DEC. 30
EASTERN STATES TOURNAMENT
Judge 47, McCorristin (N.J.) 41
   The Crusaders did themselves proud, beating a respectable host team for the championship of this 8-team tournament. Let's say pretty much right away: it is VERY strange to see a Judge team without a pure point guard. And that happenstance did cause some problems at times when the Iron Mikes doubled the ball both in the backcourt and frontcourt. But each time the Crusaders had that uh-oh look, and appeared ready to go off the deep end, they regained at least some semblance of composure. My DN story focused on sr. G-F John Geiger, who had 8 points, 2 assists, 5 steals and multiple scrapes on his legs and arms, no doubt. He appears to be this team's emotional leader. Sr. Steve Wolf, a 6-5 SF, has been playing excellent ball this season, by all accounts. He shot 8-for-15 for 16 points while adding 13 boards and 3 blocks. He is given a long leash by coach Bill Fox. When teams play man-to-man, Wolf often goes out front in an "open" offense and is given the chance to break down his man. Very impressive. Sr. F John King is back in action after taking off for almost the entire 2002-03 season. He mixed 8 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and many of his most noticeable contributions came at clutch times. John has been through a lot after playing varsity as a freshman at Dougherty. I'm sure he's been disillusioned at times. It's nice to see him enjoying the game again. F Arthur Livingston (jr. or soph, depending on a later appeal of his academic status, a la Curtis Brinkley) adds a nice around-the-basket presence. He doesn't mind grunt work and can take the occasional lead. Sr. G Joe Sanford adds stability and hustle and jr. Tim McCauley is a three-ball threat (moreso against zones, I'd imagine) with PG instincts. He had 3 assists and 4 steals. Sr. F Steve Altobelli is out with an injury. We'll see him down the line. For any Judge person who might read this: A social/benefit to remember Ricky Lannetti, the late star receiver for Judge and Lycoming, and help his family, will be held Saturday, 7 to 11 p.m., at the Holmesburg Boys Club. Tickets will be sold at the door.

DEC. 29
BOARDWALK BASKETBALL CLASSIC
La Salle 69, Schalick (N.J.) 27
    The less said about this one the better. Schalick has an excellent jr. G in Paul Gause, but he played less than 3 minutes due to a previous ankle injury and the game, a title affair in one of the tourney's many four-team brackets, was a no-contest. Sr. F Nick Shattuck had 17 points and 9 rebounds; Schalick had no one to contend with his skill and savvy. Sr. F Kevin Moll mixed 11 points, 6 boards and 3 assists. In 9 minutes, deep sub Tom Lyons, a jr., fired in three treys en route to 10 points. The portable wooden floor in the Wildwood Convention Center is very loose in spots and the players make lots of noise as they run back and forth. Rich Marcucci, a scout/camp guy of note from South Jersey, said at one point, "It sounds like they're PLAYING this game on the boardwalk."

DEC. 29
BOARDWALK BASKETBALL CLASSIC
Winslow Twp. (NJ) 68, Bartram 57
   The Braves had a few good moments. Emphasis on FEW. Though they arrived in Wildwood a shade before the game, they sometimes looked as though they hadn't slept in days. They were sloppy and unfocused and deserved their fate. Bartram was guilty of 25 turnovers and shot 13-for-25 at the foul line. Also, it surrendered all kinds of easy baskets to a team that worked hard without the ball and had some good athletes. All that being said, the Braves did rally from a 34-23 deficit to draw within 38-35. The turnovers and shaky defense again appeared and WT won in comfortable fashion. Bartram has two sr. transfers, WG Tywain McKee (Furness) and C Chris Seaborn. McKee has a weird-looking shot (sideways rotation), but I get the sense he's usually a dead-eye. He wasn't in this one; he went 7-for-21 overall and 4-for-11 on treys. He has a wide wingspan and was reasonably pesky on defense (5 steals, though he also incurred foul trouble). Seaborn is springy and active, and looks opposite well. He grabbed 9 rebounds. Jr. F Daziah Miller also had foul miseries. He settled for 12 points and 13 boards in 18 minutes. The starting PG was jr. Marquise Carrington. He went 1-for-8 from the floor with 7 turnovers. Nevertheless, I liked his aggressiveness. I think he'll be OK in time. Frontcourt sub Justin Lawus, a sr., had 4 blocked shots.

DEC. 28
NON-LEAGUE SHOWCASE
West Catholic 62, Salesianum (Del.) 59
   This was a nice win for the Burrs. Salesianum gave off a Judge or Malvern kind of aura with tough, well-coached kids who could shoot and do little things. Guess what? So could West. Burr squads of recent vintage probably would have found a way to lose this one, especially faced with severe foul trouble and a 5-point deficit with 4:49 left. Three players had nice performances. My DN story focused on sr. G-F Hakeem "Corner Boy" Townsend, a first cousin of Rasheed Wallace. Townsend is a good shooter overall, but as Huck has noted, he is particularly effective from the corners. He went nuts at the beginning, pouring in 12 points (3-for-3 on treys) in the first 4:30. But then, 35 feet from the basket, he picked up his second foul on a meaningless bump and had to sit down. In the fourth quarter, he showed his versatility by mixing 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Sr. G Rob Latimer came up large in the fourth quarter. With fellow sr. G Marshall Taylor unable to completely be himself due to foul trouble, Latimer moved to the point and kept abusing assorted defenders. He packed 11 points into the session, highlighted by a 7-for-7 showing at the line. He finished with 21. Taylor rarely looked for his own shot early and I liked his overall approach. He wound up with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals. He also was guilty of several unwise fouls, though, and that just can't happen. Soph F John Maddox had 4 steals and 5 fourth quarter points. Soph F Chris Mayo had a nice second quarter with 3 boards and 2 assists. West's South opponents will be faced with a diffcult choice: play zone and risk being scorched by Townsend or play man and have difficulty containing Taylor and/or Latimer.

DEC. 26
OLNEY TOURNAMENT SEMI
Olney 57, Franklin 52
   The Trojans have not exactly played a challenging schedule to date, but 10-0 is 10-0 and that's the record at the moment. In this one, they had a lackluster first half (down 27-23) and then showed good energy. The Man was sr. F Erik "Ugs" Adams (6-5, 185). Olney coach John Rech said simply, "I wouldn't trade him for anyone," and it's no secret why. Adams is one of those rare guys who works non-stops AND has tools and instincts, and it's a pleasure to watch him. Ugs gets off his feet early and often and he's always going forward around the glass; so many kids don't do that. He finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks! He'll need prep school or a JC, but he'd be a great addition to any program. A college coach said afterward, "This guy could get me 12 to 14 points a night right now, and I'd never have to run a play for him." Amen! Sr. PG Andrew Jerry was his waterbug self, flying around all over at warp speed. He failed to finish plays a shade too often, but he still earned a B-plus overall. He had 6 steals and went 5-for-6 at the line coming down the stretch. Sr. WGs Jarrick Long and Kevin Presberry do similar things: they're not pure shooters, but they find ways to score while also contributing in other areas. Jr. PF-C Kevin Riley somehow grabbed just 2 rebounds. It's the little things that count: As the first quarter wound down, sr. G sub Shakir Johnson was waiting at the scorer's table to check in. But as the whistle sounded at 0:02, Johnson said to Rech, "Don't go in now, right?" Rech said, "Nah, go ahead. I want you in." Franklin was inbounding. Johnson got his hand on the pass and directed the ball to Adams, who hit a buzzer-beating flip shot. Outstanding! Franklin's leader was jr. G-F Andre Glover. Olney played man-to-man and Glover is quite savvy one-on-one, so . . . He scored 19 points while adding 11 boards. Though Glover is a lefty, he often uses his right hand to make his move. The small forwards who look and play alike, srs. Sedale Mason and Anwar Rascoe, were at it again. Mason had 9 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals. Rascoe added 8 points, 8 boards, 4 blocks. The Electrons are still hunting and pecking at the point and off-guard.

DEC. 26
OLNEY TOURNAMENT SEMI
Straw. Mansion 60, Frankford 52
            The Knights are a vastly different team now that Maureece Rice has moved on and taken along his city scoring record. Sr. G-F Tracey Worley is the only experienced returnee and he's doing a decent job both with playing and leading. After a 2-point first half in Olney's frigid gym, he caught fire in the second and poured in 24 points. He went 6-for-18 total, 3-for-7 on treys and 9-for-10 at the line. He also claimed 11 rebounds. Worley could be a state school player as his body fills out and he gains more confidence. JC is also a possibility. The other main Knight is sr. F John Scarbrough. This guy is also a lefty and I'd love to see him engage Andre Glover in a one-on-one battle. They are so similar! Scarbrough is a shade quicker; Glover is a better shooter from distance. But both can get around anyone! Scarbrough shot 9-for-12 en route to 19 points while also posting 13 rebounds and 3 steals. Jr. WG-SF Leon Rollins had 8 points and 3 steals. Sr. PF Michael Mitchell claimed 8 boards. Soph PG Stanley Williams mixed 3 assists and 3 steals. Due to illness/suspensions, Mansion had just 8 players in uniform. Frankford is off to a slow start (2-6 overall) and has little height, but I liked the Pioneers' scrappy approach and willingness to share the ball. They had three lefties in the rotation: jr. WG Maurice Miller (14 points, 2 treys, 4 assists), soph WG Lewis Leonard (14 points, 2 treys) and jr. PF-C Lorenzo Byrd (4 steals). The PG is jr. Ryan Smith (5 assists, 4 steals). He runs the offense and stands up well against pressure just fine. He missed his first 8 shots before hitting 2 at the end. In part-time duty, FB QB Lamont Brown had 6 points, 4 boards, 2 dishes, 2 pilfers. Before the game, I mentioned to coach Bernie Handler that I needed to cross-check Leonard's first name (Lewis or Louis). Bernie said, "He goes back and forth. You'd better ask him." Leonard said it's L-e-w-i-s. Handler said with a laugh, "It'll be L-o-u-i-s next time you ask him."

DEC. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Dobbins 48, Overbrook 33
   Some things never change. Just when the game was about to begin, the referees realized that Overbrook's scorebook did not have the names of Dobbins' players. Then, coming down the stretch, there were disagreements over the score and the number of team fouls and the scoreboard, donated to 'Brook by alumnus Malik Rose (Spurs), twice went blank. Oh, and after a 'Brook player fouled out, the refs neglected to inform coach Sam Jacobs and his team had just four players on the court for an 11-second stretch. Repeat after me: Only in the Pub. The game itself? Mostly a stinker. 'Brook is 0-6 overall and has experienced great difficulty finding some frontcourt people to go with respectable guards Maurice Millner and Kyle Copeland; both are srs. My DN story focused on 6-5 sr. C Ahkieme "Ahk" McClendon, a first cousin once removed of the late Hank Gathers. He's not he most coordinated guy ever, but I love how fundamentally sound he is and his lumbering ways help him draw fouls, to some degree. He has wide shoulders and will put on weight and D-IIIs could do much worse. He has a working man's mentality -- he was forever setting picks and looking opposite when fed the ball. He mixed 12 points, 14 boards and 3 assists. I also liked quick jr. PG Dujuan Anderson (11 points, 3 assists). He controled the team and showed energy. Helping inside were jr. F Kassim Green (10 points, 5 rebounds) and sr. F James Bell (7 points, 2 assists). Jr. WG Codell Johnson mostly did little things and helped Anderson with the ballhandling. Millner launched 23 shots. He hit 7, and went 2-for-10 on treys. 'Brook was often out of sync. Sr. F Sean Johnson did claim 7 boards. Considering this was the last day before the holiday break, and Dobbins is surely no draw, the crowd was respectable. Yet, the game's-out-of-reach walkout has extended to 59th and Lancaster. With 'Brook down, 36-22, about 40 people strolled toward the exit with 3:56 left. The Panthers did scramble back within 38-31, but then ran out of gas.

DEC. 23
SCHOLASTIC PLAY-BY-PLAY CLASSIC II
Episcopal 47, SJ Prep 42
   There have been many great tandems in city b-ball history and the most recent one is now among us. The best thing is, you have the rest of this season and two more to catch their act. Soph F Gerald Henderson (son of the ex-NBA player) was a headliner even last season. Now, he has been joined by soph G-F Wayne Ellington, a transfer from Daniel Boone (near Reading). Henderson has made great strides. He now routinely faces up and roams away from the basket. Ellington has been likened by some to ex-Temple star Eddie Jones (Miami Heat). He's fluid and a quick leaper, and appears to have excellent court sense (as does Henderson). Episcopal is going to have a lot of fun with these two guys and, hey, it has started already! The Churchmen went to 9-0 with this victory. Henderson had 17 points and 6 boards. Ellington added 16 and 9. My DN story focused on sr. G Brian Shanahan, who mixed 8 points, 5 assists and 5 boards. He was at his best in the stretch, making a series of clutch plays. Shanahan's first assist of the fourth quarter went to jr. F Joe Rosati, produced a three-point play and put the Churchmen ahead for good, 37-34. Shanahan's only basket of the session, an 8-foot jumper on a feed from jr. G Dylan Brown, made it 39-36. His most impressive play came at 2:08, when he inbounded the ball from the sideline and aimed toward it the rim. Ellington made the catch, absorbed contact and drained both free throws, making it 41-36. After the Hawks edged within 43-41 at 47.6, Shanahan guided Episcopal's press offense in calm/collected fashion and hit Ellington for an easy basket. Brown's main contribution was on defense, as he helped to hound Prep sr. PG Chris Clark into 0-for-10 miseries from the floor. Ellington often wound up playing Griffin, who has an incredibly quick release. Griffin took some rushed, off-balance shots, especially toward the end. He finished 7-for-18 overall and 5-for-12 on treys. He added 5 assists and 2 steals. Soph F Reggie Redding had 13 points, 8 boards and 3 steals. There was an interesting sequence at the end. At :03.2, sr. F Mike Kearney went to the line with Prep down by 4 points. He made the first and intentionally missed the second, and the Hawks' rebounders tried to tip out the ball for a trey. Brown grabbed the rebound, was fouled at :00.1 and swished both free throws to end it.

DEC. 20
SCHOLASTIC PLAY-BY-PLAY CLASSIC
Dougherty 70, Lincoln (NYC) 62
   Well, as the years go on, everyone at the Palestra tonight will be able to tell all of their friends, "I saw Sebastian Telfair do nothing." The much-hyped guard was limping slightly as the game began, due to an ankle injury, and he was limping even more after Dougherty sr. G Kyle Lowry smacked his only FG attempt, a trey, right back in his face. Telfair rarely was involved when he was on the court and he sat down for good with 6:20 left in the second quarter. He spent the rest of the game being heckled by spectators, mostly current and former Philly players, who were sitting behind Lincoln's bench. When a young kid stopped to get Telfair's autograph, someone yelled, "You better go get Kyle's, too!" Another time, a fan yelled, "Yo, Kyle. Rick Pitino's on my cell phone. He says he wants you now!" When Telfair stood up during a timeout and gimped around a little, he heard at full volume, "You should get an award for acting!" Tough crowd. It would have been great to see a healthy Telfair and Lowry go at it. Lowry has so much energy and grit, I have no doubt he would have won the duel. He finished with 21 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and even 7 rebounds. This was Dougherty's first game with all hands on deck after some school problems and the Cards were quite impressive. Sr./Jr. SF Shane Clark (his status is unclear) had 15 points and eight boards and made several pro-style moves. He and Kyle are bound for Villanova. Sr. PF-C DeSean White (Providence) shot 7-for-9 for 14 points. Sr. WG-SF Bilal Benn (Siena) mixed 8 points, 9 boards, 6 assists and 5 steals. Sr. PG Tim Smith had 6 assists and probably didn't even care that he scored just two points. Mad-bombing used to be his role. It's not anymore and he appears to be very much equal to his new task. In the second quarter, when White sat down with foul trouble, sr. SF David Goode came in and piled up 6 points, 5 boards and 2 blocks before halftime. Sr. WG Thomas Magnum also was active and smart and made a sensational move for a basket. The Cards were up by three touchdowns before Lincoln cut the deficit against the subs.

DEC. 20
SCHOLASTIC PLAY-BY-PLAY CLASSIC
SJ Prep 78, Penn Charter 73
   Are you sure we're no longer in the 2002-03 season? The Hawks have that time-has-stood-still look. They're just as brassy, just as energetic, just as productive. The returning starters, sr. WG John Griffin (Bucknell) and sr. PG Chris Clark (a D-I to be named), are now taking more shots because franchise center Mark Zoller (Penn) is no longer around. Griffin went 9-for-21 overall, 5-for-11 on threes and 3-for-3 at the line for 26 points. Clark went 7-for-18 (2-for-9) and 7-for-8 for 23 points. They each dished three assists. New to the fold is 6-3 soph F Reggie Redding. All he did was total 18 points, 14 boards and two apiece of assists, steals and blocks. To play so well in such a big-time venue; what a confidence-booster this should be. Redding knocked down a trey in a crucial moment. Even if he had missed, I loved the idea that he took it. Sr. F-C Mike Kearney had modest numbers (six points, four rebounds), but he showed the classic inside-enforcer mentality and he'll be very important in that role all season. For PC, sr. PG Sean Singletary (Virginia) was spectacular with 35 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 11-for-24 (3-for-9) and 10-for-11. Yet, he had just one assist and that didn't come until the waning moments. The reason? The usually reliable Zeglinski brothers, jr. WG Zack and frosh WG Sammy, combined to miss their first 19 shots and finish 1-for-21 total. I doubt they'll ever be that off in the same game the rest of their lives. Maybe not even in any game, separately. Sammy did have four assists. Sr. F-C Rob Kurz (Notre Dame) totaled 25 points, 14 boards and 4 blocks. He missed just three of 12 shots. Getting back to Singletary . . . he almost never does something ill-advised, but in this one he picked up his fourth foul, on a block, with 5.9 seconds left in the third quarter. He had to sit down for a shade over 2 minutes and had to be somewhat cautious the rest of the way.