Charles with thirteen points. Egan’s leading scorer at the half was Jr. F Jamal Nwaniemeka (15 Points) with seven points. With Judge about to begin the second half with a comfortable twelve point lead, you just had the feeling they were going to go for the kill and pour on a ton of points. Or would they? Well if they were it was not going to happen in the third quarter. Egan played very well, and you can tell momentum was starting to shift towards their side. Egan’s scoring was lead by Jr. G Carlton Whitehead (11 Points) he scored six of the team’s sixteen points. With a quarter that seemed to be dominated by Egan, it was amazing to see that both teams were tied in scoring in the quarter 16-16 (50-38 FJ). Judge was able to keep its game lead deficit at twelve thanks to the scoring combo of So. PG Steve Griffin (13 Points) and Sr. C Seamus Radtke (12 Points). Both combined scored eleven of the team’s sixteen points which was a very big help. Conwell- Egan continued its hustle play offensively and DEFENSIVELY now. The defense forced a lot of turnovers, and forced passes by the Crusaders players especially on the young star point guard Steve Griffin. Turnovers is one thing a coach hates to see from his players, but when the opposing side is stealing the ball from you and scoring it can drive you nuts. At one point Conwell-Egan cut the deficit down to four (54-50) thanks to the combination of Jamal Nwaniemeka and Sr. G Kyle Bonner (4 Points). Both players combined scoring ten of the team’s eighteen points in the fourth. What must of went through the Crusaders Coach Sean Tait’s was here we go again because the Crusaders blew leads against Carroll and Goretti which cost them wins in both contests. The two losses came from exactly the way they played the fourth in this game missing lay ups, shots, and turnovers. Judge was up 58-52 with less than two minutes left and Sr. G Joe Kehoe (2 Points) fouled Egan’s Kyle Bonner beyond the arc. Bonner got three free throws, and made two of the three. After the free throws Judge just played content, and made their free throws to end the ball game. Amazingly Judge only had one field goal in the fourth which came from Sr. G Benny Birch (4 Points). The Crusaders went 12-17 in the Fourth quarter in free throws, but for the game total they went 20-27 which is 74 % from the line. Egan at the line went 4-5 in the fourth, and 6-9 in the game. Who knows if Bonner made all three free throws may be that would have put more pressure on the Crusaders. Conwell-Egan is a young team, and played hard for their coach from start to finish in this contest. One player I was really impressed with is 6-2 F Jamal Nwaniemeka who showed great athleticism grabbing boards, box out, and putting the ball back up. He is definitely a kid to watch for next season.
            THE WEATHER REPORT
  Both teams combined for ten treys. Conwell-Egan had six that came from Sr. G Matt Petrizzi (6 Points) 2, Carlton Whitehead 1, So. G Ryan Pepito (7 Points) 1, Jamal Nwaniemeka 1, and Dylan Pease 1. Judge had four treys that came from Reggie Charles 2, Nick Sullivan 1, and Steve Griffin 1.
            PLAYER OF THE GAME
  Reggie Charles 20 Points (2 3-PT, 10-14 FT). Reggie had a great game to open the game up big (11 Pts in first), and to close the game out (6 Pts in fourth) at the line going 6-8.  

JAN. 3

NON LEAGUE
LINCOLN 63, WOOD 57
   This was the first time I have ever attended a Lincoln Railsplitters basketball game, but it's my second time in their beautiful newly built gymnasium (Bartram vs. LaSalle AAAA city title game). Lincoln has been known over the years to be the easy non league win for other high schools, but with Ed McGettigan and his other athletic coaches at the helm, it seems like it’s going to change. McGettigan is the athletic director, and the football coach for the Railsplitters. Lincoln has played much better football since. They will eventually be able to go toe to toe with the other Pub teams in AAAA Gold in a couple years. Basketball hasn’t been a strong sport for Lincoln either over the years, but with Coach Al Brown occupying the sideline could this be the year? One of many tests for the Railsplitters came today against Catholic League’s Archbishop Wood. Catholic League ball teams are known to have many shooters, and even the long distance shots from downtown. In pregame warmups many of the Wood players were hitting threes and the reaction of one of the Lincoln students was priceless, “Damn, they don’t miss at all!” (Smile) Wood did not put on a shooting show like they did in warmups. They only had only scored a total of eighteen points at half. What really put Wood in the hole was scoring only five points in the second quarter which was all from So. C Shane Neher (11 Points). Lincoln, that’s right Lincoln, led by nineteen at half, 37-18. Lincoln played man defense which you rarely see at the high school varsity level because most teams play a 2-3 zone. But the man defense worked out great because they were right in the faces of the Wood players, and forced them to turn the ball over a lot. The Railsplitters were led in scoring in the first half by Sr. G Rickey Savage (12 Points) he scored ten points, and seven of the ten points came in the second quarter. Wood’s leading scorer was Shane Neher, who had seven points at the half. With the Railsplitters up by nineteen it seemed like they could cruise to an upset victory over Wood. Well that thought vanished quickly when the Joe Getz (24 Points) Show began in the third quarter. Getz single handedly brought Wood back in this game by scoring thirteen points in the third quarter, which now cut the deficit down to ten points (46-36 Lincoln). An interesting note to add, Lincoln coach Al Brown tried to call a timeout and the scoring table made the buzzer sound without the referee's whistle. The referees straightened the situation out and let Lincoln have the timeout. This all came with 2:58 left in the third quarter. Just another whacky incident in the Pub (smile). Wood did try to make a big comeback led by Joe Getz and Sr. G Jack Walsh (15 Points) both combined for fourteen of the team’s twenty one points. This combination made the deficit down to six (57-51 Lincoln) with 1:48 left in the game. Not only did Wood light it up offensively during the comeback, but they did a great job forcing Lincoln to turn the ball over a few times in the fourth quarter. The Lincoln players looked uneasy with the rock, and forced a lot of passes they shouldn’t have passed. After all of the suspense of a Wood comeback, the Railsplitters were able to halt Wood off for the upset victory 63-57. Lincoln’s clutch scoring combo came from big men Jr. 6-8 C Michael Bowlers (13 Points) and Sr. 6-7 C Ronald Rollins (11 Points). Both guys combined to score ten of Lincoln’s seventeen fourth quarter points. This victory really impressed me for the Railsplitters because they had great man defense which is rare to see at the high school varsity level. Also, Lincoln’s offense was impressive because they have guards that can shoot, and their not afraid to take it to the hole. I am very interested to see how the Railsplitters will fare against Washington and Frankford because they are the top two teams in Division A. Lincoln definitely has the height, and the talent to go toe to toe with them.
THE WEATHER REPORT
  Both teams combined for ten treys in this game. Wood had five that came from Jack Walsh 2, Joe Getz 1, Shane Neher 1, and Colin Davis (3 Points) 1. Lincoln had five that came from Devin Jones (12 Points) 2, Nahjir Robinson (5 Points) 1, Rickey Savage 1, and Desjohn Wade (3 Points) 1.
            PLAYER OF THE GAME
  The Lincoln Railsplitters basketball team, this was a team effort that played hard offensively and defensively from start to finish.

DEC. 28

AL ACHUFF TOURNAMENT
(AT McDEVITT)
McDevitt 65, Gospel of Grace 32
  Game two of the tournament featured the heavily favored home team, Bishop McDevitt, and the unknown visiting Gospel of Grace Saints. The Saints are making a splash in playing some Philly hoops teams this year. They first became noticed in the Northeast Tip-Off tournament losing to Fels 58-50, and beating Northeast in the consolation game 58-50. That was Public League, but now this is Catholic League which is a totally different style of play. In Catholic League ball it’s played at a slow pace, and plays have to develop before a scoring opportunity occurs. Can the Saints hang with the style of Catholic League play? The answer is no! Gospel of Grace put themselves in a big whole in the first half which set the tone for the rest of the game. They turned the ball over way too much, and the passing was atrocious by the guards. McDevitt capitalized on every single turnover, and it seemed like the same kid kept scoring on every turnover Jr. F Markeise Chandler (20 Points). Chandler scored 16 of his team’s 36 points in the first half. All of his points came in the paint which is an amazing stat to see. The Saints' leading scorer at the half was Sr. PG Pele Watkins (7 Points), with five of the team's 14 points. With the Lancers leading at the half 36-14; you kind of got the feeling this game was in the bag for them because of how careless Gospel of Grace was being with the ball. The second half was the same as the first half with a load of turnovers for the Saints. This time leading the Lancers in scoring in the third quarter was Jr. F Brahieme Jackson (10 Points), with eight of 16. Gospel of Grace’s defense scoring easy for the Lancers because they left the middle lanes wide open for players to drive in and score like Sr. C Imowo Udo-Utun (6 Points). Another key player for the Lancers was So PG Kenyatta Long (8 Points) he had six assists. The Saints leading scorer was So. F Chris Wims (11 Points). The former junior varsity player for Cardinal Dougherty had eleven points off the bench.
            LANCER FLASHBACK
McDevitt is now 7-1 in non league play; it’s the best start since the 2007-08 season when they went 9-1 in non league. But Catholic League play wasn’t so kind to the Lancers as non-league was. They had a 3-11 record in the Catholic League North division at the time (12-12 overall).
            PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jr. F Markeise Chandler 20 Points (10 2 PT FG all in paint). Chandler seemed to score in bunches in the first half by scoring eight in first two quarters. He managed to score half of the team’s 36 points in the first half by getting into the paint and just laying it up.

DEC. 28

AL ACHUFF TOURNAMENT
(AT McDEVITT)
PENN CHARTER 44, POPE JOHN PAUL II 40
   The opening game of the Al Achuff tournament on paper looked like it was going to be an easy win for Penn Charter. But Pope John Paul II made the game interesting at the very end. An interesting note, it took three tip-off attempts to start the game because both players could not tip, or keep the ball in bounds (smile). That tip may have set the tempo of how sloppy and boring the first half was going to be. The Quakers did look good defensively with there 3-2 zone defense. The zone forced Pope John Paul’s offense to shoot outside shots which worked because they missed a ton of outside shots. It seemed like after every missed shot from both teams the Quakers wound up getting all the boards thanks heavily to 6-8 So. Mike McGlinchey (11 Points). With a 6-8 kid under the basket it can be just a little bit tough to box him out, and to grab a board over him. The Quakers led at half with the score 22-17 thanks to Sr. G Michael Brown (11 Points) and Mike McGlinchey combining for sixteen of the teams twenty two points at half (8 PTS each). Pope John Paul II was led at the half in scoring by F Dave Cotellesse (12 Points) with five points. In the second half the Quakers left off with the great defense and boarding as they did in the first half, but the biggest suprise was that the scoring finally came alive in the third quarter. They outscored Pope John Paul II 17-5 thanks to Sr. QB and F John Loughery (8 Points) scoring six of his eight points in the third. Pope John Paul II really struggled in the third; it took them over six and a half minutes to score a basket. They were lucky to score five points by quarters end. With Pope John Paul II down by seventeen and about to start the fourth quarter, you would think the Quakers have this game in the bag. Whatever Pope John Paul II's coach Jack Flanagan (former Kennedy-Kendrick coach) said to his boys in the huddle worked because they came out playing hard, and forcing Penn Charter to turn the ball over a lot. The defense and scoring was led by G Jeff Evans (9 Points) and F Dave Cotellesse both combined scoring thirteen of the teams eighteen points in the final quarter. Pope John Paul II did at one point make the deficit only down by two (42-40). But Pope John Paul II turned the ball over a couple times with under a minute left and a chance to tie the ball game. Quaker Sr. G John Moderski (7 Points) hit 2 of 4 Free throws to ice the game up for a Penn Charter victory. Pope John Paul II really impressed me in this game because of the hustle and willingness to continue to fight until the final sound of the buzzer. This team could have just easily called it a day after being down by seventeen heading into the fourth, but Coach Flanagan inspired them to play hard and to think that they are still in this game.
     THE WEATHER REPORT
For a low scoring contest it did rain a total of 11 treys in this contest. The visiting team Pope John Paul II had a total of five treys from Jeff Evans 2, Dave Cotellesse 2, and Mike Mansur (3 Points) 1. Penn Charter had six treys from Michael Brown 3, Demetrius Jennings (4 Points) 1, John Moderski 1, and freshman standout Sean O’Brien (3 Points) 1.
     PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sr. G Michael Brown 11 Points (3 3PT) and So. C Mike McGlinchey 11 Points (1 for 3 FT). Both players led the team in scoring at half (8 each) and by games end (11each). If this scoring combination didn’t score half of the Quakers’ points, they would not have won this nail biting contest.

DEC. 13

NON LEAGUE
PHILA ACADEMY CHARTER 59, COMMUNITY ACADEMY OF PHILA 27
   Today I decided to check out my old high school Philadelphia Academy Charter. I haven’t been in the building since I graduated in June 2009. A few changes were made in the gymnasium at PACHS since the last time I'd seen it. One change was that there are two sports championship banners hanging for softball for 2007 and 2008. Also, there is a big banner above the gymnasium that says home of the Chargers. The last change was a new basketball coach for PACHS, Kyle Glover. Dave Brown was the former PACHS coach from 2008-2010, is now the assistant coach to Glover. But is still vocal and is very motivating to his players in order to help them win. Glover used to play for Brown at Franklin Towne Charter, so the coaching scheme is very similar between them. As for the boys’ basketball team, I only recognized three players that I know Sr. G Marcielle Wallace (2 Points), Jr. G Aaron Ball (16 Points), and So. G Matt Ruiz. The other seven players were all new faces. The two new faces that really stood out in this game were So. G Jamiel Hines (19 Points) the WR/DB for Fels, and So. G Elijah Crandall (12 Points). These two underclassmen are probably the best kept secret guards in Division D. They both have different styles of game that they bring to the table. Jamiel is an all around athletic player as we see on the football field and on the basketball court. He is a quick guard that loves to play tough defense, makes great passes to his teammates to create scoring opportunities, and is not afraid to take it to the hole to get his. Elijah is another guard who likes to wait for the play to develop in order to create a scoring opportunity. PACHS set the tone for the whole game at the end of the first quarter outscoring CAP 24-5. CAP is young team, and showed their age on the court by lacking proper basketball fundamental skills. They made way too many turnovers throughout the whole game, which Jamiel Hines and the Chargers capitalized on every mistake. CAP seems like they need a coach that will show the kids the proper skills to play, and how to minimize the many mistakes on the court. The leading scorer for CAP was Jr. G Stephen Harris who had 10 Points. One player that I was impressed and proud of for PACHS was Jr. G Aaron Ball. When I was a senior at PACHS, I was a scout at the time and knew Aaron who was a freshman at the time. Brown usually does not keep freshman on the roster, but he knew Aaron Ball had a lot of potential and would develop into something special. Aaron didn't really get much playing time in his first two years because of the talent that was ahead of him, and some academic problems. But now in his junior year and third year in Brown’s system; he seems to have develop in to the guard that Brown had imagined. PACHS may lack size, but with the three headed guards they have (Hines, Crandall, Ball) they can do some damage in Division D.
     PLAYER OF THE GAME 
Jamiel Hines 19 Points (9 2pt Fg, 1 for 1 FT). Seemed like all of Jamiel's points came of fast breaks from the turnovers from CAP. He scored eight of his nineteen points in the first quarter.

DEC. 12

FATHER JUDGE TIPOFF TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Judge 67, Prep Charter 54
   Before the start of the Championship game of the Father Judge Tipoff Tournament, one of the Prep Charter players dunked during warm ups and a referee saw it. By rule it is a technical foul. Sr. G Nick Sullivan (13 Points) hit only one of the two free throws. Judge began the game with a 1-0 lead, and ready to inbound the ball. It seemed like the Crusaders were in a groove in the opening quarter, and that trend would last the whole first half. The Crusaders outscored the Huskies in the first quarter 19-8 led by Sr. F Reggie Charles (19 Points) who had nine points in the quarter. The reason for the Huskies to be down eleven by quarter's end was too many turnovers. The turnovers would be a nagging problem throughout the game; which is why they trailed throughout. The Huskies did start the second quarter with an 8-2 run thanks to treys from G Abraham Massaley (16 Points), and Byron Whiting (17 Points). The Huskies did put up a really good fight in this quarter, and outscored the Crusaders 14-13. From being down by eleven by the end of the first quarter, the Huskies only trailed the Crusaders by ten (32-22). At the end of the third, the Huskies outscored the Crusaders 12-11 to cut the deficit down to nine (43-34). Momentum seemed to be going towards Prep Charter’s way, but what held them back from a comeback victory were team fouls and crucial turnovers. The player that led the Crusaders to victory was Sr. C Seamus Radtke (14 Points) with eight points in the quarter. The Crusaders fought really hard to outscore the Huskies 24-20 to win the game. One Huskies player that really tried to rally his team together in the quarter was Mark Wilmer (17 Points). Wilmer scored ten of his seventeen points, but was just not enough against the home team Crusaders. Another note for this game was that it was raining threes in this contest. The teams combined for 13. Prep Charter had eight threes from John Longo (5 Points), Abraham Massaley 4, Byron Whiting 2, and Mark Wilmer. The Crusaders had five threes from Nick Sullivan 2, Joe Kehoe (10 Points) 2 in the 4th and Reggie Charles. This Crusaders team looked very good all around. The Crusaders can grab board, hit shots, and play defense very well. I do favor the Crusaders winning the Catholic League title this year because this team has been together for a while, and they are under great leadership by coach Sean Tait.
  *Nick Sullivan wanted me to mention that he was named on the All-Tournament team, and Reggie Charles was tournament MVP! (Smile).
     PLAYER OF THE GAME
Reggie Charles 19 Points (4 for 6 FT 1 3pt) had a tremendous game tonight, scoring nine points in the first quarter, and scoring his final six points of the night in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. Also was named Father Judge Tip-Off Tournament MVP. 

DEC. 10  

TIPOFF TOURNAMNENT
(AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL)
FELS 58, GOSPEL OF GRACE 50
  Game two of the Tipoff tournament featured Public League Divison A's Fels, and the small unknown school called Gospel of Grace Christian School. G.G.C.S. is located on Central Ave. about five minutes from Northeast High School. They play basketball in the Delaware Valley Christian School division. G.G.C.S. is coached by Mario Berrios, who is a young, very knowledgeable man who knows a lot about the game of basketball. This was going to be a tough game for Mario, and his boys because they have to go up against Fels and well respected coach Mark Heimerdinger (Dougherty 1983-2009). G.G.C.S. only trailed Fels at the half by three (28-25). Gospel of Grace was led in scoring at the half by Sr. C Derrick Gibson (17 Points) with eleven points. Fels was led in scoring by G D. Mateo (10 Points) with eight points. Fels never lost the lead in this contest, and outscored G.G.C.S. in the first three quarters. But what really sealed the victory was the third quarter. G.G.C.S. struggled in shooting, and grabbing rebounds. Fels took advantage of every mistake made by G.G.C.S., and outscored them in the third 23-10 (51-35). Seventeen of Fels twenty three points came from the combinations of G Kyron Conner (12 Points) six points, Nijay Kelly (8 Points) four points, Cristian Rojas (6 Points) four points, and Walter Thompson (10 Points) three points. Gospel of Grace did make a run in the fourth, and outscored Fels 15-7. But the bad third quarter they had cost them the game. The player that really stood out in this game for Gospel of Grace was So. F Shaquan Turk (10 Points). Shaquan was grabbing a lot of boards over the taller Fels players offensively, and defensively. Shaquan even racked up most of his points in the paints and off the offensive put backs. This kid is only a sophmore and I can't imagine how good he will become when he fully develops.
  PLAYER OF THE GAME
  Kyron Connor 12 Points (3 for 4 FT, 1 3PT) helped Fels seal the victory in the third quarter by scoring six of the teams twenty three points.   
 
DEC.10
TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT
(AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL)
ESPERANZA 54, NORTHEAST 40
  Today was opening day for a lot of high school basketball teams in the Philadelphia, and suburban areas. Out of all the many games being played today, I decided to check out the Tip-Off tournament hosted at Northeast High School. The first game featured two Public league teams Esperanza (Division D) and Northeast (Division A). During pre game warm ups I noticed a big fellow on the Northeast basketball team. It was senior football star and Public league champion Deion Barnes (4 Points). I was shocked to see him on the court playing basketball. Barnes was not a factor in this game though, but did have a monster block on an Esperanza shot in the opening seconds of the first quarter. There wasn’t much action in the first half with both teams tied 16-16. Both teams really struggled to hit shots in the half. It took 2:12 into the first quarter to get the first basket of the game which was scored by Esperanza’s Sr. F Hashim Fleming (11 Points). It is very rare to see a halftime score for a Public league contest to be tied in the teens. But it is understandable tonight because it is the first game of the year, and it’s going to take a couple games to get in rhythm with your game and with your teammates. Esperanza, the underdog in this game, was led in first half scoring by Hashim Fleming with eight points. The heavily favored Vikings were led by Jr. F Corey Morris (5 Points) with five points. At this point of the game it was really tough to tell who would win this contest. But Northeast did end the half on a positive note. Esperanza had a 16-10 lead with 2:20 left to go in the second quarter. Northeast came roaring back with two treys to tie the game from Corey Morris, and Sr. PG Joe Patriarca (5 Points). The two treys to tie the game before the half ended seemed to be a motivator for the Vikings for the second half. Northeast outscored Esperanza 15-10 in the third quarter thanks to Jr. F William Rampasard (13 Points). This was the biggest lead for the Vikings in this game with the score now being 31-26. Whatever Esperanza coach Steve Kikendall said to his boys in the huddle before the fourth quarter began it worked. Esperanza exploded in the fourth quarter outscoring Northeast 28-9. The explosive scoring was led by seniors G Maurice McNeal (23 Points) and C Shaquille Bowman (17 Points) combined for 24 of the teams 28 points. These two were a deadly combo offensively for anyone to stop.
     PLAYER OF THE GAME
   Maurice McNeal 23 Points (12-16 FT, 1 3pt), and Shaquille Bowman 17 Points (6-8 FT). Both seniors had an explosive fourth quarter and combined to score 24 (McNeal 13, Bowman 11) of the teams 28 pts to lead Esperanza to a 54-40 win over the home tournament hosting Northeast Vikings.