FEB. 2
CATHOLIC RED
La Salle 47, St. Joe’s Prep 45
  Pack 'em in.  The crowd was overflowing on a Tuesday night in Wyndmoor.  There was absolutely no place to park.  I wound up blocking a dumpster illegally on an angle.  Hey, what are they gonna do? Inside, I found that people were lined outside the door of the gym.   The rivalry between these two schools had been heating up over the past few years and people are starting to come out of the woodwork.  Both schools are at the top of the league in football and basketball, and the match-ups have been very tight recently.  The rivalry is becoming something truly special.  Anyway, before I start crying, I better start talking basketball.  Prep stayed ahead of La Salle by a few baskets throughout the first quarter.  Prep Sr. Sean Brophy had the final basket inside just as the clock wound down to put Prep up 18-13.  Prep kids like to bomb it, and it showed during the second quarter. From my new vantage point at the southwest corner, I witnessed Sr. Connor McIntyre and Fr. Steve Vasturia connect from beyond.  The Explorers tied it up at 23 with Sr. Troy Hockaday’s drive but then Prep’s Sr. Bryan Bacskai hit an up and under as time expired.  This allowed the Hawks to go into the locker room with a 25-23 lead.  High-octane action!  At halftime I saw Statboy on the opposite baseline so I stood there for the second half.  From this point, the kids really put on a show.  La Salle jr. Eddie Mitchell was spinning, crossing, cutting and just about every other gerund you can think of, (yeah “gerund”) while Vasturia was hitting on more threes than “The Situation” was on Jersey girls.  The rest of the game was back and forth with these two doing their thing.  La Salle achieved its first lead with 4:08 left in the third but quickly squandered it when an errant inbound pass was thrown way too far and Vasturia converted a quick layup.  End of the third: 40-36 Prep.  The Explorers crawled back again.  With the score tied 45-45 and just over 2 minutes left, La Salle put “Operation Hold Ball” into effect.  The Explorers took the clock down to about 15 seconds in the game before they called a timeout.  Here we go.  The ball was inbounded from the side and the drawn-up play commenced with the industry standard 8 seconds remaining.  Everything went haywire when a covered Explorer fumbled the ball at the foul line with his back to the basket. The kid fell to his knees and shuffled the ball to Jr. Joe Brown, who was cutting across the floor from the left wing.  Brown drove and (cue jaw drop) converted the bank-shot layup from the right side for the game-winner.  This was truly a classic and definitely the most exciting La Salle basketball game I’ve seen since graduating.  Vasturia is the real deal.  We will see a lot from this freshman over the next three years.  There was great play all night by Mitchell, Hockaday and Brown from the Explorers.  With that being said, I think the real key to victory was proper foul shot player alignment, which is something that La Salle has struggled with in the past.  La Salle defends first place while St. Joe’s slips to 3rd in the Red.  I can’t remember La Salle holding the top spot in the league this late in the season.  Way to go, Coach Joe Dempsey!    Where are my shoes?
Jacknotes:
-In the first quarter, while a Prep kid shot fouls, a La Salle student broke the silence from the stands by shouting, “How many PCLs have you WON in the past four years?”  Perfect timing, nice emphasis, good volume…that’s just textbook student rooting right there.  To be fair, from 2002-2006 the scale of PCL championships was heavily weighed down by Prep.
-Just a general note.  During introductions, why do the coaches get handshakes from the opposing players but the referees only get fist pounds?  It’s a pretty universal practice.  Ever notice that?
- La Salle students rocked shirts with AD Tony Resch’s face on them… and I want one.
- At the end of the game, the front row of La Salle’s student section sat on the floor in single file and performed a rowing motion, as if they were rowing crew.  I’m not sure exactly what this was for, but it was choreographed very well.  You know what… it was just an all-around good student section performance tonight by the Explorers.
  “Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- After a La Salle turnover, a Prep player was on the road to an easy layup in transition.  Hockaday managed to block the kid from behind, smacking the ball against the backboard resulting in an Explorer possession.  This was a crucial play since Hockaday had 3 fouls at the time.

JAN. 4
CATHOLIC RED
La Salle 61, Judge 38
  61 points!? My God, (Explorer Head coach) Joe Dempsey, what did you eat for breakfast?  Must have been a Conchie Crunch Bar because his squad was all over the place on D and …wait for it…attacked the basket offensively.  This was my first look at the alma mater Explorers this year, and I liked the well-rounded squad that I saw.  Sr. G Troy Hockaday was makin’ it rain in the opening 8.  He hit 3/3 from beyond the arc to start, including a long bomb from the top of the key at the first quarter buzzer.  La Salle extended its 16-10 lead thanks to drives from the likes of Jr. Swingman Kevin Piotrowicz and Sr. G Chris Edger.  Big man Jr. Brendan Woods was banging inside and scored some points in the post as well, allowing the Explorers better the Crusaders by 13, 34-21, at the half.  Judge pressed a little bit in the second half and narrowed the gap somewhat.  Judge Jr. Tony Smith scored a couple baskets in a row, Jr. big fella Seamus Radtke dropped some inside buckets, and Jr. Reggie Charles had some tough drives inside.  Judge never truly threatened though.  In the end, the balanced Explorer offense attack was too much to handle.  (I had to squirm in my chair after rereading that last sentence.  Did you?)  No knock on the team there, it’s just that La Salle has been known to run a slow, patient offense and the scoring here was a pleasant surprise.  Hockaday is the usual scorer for La Salle, but once things were flowing he stepped back and let other people get involved.  He finished with 13 points. The paint belonged to Woods.  He muscled his way to 13 himself.  Jr. SF Joe Brown had some nifty moves.  He ended the day with 12 points off a few nice drives.  Edger provided some good senior leadership by hustling all night on defense and playing unselfish team basketball.  He added 7 points to the mix.  Jr. Mike Poncia played the same type of game.  He ended with 8 points.  Can you see the balance here?  Judge looks like it might struggle this year, but they have some bright spots.  Charles drives hard to the hole and brings the intensity.  He and Smith both added 10.  Not sure what happened to Jr. G Joe Kehoe.  I saw him play Penn Charter and he was bombing 3’s away like it ain’t no thing.  He didn’t shoot too much tonight.  La Salle planted its flag in the NE by taking its first two games from Ryan and Judge.  The Crusaders drop to 0-2 and look to recover against North Catholic.
Jacknotes:
-Everybody flipped out when Brendan Woods laid a strong pick in the third and the Judge kid fell (flopped?) hard on the floor.  Everyone wanted a foul.  Umm…just because someone falls hard off a clean pick does not constitute a foul…by any means.  So chill!  My man was just laying some wood.
-As I predicted, the Fiesta Bowl was a low scoring game.  I figured this because it was in Arizona and it's hot there, so obviously people would be too hot to score.  Sweaty hands means fumbles and dropped passes.  I should call games for a living.  (Only later did I find out the game is played in a temperature controlled dome.)
- Scouting report!!! Anyone who plays La Salle, DO NOT PRACTICE BOXING OUT ON FOUL SHOTS.  IT IS A WASTE OF TIME.  For some wild reason unbeknownst to me, La Salle does not line up anyone along the lane when shooting fouls.  “Like, do you want the rebound?  You just don’t want it?” spectator Mike Grant asked with a puzzled look on his face.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- In the second half, La Salle had a passed tipped above the top of the key.  The ball was knocked toward Judge’s basket and a Crusader was on his way to a free layup all by himself.  Chris Edger sprinted down the court to catch up with the kid. I didn’t think he was going to make it, but sure enough he lunged in swatted the ball away.  He managed to recover the loose ball to regain possession for the Explorers just as the Judge player was approaching the basket, foiling a wide open layup.

DEC. 16
NON-LEAGUE
Holy Ghost 53, Archbishop Ryan 38
  This was my first look the Ghost squad, and I liked some of the things I saw.  The Firebirds came out gunning and forced Ryan’s Coach Bernie Rogers to call a timeout after seeing his Raiders down 7-0 in just over 2 minutes.  While President of Student Council Senior Dan Glenn led the student section in singing “Let me clear my throat,” the Firebirds cruised into halftime with a 32-18 lead.  Sr. C Nate Lorence used his weight and size inside to muster 6 first quarter points.  I was kind of freaked out witnessing a school north of Girard Ave. that teaches religion score more than 30 points in a half.  Alas, Ghost only scored 6 points in the third quarter and all was right with the world.  The Raiders had a bit of a spark after the half as Jr. SF Eric Fleming nailed a trey and a long two.  The burst stalled however, and Ryan still went into the final 8 down 38-26.  Once Ghost Jr. G Mike DeStefano scored back to back buckets, one in transition from a steal and the other a jumper in the short corner, Ghost went up 48-28, and it was time for some charity minutes.  Ghost Sr. Bill Golden, a clear fan favorite, hit a three in the waning moments to get the boys out their seats.  Ryan’s Jr. G Mike Rymal also showed some guts at the end.  He kept up the defensive pressure even when the game was out of reach.  It’s seems that Fleming is Ryan’s scorer.  He led the Raiders with 10, and a handful of other guys mixed in the rest.  Jr. Kyle Slawter and Sr. Brendan Ostazewski seem to have potential to score.  They showed good hustle and pride, but it was hard to tell for sure who the go-to players are because the Raider offense just never seemed to have a flow.  For Ghost however, the scoring was balanced.  Jr. G Tyler Juchno led all with 11, Jr. PF Ryan Lantzy earned 10, Sr. F Duffy Barrett collected 9, and Lorence closed shop with 8.  Juchno is the type of guard you want on your team.  He can shoot and move, but doesn’t force anything.  He lets his game come to him.  Barrett is a tough forward.  He had a nice up and under in the third and used his weight inside throughout.  Lorence’s presence allows the offense to operate.  He draws a lot of attention in the paint.  He looks to dump to slashers when he gets the ball in the high post and he cuts in behind the zone on the baseline.  This opens stuff up for the guards.  Ghost went 2-0 in the preseason against the Catholic League Red (they beat Judge last weekend.)  The Academy and Comly guys will look to bounce back against George Washington on Friday.
-Jacknotes:
- I handled the PA duties for this game.  I just do it all, baby.  I went 9/10 on the introductions, which is a B+ on Holy Ghost’s grade scale.  (Apology to Ryan’s Sr. G Anthony Magallanes.  Totally botched that one.)
- Ghost’s Sr. F Owen Kirby has the nickname “The O-ster,” as Dan Glenn had explained to me.  To salute him, the crowd makes an “O” over their head with their arms and then performs a stirring motion.  Pretty good, fellas.
-Jr. Connor DeVaul hollered my name constantly from the student section.  Thanks for the shout outs, man.  This is me paying you back.
  “Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- I want to give this to Ghost teacher Tom Eckerle who, upon discovering he had won the 50-50 drawing, zoomed to the scorer’s table.  I mean one moment he wasn’t there and then he was.  I don’t know where he came from.  It was like Carolina Panther Stephen Smith in the Sportscenter commercial.  Explosive and incendiary speed. But instead, my hustle play goes to Ryan’s Slawter who dove for a lose ball in the paint in the third quarter, retained possession, and passed it to a teammate. This set up Soph F Nick Aughenbaugh who converted an AND-1 lay-in.  Credit to Slawter for the hockey assist.

DEC. 11
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern Prep 59, Bonner 49 OT
  “Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.” Nah, actually no one pulled me; I volunteered.  After four years of absence from ted.com, it’s as if a part of my soul had been…yeah, right!  The first quarter of this preseason bout was pretty shaky.  You gotta protect the basketball, kids.  After a good amount of turnovers and sloppiness, the score was 11-10 Malvern at the quarter.  The period had a goofy/interesting ending which you can check out in Jacknotes at the bottom.  Other highlights of the opening 8 included a nice back-cut, lay in by Malvern Jr. F Lamon Church off a side inbound pass from Jr. PF Tracy Peal.   Bonner was turnover city throughout much of the first half, but managed to slow it down for the last shot and got a nice possession on which Sr. G Jamal Melvin hit a long 2 point jumper with just a second remaining.  With this shot, Bonner went into the locker room with a 1 point lead 21-20.  In the 3rd, Bonner’s student section sang “Deck the Halls” and the green guys from Drexel Hill (both teams are the Friars so I need another way to differentiate) maintained their 10 point lead going into the 4th, 31-30.  Malvern came out pressing to start the final 8.  They were able to jump to an early 35-31 lead thanks to a foul shot and some put-backs by Church and Jr. SF DeQuann Walker.  The action really heated up from here.  As I look at my notes, I can see 6 lead changes in the final 7 minutes.  Melvin went to the line for Bonner with 34.5 seconds left and his squad down 2, 45-43.  No pressure, man.  He netted both like it ain’t no thing to knot the game at 45.  Malvern called a timeout with 9.5 seconds left, but with the Bonner student section caroling “Jingle Bells,” Malvern was unable to convert on its final possession.  No worries though for the blue boys (as opposed to green guys).  Malvern dominated the overtime jumping out on a 13-2 run which would guide them to a 10-point victory.  Walker had the game high scoring with 20 pts.  He’s not very flashy, but gets the job done.  I really enjoyed watching Peal.  This kid is a true bruiser. His attitude is, “I have 20 pounds of muscle on the guy defending me.  By the end of the game, he will be fully aware of it.”  He sets up with a wide base, slams his back into people, draws fouls, and goes full speed.  Keep it up, man.  You own the paint.  I also like Malvern’s Sr. PG Ryan Creighton.  This guy didn’t light up the stat sheet, but he hit a big 3 to start overtime and he made 2 foul shots later in the period.  Aside from overtime, he showed passion and senior leadership throughout the game.  Bonner’s Melvin is very quick and definitely wants the ball in his hands.  He’s a fierce competitor, but could be a little more selective about his shots.  Bonner’s Sr. Keefer Francis and Jr. Scott Slade were getting in the mix, too.  These guys do the little things that teams need to win.  They grabbed some key rebounds and caused turnovers.
Jacknotes:
- At the end of the first, Church went in for the mega dunk.  Between the time that he left the ground and the time he flushed it home, the buzzer sounded so the basket didn’t count because he hadn’t released the ball.  It reminded me of NBA JAM for Sega or Super NES when you would drive at the end of a quarter and want your player do to that finger roll with the high arc but instead he jumped 50 ft in the air and started doing a million flips so that time expired with your guy frozen in a tuck position 6 feet above the rim and you didn’t get the points.  Yeah, this play was pretty much exactly like that.
- Couldn’t help but notice Prep Coach Speedy Morris wearing (surprise) a crimson sweater at this event.
- I had the pleasure of sitting next to Puck for the game.  I feel like that guy is at every game I attend, plus other all the other games that I don’t.  He has sort of an omnipresent quality at basketball games in all levels in the area.  In fact, I’m not convinced that there’s not two of them.  Maybe there’s an imposter Puck.  “Maybe you should check the Yellowpages.  I dunno,” as Danny Zuko would say. 
- I have this disease where I drop something underneath the bleachers at every basketball game.  This time, the victim was my cell phone.  Puck said, “How you do dat?  You got bad hands, boy.”
- When Malvern’s student section tried to boo the Bonner section for singing Christmas carols, the Bonner section responded by chanting, “You hate Christmas!”  Nice work fellas, let 'em know what’s up!
“Jack’s Hustle Play of The Game” – In the fourth, Francis was doubled with the ball at the top of the key.  He split the defenders but fell down in the process.  While falling, he was able to slap the loose ball to Slade who made a three.