December reports

JAN. 29
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Roman 60, Neumann-Goretti 55
   It would have been cool to see this one ease into an overtime session or three, but sr. PG Raymond "Doodles" Sims had other ideas. Maybe he had a date? Maybe he had extra homework? Maybe he wanted to run to the Palestra and catch the end of Gtn. Academy-L. Merion? Or maybe the Harrisburg-Gratz game after that? Whatever the reason, Sims saw to it that regulation would be enough. With 20.1 seconds left, he hit only the front end of a one-and-one to make it 58-55 and that meant, of course, that N-G could force OT with a trey. In the froncourt, sr. G Derrick "D.J." Rivera had the ball on the upper left wing beyond the arc and he was being covered by soph G Nick Daggett. Sims sidled over and . . . stole the ball!! It was one of those combo jobs, at least to the naked eye: Sims executed a theft in part because Rivera kind of put the ball in Sims' hands as he turned to set himself. Anyway, Doodles zoomed to the other end for a layup and that was that. Some stretch-run stuff: Sims hit a trey at 3:22 for a 54-52 lead . . . at 1:11, with N-G down, 55-53, jr. PG Antonio "Scoop" Jardine saw a right-corner trey go all the way down, then pop out (it was amazing!) . . . With Roman holding, the ball was passed inside, close to the baseline, to soph Will Kirkland. Will lost his balance and then the ball (to Rivera) and the Saints came flying upcourt . . . Sr. F Earl Pettis wound up going to the hole and drew foul No. 5 from sr. F-C Mike Ringgold (18 points, 10 rebounds) at 30.9 . . . Pettis made the first and missed the second shot, with sr. F Lonnie Perry grabbing the rebound . . . Jr. WG Bradley Wanamaker (20 points, 8-for-8 at line) converted a one-and-one at 0:27 for a 57-54 lead . . . Pettis again went hard to the hole and drew a fifth foul (Brad, this time) at 21.3, but again could make only one of two for a 57-55 score . . . That's where Sims' activity at 20.1, and beyond, came in. A big moment for both teams occurred when N-G's 6-9 jr., Rick Jackson, suffered his second foul with 2:38 left in the first quarter. Rick was already showing domination by that point, but his approach had to change and sr. PF-C Rockeed McCarter, despite giving up roughly six inches, was able to keep him in relative check the rest of the way. Rick took just two shots from the second quarter on. (He did grab 12 rebounds and block four shots). Occasionally, I feel it's important to deal with negative developments in this space and it is ALWAYS my hope that the young man involved learns a lesson and steers clear of such "knuckleheadism" in the future. Yes, we're talking about you, Brian Wanamaker smile). Midway through the third quarter, "Defensive Twin" was stripped by Pettis and then immediately grabbed Pettis in such an obvious, even dirty, fashion that he was whistled for an intentional foul. You almost never see that call unless the ball is somewhat close to the basket. It was near midcourt! Then, as the situation was dying down, Brian did something to draw a technical foul (my attention was diverted) and that was his fifth foul of the game. See ya! Sitting nearby as all this happened was the Wanamakers' father, sporting a purple T-shirt with Bradley's number (23) on the front and Brian's (15) on the back. He got a little, um, excited and was escorted from his front-row location by N-G's athletic director, John Murawski. Mr. Dad wound up watching the rest of the game from a spot near Roman's bench. Holy Christmas! Though there were positives for N-G (Rivera's six steals; 12 points and 12 boards for soph F Jamal Wilson), overall I thought the Saints did not play with anything close to the same cohesion exhibited Friday at the Prep. Of course, "bad" shots that go in become "good" shots, but I thought there was some unnecessary forcing and that Jackson should have been more involved despite McCarter's excellent defense. FB player Tommy Howlett handled PA duties. Couldn't hear him that well in the glass-enclosed upstair offices at the north end of the gym. Nor could I take his picture from there. All the kid wants is to be famous (smile). Danny Jordan was on hand with Roman's students. His dad, on the other side of the gym, got stuck next to Puck, who was taping the game. Even though he's accustomed to be being next to Puck (he's nice enough to often drive him around), it still takes a day or two to recover, I'm sure. (ha ha)

JAN. 27
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 38, Judge 31
   The points were lighting up the scoreboard with alarming regularity! In some other gym, maybe, but not here. My goodness. Er, my badness. I can appreciate a tightly contested, no-run-and-gun game as much as the next guy, but, yo, throw the ball into that orange thing at least once an hour, OK? (smile) Some gory details from my DN story: The first quarter ended with Ryan ahead, 4-1. Judge's first field goal came with 7:06 left in the second quarter on a mid-range jumper by jr. G Kevin Lynch. The halftime score was 11-9, Judge. With 3:23 left in the third quarter, it was 13-13 and the teams had combined to miss 27 of 37 shots. Bruuuuu-tal. We spell it that way in honor of sr. F Jon Bruuuuuce, the darling of Ryan’s spirited student section, a k a The Tribe. The guys have red T-shirts and since most are good-looking, they draw large numbers of females (ha ha). The group even included Roman FB wideout Dan Jordan, who writes for this site and will catch, um, heck from his partner, Brian Sugden, for cheering so hard for another school. (He can’t help it. He lives near Ryan and most of his buddies go there.) For years and even decades, Ryan’s school spirit has often been sorely lacking. But these kids filled up the entire north stands during the first half, the better to distract the Crusaders, and then moved en masse to the south stands for the second half, again to better distract the Crusaders. Brilliant move! Simply brilliant! Bruce, an aggressive lefty, matched his season high with 10 rebounds while mixing in 16 points. Nine of his points (mostly thanks to a 7-for-9 showing at the line) and four of his rebounds were shoehorned into the fourth quarter. He went hard to the hole, both for his own attempts at shots and after others had launched. Bruce's biggest board occurred with 0:16 left after Lynch (13 points) had missed a short, right-side jumper. Jon absorbed a hack and walked down to the other end to convert a double-bonus, making it 36-29. Sr. C Kevin Hudgeons collected eight points (4-for-5) and nine boards for Ryan while soph PG Andrew Rogers dished four assists. If told beforehand that Hudgeons would take just five shots and sr. G-F Mike Varanavage would finish with only two points, I doubt many Ryan fans would have predicted a win. One was forthcoming mostly because Judge sr. G James "J.J." Franklin did not can his first (and only) field goal until the very last moments of the game! Rogers mostly covered him. Also, Hudgeons did an outstanding job inside on sr. C Arthur Livingston, making sure that Art’s path to the hoop was always blocked and failing to get suckered by his numerous ball/body fakes. The best move of the night was made by Judge’s interim coach, Frank Cahill. In the waning moments, some Judge kids cut loose with a derisive chant concerning the racial/ethnic background of Ryan sr. F Mars Shah. They were mostly seated behind Judge’s bench and when Cahill heard them, he IMMEDIATELY ordered them to stop. They did. Deep into the second quarter, one of the refs muttered during a stoppage, “First team to 10 wins.”

JAN. 27
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Neumann-Goretti 47, SJ Prep 36
   The Prep's Kelly Fieldhouse has not been kind to N-G coach Carl Arrigale during his stint, and it was almost a jinxhouse again. Wait, you're thinking. N-G won by 11. The triumph must have been comfortable to some degree. And if you were there in person (great student turnout by the Prep!; even N-G was well represented), you must have noticed that the Prep was absolutely pitiful from the floor (4-for-32) in the first half. Ah, but the halftime score was "only" 20-9 and the Hawks can heat up quickly, especially from distance, and this undoubtedly became a competitive game before N-G opened up space at the end. After shaking a prolonged slump by hitting a pair of treys in the third quarter (he got help from a goaltending call on the first one), sr. WG Dave Stefanski opened the fourth session by canning a lefthanded layup and, believe it or not, Prep was within two at 28-26. If you're guessing the Hawks' fans were a shade excited, you're guessing right. The euphoria did not last long. Soph F Jamal Wilson scored on a follow. Sr. G Derrick "D.J." Rivera flipped home a layup on a pass from jr. G Antonio "Scoop" Jardine and Jardine swished a left-corner trey on a feed from Rivera. The Saints held serve from there. Wilson got the ink. He led his team in rebounds with nine and went 4-for-4 at the line (all in the fourth quarter) en route to eight points. He’s probably the best athlete in N-G’s starting lineup and the fact that he’s learning to contribute so many little things as he waits to become a marquee attraction can only help his development. Rivera had 11 points, five boards, three assists and two steals and spent most of the afternoon dogging sr. F Reggie Redding into a 3-for-15 disappointment. Of course, the Regster was not alone in firing many blanks as the Hawks finished 11-for-53. RR did scramble for nine boards, four assists and four steals. Jr. C Rick Jackson cooled off later in terms of total production, but did have six of his seven blocks in the first half and each and every one was important. Jardine had 16 points and five assists. Thirteen of N-G’s 17 FGs had dimes, and that’s probably the highest percentage for the season. At times the Saints have been the victim of some ill-advised, even pig-headed shots, but that was not the case today. They worked together in excellent fashion and, if that mind-set holds, the game Sunday vs. Roman should be a true classic. It’s hard to figure where Prep, which received 10 rebounds from soph C Larry Loughery, will go from here. The Hawks have turned in back-to-back clunkers against quality opposition and that’s completely foreign for a Speedy Morris squad. A VERY large crowd was on hand at Prep and the parking situation was brutal. Fearing such, I arrived at 2:10 for the 3:30 tilt. (I know. Insane.) Stefanski was at the west basket, working over and over and over on his jumper. Though he has not been shooting well lately, here’s hoping no one ever questions his work ethic.

JAN. 24
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Central 77, Germantown 54
          The early portion of this one had a can-you-top-this? look. The teams combined for a whopping 10 three-pointers in the first half as two Central guys, sr. WG Kenny St. George and sr. PG Rashiid Coleman, and one G-town guy, sr. WG Tyrell “Smalls” Coleman (no relation), did some serious sniping. It was like Speedy Morris was coaching both teams and telling them just to pump away from distance. T. Coleman, especially, was WAY out there. Three of his threebies were from beyond where an NBA arc would have been and the fans, even those rooting for Central, were juiced by his performance. St. George, who’s more than academically qualified, has done a nice job of expanding his skills. He was formerly a shaky shooter, but now has confidence from deep and medium and you gotta love the fact he went 9-for-9 at the line. From the floor he was 6-for-14 total and 2-for-3 on treys. He added seven rebounds, two assists and three steals and did an impressive job of providing leadership in the form of encouragement and even stern instruction. A couple of lower D-Is are keeping tabs, and I feel Kenny would be a good fit at that level. Perhaps some Ivies should get involved. I also liked R. Coleman’s skills/intangibles. He too has put in work, and it shows. He drained five treys en route to 26 points, six rebounds and three apiece of assists and steals. There is no such thing as a shaky student at Central, so D-IIIs can safely go after him. Like Kenny, Rashiid receives strong family support and you’d be bringing a whole collection of good folks into your program. Jr. F Marcus Morris still does his extra-things duties, and their importance never wanes. Jr. F Sean Gadson, a lefty, has that crafty/slinky look. I could picture him as a leader next season. Soph F Acquil Cook (eight rebounds) also looks to have a promising future. T. Coleman received almost no scoring help through the first half. He’s a skilled offensive player, but in this one he almost never took a mid-range jumper. Everything was a trey or a drive through 67 defenders, or so it seemed, for a layup or flip shot. Also, he’s too good of a shooter to go 4-for-10 at the line. He finished with 27 points. Sr. F Dwain Edwards had 12 points (10 in second half) and four boards. Sr. PF-C Elijah Clark, a lefty, managed seven and eight. Yet another sr. frontcourter, Kelvin Campbell, had six, six and three blocks. The somewhat trusty digital camera had an off day. There are dots/splotches on many of the photos. Sorry about that. Had a lengthy pre-game visit with girls’ coach Frank Greco (for future reference) and spoke briefly with two of his players, Mallori Malachi and Sarah Jones. Mallori’s pop, Lenwood, was a star for West Philly in the late ‘60s. Always thought that was a cool name: Lenwood Malachi. Not quite as legendary a name, though, as one belonging to a Ben Franklin star of the mid-‘60s: Alton Laughinghouse. Now THAT is so cool it’s frigid! (smile)

JAN. 23
CATHOLIC NORTH
Dougherty 69, Conwell-Egan 59 (OT)
          Now, this was a fun night. Oddly, even though first place was being decided, I doubt Dougherty’s gym was more than one-third filled. At least the Looney Bin had maybe 25-30 kids who yelled and screamed non-stop and kept leaning over to pound on the protective mats in an attempt to intimidate and distract the C-E players. Also on hand up behind C-E’s bench were to 10 to 12 Eagles’ rooters who tried to exchange clever chants with the Bin Boys (and a few girls). Know who else was in the bin? And who got kicked out? Daily News photographer Steve Falk. Yeah, baby! Steve was perched in the front row right among all the kids and in the second half, C-E’s coaches complained to the refs that the flashes from his camera were distracting their players. So the refs came over and told Steve to move to another location. (He wound up next to me in the front row across court from C-E’s bench.) The Bin Boys cheered loudly for Steve as he walked down the steps from the Bin and even chanted, “We want Camera Guy! We want Camera Guy!” Gotta love it. Steve was pretty bummed about the heave-ho. He insisted he didn’t snap away until after guys had released the ball and he muttered, “Watch, if they lose, they’re gonna blame me.” I spoke briefly with C-E coach Rich Schafer afterward, but the subject of Steve’s negative effect on the Eagles never came up (smile). Anyway . . . this was a goodie. Not so much because it was crisp (it wasn’t) or pretty (it REALLY wasn’t), but because both sides played so hard and provided a couple hours of entertainment. The ink went to sr. WG Vinny Simpson, a kid with quick feet and a soft touch. Without the dunks (though he can do that, too), he’s similar to Frankford’s Lewis Leonard in that he can sweet-shoot a trey on one possession and knife through everyone for a layup (while maintaining body control) on the next. He holds a B-plus average and boasts a 960 score on the old SAT and D-II Holy Family is on him. I could picture him being a real terror in an up-tempo system. The 6-1, 165-pound Simpson shot 6-for-13 from the floor (3-for-5 on treys) and 16-for-25 at the line for his 31 points. He entered the game as an 87-percent foul shooter. One of his buddies wound up sitting next to me and at one point he asked, “How many foul shots has he made in a row?” The answer was five. And just as it was coming out of my mouth, Simpson missed one. The kid said, “Man, I should have kept my mouth shut. I jinxed him.” He went just 9-for-15 at the line in OT. Simpson added five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots. Another WG, jr. Kahlil Mumford, scored 18 points while shooting 3-for-9 on treys. It was his three-pointer that got the Cardinals started in OT. They added six more points in a row and had only a hint of rough going thereafter. Mumford also had seven boards, two assists and three steals. Jr. G-F Justin Minter mixed seven points, nine rebounds and two big assists near the start of OT. CD played without its most ornery player, jr. F Roberto Townsend, who was serving a one-game suspension for violating a team rule. Sr. SF Wilson Acevedo again was C-E’s headliner. He did the same things he did in the La Salle game eight days earlier and was just as impressive while doing them; maybe more so. The twin sr. Gs, Ryan (10 points, four assists) and Adam Van Zelst (six points, seven boards, four assists), earned respect from all corners of the gym. They had their best sequence near the end of regulation. On consecutive possessions, Ryan went backdoor and scored easy layups off passes from Adam. Beautiful! The second one came with 0:18 left and put C-E ahead, 51-50. Minter was fouled at 0:15. The PA announcer, as the teams headed to the bench for a timeout, bellowed, “This is what it’s all about! . . . The pressure is mounting!” Not sure he needed to say that with a Dougherty player going to the line (smile), but Minter hit both. At the other end, Acevedo made a hard move down the left side of the lane and was plastered near the hoop. He went tumbling/skidding hard into the bottom portion of the Looney Bin padding and then to the line for two shots. He missed the first shot, delighting the CD kids no end, then knocked down the second in a big-boy performance. In OT, C-E experienced a bad moment when jr. F-C Dave Marcinkowski was slapped with a tech with the clock stopped. Two referees went running right over to him, so I got the impression he touched?/nudged?/pushed?/slapped? a Dougherty player who was walking by. I’m strongly assuming some words were exchanged immediately beforehand. C-E already trailed by six when it happened and Simpson hit three of four free throws to make it a nine-point game, at 61-52. I don't at all get the impression that Marcinkowski is a knucklehead, so hopefully this was a one-time slipup. Very bad timing, though.

JAN. 22
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Bonner 45, O'Hara 41
   At halftime, it's doubtful I was alone in having this thought: Can we please go back and start over? Since when have basketball players worn blindfolds? Back and forth. Misses and more misses. The teams combined to shoot 20 percent (9-for-45) as Bonner chugged to a 15-9 lead. This is the Southern Division, not the Northern (zing!). Luckily, the game got better -- at least a little, anyway -- and Bonner's kids even stood up and chanted in the final minute! "Deee-fense! Deee-fense!" Creative, guys. Where's Mike Kozak when we need him? Bonner won because jr. WG Jeff Jones (already committed to Maryland) had a solid overall performance and because his teammates hit some big shots at crucial moments. The 6-4 Jones has already scored 1,101 career points and barring injury is a lock to obliterate the school record of 1,348, held by '84 grad Rodney Blake. But as he gets older and wiser, he's longing to make a playoff appearance and appears to be taking steps to become a more complete player. He's a springy kid with long arms and great hoops instincts, so there's no excuse for him not to grab rebounds. Today he had seven and mixed in four assists as well. A passer is always at the mercy of the shooter when it comes to assists, of course, but Jones collected two on only baskets of the game by two guards, Ryan Cummings and Denny Coyne. Both were treys, and came in succession, and they provided Bonner a 29-22 lead. It didn't last, but one could see more of a hop in Jones' step and it did not make him hesitant to give up the ball later on. And again a teammate came through, as jr. F Tim Vanderslice (nine points, six boards) drained a right-corner three ball with a shade under 3:00 left. Jones shot 8-for-20 from the floor (4-for-10 on treys) and 4-for-5 at the line and his biggest launch came from beyond the top of the key. The threebie splashed into the net for a 43-41 lead and O'Hara called time at 0:52. From there: sr. G Calvin Gilbert tried a mid-range jumper and Jones got a piece of the ball; Jones missed a one-and-one at 0:35; FB star Scott Taylor caught a pass underneath in great position to score but the refs ruled he'd come in from out of bounds (or maybe still had one foot out; couldn't tell for sure as it happened at the other end); Vanderslice converted a one-and-one at 0:16 to make it a four-point game; Bonner played good defense and O'Hara, inexplicably, didn't even shoot until 0:02 remained. Not a good idea when you're trailing by four points. Sr. F-C Brian Campuzano had six points and seven boards for the Friars. For O'Hara, sr. F Pat Kirby shot 7-for-17 and 4-for-6 for 18 points and grabbed 11 boards. He showed an ability to get boards that did not look possible as the shots came off the glass. That means he's springier than I thought or has a high basketball IQ. Maybe both (smile). Sr. WG Anthony Walters, of FB and ear-bling fame, did the best job among the three guys who took turns covering Jones in assorted defenses. He added six points, eight rebounds, four assists and five steals. Sr. G Chris Myers had an off game, going 1-for-8 (all treys) for three points. He also dished four assists. Soph C Mark Wedderburn was a fourth quarter factor with seven of his 10 points. For the second game in a row, the PA system was unavailable because the pre-game music was too loud and damaged the equipment. Bonner's gym is now extremely well-lit. Among the witnesses: two former Neumann coaches, Tom Dougherty and Mike Doyle. Mike is the brother-in-law of Bonner boss Brian Daly. And thanks to Jerry McCarey, a member of the Friars' '80 squad. Like a knucklehead, I forgot to write down the numbers of Bonner's players before the game and he helped me match some guys' names with numbers while the first-quarter action was unfolding. Jerry's a hustling team player from 'way back. Here's what I wrote about him once as part of a game story, and a comment from him: Relying heavily on his strongest suits - hustle, court awareness - Jerry dealt seven assists and scored seven points off the bench, including four free throws in a span of seven seconds down the stretch that pushed Bonner's pad to 55-50. "I am not really quick, so I have to use the fundamentals. Mainly what I do is pass the ball, that's what I really like. We need someone who can pass and that is one thing I can do. When you are driving to the hoop and somebody comes over to guard you, all you do is use your peripheral vision. That's not too hard." It's not. It's really not.

JAN. 19
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Lamberton 91, Nueva Esperanza 62
  Numbers, we love numbers. And all kinds of those babies came flowing out of this one. Gotta love it! In the early evening, I spoke with Huck about the game and mentioned that sr. G Nafis Ricks had scored 56 points. I could see the goosebumps on his arm through the phone! Ha, ha. The 5-11, 170-pound Ricks had been ringing up numbers all season and I chose to cover this one in part because I knew 'Fis would be firing, and because a win for NE would have also made for a good story, considering its numbers problems and severe height disadvantage. NE has only eight players and two were missing (illness; skipping of a mandatory tutoring session). Plus, the starting guards are freshmen who're under 5-foot tall. Lamberton's center was sr. Marcellus Miller, who stands 6-8 and weighs 310 pounds! OK, so there's the setup . . . Ricks shot 26-for-55 from the floor (0-for-5 on treys) and 4-for-7 at the line. His points by quarter were 17, 14, 12 and 13. The game, as you might imagine, was up-tempo throughout and Ricks can go with the best of them. He never appeared to get the least bit tired and, though he's righthanded, he operated almost exclusively on the left side of the floor. Again and again he went to the hole with authority, either stopping en route for a mid-range jumper or going all the way for layups ranging from normal to tricky. He did shoot a few standstill jumpers, but launching on the move is definitely his thing. Though 29 misses are surely a lot, it must be mentioned that only one ref was on hand for most of the first half and even thereafter the guys appeared to be ignoring everything except significant contact. It was understandable. Lamberton was in control and the refs definitely did not want to face a situation with NE having only three or four players available. The Blue Devils' school record belonged to WG Troy Daniel, who ch-chinged his way to 55 points in a 1984 game. (I was at that one, too. So much for trying to get people to believe I'm in my 30s -- ha ha.) Ricks scored his 55th and 56th points with 1:14 left on a layup. He charged hard, did a dime-stop to let a defender run past, and then went up for the gimme. He headed for the bench shortly thereafter. Ricks has a 3.0 grade-point average and a 950 SAT score. Amauro told me a D-I assistant was out to see Ricks earlier this season and liked him a lot. We'll see . . . Miller is an interesting prospect. Of course, due to his extra weight, his head will not hit the rim any time soon, but he shows soft hands and decent knowledge of positioning and, with work and nurturing, a LOT could be possible. He mixed 15 points and 19 rebounds. Oh, almost forgot. Ricks had 27 rebounds!! Many came on follows of his or teammates' misses. He also had two assists (many others were blown) and five steals. Ricks' most impressive play came on a break. While zooming down the left side of the lane, he used his left hand to make a very quick between the legs pass for a layup. Outstanding! At halftime, I took a couple of neat pics of Miller and the little guys. In the first one, Miller is standing with his arms around NE's 4-11 Andy Bousono and 4-10 Zakee Moody. As that one was being snapped, Lamberton's 5-3 Howard Miller (maybe -- smile) hustled over and said, "Can I get in on this?" Definitely. In the next pic, Andy, Zakee and Howard are standing on chairs next to Marcellus. We thank all those guys for agreeing to be part of the fun photos. Bousono is so entertaining. I would have no problem watching this kid game after game after game. He has no fear and plays with lots of flair. He totaled 21 points and five assists. Moody does not yet have enough strength or speed to protect the ball against double-teams, but I'm guessing he'll be fine in time, as well. NE's other player of note was soph SF Charles Campbell. He also favored drives and finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. It was great to see Lou D'Alonzo, the former FB coach at Olney and Southern. Lou, through-and-through good people, now teaches at Lamberton and was part of the table staff. Speaking of folks who everyone likes, ex-Lamberton coach Mitchell Kurtz was also on hand at Shepard RC (nee Haddington), within footsteps of Wilt Chamberlain's childhood home at 401 N. Salford Street. Mitchell is still close to the program and is very high on Ricks, the person, in addition to Ricks, the player. Good enough for me.

JAN. 18
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 65, Neumann-Goretti 64
   Would it have been one of the greatest comebacks in city basketball history? Or one of the biggest collapses? Both, actually, but it did not completely take place. After coughing up the nine-point lead it owned with 2:17 left, which was still a seven-point lead with 1:05 left, Episcopal trailed by one, 64-63, with 9.6 seconds remaining and needed to save serious face. The savior? The guy called “Duke” (well, by some) who’s going to North Carolina. After sr. C Mike Yocum grabbed the rebound of a missed free throw and time was called with 9.6 seconds left, Episcopal had to go the length of the Palestra court. The inbounder was sr. G Tim Ivory. His choices were obvious: sr. WG Wayne Ellington or sr. SF Gerald Henderson. The ball went to Ellington and it never left his hands. Until it went swishward, that is. Ellington was having a shade of difficulty controlling the ball as he passed halfcourt, with sr. WG Derrick “D.J.” Rivera digging in ferociously, and he used a behind-the-back dribble to right his personal ship. He then eased inside the arc, cut loose from maybe 14-15 feet, to the right of the lane, and hit the shot that had to be made. Among the witnesses were 5,000-plus in person and numerous others around the country via ESPN2. The clock read 2.6 seconds. N-G went to some trickery for its last possession. Jr. F Mark Hatty, in his first appearance of the night, caught a pass out of bounds and then fired one of his own about three-fourths of the way downcourt. Yocum intervened and the Churchmen had their win. (There was some quick extracurricular activity immediately afterward and I’m pretty sure one of N-G’s players slapped Yocum. But on a night that wound up being so great for Philly hoops, we’re not going to dwell on it. Hope you understand.) Through much of the third quarter, and even deep into the fourth, this game had the look of one where Episcopal would somehow keep N-G at arm’s length and win in something approaching comfortable fashion. But then, phew!, everything changed. The Churchmen, to be kind, began to tighten and the Saints began to resemble a tidal wave and it was quite a sight to witness, and even to feel. Henderson, EA’s MVP, was stunningly impressive most of the night. He finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists and his body control was mostly exquisite. If memory serves, he had just two oh-crap moments all night and they happened back to back. First, G committed the cardinal sin of fouling a three-point shooter. It was jr. PG Antonio “Scoop” Jardine, it happened with 0:58 left and Jardine hit the first two free throws. When he missed the third, G was an instant away from securing the rebound. He didn’t get it, though, as that honor went to sr. F Earl Pettis. All Pettis had to do was jump and collect the follow basket and when he did, N-G was within 63-60!! Talk about noise. Since when have jet planes landed in the Palestra? (smile) Here’s the sequence from there: Ellington spun-out a one-and-one at 0:47, with Pettis rebounding; jr. C Rick Jackson converted a layup at 0:36 on a pass from Jardine; Henderson missed a one-and-one at 0:28, with Pettis rebounding; Rivera converted a hard drive along the right baseline at 0:17 for a 64-63 lead; Ellington missed both ends of a double-bonus (and didn’t really come close on either) at 11.8 and guess who rebounded? (Pettis); in a some-of-your-medicine development, Pettis failed on a one-and-one of his own at Yocum claimed his game-high 13 rebound. We’ve already covered the rest of what happened. Ellington went only 9-for-26 from the floor, including 1-for-7 on treys. He was twisting his wrist ever so slightly on his shots and appeared to miss almost always to the right side of the rim. (I’m available for shooting lessons – ha ha.) He added nine rebounds. Ivory had seven points, three assists and two steals. Jr. PG Pat Kelly also dished three assists. Sixth-man Charlie Barks, a sr. G, took just one shot and, boy, was it a doozy. Barks charged in hard along the right baseline and curled in a reverse layup from the left. Dr. J would have been proud of the move and the execution was perfect. The basket provided a 62-53 pad with 2:17 left. (Our college-aged visitors might remember that Charlie’s brother, Andy, was a website reporter while playing baseball for EA.) For N-G, the Gigantic Three in terms of production were Pettis (9-for-13, 21 points, 11 boards), Jackson (20, 11, five blocks) and Jardine (nine points, nine assists despite an injury to his left wrist that made him questionable beforehand). Rivera struggled shootingwise (3-for-12), but did make the clutch basket for the one-point lead. Know how some of the players let nerves get the better of them? So did I. After leaving the Palestra, I was driving down Chestnut Street, toward 30th, when it hit me: I don’t have the somewhat trusty digital camera! Where the heck is it? In the passenger seat, hidden under the clipboard and/or some newspapers? On the floor, buried under cheeseburger wrappers and French fry boxes and empty cans of diet Coke? (Don’t tell The Wife. She thinks I’m keeping my New Year’s resolution of maintaining a cleaner car. I did. For about a half-hour.) In one of my coat pockets, mixed in with batteries and pencils and breath mints and the tape recorder and the cell phone? No! It ain’t here, baby! Make a right. Make another right. Make a left. Make another left. And one more left. And then a right back into the Palestra parking lot. Knock on the door like a madman. Thank some kind gent for letting me back in. Hustle down to floor level. Look over to where Amauro and I were sitting. And there’s good, ol’ Amauro, holding aloft the digital camera. Man, I love that guy (smile). Puck is also in the vicinity, babbling. “Yo, why you leave your camera here? How you forget that? You lucky.” With that, I was off toward the exit again. Then into the office to write the story for the DN. What a night.

JAN. 17
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Kennedy-Kenrick 49, Carroll 48
   Fifty-three down, one up. Let the celebration begin! After 53 consecutive CL South losses over three full seasons and parts of two others, K-K finally k-kollected a victory. As you can see by the final score, the win did not come in easy fashion. In fact, it came in quite difficult fashion as the Wolverines had to rally from a 23-11 halftime deficit and get past the embarrassment/frustration of shooting 1-for-10 from the floor in the second quarter. But they did, and they’re to be commended and I’m glad I was there to watch it all unfold. (Not that I wanted to Carroll to lose; if you're human, you understand.) K-K won because it was extra aggressive in the second half and took advantage of the fact Carroll has no one at the point who is truly strong with the ball and able to shape what happens on offense. Also, when the Patriots did get the ball into decent positions, they often were unable to finish. The last possession was a microcosm of the game. Let’s backtrack and then go forward. With 47.6 seconds left, soph PG Courtney Stanley nailed both ends of a double-bonus to give K-K a 49-45 lead. Carroll sr. G Pat Filippelli, who hardly played, then was extremely clutch with a right-wing trey at 0:30 on a pass from soph G Ellis Rogers. Rogers then made what could have been the play of the night at 14.5 as he dug down deep, played the hell out of defense and forced a 5-second call on Stanley. Uh, oh. This game has that look. K-K is again going to have its end-the-streak hopes crushed. Sr. Darrell Floyd wound up with the ball a few inches beyond the foul line. He drove through the lane and flipped up a layup. It looked good, then it came spinning off the rim and a serious scramble ensued for the rebound. Floyd and sr. F Scott Marston wound up with dual possession, and never has an arrow meant more for K-K’s program. Only 3.1 seconds remained. The inbound pass sailed three-quarters court and Rogers did intercept it. But he was called for walking as he came down and only seven-10ths of a second remained and that was it, folks. All things considered, the response of the Wolverines and their fans was rather tame. Many of the players are newcomers and likely don’t realize the significance, especially how painful it was for their recent predecessors to lose game after game after game in league play. For the record, the skid covered the final games of the ’02 season, all 14 in ’03, ’04 and ’05 and the first four this year. (Carroll also entered 0-4.) Stanley, a talented kid who could make a SERIOUS impact down the road, especially when he makes sure that he and his mates treasure every possession, finished with 16 points. Eleven (3-for-3 on treys) came in the fourth quarter after he had to change his jersey from No. 15 to No. 30 due to drops of blood from a skinned left elbow. Jr. G Tim Bowman scored 12 of his 13 points in the second half and did not miss a shot while doing so (4-for-4, one trey, 3-for-3). The other members of the historic nine-man rotation aside from Stanley, Marston and Bowman: soph F Dwayne Davis, sr. F Zach Molyneaux (six rebounds), sr. G Andrew Schell (six points, two steals), sr. F Arlen Carnard, sr. G Rob Panish and frosh F Kasheef Festus. For Carroll, Floyd was en route to a strong outing, then could not buy a basket. He finished with 15 points despite missing his final seven shots from the floor. He added six rebounds. Sr. C Dutch “Big Suburbs” Gaitley mixed 10 points, 12 boards and five blocks. He also dished three assists and could have doubled that total, at least, if some layups had been made. After the game, I went downstairs and brandished the somewhat trusty digital camera in K-K’s locker room. The guys mostly had their arms at their sides for the first picture. I then said, “Act like you’re happy you won,” and they hammed it up a little (ha ha).

JAN. 17
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Episcopal 63, Gtn. Academy 48
   This was the plan. Go to GA for this tilt and only write about it for the Daily News in the event of a GA win or a tremendous overall game. Short of that, head to K-K and write about the escape-last-place showdown. OK, so the events of the afternoon and evening produced some headlines for K-K in the paper, as the Wolverines (see above) terminated a 53-game CL losing streak. But this game was hardly a dud and GA at time had its fans going ga-ga or gah-gah or however it’s spelled (smile). The Patriots surged into the halftime locker room with a lead, 27-26, thanks to a buzzer-beating trey by jr. G Kyle Griffin. Guess what, though. The good vibrations were not sustained. Episcopal roared to the first 13 points of the third quarter in a vintage display of talent and savvy. Here we go: drive by sr. F Gerald Henderson, three-point play off a drive by Henderson; two free throws by Henderson; three-point shot by sr. G Charlie Barks on a pass from sr. G-F Wayne Ellington, three-point play by Ellington on a pass from Henderson. Phew! That all happened in pretty quick order, too. Henderson was beyond terrific. After having rededicated himself to being aggressive and paying attention to positioning, carom angles, etc., he collected 15 rebounds! He also scored 29 points (13-for-14 at line) and dished five assists. Ellington mixed 19 points, eight boards, three assists. Sr. C Mike Yocum settled for just three shots and four points, yet added eight boards and three blocks. “G” said the pre-game hope was for all three frontcourt guys to grab at least 10 boards. I told him it might have happened had he not been so aggressive and yanked the ball out of Wayne’s/Mike’s hands. This game marked the return of jr. PG Pat “Mono? What Mono?” Kelly. Understandably, he was a shade short on most of his shots, but did hit two treys. Barks and sr. G Tim Ivory, the FB QB, were their usual hustle/do-little-things selves. Though I like Griffin just as much as before, this was not a vintage outing. He shot just 5-for-19 from the floor and 2-for-10 on treys. Also, I had him for only one assist. Sr. C Andrew Ott snagged 14 rebounds, but likewise had struggles from the floor (5-for-17) en route to 13 points. Nevertheless, GA did not go quietly. The Patriots were down by only two, 41-39, as the third quarter ended. Henderson again went berserk in the fourth quarter, posting 11 points and seven boards. The famous Hockey Puck was in attendance, taping the game. He stood not too far from where I was sitting in an aluminum folding chair and of course kept yelling, “Yo, Ted . . . babble, babble, babble, babble.” I mostly tried to ignore him and check out the expressions of people nearby who were experiencing for the first time all the wonderful nuttiness that is Puck. I’m sure they were telling stories deep into the night. Stories that began with, “You should have seen the guy that was taping the GA game today . . . "

JAN. 16
CATHOLIC NORTH
Dougherty 50, Judge 48
   Four minutes, 25 seconds remained in the half and Judge sr. G James “J.J.” Franklin had just drained a trey, expanding Judge’s lead to 19-8. Up behind Judge’s bench, just for a few seconds, and it was only done by a few kids, the chant rang out: “It’s all over! It’s all over!” No it wasn’t. Not by a medium shot. With 7 seconds left, a medium shot, about a 13-foot jumper from the right side of the lane, was what jr. G Kahlil Mumford sank to give the Cardinals the victory. It still wasn’t over, of course. Judge called time and then called time again at 3.4. Sr. F Chris Schwartz inbounded from in front of the scorers’ table in the newly named Bill Fox Gym (Bill and his sons, Brian and Brendan, were sitting across the way to the left). Sr. G Will Taggert, perhaps the most unlikely guy to take the final shot because he’s mostly a passer, drove down the right side and wound up near the right block. He turned around and missed a bank shot as the buzzer sounded. Mumford was a likely recipient of the ink, but not just because he made the game-winning shot. His major contribution came at the other end of the floor. To wit: Franklin, like Mumford a lefty, scored 14 points in a five-minute span in the second quarter as Judge stormed to a 25-11 halftime lead. Mumford asked for the challenge of covering Franklin in the second half and J.J. finished with just five more. His philosophy was simple: "I figured if I didn't let him touch the ball, there wasn't much he could do to hurt us.” So true! Mumford had eight rebounds and five assists, but was hardly a one-man gang. The big-contributions gang had two other prominent members, sr. G Vinny Simpson and jr. F Roberto Townsend. As dominant as Franklin was in the second quarter, that was Simpson in the third. He scored 14 of his 16 points, with two treys mixed in, and pretty much did what he wanted. In the fourth, Simpson soared for a transition dunk and dished two important assists. Townsend continues to thrive in his sixth-man role. He plays with a certain edge and the others definitely follow his lead. ‘Berto went for 18 points and eight boards with 12 and six coming after intermission (along with two steals). Judge owned a 43-36 lead with 6:12 left after Taggert converted a one-and-one. But Dougherty refused to wilt and chugged into a 48-48 tie on Mumford’s short jumper at 2:10. With about 35 seconds left, Schwartz began to drive down the left side of the lane. Jr. F Tim Gates stepped up and there was a mild collision. No call was made and the ball rolled over the baseline, possession to the Redbirds. Mumford then followed with his game-winner. As Fox takes the third health-related sabbatical of his career, Frank Cahill, a Judge teacher and former Conwell-Egan assistant, is running the ballclub. There do not appear to be major differences. Like Fox, Cahill uses a deeper rotation than most teams (nine tonight) and there are still two-three subs at a time. Sr. C Arthur Livingston shot 1-for-2 and 6-for-6 for eight points and grabbed five boards. Art last season had some serious difficulties at the foul line. As he made his fifth in a row, and at the exact instant the thought was bouncing around in my ample head, Dougherty coach Mark Heimerdinger said to no one in particular, “He has really worked on his foul shooting.” (smile) Schwartz had four points, seven boards, two assists. Jr. Bob Verrelle hit two treys and dished two assists. (Both might have been off inbound plays.) Dougherty jr. G-F Justin Minter is still out with the ankle injury he suffered in warm-ups at the McDevitt game. He’s expected back in action later this week. The ceremony to officially name Judge’s gym will be held Feb. 17, between the JV and varsity games, when Judge hosts Conwell-Egan. This is legendary: one of the guys in Judge’s Team Pic is jr. Ryan Walker. I’m 99 percent sure he was in one of the first Special Photos ever posted on this site in his days as a grade-school kid. He and a bunch of buddies from St. Matt’s (?? – think so, anyway) were attending a Judge FB game and acting as ballboys. They’d played their own game earlier that day. Maybe Ryan will write in and let me know if my memory is correct (smile).

JAN. 15
CATHOLIC NORTH
Conwell-Egan 51, La Salle 40
   Some of the best times a scholastic reporter can have are watching a long-time doormat finally experience joy. It’s still mid-January and nine  games remain on the schedule, but C-E is 4-1 and this could, repeat could, be the year the Eagles make just their third playoff appearance in the school’s 43-season CL history. In their 40 non-playoff seasons (aside from ’64 and ’94), the Eagles played league ball at a .171 clip. Ouch to the millionth power. Seventeen wins out of every 100 games. Can you believe that? Well, we’ll see what happens in games six through 14 but in No. 5, there was much to like. Even though the polished veterans, sr. twin Gs Ryan and Adam Van Zelst, contributed very little in the scoring column (seven points total; just four until the very end), they were important in other ways, especially Ryan with four assists and three steals, and their playmates picked up the slack. The ink went to sr. G-DF Wilson Acevedo, who shot 6-for-13 and 9-for-11 for 21 points, while adding five rebounds and two blocked shots. Acevedo is a confirmed slasher and is pretty strong and bouncy/darting at 6-foot, 175 pounds. He used his off hand (left) once or twice, even tried reverse layups and displayed chemistry with the twins, his best buddies. I don’t know much about Matt Crozier, a soph F-C, but if he’s been slightly hesitant, like many sophs tend to be, this game undoubtedly did wonders for his progression. In the fourth quarter alone, he totaled eight points and four rebounds and was flat-out rock steady. Jr. F Kevin Schafer, the FB QB and nephew of the head coach (Rich Schafer) and an assistant (Dave Schafer), also was a big-timer in the final period. He did not score from the floor (three free throws). He also did not let soph WG Clay Penecale (19 points, 6-for-7 on treys) hit the scoring column and he scrapped for three assists, two steals. And then there was sr. F-C Finn Skovdal, a lefty. He made all of his shots for 10 points (4-for-4, 2-for-2), logged four pilfers and added five get-that-junk-outta-heres. Acevedo had 10 of his points in the fourth quarter and six came in succession as the Eagles left behind the game’s last tie, at 35-35. The most impressive play was the middle one as he flicked the ball from a La Salle player to Schafer, began running upcourt and took a long pass from Schafer for a layup. Penecale, obviously, was impressive, especially since he was hitting the treys mostly against man-to-man. He made his first five (while missing two regulars, oddly enough) and finished 6-for-8. The way he runs and is constantly on the balls of his feet, he reminds me of a La Salle all-timer, 1982 grad Chip Greenberg. It would be going WAY out on a limb to say he’ll become as special a player, but the possibilities are there. Soph C Joe Migliarese had a so-so outing; the effect of his nine rebounds was negated by the scoring of just two points lowlighted by 0-for-4 at the line. Jr. F Anthony Acey-Davis did some impressive inside scrambling for eight boards. It wasn’t so much that he pogo-sticked over everyone. He just kept getting to the right spots. Jr. WG T.J. Brown had two treys and two assists while soph PG Mike Topley dealt four assists. The Explorers shot 4-for-12 at the line. An observation: Penecale’s first three treys provided a 9-4 lead and the chance to step on C-E’s collective throat was available. Instead, the Explorers slowed down slightly and lost their momentum. In the third quarter, Penecale hit a trey to provide a 30-24 lead and then departed, almost immediately, for a sub. Once again the Explorers became tentative in a halfcourt set, backing up almost as much as going forward, and C-E seized the opportunity to scramble back into contention. Unless he’s exhausted or in foul trouble, Penecale may need to be a 32-minute man. He’s the only Explorer capable of routinely creating his own shot. This tilt was lightly attended. Except for JV players who stayed around, I’m betting the schools combined for no more than 10 student fans. His teammates were calling Skovdal “Dikembe” for his shot-blocking heroics. Across the way from the benches, almost all with clipboards, sitting side by side by side by side by side by side by side, were seven coaches from other CL North schools. Welcome back to the Team Pics, Richie Schafer! (smile) He’s coach R. Schafer’s son and serves as the ballboy. He missed last year’s Team Pic because he had a game of his own that night. We hear he cried for days (just kidding). Kudos to La Salle AD Tony Resch, who was spotted at halftime picking up trash around the gym and afterward was pushing the stands back into place. Doubt that's in the job description. Let's hope he's appreciated. (And, yes, this is the Tony Resch of pro lacrosse fame.) La Salle had a reunion Friday night for its '81 champs. Tony said 12 of the 14 players were in attendance and that perhaps we'll be sent some pictures to post. If nothing else, we can link to whatever pics wind up on La Salle's site.     

JAN. 13
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 57, Gtn. Academy 54
   Most folks in attendance could have kept watching this one for hours on end. What a terrific game! (And, yes, I would have said that even if GA had won, despite being a PC grad – smile.) The teams played hard throughout, the student rooters had juice throughout and even the coaches were into it, big-time. (Afterward, a couple assistants were at each other’s throat. More on that in a moment.) OK, let’s start at the end. Jr. G Sammy Zeglinski swished a pair of treys to rally PC into a 52-52 tie at 1:26. After GA soph G Mike Rhoads shot an airball from the left corner, Ziggy rebounded with a flying leap toward the hoop, pushed the ball hard all the way and canned a layup at 0:54 to make it 54-52. On GA’s possession, sr. F Brian Teuber wound up covering jr. PG Kyle Griffin and darn near exhausted himself. But ultimately, Griffin was able to seize the right baseline and then make a wonderful pass into the lane, where sr. F Shane Simon made the catch and nailed about a 6-footer at 14.1 while drawing a foul. Sensational play by both guys! After a timeout, Simon missed the free throw and sr. G Kevin McGarvey rebounded for PC. On the right wing, Zeglinski, being guarded by Simon, looked “threeish.” But 6-10 sr. C Andrew Ott (Villanova signee) came flashing out and Zeglinski passed to the left. McGarvey made the catch about halfway between the dead-on top and what would be the 45-degree angle. He ball-faked Griffin, moved in just a little and drained a trey as the buzzer sounded. As PC’s students rushed the floor and the players/coaches lined up for handshakes, one assistant from each school grabbed each other and chirped. Not sure why, but I can take a strong guess. Throughout the game, PC’s kids were stationed right behind and up from GA’s bench and they made all KINDS of noise each time GA coach Jim Fenerty called a timeout. At least twice, knowing he’d have trouble being heard, Fenerty moved his players to the end of the bench to talk to them and once he expressed his disgust, purposely within earshot of a PC administrator, that nobody was doing anything to let GA have some timeout peace and quiet. So, that’s my guess on what the postgame dustup was about. Again, this was a terrific game. There were no boring lulls and the intensity never waned. PC stormed to an 11-2 lead, but GA came charging back and even went from 10-down (36-26) to seven-up (48-41) on the strength of a 22-5 run. Zeglinski shot 12-for-30 (6-for-16 on treys) and 2-for-2 for 32 points. He looked quicker than ever, zipping here and there and firing from all angles and distances. He has one of the fastest jumpshot releases in captivity, but sometimes I feel it’s a little TOO quick. He flat-out fires! I never get the impression his shots are costing others possible field goals; only that he’s costing HIMSELF possible field goals that just a tenth of a second more preparation would remedy. But what range. And brass. McGarvey, meanwhile, was 4-for-5 on threes en route to 16 points. Sr. F R.J. Lyons had eight boards while jr. F Drew Fullen added five. Griffin (18) shot 4-for-9 on treys. He also had eight rebounds and two assists. Like everyone who watches him play (hopefully), I love Griffin’s combination of skill, poise and understated competitiveness. This was not a banner night for Ott and mostly it wasn’t his fault. Though PC is mostly undersized (yes, it does have some rugged competitors), Ott received scant numbers of touches and took just eight shots (none in fourth quarter; only one in third). He settled for 10 points and seven rebounds. GA’s role players all enjoyed good moments. Soph G Joe Hill hit a pair of third quarter threes. Frosh PF Jeff Holton grabbed five first quarter rebounds. Jr. F Matt Fusaro made a couple of key plays in the fourth quarter. Sr. F Matt Turner had two assists in the second quarter as the Patriots were scrambling back. Yet, despite THE missed free throw, the extras’ MVP had to be Simon. He ran and ran and hustled and hustled and kept Ziggy without a FG in the third quarter after others had experienced trouble. If I remember correctly, he was not on Ziggy as he began to break out of his slump, nor in the waning moments when he hit the two gigantic treys to create the tie. A good five minutes, at least, after the game’s end, I was interviewing McGarvey in a hallway when GA’s players trudged past after their immediate post-game meeting. Turner and Simon were crying and I could not have been more impressed. There’s nothing better than caring, guys. Nothing! Never hesitate to pour your heart and soul into something and then express disappointment, even hurt, if things don’t quite work out. One last thought: This was a terrific game! Oh, I already said that? I’ll still be saying it months from now (smile).

JAN. 12
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Prep Charter 73, Engineering and Science 45
   PC has played very few Philly games worth seeing so far this season and I couldn’t quite make it to California for the holiday tourney (smile), so this was my first look at the Huskies. Wow! Admittedly, this is not one of E&S’ better teams, and perhaps not even one of its medium teams. Time will tell on that front. The Engineers are always plucky in their own gym, though . . . Except for today. PC seized control early, then began to dominate and later frolicked. PC was a very nice team last year – don’t forget, it did reach the Pub final – with an Achilles heel in the form of shaky ballhandling. Presto! Two guys capable of breaking pressure and/or running the offense  arrived via transfer – jr. Josh “Scrap” Martin from Dougherty; jr. Doug Davis from Abington Friends – and that has made a gigantic difference in how the Huskies can be viewed now, and down the line in what undoubtedly be state tournament play. Every necessary ingredient is here: running, jumping, height, unselfishness, poise, depth, etc. Sr. WG-SF Rodney Green is a future NBA player and La Salle has a steal. Strong words, yes, but I have strong feelings about this young man’s current skills and potential to become better and better, year by year. Word is, the Explorers plan to play him at the point and he OWNS transition. In this one, he also made some good passes in set offenses. The best thing about the jr. twins, 6-8 Marcus and 6-9 Markieff Morris, is that they work so well together and truly appear to enjoy being tall. Believe me, that is NOT the case for most tall hoopsters in their high school years and many are introverted. Each benefited from having the other to lean on, and share experiences with. Coach Dan Brinkley said they would definitely be going to college together and here’s hoping they stay local because our college writers will have a lot of fun telling their stories over and over. They could own this city someday. Marcus shot 8-for-10 for 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Markieff had nine and nine. Green, my DN focus, has obviously invested all kinds of time in trying to improve his jumper. He took two treys and nailed ‘em both! There was a wonderful sequence in the third quarter. It began when, from the left corner,  Marcus dumped the ball to the left block and Markieff. 'Kieff immediately whipped a pass to the right block, where Green caught it and deposited a layup. The fun and unselfishness continued as Marcus passed to Green for a fly-down-the-lane dunk, Markieff made a steal and fired ahead to Green for another dunk and Markieff executed his own wolf-down off a feed from Green. The Huskies have some depth, too. Put it this way: after the game, 6-6 sr. PF Cullen Askew (big kid, built like a tight end), who hardly played, was spotted speaking with a D-III coach. Fr. Parrish Grant is a respectable third wheel at PG, also. No one played particularly well for E&S, but jr. PG Jaret Richardson did show brass en route to 13 points. Also, jr. F-C Anthony Pough showed no fear in getting off several tight shots against the twins. E&S assistant Ken Hamilton, one of the city's all-time top coaches in an earlier life at Franklin (smile), spoke to the Huskies after the game, at Brinkley's request, about the mind-set it takes to turn talent into titles, and also about how it’s unwise to occasionally bark/chirp at referees. This much is guaranteed: no Philly team that’s viewed as a problem in going to catch Break No. 1 from refs on the PIAA trail. And don’t get me wrong: the PC guys are nothing close to being unruly. But the little bits and pieces of misbehavior must be eliminated now. OK, end of sermon (smile).

JAN. 11
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 49, Roman 48
   If there are occasions when one team loses more than the other team wins, this was likely one of them. Aside from shooting 4-for-20 from the foul line, which is dreadful to the second power, Roman missed three shots on its two-pronged “final” possession and all three were rather clean looks. Four-for-20 from the line? Phew! How does that happen? Many of the misses were bad ones, not almosts. Since this was a one-point game, we’ll start with the stretch. With 56.8 seconds left, 6-9 sr. C Mike Yocum (Albany) hit the second part of a double-bonus to give Episcopal a one-point lead. Roman jr. WG Bradley Wanamaker nailed a right-wing trey, then Ellington, like Yocum, converted the back end of a double-bonus at 38.1 to make it 49-48. The ball grew put down roots in Roman’s end from there. The sequence: Wanamaker missed about a 17-foot jumper on the left baseline, sr. F Mike Ringgold rebounded, sr. PG Raymond "Doodles" Sims missed a right-wing trey, the Cahillites rebounded again (Wanamaker) and time was called at :07.9. Wanamaker tried again, this time from the right baseline at just about the same distance, but the Clutch Shot Department was closed. The ball did go in and out, though, and Yocum slapped it out of the area as the buzzer sounded. Yocum got the ink for leading the game in points (14), rebounds (12) and dunks (three). He’s smart enough to realize a lot of his success can be traced to the holes created by the presence of ACC-bound sr. superstars Wayne Ellington (North Carolina) and Gerald Henderson (Duke). But it’s not like he’s a tag-along-only guy. Yocum would have no trouble producing as a go-to guy and I love his sound fundamentals. Plus, for a white boy, he can really jump! (smile) As Mike said in our interview session, he actually tries to dunk whenever possible because sometimes he gets a shade timid when he merely attempts layups. Weird, eh? Wayne and G had mostly quiet nights. Wayne had to be content with 12 points, eight boards, two assists and three steals. He made several decent moves. Can’t remember any oh-my-Gods! G had one, a blocked shot coming out of nowhere. How hard is this to fathom? – as well as he can jump (six blocks), he did not grab his first rebound until the final minute of the third quarter (en route to just three). For my money, Episcopal’s lesser lights were the reason for victory. Well, plus the pretty-good light, Yocum. Sr. G Charlie Barks (pretty sure he was receiving his first extended look of the season), grabbed six rebounds, converted a follow among all the athletic guys and kept Sims from being a deciding factor. Doodles shot just 1-for-6 and dished “just” five assists; only one through the first half. Roman had very few transition opportunities and was unable to wear down the Churchmen. Barks had a lot to do with that. Sr. G Tim Ivory, like Barks a FB player, also was vital. He had three assists, went 4-for-4 at the line and, if I remember correctly, both of his baskets came on layups off brassy forays into what should have been heavy traffic. For Roman, sr. F Lonnie Perry made a nice impression with eight boards off the bench. At one point, the ball came bouncing over to the scorers’ table and hit me in the face, just as I was looking down to note a stat. Episcopal coach Dan Dougherty kidded me by saying, “I remember when you used to have good hands.” Maybe you saw this: in the Tuesday Inquirer, there was a great photo of Roman’s student-section leader (and ts.com writer), Brian Sugden, exposing his belly to distract Carroll’s Darrell “Da Man” Floyd during a foul shot. Brian deadpanned, “I was already famous. It just boosted my profile a little.” The pic also brought about a new rule – no flesh. The woman who tries to keep a lid on Roman’s students during the game said with a laugh, “I told Brian that the next time he wants to pull lint out of his belly button, do it at home.” Brian’s older brother, Tom, who used to light up our Random Thoughts page in the site’s infancy, was in attendance. I took their photo and it’s posted. Sometimes, Tom tries to pretend he doesn’t know Brian. Many times, actually (ha ha). “The way he behaves is not my fault,” he insisted.

JAN. 11
PUBLIC LEAGUE
World Communications 56, Creative and Performing Arts 50
          I saw the next MJ today! Well, not really. But I did see someone with those initials who's a pretty decent player -- WC jr. WG Maurice Jones. This tilt was scheduled for Tuesday, a regular Pub day, but had to be postponed due to a mixup. Then, it was moved from the YMCA, at 52nd and Chestnut, to Palumbo RC, at 10th and Fitzwater, in part because the WC folks are dissatisfied with some of the variables at the Y. Chief among them: There's no 3-point line on the court!! Legendary!! The rule has only been in effect for  18-19 seasons. Hay-zoooooos. Back to Jones. He's about a 6-foot kid with a decent build and he can go hard to the hoop. At the playground closest to where he lives, he is likely an early choice for pickup games. He shot a shade too often and made some very ill-advised launches when WC was trying to protect a late lead, but let's face it, how many players on these lower-echelon squads can actually put the ball in the basket with any kind of regularity? Jones had 20 points and dished five assists. He was extremely tricky in traffic thanks to his hops and body control and he almost uncorked what might have stood up as the dunk of the season. He left the floor from nowhere near the rim and then, boom, he was right AT it. Only a late hack prevented a play that would have deserved a SportsCenter showing any night in the week. All the players were looking at each afterward with did-that-just-happen? expressions. The other player of note for the Stallions is jr. PG Jamal Hayes, a lefty. He had 16 points and five assists and made the correct decisions again and again, even he probably feared not much good would come of them. Jr. big'uns Peter Graham and Devin Devoue grabbed seven and six boards, respectively. Jr. SF Jerome Bellamy, a slender kid, had seven points and 10 rebounds. Five players did most of the playing for CAPA, whose coach, John Dunphy, has a brother, Brian, who was a pretty productive baseball player for West Catholic back in the day. Around Huck's day, if I remember correctly. I can't fib and say there's a true "player" on CAPA, but I liked these kids' pluck and they showed me something with a late rally to actually cause WC some consternation. Sr. PF-C Carl Chapman does things with reaction time that's just a shade slow. He's about 6-3 and strong, though, so MAYBE he could develop and play D-III ball somewhere. At a place such as CAPA, I can't imagine there are many shaky students. He had 21 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and six blocks. (Eye-popping numbers, yes. But remember, it's all relative. This was not Roman-Episcopal -- smile.) Sr. combo guard Samuel Bennett shot just 2-for-17 and 0-for-7 on treys. He redeemed himself with six assists and five steals. Sr. SF Daric Nance fueled the fourth quarter comeback with 12 of his 14 points. Sr. WG Jameel Gibson was an early force, hitting three straight jumpers. Jr. PF Rob Harta appears to be about 6-3, 230. With not an ounce of fat. Don't know why this kid is not attending a school with football because he was rugged and ornery, too. Maybe coach Brian Fluck can grab him for West Catholic's football team. (Threw that one in here to see if Huck is paying attention -- ha ha.) Two players had very unique foul shooting styles. Devoue dribbled the ball fast and hard eight times while rocking back and forth, then palmed the ball and held it briefly at arm's length a shade behind his back. He then shot serious bricks (smile). Nance shot 'em with his feet almost parallel to the foul line and his body turned at a 45-degree angle. His quirk produced much better results (7-for-8). Some wacky tidbits . . . Fifty-five seconds into the first quarter, the refs made the teams switch baskets so in the second half they'd be shooting at the end where the benches were; WC's uniforms had no numbers on the front (oh, baby!); the clock had a mini-short late in the game and showed 1:69 remaining; one of the refs said to me after a particularly off-the-wall sequence, "I can't believe you're sitting there with a straight face." The same guy also said he won $25 because he'd bet a friend, another ref, that myself or someone else from ts.com would be in attendance. As I write this, it's 5:30  p.m. and I'm situated on the stage, and behind the curtain, at Phila. University. I got here about 5:05. Roman's Kirkland twins, Wes and Will, were already dressed and having a shooting contest with an adult, who also dispensed non-stop advice. The same three were on the Philly U. court WAY before the Roman/Neumann-Goretti game, too. Gotta love that kind of work ethic. Overall, I had a fun time at WC-CAPA. The players were upbeat and not interested in talking doo-doo and that was quite refreshing. I'm glad the game was postponed from Tuesday and let's hope Roman-Episcopal completes a quite worthwhile two-sites doubleheader.

JAN. 10
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Frankford 82, Straw. Mansion 49
          It’s not too often you walk toward your car after a game and see Mike Strug, and other TV news reporters, standing right next to it. Ever have that boxed-in feeling? I did, and the reason was that my car was inside an area marked off with yellow crime-scene tape. Only in the Covering of the Pub. I was parked on a very short block of 32nd Street between Ridge Ave. to the north and Susquehanna Ave. to the south. A shooting took place maybe 20-30 yards away on Susquehanna. Cars belonging to refs Tom Skellan and James Smith were a short distance from mine on 32nd. Not sure how long it took THEM to get out, but here’s what I did: pulled out onto 32nd, went up on the sidewalk on the northeast corner of 32nd and Susquehanna (narrowly missed a stand for a TV camera), thumped down off the sidewalk onto Susquehanna, proceeded the short distance to Ridge, and expressed my gratitude to a policeman who lowered the yellow tape to ground level. But that wasn’t all. Ridge was blocked off at 22nd because of an accident involving a police cruiser and who knows what else; couldn’t tell. Looped around that and got back on Ridge. A block before Girard Avenue, on the west side of Ridge on the property owned by Girard College, several police vehicles were up on the sidewalk. Two guys were being handcuffed! Didn’t see the TV news, but rumor has it all three incidents were related. Wild, huh? And here’s another tidbit: When I walked into Mansion’s gym, I realized I’d left my reading glasses in the car. It’s tough getting into that place these days due to construction in front of what’s usually the main entrance, so I figured I’d see if the athletic director, Charles Sumter (also the PL basketball chairman), might have an extra pair of reading glasses lying around. Couldn’t track down Charles right away but coach Gerald Hendricks said he had an extra pair and would get them for me. You might have saved my life, Gerald! Smile. (I have no idea, as I write this a shade after midnight, what time the shooting actually took place, but it sounds good, right? Put it this way: It happened sometime after I walked into Mansion about 20 after 2.) The game? Not much to tell. Frankford played VERY well and Mansion did not. Mansion’s gym can be very intimidating and visitors often crumble there. Instead, Frankford looked like the home team and seized this one by the throat. It exerted the Mansion-type pressure and had the Knights backing away and/or becoming unglued. It was a strange sight. Sr. G-SF Lewis Leonard led the way with 26 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocked shots. This lefty can REALLY play offense. Long Js. Medium  Js. Drives for layups. Drives for dunks. Snappy passes to teammates. He now knows the deal and, depending on his academics and further progress, is the kind of player who could someday get paid. Jr. SF Kenny Spotwood (20 points) also had an impressive outing, especially during a 25-10 third quarter. He was a master in transition whether going hard to the hole or helping others do so. Soph F Antwaine Brown is a zoom-up-there leaper. He had three dunks en route to 13 points. I also liked soph PG Malik Ballard. He already shows a good feel and more than a little brass. I can’t imagine anyone will be able to take his heart. For Mansion, sr. WG Matthew “Moo” Johnson needed a late, 10-point rush vs. deep subs to finish with 27 points. Moo is a savvy kid, but was playing with a broken nose and wound up looking impressive only in short bursts. We’ll give him a pass on this one. Sr. PF-C John Brooks has done a nice job reshaping his body. He has traded the beef for muscle and that, in turn, has added to his confidence. He’s not as athletic as others, but I do appreciate his work ethic. He had nine points, eight boards and three blocks. Sr. WG Eugene Moss is being used as the sixth man. Not sure he likes it. SHOWING that he’ll try to make the most of it will help him in the long run. Moss did a little extra firing as Mansion fell further and further into the abyss. He wound up shooting 3-for-14. Among the spectators: former Mastbaum and Penn State FB star (and ex-NFL player) Chafie Fields. Moo is his cousin. Chafie was a fun kid to watch and write about in his ‘Baum days and he earned all kinds of attention because he majored in cosmetology. He said he did so, as you might imagine, "because that’s where the girls are" (ha ha). Chafie’s mom, Linda, has worked long and hard through the years, in assorted capacities, to help youngsters realize their dreams athletically and scholastically and she is truly good people! Hopefully, Chafie will remember to tell her I said hello.

JAN. 9
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
O’Hara 48, Kennedy-Kenrick 36
    Let me begin with a shoutout to K-K coach Mike Fink, who by way of an assistant asked if I’d wait until the JV game concluded to take the Team Photo so 4-5 kids who play for both squads could be present. It was a little thing, in the overall scheme, but those extra kids probably appreciated the gesture. As did I. OK, next point: K-K is now playing without star FB player Jermaine Pierce. A few stories were making the rounds before the game about why Pierce was not in attendance. Pierce said Jermaine, who’s receiving big-time interest, has opted to concentrate on recruiting and improving his academic profile. Well, guess who was O’Hara’s headliner? The No. 1 FB star, QB-WR-DB Anthony Walters, a sr. G. “Ant” said he couldn’t possibly leave the Lions even though he is now bound for Delaware and he definitely played in relaxed, weight-off-my-shoulders fashion. His performance helped him become one of the very high school kids to ever get stories in back-to-back editions of the good, ol’ People Paper . . . OK, it’s 2 a.m. Too tired to finish. Zzzzzzzzz. . . . OK, it’s 8:19. Perched on the sofa with a Tastykake (nah, a bowl of cereal and orange juice) and ready to roll yet again . . . Walters, who was afforded the opportunity to play some point in this affair, finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He shot 8-for-14 from the floor and even 4-for-7 on treys. He also strung together one of the best short, varied spurts a player could ever hope to have as O’Hara seized command. As the second quarter ended, Walters hit a trey and then passed to sr. G Chris “Mr. Happy” Myers for a basket and a 25-21 lead. As the third quarter ended, guess what, he did it again! Except this time his trey was followed by a pass to soph F Zach Tansey for a basket, and this time the count was 34-28. From there: pass to sr. G-F Calvin Gilbert for a field goal. Drive for his own. Fastbreak layup off a pass from Tansey. And then a pass to Tansey for another bucket and a 43-28 bulge. Just that quickly. Just that impressively. Sr. F Pat Kirby added nine points (all in the first half), nine boards and four blocks. His best moment, of many, came when he jumped out to the corner to block a jumper and then jumped again over the sideline to save the ball back into a teammate. His expression might have changed ever so slightly after he did that to a hint of satisfaction/excitement, but we wouldn’t bet on it (smile). Sr. F Scott Taylor missed four shots while going scoreless, but banged for 10 rebounds and dished two assists. He adds spit and grit. Myers, yet another FB player (like Walters, Taylor and soph C Mark Wedderburn), had four points and as many assists. K-K looked confident and cohesive early. As the tide changed, though, the Wolverines rushed their shots and claimed very few offensive rebounds and did little to prevent O’Hara from thriving in transition. Yes, transition! Yes, O’Hara! They’re no doubt having to adjust to life without Pierce, a strong inside presence. Sr. F Scott Marston scored four early points and took just two more shots, missing both. He bagged 11 rebounds. Soph PG Courtney Stanley is an obvious talent and, his career progresses, he’ll learn how to prevent meltdowns such as the one that took place in this one, or at least to minimize their effect. Soph G-F Dwayne Davis, who stirs exact memories for Amauro (and me) of former Gratz star Jarett Kearse in face, body, mannerisms, gait, etc. (and that’s a good thing because Kearse was a first team All-City honoree in ’97), jammed seven points, four boards and two assists into the first quarter. Like his teammates, he had trouble getting things to click thereafter. Malvern players Tom Grandieri and Paul Ostick were in attendance to watch some friends who play for O’Hara. I took a picture of them gobbling down food and they wanted to see it afterward. Paul worried, “That could have been a bad angle. Might show my big nose.” With his stuffed cheeks, it did show what he might look like as a squirrel. Tom was satisfied with how he appeared. Mike Lomas, who QB’d O’Hara to the 2000 CL Red title, was also on hand. Spent some pre-game time talking with FB coach Danny Algeo. Always a worthwhile venture. I mentioned to Danny that sometime soon we’ll be running 30-year all-star FB teams in the paper. He did a pretty nice job at guessing which skill players will appear on the first teams (All-City and All-Catholic). Coolest visual of the night: after I heard the clap-it-up noise that indicated O’Hara’s post-game meeting had ended, I opened the locker room door and had a direct line to where Walters was standing. As I asked one of his teammates to send “Ant” out, I could see he was fiddling with something. What he was doing was putting into place his diamond-stud earrings. Coach Buddy Gardler playfully busted on him by saying, “You gotta put in your earrings to talk to Mr. Silary?” Yes, that’s the rule now. No earrings, no interview (smile).

JAN. 8
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Dougherty 55, McDevitt 53
   Roberto Townsend said it best and he plays for Dougherty: McDevitt should have won and deserved to win. What a crazy bunch of developments in THIS one, troops. During warmups, Dougherty jr. G Justin Minter slipped and twisted his left ankle and missed the entire game. Then, Dougherty came out like gangbusters and McDevitt looked like a junior varsity. Then, in the second half, McDevitt hustled and made plays again and again and Dougherty had trouble performing even the simplest tasks. Here's one for the archives: There was a 24-point swing over 11 minutes and 40 seconds. McD entered the third quarter down by 17, at 38-21, and owned a seven-point lead, at 49-42, with 4:20 left. McD collected just two steals in the second half so most of Dougherty's were unforced. If this had been a pro or college game with lots of money bet, federal investigators would now be scrutinizing the videotape. (Hopefully, not the one shot by Hockey Puck on his scouting mission for North Catholic. He was getting excited and a few times I thought I saw the camera pointed toward the ceiling -- ha ha.) Anyway, CD's overall and ultimate hero was Townsend, the aggressive, bouncy jr. F who now serves as the sixth man. He showed that tough, no-way-you're-better mentality and several times just powered/willed the ball into the basket. All the while wearing a scowl. He shot 9-for-11 for 18 points (oddly, he was also 0-for-5 from the line) and grabbed eight rebounds and hit a left-wing basket on a pass from jr. G Bryant "B.J." Lennon to make it 54-53 with four ticks left. McDevitt then asked FB QB Tom Maha to perform a difficult task, namely throw the ball cleanly more than halfway downcourt. No one, in fact, was in the backcourt. From right in front of the stage, Maha whipped a pass about three-quarters-court to the left. Sr. F Bill Murphy had to reach out and was unable to control the pass as he fell out of bounds. Sr. WG-SF Vinny Simpson hit the second part of a double-bonus and once again Maha was asked to do the unlikely. His long pass went to almost the same spot, but the receiver was sr. F Tom Clarke. Only 1 second was on the clock at the start of the play, so Clarke had to hurry big-time. His three-point heave was way off. If that shot had gone in, my oh my what a celebration it would have created. Jr. G Kahlil Mumford had an excellent start for Dougherty. In the Cards' 20-point first quarter, the lefty posted a three-point play and six assists. Yes, six! Early in the second quarter, he made two more terrific passes for blown layups and as the half ended, he fired a pass three-quarters court to a teammate who drew a foul at the buzzer. That guy missed both shots. It was no coincidence, I'm strongly guessing, that Mumford thereafter seemed much more interested in getting his own shot. Not saying he was justified, but I did understand, at least slightly. This fact also was a killer for Dougherty: It shot 5-for-19 at the line (with seven misses in each half). Though McDevitt possesses nowhere near as much talent as Dougherty, I do like the Lancers' worker-bee mentality. It was shown the most by Murphy, who's kind of chunky and unathletic yet very skilled in overachieving. You gotta love a kid who totals 18 points and seven boards against a school where he'd likely find it hard to earn a spot in the rotation. Clarke showed some of the same qualities, especially while getting all five of his points and seven of his 11 boards in the second half. Sr. WG Mike Swoyer, who looks very unassuming (not to mention young -- smile), backed down to no one. He took the ball into traffic early and semi-often and went 7-for-10 from the line en route to 13 points. He also had two dishes in the fourth quarter. Like a couple times last season, I had fun sharing a table on the stage with Fr. Bill Chiriaco, the entertaining PA announcer/DJ. His best twist this season is "That's Wright!" whenever 6-5 sr. C Toure Wright scores a basket. Wright, by the way, is worth a look for D-IIIs. He's very thin and might have trouble lifting a box of donuts, let alone weights, but whatever happened to taking a kid with potential and making him into a player? His legs are about two-thirds of his body (well, almost). He took just three shots, making two, and snagged eight rebounds. Among the spectators: former La Salle University (and La Salle HS) coach Lefty Ervin. He does some personal coaching now, mostly on shooting.

JAN. 7
INTER-AC TRIPLEHEADER
Malvern 54, Chestnut Hill 46
   While waiting, to take the team photo, just inside the locker room door for maybe 5 minutes, I got to hear a rousing speech by CH coach Ed Aversa. By the time Ed was finished, I wanted to go out and rain down threes for hours. Serious energy in the talk, Ed. I loved it! Then, I loved the passion showed by his rather undersized team. The Blue Devils BROUGHT it and received strong support from an energized student section. But even in the third quarter, when the Blue Devils were still in control, Amauro and I were commenting that this game had The Look -- the underdog was going to wind up with a broken heart at the end. Malvern scored 30 points in the first three quarters, and then 24 in the fourth. The primary mover and shaker was jr. G Joe Hoban, who scored eight of his 14 points and added MANY other contributions in the way of banging, looking for teammates, etc. He's just now rounding into shape after missing the beginning of the season with a FB injury. Also vital to the comeback, in a quiet way, was sr. F Tom Grandieri, who's bound to 'Nova for baseball. He grabbed nine rebounds, skinned his knees about seven times and just kept making the right plays. This is the kind of complementary guy Speedy Morris (SJ Prep) and Carl Arrigale (N-G) would love to have on their team, and he's even similar to another 'Nova baseball player, Joe Rosati, who did such a great, other-starter job last year for Episcopal. Tom was especially effective as the Friars began their climb back from a 33-24 deficit with 3:40 left in the third quarter; that bulge was provided when sr. F Jon Salem hit his first shot, a trey. Meanwhile, the Jimmie-Mike Jinx is over. Srs. Jimmie Cotton and Mike Creighton struggled mightily with their shooting during my two earlier looks at Malvern. Not this time. Cotton scored 17 points and Creighton managed 12. They had three and four assists, respectively. CHA's mainstays are sr. PG Julian McFadden and jr. F Malik Easterling. McFadden, a lefty waterbug, did a little too much dribbling, but that resulted, I believe, from the fact there were few safe places to deliver the ball. He had 13 points and four assists. Easterling, a fourth-year jr. by way of Roman, was unable to play in league games last season. He's at least a poor man's version of Roman sr. F Mike Ringgold and could be a carbon copy in time. He has quick, reliable feet along with good body control and a certain eye-of-the-tiger aura. I liked him a lot, though he did not appear to be as tall as his listed 6-5. He claimed 12 rebounds and shot 6-for-11 en route to 15 points. CHA's downfall began, and accelerated, when he had to sit down with foul trouble. Jr. WG David Jennings presented an occasional threat with medium-range jumpers. Jr. G Mike "Spike" Christiansen had great hair (ha ha). Check out the team pic.

 JAN. 7
INTER-AC TRIPLEHEADER
Gtn. Academy 79, Haverford School 50
   Took pictures and caught up on some other website-related tasks during this one. But . . . while looking through HS' scorebook before the game, I was stunned to see that soph Jon Saft scored 39 points vs. Central. He hadn't scored one point all year and was scoreless again in the next game. Amauro and I were saying, "Who's this kid? Was he hurt all season, and then got hurt again? How can this happen? Thirty-nine points? None before? None after?" Here's how it happens: the manager feels like messing around and "gives" Saft 39 points. HS had 40 in the loss to Central, not 79. But the 39 surely looked legit in the book. The 2's and 3's and free throws were spread out throughout the game. Legendary stuff (ha ha). Oh, one more surprise . . . When I began posting HS' team pic and cross-checking IDs, I noticed the name James Kania. It's the kid who's writing for this website. I didn't realize he was on the team and he didn't mention it when he sent an e-mail expressing his desire to cover the Fords. (Ha ha again.)

JAN. 7
INTER-AC TRIPLEHEADER
Episcopal 58, Penn Charter 54
   Just because one team has more headliners, that doesn't mean victory is automatic. That was proven, and then some, last night at Philly U. when Roman bumped off Neumann-Goretti and it was almost proven tonight at Arcadia as PC gave Episcopal everything it wanted. Episcopal, as you undoubtedly know, has two seniors headed for the ACC -- sr. G-F Wayne Ellington to UNC, sr. F Gerald Henderson to Duke -- and another bound for the University of Albany in 6-9 C Mike Yocum. The rest of the lineup is slightly unsettled, though, and that's more the case now because jr. PG Pat Kelly has reportedly contracted mono. The Churchmen were not in sync nearly as well as they were pretty much all last season and the Quakers stared them hard in the eyes from beginning to end. Ultimately, EA prevailed largely because Ellington was solid (and then some) at both ends. He scored 22 points, shooting 9-for-15 (two treys) from the floor, and tacked on seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. At the other end, he covered jr. WG Sammy Zeglinski, who has already committed to another ACC school, Virginia. Sammy is death and taxes any time he remotely has a chance to set his feet, and he can also be effective even when he has to rush and/or shoot off-balance. Though he drained two early treys, he hit none thereafter and finished 6-for-18 en route to 15 points. (He added seven boards, four assists and four steals). Nobody is more valuable than someone who cares, and produces, at both ends of the floor and coach Dan Dougherty said one thing he promised Wayne was that he'd make him a finished, two-way product by the time his EA career was over. Henderson was kinda quiet with 10 points and five boards and he had just four points through three quarters. He, too, found a way to impress, though. How? By not forcing. Imagine you're considered one of the country's top players and you have just four points through three quarters. Is the temptation to fire away in an attempt to "get yours" not tremendous? Henderson is not pig-headed. He stayed within himself (as much as I hate that cliche) and is to be commended. Yocum shot 7-for-9 en route to 14 points, and four dunks were included. There are many openings when your teammates are named W & G and he took full advantage. Puck forgot to let me know Mike's rebound total. If it was high, sorry buddy (smile). Sr. G Tim Ivory, the football QB, hit three first-half treys. For PC, the sum was greater than the parts. Sr. F R.J. Lyons battled for nine rebounds and he'll forever be able to tell his buddies about how he outboarded W & G. There was much to like, also, about jr. WG Leland O'Connor. He displayed a beautiful arc on his jumper and hit three treys while scoring 13 points total. He also grabbed six caroms. The stretch: Zeglinski, this time getting the best of Ellington, converted a three-point play off a steal to edge PC within 51-50. Yocum hit a left-baseline jumper on a pass from Ellington for 53-50 arithmetic and then Lyons canned a follow to again make it a one-point game. Ellington cruised down the lane for a lefty layup at 0:39 (55-52) and the next big play came when Henderson hit the floor to cause a jump-ball at :22.7, with the arrow favoring the Churchmen. PC had just four team fouls and had to execute three quick hacks to get EA to the line. Ellington hit one of two at 18.2 and Ziggy converted a drive at 10.1. Henderson then hit two free throws to remove the suspense. It was great to see Ed "Special Ed" Morrone, who lit up this site two years ago while attending PC (and playing baseball). He's now a soph at Hofstra and covering the men's basketball team for the school paper in addition to serving as the sports editor. Tremendous stuff. Writers can go D-I and kick butt, too, baby!! smile

JAN. 6
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Roman 59, Neumann-Goretti 46
   And you thought hurricane season was over . . . Roman swept and swooshed and soundly whipped the Saints over the first half and though N-G did cause some squirming with a spirited second-half rally, Roman won in comfortable fashion as the game wound down with both teams emptying their benches. What happened early? Phew! It was one of those games. N-G did nothing right and Roman was sharp, not to mention aggressive, and the carnage was real and sustained. The Cahillites, thanks to sr. PG Raymond "Doodles" Sims, are highly dangerous in transition and N-G kept setting them up by missing shots or committing turnovers. N-G had four turnovers in the first 1:43, then eight in 2:56 and by halftime still had -- I kid you not -- more TOs than points, 14-13. Roman had 34 points. My DN story focused on sr. PF-C Rockeed McCarter, a star WR-LB who is far from an extra in a basketball uniform. Listed at 6-3, 210, he plays with the aggression and strength of someone 6-6, 240, and he's a perfect fit for this group in part because he's willing to let the other guys shoot. Rock racked up 17 rebounds and also came through with four steals, three blocks. His teammates appeared to be excited that he was getting the story; always a good sign. It means they appreciate his effort and indeed want him to be recognized. Sr. SF Mike Ringgold was his usual self: tricky-dick moves along the baseline or near wing and the occasional quick flash for a dunk. Jr. WG Bradley Wanamaker finished with 20 points, but needed a 12-for-13 showing at the foul line to do so. He was 4-for-10 from the floor while adding eight boards, five assists and four steals. It's not for nothing that many consider him Roman's best overall player, especially when his dogged defensive approach is taken into consideration. Sims had a mixed performance. For the Cahillites to experience season-long success, he'll have to perform as well in halfcourt sets as he does on the gallop. He had just one assist after intermission. N-G was mostly lousy. The Saints shot 25 percent from the floor (15-for-60) and only a shade over 50 percent at the line (12-for-21) and, as mentioned had more turnovers than points at halftime. Incredible, right? They did keep coming in the second half, though, and a big reason, literally and figuratively, was 6-9 jr. C Rick Jackson. After a scoreless first half, he finished with a triple-double (11 points, 12 boards, 12 blocks) and his blocked-shot total becomes even more impressive when it's noted he incurred just one personal. Several times, Jackson was clever enough to get the ball on the right and convert a curl-it-in layup on the left while using the basket for protection. Jr. PG Antonio "Scoop" Jardine was the main culprit during the early woes and finished with an astounding 10 TOs. We should probably give him a little bit of a free pass on this one because he was battling a tender-knee problem and was questionable right up until gametime. Sr. SF Earl Pettis somehow shot 1-for-12. N-G's best moments came in the fourth quarter when a basket by Jackson on a pass from Jardine cut the deficit to nine, at 47-38, with 4:28 remaining. The next points weren't scored until the 2:56 mark, and they came in the form of a right-corner trey by N-G sr. WG Derrick "D.J." Rivera. The assist went to sr. backup G Frank Biondo, who missed a shot and then jumped into a tangle of bodies at the foul line to secure the rebound. But as Roman was then shooting a free throw, I commented to good, not-so-ol' Amauro, "Neumann's whipped. Look at them. They're out of energy." Almost every kid was bent over and/or breathing heavily. The hole had been too deep. Too much effort had to be expended to come back. Roman regrouped and eased home. Meanwhile, Roman's student section, a k a "The Broad Street Bullies," had a strong effort on the stage at Philly U. They were juiced throughout and even agitated some adult N-G fan to the point where he was screaming and gesturing throughout a stoppage of play. As nutty as they were, I liked that they obeyed the request of ref Joe Anhalt to dial things down after Pettis went down in a heap right below the stage. And when Earl got up, they gave him a sincere round of applause. As the seconds wound down, they came jumping off the stage to rush the court. Cool . . . Kinda . . . Maybe. Such celebration would make much more sense in mid-March. And I guarantee you N-G's coaches made mention of the Roman fans' post-game stampede. Stay tuned for at least one more meeting, if not a third in the playoffs and maybe even a fourth in the post-season tournament in Frostburg, Md.

JAN. 5
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Univ. City 48, West Phila. 45
          This one had vintage “Only in the Pub” possibilities. Over the last few days, Amauro and I had been hearing that West’s players were planning to  stage a palace revolt against coach Al Davis and perhaps refuse to play because he’d demanded they sign an 18-point “contract” regarding on-court and off-court behavior. I told my bosses that we could write something about it before the fact, but that it would probably make more sense to let the scenario play out. They agreed. Well, in early afternoon, I was told that Cliff Hubbard, who oversees the Pub’s sports activities, had received a call from a West parent, alerting him to the players’ and parents’ dissatisfaction with Davis, and that Cliff had called West principal Clifton James to tell him, in no uncertain terms, that the matter had better get straightened out. As I pulled up to the corner of 48th and Spruce, a few West varsity players were heading toward the school, carrying their game bags. I rolled down the window and said, “Guess the crisis is over, huh?” They laughed and said it was. “Yeah, we’re playing,” one confirmed. Then I got inside – this was maybe an hour before gametime – and West’s JV players were standing together in street clothes, hanging out and talking, among other things, about possibly being pressed into service. Bottom line: the matter was resolved. The varsity kids indeed played and only a few had wound up signing the contract. Davis said later, "(Demanding signatures) did not quite hold up -- some of the parents said they wanted to consult with lawyers -- but I got my point across." Oh, baby! The game itself? Nothing special. They’re few and far between these days in the Pub. The players and fans have no idea how SPECIAL this league used to be, and how now, in comparison, it almost gives off an odor. Though not nearly as talented, these current-day players do put forth effort, however, and that’s much more than half the battle. West was darn near sickly in the beginning, but kept scratching and trying and, as you can tell by the final score, finally made things interesting. Ultimately, I think this one went in UC’s favor because its “suspendee”, jr. F Kenny Moore, was in uniform and finally walked onto the court with 2:30 left in the third quarter, and West’s suspendees, sr. G Malik Johnson and jr. SF Kahri Harris (his No. 3 is carved into the hair on the back of his head – yeah, baby!), were not in uniform at all and of course never made an appearance. Moore, also the FB quarterback, entered play when West cut the lead to five points, at 31-26. He finished with nine points and three rebounds and his fluid put-back of a missed one-and-one by sr. PG Aaron Stephens at 0:21 made it 48-45. West jr. G Derrick Pitts followed with a missed trey from right out front. Stephens is a feisty/heady floor leader and coach Lou Williams is hoping to earn him some attention from the schools in the D-II CIAC. Aaron showed me a LOT during FB season when, as a first-year participant, he was one of the Jaguars’ very best players (before dinging his shoulder). Sr. F Khalil Bookard also was a game-long presence with 13 points, two steals and the occasional block-steal-assist at key moments. Sr. F Charles McKissick also showed that tendency. This was my first look at the Jaguars, but I’m guessing overall ball care (except for Stephens) has been a sticking point. West had to mix and match without two key players and the blend wasn’t fully productive until the stretch run. Jr. C Wayne Johnson, who attends Sayre but is allowed to play for West, missed a series of tight shots, but did claim 11 boards. So did sr. PF Dwayne Jackson. Jr. F Brandon Johnson, the part-time FB QB, had 12 points and six boards. Soph PG Kyle Slaughter, after only a very brief first half appearance, was instrumental in the second half comeback with passing and several baskets and, most importantly, sticky defense that helped to create turnovers. As he has all season, assistant Harold Alexander did the bulk of the coaching for West. Davis stood at the far end of the bench and spoke up, for the most part, only during timeouts. The whole situation is VERY bizarre and Hubbard said he would be doing further investigation.

JAN. 3
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Gratz 61, Southern 46
   What are the chances of someone making 40 treys in one game? Not too good, right? Well, in roughly the first three minutes, Gratz sr. WG Malik Alvin went 4-for-4 from Out There Land and the mind began to race. Wow! How cool is this?! If he keeps this pace (ridiculous, I know), it'll be the most memorable day in basketball history. Well, Alvin finished with 26 points and, amazingly, did not connect again on a trey (going just 0-for-2) and the early excitement definitely fizzled. Alvin, a UTEP signee, was playing with a bruised thigh and he said he didn't know he'd be playing for sure until he stretched before the game and felt OK. Alvin's quick outburst enabled the Bulldogs to finish the first quarter with a 20-8 lead. Overall, he scored 26 points while going 8-for-19 from the floor (4-for-6 on treys) and 6-for-8 at the line. He added nine rebounds, three assists and three steals and much of his help came from 6-4 junior Ishmawiyl McFadden (15 points, 10 rebounds). I didn't know about Alvin's injury until after the game, but I did think once or twice that he wasn't his explosive self. So, that explained it. After an 0-for-7 third quarter, he posted 12 fourth quarter points with a combination of drives and free throws. Early, soph PG Velton Jones made some of the snappiest passes you could ever hope to see. I mean, absolute rockets to guys standing close to the basket for easy layups. As the game wound down, Southern assistant Mutch Jones apologized for making me look bad for choosing to cover this game. No sweat, Mutch, the hunches sometimes are incorrect. Jones was not alone in his disappointment. Head coach George Anderson and another aide, Bunky Russell, were also unhappy with the Rams' performance. Sr. F Jason Sabb was mostly a rock, totaling 21 points and eight boards. Amauro told me Sabb uses his left hand so often because he broke his right hand several years back and seized the opportunity to develop his off hand. Makes sense. All kinds of sense. Sabb was the only Ram who played remotely well in the early going, scoring 11 of his team's first 12 points. The other mainstay, jr. SF Ramone Moore, had a rough outing and compounded his problems by drawing a late tech after a call went in Southern's favor. Bizarre and inexcusable, and it was no surprise that he watched the rest of the game. Moore went 2-for-16. He's a talented kid with way-above-average instincts when it comes to bobbing and weaving through traffic for shots. But at the end, at least today, he was flipping up ill-conceived shots instead of making sure his base was solid and that his overall body was collected. Yes, doing that will occasionally lead to shots getting swatted. But what's better? Ten good shots with maybe one or two getting blocked? Or 10 bad shots with none getting blocked? (There's no charge, by the way, for this wonderful advice -- smile). Sr. PF Bryheem Charity managed seven rebounds and three blocks, but went 1-for-8 from the floor. Here's hoping that the School District follows through on its promise to replace the surface in Gratz' gym (and make other improvements). It's slightly rippled in certain areas and just does not give a good appearance. Southern's roster now includes the sophomore Reese twins. Anthony has been around for a while. Antoine is now in the fold and he was the one who converted a late one-and-one.

JAN. 2
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Neumann-Goretti 50, SJ Prep 43
   While a showdown between powers for a league opener might seem like a good idea, it also means that no drama has built and that a sense of urgency is somewhat lacking. This one gets a B-minus or even a C-plus. It was a decent game, but certainly not a classic and there were almost NO plays that would cause the spectators or even the players to talk about them long and hard over the next few days, let alone weeks. On a whim, Amauro and I watched this one from a long, narrow office above the basket at the north end of the gym. Some of N-G’s football folks, and others, were up there with us and a medium time was had by all (smile). Though the office is glassed in, the sounded carried through rather well so we didn’t feel as though we were missing anything. Except knees in our backs, as would have been the case in the stands. Thanks to N-G athletic director John Murawski for letting us sit up there, and for the yeoman work he did with a wide mop, with a T-shirt tucked underneath, when some wet spots caused an early delay. There was only a hint of late-game drama, and we’ll get right to it. With a 46-39 lead, N-G began to spread the floor with 3:30 remaining and that was still the score until the 1:17 mark, when Prep sr. G-F Reggie Redding (‘Nova) followed his own miss for a basket. The Hawks’ fans began to stir and did so even more when soph C Larry Loughery made a steal. Alas, in his haste to get the Hawks in transition, Loughery whipped the ball ahead to no one and it sailed out of bounds at 57.8. At 40.4, soph SF Jamal Wilson was called for walking and Prep had one more sliver of hope. But this one quickly faded, also, as jr. PG Antonio “Scoop” Jardine (Syracuse) executed a steal and flipped up top for an alley-oop layup (nah, no dunk – bummer) by sr. WG Derrick “D.J.” Rivera (Saint Joseph’s). Game, set, match, and why did I use a tennis reference? No idea. It’s late and I’m kinda tired. Anyway, my DN story focused on jr. C Rick Jackson (6-9, 225), who is also committed to Syracuse. The lefty, a former fifth option, has become polished around the basket and his teammates no longer hesitate to throw him the ball. He finished with 14 points and 13 boards and made a series of effective plays spaced well throughout the game. Though Jardine posted respectable numbers overall (12 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals), I can’t imagine he felt satisfied afterward. He was 5-for-15 from the floor and some of the shots were ill-advised. Often, he was leaning WAY back as he released and there appeared to be no need. Rivera, another lefty, took a couple of launches, but overall was 4-for-9 for nine points. Sr. F Earl Pettis (unsigned, but lots of interest) looked impressive on a couple of drives that ended with pull-ups. Wilson went 4-for-5 for nine points and claimed seven boards. I liked how his teammates encouraged him to step up and take shots, when available, and seemed determined to make him feel at home. For Prep, Redding finished 9-for-22 en route to 21 points. He also forced a few, but there was truly a need because sr. WG Dave Stefanski was a no-show (0-for-6 total, 0-for-5 on treys; he even went 1-for-3 at the line) and N-G also played strong defense on the two other guys, Loughery and junior PG Matt Griffin, who are capable of scoring. Redding had his old-self look on numerous occasions. Never, ever, would I call Reggie slow. But he is “unfast” at times and that quality, in his specific instance, is much more of a positive than a negative. It forces him to stay under control and use his abundant savvy and, folks, it just flat-out works. (Pettis is similar, by the way). RR added seven rebounds; “Lock” had the same amount. Prep is going without sr. F James Oberlies, who’ll be out for a while with a leg injury. Sr. Mike McCauley does many of the same things, but has not yet done them for extended periods. Soph F Jim Mower has moved up to sixth man. Though he missed all three of his shots, I liked that he had the brass to take a late three. (Not sure if Speedy agreed at that instant, but that quality will serve him well over time and I’m guessing it’s the reason he was able to make a good, give-him-playing-time impression in the first place.) N-G has done a nice job with the locker room area at the south end of the gym. But, yo, flush the toilets/urinals once in a while, baby! The smell of that, um, yellow liquid that ain’t quite lemonade was overpowering. When Rick Jackson walked over for the interview, we stepped out into the hallway. Best move both of us made all night. Our thoughts are with N-G FB player Tommy Howlett, who was going to handle PA system duties. One problem: the microphone was locked up somewhere and Murawski couldn't get to it. Tough one, Tommy. There'll be other chances.