DEC. 30
NON-LEAGUE
Ryan 58, Hoboken (N.J.) 46
   This was going to be part of the Jameer Nelson Holiday Classic, but a scheduling snafu intervened and the teams opted to play at Ryan. The Raiders established early control and maintained from there and collected a nice win over a respectable team. They also completed an encouraging two-day stretch. On Thursday, at Widener, Ryan bested Abington Friends and its two D-I signees, Jason Love (Xavier) and Andrew Jones (Penn State). As all CL true fans are aware, Ryan is playing this season without star SF-WG Joe Zeglinski, one of the more productive players in Northern Division history. Joe shredded his knee during FB season and, from what I'm told, is not yet ready to run in the aftermath of an operation. If he makes it back, that'll be great. But the Raiders must proceed as though it won't happen and all seven guys in the rotation appear ready for the challenge. Once again coach Bernie Rogers has the Raiders playing as one. Do you know hard that is? Do you know how easy it would be for one guy to mutter, "I should be the man," and fire away at will with little regard for the overall good? In this entire game, I don't think one Raider took a truly bad shot. Sure, a few were moderately ill-advised, but I'm telling you, there were truly NO bad shots. Amazing and deserving of praise! I forget the exact number, but at least the first seven Ryan baskets came courtesy of assists and, overall, there were 15 dimes on 21 baskets. Soph Andrew Rogers (three A's) and jr. Eric Dethloff (five) took turns running the point and had all kinds of fun with back-door feeds against a squad that likely had not confronted such an offense. Sr. C Kevin Hudgeons totaled 16 points (6-for-9) and eight rebounds, along with two assists and two steals. More than ever, I'm convinced that Kevin could be a productive player in the lower levels of D-I, at least, because he has learned to maximize his size (spreading out on rebounds, for instance) and to keep going forward. He hit about a 16-foot jumper and even flipped home a lefthanded hook. Also, he has learned to refrain from jumping until there's an absolute need, which cuts down on his foul difficulties. My DN story highlighted sr. WG Mike Varanavage, who packed 10 of his 15 points into the third quarter. Mike is leaning toward attending Valley Forge MA for football. The frontcourt is well-occupied by srs. Mars Shah (10 points, six boards), Jon Bruce (nine, five) and Greg Williams (four boards, three assists). Of the top seven guys, three are lefties (Shah, Bruce and Dethloff). People always think I'm nuts when I say this, but teams with competent lefties have an advantage. In the long history of hoops, no one has yet figured out how to play them. Most teams are "righthanded" and do much of their scoring from that side of the floor. Ryan is just as effective from the left and that's especially important for a team that relies so much on precision and back-door plays. Meanwhile, I must ask, does Andrew Rogers ever smile? His expression is exactly the same from beginning to end (poker face) and it's quite amazing to see (smile). Bernie Rogers is Andrew's brother and, if I remember correctly, he also remained expressionless throughout his Ryan career. I know one thing, though: if Andrew is like his brother in another way, his competitive fires, no matter what's (or isn't) on his face, burn white-hot.

DEC. 29
PHILA. SPORTS ADMINISTRATION FINAL
Dobbins 70, King 64
   I liked this one a lot. When the score is this high, there has to be up-and-down zooming and unavoidable sloppiness. But there were also some tremendous plays and contributions from all kinds of players, especially those off the bench for King, and the only sad part was that no more than 25 spectators were on hand at Vogt RC for this 11 a.m. tilt. While there's no doubting that sr. WG-SF Justin Hayes could have gotten the ink, I'm confident I made a good choice in going with sr. PF Michael Harris. Michael was a first team DN All-Pub receiver and ranks third in the class with a 4.0 grade-point average. He's also a budding culinary whiz and these are the kinds of young men who deserve attention. Doing strictly the little things, Harris managed to total 16 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. OK, now for Hayes. This guy has talent. He reminds me of Frankford's Lewis Leonard in that he's able to get his shots against all varieties of defenses/defenders, yet usually remain under control while getting them. Hayes was a lesser light last season, scoring just 41 points total, but he has obviously worked hard and is truly The Man for this squad. Hayes totaled 25 points and the Mustangs struggled when he had to sit down with foul trouble. Sr. PF-C Vincent Evans shot just 2-for-9 en route to six points, but claimed 12 rebounds. Sr. WG-SF Terrance "T-Bird" Cox also was quietly effective with 11 points, nine boards and two assists. He also helped with ballhandling. Jr. PG Akeem Todd had four assists and three steals, but like others, he had some late-game struggles after a decision to stall wound up backfiring. By February, I think Dobbins could be making some noise as long as the players honor their roles and continue to achieve cohesion. King also looked OK to good, depending. The Cougars did slit their wrists by going 12-for-26 at the line, though. Truly brutal. The most skilled offensive player is sr. WG Darnell Moore, who shot 6-for-11 (two treys) for 15 points. He added three steals and two assists. Sr. SF Zane Oxley also has respectable skills. But while Moore mostly took sensible shots, Oxley mixed in some wild ones. Sr. PF Marquis Clark, a lefty and the FB QB, contributed 14 points and five boards mostly by doing the little things, like Harris. Jr. PG Marcus McQueen, a sub, fueled the Cougars' comeback with strong hustle and frisky ways. Sr. WG Donte Stratton, another sub, swished a big trey to get things rolling (his teammates were not surprised, so he must have a shooter's rep) and late in the game was clutch with two steals and an assist. With 0:47 left, Stratton's steal and pass ahead to sr. WG Brandon Holmes allowed King to close within 64-62. Hayes then made a LONG inbound pass to Harris, who made an impressive, leaping catch but took two quick stutter-steps as he came down and was called for walking. King committed a backcourt violation and Dobbins answered with a basket by sr. PF-C Dominic Slaughter on a pass from jr. backup PG Marcellus Willoughby. From there: Stratton passed to Clark for a bucket; Hayes converted a one-and-one; Slaughter made a steal; and Harris drained two free throws. A funny moment came early in the third quarter when a woman (maybe his mom?) yelled at Hayes, "I love you! Gimme a kiss!" Later, referring to a Dobbins player, Darnell Moore said, "He's soft! Look in his eyes!" Ex-Dobbins coach Rich Yankowitz was in attendance. Also, it's nice to see that Quincy Marshall is still around, helping new Dobbins boss Greg Moore. They worked well together when Greg was coaching at King and two of the stars were Quincy Sr.'s son, Quincy (Del. State), and nephew, Wayne (Temple). All five starters for King's '02 squad (the Marshalls, forwards Darron Bradley and Akeem Wright, guard Raheem Scott) have played D-I ball, as has '03 grad Stefon "D.J." Jackson, who's now at UTEP. Pretty amazing. Bradley and Scott played at Coppin, but have since transferred. Bradley's now at East Stroudsburg. Scott's sitting out this year at Holy Family. Wright is playing for Kansas State after a JC stint. Meanwhile, Bradley's brother, Dwayne, a senior forward, is a starter for King this season.

DEC. 28
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 44, La Salle 39
   Only a short time before this twice-postponed tilt was ready to start, it appeared the coaches, statmen and refs might outnumber the regular spectators. But by tipoff, 27 fans were in the Burrdome and the number later absolutely swelled to 55. Was this game a classic? Hardly. Did both teams play hard and derive some benefits? Assuredly. West lost a handful of expected/possible rotation members to poor academics and another blow was suffered when star FB player John Maddox opted not to play this season (though he was in the gym beforehand after a weightlifting session). Three more FB players -- soph F Eric Brennan (quarterback), backup soph PG Dennis Shaw (RB) and sr. PF-C Roosevelt Ben (lineman) -- have been in the fold for a while and two more FB players, big'uns Chris Farmer and Kirk Hinton, have just joined the squad. The one true hoopster is sr. WG-SF Chris Mayo, who exhibits a rather decent blend of ability and smarts. In past reports, Huck has noted that Mayo should be more assertive when it comes to taking shots. Today he went 7-for-15 (one trey) en route to 18 points while also posting nine rebounds and five steals. When outside production was not available, Mayo showed a knack for breaking to the hoop and converting passes from his teammates. Brennan had just one late field goal (eight points), but did snag six rebounds. Jr. WG Jerome McRae, an active lefty, managed 10 points, seven boards and three steals. He helped his team's cause by going 4-for-4 at the line in the fourth quarter. Also, with the outcome still in doubt, he stole an inbound pass under La Salle's bucket. He then passed to Shaw and Dennis fired the ball ahead to Mayo for a back-breaking layup. Sr. F Courtney Jackson claimed seven boards. La Salle is still very young under second-year coach Joe Dempsey and this season does not hold great promise. I loved the players' enthusiasm, though, and there appeared to be sincere togetherness. There was organized clapping from the bench guys and the coaches also were into it, big time. (A little too much at one juncture as an assistant received a tech for riding ref Bob Pembleton.) The most impressive Explorer was soph WG Clay Penecale. He scored 17 points, going 2-for-8 on treys. Penecale has good feet and bouncy ways and should be a very productive player over the course of his career. As Huck noted, he's the only Explorer, for the moment, who can actually take his man off the dribble and not have to be set up. Running the show is soph lefty Mike Topley, who was absolutely tiny last season and has grown at least a little. He's still as feisty and smart as ever and to his eight points he added not only two assists, but five boards! The other main soph, PF-C Joe Migliarese, was limited to two points and five boards. Sr. F Bill Warrender, the one senior of note, endured a no-points outing (0-for-6 floor). Never stopped hustling, however. At one point, Dempsey called a timeout when a backup PG was in the lineup and implored him to be more assertive. He said, "I'm in a coat and tie. You're out there. YOU be the leader! Tell the guys what you want to run!" One sign that Huck has seen too many West games: he correctly predicted a trick inbound play used late in the game (smile). Mayo was the subject of my DN story. Even though West won, coach Bill Ludlow talked to the Burrs for 5, 10, maybe 15-plus minutes afterward. In the hallway, a parent noted with a laugh, "If my son ain't out here in a minute, I'm going in to get him. This is a holiday week. We got things to do!" I told the woman, "Imagine if they'd lost. We might be waiting 'til midnight." When Mayo finally came out, I took his phone number and said I'd call him roughly an hour later. I badly needed a quarter-pounder with cheese, no onions. But when I cell-phoned The Wife, she said she'd actually give me leftovers from Christmas dinner. And would even warm them up. And would save the arsenic for some future occasion. No wonder I love her (ha ha).

DEC. 27
JAMEER NELSON HOLIDAY CLASSIC
SJ Prep 57, Central 33
  Simply put, SJ Prep has more experience and more weapons and that showed in bold relief over time. You know you're lacking an inside presence when your leading rebounder is a small guard, as sr. Rashiid Coleman (five boards) was for Central. Meanwhile, soph F-C Larry Loughery consumed 17 caroms for Prep in addition to shooting 5-for-7 and 4-for-6 for 14 points. Central's only chance was to receive, and ride, a big performance by sr. WG-SF Kenny St. George. But he was rendered mostly ineffective by tough defense provided by three different guys -- sr. F James Oberlies, then sr. backup F Mike McCauley, then sr. G-F Reggie Redding. Oberlies had to leave with what was at least a strained Achilles tendon. Hopefully, the injury was not more severe. Meanwhile, it says a lot that Redding, who's so important to everything that Prep does on offense, was willing to dig down so deeply and give his all at the defensive end, as well. It's one of the qualities that makes him so special. RR also had 13 points, seven boards, three assists, two steals and even three blocks. The snipers were their usual selves. Sr. WG Dave Stefanski and jr. PG Matt Griffin hit three treys apiece. Stefanski is going to ruin his reputation as only a bombardier only (smile). He had four assists and four steals! For Central, Coleman hit two early treys, yet had to settle for eight points total. Aside from Coleman and St. George, the other Lancers appeared to have big-game jitters. They're still feeling their way. (This game was right after Gratz' and I had to wait a while to do the interview. We'll try to get Central's team pic later this season. There are some mildly acceptable action pics in good, ol' Special Photos -- smile.)

DEC. 27
JAMEER NELSON HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Gratz 51, Spalding (Md.) 33
   This wound up being a mismatch, but did produce an occurrence I doubt I'd seen in 35 years of covering high school hoops. In the third quarter, Gratz soph PG Velton Jones drove for three consecutive three-point plays! I could see a big guy having enough strength to absorb contact and make field goals, but a waterbug guard? Anyway, it happened and, of course, Jones hit the free throws and it was all very cool to see. Three straight three-point plays. Don't ever forget it, OK? (smile) And if YOU get to see it someday, you'll be able to say, "I remember reading about that one time." Jones finished with 13 points and three assists and it looks like he wants to be the answer to the Bulldogs' point guard situation (the expected starter, soph Charles White, transferred to American Christian.) Sr. WG Malik Alvin (UTEP signee) had a nothing-special outing, though he did shoot 7-for-7 at the line en route to 11 points. He just wasn't much of a factor, though like Jones and others he was very active in Gratz' zone, thus assuring that Spalding would get almost no clean looks the entire game. Jr. F-C Ishmawiyl McFadden had nine points and eight boards, and appears to be coming more comfortable in his new surroundings. Starting on the inside was sr. Brandon Combs, who according to Amauro was only a JV player last year at Penn Wood, in Yeadon. Early, he merely slinked around to open spots and posted a trio of field goals. Sr. F Sean Gilbert missed his only three shots, but dished four assists and again showed good-teammate tendencies.

DEC. 27
JAMEER NELSON HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Tatnall (Del.) 55, Frankford 50
   Frankford's chances were hampered by the absence of 6-4 soph F Antwaine Brown, who received two techs in the previous game (one for hanging on the rim after a dunk, of all things) and thus was ineligible to compete. Only two Pioneers have much experience and the headliner is sr. WG-SF Lewis Leonard, a lefty. Leonard has truly grown as a player and his grasp on how to play is better than ever. Only a couple times did he shoot just to shoot. He always did things with an idea, a purpose, and as always bordered on uncoverable. Though he made just nine of his 27 shots, I had no complaints with how he played. He's one of the few guys in the city with enough range to take threes and then maneuver around two-three defenders and explode upward for vicious dunks. He finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists. When he begins his treks to the basket, the other guys need to learn to camp out beyond the arc. No. 1, that'll give Leonard more room to operate. No. 2, he now has enough sense not to force if a decent shot is unavailable. He WILL kick it out for treys and the guys need to be in position for those looks. Jr. WG Kenny Spotwood, the other Pioneer with extensive experience, totaled 12 points, seven boards and two assists. Soph F-C Malik Tinsley, who's long and lean, was active and effective in spurts. One day, hopefully soon, the light will go on for this kid and he'll make major contributions again and again. Soph PG Malik Ballard also showed well in spots. Meanwhile, I absolutely loved Tatnall sr. G Jawan Carter, who's bound for Saint Joe's. He showed tremendous range and touch (5-for-8 on treys) en route to 28 points and also appeared to have a firm grip on how to set up teammates. His build is already solid and he gives off that certain I'm-a-player aura without being jerky about it. Dare I say this? He reminds me of Jameer. I wonder if Phil Martelli feels the same way? I'm guessing yes.

DEC. 26
BOARDWALK CLASSIC
North Catholic 65, Glassboro (N.J.) 53
   Nothing like a 90-minute drive, roughly, followed by a full-babble assault by Puck the instant you walk in the building. (In this case, the VERY impressive building called the Wildwoods' Convention Center.). The Wife made this trip and she's still laughing, though, so that's good. Before the game started, Puck said North's video person would not be in attendance and that he had to handle that duty. He added, "Your wife gonna be sittin' with you, right? Tell her to keep track of the rebounds." I said, "Puck, there's a whole stat crew and they put out a pro-style boxscore." He said, "But what if they mess up? I just wanna be sure. C'mon, your wife can do rebounds. How hard's that?" Once the wife stopped laughing, she allowed the task to be performed by a long-time buddy of Puck's, and mine, Mike Lafferty. If Mike's totals and the official stat crew's are different by even ONE rebound, Puck will still be agonizing deep into the week. That's how he is. That's why he love him (kinda -- ha ha). This was my first look at North and there was much to feel positive about. Unlike last season, when there appeared to be some SERIOUS selfishness/chemistry problems, this crew looks to be getting along and, if anything, there might have been too many passes on occasion. Hey, I'd rather see that than the opposite. The first thing that jumps out is how many times the PA announcer says "Edwards." Now there are three, all unrelated. The holders are sr. PG Hanif and sr. WG Nate. The newcomer is jr. F-C Chris, a transfer from Dobbins. Hanif had a strange night. After taking NO shots in the first half, he finished 6-for-9 for 12 points and distributed eight assists. He was at his best in transition and pretty much abused whoever tried to cover him, either with soft, medium-range, stop-and-pops or snappy passers to cutters. As often as I talk to Puck, I'm amazed (well, not really) that he never told me what great shape Nate is now in. Congrats, kid! He was never TOO heavy, but at times his extra weight did hold back his production and he's much more nimble without it. He went 3-for-3 on treys en route to 19 points and, just as impressively, nailed all six of his free throws. Chris did not get many looks (3-for-7), but did grab eight boards and his chance to score will come more in halfcourt sets in Northern Division play. He gets off his feet and shows good instincts. Jr. G-F Andrew Pomager was a strong factor in his sixth-man role, getting 10 points, six boards and two apiece of assists/steals. He still shoots layups and flip shots lefthanded and jumpers righthanded and I still think it's the coolest thing ever (smile). He has point-guard skills and more than a little flair and he's coming closer to having an overall grasp. Soph PF Shahid Paulhill, the fourth rotation member with Pub roots (he's a transfer from Washington), lent inside toughness, as did sr. Joe Rod. Each made three of five shots for six points. Also, they helped see to it that George Johnson, a mostly impressive sr. F and bound for Virginia for football, was able to claim just three rebounds. If you get the chance, please do yourself a favor and check some action in this multifaceted tournament. The staff people are tremendous and the arena itself is quite appealing. On the boys' side, when teams are heading for the east basket, they can look out the gigantic windows and see the ocean in the distance (you know how wide those Wildwood beaches are). Plus, the wood floor is portable and bouncy, so that adds another neat element. North plays Wildwood Catholic at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the bracket title game.

DEC. 23
NON-LEAGUE
Roman 85, Del. Valley Charter 48
   The dot.com crew usually attends three kinds of games -- knows, hopes and doubtfuls. As in, we know or hope a game will be good or we're doubtful about its potential. Amauro, Duck and I had this pegged as something between a hope and a doubtful. Oh, well. We missed. Sr. F Mike Ringgold dunked the ball TWO seconds in the game and the rout was on. With the score at 17-2, budding website legend Brian Sugden noted, "We have two touchdowns and a field goal and they're lucky to have a safety." All of us were sitting on the stage and Brian kept us laughing with a steady stream of funny comments. A few were probably over the top, but what the heck, it's the holiday season and we all need reasons to feel happy. This was my first look at Roman and I very much liked what I saw. If the sport had been hockey, there would have been two assists on many of the field goals. The unselfishness began with sr. PG Raymond "Doodles" Sims and spread to everyone else. If the Cahillites maintain this approach, they'll be right there with Neumann-Goretti and SJ Prep. And maybe past one or both. With Niagara coach Joe Mihalich looking on intently, Doodles, a lefty who has worked hard to pose at least a little bit of a scoring threat, had 10 points and five assists. Ringgold (four dunks) was rarely challenged inside, so his numbers (13, seven boards) bordered on freebies. He did add five dishes. Sr. F Rockeed McCarter big-boyed his way to nine points and 13 boards, along with three blocks. But again, DV had little to contend with him. The most impressive Cahillite was jr. WG Bradley Wanamaker, who at some point in his life will undoubtedly make a shooting video. Someone taught this kid well because he always launches from a perfect base, with just the right amount of lift and rock-solid concentration. He shot 7-for-11 for 14 points. It didn't stop there. Brad also posted four assists and five steals. His twin brother, Brian, was no slouch either with 12 points and five dimes. I'm tellin' you, these guys were giving up the rock like crazy!! Jr. PF Mark Reeves headed the second-liners with eight points and as many boards. The DV guys looked overwhelmed and truly never got started. Sr. combo G Corey James did manage 12 points, and he came up with several impressive moves/passes. Jr. WG Troy Blue, who earlier this season rang up 49 points, settled for three this time. He went just 1-for-8 from the floor and let Sugden get into his head. Most of the other DV players undoubtedly wanted to mutter something at Brian, or worse, but they refrained. All kinds of legends in the house: I counted EIGHT guys who have written for the site -- Amauro, Duck, Colin Curtin (now the manager of Niagara's team), Steve Hosack (Roman student reporter last year), Chris Banks (ex-Judge and Northeast FB player), Brian and Dan Jordan, and yours truly. Among the recent players on hand: Roman's Charron Fisher (Niagara), Providence's DeSean White (Dougherty, his brother, Devon, is a soph on Roman's varsity), Norfolk State's Isaiah Coleman (Freire Charter) and Banks and Kyle Sample (FB teammates at Northeast). On the way out, I thought I spotted back-in-the-day Roman PG Clayton "Stink" Adams. Not positive, though. DV coach Alan Cissorsky said beforehand that his team would get something out of the game no matter what. I knew what he meant: either the Warriors would learn that their strong early start was not a mirage, or they'd learn how many miles they truly have to travel before they deserve to be mentioned with the city's upper-echelon teams.

DEC. 22
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Communications Tech 59, Dobbins 50
   Pretty sure I've gone through entire seasons -- well, at least half-seasons -- without seeing TWO guys hit five treys in the same Pub game. But it happened today and it was fun to see. Doing the honors for CT was sr. WG Ben Whitt, who went 5-for-8 from Treyball Land. Most came from the left wing on passes from snazzy-jazzy sr. PG Jernardo "Jay" Lucas, a lefty. Whitt eased into a small space between the arc and sideline and could not have gone down closer to the baseline because there's no room to do so at Dobbins and still shoot a trey (check out the photos). Dobbins' treymeister was sr. WG-SF Justin Hayes, and he went 5-for-12 from distance. CT is a new Pub entrant and an offshoot of Bartram's. The Braves' former coach, Lou Biester, is running the Phoenix and since he always does a good job, it's no surprise that this club is doing well (7-0 overall) and is expected to perhaps make noise in the AAA state playoffs. I love how Lucas plays (11 points, seven assists) and could picture him standing up to the rough situations CT will face along the way. Soph F Andrew "Scootie" Randall is also very impressive. He already shows a decent amount of strength and more than a little savvy and he has found a spot under the wing of former U. City star Marcus Rosser, and that's encouraging news because Marcus, who had a fine career at Montana, is good people! The other main frontcourters -- sr. Leonard Jackson, jr. Lance McDowell, soph Manny Jordan -- showed up well in spots. CT has what many Pub teams don't these days -- kids with some strength and attitude. Sr. WG Shawn Francis, the No. 1 student in the school, scored just three points, but there'll be better days for him. Meanwhile, it was very strange to walk into Dobbins' gym and not see Rich Yankowitz, the coach for 34 seasons ending last winter. The new boss is Greg Moore, King's former coach and a member in good standing of the solid-people club. Moore has the Mustangs playing hard and competing in every game, even though almost no one -- and definitely no one of prominence -- is back from last year's team. Hayes was a pretty smooth player, equally adept from distance and while slinking through defenders. Sr. F Terrance Cox was one of those kill-you-softly guys. He made his first six shots, all of the sensible variety, and finished with 15 points in addition to nine rebounds. I was curious to get a look at sr. PF-C Vincent Evans, who'd been posting decent numbers in scoring and rebounding. This game was a washout (four points, two boards), plus he received a tech for gesturing in disgust while being removed from the game. It came with Dobbins holding a 16-9 lead, too, and the momentum began to switch right then. Not good. Hopefully, one of us will see him later in the season and the impression he leaves will be much better. Sr. F Michael Harris, a star receiver in football, snagged eight boards. This was not a good night. While doing the regular stuff, I received a call from the office about the death of former Roman PG Tyree Wallace ('02). The police, at least on the 11 o'clock news, were alleging that Tyree was shot during an undercover drug operation and that he fired first on police. (Friends/family members vehemently denied to a Daily News reporter) that Tyree was dealing drugs). Whatever the truth is, it should be shocking to hear about the sudden, violent death of someone you knew, and even wrote a story about. But these kinds of things seem to be happening almost with regularity and that is TRULY sad. This world is such a crazy place anymore, especially the Philly part. At the request of the news department, I made some calls to try to help put together the story. I had a phone number for ex-Roman player Jon Duperon, who graduated from Roman with Tyree, and he happened to be home when I called a shade after 10 p.m. Jon was unaware of what had happened to Tyree, so you can imagine how difficult it was for him to hear of such a distressing event from someone he had spoken with in four years. Jon quickly excused himself and said he had to call Tyree's grandmom, with whom he lived. He said it would be OK to call him back in a few minutes. When that next conversation took place, Jon said Tyree was his one true friend, and that he'd been close with Tyree since arriving in Philly from New Orleans as a seventh-grader. I apologize if this portion of the report is disjointed. My head is spinning. As confirmed by Jon (also by the always-clutch Duck), Tyree was related to NBA stars Rasheed Wallace (Gratz '93). Jon said he had great memories of attending Rasheed's summer basketball camps at Gratz with Tyree. My thought and prayers are with everyone who cared about Tyree.

DEC. 20
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Overbrook 80, West Phila. 78 (2 OTs)
   Some years my loyalty to this time-honored rivalry has not been rewarded. But this one was a big-time treat. I would have gladly stayed around for a few more OTs and listened to my stomach growl for the daily quarter-pounder with cheese (no onions). The day began with a seriously cool moment as an old acquaintance came over to say hello. It was Freddie Stokes, a true fill-it-up guard who led the Pub in scoring (28.8) in 1968 and was part of a famous family of basketball and track stars. Freddie played for West, but is now an assistant to Sam Jacobs at 'Brook. Yes, 'Brook! Early, it looked like his new proteges were going to lead the Hilltoppers to an easy victory. And they did mostly play well. But the eventual star, and thus the subject of my DN story, was 6-5 sr. C Naftalie "Talie" Ellis, of football fame. Talie worked hard all game long at both ends en route to 13 points and 18 boards. As regulation wound down, frosh WG Nurideen Lindsey air-balled a trey from the right corner. Ellis caught the ball on the far side and converted an easy layup at the buzzer to make it 62-62. His next huge play came in the second OT. Somehow he wandered out beyond the foul line and found himself wide open, so he tried a 17-footer. It came close, but did not connect. As a teammate rebounded, Ellis hustled down the lane and was there to score on a follow, making it 77-70. 'Brook rode home from there. The Panthers/Hilltoppers have three senior guards capable of playing the point or wing. Kylieff Brown and Raheem "Morsel" Davis, a seriously QUICK lefty, were spectacular early. Davis used three treys to post an 11-point first quarter, but had just two free throws thereafter. He was still a big factor with ballhandling and dishing (even though a bout of hot-dogging led to what could have been a killer turnover). Brown played with skill and flair and his confidence grew as the game proceeded. He had 22 points and six assists, but alas fouled out late in regulation. Malik Foman comes off as reserved, especially in comparison with Brown/Davis, and he had some struggles at the line in the first OT. But he more than redeemed himself in the second with three assists and quality ballhandling. I've heard some wonderful reports on Lindsey. At times he looked like an overwhelmed freshman, which was to be expected in a game such as this. He scored five points in the second OT, though, and Stokes said, "If this kid keeps his head on, he could be one of the biggies. The biggest of the big." Soph F Kevin Leland, a strong kid with hops, claimed 10 boards and added eight points. West received a strong performance from jr. PF-C Wayne Johnson (19 points, 10 boards). I noticed that he kept squinting, and was told later that he's trying to get some contacts or prescription goggles. Let's hope so because this kid's a player. He has a big frame and could be an absolute stud in time. Sr. G Malik Johnson, a lefty, looks like one of those playground-legend types, someone who can score at will. He was off today (6-for-21), but had no trouble creating his shot (jumpers) or getting to the hole. He too fouled out in the waning moments of regulation. Jr. SF Kahri Harris had some nice moments and his top one was a drive for the layup that forced the second OT. Many of the Speedboys are interchangeable. The coaching situation is still unresolved. Harold Alexander, a good-guy recreation worker, is running the ballclub as the principal decides who should be in charge. The whole thing is very complicated and I can't get into it here. We'll just see what happens. I do know one thing: Jacobs was disgusted that Overbrook was not allowed to have any fans at the game. Oh, I know one more thing: The scoreboard situation is a joke. West has two scoreboards at midcourt. Both come out from the wall at 45-degree angles, so the people in one half of the gym can see one and the other . . . well, you get the idea. The scoreboard on Overbrook's side didn't work, so Jacobs had to CONSTANTLY walk to a spot near West's bench to check out the score and/or time. Also, that board had some strange goings-ons. The 1s sometimes showed up as 7s. It was legendary to hear a ref say, "There's really 14 seconds left in the quarter. Not 74." Yeah, baby!

DEC. 19
NON-LEAGUE
Parkway 53, Northeast 46
   It's still early in the season, of course, and I haven't seen too many games, but this was the best performance by a backcourt so far. PG Josh Howard and WG Tyrone Palmer were energetic and aggressive and they mostly made smart plays again and again and again. Palmer is one of those classic jump-shooters with lift and form and all that good stuff. Howard also shows good form. Both showed an ability to give up treys that would have been launched under pressure to take an extra moment and work for a 16- to 15-footer that made good sense. Howard reminds me a whole lot (face, body, approach) of former Mastbaum star Chaz Williamson, who went on to enjoy an excellent career at Widener. He had 15 points, four assists and even six rebounds. Palmer went 8-for-16 for 18 points (two treys; the same number Howard had). Just because he was so active and showed keen instincts, he also was able to collar 11 rebounds (and he dished three assists). Sr. F Archie Alston contributed eight points and 11 boards while mostly staying out of people's way and doing little things. Sr. F Ryan Davis had eight points and five boards and scored three key field goals down the stretch merely by going to the blocks and converting passes. No idea where Northeast's defenders were, but they weren't nearby, that was for sure. Northeast has some talented players. More than a few made poor decisions early and often. In time, the Vikings could be good, though, and I get the feeling coach Elsa Cohen is sacrificing now with the hope of good results later. There's much to like about sr. F Tyrone Blassingame, whose father, Wayne, was an All-City lineman at King (and winner of a D-I scholarship). Blassingame had seven points and five boards in the first quarter, but some of his teammates began pumping away from outside and he didn't get nearly enough touches thereafter. He could be a nice catch for a D-II school. I have a feeling he'll be VERY good in a couple years. He finished with 14 points and 13 boards. Sr. lefty Kevin Clark and soph Tyron Lytes mostly played the point. I liked Clark early because he was making snappy passes and looking for the inside guys. Then he began pumping away and finished 3-for-10 on treys. Most of the misses kicked out long and led to transition baskets for Parkway. Lytes is extremely thin, but has the look of a player. Sr. WG-SF Derek Lockhart had seven points, six boards and four assists. Strange sight of the day: With 44 seconds left and Northeast trailing by just five points, the cheerleaders walked out of the gym. Yup, they just flat-out departed! It was a big group, too. Maybe 20 girls. Did they all have dates? Did they all need to hit the little girls' room? Who knows? But I'm telling you, one moment they all were there and the next they weren't.

DEC. 18
NON-LEAGUE
Dougherty 55, O'Hara 39
   The game was scheduled for 2:30. Dougherty showed up about 2:50. Not literally, of course, but that was the way it seemed. O'Hara plowed to a 21-10 lead as Dougherty missed a boatload of shots and seemed largely uninspired. But then things changed and the Cardinals got rolling and O'Hara pretty much came to a screeching halt. Dougherty scored the final 11 points of the quarter to make it 21-21 at halftime and then went on a 10-4 run to open the third. The mainstays in the impressive stretch were sr. G Vinny Simpson, jr. G-F Kahlil Mumford and jr. F Justin Minter. Off the bench, Simpson finished with 14 points (7-for-10 floor), three assists and three steals while Mumford, a lefty, mixed 11 points, four dimes and two steals. Minter posted all nine of his points in the middle two quarters. Jr. F Roberto Townsend had a couple of authoritative baseline jumper with great elevation and an open-floor dunk off a steal. Soph PF-C Isiah Mason grabbed six rebounds. I liked that the Cardinals willingly gave the ball to each other, and rarely settled for first shots. The extra pass made a big difference on many possessions because the Cards were definitely quicker and that hint of patience paid off. One variable that could cause concern later: There was almost no inside game. Almost the only inside shots were taken by guys who drove to get there. Those opportunities will not always be there against tougher competition. It's understandable that O'Hara is still feeling its way because Bud Gardler is starting four football players. Not okey-dokes, either. All were important and all undoubtedly went through physically demanding seasons. We're talking about QB-WR-DB Anthony Walters (sr. WG), WR Chris "Mr. Happy" Myers (PG; check out the Team Pic -- ha ha), LB Scott Taylor (sr. PF) and TE Mark Wedderburn (soph. PF-C). The one hoops-only starter is sr. SF Pat Kirby, and he's a guy who's tough to project for college purposes because he's not impressive athletically (in the running-jumping sense). I love how he plays, though, because he's a master at positioning and taking what's available without forcing. Kirby went 4-for-8 and 6-for-7 for 15 points while adding seven boards and three blocks. He could have had a few more shots, honestly, but Dougherty was active inside. I sat in the Looney Bin and tried to get some decent pics. Still playing with the camera settings. Talk about frustrating!! Also, though this game was played at Dougherty, the Cards wore maroon and O'Hara wore white. I always list the home team on the left-hand side of my scorebook, but the "wrong uniform color" thing kept throwing me off. Lots of extra flipping. Forgot to ask why Dougherty wore maroon. Only logical explanation, I guess: the home uniforms have not yet arrived. (Or maybe O'Hara doesn't have road blues?)

DEC. 17
SCHOLASTIC PLAY-BY-PLAY CLASSIC
SJ Prep 45, Gratz 36
   Think about the things a team could go without doing for the first 10 minutes, 28 seconds of a game. Commit no turnovers? Fail to score? Maybe grab no rebounds? Try this: attempt NOTHING but three-point shots. Yup, the first 12 shots launched from the floor by SJ Prep in this one were treys. Amazing, huh? Sr. WG-SF Reggie Redding did miss a 12-footer along the right baseline with 0:35 left in the first quarter, but he was fouled on the play and thus the attempt didn't count. RR also took the first official "two", and it was a missed turnaround jumper in the lane 5:32 before halftime. Gratz opened the game in a zone and remained in that defense through the first quarter. Prep coach Speedy Morris said afterward, "We wanted to go inside against it, but they wouldn't let us." Overall, the Hawks shot 7-for-23 on treys. The far-and-away leader in that category was sr. WG Dave Stefanski, who drained four in the first half and went 5-for-12 total en route to 16 points. He won game MVP honors even though he posted just two other stats (one assist, one steal). Redding, playing just a short distance (Cabrini) from where he'll spend his college years ('Nova), finished with 18 points, six boards, one assist and two steals. Reg picked up his third foul with 7:15 left in the third quarter and Morris appeared to briefly think about going with a sub. But he didn't, and Redding rewarded him handsomely. RR drained a trey to make it 25-21 and got hacked while shooting another trey, then sank all three free throws. Then, inbounding the ball, he found Stefanski and Dave drained another trey and, boom, just that quickly it was 31-21. Next it was time for two of this season's new starters, sr. F James Oberlies and jr. PG Matt Griffin, to collaborate. Oberlies managed a steal by poking the ball to Griffin. He then broke upcourt and took a perfect feed from "Griff" for a layup and a 33-21 bulge. That might as well have been it. Griffin finished with five assists while soph C Larry Loughery, who had literally no effect on the first half, packed six rebounds and five blocks into the second. He took just three shots all game, making one. Gratz has some aggressive kids and I love their dedication to defense, but at least for now, sr. WG Malik Alvin (bound for UTEP; 14 points, six boards, two apiece of assists/steals) appears to be the only thing close to a reliable scorer and there's not much height, either. Jr. PF-C Ishmawiyl "Ish" McFadden, a transfer, showed some inside savvy in his days at Parkway, but he saw limited duty in this one, especially when Gratz had to crawl back from its deficit. Jr. F Tommy "T.J." Sykes has a rugged-competitor look. Sr. G Velton Jones was the MVP for Gratz with six points, and three assists. Speaking, as we were earlier, about amazing developments . . . Gratz finished with just two second half FGs, and both came quite late.

DEC. 17
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern 42, Carroll 33
   This was a great day to be Italian and lefthanded!! At least if you were a member of Malvern's basketball team (smile). The top two Friars, sr. Gs Mike Creighton (point) and Jimmie Cotton (wing), combined for just eight points and one field goal! Incredible! But Malvern won in somewhat comfortable fashion thanks largely to the efforts of sr. F Tom Grandieri and two jr. Fs, Mike Francisco and John Alberici. (I guess Alberici serves as the center on occasion, but he's not a center in the classic sense). Malvern grabbed the lead for good, at 30-28, when Francisco hit a left-wing trey on a pass from Cotton. It was a mistake play, actually, because Jimmie misdribbled and was losing control when he just poked the ball to Francisco. It worked out great, of course. The Francisco Kid then got fouled while attempting a follow and hit both free throws. Creighton and TFK then added two free throws apiece as Carroll remained bone dry. What followed was likely the game's best defensive play. Carroll soph G Ellis Rogers made a steal and steamed downcourt. Cotton hustled back, established perfect position and took a textbook charge. Great play! Francisco jammed nine of his 13 points and four of his eight boards into the fourth quarter. Alberici, meanwhile, finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Grandieri, bound for 'Nova on a baseball scholarship, added six points, four boards and three assists, along with all kinds of little things. I love watching guys who are much stronger in one sport still make important contributions in their "secondary" sport. It's part of what makes high school sports tick, honestly. Just last year, you will likely remember, forward Joe Rosati (much better in football and baseball) and point guard Dylan Brown (lacrosse, football) were ALWAYS reliable cogs in Episcopal's machine. Late in the first half, star jr. lineman Paul Ostick made a late appearance and dished an assist. For Carroll, sr. C Dutch "Big Suburbs" Gaitley had a mixed-bag performance. Though he grabbed 16 rebounds, he did so in part because he missed a number of chippies while settling for eight points. I must say this, though: I love how much effort this kid has expended over the last two years to change his body and blossom into a D-I prospect. Now he has some bounce to his step and has learned to do what all big men should: constantly lean in and go forward. Sr. SF Darrell "Da Man" Floyd (made that up; like the sound of it -- smile) had 12 points and seven boards. The Patriots will need better sniping from their guards or teams will have no reason to give Dutch and Da Man some breathing room. Meanwhile, it was great to see Paul Romanczuk back in charge for Carroll. He missed last season for medical reasons. Paul had to be experiencing some funny feelings because he began his high school career at Malvern, and then became a star at Carroll. Meanwhile again . . . we're beginning to make some progress on the photo front. The pics from this game were mostly clear. I apologize to players on the teams I covered before today. All I had to do was check out the book that came with the camera and make some adjustments. And thanks to Malvern student/website reporter Drew "For Two" Flanagan, who was nice enough to fib and say, "I thought the pictures from the Prep game looked good." Some female Malvern fans were sitting behind me in the second half. After a Friar gave another some encouragement, one of the gals said, "Hey, did you see that? He touched him on the ass." Ha, ha. The Malvern folks were surprised to see me. As I explained, I was going to Prep-Gratz at Cabrini and decided to make it a two-sites doubleheader. 

DEC. 15
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Southern 64, Germantown 38
   The Rams took time out from their killer schedule to enjoy what evolved into something of a frolic. They’ve already been spanked in road games by powers such as Chester, Gratz and SJ Prep, and Neumann-Goretti is looming. In fact, N-G stars D.J. Rivera and Earl Pettis were on hand to watch a respectable first half. But when they left, assumedly to attend practice (?), the game got butt  ugly. Southern dominated after intermission to the tune of 30-12 and that was with a coast-in fourth quarter, especially the last four minutes. My DN story focused on sr. SF Jason Sabb, who’s only 6-2 but leaps like CRAZY and projects as a WG. He uncorked two jump-through-the-basket dunks on passes from VERY promising jr. WG prospect Ramone Moore and they succeeded in demoralizing a Germantown squad that was teetering anyway. Sabb’s brother, Shawn, a 6-6 forward, is now starring for Independence (Kans.) Community College. Shawn, of course, was taller and more filled out in high school, but he wasn’t nearly as athletic as Jason and thrived mostly on work habits/hustle/smarts. Jason is the better athlete and is gradually becoming a true PLAYER. He missed a chunk of the first half after suffering a small gash on the top of his head when he collided with the chin of G-town’s Leonard Travis as they pursued a rebound. Jason finished with nine points, seven boards and four assists. Moore has a chance to be one of the city’s very best players next season. He’s slinky and bouncy and already shows polish. He had 18 points, seven boards and five feeds. Sr. PF Bryheem Charity is a shade undersized, but his strength and aggressiveness help him succeed and more than once I spotted G-town’s players backing away from him in the paint. He has that old-school, don’t-mess-with-me look. Sr. PG Erick "Nasty" Rockeymore  was a good fit. He took the occasional shot to keep people honest while mostly taking care of the ball and dishing three assists. For G-town, the only true player is sr. WG Tyrell "Smalls" Coleman, who figures as a JC prospect. The thin, spidery Coleman, who has more than enough three-point range and respectable floor instincts (some of his snappy passes were mishandled),  enjoyed a spectacular first half with 12 points, three assists and eight steals. He slightly banged his knee in the third quarter, though, and had to sit down and the Bears accordioned without him. Sr. PF-C Elijah Clark, a lefty, used late hustle to finish with 14 points and 10 boards.

DEC. 14
NON-LEAGUE
SJ Prep 43, Malvern 39
     For a special occasion, this wasn't too special. Speedy Morris captured his 500th high school win and had the look immediately afterward of someone who'd just returned from something boring, like a trip to the supermarket. He's a demanding guy and has collected all kinds of milestone victories, and he was displeased with his team's overall lack of intensity and refusal to play in-your-shirt defense. Don't let the score fool you. The Prep led throughout and was pretty much in command the entire 32 minutes. Malvern had a decently sized student section (maybe 80-90 kids) and there was even a drum outfit (headed by star WR Trey Womack), but the kids stood up en masse just once and rarely displayed much emotion. Why not? Mostly because the Friars did not give them reasons. There was a funny line, though. At one point a kid yelled at Prep star Reggie Redding, "Yo, Reggie, I got that same tattoo, dawg!" After a slight pause, he added, "I got it at K-Mart!" It took all of four seconds for the Prep to jump ahead, as Redding got control of the tap and flipped ahead to sr. F James Oberlies for his first and only field goal. After the game, Speedy said he was disappointed with Redding's emotional output, and that it filtered down to his teammates. Nevertheless, Redding did lead the Hawks in points with 14 and he was second in rebounds with seven and he even dished a team-high four assists (with 'Nova aide Ed Pinckney among the spectators). Oh, the burden of being The Man (smile). After sr. PG Mike Creighton made a steal and sailed in for a layup, Redding hacked him hard and was called for an intentional foul. Speedy followed by blasting ref Bill Grutzmacher and received a tech. Creighton and jr. F Mike Francisco could only one make freebie apiece, advancing Malvern within 16-12, and the ensuing possession yielded nada and Redding's jumper made it 18-12. The Prep mostly maintained from there, though it never achieved run-away-and-hide status. In fact, with 1:31 left, the Friars moved within 41-36 on a drive by sr. WG Jimmie Cotton. But again they went dry until a late trey by sr. G Nelson Way made the final look a shade more respectable. Soph PF-C Larry Loughery had 11 points, eight boards and two blocks. Sr. WG Dave Stefanski hit two treys en route to 11 points. Jr. PG Matt Griffin, a kid I KNOW has sniper potential (saw it last year in JV games), went just 1-for-6 on treys during a four-point outing. Cotton had one of those can't-buy-one games. He made some impressive moves, but kept missing the shots, often by just a hair. Creighton used his smarts and brassy ways to get to the basket and draw fouls, but then went 3-for-8 at the line. The play-alike frontcourt lefties, jrs. Mike Francisco and John Alberici, had seven and eight points respectively. While writing this report at 11 o'clock, I received a call from the office and found out my DN story had to be sliced by six inches. Oh, brother. It happens. And it's never good. One part that had to be cut was the line that Speedy yelled at Grutzmacher a few moments after getting hit with the tech: "I didn't curse you, Billy!!!" The best pre-game line came from Malvern assistant Joe Redican, in reference to interim coach Kurt Ruch. Mindful that the Friars would be entering play with one win, Joe said playfully, "Kurt has a chance to do something today that Speedy will never be able to do -- double his win total."