Amauro's Corner
Return to Home Page

    Amauro Austin is another of our trusty observers. He is not to be confused with Ruben Amaro, the Phillies' assistant general manager. Like "Huck" Palmer, Amauro is a West Catholic graduate. He will make occasional reports on games he sees. You may e-mail him at Thurlbough@hotmail.com. Tell him (nicely) that pictures look better when people smile.

Click here for Amauro's Top Players List

Final Senior Rankings Top 60
1.  Hakim "Skinny" Warrick 6-8 SF/PF Friends Central (Syracuse)- this kid
will play for pay someday.
2.  David "Bone" Bell 6-6 CG Olney (Mt. Zion Ac.(NC)- as I've said before,
Bell will be a big timer next season, he already has widespread Big East
interest and maybe the ACC schools will jump on as well as he will invade
the ACC area.
3.  Tamal Forchion 6-6 PF Roman Catholic (George Washington)- some question
his size at 6-6 230-lbs for the A10, but no one questions his huge heart or
atleticism. He'll be a success in the A10.
4.  Cantrell "Man Man" Fletcher 5-9 PG St. John Neumann (Siena)- some wonder
if he'll be able to come back from his partially torn ACL, I don't because
pound for pound this is the toughest kid in the city and might I add a steal
for Siena.
5.  Steve Smith 6-7 SF/PF Northeast (LaSalle or Prep)- probably many others
with interested, I hate to say it, I told you so. If he does Prep, he'll be
a Big East caliber prospect as he held his own against and outplayed some
Big Timers at the Donofrio Tourney.
6.  Michael Cuffee 6-4 SF/WG Simon Gratz (Juco)- I'm hearing that he may end
up in Neosha(KS), if so he'll be a big timer, but don't rule out Cleveland
St. taking him as a Prop. In my opinion he's better than Percell Coles,
Gratz's top player from a year ago.
7.  Michael Slattery 6-1 PG Germantown Academy (Delaware)- he'll be an
All-Conference performer before its all said and done in the Colonial.
8.  Brandon Brigman 6-8 PF St. John Neumann (South Florida)- hope that he
does everything that he knows he has to do to be effective in Conference
USA, the talent is there, but...
9.  Jamal Nichols 6-7 PF Ben Franklin (St. Joe's, LaSalle, ect.)- looking
for a big strong kid who can get 10 boards a night, here's your man.
10. Robert "Beattie" Taylor 6-2 CG St. John Neumann (Rider)- finally made
his choice, could thrive at Rider as he is street tough and probably could
play at the Lower Level of the A10 or Colonial Conf..
11. Bobby Leach 6-0 PG John Bartram (Juco)- I'm hearing that he could be in
a package with Cuffee, could be a star at Junior College.
12. Nicholas King 6-6 SF/WG Frankford (Juco, Millersville, ect.)- if he goes
to a D2 school, they'll have a steal. This kid is a Low 1 who can play at
some Mid Majors.
13. Daniel Rumph 6-2 CG Parkway (Juco or Prep)- I've heard the same Juco
that Will Chavis went to, I've hear Maine Central Institute where Dawan
Robinson has thrived this season, either way Danny will make a name for
himself.
14. Brent Welton 6-5 SF Roman Catholic (Air Force Prep)- he'll be going to
the Prep feader of the Air Force Academy, could be a good situation, has
become a deadly, though streaky, shooter.
15. John Huggins 6-2 CG Roman Catholic (Juco or Youngstown St.)- I hear that
he'll be at Y St. if he gets his scores, if not Juco.
16. Ali Gaye 6-7 PF Kennedy Kenrick (???)- maybe another year of Prep would
do the trick, he could be a Mid major, has not taken the SAT's as of yet.
17. Walt Pinkas 6-5 SF Conwell-Egan (Prep)- Deep Shooter/high riser, only
needs Prep to prove that he can still do it, should end up as a Low 1.
18. Dave Glaser 6-5 SF Malvern Prep (Patriot/Ivy)- this guy should be the
spokesperson for the right place at the right time.
19. Maurice Maxwell 6-5 SF University City (Prep)- slasher supreme, could be
a Low 1 with a year of Prep.
20. Mike Barker 6-2 CG St. Joseph's Prep (Penn walkon)- should make the team
at Penn, if he does it'll be a great accomplishment because Penn and
Princeton are the Ivy schools that are actually not Low 1's , they are Mid
Majors as they get Mid Major recruits.
21. Shawn Roberts 6-1 PG John Bartram (Prep)- needs Prep school, has all of
the tools to be a college player.
22. Gene Willard 6-5 PF Cardinal O'Hara (Sciences)- he'll star at the new D2
Sciences.
23. Vernon Robinson 6-3 WG Olney (Juco or Prep)- whichever he does he could
be a Low 1 afterwards, needs to develop a mid range jumper.
24. Nate Lewis 6-1 CG West Catholic (undecided) -- I apologize to The Lewis Family and to
anyone else who has been steered off track for giving inacurrate info but, Nate will
not be attending Juco, he is still taking visits to some schools, again my apologies.
25. Robert Bouknight 6-0 WG John Bartram (Prep)- also needs Prep, would
thrive at D2, outs the ball in the hole.
26. Sean King 6-2 CG Overbrook (???)- has the scores, would also thrive at
the D2 level, the lefty could be an all-league performer at those levels.
27. Jahad Snead 6-0 CG Germantown (???)- maybe some Prep school or Juco will
take a chance on him, great scorer from the point.
28. Kevin "Chip" Green 5-11 PG Frankford (Juco or Prep)- the lefty is
another one of the tougher kids around, can really run the show and shoot it
from deep, confident.
29. Anthony Geiger 6-6 PF Simon Gratz (Millersville, Sacred Heart, ect.)-the
word here is potential, really opened alot of eyes this spring.
30. William Keitt 6-1 CG Girard College (Kutztown or Juco)- scorer, could
thrie a D2 as well.
31. Ty Teasley 6-5 SF/PF Northeast (???)- has many D2's interested, great
mid range game.
32. Bryan Green 6-7 SF Cardinal Dougherty (Kutztown, ect.)- shoots threes,
blocks shots, could develop and be a very good player.
33. Garry Mills 6-2 WG Abraham Lincoln (???)- could play D2 and thrive at
D3.
34. Anthony Abrams 6-2 PG Simon Gratz (???)- so poised, great court
demeanor, D2 or D3.
35. Kevin Wolf 6-2 CG Father Judge (DeSales, ect.)- can play D2 ball, great
off of the dribble, smooth, deep shooter.
36. Brian Mooney 6-3 WG Father Judge (Coastal Carolina walkon)- deep
shooter, hope he realizes his dream.
37. Shaun Snyder 5-7 PG Samuel Fels (???)- over a 1200 on the SAT, great
ballhandler, good shooter, knows how to score.
38. Billy McNeil 6-3 WG Simon Gratz (???)- Billy as well could play D2 ball,
at D3 would be a star.
39. Michael Ezell 5-8 PG Mastbaum Tech (???)- should be getting widespread
D3 looks.
40. Kenny Faison 6-5 PF Thomas Edison (???)- good student, still developing
as a player, young for his grade, many D3's interested, could grow some
more.
41. Ryan Tyson 6-5 PF St. Joseph's Prep (Widener, ect.)- never returned to
form after the injury, could be a steal if he decides on Widener and is his
old self.
42. Robert Taylor 6-7 PF Mastbaum Tech (???)- big body, some D3's have to be
looking.
43. Dwayne Shelton 6-3 SF Ben Franklin (???)- could be good at D3, strong
body, nuts and bolts.
44. Rodney Warren 6-1 CG Ben Franklin (???)- great student, deep shooter,
good ballhandler, D3.
45. Kyle Jones 6-0 WG Southern (Prep)- wants to go to prep school, he's a
bull at 230-lbs.
46. John Capella 6-2 WG Archbishop Ryan (???)- good shooter, plays hard, I
couldn't imagine Holy Family not being involved.
47. Dave Hoopes 6-2 WG Archbishop Carroll (Mansfield)- will be the
designated shooter for D2 Mansfield.
48. Rich Schmidt 6-4 SF/PF Father Judge (???)- would be a D3 terror, just
knows how to flat out play the game.
49. Andrew Davis 5-10 PG Germantown (Cheyene, ect.)- intense, plays very
hard, wants the ball in the clutch, strong, money player.
50. Michael Branch 6-5 PF Frankford (???)- The bully, loves to board, Mr.
Put-back himself.
51. Chris DiStasio 6-3 SF Archbishop Ryan (???)- D3 player, ultra athletic,
could star at that level.
52. Olufemi Fadeyibi 6-3 SF Engineering & Science (Sciences or West
Chester)- great student, could be a great role player at either school,
brings it every night, all 110%.
53. Bruce Bonner 6-5 SF M.L King (???)- another consumate role player, type
of guy who could be a role player at a D2 or a D3.
54. Salahudin Muhammad 6-0 PG Strawberry Mansion (Del Val)- gets to the hole
in a flash, great athlete for a point.
55. Messiah Reahmes 5-10 PG Strawberry Mansion (???)- plays hard, good
shooter, great defender.
56. Mike Morak 6-0 WG Bishop McDevitt (???)- good shooter, good passer,
could be a good D3 player.
57. Brandon Millwood 6-4 SF Simon Gratz (???)- very athletic, could also be
a quality role player at D3.
58. Danny Joyner 6-6 SF/PF John Bartram (???)- somebody take a chance on
him, he's long, he's athletic, he's tough and he's still learning.
59. Aaron Williams 6-6 PF John Bartram (???) see Joyner, plus strong defender..
60. Hal "Bone" Housley 6-6 WG/SF Engineering & Science (???)- State Schools
can take and mold.

MARCH 19
PL ALL-STAR DOUBLEHEADER
    Last night at the Pub All Star Classic, the offense was in and the defense was out. In the Senior game, playing well for the White team were the high flying, 6-3 Olney WG Vernon "Juice" Robinson. Schools need to jump on Vern now as his better days are ahead. He wowed the crowd with his deadly crossover and his monster dunks. 6-5 King SF, Bruce Bonner was solid. He hit
the three and played well all-around. 6-0 Mansion PG, Salahudin Muhammad also played well. He also got up high for a dunk. I still question why he did not play a whole lot more this season for the Knights. Southern's 6-1 230-lb WG, Kyle Jones also looked like a player. I hear he wants to go to Prep school. He's very mobile for a big guy as he is truly a 2 guard. 5-8 Kensington PG, Flor Colon, a relative unknown also played well. He made some pretty slick passes and was very aggressive all-around. For the winning Blue team, Fels' 5-7 PG Shaun Snyder was the biggest crowd pleaser in the game. His awesome ballhandling and knack for scoring in traffic at 5-7 made the crowd ooh and aah. I also hear he's qualified to play as a freshman, so D2 and D3 schools should take notice. 6-1 205-lb Bartram CG, Shawn Roberts was the most solid player on the floor. He again proved that with a year of Prep school, he could be a D1 player by developing his PG skills and a midrange jumper. 6-3 200-lb Franklin F, Dwayne Shelton was a monster on the glass as usual. I still don't know how he could have been snubbed by the coaches for All-Pub as he was atleast a 3rd teamer this season and was one of the league's most consistent players and at times was his team's best player. I loved Edison's 6-5 175-lb PF, Kenny Faison. This guy has loads of potential and oozes upside as he could grow another 2 or 3 inches with his frame. I also hear that he's a good student. I think some D2 schools should jump on him as could thrive down the line. On one dunk, he effortlessly jumped through the basket. Furness's 6-3 210-lb F, Robert Smith was nuts and bolts. He probably could play D3 ball, but will not because he went to Furness, not exactly a hotbed for recruiting. In the feature attraction Olney's 6-6 CG, David Bell was the king. Bell proved that he is a major D1 player. Next stop for Bell will be Mt. Zion Christian Academy in Durham, NC. From there David will catapult with a national schedule. 6-71/2 Franklin PF, Jamal Nichols was also great for the White team as was Lincoln's 6-2 WG, Garry Mills. He can play at the D2 level easily. He was pretty impressive. Juniors 6-5 175-lb Swingman, Dahliek Powell and 6-4 220-lb PF, Russell Walker showed some of what the Pub will have to offer next season. Powell put on an aerial show and showed pretty good ballhandling skills and the nimble workhorse, Walker has a beast down low. For the Blue, Gratz's 6-4 swingman, Michael "Cuff Daddy" Cuffee was great. His shot is so sweet and his athleticism is unmatched. Parkway's 6-2 WG, Danny Rumph damn near scraped the ceiling on one dunk. Mustafa Shakur, Penn's 6-3 CG played well in his duel with Powell. They went hard at each other all night. 6-0 Bartram PG, Bobby Leach was all around great. I don't think Leach knows any other way than to play hard all of the time. He could be a terror at the Low 1 level and could compete at the midmajor level. Last week, I mentioned some of next season's top teams, so this week I want to mention some of the other players who will make next season a pretty good season in the city. My Baker's Dozen not to be forgotten players are as follows:

    Charles Davis, Scotland School
    This kid is an unknown in the city but, if he were here next season he could
stake a claim to be the city's best. He should be known as he's from 18th
and Glenwood in the heart of North Philly (jumps out of the gym). This 6-5
200-lb WG can do it all. He has unmatched athleticism, is a deadeye from
three, a quality defender and a good kid. When I spoke to him, he was very
humble and polite. He is a definite A10 player and most who have seen him
say that he should be rated up there with Matt Walsh and Scranton's Gerry
McNamara as one of the state's top players.
    Terrence Mack, Episcopal Academy
    Many tab him a 6-5 post player, but that is truly not the case. Mack is an
exceptional student (already qualified) and a natural 3 man if you watch him
anywhere else except his high school team as he plays the 4 out of
necessity. However, Mack is a 6-6 220-lb monster inside (built like
superman). He absolutely demolished GA's 7-footer Ted Skuchas. He has had a
6 dunk game this season. Next year Mack will definitely be heard from. i
think he can be a midmajor, but he has to prove it on the court.
    Mike Spadafora, Archbishop Wood
    If this 6-3 southpaw PG, played in the South he'd be known by all. He's been
awesome with virtually no one significant to play with. I believe that he's a
definite Low 1 player and possibly a midmajor. Schools like Rider and Penn
have open eyes already. Next season I believe Spadafora will lead his team
to the playoffs and have a successful season.
    Cameron Youngblood, Haverford School
    Youngblood had a disappointing Junior season. He's great with the ball in
his hands, sometimes a terror in the open floor. My knock is that he
sometimes plays hard, but equally drifts at times. He's capable of having
some 40 point games though. Early in the season, he torched Roman for 30 in
a blowout loss. At 6-1 though, he needs to be more of a PG and was the point
exclusively as a soph. We'll see if Cameron can redeem his self next season,
solid Low 1 player.
    Russell Walker, Robert Lamberton
    This kid is a workhorse. He's 6-4 220-lbs and surprisingly athletic. I like
him. He could be a Low 1 by next season if he can show some three man
skills. He plays hard and is a madman rebounder. I think he'll lead his team
to the playoffs next season and be one of the Pub's 5 best players.
    Dahliek Powell, Roxborough
    Powell is an athletic, 6-5 swingman that D1 coaches should know about.
Powell is a silky smooth, smart player. He is in the Low to Mid D1 range in
terms of talent. He is also a tough competitor and the kind of kid that you
want on your team. He lets the game come to him, he's fearless and he's a
warrior. If he were playing in the CL schools would be all over him, has the
talent to be the Pub's best next season.
    Mustafa Shakur, William Penn
    When I saw Shakur for the first time in 2000, he was a 5-11 quickster. Fast
forward to 2001 and he's a savvy 6-3 CG and could top off at 6-5. He has
potential written all over him. He's a definite Mid to high major player. I
know the Providence coaches are high on him. He too would already be
established in the CL. He has a sweet shot and is a student of the game.
He'll be one of the better 3 players in the Pub next year though.
    Ryan Haigh & Billy Geiger, Father Judge
    I have to talk about these 2 since I gave them so much press for Judge. Both
will be all-catholic performers for the Crusaders.  Haigh a 6-3 CG, is
pretty good off of the dribble and pretty good shooter. He reminds me alot
of Judge's Kevin Wolf as a player. Its a shame that he did not play more as
a Junior because local D2's and D3's would know about him. Geiger, the 6-1
PG will be a Junior. He is a tricky ballhandler and a good shooter. I think
that he'll be one of the Judge players who'll be very recruitable. he kind
of reminds me of Kevin Wolf the person as he is truly a free spirit. Geiger
is a very likable kid and is very popular with his teammates. These two will
keep Judge in the hunt in the North next season.
    Darnell Corbitt, Ben Franklin
    I don't like to say too much about youngsters, but Corbitt could be a big
time player down the line. At 6-0 with very long arms, he could grow to 6-3
easily. Darnell is a terror off of the dribble and a defensive menace. He
outplayed Kashif Payne in Last year's Philly USA All-City Classic! I think
that Darnell has just as much potential as any of the sophs and could
rekindle the traditon of great Franklin guards (i.e Randy Woods, Pooh
Richardson)
    Troy Roundtree, Northeast
    This kid knows the game as he is the son of an ex Pro. The 6-5 225-lb combo
Forward could easily be a 6-9 240-lb monster down the line. I like to
compare him to a less athletic Ron Artest or an Al Harrington. Don't take
these comparisons at face value. I did not understand why he did not play
more at NE this season as in terms of talent he was second only to Steve
Smith. The one thing that I love about Troy is the fact that he has a quiet
confidence in him. Oh yeah, his dad's 6-9.
    Wallace Battle, Germantown
    The 6-1 160-lb CG, Battle is a pogo stick. As a Junior, more people will
find out about him as he could lead the Pub in scoring. This kid plays very
hard and is always falling on the floor or jumping through a crowd. He is
also very confident, could be a 1000 point scorer at the "G". He's not much
of a shooter yet though. Wallace mirrors former G'Town star CG, Anthony
Green as a player. He was one of the more impressive sophs that I saw this
season, no soph can put the ball in the hole like Battle.
    Chris Clark, St Joe's Prep
    We always speak of Tabby Cunningham and Kashif Payne in terms of future CL
PGs, but Chris Clark deserves to be right up there. Clark did the best
defensive job anybody had done on Kashif Payne that I've seen. He has the
heart of a lion. He plays for keeps and plays to win. Already a deep shooter
as well. Though only 5-7 130-lbs, Clark is already a warrior and as a soph,
who knows?
    Sidenote: You the people can see many of these guys on June 2nd at the 7th
Annual Philly USA All City Classic at LaSalle University on June 2, 2001 at
3PM. Threes games a freshman game, a soph game and a junior game pitting the
city's best against one another. Also some South Jersey and Suburban talent
will be showcased.

MARCH 13
CL ALL-STAR DOUBLEHEADER
    First off I'd like to talk about tonight's All Catholic festivities. In the Senior Game, ironically I was most impressed with 6-4 185-lb Bonner Jr. WG, Matt Kearney. He has a serious mean streak and is a dead-eye from distance. He'll be a serious force next season for the Friars. Even more ironic, was the fact that 5-11 Dougherty So., Isaac Greer also stole the show. This kid jumps out of the building. He had two skyscraping jams. He looked pretty good all around as well. SOMEONE PLEASE GRAB ALI "BADOU" GAYE. He's 6-7, he's lively, athletic, and he's skilled. He could play at the Lower Level of D1 and he could grow another 2 or 3 inches. West Catholic PG, Terrell Jackson thrived at this pace and had a bushel of assists and Carroll's sniper, Dave Hoopes bombed away from outside. It was also revealed that he has committed to D2 state school, Mansfield. In the showcase game,
Neumann's CG, Robert "Beattie" Taylor wowed the crowd with his tricky ball handling antics and highwire act. Carroll's 6-6 So., Jordan Ingram, Roman's Brent Welton and Judge's Kevin Wolf also played well for the Red team. Rich Schmidt of Judge showed three man skills which will be good for his recruitment at D2 or D3. For the grey, Kashif Payne was the most impressive. He ran around and through everybody. Judge's Brian Mooney also looked good as did West's Nate Lewis and Egan's Walt Pinkas. Roman's Brent Welton won the dunk contest and ironically big time leaper, Walt Pinkas won the three point shootout. I'll do the same next week for the Pub All Star classic. As I have also said if any AAU team or any other area team has an event it wants me to attend and report on send me the date, time and place by way of email and I'll try to come out. I'm trying to keep up with everything around the city over the summer. Next I'd like to talk about my Baker's Dozen teams to watch and some players to watch next season.

ST JOHN NEUMANN
    How can you top this year? Well next year I think they'll be even better
with Tabby at the point and four big guys to run with in 6-7 Michael Haddix,
6-7 Joel Green, 6-6 Kevin Lauer and 6-5 Haddon EL. All of these guys could
grow even more over the summer and you never know who will transfer in or
what freshman they'll have next season. Sniper, Chris Del Brocco and 6-3
defensive ace, Ramer Jones will both be Seniors and will both return. 6-1
Rising Junior Kenny Fulton has to give the Pirates something off of the
bench at both guard positions.

ARCHBISHOP CARROLL
    With 5-7 PG, Kashif Payne returning and 6-6, sure to grow big guy Jordan
Ingram returning they have to be the favorites.  I look for Ingram to grow 2
or 3 inches over the summer and Carroll also has 6-4 scrappy forward, Kyle
Giresi, who'll be a Junior and two 6-3 CG's in Mike Springman and Mike
Chambers, who'll both be sophs. All of these guys will grow as well.
Remember, this team took the champs twice. Though they lose their
shooter (Hoopes) and their heart (Teddy P), they get even better with the two
young guards.

ROMAN CATHOLIC
    It looks like the Cahillites won't have much left in the fold, but just when
you think the Empire is done, they just reload. 6-3 215-lb Strong Forward,
Charron Fisher will be an even stronger sophomore and may grow an inch or
two. I also know that they have three good PG's in the program in Quick
Rising Senior, 5-8 Tyree Wallace, Talented Rising Junior, 5-9 Calvin Jones
and Classic Roman type rising Soph., 5-7 Joe Clancy. I'd imagine that 6-5
widebody, Mike Boles will be moved up from the JV ranks and smooth 6-3
Swing, Andre Sloan-El will contribute as a Soph. I have a fuuny feeling
though that this won't be all of Roman's nucleus next season.

MONSIGNOR BONNER
    With two quality wings in Division 1 prospect, 6-4 WG Matt Kearney and
crafty scorer/shooter 6-1, Badir McCleary returning along with 6-8 230-lb
widebody, Vince Taraborrelli (he could grow even more) returning they could
contend for the playoffs. The key here is Taraborrelli. Kearney and McCleary
are givens, but if Vince plays hard for 32 minutes a game, they could be
dangerous. In the games I saw him this season, he was not in tip top shape
and that caused him to get in foul trouble. However, he held his own against
Brandon Brigman in the one game and was said to have good showings against
all the other top big guys in the League. And my thing is that if you are a
top notch big guy in the Southern Division you are a D1 player.

CARDINAL DOUGHERTY
    The Cardinals return four starters and promise to be the best in the north.
It is one or two quality big guys away from being a serious contender. One
may come in the form of 6-5 Shane Clark, who has been said to be enrolled in
school at 2nd and Godfrey before the season and during the season, but is
not. He's a Freshman, who will grow and could be a force down the line. 6-4
SF John King will be a soph and after a season under his belt of the CL
rigors will be prepared for the North wars. He to may grow another inch or
two. Oh yeah, its best players are its backcourt. Mike McDonald is a gritty
floor leader, 6-1, Tim Smink is a bomber from deep, who can now get his own
shot and 5-11 Isaac Greer is a jumping-jack of a guard who can be a
defender's nightmare on the move with the ball in his hands. If he grows
another 2 or 3 inches, he'll be able to jump over everybody and score at
will.

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY
    Even without, DAILY NEWS ALL-CITY PG, Michael Slattery running the show, the
Pats will be even better. Why beacuse Rising High Major Divsion 1 Seniors,
6-6 WG, Matt Walsh, 6-7 SF, Lee Melchionni and 6-11 C, Ted Skuchas will
return. Don't forget that when Slattery missed those 4 games that Jeff
Curtin did a formidable job at the point. Don't forget that they also have a
great young player in 6-6 swingman, Rob Kurz as well. I envision him growing
to 6-8 or so and being a terror. This team will be ranked in the nation's
top 10.

SIMON GRATZ
    The Bulldogs will be back again. Rebounding machine 6-6 Michael Blackshear
Jr. will be back and will have his chance to be the star. 5-9 quickster,
Omar Johnson will run the show. 6-2 defender/zone buster, Augie Woodlin will
man a wing. Woodlin could also grow another inch or two. Growing swing 6-4
Maurice Collins could be a good one with some hard work and 5-11 CG Dashay
Brown is a good defender, shooter and ball handler. I also know that many
kids around the city are recruited coach Ell and the dogs to come in and
play next season. Not to mention the fact that I hear that they have a 6-8 C
on the Junior Varsity and a pretty good 6-4 F as well.

STRAWBERRY MANSION
    The Knights have to be the PL favorites. With Maureece Rice back in the fold
and 6-7 C Leon Fulton manning the middle. They will be very formidable. Not
to mention Rising Senior role players like 6-2 shooter, Aaron Brown,
muscular 6-1 slasher, Sharif Jackson and 5-10 distributor, Maurice Stennis.
The wild card here (no Pun intended) is hulking 6-6, next stop 6-10 rising
Soph. C DeSean White. The kid may have more upside that anyone around, but
he also may have just as much attitude. Maybe not having him around next
season will be best for the team or maybe having DeSean as a more humble
player will make the team better. Only time will tell.

JOHN BARTRAM
    Don't sleep on the Braves for next season as they shall return. Instead of
top notch guards, this time it'll be an imposing front court. 6-8 and
growing Jason Cain will be a Junior as will 6-4+ Khalil Abdus-Salaam. Edgy,
6-4 Swingman, Rich Francis will be a 20-point a game scorer. He has all of
the tools to be a D1. Its all up to him. Wings, 6-0 Charles Jones formerly
of Neumann and 6-2 Bryant Leach of the 55th st. Leaches will be quality
guards as Juniors. Coach Biester is turning Bartram into a top level program
as kids are now calling to transfer in to play for the Braves. The mystery
is at the point. 5-9 rising Junior, Antoine Garfield is said to be the prime
PG candidate. We'll see this summer how this turns out.

MARTIN LUTHER KING
    The Cougars will be big up front and skilled at guard. They'll definitely
contend. This year their hurdle was Gratz(dropped 3 games to the Bulldogs).
Next season with a front line of hulking rising junior 6-8 230-lb C, Wayne
Marshall(He could be 6-10 tomorrow), strong 6-5 warrior, Darron Bradley
and slim 6-5 rising junior SF Delton Morgan. At Guard with
two PG's in rising Senior 6-2 185-lb lefty, Raheem Scott and 5-8 quickster,
Quincy Marshall the Cougars could be dangerous.

OLNEY
    People will think that I'm nuts, but I think this team will be better
without, star guard David "Bone" Bell. Its best player will be 6-4 SF, Tyree
Hankerson. He needs to be a double double man for the Trojans. They will
also have 5 quality guards to run with in Rising Seniors, Attacking, 6-0
lefty PG, Marvin Kilgore, Edgy, 6-3 shooter, Terrell Priester and 6-2 CG,
Neil Green. The other two are strongly built shooter, 6-1 Kenneth Eady who
will be a Junior and quicksilver 5-5 PG Andrew Jerry who will be a soph, he
really came on at the end of the season. The Wild Card here is getting
something out of Bony rising Junior Center, 6-6 Ishan Phillips. He could
easily grow another 2, 3, 4 inches over the next three years, he must add
weight and be more aggressive in order to be effective in the Pub. This
could be the top team in Division A.

SOUTHERN
    Coach George Anderson will have the Rams playing at a high level again. With
a healthy 6-4 Swing in Roosevelt Brown and three great Rising sophs in 6-1
PG Antoine Brown(Ro's younger brother), 5-10 CG Keith Grimes, 6-5 PF Shawn
Sabb (He could grow an two or three inches as well). Southern also has a
cadre of talented complementary players who play hard. Just as the team from
two years ago, this group of Rams will be pretty good.

UNIVERSITY CITY
    Coach Kenny Gritter has kept the Jaguar tradition going even after the mass
transfers hit the program after last year. Returning will be steady 6-2 PG,
Tasheed Carr. He's one of the best floor generals around. He could be great
over the next two seasons and I could see him growing to 6-4 or 6-5. He also
has a sweet stroke. Also there is Magen McNeil. The slim 6-5 Jumping-Jack
Forward will again man the middle. The Jaguars wild card is skilled 6-7
forward, Dontay Tabb. He's already been to three schools in 2 years.
Hopefully, He'll find a home at UC as a Junior. UC is another team with some
great role players in the program that play hard for their neighborhood.

Next week I'll do part 2 of this food for thought after the all-pub affair
and talk about a baker's dozen players to watch that I didn't mention in the
teams section for next season.

MARCH 4
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
QUARTERFINAL
Ryan 63, La Salle 55
    Heart, savvy, determination -- the exact attributes that former 5-2 PG and current first-year coach Bernie Rogers was credited with during his career at Ryan were the same qualities that his Raider team showed in its playoff besting of La Salle. Ryan played one of the more efficient games that I have seen all season as they dished 20 assists as a team on 22 baskets and amazingly had more assists than boards (20-16). Ryan was led by the Rogerslike PG, 5-8, built like a tough half back, Sr., John Pellegrino with only 5 points, but 8 key assists. It also got a combined 8 assists from some impressive underclassman as 6-0 Jr. PG, Chris "Pistol Pete" Kozole, a tricky ballhandler had 5 and good-looking soph. 5-11 G, Mike Devine dished 3. North MVP, 6-2 Sr. WG, John Capella started slowly, but finihed 4-for-7 from three and had 13 points to go along with 2 steals. Athletic, 6-3 Sr. SF, Chris DiStasio scored 14 points, grabbed 5 boards and blocked 5 shots. He was helped inside by 6-3 Jr. F Steve LePera, who often never shoots, 2-2 from three for 6 points and 6-3 Jr. F, sub Andy MacDonald who hustled for 15 points and 6 boards, both team highs. For LaSalle, 6-1 Sr. WG, Tom Mattern gave a stellar final performance of 23 points, 6 boards & 2 assists. Hustling, 6-1 Sr. G, Gabe Marabella went for 13 points, 8 boards, 2 assists & 2 steals. 6-2 Jr. PG, Rob Sullivan was also very impressive with 11 points, 4 assists & 3 steals. He'll be one of the best 5 players in the North next season. Sturdy, 6-1 Sr. Swing, Emmett McGowan scored 8 points for the Explorers. LaSalle dropped this one because the other 4 players that played virtually gave them nothing. In a combined 47 minutes, the four other guys took a combined 3 shots, grabbed 3 boards and got 3 assists, inexcusable. Next, Ryan will get a shorthanded Neumann in the Semis. Let the Championship run begin!

MARCH 2
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
QUARTERFINAL
Roman 74, O'Hara 61
     A baby's behind, church music, an addict after a stint in Betty Ford, CLEAN, that's how this CL quarter must be best summed up in a word. It seemed that almost all of Roman's baskets were assisted, Turnovers were a minimum, the teams played hard and with respect. The Cahillites were led by the stellar play of 6-5 Sr. Swingman, Brent Welton. When Welton gets off early, it seems that he plays hard all game. This is the reason why I feel that he is wild card for the whole playoffs as no one in the Catholic League
has matchup for him. In this one, Brent hit his first two from distance and went on to score 17 points, grab 10 boards and deal 5 assists. His frontcourt partner, 6-6 230-lb Sr. horse, Tamal Forchion got 19 points and 6 rebounds in a rather quiet performance. Steady, 6-2 Sr. CG, John Huggins scored 17 points to go along with 4 assists and 4 boards. Jimmy Kelly contributed 6 assists and 6-1 Sr. CG Steve Brodzinski sniped for three treys en route to 11 points and dished 5 assists. I was also greatly impressed
with the play of strong, 6-3 215-lb Freshman F, Charron Fisher. The youngster looked pretty good in going for 7 points and 8 boards, boy is he built. He's the future of the Cahillites. The Lions were led by 6-5 215-lb Sr. F, Gene Willard with 15 points and 8 boards. Three guard triumverate of 6-3 Jr. WG, Chris Grandieri (14P, 3A), 6-1 Jr. CG, Harry Dougherty (12P, 3A, 3S) and strong built 5-11 Soph. PG, Craig Haywood (11P, 6A) had a great showing. Haywood and Grandieri were really impressive. Well its back to the drawing board for Coach Buddy Gardler and Lions and its a gritty, underrated Dougherty team for the Cahillites. That one should be a pretty good matchup.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
     I know I'll be beating a dead horse with my thoughts today, but I don't care, maybe they'll reach someone. To end all of this Pub/CL talk, this goes out to the brass of the Pub and especially the CL. BRING BACK THE CITY TITLE GAME! I know that the Pub guys would do it in a heartbeat, but the guys of the Catholic League need to get off of their high horses. It's already bad
enough that the city schools don't play for the state title, but we don't even know who's the best in our city year in and year out, we can only speculate. The lack of such an event in the big city just stinks. This is one of the many reasons why the Philly teams or players do not get the credibility they deserve around the nation; this and the outside guys who mess things up all over the city (one in particular who I hope gets his Rec Center closed down) for the kids by giving them awful advice.
    In another matter, I'd also like to see the Pub change its format a bit. I'd love it if it changed its alignment (though this would not totally work out for football), changing Division A to the Northeast Division pitting: Frankford, Mastbaum, Northeast, Washington, Lincoln, Edison, Kensington & Fels in the same division; changing Division B to the Northwest Division pitting: MLK, G-Town, Central, Roxborough, Olney, Parkway, Lamberton & Bodine (a lot of kids at Bodine are from the Mt. Airy/West Oak Lane area); Division C to the North Division pitting: Gratz, Franklin, Dobbins, Mansion, Penn, FLC, E&S & Masterman together; and lastly Division D to the South/West Division with no change in the schools, but the worst team every season would become a floater, playing and independent schedule, but being scheduled to play their division mates once in a nonleague format so that there could be 8 teams in each division. The new format would be in order to restore the natural rivalries and would make for each team playing one another twice in the  division. Also every team would be REQUIRED TO PLAY AT LEAST 6 NONLEAGUE GAMES AND 1 SCRIMMAGE, but a full schedule would be the model. Do you hear that, Northeast? You're a big boy now, schedule like one. These kids need game experience and exposure, not excuses. Steve Smith shouldn't even be listening to or even acknowledging D3 schools. The playoffs would be based off of a ratings system. Each team would be ranked from 1 to 16 off of team strength for the tournament; this could include record, schedule, power wins, bad losses, ect. The 4 division winners would be ranked 1-4 no matter
what. The Pub is the only league that is formatted the way that it is in the area, it doesn't make much sense. 'Brook & Bartram should play twice as should Mansion and Franklin and Gratz, and King and Germantown. I know that fights are a problem, but that's something that's not a given and can't even be considered in terms of what's best for the kids. Next, I would like to see all high school athletes in the Pub to be required to take the PSAT in their Soph. year and their SAT's in the second half of their Jr. years or else they don't play. Its ridiculous that some of these kids have not even taken their SAT's until after their Senior seasons are over or never at all. There should not be any excuses as most coaches get fee waivers for the kids. I would also love it if all of the city's AAU teams would send me a copy of their schedules so that I can do the Spring and some Summer reports at Thurlbough@hotmail.com (Positive Image, Hunting Park, Philly Hoops-Airborn, Sam Rines, Championship Sports, Del Val & Philly Elite). In April, we will be running the first annual Philly USA Unsigned Seniors Classic, in which many Jucos, D2's, D3's and Prep Schools will be invited to attend. We need 40 kids to participate for 4 teams, we will give a profile in the program on each kid, if any student wishes to participate or anyone wishes to recommend someone, please email me with your profile (height, weight, school, etc.). I'll consider most on a need basis and I already have some under consideration. No date has been set yet, but one will be in the next week or so. Lastly, some host school help me, I'm desperate for a host school for next season to help me with a CL/PuB shootout. Someone step up so that we can get it done for the city, for the kids. I'm begging, let's do this.

FEB. 27
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Round of 16
Univ. City 52, Penn 46
     I got to this one at the half with the score knotted at 21. In the second hlf U. City outlasted the Lions behind the play of 6-2 So. PG, Tasheed Carr. I am starting to see "Huck's" comparison to Doug Overton (Dobbins '87, La Salle, Current Pro) as he is a big PG and still growing. He leads, he distibutes, plays great defense and makes big shots. Carr went for 16 points, 6 boards, 6 assists & 3 steals. I am predicting that Carr will be a star at Uni and will be talked about all over the area as a Senior as he could be a 6-4, 6-5 PG. 6-5 170-lb Sr. slasher, Maurice Maxwell went for 13 points, 9 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks & 2 steals. Long, 6-5 Jr. PF, Magen McNeil scored 10 points, pulled 11 boards & blocked 2 shots. He'll be a key next season for the Jags as well. For Penn, 6-3 star Jr. PG, Mustafa Shakur scored 22 points, grabbed 7 boards and had 4 steals. He is definitely one to watch next season as he grew three inches last summer and could grow some more and add to his already impressive skills. Boney, 6-4 Sr. PF, Gary Evans battled for 7 points, 9 rebounds & 2 blocks and Jr. 5-9 PG, Kevin Garrett dished 6 assists and had 3 steals. This should be interesting as U-City is traditionally a team that gets stronger as the playoffs go along. Translation: Franklin beware on Thursday!

FEB. 27
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Round of 16
Dobbins 48, Olney 41
    Whew! This was my first ever trip to Dobbins and I'll remember it for the rest of my life. Many questions were to be answered in this one. Qyestion #1, Can Olney win a big game, let alone a game in which I attend? #2 Can those Munchkinteer Guards at Dobbins play with those skilled big guards of Olney? Final Question #3: Would former Dobbins and current Olney student -- 6-3 Sr. Lefty, Strongman, Darryl Durant -- be a factor in his first trip back to 22nd & Lehigh? All the answers were a resounding YES that made
for a great game. The Olney guards were pestered all day by those munchkinteers, as Ted affectionately likes to call them. For starters, 5-7 Sr. CG, Dennis Meekins, the giant of the three played the role of "hearttaker." He's a little bully and likes to get in the other team's head; he's one of the tougher kids I've seen all season. When his team needed a big play, Meekins made it. He went on to score 11 points and swipe 2 steals. 5-6 Jr. PG, Hakeem Dunn is definitely the quickest of the three. Boy he ran through and around the Olney defense. He went for 10 points, 2 assists & 2 steals of his own. 5-6 Jr. PG Ronald Davis is definitely the
smartest and best of the three as he sets the pace of the game. Davis finished with 7 points, battled for an amazing, team leading 6 boards, dished 4 assists and snatched 3 steals. He'll be one of the better PG's in the city next season. All of the Dobbins guards' heights are generously listed. I was surprised that Olney was able to take the Mustangs at their own game, but they showed their mettle and did it. 6-6 Sr. G David "Bone" Bell showed why many believe he is the best player in the city as he was poised and controlled all afternoon in spite of the hostile environment. Bell shot 7-11 from the field and 5-7 from the line for 19 points, grabbed 7 boards, dished 3 assists and swatted 5 shots. He sparked an early fourth quarter Olney run that turned a 32-32 game into a 6 point Olney lead. "Bone" made a slick move on the right wing for a 12-foot banker, the next trip down Durant and 6-4 Jr. SF, Tyree Hankerson (10P, 10R) worked a beautiful high-low and the capper was a steal by the attacking 6-3 Sr. WG, Vernon "Juice" Robinson for a high rising breakaway slam with those munchkins trailing. However, the 'Stangs hung tough and got within two with 50 tics remaining, when Bell drove and the defense collapsed and he threw a great no-look pass to Hankerson for a soft two-handed dunk. 42-38, Olney. But those Mustangs were still alive at 22 secs. at 44-41 as they fouled Durant (4P,5R) in a one-and-one situation,
he coolly drained both ends with a large grin and took the life out of those spunky Munchkinteers. Also looking good for Dobbins was 6-4 210-lb So. lefty, PF, Tyrell Mathis (7P, 6R). He missed some shots in close, but was strong underneath all day. This one was an emotional game filled with big plays, a few technicals and a hostile crowd. This Dobbins team is one player away from being a serious force next season, 22nd and Lehigh will be a regular stop of mine next season. As for Olney, they finally won a big game,
maybe they take this confindence to Frankford on Thursday.

FEB. 25
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Neumann 88, West Catholic 59
     For the fifteen minutes before this contest, the boys at St. John Neumann ran layup drills and for the first 16 minutes of the game they continued running layup drills. The Pirates were an iceberg-melting 21-for-29 from the field in the first half with many coming from in close. The leader of the pack was 6-7 Jr. Lefty, PF, Michael Haddix Jr.. He went 8-for-8 from the floor for 16 points, he also grabbed 5 boards and rejected 4 shots. 6-8 Sr. Brandon Brigman also controlled the lane as he went for 18 points, 10 boards & 4 blocks. 6-7 Jr. reserve, Joel Green was also aggressive with 4 points and 7 boards. Star PG, Cantrell Fletcher was mortal with only 10 points and 5 assists, but his defense was stellar as his man, Terrell Jackson, went for 6 turnovers. 6-2 Sr. CG, Robert "Beattie" Taylor was the most impressive Pirate with 24 points (11-13), 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals & 2 blocks and on Senior day 6-3 Sr. SF, Jeff Thomas came through with 6 boards and 5 blocks and Sr. deep, deep, deep sub Martin Kelly, sniped for three threes for 9 points; he also had 2 assists, 3 boards & 4 steals. For West, 6-1 Sr. WG Nate Lewis brought some decent closure to a disappointing season. He looked great in scoring 22 points and snatching 4 steals. He actually looked like the Nate Lewis of last season, the one tabbed "the best scorer in the city coming into the season." Hopefully schools like Philly U. and West Chester still are interested. 5-9 Sr. lefty PG, Terrell Jackson went for 16 points of his own and his 5-10 partner, Amos Joway, dished 6 assists. 6-2 So. SF Brandon Wicker played hard for the Burrs to the tune of 7 points, 6 boards & 2 steals. The one thing that I loved about the Burrs is the fact that they never gave in even though they were overmatched from the start. They kept playing hard. One thing about coach Bill Ludlow is the fact that if you don't play hard and with heart, you don't play at all. Well it's the end of the Burrs season and Neumann moves on to play Carroll, their Achilles heel. We'll see if they can get past those pesky Pats or will those Pirates finally break through just as in '97, the last time Carroll took them twice and we all know what happend then.

FEB. 24
JERSEY BALL
Camden 95, Woodrow Wilson 76
    This game had many city ties with former Roman big guys: 6-10 and now chiseled 250-lb Sr. La Salle signee Marcus Gantt for Wilson and 6-9 210-lb Sr. much-improved, Eric Davis for Camden; plus Roman's Tamal Forchion was attendance. Gantt never got on track as he picked up three early fouls and never played in the second half. Davis however, has gone through a total
metamorphasis. Maybe it's the change of scenery, maybe playing with All-World guard Dajuan Wagner, maybe it was just his time, but Eric has finally come full circle and the recruiters see it. He'll be one of the nations top Prep Schoolers next season and be a high major recruit. Eric went for 11 points, 13 boards, 6 blocks & 4 steals. He had two resounding dunks and was much the reason why the behemoth Gantt was in foul trouble. Gantt just never got into it today, but his improvement is easy to see. He's lost 30, 40, 50
pounds, is much quicker and much more aggressive. He had a high game of 30 boards this season for Wilson. LaSalle may have gotten itself a stud big guy after all (and they need one).  Wilson's 6-6 Sr. F, Melvin Garrett was a warrior with 25 points and 21 rebounds. Tough Little 5-10 Jr. sniper, Enrique Rosada came off the bench for 24 points many from long range. Well you didn't think that I wouldn't talk about Wagner did you. At first however there wasn't much to talk about. The 6-3 200-lb Sr. only scored 2 points in the first due to foul trouble that caused him to sit all but the first 2:23 of the first quarter. However, "The Messiah" exploded for 37 points in the second half to finish with 39 points, 6 boards & 3 steals. This kid had that special aura about him. The one that Kobe Bryant has and that the man himself, dare I say it, Michael Jordan had. Its scary as he even walks, runs & jumps like Mike did in his early years in the league. It is also said that Wags could have a late growth spurt as his father Milt did. No one can stop this kid at 6-2, 6-3, what about at 6-5? His first cousin 6-6 205-lb Sr. lefty, James Pulliam stepped up when Wagner got in foul touble to the tune of 17 points, 12 boards & 4 assists. Before the game, Wagner received a three-layered, 7-foot trophy for being named Player of the Year by the New Jersey African-American Association three years in a row and made the funny of the day by asking the presenter, "What am I going to do with this?" He also received his certificate for being a nominee and virtual lock for the McDonald's All-American Game on March 2, 2001 at Duke University.

FEB. 20
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Bartram 91, Olney 77
     "Guarded Optimism" -- that was the headline for the Daily News Public League Preview. GUARDS, they win championships that's what is always said at every level of basketball. Well, the boys of John Bartram have the best guard foursome in the city bar none and they proved it by scoring a combined 70 points in a triumph over a motivated Olney team who just never gave up. Bartram's starting three guards and its sixth man, 6-4 Jr. Swingman Richard "Franchise" Francis, were unmatched in this one. The best, however was 6-1 200-lb Sr. CG Shawn Roberts. He tabulated 19 points (5-for-9, 8-for-9 at the line), 9 boards & 13 assists. This kid is unmatched at going to the basket and wreaking havoc. He can get to the line any time he wants because of his build. I believe that he could play at a lower level of D1 with a year of Prep Seasoning or 2 years of Juco. He also defended the slithery 6-6 Sr. CG David "Bone" Bell better than anyone this season. He made one of the (there were many) plays of the game when at 6:07 of the 4th he caught the Olney defense sleeping and threw a long pass downcourt to a leaking Francis for a two-handed slam. Speaking of Francis, he went 8-8 from the field for 19 points and also grabbed 7 boards. This guy is the most skilled player on the team when he is at his best. He is so efficient. I believe that if he gets his mind right, he'll be a definite Low to Mid Division 1 player. There is not a better sixth man in the whole area as he would start for any other team in the city. I can't wait to watch his development over the summer and into next season as he could even grow another inch or two with his long frame. Star PG 6-0 Sr. Bobby Leach was his all-city self with 16 points, 7 boards, 3 assists & 4 steals. He would be an excellent PG at the Low to Mid levels of D1 because of his high basketball IQ, his unselfish play and his stauch defense. Last, but not least there was 6-1 Sr. sometimes forgotten WG Robert Bouknight with 16 points. He has the best pump fake to get open for a shot I've ever seen. It's textbook. He's a dead-eye from mid range. He gives a quick pump fake for a deft, darting move the side and then gets up high for a jumper. Bouknight is truly a student of the game and is very controlled and efficient. He should be recruited by the best Division 2's in the country, but a year of Prep could not hurt him either. Another guy who really intrigues me from the Braves is 6-6 Sr. F Daniel Joyner. Just as my partner "Huck" has said in the past, I would have loved to have seen him play his first 3 years of organized basketball. He could have been a D2 performer. He used his strong legs to go for 6 points, 6 boards & 3 blocks. One of the blocks made for another play of the game as Olney's 6-3 Sr. high-jumping, WG, Vernon "Juice" Robinson went up for a dunk and Joyner met him at the summit to start the break. His strong legs also allowed him to sofly dunk over Sr. Strongman, Darryl Durant while being pushed in the chest. For Olney, Bell did go 6-13 from the field and 8-12 from the line for 20 points and pulled 7 rebounds. He did not get many shots for what I called him in the past, passive. It was great defense by Roberts, who many times denied him of the ball or just muscled him. He had a hard afternoon. The athletic Robinson again played hard for 15 points, 7 boards, 2 steals & 2 blocks. The 6-3+ 200-lb, Durant killed the Braves inside for 13 points & 9 boards. He was excellent on the offensive glass. I'd love to see what we can do for this kid as he is a soph. in the classroom, but a sr. on the floor. He looks promising. 6-4 Jr. F, Tyree Hankerson scored 14 hard earned points and 5-11 Jr. PG, Marvin Kilgore got to the basket at will for 12 points and dished 3 assists to go along with 2 steals. Kilgore gets into the lane anytime he wants. My beef is that he makes terrible decisions. He took an awful shot at the end of the third after Olney had made a run to stay in the game -- a three from Lindbergh Blvd. that hit nothing but air. I always hear about how talented he is and it shows, but I also see that he still has a whole lot to work on if he hopes to be effective in the Pub. Well with the loss, Olney drops all the way down to fifth place and has to go to no-man's land, the Hank Gathers Memorial gym of Dobbins, where nobody wants to play in the playoffs. That's got to be the game of round one. Bartram gets a home affair wih the dangerous Daniel Rumph and Parkway. Once again, I stayed after to talk to the players and the coaches. Coach Biester, who I feel is one of the City's finest, could not stop raving about next season. He said, "I can't wait to teach all over again. With Rich (Francis), Khalil (Abdus-Salaam 6-5 So. PF), Jason Cain (6-8 So. F) and Charles Jones (6-1 So. WG) all back in the fold we will be formidable once again, just don't put anymore bullseyes on us." I also spoke to Olney coach John Rech. He joked, "that he does not want to see me at anymore of their games, you've seen us five times (Penn, Friends' Central, U-City, Northeast & Bartram) this season and on all five occasions, we lost. Stay home next game."

FEB. 18
CATHOLIC NORTH
Judge 62, Dougherty 55 (OT)
     Finally THE MAR has returned to Mayfair! I changed my schedule to be at this one and boy was it a doozy. Those kids at Father Judge just find a way to win, the home crowd won't let them lose, thst Abyss is everything they say it is. I may have to put 6-4 210-lb Sr. PF, Rich Schmidt on my favorite players list. He's not the fastest, or the most skilled, or the most athletic, but boy does he get the job done. No one in the city gets the most out of his talents like Schmidt. He thoroughly outplayed Dougherty's lithe
6-7 Sr. F, Bryan Green (6P, 7R, 1B) to the tune of 18 points, 11 boards & 2 blocks. This righty seems to go left every time and spins towards the middle. He's just a great post player for his size, definite division 2 performer. 6-3 Sr. WG Brian Mooney was steady with 11 points, 8 boards & 3 steals. 6-2 220-lb Sr. Strongman, Mark Dickson hustled for 10 points and 7 boards. 6-3 Sr. SF, Michael "Dean" McCauley contributed 8 points, 5 rebounds & 4 steals. For Dougherty, native Northeaster 6-1 Jr. WG, Tim Smink started out with fire in his eyes with 15 first half points, but in the second half he just couldn't get rolling and ended with 20 points, 4 boards & 2 assists. In that first half Dougherty led 30-21 going into the half and looked as if they could play with anyone around. However, in the second that Judge mystique just took over and those characters of the rowdy Abyss, led by BIG Ryan "Goose" Nase, came to be the sixth man. As Bryan Green went to the line in the third, they chanted SOME-ONE-FEED-HIM and at a timeout chanted, TED-SA-LAR-RY. What fans! But just as in the first meeting, this one went to overtime after a last second Cardinal Dougherty three pointer to tie the game at 51. (this time by Tim Smink). However, the Crusaders executed better and dominated the extra period, 11-4. Also playing well for the Cardinals, were 6-0 Sr. Swingman, Mark Seidenburg with 11 points & 8 boards, 6-0 So. WG, Isaac Greer with 10 points, 4 boards, 2 assists & 2 steals and 5-10 Jr. PG Mike McDonald went for 5 assists and 3 steals. If these two match up for the playoffs and thats the way it looks, it could make for an interesting contest as Dougherty has given the Crusaders more trouble than anyone this season, taking them to OT twice.

FEB. 16
CATHOLIC NORTH
Dougherty 53, Conwell-Egan 46
     This night I was truly devirginized. My first time seeing Conwell-Egan in a game (I'd seen them scrimmage), my first time seeing the once heralded 6-5 Sr. SF Walt Pinkas, my first time seeing the Looney Bin in full effect and well the second time I brought my girlfriend on the trail with me -- almost perfect. In this one, Dougherty handled a more competitive Conwell-Egan, which played with its star player, Walt Pinkas, for the first time this season. Though he was heckled by the loonies in the Looney Bin all evening, as they once chanted P-I-N-K-A-S Pinkas, Pinkas seemed to be the difference early on. He tooked only one shot for 2 points and grabbed 2 boards, but he showed athleticism in blocking 4 shots in the first half. This guy is a more athletic version of Malvern's Dave Glaser. D2 schools should still be at his door as I believe that he could still perform at the level he played at a year ago. His outside shot showed rust, but he is very athletic. He'd be a nice three man for a D2 school. Pinkas finished with 12P, 11R, 4B & 3S. For Dougherty, 6-0 So. G Isaac Greer, one of my personal favorites, was his steady self. He had an easy 13 points and 8 boards while playing approximately 20 minutes. He is so athletic and strong for his size as he gets up to block the shots of and rebound over the guys 4 and 5 inches taller. If he does the needed work and shows that he could be more of a point at the next level, he could be dangerous in the years to come. 6-7 Sr. F Bryan Green was also a key for Dougherty with 7 points, 8 boards & 2 blocks. Jr. PG Mike McDonald hustled for 6 steals and Sr. hustler Donnell Smiley did what he does best for 6P, 4R & 3B. Pinkas's partner, 6-3 200-lb Jr. SF Andrew Holland, went for 14 points and 4 boards, working well with Walt in his comeback. He'll be a strong player for the Eagles next season.

FEB. 15
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Franklin 60, Parkway 47
     Well, I'm I man and I can admit when I'm wrong. So here goes, I was wrong. Not saying that St. Joe's should not still consider Steve Smith, as he still has more potential, 6-71/2 215-lb Sr. Ben Franklin PF Jamal Nichols is their man. Nichols singlehandedly beat Parkway with a monster performance of 20 points on 5-10 (3 dunks) and 10-16, 24 yes 24 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals & 2 assists. This was an ugly game, but one bright light bursted through in Nichols. Nichols looked as if he was focused. He took it to the smaller Hoyas and showed why he is so highly regarded. Parkway star, slithery, 6-2 Sr. WG, Danny Rumph shot a freezing 6-for-24 from the field for 16 points to go along with 10 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. It seemed that every time he touched the ball, he was triple teamed. In turn, he forced shots. One reason why the Electrons had the luxury of throwing so many defenders at
Rumph was the fact that his Sr. backcourt mates Demarice Dobbins (0-9) and Steven Vaughn (3-10) shot terribly from the field. However, even though the Hoya starting backcourt combined for 9-for-43 from the field, they were still in it until late. The Electrons were strong down the stretch. None was stronger than Nichols who at the 1:33 mark of the forth quarter put an exclamation point on the game as he baited Parkway's Strongman 6-3 Sr. PF, Dave Jamison to come out on the wing. Jamal then made a catlike move around him towards the baseline to the hole for a monster throwdown. Franklin also got a nice contribution out of my favorite trashman, 6-3 Sr. F, Dwayne Shelton. He came up with 8 points, 9 boards & 3 assists. WG's 6-1 Sr. Rodney "HotRod" Warren and 6-2 Sr. Malik Lloyd combined for 15 points, 10 boards & 5 assists. For Parkway, I was also impressed with the play of Dave Jamison. He battled all day and came up with 6P, 8R, 3B, 3S. At this game, I got a chance to talk to two of the City's AAU Coaches and two of the more standup guys in the business in Marvin Richardson (Positive Image) and Greg Wright (Hunting Park Warriors). They both agreed to help me out with my Spring reports. Afterwards I also got the chance to talk to Parkway Sophs, behemoth, 6-5 260-lb C, Jason Harris and 6-1 WG, Rashawn Dennis who it turns out is also from my old neighborhood. I encouraged them to keep on working hard and to try to play all year round. They along with teammate, 5-10 PG Javon Alston, have been three of the better sophs I've seen in the Pub this season.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
    In this week's food for thought, I'd like to touch on a few things. First, I'd like to talk about some dangerous teams as the Public League playoffs are looming. The first and most dangerous are the Northeast Vikings. This team would have been even better if Coach Cohen would have scheduled more nonleague games. They peaked at Mid season when they would have probably dominated with more seasoning. I hope that in the future they play at least 5 or 6 more games; two nonleague games just is not enough. When they are clicking on all cylinders, I believe (and I may take alot of heat for this comment, but so be it) that they are the best team in the PL. No one in the Pub is bigger and no one in the Pub is as big is as strong or as quick or as skilled. I will say it again, schools please get on 6-71/2 210-lb Sr. G/F/C, Steve Smith. He's the truth. If he does a year of Prep, everyone will be on him. He's qualified right now though. This team is capable of beating anyone. The second most dangerous team is Strawberry Mansion. If the two big guys (Fulton & White) get the minutes that they deserve, Mansion could be tough to beat. Also Mansion has a good wild card in 6-0 Sr. PG Salahudin Muhammad. His foot quickness is unmatched as he can get to the hole on anyone. 6-2 Jr. Wing, Aaron Brown has also come on as of late. Lastly if Southern finds a way to creep in to the playoffs, watch out as its top player 6-4 Jr. Swing, Roosevelt Brown is back and playing well. They only could draw a bottom seed and would give Gratz a pretty good run at full strength. As it stands, the GW game that they lost at home is really hurting them, but anything is possible in the Pub. Secondly, I'd like to touch on eight players who deserve attention in the offseason from various levels of recruiters. First Michael Cuffee, the 6-4 G/F from Gratz. Cuffee should at least be recruited at the mid major level. I believe that Cleveland St. was out to see him earlier in the week as it has a Gratz connection. That would be great for Cuff to be with former teammates (Gosley, Robinson & Coles). I hope that scenario works out for Cuffee. Second is Steve Smith of Northeast. There is not much more that I can say. Just go see him, he's the truth and he has the scores. Next there's Bryan Green, the 6-7 152-lb WG/SF/PF for Dougherty. He hovers around the three point line, is extremely long and blocks and alters shots my the bushels. Also very athletic. I think he could turn into a D2 star. If he does a year of Prep who knows, even though he does have the grades. Watch for him. 6-5 SF Walt Pinkas, this guy missed the entire season for Conwell-Egan, well he's coming back for the final three games and watch out. He's very athletic and shoots the three. He was booked for D2 before the season. If he still looks the same, he should still be. Next, I love Shawn Roberts, the 6-1 200-lb PG of Bartram. If he were to stay focused, he could play D1 ball and as it stands would be a D2 star. He could wreak havoc for opposing coaches. If he were 6-4, he'd be a can't miss prospect with all the things that he can do. He's finally in good shape after shedding 15-20 pounds and looks to be poised for success. Next is 6-3 Olney WG, Vernon "Juice" Robinson, boy does he play with heart. He could also be a D2 star and D1 if he keeps focus by going to Prep or Juco. Next is Kevin Wolf of Father Judge. I believe that the 6-2 CG is Judge's most talented player and it shows on some nights, but he has never thrived in the deliberate Judge system and at time it has landed him a spot in the dog house. Had he gone to GA out of grade school, they'd be more unstoppable than they already are. Had he gone to Northeast out of high school they be ticketed for the Chip. Some D2 coaches should take notice, I know he can play there, all of D3 should be on alert as he can be a star there. Lastly, I look at my alma mater and I see 5-10 PG Amos Joway. He's been the MVP of the team this season with his hard play. He could definitely play D3 ball and coaches should take heed. He has multiple skills. If he went to a Pub school, he'd thrive. My next issue is a bit self-oriented. I'd like to organize my own 4 team high school tourney for next season with city teams in December and a three or four game shootout in early Feburary with city teams (games like Roman/Gratz should not have to be played all the way up in Trenton), but I need help, sponsors, etc. Even if a school in the city wants to start its own tourney and wants me to be a part of the organization of it, I'd like to be a part of it. If anyone would be interested in helping me with info on this issue feel free to email me at Thurlbough@hotmail.com with your comments, insight and or contact information and I'll get back to you ASAP.
Lastly, I'd like to speak on the 7th Annual Philly USA all-city Classic that will be held on Saturday June 2, 2001 at LaSalle University. This year its founder and organizer, Neumann assistant, Charles "Shoob" Monroe, has made me the talent coordinator so there will be none of the politicing for the his Neumann guys or his nephew Lacey Lancaster, a former deep Frankford sub, as there was in the past. There will be absolutely no nepotism. If you don't know of the event, the format is a Freshman, Sophomore and a Junior game pitting the top players in the Public League vs the top guys from the nonpublic leagues. Any Player who thinks that they are worthy to participate, especially freshman or people who think they know someone who should participate should also email me with the player's profile and his contact info. I am going to be honest, not everyone will get a call and the Junior game is basically set. We really need freshman and will consider some sophs. Also remember, some guys, I already have, but my favorite saying is I'm always listening.

FEB. 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Gratz 61, Central 26
   The Bullies, I mean Bulldogs, are back in full swing. After a tough stretch that really ends today against Lamberton, Gratz looked to be, well, Gratz again. They were a well-oiled machine at Central. In the first half the mighty Bulldogs toyed with the undermanned Lancers, but as the second began, they went into #%$-kicking mode with a 21-2 run over the first seven minutes of the third quarter. That prompted Central coach Haviland Harper (tongue-lashed officials all night) to get a technical foul at the 20-second mark of the quarter. Gratz once again dominated on the glass, 46-27. This Gratz team looks poised to make another run at the Chip. In this one everybody contributed from 1 through 12. Just look at the stats, 6-4 Sr. G/F Michael Cuffee (11P, 7R, 5S), 6-6 Jr. F, Michael Blackshear Jr. (5P, 8R, 4B), 6-4 Sr. PF, Brandon Millwood (8P, 9R, 3B), 6-3 Sr. Swingman William McNeil (12P, 7R), 5-10 Sr. PG Messiah Reames (best performance of the season with (8P, 3A, but looked very confident), 6-2 Jr. WG, Augie Woodlin (3P, 3A, 3S), 6-4 Jr. SF, Maurice Collins (5P, 3R), 5-11 So. CG, Dashay Brown (4A, 4S), 5-8 So. PG, Omar Johnson (3R, 3A). Do you get the pictures? For Central, no one really played well. Another star got bit by the Bulldog defense as, 6-2 Jr. CG, Sharif Bray shot a humbling 2-11 for 4 points. I did leave with a favorable impression of 6-1 Jr. WG, Khalif Leek. He is not all that talented, but he is extremely aggressive on the boards and on defense. He finished with 2 points on 1-8 shooting, but 5 boards, 3 steals & 2 blocks. He's very athletic and battles bigger guys on the glass.

FEB. 13
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Northeast 93, Olney 79
    STEVE SMITH!!!!  St. Joseph's (Jamal Nichols is good, but he may not be your man), La Salle (missing the boat again, get on it), Drexel (he's better than "Pug" Battle was in high school by far) & maybe even Temple (give him a look at least), please come out and see this kid play. If you can't take him, spread the word about him. This guy runs the floor like he's running the
hundred, jumps through the rim, shoots the three and plays great defense. The great thing is that he's still raw, his better days are ahead, may prep. The 6-71/2 210-lb WG/SF/PF from Northeast put on the best performance that I have seen all season (and I saw Wagner score and easy fifty three times) with 33 points (4 rim-wrecking dunks), 17 boards, 5 blocks, 6 steals & 3
assists (19 points, 10 boards, 3 steals & 2 blocks in the first half). He propeled Northeast to a 31-9 first quarter advantage and they never looked back, Olney never got within 14. He made the play of the day in the third quarter on a 3-on-2 break as he took the pass on the right wing and took off with 6-3 Sr. Strongman Darryl Durant standing in his way, he damn near jumped over his head as he extended over him with a monster finish plus the foul. Minutes later, he got a steal and did a Vince Carteresque dunk as he damn near put his arm through the basket. This guy is the hardest guy I've had to keep stats for, as he is constantly moving around, jumping, making things happen. He even has a nice stroke. If he were at Gratz, Roman or Neumann the past two seasons, he'd be at least a top 250 player in the country (denotes high major status) and would have been invited to all of the summer camps. Get this, NE coach Elsa Cohen informed me that he even played PG exclusively for the last 5 games or so of the season last year. He is the reason why I believe that NE is the most dangerous team in the Pub going
into the playoffs. Smith was not alone, though. 6-5 210-lb Sr. SF/PF Ty Teasley came through with 20 points, 12 boards, 4 assists & 2 steals. He was superb. 6-3 Sr. WG, Aaron White sniped for four first treys en route to finishing with 22 points and 3 assists. Underrated, quicksilver 5-10 Sr. PG Brent Grimes had all eight of his assists in the first half, he finished
with 10 points. 6-7 Jr. F Chaz Crawford (7) and 6-5 225-lb So. F, Troy Roundtree(5) also helped on the glass. For Olney, 6-6 Sr. CG, David "Bone" Bell had one of his better games. He looked hungry to bring his team back in this one after missing his first 5 shots. He finished with 29 points, 15 boards, 4 steals, 2 assists & 3 blocks. It was also revealed that he will definitely be preping next season as he wants 4 years of D1 basketball. 6-3 Sr. WG Vernon "Juice" Robinson was great as well. His finishing line was 20 points, 5 boards & 5 assists. He as well is looking at preps, but Juco is an option for him. Big guys, Darryl Durant (8) and Tyree Hankerson (7) split 15 boards. In the other paper, it was stated that NE upset Olney. This was not hardly an upset, NE was just the better team. They were bigger, stronger, faster, deeper and more skilled at certain positions. As a matter of fact, the way NE is peaking right now, I'm predicting that they'll be in the Pub semis.

FEB. 12
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Mansion 67, Penn 60
    Helter-Skelter, Loosy-Goosy, All-around sloppy. That was the name of this one. Not that it wasn't exciting, but boy was it out of control. The Knights won this one by a score of 67-60. They were led by 6-1 215-lb soph. wunderkind, CG Maureece "Kid Dynamite" Rice with 17 points, 6 rebounds & 4 assists. I've come to learn to deal with the fact that Rice is overweight
because of the fact that he is not out of shape. He still gets up high for rebounds and dunks. If he keeps at it this street legend will be a high major player. Other contributors for Mansion were 5-10 Jr. PG Maurice Stennis with 14 points (3-4 on threes), 6 assists and 3 steals. This was the best I've seen Stennis all season. 6-0 Sr. PG Salahudin Muhammad had a nice game of his own with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists against his former team. I never understood why Muhammad has not started this season. He was more varsity ready in the beginning than Stennis. He probably could have garnered a college scholarship if he played a bit more as he is unmatched at getting into the lane and has a pretty good court sense. Another guard 6-2 Jr. sniper Aaron Brown went for 9 points on 2-5 from three along with 4 boards & 4 key steals. He seemed to get one every time they needed a stop. I expected more this season from Brown, he impressed me today. 6-6 Jr. C Leon Fulton did not start the game for whatever reason and that seemed to be the reason why Penn stayed in this one. They came into the lane with no repercussions early on. Fulton is Mansion's second best player, he's got to be on the floor, he finished with only 4 boards and 3 blocks, but he was the difference maker in the second half with his defense. I'd like to see him and hulking, 6-6 Fr. PF, DeSean White (4 points, 3 rebounds) on the floor at the same time for Mansion, they both get up and down the court, they're both 6-6 and growing and they're both skilled. A team like Penn wouldn't hang with the Knights on the boards with them playing together. Mansion did however get rebounding from 6-3 Sr. Demetrius Taylor (11) and strong, 6-2 Jr. Swingman Sharif Jackson (9). For Penn, Mustafa Shakur was the man. The 6-3 175-lb Jr. CG, mixed 25 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists & 3 steals. He had help from 5-11 Sr. jumping-jack PG, Robert Smith. Smith really gets up for his size as he threw down a two-handed and a one-handed hammer on the break with ease. He mixed 7 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals & 4 blocks. The problem was that he turned the ball over 8 times. He blocked the shots of guys who were 3 and 4 inches taller. He could help a D3 school. This Mansion team is so hard to get a beat on, it's a shame. They can compete with the best, but they are also capable of losing to a middle-of-the-packer. However, they are dangerous going into the playoffs.

FEB. 8
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Gratz 60, Roxborough 18
     In this one Gratz came out looking sluggish, got it all together and then conquered, the end. OK there was more to the game. At the 5:05 mark of the 1st quarter Coach Bill Ellerbee pulled his starters in favor of his bench. The starters just did not come out ready to play. Also in the first half, there must have been an imposter wearing Michael Cuffee's #23 jersey as he only had 3 points and 2 boards and lacked the aggressiveness we have been accustomed to seeing. I have one word for that, ROMAN(Friday in Trenton). However, the real Cuffee came to play in the second half as he finished with 12 points, 7 boards, 3 steals and stellar defense on star jr. Dahliek Powell (2-14). 6-6 215-lb Jr. F, Michael Blackshear Jr. was solid all afternoon with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals of his own. Also for Gratz, I was greatly impressed with its seven man bench that finished with 23 points, 10 boards, 7 assists, 3 blocks and 5 steals of its own. The bench has guards in Sophs. 5-8 PG Omar Johnson (3 points, 3 assists), 5-10 PG Tariq Wharton, and 5-11 CG Dashay Brown. It has promising wings (all would start and star for 95% of the public league) in 6-3 Sr. Swingman, Billy McNeil (8 points, 3 steals, 1 spectacular dunk), 6-2 Jr.WG, Augie Woodlin (8
points, 2-3 from 3), and 6-4 Jr. SF, Maurice Collins (He could be next year's Michael Cuffee). Last but not least, it has an intriguing big guy in 6-6 (legitimate) 210-lb Sr. C, Anthony Geiger (2 points, 2 boards, and 1 block, but college scouts are watching him daily as this late bloomer's better days are ahead). The Bulldogs just throw waves of talent at you. For Roxborough, 6-5 Jr. SF, Dahliek Powell had his worst game of the season by far. He was frustrated all day and only scored 5 points to go along with 6
boards. However, I was impressed. On a good team, all his skills would show. He has great court awareness, is very unselfish for a star, is a leader, is fearless and plays hard. He could be a Low D1 player by next year. After the game, I had a chance to chat with the disappointed star slashing forward. He said, "No one in the Pub has been able to stop me all season until today." I asked him if he's ever checked out the site, he then said, "No, I'm trying to focus on my books." Interesting, for once I could not even be upset for someone not visiting the site.

FEB. 4
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 53, Dougherty 41
    Sorry for being late with this one, but in this one Dougherty, which was definitely the more talented team, got beat by a more hungry, smarter team in Archbishop Ryan. Ryan was led by 6-2 Sr. WG John Capella. He torched the Cardinals for 24 points on 8-11 shooting and 7-8 from the line. He also had 5 boards and 5 steals. The Raiders also got 7 points and 8 rebounds from
6-3 Sr. SF Chris DiStasio and 10 points and eight boards from the unsung 6-3 F Andy MacDonald. For Dougherty, I was surprised to see that Coach Heimerdinger benched 6-1 So. WG Isaac Greer. In the second half Greer played 1 minute in the 3rd quarter and 1 minute in the forth. He was benched both times after picking up a turnover. I think that this act was one of the three things that brought about Dougherty's demise as Greer is Dougherty's most talented player. 6-7 160-lb Sr. G/F/C, Bryan Green had a great game before being hurt with 4:45 left in the forth quarter as he went for a pump fake and did a double flip over the back of DiStasio to land on his back. After this Dougherty was never a threat. Green finished with 9 points, 6 boards, 7 blocks, and 2 steals. This kid can be a D2 star down line. He's very skilled for a big guy and he has a condor's wingspan. Finally, Dougherty lost this one because of the ice cold shooting of 6-1 Jr. WG Tim Smink. He couldn't buy one in the second half. He shot 3-14 from the field and 2-3 from the line for 9 points. After the game, I chatted with Coach Heimerdinger. I asked what was his outlook for the remainder of the season. The colorful Coach said, "It all depends on which Dougherty team shows. If it's the team that played against LaSalle we'll  be fine, but if it's the team that played against Ryan, we don't stand a chance."  He also said, "Today nobody played hard for us, I was just telling them that they have to cherish each time they put on their sneakers, because it's one less time they'll get to put them on." If I had a favorite coaches list, Heimerdinger would be at the top. He always seems to be in jest and is loved by all. I
look for better things for the Cardinals for the remainder of the season.

FEB. 1
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Bartram 63, Overbrook 55
   Guess what folks, there is a new primary rivalry in the West/Southwest Philadelphia area, Overbrook/ Bartram. I profess that West/Overbrook must have been like this in the scintilating seventies. The crowd was spirited, it was great, not a problem in the whole house. This was a great game as well. 6-1 200-lb do everything old school type guard Shawn "Shiz" Roberts -- if I were a city coach, he'd be my first round pick -- had a monster performance with 16 points, 16 boards, 3 steals, and not to forget his lockdown defense on the Brook's high scoring wing, Sean King (11 points). I think that if he were to keep focus, he could play Division 1 basketball, he just gets the most out of all his talents. He was the man that made half of that bipartisan crowd, sing the words, BARTRAM!, BARTRAM! in unison. Oh, and how about the athleticism of sr. WG Robert Bouknight, who I know had a burning desire inside of him to play this game. He transferred from the top of the hill after his freshman year. He picked up two cheap ones early in the game, only to score 11 points in the second half, one coming on a breakaway steal and one of his patented sky-scraping slams. Bartram's best player, Bobby Leach, was his usual stat sheet-stuffing self. (sorry Clark Kellogg). He did not shoot much to score only 10 points, but he grabbed 9 boards, dished 6 assists, and snatched 2 steals.  Overbrook is not to be forgotten either. What school spirit its cheerleaders showed and one male cheerleader in particular made for the jest of the day with his clown-like antics. How about 6-3 Jr. WG Angelo Hernandez? This kid has NBA range on his jumper that seems to hang in the air forever and drop like a heat-sinking missle. This guy is a gunslinger. He also showed that he can handle. If he works on the little things of the game and his overall game, he could make turn into a D1 player. I'll be watching next season as this guy is capable of getting hot and scoring 40 on any given night. His first cousin 6-3+ Jr. SF Shawn Ikokwu is one of those knee scratchers who has not finished growing. He showed a nice touch, he'll be under my watchful eye as well next season. He reminds me of somebody, I just can't put my finger on it yet. He'll debut on my rankings ASAP. The moment that made me realize that the rivalry had come full circle was when all the fans began to exit when the game was in doubt. One side sang OV-VER-BROOK!, OV-VER-BROOK!, the other BARTRAM!, BARTRAM! as they crossed each other's paths. This was a great atmosphere for high school athletics, made me proud to be a part of it, proud to be from the West/Southwest area. I love to talk with the players after the games. This time it was 6-3+ Jr. Swing Richard Francis, who will make a jump in my rankings as he is just so skilled, and sophs Khalil Abdus-Salaam and Jason Cain. I told Francis how much talent he had, but I also told him that he needed to stop showing so much attitude and just play ball. He visibly pouts all game and it is easy to see that he thinks that everyone's picking on him. I told Abdus-Salaam that he has a bright future. After he walked off, I was talking to former Bartram & Penn forward Usamah Abdullah, a neighborhood buddy of mine, and it hit me that Abdus-Salaam was from the 'hood as well. He just grew 5 inches and gained 40 pounds from when I remember. I gave 6-8 So. F Jason Cain a ride home. This kid has all the tools to be a star in the Pub, but lacks the drive and will right now, but then I remembered he's only 15. He's still finding himself, he'll be all right. I told him that he had a similar build to Eddie Griffin and that his skills were similar around the same stage. The only differnce was that Eddie worked so hard. Eddie made himself into the best high school athlete into the country with hard work. I told him, honestly you'll probably never be that good, but if you work hard enough, anything is possible. Hopefully, I reached at least one of the three. These are three of the guys who will make this rivalry one to watch in the years to come.

JAN. 30
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Gratz 71, Parkway 56
(Huck also covered this game, but Amar went to all this trouble, so here we go . . .
   The story of this one was the total domination exerted by Gratz's frontcourt of Brandon Millwood, Michael Cuffee, and Michael Blackshear. Those three outrebounded Parkway by themselves (36-35). Overall Gratz won the boards by a 50-35 count. The Bulldogs will be hard to stop if the three forwards play that way in the future. However their backcourt did not show. Therefore, in my estimation a team with strong guards (i.e Bartram) could make things quite interesting. Also in this one Gratz got even deeper as 6-3 Sr. Swing William McNeil returned from his hiatus. He's another versitile, active Gratz guy who makes them about 11 deep now. He'd start on every other team in the pub. 6-4 Sr. F Brandon Millwood really impressed me. He came up with 15 points, 5 boards,and 3, duck your head if your in the crowd, blocks. He plays in spurts and despite the athletic prowess of his two more highly regarded teammates (Blackshear & Cuffee) Millwood is the best athlete on the team. He jumps through the basket. 6-4 Sr. Swing Cuffee was his usual all-city self. He came up with 17 points, 15 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. 6-6 Jr. F Blackshear was his steady self as well with 16 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. I've haven't seen a group of big guys who could pass like the group Gratz has. No one works that high-low better tham they do. If you are a true basketball fan, you'd see it as a thing of beauty. This one was played at the legendary Gustine Lake Rec Center, but if it were a bigger court, Gratz would have really showcased their skills. For Parkway, boy did 6-2 Sr. WG Daniel Rumph jack it up. He shot 5-27 from the floor for 23 points to go with 11 boards and 5 assists. I took into consideration that this was against the best defense in the city year in and year out.  Rumph is a good player, very crafty, very slithery, very athletic, he knows how get open, his shots just would not fall. He could have easily had forty. He played extremely hard though from buzzer to buzzer. He's definitely a D2 guy. The Low level of D1 would have to be in the right situaton and with him being more of a combo guard. The three Parkway sophs. are players to watch in the future. The best I thought was 5-10 PG Javon Alston, he played limited action and stilled scored 8 points (3-4 shooting), to go with 2 assists. He's a good playmaker. Second was Rashawn Dennis, a 6-1 Swing. He has a long limbs. I vision him being 6-4 by the time he's a Senior, he's the most varsity-ready of the three. Last and with the most potential was the behemoth, 6-4 260 C, Jason Harris. He could be a monster down the line. He already shows great touch on his outside shot and a penchent for throwing around his large frame. Ofcourse he fouled out in about 10 minutes of action. I'll be out to see Parkway again, to reevaluate Rumph.

JAN. 28
CATHOLIC SOUTH
SJ Prep 56, Carroll 51
   In this classic Catholic South battle, I was not sure if I was watching a high school game or a WWF pay per view. After the first half the team fouls were almost equal to the score. Both teams began the game with technicals by way of a pregame shoving match. Neither team would let up any ground in their respective team huddles and the pushing began. The problem was that the refs did not give any ground the rest of the game as they did not miss anything and saw some things that most others did not. Case in
point: 5 players fouled out of this one (4 Carroll players). Nevertheless, 6-2 Sr. CG (and prospective Penn Quaker) Mike Barker had one of his better performances of the season for Prep. Barker, who played on a bum ankle, shot 5-9 from the field, 8-12 from the line for 18 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists, while being pestered all afternoon by the likes of the physical to say the least, Ted Piotrowicz (Teddy P as I like to call him; I can't say his name to save my life) and ultra quick soph., Kashif Payne. Ryan Tyson played well for the Prep in the second half after picking up two cheap fouls within the first 30 seconds of the game. He only scored 4 points and snatched 4 boards, but he neutralized athletic 6-7 soph. F Jordan Ingram, who did almost nothing in the second half. Tyson has progressed over the last two games. For Carroll, no one really got into the flow on offense as they shot an Alaskan 11-44 from the field (25%). I was most disappointed with the play of sr. WG Dave Hoopes. The guy that I tabbed the top shooter in the whole league only took four shots from the field (0-4) and went 1-3 from the line before fouling out. Star soph. PG Kashif Payne only shot 3-12 but was 11-15 from the line for 17 points, he also had 5 steals. The other sophomore star, Jordan Ingram did most of his damage in the first half and managed to produce 9 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks. After the game, in talking with Prep Coach Kevin Kelly, he teased me than my comments about Tyson on the site were used as tools of motivation and have helped alot. I guess I am being noticed.

JAN. 27
NON-LEAGUE/SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT
Scotland School 68, Girard College 67
  This one did not turn out as bad as I thought it would; actually, I enjoyed it. Scotland School, a boarding school in upstate PA for verterans' children, is a place known for having its share of City kids. This year its go-to player is 6-3 195-lb jr. swingman Charles Davis, of 18th & Glenwood in North Philadelphia. This kid is atleast a mid-major D1 prospect. He had a letter from St. Joe's in his hand when I saw him after the game and said that they are involved early. If he played in the Pub, he at least would be a second teamer, as he is a dead-eye form deep (6 threes), jumps out of the building (1 skyscraping two-handed slam & 5 big time blocked shots) and possesses superior body control. His finishing line was an impressive 26 points, 10 boards, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 5
blocks. He had help from two other city kids, 6-0 Sr. CG Joe Mitchell of 72nd & Paschall (SW Philly) with 18 points (4 threes) and 5 assists (he could play D3 ball) and 6-4 Jr. SF Joe Davis of West Oak Lane with 10 points, 7 boards, and 2 blocks. The game was a seesaw battle the whole way as there were five lead changes down the stretch, but Scotland played smarter and was fresher than Girard, which only went 7 deep. Both these teams play in the PIAA class A, so they could meet again down the line. For Girard, the play of William Keitt was eye-opening. The 6-1 165-lb Sr. WG went 8-18 from the field, 4-9 from three and 10-14 from the line for thirty points to go along with 10 boards, 2 steals and 2 assists. This kid plays hard and he plays for keeps. His coach revealed that he is being eyed by the likes of West Chester and Kutztown, Juco is also an option. Keitt's season high is 47, so he can fill it up. Also making an impressive showing for Girard was 6-2 240-lb Sr. SF, Wheatley Garner. The big fella did not shoot all that well but, still came up with 18 points to go with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. This was not bad basketball at all, I'm thinking of making this game an annual stop on my yearly schedule.

JAN. 26
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Neumann 74, West Catholic 59
     This was a classic Catholic South war as Neumann got the victory over the feisty Burrs, who just would not go away. The Burrs
always play hard on their home court. The Pirates played without 6-8 sr. PF-C Brandon Brigman, who is going to be out for three weeks with a fractured wrist. Neumann won this one off the strength of what I believe was star PG Cantrell "Man-Man" Fletcher's worst performance of the season. Fletch came up with 19 points on 4-14 shooting, 10-11 from the line, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. Neumann also got a strong effort from the ever-aggressive Sr. CG Robert "Beattie" Taylor. "Beattie" scored 16 points to go along with 7 assists and 2 steals in front of a recruiter from Canisius. After the game, Taylor revealed that it's down to four schools -- La Salle (only offer), Canisius, Niagara, and Central Florida. Taylor also played great defense on West's
franchise sr. WG, Nate Lewis (7-21) shooting. Also for Neumann, Jr. sniper Chris Del Brocco had 14 points on 4-7 from three point range; he lacks his brother Mark's (Neumann assistant & 97' grad) fiery, competitive edge, but boy does he shoot it just like him. 6-6+ Jr. strongman/warrior Michael Haddix mixed 9 points with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Brigman's replacement, 6-7 Jr. C Joel Green, had a strong performance of 8 points and 8 boards. For West, Lewis did manage 19 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and 5 steals; 5-10 super sub PG Amos Joway, one of my favorite kids around, played with a lot of heart and also came up with 10
points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals(he could help some D3 school); and soph 6-2 SF Brandon Wicker dropped 4 dimes. Better days are ahead for West, which has returned three out of four of their academic casualties (6-5 Sr. F Jerron Coleman, 6-5 Jr. Swing Jack Kent, and 6-2 So. SF Brandon Weston; this kid jumps out of the gym) and now go about 10 deep. On this night though, they just ran into a Neumann team with too many horses and which is playing its best basketball of the season. Even without Brigman for three weeks, this will be a tough team to beat if they continue to play the way they've played the past two weeks. I was also informed that renovations will be done to the "Burrdome" over the summer.

JAN. 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Franklin LC 53, King 50
     What is the deal with Martin Luther King? They are so up and down? How do you beat Chester and then lose to a young FLC team who is less talented than you on your home floor? Well, FLC upset MLK on its home floor due in large part to the fact that King shot a chilled 31% (15-49) from the floor and a horrible 15-27 (55%) from the line. Don't get me wrong, FLC plays good, smart basketball. They take good shots, they listen, they play defense, and they play hard. They also shot 60% (19-33) from the
field. The guy who looked to have the most potential for the Bobcats was 6-5+ Jr. PF, London Houston. This kid looks like he'll grow to 6-7 or so and be a great D2 shot blocker. He's a force on defense. His numbers were 8 points, 3 boards, and 5 blocks. The star of the day for FLC had to be 6-4 200-lb Sr. F Lawrence Watson as he came up with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 key block.
That was the blocked shot on Terrell Patterson's three-pointer at the buzzer. FLC also got solid contributions out of its backcourt
trio of Jr., CG John Owens (15 points, 3 assists), Jr. WG Noll Black (5 boards and 6 assists, and soph. ballhandler and distributor, Michael Green (5 assists). For the Cougars, 6-5 Jr., F Darron Bradley was a warrior. He came up with 15 points and 16 boards. He was the reason that King owned the glass by a 35-24 margin. This kid has potential if he keeps up his progress. I was a little disappointed with the play of Jr. 6-2 star southpaw WG Raheem Scott. He only had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. My beef, however, was the fact that he drifted a bit too much for my liking. This kid has the tools to dominate a game without even scoring a point. I believe he should be on the point as he was early in the season for the sake of recruiting and winning for that matter. The ball just was not in his sure hands enough. MLK also has two sophs to watch. The first, Quincy Marshall, is a jet quick, 5-8 PG, who has a penchant for ball-hawking, on-the-ball defense. The second is the huge Wayne Marshall (6-8 230-lbs), Quincy's first cousin. Their fathers both played for G-town back in the day, from what Ted tells me. The big fella has some skills. He needs to work on his foot quickness, but he has surprisingly deft hand speed (got his hands on a lot of loose balls) and was more active than I've ever seen him.

JAN. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Univ. City 62, Olney 56
     This was a big playoff implicating game for both teams. It came down to a battle of heart and just who wanted it more and U-City will never be cited for a lack of that. U-City was led by the floor and vocal leadership of 6-2 soph., PG TaSheed Carr. He is one of the more impressive Sophs I've seen all season, as he is in the mold of the classic U-City guard -- tough, heady, and unselfish. On this afternoon with that terrible sun glare in the gym, Carr came through with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and
three steals. He got most of his help from rail-thin 6-5 slashing forward Maurice Maxwell, who came up large with 22 points, 8 boards, 2 dimes, 2 picks, amd 3 blocks. This kid has been putting up numbers all season. Maxwell has a track star's body and looks like one on the court as he'll run and jump all day. U-City also got help from its three other forwards, 6-4 Sr., Robert "Smiley" Johnson (10 points 2-2 3pters), 6-5 Jr. Magen McNeil (11 rebounds), and 6-5 Sr. hustler Jeremy Walker (10 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, amd 2 blocks). Olney's demise was threeheaded on this day. First of all, Olney had 26 turnovers to 16 assists. Terrible. Secondly, Olney shot an arctic 9-for-17! from the foul line. Last and most important, its star player, 6-6 G David "Bone" Bell just did not show up in the fourth quarter. Bell was passive when his team needed a basket down the stretch. He's got to take
every shot in the last two minutes of a close game down the stretch. He just didn't do it. Another game like this from Bell (16 points (7-22 shooting! and nothing at the line?), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks, 5 turnovers) and he'll have to drop in Amauro's rankings. However, 6-3 Swing Vernon Robinson did come up big again with 16 points, 5 boards, and 3 assists. If I had waited one more day, this kid would be on my list of favorite players. He's a fearless competitor. Olney also got something inside from its two young big guys. 6-4 Jr. F Tyree Hankerson looked like he's been refocused with a solid 10 point and 8 board performance and 6-3 195-lb Soph., strongman, Daryl Durant pulled 9 rebounds of his own. This kid has warrior written all over him. His arms are huge. Well I'll see Olney once more before the season is over (at Bartram). Hopefully, Bell has it together for that one. Otherwise, Olney can forget it come playoff time. Next stop FLC at MLK on thurs.

JAN. 22
    I  know it's not still kind of early, but I just couldn't resist . . . 

 Platinum Players (Top Performers in the City)
 Hakim "Skinny" Warrick 6-8 F Friends Central
 Cantrell "Man Man" Fletcher 5-8 G St John Neumann
 Tamal Forchion 6-6 F Roman Catholic
 Matt Walsh 6-6 G Germantown Academy Jr.
 Michael Cuffee 6-5 F/G Simon Gratz
 Bobby Leach 6-0 G John Bartram
 Jamal Nichols 6-8 F Ben Franklin
 David "Bone" Bell 6-6 G Olney
 Nick King 6-6 G/F Frankford
 Maureece Rice 6-1 G Strawberry Mansion So.
 All Young boughs Team (Young Players)
 Maureece Rice 6-1 G Strawberry Mansion So.
 Kashif Payne 5-8 G Archbishop Carroll So.
 Jordan Ingram 6-7 F Archbishop Carroll So.
 Isaac Greer 6-1 G Cardinal Dougherty So.
 Richard "Tabby" Cunningham G 5-9 St. John Neumann Fr.
 DeSean White 6-6 C/F Strawberry Mansion
Dickie Work Suit Team (these Guys Play Hard)
 Tamal Forchion 6-6 F Roman Catholic
 Michael Blackshear Jr. 6-6 F Simon Gratz Jr.
 Terrence Mack 6-6 F Episcopal Academy Jr.
 Michael Haddix 6-7 F St. John Neumann Jr.
 Bobby Leach 6-0 G John Bartram
 Gene Willard 6-5 F Cardinal O'Hara
 Mike Barker 6-2 G St. Joseph's Prep
Mark Dickson 6-2 F-C Father Judge
Dwayne Shelton 6-3 F Ben Franklin
 All Coaster Team (These Guys don't play hard enough)
 Brandon Brigman 6-8 F/C St. John Neumann
 David Bell 6-6 G Olney
 Brent Welton 6-6 G/F Roman Catholic
 Tyree Hankerson 6-4 F Olney
 Aaron Brown 6-2 G Strawberry Mansion
 Ryan Tyson 6-5 F St. Joe's Prep
 All Slept-On Team (these guys don't get enough respect)
 Mike Spadafora 6-3 G Archbishop Wood Jr.
 Michael Cuffee 6-5 F/G Gratz
 Cameron Youngblood 6-1 G Haverford School Jr.
 Steve Smith 6-7 F Northeast
 Dave Glaser 6-5 F Malvern Prep
 Vernon Robinson 6-3 G/F Olney
 Daniel Rumph 6-2 G Parkway
 Matt Kearney 6-4 G/F Monsignor Bonner
All Favorites Team (Amar's personal favorites)
 Mike Slattery 6-1 G Germantown Academy
 Hakim Warrick