Duck Tales, Basketball 2008

FEB. 15
FLC 72, Franklin 66
Public League Round of 16 and District 12 AAA Semifinal
Hey, hey, what you gotta say? Oh yes, I was here and yes I do not have a single stat in front of me besides scoring. First and foremost, all of the people who came to this game were treated to an excellent exhibition of Public League basketball. The Bobcats prevailed behind the play of their guards. Senior shooting guard Khalief Trawick fired in 28 points. Junior point guard Denzel Yard tallied 21 points and senior point Kyle Sawyer was superb on the defensive end, controlling the entire tempo of the game. The Electrons did not come into this game with the reputation of being a pretty good outside shooting team but they shot the lights out early. Point guard William “BJ” Kearse played an excellent floor game throughout but in the second half Sawyer put the clamps on him and that ignited a Bobcat comeback from a 45-41 third quarter deficit. A Sawyer steal lead to combined with a Yard pass led to a three point play from senior forward Ryan White which gave the Bobcats a tie heading into the final stanza. Also, playing a HUGE role was underrated 6’3 sixth man Nasir Jones. Jones was able to put the Bobcats ahead with a foul line jumper in the fourth quarter and with more key baskets from Trawick and Yard the Bobcats were able to establish a working margin. Jones fouled out with 8 points and everyone of them was needed. After a Yard lay-up they held a 71-64 lead with a little more than a minute and a half remaining. And held on from there. Franklin has nothing to hang their heads about. Coach Larry Gainey and his assistant coach Kenny Hamilton did an excellent job with this special group of young men. Many of them played football and baseball as well, and have always carried themselves with the upmost class and respect. Kearse is a D-1 player in my mind. Richard Freeman(15 points, I do not remember him missing anything) and Ronnie Lee will be excellent on the small college level. Tajidin McGough will probably follow football. It will be up to Malik McDaniels and Melvin Dixon to carry on this team’s legacy. In another development, it’s time to call out the local schools and make a plain statement: your absence was duly noted. It befuddles me why so few of you guys have been around this year. A lot of these kids have grades and/or the score. And basketball wise they are no brainers. Let me say this: Don’t be mad when they go away and become All-Americans (isn’t there a kid at Butler doing just that and a kid at UTEP, also?) I feel tremendously upset that in a league with so many Division I caliber guards that so few of you have come to watch. (Look at the rosters of the teams in the league. There might be 25 or more D-1 guards in the 11th and 12th grades. And that number is on the short side.) And by the way aren’t all you schools EMO partners with the School District? Some partnership that is. At least I hope we’re getting to use the gyms for the playoff games for free. or discount. (Wink.)
Table Talk - Among the spectators was Jarrett “JK” Kearse, who is BJ’s cousin, JK could have been a solid if not more than solid player in the NBA but you know things happen. JK’s eyes perked up when Yard gave a Franklin player, a Kenny Anderson like crossover move and buried the jumper…. In this game alone there were no less than four Division I caliber guards… In yet another development, (man I’m rambling today), I invite all the people from the PASportswire message boards to the Pub quarterfinals. You guys are a great comic relief for me, I’ve never posted a message but I love the way you guys talk trash and in particular about the Pub (the only time you guys mention it by the way.) So let me do my pro-Pub spiel , the decline of United States basketball can be traced to the decline in respect of good Public League Hoops. We all love to watch teams run play after play but when that play breaks down , you need to have somebody make a play. That is what good Pub players can do attack at all times. That is why so much basketball is boring and overly defensive. Kids that learn to make plays become better players. And it's not just a Philly thing , the Public Leagues in Chicago and New York produce players like that. (Does the name Derrick Rose ring a bell. What about Dwyane Wade?) That I surmised why Michael Jordan’s son transferred to Simeon Vocational from Loyola Academy. If anybody would know it would be Mike, because he wants his second son to be like Mike. His eldest son seemed to be too much of program/system player when I saw him play on television last year. In other words his eldest son was a scrub. So come down from Conshy, the Main Line and wherever you live and see how the other side lives.

Late Report on Mansion-Bracetti
I got tied up with work and other things this week. Here is the lowdown on this game. Devon White changed the tempo of the game with a block that did not count. Diyaaldin Kelley tried to hammer on White but traveled, if no call was made it still would not have worked, Devon punched the shot against the wall. From there too much Dwayne Davis, Eddie Frazier , White and Darren Lawrence for the Knights. Mad props to Eddie because he is so underrated that it makes me sick. I also like Sam Starks from Bracetti and zone buster Brandon Suarez (D-2 shooter.) Coach Kyle Epps has his program heading in the right direction. Oh and officials remember this note, remember what your partner calls and/or does not call. I’ve been meaning to make that point for a while because sometimes the kids and coaches are getting generally confused during games because of inconsistency. That remark was not meant as a bust or anything other than a constructive comment. A couple of times during this game I noticed that lack of consistency. Did it play a major factor? No, but you have to correct that in all games.

JAN. 31
PUBLIC D
Bodine 62, Robeson 57
Any detractor of Public League hoops would have had a hard time finding faults in this game. This one was extremely intense and competitive and it featured Pub kids making big play after big play. This place (Northern Liberties Recreation Center) is the loudest gym in the city. The sound just bounces off of the walls and if you ever leave this place without a headache then you probably did not watch a good game. This game was so good, I had multiple migraines for about three hours, and from the middle of the 3rd quarter only most of the fans (me included) were literally standing and watching every play as if it were the dawning of a new day. The Ambassadors received a spirited effort from senior forward John Hughes, a 6’4 210 center who pulled down 16 rebounds and posted 8 points. This was easily the best that I have seen from Mr. Hughes and set an early tone on the glass going up against Brandon Penn. Penn may be the Pub player of the year. Yes they are several candidates : Scootie Randall, Jarrod Denard, Novar Gadson, Clayton Brothers, and the list goes on and on but I have to say that Mr. Penn is a daily delight to watch. Check Brandon’s stat line for the game 21 points and 20 rebounds. Brandon is 6’7 and wiry strong, runs the floor like a gazelle and has potential to be a college star. The scary part is among all the elite players in the Area, nobody has improved as much as B. Penn from year to year. I foresee a lot of money in his future if he continues to improve. Throughout the first half, Bodine threatened to turn this game into a laugher but Penn would not let them. Brandon had 17 in the first half and 13 rebounds. It was as electric a first half I have seen from an area inside player since at least my high school days. In the second half, Hughes in tandem with junior forward Tarran Prince did an excellent job in limiting Penn to four point in the sixteen minutes. However despite, Penn not scoring much, the Huskies where in this one and made it a nip and tuck affair from the late second quarter on. Bodine junior guard Donte Greene was sensational in the third quarter. Greene put the Ambassadors on his back in the third period. Greene mixed jump shots with crafty drives to the hole for key baskets as he kept the Huskies at bay. In time, junior guard Lamar Gary got hot and Gary packed 11 of his 19 points into the fourth quarter. Greene was so impressive that a sizeable contingent of Robeson hecklers signaled him out for their taunts. No luck, hecklers: Greene pretty much iced this one with a 4-4 showing at the line in crunch time. Greene is a throwback he probably has never heard of any of a number of early 90’s Pub guards that I could mention but he brings those kind of cubes to the table. Greene was able to muster 20 points, good job young man. Gary has the making of a D-I stud. He is tough as nails, has a wonderful first step and makes big boy moves on the wing and in the post. He has some poor-man's Mark Tyndale (current Temple star former Gratz superhero) skills, though of course he is not quite that tough (who is?) and is not blessed with that strong a build, but Lamar could be pretty good with some hard work. Prince is probably the most indispensable player for coach Steve Kikendall, as he plays numerous positions well and brings toughness, intelligence and ability to the table. Another junior, Pendarvis Williams, a super lanky 6’4 thin kid, was the primary point guard. Williams brought the crowd to a loud crescendo with a series of crossover moves against intense ball pressure. Williams looked like “Penny" Hardaway during the sequence in “Blue Chips” when Nick Nolte goes to recruit Butch McCray. Williams had 7 assists. Robeson guard Rob Hall (12 points), who has a tattoo of the Warner Bros. insignia on his arm, was a solid scoring threat all game long. Sophomore guard Xavier Brown (7 points) also had his moments. Bodine has no less than seven quality juniors and I counted two potentially quality sophomores. Remember when they lost game after game for about three years. Wow, that goes to show a little hard work can go a long way.
Table Talk- Many legendary people were in attendance today… William Penn assistant and Pub legend Anthony “Hubba Bubba” King was in the house as was Jamaal Ball (legendary recreation and Sonny Hill League coach.) The Bodine cheerleaders and fans were AWESOME. Get this. You guys know the cheer that goes: “Rock the Blue and White, Rock the Blue and white, stop let the cheerleaders sing it.” Well they did that and then said let the fans sing it and the entire section of fans to the my right about 45 people started to cheering along with the cheerleaders and then the entire Bodine crowd got into it. Late in the game as Greene and Gary made huge freebies, they belted out in unison, “Whose house? Our house!” as well as chanting the school name a million times. Honestly, the walls and windows started to vibrate when the crowd started yelling…. Mad props to Robeson’s manager Christina Sherman, she is a die-hard Husky supporter and is an involved as any manager in the PUB.

JAN. 30
PUBLIC D
Parkway 67 Vaux 57 (OT)
Not a great contest but not really horrible as well. The Hoyas won this game in overtime without two starters. In the early going, I really thought Vaux would take control of this game and coast in their tiny, no-seating-capacity gym. The Cougars have only seven players but led through three quarters and most of the fourth. They can all pretty much play but nobody is over 6’1. Parkway’s top two players today were 6’4 junior wide body Terrell McClure and 6’2 senior point guard Kenny Bagwell. The third best player for the Hoyas is senior forward Malik Walker. McClure totaled 22 points and 12 rebounds. Walker had 17 points, mostly on mid-range jumpers and layups. Bagwell mixed deep lefty jumpers and impressive drives to the hole for 15 points and 7 assists. Bagwell found Walker for a mid-range shot to give the Hoyas a late lead. Eventually, the Hoyas held a three-point lead with only a minute remaining. After, a timeout, junior point guard Zafir Williams (11 points, 6 assists) found Lance Frederick (15 points) wide open in the corner for a trey that knotted the score at 50. The Hoyas had two good chances to win the game in regulation. In overtime, it was pretty much all Parkway. Leading the way was reserve forward Robert Gilliam, who totaled all of his seven in the extra session. Vaux received 16 points from promising sophomore guard Devonta Porter.
Table Talk- Vaux is getting a new state of the art gymnasium. This gym has no seating capacity and fans sit in the window area and bang the heaters with their shoes. The backboards are nasty and the rims are not breakaway.

JAN. 29
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Germantown Academy 69, Chestnut Hill 51
This one was a match-up of two Inter-Ac title contenders in a pivotal game in Fort Washington. In the early going, CHA franchise Gary Lawrence looked amazing. Lawrence, who has to play out of position at the five spot for the Blue Devils, is a natural wing player. Lawrence blocked the game's first three shot attempts from the Patriots. He also scored the Blue Devils' first four points. Lawrence is a junior and probably the top player in the Inter-Ac. Lawrence received plenty of assistance from guard Mike Rhoads (16 points on 7-11 shooting) and the Blue Devils seemed to have the better of the early play. Then the Patriots were able to get their game going. Senior standout Joe Hill started to knock down his jump shot while playing a very unselfish brand of ball. Junior forward Jeff Holton, who goes 6’7 and is a load, was able to bury a 26-foot trey at the end of the second quarter on a pass from Hill. That long-range bomb tied the score at 30 heading into the third quarter. The next stanza was pretty much all GA. Hill again started to knock down every open shot. The Patriots continued to play well all the way into the fourth quarter and another Holton trey with roughly six minutes remaining left the score at 52-41 and the Patriots tolled home from there. Holton must be commended. He is big and strong but has nice range on his shot. Only a junior, Jeff is a D-1 prospect. The other top performer for the Patriots is precocious soph Cameron Ayers. Ayers finished with a game-high 22 points. There is much to like about him as well. Lawrence finished with 19 points and 5 blocks. One comment about the end of the game, a CHA player was ejected and I understand the reasoning behind giving him a tech, but the ejection seemed a tad harsh. (We all must remember, kids are kids.) The reason why I say that is, the gym felt a little sour after that.
Table Talk- The Inter-Ac might have the best coaching in the area . . . Excellent halftime performance from the GA dance team . . . Got here really early and I got the pleasure to met GA’s legendary equipment manager, Mr. O. The man has a million stories to tell. He is a true pleasure to hang with. Of course, Hockey Puck was here and I must tell you he only had one moment. Nutman called out to GA assistant Craig Conlin during a timeout and asked a question. Conlin gave Hockey an amused look and said, “I’m coaching here.” Hockey replied “When you done, OK?" Everybody started laughing and or smiling.

JAN. 24
PUBLIC C
Freire Charter 102 Hope Charter 86
I have always wanted to see a game at Freire in a gym I have heard so much about. The gym is unique. It has a balcony above the court on each side, columns to the right and left of the floor, a stage at the south end and it is only about 40 to 45 feet long. This game was like watching pinball hoops. I think you get the picture. It is a special gym. We have several small gyms in the Pub that are hallowed grounds - “The Hank” at Dobbins, FLC’s Cunningham Center, E&S’s phone booth gym. Those schools have been around for a much longer amount of time than Freire (named after Paulo Freire a pioneer in the field of Multicultural Pedagogy. I know because I used to, ahem, -- for lack of a better term -- date a couple of Education minors in college) but in time this place could be one of those venues. Well, Jarrod Denard is the real deal. I knew this beforehand because he torched my rear this summer in the Positive Image League for 35 and even though the team I was, ahem -- for lack of a better term -- caretaking won the game. I will remember that performance forever. This game was classic get-the-ball-and-go Pub ball. So you know that I loved it. Freire jumped out and had early leads. Denard was scoring well early but slowed down towards the middle of the game. Sophomore forward Octavious Booker was tremendous as well. Booker, who is built like a blacksmith, battled for 25 points and 11 rebounds. Booker is 6’5 and plays inside but a couple of times made strong moves from about 17 feet in. I liked to see him do that, but what I liked more was that he loved the dirty work. Booker is a rarity for a Pub kid these days, he is a tough guy!!!! Denard is a sweet-shooting lefty in the mold of Cuttino Mobley. Yes, he is a little thin, but man can this kid go. And in large part he had to. The game was competitive; do not let the final score fool you, Hope had control of this game in the late stages of the third quarter. Junior point guard Anthony Lewis, a big-bodied 6’3 kid, was playing extremely well. Lewis finished this game with 21 points, 9 assists and 3 turnovers. Lewis was directing the show out there for the Cannons. Lewis spotted fellow star Derrick Stephens (20 points) with a peek-a-boo pass that gave the Cannons their first lead late in the third stanza, then after a Dragon score, Lewis drove the length of the court with his left hand for a layup. The Cannons led by seven at the start of the 4th period. Then it happened. Denard hit a seventeen-footer off of a curl. Then he drained a deep trey. Denard and Antione “Blueberry” Singleton combined to force a turnover Singleton made a nifty pass to Booker who laid it in plus the foul. Booker made the free throw and all of a sudden the Dragons are back up one. Denard got on fire again to the tune of 27 points in the final quarter and 44 for the game. That is a new school record, his last basket was a right wing trey on a pass from promising sophomore guard Rysheen Dorn (12 points) a second before the buzzer sounded. Another key player in this game was recent transfer Koron Reed, who formerly attended Girard College and last year attended West Catholic. Reed is 6’6 with a perfect basketball body and hops. Today, he ripped down 18 rebounds and added 7 points. Reed had two high-flying jams. I think he could be a really good player down the line, I just hope he realizes that he does not have to dunk the ball constantly to have an impact on the game. “Blueberry” was solid in a starting role, I loved the way he shot the ball today. Singleton totaled 7 points and 7 assists. Hope Charter received 27 points from senior guard Briel Scott. I also liked 6’5 forward Aaron Haye, Haye got into foul trouble but had 10 points. It is a shame that the league is so huge because each season they are many teams that I do not get a chance to see play. And in many cases, you only get to see a team once. That means you only get a sample of what some players can do.
Table Talk- Lots of legendary basketball players in the building. My partner at Checkball Littel Vaughn was here as was Bruce Reavis, one of the best player development guys in the area. Also, West Philly basketball guru Bruce Hunter works at Freire.

JAN. 22
PUBLIC A
FLC 86, King 70
This game was entertaining as well. This catfight (Bobcats of FLC versus the Cougars of King) was a high-scoring contest but it was not for lack of defense. The Bobcats were led by three terrific guards -- Khalief Trawick (21 points, 4 steals), Kyle Sawyer (26 points, 6 assists) and Denzel Yard (28 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds.) Trawick and Sawyer are seniors, Yard is a junior. The three of them are absolutely scintillating. They all can shoot the deep trey and play above the rim. King jumped out to a 16-6 lead but after a Trawick steal led to a Sawyer jam over a King player got the Bobcats going. In the second quarter, Yard uncorked two vicious slams; one where he cocked the ball back and hammered it home from well outside the lane. The Cougars hung tough and the score at halftime was 34-34. The third quarter was the most telling period of the game. The Bobcats started to take control despite immense foul trouble being experienced by senior center Jake Wasco and junior sixth man Nasir Jones. Trawick was able to muster nine points of his 21 in the period. This guy is a sleeper. And the other two Bobcat guards are sleepers in their own way. Mr. Sawyer is as good as any senior point guard I’ve seen in the area. And about Mr. Yard, well if the Bobcats played at 7:00 p.m. instead of 3 p.m., he would be regarded as the top junior point guard in the area. (Yes, better than the kid at Roman who is committed to Villanova. But Yard still has to win a championship to appease many critics. That's not fair.) If these three keep playing together and involve the big men, Wasco and 6’6 forward Ryan White, the Bobcats may experience an especially nice season. The Cougars received a strong effort from junior combo guard Alex Gaddy, who mustered 30 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Gaddy still has to work on refining his point skills but at 6’1 he is definitely one to watch. Seniors Dwain Winkfield added 11 points and Antonio Wormley chipped in with 9 points.
Table Talk - Good job King cheerleaders . . . King has the best crowd control in the city. Athletic Director Margie Stinson does a wonderful job with the gym area. Well, folks, we are heading down the stretch and in the absolutely loaded Division A of the Pub each upcoming game except for those Franklin Towne and West Philly (sorry, I have to tell the truth) games are good match-ups. It should be a helluva ride for the fortnight that concludes the Pub season.

JAN. 17
PUBLIC A
Bartram 89, South Phila. 71
This one should have been at night!!!! No more arguing from me (did you really think I would go a season without bringing this up?), but the school principals (geniuses, aren’t they?) that voted down night games robbed these kids of the primetime stage. Oh, well, you guys just have to read Duck Tales and imagine what you missed. Earlier this season in the championship game of the South Philly tournament, Southern frolicked; this game meant more because whoever won this one would be in the driver’s seat in Class AAAA of the Pub. The Braves came to play and they started the game blitzing the Rams. They led 5-0 and 7-2 before the Rams battled back to take a momentary 8-7 lead. That would be their last lead!!!! The story in this one was Tyrone Garland. Garland, who bears a strong facial resemblance to Meek Millz (legendary underground hip-hop MC), was serving folks today. Check the stat line: 24 points, 11 assists and 6 steals. Check the bottom line: Garland is the best sophomore playing high school ball in the City of Philadelphia, period. Tyrone is about 6’0 growing and has a nice handle, great court vision, hops and solid overall skills. Also, he is UNSELFISH!!!! The top Brave, and arguably the top player in the Public League, is 6’6 F-G Novar Gadson. This kid is Rasheed Brokenborough and Noot Arnold merged into a 2008 version. Gadson added 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Gadson brought the crowd to their feet with a freakish two-hand jam in traffic. Gadson is headed to Rider, and if things work out right, Novar could be one of those guys whose jerseys are sold in sporting good stores. I know people think I exaggerate; this kid could be a Pro. One thing I like is that his coach James Brown is in his face non-stop. That will help Gadson tremendously at the next level. The other key Braves were feisty senior guard Tyreese Wheeler, (10 p, 5 r and 4 a) senior forward Clarck Dure (8 points and 4 rebounds) and junior forward Danny Walker (15 points.) This squad has plenty of heart and they are getting stronger as the season is going on. The Rams just could not put it together. Their vaunted pressure defense was shredded by Garland and Gadson. Junior guard Furnell Doster looked good on offense though; at 6’5 he is a silky smooth jump shooter. Doster could be a MAJOR player in this city. Doster has all of the physical attributes to be special- he just has to put it together and he could be the next superstar from this program. (I think you get the drift.) Also contributing to the Ram charge were sophomore guards Deshon “Biggie” Minnis (12 points, 3 assists) and Shaq Gaskins (5 points, lots of needed toughness). Many of the older Rams have to give themselves a strong look in the mirror because it was them, not the young Rams, who were timid and unprepared to play.
Table Talk- Lots of legendary people were in attendance for this game. Here goes one: Former Bartram Coach John Dougherty was in the building. He commented, "This is how it [the Pub] should be played." . . . This game was up and down and fun to see. Trust me, yes, it is not the early '90s, late '70s or the Wilt years, but on days like this there is no league in the world better than this!!!

JAN. 15
PUBLIC A
Gratz 61, King 47
They are not dead yet…… Yes, this has not been a typical season for the Bulldogs of Simon Gratz, but guess what the season is long and in time you never know what can happen between now and March. The Cougars of King had the better of the early play, as they led 12-7 after one period and 29-17 at the half. The Cougars were getting inspired play from 6’2 forward Dwain Winkfield, 6’1 swingman Antonio Wormley and 6’0 combo guard Alexander Gaddy. The Bulldogs went to their bench and inserted senior star Charles White. White had been out for a considerable amount of time this season with an injury. As soon as he came into the game the Bulldog defense started to create turnovers. C. White is this team’s heart so with him back in the lineup expect them to improve considerably. King was dealt a major blow in the third quarter when Winkfield had to sit out with foul trouble. The Cougars do not have any quality depth so when Dwain went to the bench it was trouble. C. White hit two treys to give Gratz its first lead late in the third quarter. King point guard Jeff Rozier was able to keep King close in the early stages of the 4th quarter but eventually Alibaba Odd and Denzell Gatewood got rolling on offense and the Bulldogs were on their way. Odd shot 6-9 from the field and 6-6 from the foul-line for 18 points all in the second half he also had four steals. Gatewood, who did not play in the 1st half, battled for 13 second half points. Both are very good free-throw shooters and play hard on the glass. Odd is a D-I prospect and Gatewood currently is a prime junior college target. Another key player for Coach Leonard Poole, is 6’0 sophomore forward Antoine “Ness” Bland, Ness took two major charges today. Senior guard Travis White leant a hand with 9 points and 5 assists. For the Cougars, Wormley was able to muster 13 points. Wormley is a sleeper, he is silky smooth with a nice jump-shot. 1st year coach Michael George is doing a good job.
Table Talk- Lots of basketball is left to be played, so everybody get ready its setting up to be a great run to the playoffs . . . Odd had an unbelievable reverse lay-up late in the game.

JAN. 11
CATHOLIC NORTH
Conwell-Egan 64, McDevitt 54
It has been a long time since I've been to a McDevitt home game. How long? Well it seems like Chris Palmero was a junior when I last came and now Chris is the assistant coach. Also, Isaiah Pinkney, who was the star of the team, has finished his career at Delaware Valley. I told you a very long time. The game was pretty remarkable. CEC was able to take control in the late stages of the second quarter and looked appeared to blow the game open midway through the 3rd quarter, senior guard Rashad Little took off from left of the foul-line (no exaggeration, he was well behind a yellow line that runs half-way through the paint) and slammed home a dunk that would have provided a 13-point lead. The referee called a charge. No way Jose!!!!!! I think the ref just got excited when he saw where Little took off from. The Eagles were victorious because of the play of Little and fellow senior Hayk Gyokchyan. Little was able to provide 15 points. He was especially productive in the second half. Gyokchyan battled inside for 16 points and 16 rebounds. In the late stages of the 4th quarter with the Lancers down by nine, Hayk iced this one with a rebound basket plus the foul. Gyokchan is an interesting player to project: he is about 6’7 and has many attributes to like. One thing I like is that he can make free throws. Egan also received good contributions from juniors Shayne Bonner (12 points) and Jonas Skovdal (12 points). The Lancers were dealt a big blow when talented senior forward James Williams had to sit down with foul trouble. Williams played well and contributed 10 points but could not stay on the court for any extended amount of time. In his place, Dan Drennen was terrific, he added 16 points. He is a 6’6 late bloomer. I also liked what I saw from point guard Matt Davis.
Table Talk- I had the pleasure of watching the game with John Bonner, Shayne’s granddad. The man has a lot of great stories . . . Father Bill Chiriaco is the funniest announcer in the city.

JAN. 10
PUBLIC A
Bok 81, Furness 63
I went to this one, as any fan would, so I could see who the heck Chris Parks is? The answer: Chris Parks is a very good player, smooth as satin and tough on the boards. Parks drove the baseline time and time again for 29 points and 9 rebounds. He was perfect from the floor 11-11 but struggled at the line with a 7-15 showing. Parks is 6’1, maybe 6’2, and wiry strong with a smooth jumpshot. (He only attempted three and made all of them; they were from the wing.) A lot of D-2’s and 3’s are missing the boat on this kid. The next best Wildcat was 6’1 forward Tremell Green, who posted 11 points and 10 rebounds. Also playing a prominent role were juniors Corey Curtis (10 points) and Tyshaun Harper (13 points). Furness played this one without Coach Brian Blasy, who is out with a knee injury (get well soon). He was replaced by Doreen Coleman, who did an admirable job. The Falcons trailed from the onset but received good effort from a pair of deep-sub guards, Vince Bullock and Khalil Sanders. Bullock provided 9 points and 5 assists in less than two periods of play. Sanders added 13. Junior Aaron Travillion, a small guard, was their only starter with a good performance. Travillion managed 13 points. Furness got within eleven in the last five minutes left.
Table Talk - Bok Coach Lloyd Jenkins is now being assisted by Terrance “Tex” Mack, a star at Bok in the early 90’s. … The atmosphere was excellent. There was a good crowd turnout and the cheerleaders made an intense amount of noise all game long, and they performed an entertaining halftime show.

JAN. 3
PUBLIC A
University City 67 Germantown 65 (OT)
Happy New Year, Pub fans!!!!!!! I got here a little early because this was a special match-up between U-City Coach Lou Williams and Germantown Coach Joe “X” Bradley. “Sweet” Lou is the head football coach at University City and for the last four gridiron seasons X has been the offensive coordinator at U-City. Also, X works at University City. The crowd was somewhat substantial and also a little divided ( I clearly heard some people cheering for X and some people cheering for University City but also wanting to see G-Town do OK, as well. That made it interesting enough for me. ) The Jaguars came out on fire and took the first quarter by the count of 12-3. The top Jaguar is 6’0 junior guard Marcus Holland. Holland has some serious ‘HOPS.' Today, he skied for five dunks. These were not barely-over-the-rim jams, either. These were some ‘rare air’ slams. Holland is also the point guard for coach Williams. In the early going, Holland was the main scoring weapon. In the second period however, the Bears came back with a vengeance. The top player for coach X is 5’6 point guard Khalief Mason. K. Mason in the second period alone was able to register 13 points, highlighted by a 3-3 showing on trey balls. The Bears took the lead in the second half and actually led for most of the period. After a series of controversial calls, Bradley is given a technical foul for arguing a call with his team holding a one point lead. After guard Kevin “Spoo” Garris (13 points, 3 rebounds) made the free throws, the game was seesaw for a good amount of time. The Bears regained control in the fourth quarter and held a four-point lead with 2:21 remaining. At that time Holland changed the momentum of the game with a high rising, two-hand jam on a fast break. Holland promptly stole the inbounds pass and canned a layup to tie the score. The Jaguars took control and held a three-point lead with under a minute remaining. K. Mason added a basket following a steal. Then after another steal, K. Mason went to the line and made the first to tie the score. His second attempt clanked off the front of the rim and was rebounded by U-City guard Foster Burns. Burns advanced the ball before Germantown was able to knock the ball out of bounds. Following a timeout, Holland got a good look on a trey ball that skipped off the rim. Overtime once again in this young but entertaining season!! The overtime was dominated by the play of Garris and fellow junior small forward Brian Coleman. Coleman made a huge play after Garris made the first free throw to break a 59-59 tie, Coleman corralled the rebound of Garris’ missed second free throw and made a three point play. Coleman, was a warrior all game long with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. The Bears again tied the score thanks in large part to senior forwards Jon Mason (10 points, 8 rebounds) and Ralph Jarvis (14 points, 8 rebounds). The score was tied late in overtime. In the game's waning moments, Garris took a floater from the right side of the lane and was fouled. (Was he?) With the clock reading 1.6 seconds remaining, Garris made both free throws. The Bears were unable to get off another shot. Holland finished with a game high 23 points.
Table Talk - The U-City crowd was eager and involved throughout.

DEC. 28
SCHOOL DISTRICT TOURNEY FINAL
Olney 75 Northeast 64
Well, Olney sure played an excellent game in this one. Coach Jeff McKenna has his team playing hard and together; scary enough, most of them are juniors. The leader in this game for the Trojans was 6’0 point guard Sam Pagan. Pagan controlled the entire game with his tricky ballhandling, savvy and determination. Furthermore, I loved the fact that Pagan is vocal and loud telling his teammates where to go and to keep focused. Where the heck was that kid last year? Pagan totaled 9 points and 9 assists. Sam had to sit a key portion of the fourth quarter and during that time the Vikings made a valiant push. The rest of the Trojans, as Ted mentioned, are extremely skinny. They could use a couple of days eating with me and they would be fine. 6’3 junior forward Terrance Bennett is one to watch. He totaled 16 points, often banging his body against heftier players. Bennett has a nice first step and owns the baseline. Hopefully, after a weight program and some additional growth he can become a major factor in the PL next season. Danny Hinton totaled 23 points, often fighting through defenders for strong finishes. Swingman Raheem Murray also made an impression with 18 points. Murray like Pagan played all game with a fire and was communicative. The top player for coach Elsa Cohen is Tyron Lytes, a lanky 6’2 point guard with “in the gym” range and good court vision. A couple of times, Lytes took ill-advised shots but for the most part he stayed within the team concept. Lytes bombed away for 23 points. Lytes may be a Division I player, I would advise MEAC schools to give him a look as he has many natural things to like. His top playmate and good friend, Jordan Green, had a rough outing. The 5’5 mad bomber struggled with a 1-9 showing from the field Sixth man Devin Colston covered nicely for Green with 18 points, 5 steals and 4 assists. I also like what I saw from deep reserve Demetrius Davis. Davis came in and provided some instant offense with 8 points and 3 assists. The Vikings had rallied from 13 down to 5 down with Pagan on the bench. As soon as Pagan came back in, he got a layup, an assist and steal and this dandy of a game was over.
Table Talk - By the way Tyron Lytes is not even the second best player at Northeast High. (Wink) I mistakenly showed up early and watched the Northeast girls play. They have two excellent players - Satoria Bell and Peaches Nesmith. If they played for the boys they would have won.

DEC. 27
PETE NELSON CLASSIC
Chester 75, Prep Charter 70
This was a good one. The Clippers are THE glamour program in the suburbs and, moreover, the entire state outside of Philly. The Huskies are the defending Public League champions as well as the two-time defending AA state champions. The Clippers have a bevy of athletes. But with their mostly being seniors, they had the advantage over the Huskies (ALL underclassmen). Chester was pretty much in control from the outset. Exciting, yet turnover prone point guard Karon Burton is the real deal. Yes, he makes some easy plays difficult but he can also turn nothing into something. Burton and his underrated backcourt partner, Kevin Green-Germany, were solid in the early going as the Clippers established a working margin. The Huskies' banner was carried early by 6’6 junior forward Ferg Myrick (21 points) and junior scoring guard Jesse Morgan. The Huskies started to make a strong move on the Clippers, but trailed by four as the first half horn sounded. The next quarter was the key for the game. The Clippers opened up a 46-34 lead, highlighted by a Burton to Nasir Robinson (Pitt) high flying dunk. The Huskies were led on the comeback trail by junior guard Parrish Grant, who was terrific in the second half. Grant led the Huskies with 25 points, including two treys and some nice finishes in traffic. Furthermore, the Huskies were the better team in the final stanza and really could have caused a stir if they could limit the turnovers against the Chester pressure and that killer for many a Public League program - making free throws!
Table Talk- This event was renamed in honor of Jameer Nelson’s father, who passed away tragically last year. The Clippers play Mansion tonight at 8; that should be a goodie. Furthermore, it is clear that Chester is trying to win an official City championship playing against Mansion, after already besting Gratz and Prep Charter. Also, they will play Roman later this year. Tyreke Evans and American Christian routed Atlantic City in an earlier game. Yes, controversy surrounds Tyreke, but speaking as someone who first meet Reke when he was 11 playing AAU for Sam Rines, I could not say I have met a nicer kid (with a great set of brothers).

DEC 20
PUBLIC LEAGUE B
Ben Franklin 65, Murrell Dobbins 62 (OT)
Barnburner!!! You could sense when you walked into Hamilton Hall that this classic match-up of two bitter North Philadelphia rivals was going to be decided in spectacular fashion. Let's start from the jump ball. Dobbins was in this game from the opening whistle and they took control in the 3rd quarter. The Mustangs have two extremely brassy seniors in 5’11 wing shooter Tariq Lee and 5’11 point guard Samuel Everett-Bey. They both are listed as seniors and I don’t know where they came from or how they had not been on varsity last season because they are two tough customers. Lee is a classic jump shooter with beautiful rotation on his shot and considerable range. He got rolling in the third quarter with three treys in the period, and a wicked step-back jumper that helped the Mustangs take a 43-39 lead into the fourth period. Everett-Bey, a lefty, is North Philly tough with confidence and a nice outside shot of his own. The fourth quarter was epic. The Mustangs seemed to have put themselves into the driver’s seat a few times but somehow the Electrons found a way back into contention. The Mustangs held a slim lead late and then Electron senior forward Ron Lee made one of two with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. After an empty Dobbins possession resulted, Franklin would get two chances on a possession that began with 8.8 on the clock - Tajidin McGough missed a right corner trey and Richard Freeman missed a put back as time expired. Overtime baby!!!!!!!! The Mustangs again took control. Again it was Everett-Bey making big plays; the same can be said of Lee who popped in two more jumpers. E-Bey finished with 27 points and Lee added 25 points aided by a 5-9 showing from downtown. The Mustangs seemingly had this one wrapped up when junior swingman Lamar Speller made a spectacular layup plus the foul with 58.4 remaining in the overtime session. The Electrons battled back again with two huge free throws coming from sophomore guard Malik McDaniels to get them within two. After a Mustang turnover, Lee returns to the foul line with 11.2 seconds remaining and drains two HUGE freebies to tie the score. The Electrons again apply pressure and they force another turnover with 6.4 seconds remaining. Junior wing guard Melvin Dixon inbounds to substitute guard Tyron “Hamma” Carlton, who found McDaniels on the left wing, two dribbles later McDaniels drains a 21 footer with a defenders hand in his face to beat the buzzer. CLUTCH!!!!!! The Electron faithful poured out of the stands and they celebrated a classic come-from-behind Pub victory by chanting together on the Electron floor. The Electrons had lost McGough and their top player - William “B.J.” Kearse to fouls. Lee had 14 points and 6 rebounds. Kearse added 13 and the highly promising Dixon answered with 11 points (two treys.) Kearse is a quality set up point guard, who looks to get his teammates involved first before he looks for his shots. “B.J. also is a dogged defender. Dixon is a classic jump shooter with savvy and competitiveness. Quiet as it's kept, Dixon is one of the better juniors in the Public League and nobody knows it. (Except me of course.) One major note about Franklin’s team- they are extremely mentally tough. Yes, they argue calls, but with all honesty who could not argue with some of the calls today (either way), but when they were down not one head was down, NOT ONE look of trepidation when they trailed by four with less than four seconds remaining.
Table Talk- I can see the atmosphere coming back to Hamilton Hall. The crowd was not huge but it got involved with loud chants of de-fense, de-fense!! One reason why the top coach I’ve seen in the Public League in my substantial time around the Pub is the head assistant for Coach Larry Gainey - yes, the irrepressible Kenny Hamilton is back at Broad and Green. In all honesty because of this bunch’s mental toughness I have to say they would have been Pub favorites had 6’7 superstar Brandon Penn (now at Robeson) remained in the building. But scary enough, these kids still think they are Pub favorites…. Most of you will speculate that this comment is directed to a specific team but I assure it is a general comment. In the Public League you have to respect every team and every player because you never know in our league what can occur and most importantly you never know because the Pub is a players’ league, and when players come to play you can always be in trouble.

DEC. 19
NON-LEAGUE
Southern 80, Glen Mills 69

You know that song that the oldheads play all the time at parties? It starts off with “Something’s happening here" and when it gets to the chorus it goes “Hey children, stop, look, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down.” Well, that song was in my head before, during and after this game and with good reason. It's going down at Broad and Snyder. This match-up with Glen Mills, which features 6’10 junior Aaric Murray, a West Virginia recruit, highlighted the potential of George Anderson’s Rams. Yes, Murray mustered 32 points and was superb at times but this Ram squad was in control all day long. They are FREAKISHLY athletic and they conjure up memories of the great Pub teams of the '90s. They have ATTITUDE. They easily flushed home eight highlight-reel jams. Matter of fact, they should be called “Phi Slamma Ramma.” The highest high riser is 6’5 sophomore Jamir Hanner, a versatile transfer from Prep Charter. Today amongst his 12 points were three unbelievable jams. First was a follow-jam in traffic. The second was a fast break down that he hammered home while being tripped. But the third one was the one that people will remember: He took a pass from heady soph point guard Deshon “Biggie” Minnis (5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, lots of heady play) turned and flushed it down right in Murray’s face. I mean it was nasty. Those of you who are into underground Philly hip-hop, ‘Young Bob’ has never seen or heard a nastier ‘headshot’ than this. Murray might have had a Baden tattoo on his forehead. The top player for ultra deep South Philly today was 6’3 silky smooth senior swingman Antoine Reese. Reese has a nice outside shot along with ‘hops’. Reese was able to put 20 points on the board, and he did not even start the game.' Toine added 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Reese would be a good fit in the America East or even the MAAC conference. He looks to be still growing and he will definitely fill out. Antoine's fraternal twin Anthony “Crip" Reese ( 12 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, two sickening jams) was excellent as well. Crip is extremely feisty and his lockdown defense helps to establish SP’s defense. Crip is definitely a sleeper. A lot of people have underestimated him, but he can really 'go'. Then you have to throw in 6’4 junior Furnell Doster, a Parkway transfer. Doster came off the bench to get 12 points, but it was an impressive twelve highlighted by a couple of silky jumpers and a dunk from behind the circle. And least we forget the other players for the Rams: Nasir "Bird" Johnson, Haywood Henderson, Vaughn “Fess” Clark (8 points), Shaquille Gaskins and Byron Jones - that makes this team ten deep!!! They have no less than eight guys that can get twenty points if need be. And they have three quality point guards. Each is able to run a team. This squad could be special by year's end. I like that they have a traditional Public League approach -- nothing fancy, nothing too deliberate, let's just attack and intimidate while playing together. That approach was prevalent in the early '90s before everybody slowed it down to be like Gratz or the Catholic League. (Take your pick, they really were the same thing.) The scariest part of this game was after the game was done, I looked over at the Southern junior varsity and they looked loaded as well. And to make matters interesting was the look on the face of one of the spectators. Dion Waiters, a 6-3 guard at South Kent School (Conn.), one of the top 10 sophomores in the country, had a look on his face like he wanted to join in the fun.
Table Talk -- Hey, people, there are some stone cold match-ups that may involve Southern this year. FLC, King and Gratz come to South Philly this year. South Philly goes to Germantown, Overbrook and Bartram. Call out sick if you have to, or take a late lunch break. There are going to be some serious throw-downs this season.

DEC. 16
NON-LEAGUE
Dougherty 65, O’Hara 55
This game was pretty much extremely cleanly played. Very few turnovers. Dougherty has lost a significant amount of firepower, the graduation of Kahlil Mumford, Roberto Townsend, Justin Minter and Timothy Gates has taken a lot of points off the board. (It was amazingly strange not seeing those kids at Dougherty; it seemed like they were there for a decade.) Also, point guard Willis Nicholson has transferred to Prep Charter. So guess what, the Cardinals are still pretty good. The top player this season for Coach Mark Heimerdinger is 6’4 combo forward Brandon Savage. Savage is the rare combination of silky smooth and tough as nails. For the undersized Cardinals, Savage toils inside but he has the skills to play on the perimeter. Today, he was able to produce 23 points and grab 9 rebounds. His top playmates are smooth wing guard Isiah Mason (10 points), feisty sophomore Zaahir Allen (15 points, 5 assists) and junior point guard Jahkeem Bogans (9 points, 4 rebounds.) Mason is a fun player to watch, he is a tough defender and he has a knack for making everything look easy. Allen could be nicknamed “motor mouth.” That is a good thing because he is always talking loud on defense and shows a wealth of emotion on the court. Bogans, who stands only 5’7, showed his mettle during a key stretch when he procured three rebounds over taller players. The Lions were always close but for some reason you just felt that Dougherty was always in control. For the duration of the first half Dougherty held working margins of around six to eight points. The top performer for Coach Buddy Gardler is 6’2 senior Zach Tansey. Tansey is more than a deep shooter and he is a lot more than just a system player. He demonstrated a capable handle, and of course he can shoot. (Has O’Hara ever had a kid who could not?)
Table Talk - I got there early and saw the JV game, won by O'Hara. Dougherty has a promising freshman post player in 6-5, 220-pound Lamont McLaurin . . . Also, this game suffered from no concession stand. I was starving when I left the gym.

DEC. 14
NON-LEAGUE
Bodine 61, Mastbaum 59
Oh baby!!!!! You see a blowout one day and you see a barnburner the next. Yes, this is why I love the Pub. The Pub, as Forrest Gump would say, “is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.” This game will be talked about for years and years by the participants and I felt honored to just sit there and watch as history unfolded. The Panthers controlled pretty much from the onset. 6’3 combo forward Marvin Smith, a wide body with quick feet and a feisty approach to the game, was terrific in the early going. Smith was absolutely a beast early as he totaled 15 of his game-high 24 in the first half. Smith also added 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. He showed his range by draining a trey, but I liked the fact that he spent most of his time near the basket being a master in the paint. The other star for Mastbaum is outside shooter Michael Rainey (13 points). Rainey drained three consecutive treys on passes from Calvin Schofield. Rainey has a sweet shot with excellent rotation, and he has a quick release. Many a D-III school or a D-II school would benefit themselves with a look at Smith and Rainey. The combination of Rainey’s bombs and Smith's stellar inside play had the home squad on top, 22-15, after one period. The next quarter, Coach Jim Taylor’s team looked even more impressive. More solid play from Smith led to the Panthers leading by the score of 36-23. The Panthers continued to show well in the third period as they opened up a 47-33 lead. At that point, the Ambassadors countered with a pressing defense that hampered the Panthers, who lack a true ballhandler. The pressure continued to stifle Mastbaum, all the way through the fourth stanza. Yet, after a key layup late from Smith it appeared that the Panthers would hold on. Problem. You have to make free throws!!! The Panthers missed free throw after free throw. Less than a minute remaining Bodine junior Pendarvis Williams nails a deep trey to give the Panthers a chance with the score 59-58 with four seconds remaining. After the inbounds pass goes to Mastbaum guard James Jones, he is promptly fouled by Bodine star Lamar Gary. Jones heads to the line and misses the first. Jones misses the second but hustles to grab the rebound. In the process of securing the rebound, he committed a traveling violation. Initially, the clock reads .9 seconds remaining. Officials Gary “Heart” Butler and Nathaniel Moultrie change the clock to read 2.0 seconds remaining. Williams inbounds the ball to fellow junior point guard Dante Green. Williams in fact rolls the ball to Green, who picks up the ball at the foul line and dribbles to the halfcourt Panther symbol and launches a shot --- it goes in and the place goes crazy!!! The entire Bodine section runs out onto the floor and swarms Green, who had pointed to me after he hit the shot. Taylor was livid, contending there was no way he got that shot off before the buzzer. (The clock probably started slow. I really don’t know. It was “bang-bang” to say the least.) The Ambassadors celebrated what could become a program defining win. The roster is heavily filled with juniors. Gary, who had a tough outing, shows nice possibilities: he has a nice, long first step, a nice looking outside shot and I love the fact he relished playing against Smith. I don’t doubt that he will continue to grow as a player, so remember the name for next year. The same can be said of three other impressive juniors. Green, the hero of the game, hit for 12 points. He is still baby-faced, but he has a nice stroke from deep. 6’3 forward Tarran Prince is a long player who is both active, mobile and agile. He battled for 12 points and made a few key steals during the comeback. Finally there is Williams, who is ultra-thin, with long gangly limbs. Matter of fact, he may grow a whole lot more, he is baby-faced as well. Senior John Hughes played well inside with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Junior Nick Neal also performed admirably with 5 fourth quarter points.
Table Talk -- I love this facility at Mastbaum. It is not grandiose. It's quaint but really nice. Now, I can hope that the next few Pub tilts that I can squeeze in are as enjoyable as this. It is good to see the Bodine program turned around. Coach Steve Kikendall and his staff deserve a lot of credit.

DEC. 13
PUBLIC A
Overbrook 62, West Philadelphia 43
For years, I have always wanted to see the Overbrook-West Philly game. The names that played in this rivalry are a virtual pantheon of Philly hoops. This year was no classic played in front of 2,000. This was an all-time clunker. Overbrook welcomed back junior superstar Nurideen Lindsey and he put on a show. Thirty points and 4 assists for the LaSalle-bound Nuri. Included in that point total were four high-rising dunks, the last of which he crowned a poor West kid on the break. Lindsey was joined by senior forward Vernon Harris in the impressive department. Harris totaled 19 points on 9-11 shooting with 11 rebounds and 7 blocks. Harris is a sleeper, he can run and jump all day and get up off his feet two or three times before the other players jump once. He reminds me a little of former Olney star Erik “Ugs” Adams. Senior Thomas Edwards added seven for Brook. As for West Philly I doubt they have any players who could have made the varsity even during the lean years of the 90’s. Maybe a couple of them could become good in time, but right now they are not truly "worthy of wearing that jersey." Not my words, folks. One of the very few adults in attendance mumbled it after the game. It is really sad when you walk into the gym and see the banners from past greatness and they just seem so distant from the product on the court today.
Table Talk - Brook coach Freddie Stokes was an all-timer at West, I don’t know why his number isn’t retired... Sad news today: former William Penn and Harriton star Curtis Shaw was killed in a car accident. Curt played AAU for one of my friends and was a great kid. RIP Curt, he was only 20 years old.

DEC. 10
NON-LEAGUE
Imhotep Charter 66, North Catholic 59
What a way to kick off a basketball season!!! A large crowd was on hand for this match-up between Catholic League North powerhouse North Catholic and Philadelphia Public League title contender Imhotep Charter. North Catholic got off to a blistering start and led, 8-0, before Imhotep point guard Lamar “Sasa” Trice got the visiting team on the board with a layup. The Panthers' next basket came on a high-flying, one-handed dunk from junior sixth man Will Adams. Adams was the star of stars tonight. Adams carried the Panthers during the first half by tallying 16 of their 25 in the first two periods. Adams was absolutely ‘on fire.’ He buried his first six shots, three of which were deep treys. I don’t think he got any rim on any of those shots. However, North was able to maintain a semblance of control and led at the half by the count of 31-26. Senior guard Lenny Young looked really good in the first half. Young was able to get big baskets by using crisp dribble moves to get into the lane and make sweet jump shots. They also got a boost from sophomore guard Michael Terry (son of the former FLC star of the same name). Terry and three other sophomores played significant minutes mainly because of the absence of guard R. J. Handy and the foul trouble experienced by Robert Morris signee guard Velton Jones. Those sophomores all played well at times, but Terry stood out today because of his all-around hustle. Terry mustered 10 points. Second half and Trice started to make a huge impact. Quick and heady, Trice totaled 7 points, 3 assists and one steal as he helped bring the Panthers level heading into the final quarter, the score is 45-45 On the first play of the final stanza Miguel Bocachica swished a deep right wing trey to put the Panthers on top. A couple of more treys followed from Adams and the Panthers led 60-49 with 3:01 remaining. North gave a strong reply late with a five-point run by Jones to get them with six with 2:14 on the clock. North's hopes of a Villanova-LSU comeback ended when Jones fouled out at with 1:59 remaining. And although they missed six free throws late they hold on for a big victory at the “Pit.” Adams finished with 26 points on 10-12 shooting, 6-8 on treys. That was impressive.!!!!!!
Table Talk- Lots of legendary people in attendance -- actually, too many to list all of them. Among them were Temple’s Fran Dunphy, Robert Morris’ Mike Rice and Mount St. Mary’s Milan Brown. Both of these teams have more than decent chances to win their respective leagues. Hopefully, there will be more of these Catholic-Public match-ups in the near future with the City Title game(s) back in existence next season at the various enrollment levels.