DEC. 31
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 60, North Catholic 46
   After a high-quality tourney in Florida and a rousing win earlier this week over Chester . . . yes, the Churchmen were a shade disinterested for this noontime affair on New Year's Eve. All along, they gave off a we've-got-this aura even when North made runs and caused at least a little consternation. The Big Two, jr. WG Wayne Ellington and jr. SF Gerald Henderson, made a few eye-popping plays apiece. Ellington finished with 21 points, three assists and four steals. Henderson had 17 points, eight boards and three assists. He was at his best -- and high-flyingest -- early in the fourth quarter, creating some breathing room after North used a nice rush to close the third at 43-36. Jr. C Mike Yocum had some finishing difficulties on tight shots, but did post 10 boards and three blocks. Two of his three FGs were slams. Sr. PG Dylan Brown had six steals (all in the first half) and four assists. Sr. F Joe Rosati hit four of his five shots en route to 10 points. He has really developed a knack for finding holes, sometimes gigantic, created by the other guys and waiting patiently for passes. If he gets them, fine. If he doesn't and shots are missed by others, no problem, he still goes hard for the rebound. Jr. PG Pat Kelly, who next year will experience just as much fun as Brown is this year, had three assists off the bench. Despite the loss, North had much to feel good about. Sr. C Jeremy Coombs was missing (food poisoning, according to that wonderful assistant coach, Thomas "Hockey Puck" McKenna) and sr. WG John Adamski went a hard-to-believe 1-for-15 from the floor. That means others must have produced, right? Right. Sr. G Brett Bryan, normally a sub, sniped 5-for-9 (three treys) for 13 points. Jr. PG Hanif Edwards went toe-to-toe with Brown in a classic war between feisty little guys and finished with six assists in addition to five boards and six points. Jr. WG Nate Edwards had eight points. Soph G-F Andrew Pomager posted 12 points along with two steals. All kinds of serious hoopheads turned out for this one. One was my old stat-keeping sidekick, Keith Hines, a k a "The Original Amauro" (smile). Among those scouting North were Ryan coach Bernie Rogers and Wood coach Joe Sette.

DEC. 30
CARDINAL O'HARA TOURNEY FINAL
O'Hara 59, Lamberton 40
   A medium time, at best, was had by all. The atmosphere was quite non-electric -- where were O'Hara's students? -- and Lamberton had trouble getting much going, so the game was mostly a dud. O'Hara was often dreadful last year with a very young crew (6-18), but many of those guys are back and the improvement is obvious. The Lions will carry a 9-2 record into South play, and they should challenge for a playoff spot. The guards, jr. P Chris Myers and sr. W Mark Concannon, were intelligent and effective at both ends. Each had five assists and Myers (14) went 3-for-5 on treys. On defense, their pesky ways kept Lamberton's best player, sr. PG Robert Phillips, very quiet (six points; he did have five assists). Phillips is quick and a relentless penetrator, but Myers gave him some room and then stepped hard to spots to keep Phillips at bay. Sr. C Rich "Dickie V" Varrasse, of posting fame during FB season on Pa. Sports Wire, mixed 10 points and seven boards while banging against Lamberton's two way-bulky inside guys, jr. Leonard Chaplin and jr. backup Marcellus Miller. Sr. G-SF Gabe Diaz showed early hustle and scored seven of his eight points in the first half. That helped balance the absence of production from one of the most reliable Lions, jr. F Pat Kirby. Kirby did get it going in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 14 points. Jr. G-F Anthony Walters, the FB QB, had five rebounds. Frosh Mark Wedderburn, who looks to be about 6-4/6-5, hit all three of his shots for six points and added three boards in limited time. I have a strong suspicion we'll all get to know him much better as the years go on (in FB, also -- smile). While I was impressed that Phillips did not force things on an off night, I did feel he could have done a shade more to get his squad going. He's a talented kid and should have had no trouble getting off his shot. The next-best Blue Devil, sr. SF-WG Robert Green, shot 3-for-10 for six points. Jr. WG Nafis Ricks also showed a hint of life with seven points, five boards and four assists. When I took Lamberton's team photo beforehand, jr. G Derek Rhodes displayed a tattoo of a basketball on his hand. Above the ball are the words, "I've Got Game." I told him good-naturedly, "That remains to be seen." In this one, he mostly had bench (smile). He did post two boards and a steal in limited action. Brandon "Pooh" Gary, a Lamberton all-timer, was a locker-room visitor. I think I heard him tell Mitchell Kurtz, formerly the head coach and now assisting Alex Dejewski, that he's been playing overseas. That would make a lot of people very happy because Pooh was always a gentleman.

DEC. 29
HOLY GHOST PREP TOURNEY FINAL
Holy Ghost Prep 54, Frankford 47
   As sr. PG Ryan Smith said during an interview afterward, it was good, despite the loss, that Frankford played this kind of opponent because the Pioneers could face something similar in the PIAA playoffs two months from now (assuming they stay on course and get there). HGP would be a good fit in the CL North because it has discipline and pays attention to little things. Also, a few of its key players appear to have no fear. The Firebirds made extra passes again and again and often wound up with clear shots from both outside and inside the arc. Frankford has five rotation members back from a PL finalist. The leader is Smith, a feisty sort with a good build and presence. He totaled 10 points, three assists, three steals and even six rebounds. His backcourt partner most of the time was sr. Maurice Miller, currently being used as the sixth man. He hit three treys en route to 13 points while adding two assists. Jr. F Lewis Leonard got some good looks, but shot just 4-for-14 (13 points). He added six boards. The beefy Lorenzo Byrd, a sr., grabbed seven boards. Miller, Leonard and Byrd are lefties. The younger group was represented by soph G Kenny Spotwood and frosh F Malik Tinsley. (I'll comment on Spotwood later. It won't be pleasant.) Tinsley, springy and maybe 6-5, is a prospect. He's not yet a go-to guy, but he showed motivation on the glass (seven) and by challenging guys as they came down the lane (three blocks). Sr. Alfred Thomas, a backup guard, showed some juice. Late in the third quarter, a vintage sequence gave Frankford a 39-36 lead. At first Thomas was caught flat-footed as a Firebird leaked. But Thomas recovered and raced downcourt to catch up and block a layup attempt. Tinsley rebounded and got the ball to Smith, who pushed it hard and made a perfectly located flip that enabled Leonard to wolf down a dunk. But Frankford was rather blah thereafter and trailed by as many as 10. Now, for Spotwood. Sorry, my man, but this needs to be said. It's time to grow up. I've heard you're a good prospect, so I watched you closely. You rolled your eyes and whined on every call, even when the foul wasn't called on you, and when coach Bernie Handler removed you at one point in the second half, you stalked to the end of the bench area and, from a sitting position, slammed a nearby folding chair to the floor. Handler told you to pick up the chair or go to the locker room. You didn't. A teammate picked it up for you. (Bernie was coaching again by then and probably didn't see that.) He sent an assistant down to talk with you and you acted out to some degree with THAT guy. Across the way, I could see fans nudging each other and pointing to you. Bad behavior always draws attention. Actually, I thought it was wrong for Bernie to give you another chance, at least tonight, but he did and what did you do the first time a call went against you? Whined and made faces. Again. This team has big plans this season. You could be part of all kinds of fun. Or you could slip out of the starting lineup and far down the bench. Sorry if this comes off as harsh. I guess I'm just a little tired of seeing inappropriate behavior, especially from guys who have truly done nothing yet. Best of luck, and I mean this sincerely, as you work to get back in your coaches' (and teammates') good graces. It can be done. It starts with you. On a lighter note, Handler had a funny comment when a call finally went against HGP. "Hey, thanks a lot," he said to one of the refs. "That breaks a 6-nothing streak."

DEC. 28
ANOTHER LEVEL SPORTS/SPBP CLASSIC
Episcopal 83, Chester 68
   In its long, storied, glorious basketball history, I can't imagine Chester has been out-Chestered too often. It happened in this one. Episcopal did the intimidating with its athleticism and brassy ways and did so not at Chester High, but at Widener, which is IN Chester, which meant the Clippers had a large following in attendance. It's for good reason that Episcopal's Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson are considered the two best juniors in the five-county area (and beyond). Each was wonderful. The 6-4 Ellington, who has the jump-shooting ability of a classic wing guard and the slashing ability of a classic small forward, exploded for 30 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Henderson was just as impressive with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists. They would have been great this season anyway, but the WAY in which they're great, and something that will help them for their futures, has been the arrival via transfer of 6-9 jr. C Mike Yocum. His presence means the Big Two don't have to play out of position and it's not like he's only a body. Yocum had 11 points and seven boards and most of his plucks seemed to be made in heavy traffic; that part was impressive. Yocum and Henderson had two dunks apiece while Ellington had one. My DN story highlighted sr. PG Dylan Brown, a k a Mr. Feisty. He's 5-8, 145 pounds and will play lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan. He was also a star d-back. The Clippers tried to intimidate him a few times; it wasn't happening. Brown took care of the ball in smooth fashion and received help from soph G Pat Kelly, a transfer from Archbishop Wood. The lefty is cut from the same brassy cloth and when Brown sat down for a while, Kelly maintained the flow and treasured the ball in similar fashion. He finished with six assists. The other part for coach Dan Dougherty's squad is, in my mind, a perfect fit. Sr. F Joe Rosati lends toughness and off-the-ball common sense and since he has no basketball ego, no one has to worry about him whining about not getting many shots. As any coach would tell you, a player who knows and embraces his lesser-light role is important beyond belief. Rosati had six points and five rebounds and no doubt gave the Clippers a few bruises. Chester's large rooting section began to thin out with just over three minutes remaining and a mass exodus came shortly thereafter. Chester's lineup includes sr. WG Noel Wilmore, formerly of Germantown Friends, and sr. C Kent "Kenny" Tribbett, formerly of Carroll. Both are excellent students. Wilmore was unconscious early, pouring in the Clippers' first 19 points (!!!) with the help of four consecutive treys. He had 25 at halftime, thanks to SIX treys, then took only one shot in the third quarter mostly his teammates went off half-cocked. Strange. He finished with 32. Tribbett, who might attend Navy, did not score until late in the third quarter (on a dunk). His teammates somehow ignored him, too. Strange again.

DEC. 28
ANOTHER LEVEL SPORTS/SPBP CLASSIC
Gtn. Academy 68, Haddonfield (N.J.) 57
   This was a matter of a team with many good elements defeating a team with one tremendous element. This was my first look at Haddonfield's 7-1 Brian Zoubek, a junior. Phew, what a future! The kid can put the ball on the floor, and get to the basket from distance. He shows soft hands and strength and we can live with the fact that he's not exactly springy. Many NBA big guys who've enjoyed long careers have not been springy. Zoubek shot 13-for-19 and 9-for-14 for 35 points. He also had 10 rebounds and six blocks. The other players are point and wing guards and there's no one to help Zoubek inside. This team could use Joe Rosati (smile). GA received strong outings from sr. SF Randy Ayers (23 points, six boards) and soph PG Kyle Griffin (10 points, nine assists, six boards). Sr. F Brian Grimes also had six rebounds, along with 18 points. He shot 6-for-16 and missed six consecutive shots in the third quarter. For whatever reason, at least when I'm around, Brian always seems to have many "almosts" in terms of shots. He gets to the right spots and the shots look decent, but they just don't go in. He needs to finish! (Which I'm sure he knows.) Sr. WG-SF Kirk Jones had five assists along with seven points. GA's own big guy, 6-9 jr. Andrew Ott, banged with Zoubek, but had his effectiveness limited by foul trouble. He settled for six points, two boards. Zoubek scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and his three-point play moved Haddonfield within 49-47. But twice in the session, GA received three-point plays of its own to keep the Bulldogs at bay. They were provided by Grimes (for a 54-49 lead) and Grimes (for 61-54). Former Malvern coach Bud Tosti is assisting Dan Dougherty, as is Dan's son, Brian. Two of the good ones!

DEC. 27
AUGUSTINIAN SHOOTOUT
Cascia Hall (Tulsa, Okla.) 45, Bonner 43
   The Friars trailed by 23-11 at halftime and battled back to take the lead with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter. But as time melted away, soph G Jeff Jones, going for a tie to force OT, made a hard move to the basket from the right wing but had the ball deflected off his thigh as time expired. A CH player made one of two free throws at 0:07.2 Before that, Jones missed a trey and jr. F-C Brian Campuzano was pushed while grabbing the rebound. He missed a front end at 0:10.4. The 6-6 Campuzano (5 boards, 2 blocks) is normally a starter, but he came off the bench in this one after missing Sunday's practice with the flu. I was interested in seeing 6-8 sr. C Derrick Graff for the first time this season. He appeared to have lack-of-confidence issues in the past and I wanted to see a tiger-like approach. Graff was sufficiently aggressive. He had 13 boards and 4 blocks and at least 4-5 other times he forced the CH players to take bad shots or travel. On offense, he shot smooth face-up jumpers and even wandered beyond the arc. He had 11 points. Bonner used four different players at the point. Sr. Mike Heppler, a quality receiver in FB, got the start. Two little guys, srs. Jack Glacken and Phil D'Ambrosio (two assists), saw extended time in the first and second half, respectively. Jones also played out front on occasion and showed his rare combination of explosiveness and body control. Like his teammates, Jeff appeared a bit disinterested in the beginning. But later he began to cook and stir the crowd. On one sequence, he missed a short jumper on the left baseline but just LIFTED over everybody in I'm-soaring fashion and easily scored on a follow. He was the only guy on the floor who could have made that play. Jones shot 7-for-19 (two treys) and 9-for-9 for 25 points. He added five rebounds and two steals. I was unable to take Bonner's team pic before the game because I was interviewing Malvern's Zac Fordham. We'll try to do it later this season.

DEC. 27
AUGUSTINIAN SHOOTOUT
Malvern 84, Villanova Prep (Calif.) 43
   First, it must be acknowledged that VP was underwhelming talentwise (tough gritty) and did not offer Malvern much of a battle. Nevertheless, it was impossible not to get good vibrations from the Friars, especially in the areas of unselfishness and depth. Also, the body language and other telltale signs indicate that these guys like each other and the importance of that cannot be overemphasized. Coach John DeAngelis goes nine-10 deep in two kinds of players -- springy guards and sturdy, undersized inside players. Whether the Friars will be able to create any waves in the Inter-Ac remains very much to be seen. But I like them. I LIKE them. Jr. Gs Mike Creighton (10 points, nine assists) and Jimmie Cotton (12 points, two assists) can shoot and handle and they work well together. Sr. PF-C Matt Borgerson had nine boards and shot 4-for-5 en route to nine points. Sr. Tom Grandieri, another 4-man, basically, mixed seven points, three boards and the same number of assists and steals. Jr. G Kevin Dougherty had 11 points. Even the deeper subs were productive. Soph F Mike Francisco, a lefty, showed a smooth shot along the baseline and managed nine points. Sr. PG Austin Gadsden mixed five points, four boards and two assists while playing with as much authority as anyone else. Jr. F Dan Dolente had four points, six boards and two assists. The Friars showed patience against pressure, when necessary, but also were effective in transition. I got a chance to meet Malvern student reporter Andrew "Drew, for Two" Flanagan. The players were playfully busting his you-know-whats when I took his picture, and his face was kinda red. It shows (smile). Malvern AD Kurt Ruch is drawing raves from co-workers for the job he has done in putting together this tournament with six Augustinian schools from across the U.S. (two from Calif., one from Okla.) and Canada in addition to Bonner.

DEC. 26
EASTERN STATES TOURNEY (Hamilton, N.J.)
Judge 49, Bergen Catholic (N.J.) 44
   This was a nice win for the Crusaders. It was also a disappointing loss. Huh? Both schools are nicknamed the Crusaders (smile). The Judge version has to be feeling good after overcoming an 11-point deficit (29-18) in the final 12 minutes. The game had almost reached the point where you had the suspicion Judge was experiencing one of those days. The shots weren't falling and BC was using crisp passing to get easy baskets. But then, the tables flat-out turned. Judge started hitting and BC started making some bad decisions and little by little, our Crusaders outdid their Crusaders. The catalyst was sr. WG Damien Palantino. He packed 10 of his 15 points into the fourth quarter after starting off 2-for-10 and 1-for-8 on treys. His second trey of the session gave Judge its first lead, at 34-33, and his final bucket, a layup on pass from jr. F sub Chris Schwartz, put coach Bill Fox's squad ahead for good, at 36-34. Palantino busied himself with four steals in the earlier part of the game, when his shooting was off. Sr. C Art Livingston shot 6-for-12 and 5-for-6 for 17 points, and added 5 rebounds. Art is hardly Mr. Athlete, but he knows a lot about fakes and positioning and taking his time to still manage to thrive in traffic. He was surrounded by two-three players on pretty much every touch and a few times got caught in too deep, making for tough angles on his shots. He's a non-stop worker and emerging leader. Art must be listed as a senior, but he could wind up getting an extra year, like ex-stars Curtis Brinkley (FB, West Catholic) and Shane Clark (BB, Dougherty , even though he decided to move on anyway). The point was shared by jrs. James "J.J." Franklin and Will Taggert. The quick Franklin (10 points) had no trouble penetrating. Taggert did a great job late in the third quarter to help Judge rally with two steals and two assists. The other notable job was turned in by jr. 6-5 F Jim Schule. He helped break the press with sensible passes while adding two assists and three blocks. Judge has four lefties in its eight-man rotation -- Palantino, Franklin, jr. G Justin DeCristofaro (the FB QB) and sr. F Mike Briscella. Judge will play Tuesday night at 6 o'clock in a semifinal.

DEC. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Freire 55, Eng. and Science 45
   Freire last year won the Charter Schools title and has designs on making Pub (and state playoff) noise, so this one was important. First, let me kiddingly say that I need to see some birth certificates. A couple of the Dragons look very old and that group does not include 6-3 sr. WG Isaiah Coleman, who IS in his fifth year of high school (he played at Olney in '03) and was granted an extra year of eligibility due to personal issues. (His father died two years ago this January and Isaiah briefly went into a tailspin). His face and body are similar to ex-Dougherty star Shane Clark and so is his game, to some degree. Just after Coleman made a slicing, explosive move to the hoop, I said to stat assistant Jack "In the Box" Crouse, "He's like Shane Clark, a little." Jack said, "I was going to say that!" Coleman had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots while shooting 7-for-13 (one trey) and 4-for-5 at the line. The state schools are involved and some D-Is will be if he raises his SAT score 30 more points. Freire had only 7 players in uniform and the starters came close to going the distance. The inside forces were srs. Lavine Grimes (14 points, 5 rebounds) and James Morene (3 blocks). Morene, especially, looks ancient (smile). He mostly stays close to the basket. Grimes gets out on the floor a little and has a nice feel. Sr. WG Dwayne "Mister" Johnson, who once played at Parkway, had 7 points and 4 steals. He made several clutch plays during an 11-2 run that staked the Dragons to a 46-35 lead. The point guard is sr. Malik McClellan, who is listed at 5-1. He's an energetic, tough kid; his lack of height was never an issue. He added 8 points and 5 steals. E&S was missing its leading scorer, sr. G-SF Marquis Coates (tender knee), and none of the other Engineers is truly a flat-out, go-to guy. Sr. F Rodney Norris, who goes about 6-4, is receiving offers from D-IIs and his SAT score is over 1,000, so something nice is going to happen for him. He posted 12 points, 9 boards and 5 assists and made intelligent decisions again and again. Sr. G-F Fred Gresham scored 17 points, showing a nice touch on mid-range jumpers. Soph PG Jaret Richardson went toe to toe with McClellan and fared OK with 8 points and 2 steals. Freire coach Lawrence Threadgill and assistant Anthony Davis did a nice job with their squad. The Dragons played unselfishly and rarely went off half-cocked. Not an easy accomplishment in The Bathtub, E&S' absolutely wild gym. I must say, however, that I was disappointed that Coleman wasn't benched, at least for a short spell, after receiving a technical foul with 2:58 left. Every so often, even if it's risky, a message needs to be sent. It was nice to see two recent E&S stars, Justin Scott and Michael Ganier. Going to 17th and Norris is always a pleasure because the kids are spirited and well-behaved and coach C.M. Brown is one of the league's true gentlemen. Dobbins on Tuesday, E&S on Thursday. True great venues in one week. Gotta love it.

DEC. 22
NON-LEAGUE SHOWDOWN
Gtn. Academy 45, SJ Prep 31
   Can there be anything worse than shooting 25 percent from the floor? How about 15 percent from Three-Point Land? And, as the clock winds down, being ordered by your coach to stay near halfcourt and not attempt a shot, presumably because he couldn't bear to watch another miss? St. Joseph's Prep has enjoyed some wonderful moments under coach Speedy Morris; this wasn't one of them. The Hawks shot 12-for-48 overall and 3-for-20 on treys. Two starters went scoreless and a third came within 2 1/2 minutes of doing so. Phew! Did GA play great defense? I don't know that "great" is the word. The Patriots played "motivated" defense, to be sure, and had taller guys on smaller guys in pretty much every possible matchup. But Prep had some decent looks and/or barely contested shots and just could not convert. One of those head-scratching nights, troops. My DN story centered on GA's Ryan Ayers, a 6-7 swingman who last week signed with Notre Dame after making an oral commitment last spring. He's still a forward first, but he's more of a guard second than ever before and more than once he came all the way out front to handle the ball and take some pressure off soph PG Kyle Griffin. Ayers, playing on a tender ankle, shot 5-for-10 and 4-for-4 for 14 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and collected 2 steals. He also spent some time covering Prep jr. F Reggie Redding, who shot just 7-for-18 en route to 16 points. Those duties mostly were assigned to 6-7 sr. F Brian Grimes, who will also wind up with a D-I program. Grimes is lanky and springy and he fared well against Redding, who relies more on smarts and positioning than off-the-charts athleticism. Early, it appeared Grimes was headed for a memorable night as he posted four first-quarter field goals. However, he reeled off 10 consecutive misses and finished just 5-for-19 en route to 12 points. Griffin is very similar to North Catholic soph Andrew Pomager in that he can use both hands effectively. He dribbles with his left hand much more often than not, but shoots mostly righthanded. That gives defenders fits. Sr. WG Kirk Jones is mostly the does-the-little-things member of this unit. He's a live wire, though, constantly flicking at the ball and jumping into passing lanes, etc. He grabbed eight rebounds. Six-nine jr. C Andrew Ott was rarely a factor on offense. He did grab nine boards. GA immensely helped its cause by committing no turnovers through the middle two quarters. With 4:38 left, GA's lead went to 34-24 as Ayers hit a pair of free throws. (It should have been a 3-point play, but Ott unwisely hit the ball on its way in and earned a dressing down from coach Jim Fenerty.) A free throw by Ott and Ayers' left-wing jumper pushed the spread to 13 points and that caused some people -- about 1,500 were on hand at Arcadia (nee Beaver) -- to start heading for the exits. The Prep had a hint of life left. A basket by jr. sub Mike McCauley on a pass from jr. G Dave Stefanski cut GA's lead to 39-31 and was followed quickly at 1:04 by a turnover. Redding failed to connect on a right-wing trey and the evacuation of spectators intensified. The misses in this game were weird. On most the shots were long and it made me wonder if maybe the baskets were maybe 9 feet, 10 or 11 inches? Probably not, of course, but stranger things have happened.

DEC. 21
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Dobbins 49, Straw. Mansion 45
   What a strange game! Dobbins owned the first half to the tune of 25-11. Manson won the third quarter, 23-4. Dobbins won the fourth, 20-11. Told you it was strange (smile). My DN story focused on Dobbins sr. SF Steve Sydnor, who had 3 rebounds and 4 assists and packed all 9 of his points into the fourth quarter by shooting 3-for-3 and 3-for-3 at the line. Steve has strong grades and a qualifying SAT score and he's receiving FB recruiting interest from Temple and North Carolina along with many of the D-II state schools. Oh, and he also played the piano at a recent school ceremony honoring Dawn Staley. He's one of the school district's gems and everyone wishes him the best. Sr. F Kassim Green shot 6-for-7 and 6-for-9 for 18 points and grabbed 7 boards. He and soph Chris Edwards (11 points, 12 boards) are similar in that they can step away from the basket to shoot, but also show inner toughness, when necessary. Edwards at the moment takes a little bit of extra time to collect his body and go up for jumpers, but he's fundamentally sound and could be quite good in time. Sr. PG Dujuan Anderson was a shade out of control at times. He seemed to get swept up in the crowd's excitement exactly when the Mustangs needed him NOT to. He's a quick, talented kid, though, and he'll undoubtedly regroup. Sr. WG-SF Damon Griffin, a FB star like Sydnor, damn near jumped into the basket after making a steal and three-quarter court drive. The place went nuts!! Mansion missed 14 of its first 17 shots while falling behind, 23-8. The Knights seriously got it rolling in the third quarter, though, and jr. WG Matthew "Moo" Johnson led the way. He drained two treys en route to a 10-point frame and was cookin', big time. The Knights' one key senior, WG Leon "Squeek" Rollins (that's what he prefers -- not "Squeak"), went just 3-for-14 from the floor. No one had more than 4 boards for Mansion. Jr. frontcourt sub Chaz Philpot converted a follow with 2:47 left and suffered an injury, causing him to leave the game. Sr. Tyree Saunders came off the bench and, in clutch fashion, hit the free throw. Here's how the stretch unfolded: Johnson's jumper created a 45-45 tie at 1:26. But there was a foul just after Johnson released the ball and Green went to the line for a one-and-one at the other end. He made, then missed, then got fouled taking a jumper when the ball bounced right back to him. He made two this time for a 48-45 edge. The teams traded turnovers, then Mansion held to the waning moments and Johnson air-balled a trey from the top of the key. Green hit a front half at 0:04 to remove the suspense. Dobbins coach Rich Yankowitz was beside himself afterward. He was amazed by the day's events (when he wasn't disgusted -- smile) and could not believe he had to use three timeouts in the third quarter to try to curb Mansion's momentum. "What were we doing out there?" he asked. "I couldn't believe it."

DEC. 17
NON-LEAGUE
North Catholic 60, Penn Charter 45
   The first ball should have been tossed up by John LeClair. And the players should have been issued skates. The floor in North's legendary gym is wood, but it was slippery beyond belief and only a miracle prevented a serious injury, especially considering that the stands are literally right next to the floor on both sides. The rumor is that the floor will be refinished over the holidays. One can only hope! This game had some redeeming qualities, but overall it was sloppy with way too many unforced errors and poor shooting from the floor. PC, for instance, missed 20 of its first 22 FG attempts while falling into a 19-4 hole. North has incurred more than its share of injury problems so far this season. Now, however, all the pieces are in place and the Falcons, assuming togetherness and unselfishness (along with sensible play) could make some overall CL noise. Jr. Hanif Edwards (8 assists) is quick and extra slick, especially on penetration, and he'll cause problems for many an opposing PG this season. Sr. WG John Adamski (22 points) is a quick-draw artist and can hit from WAY deep. Sr. C Jeremy Coombs almost never gets an entry pass, but keeps hustling nonetheless. Jr. WG Nate Edwards is a stop-and-pop type and he'll have some big outings this season; this wasn't one of them (8 points, 3-for-10 floor). Soph G-F Andrew Pomager (13 points, 11 boards) is highly athletic and skilled and can dribble/pass/shoot with either hand with no problem. I swear this kid has some Pistol Pete Maravich tapes in his collection. He'd be a big favorite on the Pub trail. My early thought on the guy who could make a big difference: jr. PF-C Joe Rod. He's one of the only Falcons without an ego and appears to have no problems doing dirty work. He had 8 points and at least 2 blocks in his first game of the season (injury), and he's something of a fan favorite, too. Graduation decimated the Quakers and sr. WG Zack Zeglinski, who suffered a knee injury just before FB began, is still out. He MIGHT make it back late in the season. Sr. F R.J. Hollinshead was not in attendance (maybe on a college trip for FB?) Coach Jim "Flipper" Phillips had to be happy with his team's effort. The Quakers claimed 17 offensive rebounds and were alive deep into the game. These guys did some serious popping. They went 4-for-29 on treys! Jr. F Brian Teuber scrapped for 15 points. Jr. G-F R.J. Lyons had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Jr. SF Joe Rauchut had 6 boards. Soph WG Sammy Zeglinski scored just 7 points, but he showed brass and quickness and it will not surprise if he becomes the best hoopster in the family. Like guys for three-quarters of a century, though, he became a victim of The Pit's low ceiling beams. Two of his second-half jumpers thudded off the beams (as did an inbound pass against the press by Pomager). Because of Adamski's sniping and Pomager's passing skills as a point forward, I'm guessing North will face a lot of man-to-man this season. Will the Falcons remain calm and collected? If so, they could experience lots of fun.

DEC. 16
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Germantown 73, Swenson 38
   All day I had an uneasy feeling about going to Germantown. Bartram was playing Southern. Frankford was playing Mastbaum. I kept asking myself, "Should I really go to Bok-Germantown? Ah, what the heck." So then I walk in the front door and start talking with a kid and he says, "We're not playing Bok. We're playing Swenson." Oh, brother! Somehow I got hold of a bad schedule and it was true: Swenson was at G-town. Swenson has a quality guard in sr. Vincent Tucker-Hall, but he was off and he experienced some injury-foul problems and finished with just 6 points. Two of his teammates were out with injuries of their own and three others were unavailable due to academic miseries, so . . . Quite a bad tilt. G-town is mostly young and inexperienced, but there were a few things to like. My DN story highlighted sr. F Xavier "X/X-man" Shaw, a role player with an ability to contribute in many areas. He had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. The other senior in the rotation is 6-5 Devon Price. D-III alert! He's fundamentally sound and can shoot face-up jumpers and I can picture him getting to be pretty darn good over the years. Jr. WG Tyrell Coleman popped in 16 points and dished 6 assists. Another jr. G, Kevin Smith, has perfect shooting form. Perfect! Elevation, release, rotation, follow-through. This kid should make shooting videos (smile). He went 6-for-8 en route to 15 points and his makes hit dead-center of the bottom of the net. Two were treys. Late in the game he played some point. A jr. with some bulk, a lefty named Elijah Clark, had 10 points and 11 boards. He was tricky and effective close to the hoop. For Swenson, sr. G Dwayne Fair went 4-for-8 on treys en route to 12 points. One of the refs was Norman Winston, a tough-guy guard on West Philly's late 1970s powerhouses. He did a great job controlling the game and keeping it flowing. Also deserving of credit is G-town coach Otis Hackney. The Bears played smart and unselfishly throughout. I hung out beforehand with Mike Hawkins, G-town's FB coach and AD. With obvious pride, he showed me how well the weight room is coming along. There are many kinds of weights and machines. Impressive! "Hawk" is excited that the Bears' stadium will become a Super Site, mostly because the lights will allow for longer practices once the time change takes place.

DEC. 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Overbrook 72, West Phila. 59
   Even though both programs are shadows of their former selves, a visit to 'Brook-West is still a highlight. Those who play and those who show up to watch care deeply about the result and for an oldhead (smile) such as myself, it's impossible not to think about the many great battles through the years (and even tell a few stories to some of Overbrook's football players, especially about the day in 1978 when the Panthers snapped West's state-record, 68-game winning streak. What a scene THAT was!!) Anyway, this one had its own memory-making thanks to 6-4 sr. F Tyrick "Pookie" Moy. Thanks in part to West's mostly horrible shot selection and even moreso due to his hustle and pogo-sticking abilities (he jumps three times to your two times), Moy swept 25 rebounds. Yes, 25. He also shot 8-for-16 and 7-for-10 for 23 points and dished 2 assists. Moy missed last season while attending Twilight School, which runs from mid-afternoon to early evening, but he did what was necessary to return to the principal's good-kid list and now he hopes to reap some rewards. D-III is a definite and the only thing that keeps me from saying D-IIs should be all over him is this: West had little inside height or savvy. I'd need to see him against someone who could better contest his shots and box him out. But take this much to the bank: His instincts and work ethic are excellent and he's one of those guys who's always going forward and getting full extension. The other frontcourt senior, Emanual Talbert, totaled 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He's light on his feet and he's constantly moving, and he rarely longer holds the ball longer than necessary. He was particularly effective on the baseline, and that's not often easy. One of the promising FB players, jr. Talie Ellis, used his bulk to claim 8 boards. Coach Sam Jacobs is trying different combos at guard. Jr. Malik Foman and srs. Robert Riley and Michael Jones did OK early. Late, jr. Raheem Davis (VERY quick, lefthanded and tiny) and jr. Kylieff Brown (9 points in a flash) created stirs with freaky-deaky moves and finishes. They bear watching. As for West . . . Can you see the puzzled look on my face? The new coach, Al Davis, wants to run and run and run some more, as evidenced by the fact he kept yelling, "Go! Go! Push it! Push it!" But the Speedboys became the Sluggishboys and Tiredboys as the game progressed because they weren't in the greatest shape and that caused almost every missed shot to be short. West hit 5 early treys, then missed 17 in a row until the very last moments of the game. Sr. combo G Malik Wright had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, and got those numbers in semi-quiet fashion. He WAS in shape and went hard the whole time. Sr. PF-C Raheem Williams banged for 15 points and 9 caroms. The Watson brothers, sr. William and jr. Jamal, did their usual role-playing things. Davis got the job very late after it appeared two former Speedboy stars, Eric Williams and Mike Monroe, were going to run the squad mostly in tandem. Eric said he's now the JV coach. Though I do love run-and-gun basketball and it makes much sense for the undersized Speedboys, some fine-tuning is EXTRA necessary. Help will come soon if F Glenn Goodman, likely the team's best player, is granted an extra year of eligibility. His hearing is Friday, he said. It was nice to see another ex-Speedboy, Mark Davis, whose daughter is a 'Brook cheerleader. Mark ('83) was a 3-sport athlete, unheard of even in those times and when I wrote a story about him, we ran a picture of him juggling a football, basketball and baseball. In his senior year, the Speedboys went to Las Vegas for a tournament and I covered it for the paper. Lots of fun. Arrangements were made for the squad to meet entertainer Lola Falana, a Germantown grad, at the casino where she was appearing, and we all hung out with her briefly. Was Mark the one who tried to ask for a date?? (smile). I forget for sure. I'll have to look that up and get back to you. (Nah, it wasn't Mark. It was John Allison. Here's part of my story: "During the time the team spent on the stage with Lola, the biggest ham probably was sub guard John Allison, who even put his arm around Falana's waist for one picture. "I'd like to take her out if I could," Allison said. "Can you get me her phone number?") One last tidbit: One of Mark's b-ball teammates was Marc Anderson, father of West Catholic FB star Marques Slocum.

DEC. 13
NON-LEAGUE
SJ Prep 53, Gratz 49
   You could have walked around the gym at Phila. Community and introduced yourself to everyone in attendance within maybe 3 minutes, which was quite a shame considering the caliber of the combatants. Gratz is THE premier program in The Pub and SJ Prep has earned upper-echelon status under coach William "Speedy" Morris along with the last two CL crowns. So if you expected a goodie, you were correct. Was it tremendous? Was it an all-timer? Nah, not really. It's mid-December, don't forget. But the game was more than adequate for those seeking an early fix featuring quality programs. It was also slightly strange. Prep won despite shooting under 33 percent (13-for-37) from the floor and allowing Gratz to shoot almost 60 (22-for-38, 58 percent). So how'd Prep win? With a 10-0 run to close the game, by outscoring Gratz on treys, 18-3, and by going 21-for-28 at the line to 4-for-9 for Gratz. The Hawks' hero was jr. F Reggie Redding, who's as smart and sensible as they come and, oh, yeah, he can PLAY, too. He surged to 18 points in the first half and finished with 26, shooting 5-for-10 (3 treys) and 13-for-14 at the line. He also had 9 rebounds. The best thing was, he didn't act like a baby when his teammates had trouble getting him the ball for almost the entire second half. We'll now hit you with some late-game details: The Prep began its comeback from 49-43 when sr. PG Joe Fox (12 points, 3 assists) hit a right-wing trey on a pass from jr. G Dave Stefanski. The next three points, at 0:49, came courtesy of a layup and free throw from Redding, off a pass from Fox. Sr. G Corey O'Rourke (6 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals) tipped the ball away from jr. WG Malik Alvin (14 points) into the arms of frosh F Larry Loughery, who hit a double bonus for a 51-49 edge at 0:32. Gratz set up Alvin for a jumper beyond the left end of the foul line. It missed, but inside force Ameer Ali (10 points, 11 boards), a 6-4 sr., grabbed the rebound and was hacked. He missed a front end and Redding, the rebounder, hit two free throws to clinch the win. Sr. F-C Abdullah Moon had 8 points and 5 boards for Gratz while sr. PG Jamar Bruce dished 5 assists. The foul trouble caused Gratz coach Leonard Poole to go deep into his bench and guess what, he might have found something! Frosh PG Charles White had 7 points in 11 minutes and was mostly sturdy with the ball. Another frosh PG, Velton Jones, hit a big basket before the Bulldogs' late cold spell. It was a lefthanded flip shot, too. Alvin, a transfer from Lincoln, still shows tremendous elevation/form on his jumper, and he could be a big-timer. Ali, a transfer from Roxborough, has a tough-guy, enforcer look. Jr. F Sean Gilbert was mostly responsible for muffling Redding for a while.

DEC. 10
NON-LEAGUE
Central 53, Eng. and Science 33
   This one was played at night on Central's new surface (the old floor was destroyed by flooding) and the atmosphere was special. Every inch of the stands was occupied and both schools had all kinds of gals in cheerleading/pep squad units making deafening noise and providing booty-shakin' entertainment. This was my season's first look at Central sr. Scott Rodgers, an athletic wing guard bound for Drexel. Rodgers has received a lot of early attention and probably felt a need to justify it in front of all the people. So he forced things a few times and was mildly out of control. No biggie. We'll forgive him (smile). Rodgers has very quick feet and an ability to maintain body control even while moving at high rates of speed. He has that always-go-forward mentality, too, and quickly rises for jumpers. His stats: He shot 8-for-24 from the floor and 6-for-8 at the line for 22 points. He added three rebounds, three steals. By the way, Rodgers pumped home 115 points in four games this week and it was very fitting that one of Central's 1,000-point career scorers, Craig Wise, was in attendance. They have similar styles and Craig had some big outbursts in a Lancer playoff run in '91 (46 points in back-to-back games, in fact!). Jr. PG Rashiid Coleman mostly made sensible decisions and showed no hesitancy to bomb away with treys (3-for-7 en route to 13 points). That could help when teams gang up on Rodgers. Jr. WG-SF Kenny St. George mixed three assists, three steals. Also important was sr. F Andre Woodlin. He missed all nine of his shots from the floor (ouch!) but hustled for six boards, three assists and six steals. Soph WG Marcus Morris -- hey, second straight day I've seen someone by that name; Prep Charter's Marcus Morris is part of a twin-brother combo -- scored all of his seven points in the first half. E&S' only productive player was sr. F-C Rodney Norris, a strong kid with no fear. He totaled 16 points, 12 boards and three blocks. Sr. WG-SF Marquis Coates was hampered all night by foul trouble. He has a sweet stroke, but you can't shoot from the bench. The Engineers, quite uncommonly, have no true point guard. Ex-Franklin coach Ken Hamilton, a true PL legened, is helping E&S boss C.M. Brown. Drexel coach Bruiser Flint was on hand to watch Rodgers.