Duck Tales, Basketball 2006-07

FEB. 20
PUBLIC A

Overbrook 60, Edison 54

This was a very good game. The Overbrook people have a whole lot of fun when they put on a game, lots of music, an announcer and a nice crowd. Only problem the game was delayed because Edison had serious bus problems. The Panthers jumped on Owls and led 8-0 at the outset. The Panthers were in control all game until the third quarter. The Owls were able to tie the game late in the third quarter on deep jumper by George Baker (25 points, 10 rebounds). The Panthers quickly regrouped and took a five point lead into the final stanza, but you know those pesky Owls would not go away. Edison, led as usual by Baker and underrated 6'2 point guard Daniel Johnson (2 points, 10 rebounds and 5 sweet dimes), was able to take the lead on a Baker trey with 1:13 remaining. The Panthers work the ball quickly to star Nurideen Lindsey on the left wing. A lightning-quick move later while sustaining a chest bump, Lindsey makes a crowd pleasing and1. The free throw was able to make it 54-52 Panthers, and the crowd got involved, and with Lindsey doing the honors at the charity stripe (6-for-6 in the late going), the Panthers moved on to a home pre-playoff date with the Braves of Bartram. Lindsey was the unquestioned leader with 31 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Workhorse Kevin Leland added 10 points and 14 rebounds. Senior guard Khiry Johnson (5 points, 7 rebounds) played well early. For the Owls, Baker was his normal self. Johnson did not score much but his passing and savvy were very impressive. Actually, earlier when I saw Johnson I was thinking he'd make a good D-3, but in all likelihood that is a far-reaching underestimation because he could clearly play in the PSAC or a conference at that level. Sophomore forward Ernesto Sanchez had 9 rebounds.

Table Talk - The Owls did not arrive until 3:48 pm and they only had 3 minutes to warm up . . . This year was very disappointing. A year that people who have been around the PL thought was going to be a super season was marred by a lot of idiocy and laziness. Idiot administrators (four games in six days for playoffs, depriving seniors one final game that was on their season schedule and too many lazy-ass athletic directors (we can't do night games). Hopefully, the playoffs will live up to their potential, but with the snow last week and the bus troubles, things could be a crapshoot. It should be fun, though, and I hope everybody comes out to see the games (of course we do not have a good idea who will be playing whom but there is nothing as exciting as the Public League playoffs). Ex-UC coach Steve Kane said it best: "The Pub playoffs are like another dimension."

FEB. 18
CATHOLIC SOUTH

Roman Catholic 55, St. Joe's Prep 49 (OT)

You could feel the tension once you crossed over into East Falls. Roman and Prep, Speedy Morris at the school he now coaches against the school he coached for 14 seasons ending with '81. This one was what you call a rivalry -- a nasty rivalry. The Cahillites (like I can spell that nickname) were able to win this one in overtime and set up another match-up with the Prep in the CL Quarterfinals. Roman was able to jump out early to a 7-0 lead and then the Prep was able to mount a solid, game-long effort to make this a goodie. Roman was led by the Wanamaker twins, which was no surprise. Actually as the game began, Brian W. was the story as he ripped off 5 points in the game's opening minutes. Brian is actually a little friskier than his brother and has a great habit of finishing in traffic. Brian made many key drives in this one as he totaled an impressive 17 points. Bradley W. was a true force. A master of the baseline drive and the mid-range pull-up, the Dwyane Wade clone went for 23 points. The Pittsburgh signee has a lot of tools and when this game went to overtime, his controlled baseline drive got the Purple and Gold going. Sophomore point man Maalik Wayns was King in the extra session: a nice floater in the lane, and the KEY play was a layup off a long rebound in which he beat Matt Griffin (14 points, 5 assists) to the ball and laid it up to provide a 52-47 overtime push. The Prep's top performer was junior guard Jim Mower, who pumped home 15 points and was the decided go-to guy in the second half. Prep junior Larry Loughery had an uneven performance, he did have 10 points and 10 rebounds but he did not finish as well as he usually does. When the two teams get together again it will be interesting to see how two key performers fare. Roman's Courtney Stanley, a talented junior, had a forgettable performance. Stanley did not score and in the playoff it will be interesting to see how he will perform. Prep needs more from 6'7 Rob Coney. Coney is much improved but he gave up the baseline like 20 times. Coney did have 8 points and is an intriguing prospect, who could become a star in college.

Table Talk- This was a nice return to the basketball frays. I have been so busy with other things that the last time I saw a game was on the 30th of January, so I nearly went a month without high school hoops. How could I stay alive without schoolboy hoops?

JAN. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE D
Strawberry Mansion 99, Robeson 32
You can tell by the score it was a total mismatch. Mansion has the opportunity to become a special team. Yes, they are not playing a strong regular season schedule but they cannot control who they are grouped together against. I went to this game in large part because I have heard that Robeson's gym is a unique place. Actually it is smaller than E&S' gym and the feel is much more like a Middle School Gym. The benches are situated in an odd manner (the home bench is by the north side of the gym, the guest bench is by the south side of the gym.) The court has no stands and the student supporters stand along the wall. Did I tell you the court is maybe 35 feet long? The Knights just took this one early and turned it into a rout. Junior forwards Dwayne "Jarret Kearse Lookalike" Davis and Eddie Frazier both go about 6'4 and they have serious game. Junior center Devon White and an impressive trio of sophomore guards- Marcus Grimes, Darren Lawrence and Marcus Johnson also are prominent. This is a title contender for sure. They have a lot of the required pieces. The Huskies are painfully young and lack much height or any proven scorers. Anyway, they will get better in time. Freshman guard Jay Harris, who did not score, is a joy to watch. J. Harris is about 5'0 but he has serious brass and is very unselfish. 6'2 guard Kahri Harris, who struggled in this one, is probably the top Huskie right now, and he could help a Division 3 program in time.

Table Talk- It was good to see Tahar Sutton, a former Overbrook star in the 90's helping out at Robeson. Tahar coaches an AAU team in the summer, so its always nice to see Pub alumni taking a role in the b-ball community. .. Oddly, when I told a co-worker that I'm advocating for night games in the Pub and that many School District officials are just avoiding the issue because of their obstinate demeanor taught by Emperor Palpatine (Paul Vallas) himself. The Co-Worker gave me an idea: first have everybody who has been calling instead e-mail the assistant to James Nevels, School Reform Commission Chairman (he will not give me his personal account) and invite the SRC Chairman to a Public League game. That will get him. So here is the e-mail - nmills@phila.k12.pa.us. Be nice and considerate, she is a nice lady.

JAN. 18
PUBLIC LEAGUE

Central 69, King 50

Welcome to the twilight zone. On the way to King, I remembered a couple of games that occurred a few years ago. One was Bartram-King and the other was King-Gratz. Both games were played when King had no stands and the crowd was tremendous for both contests. This year they have a beautiful facility, one of the best in the city, and all the stands you can want. So the crowd was maybe 15 people and 15 cheerleaders. The game started off kinda sloppy but in all honesty both teams seemed to be playing up-tempo basketball and they took a while before they settled down. King had the better of the early play. Junior forward Dwain Winkfield stood out early because he is SUPER active and composed he goes roughly 6'3 and is really more of three man but he plays the post for the undersized Cougars. Winkfield only finished with 10 points but on more than a few occasions he needed the ball on key possessions. The Cougars went into the half up by five points. The Lancers came out in the second half and just took complete control of the game. Senior forward Marcus Morris, who goes roughly 5'11, was tremendous with 9 points and 13 rebounds as the Lancers took command. The top Lancer today, overall, was 6'0 sweet-shooting guard Demetrius Couillard, who swished his way to 18 points. Couillard is a junior and, like most of the Central players, next year could already be on his mind. Two other key Lancers are 6'5 center Acquil Cook (7 points) and 5'11 combo guard Yusef Nurriddin, who totaled 14 points and 7 assists. The top Cougars in addition to Winkfield were jump-shooting senior guard George Paris (17 points, 3-6 on treys) and sophomore point man Alex Gaddy (7 points, on some silky sweet moves.) The Cougars imploded near the end of this one -- players were taking ill-advised shots and one even threw a fit as time wore down. Athletic director Marge Stinson is normally upbeat, but her expression turned into utter disgust as the game went on.

Table Talk- What do you think I'm gonna talk about? Nothing much just (215)-951-7769 for those of you who do not know the School District Office of Sports phone number . . . With so many upsets and near upsets today, wouldn't it be nice to see some (most ) games at night? That is what the league needs. One referee showed up at 3:16 for the game and just ran on the court and started officiating, not giving a care. He is actually a pretty good official but 3:15 bbeing so hard for working people to attend makes his case understandable. Look at the schedule of games for Jan. 19. Do not even look at the CL and Inter-Ac and schools such as Upper Darby and Girard College with night games. Wow, makes you think, doesn't it??!!

JAN. 12
MID-SEASON RANT
Wouldn't It Be nice.....

Imagine if the Public League had major matchups that could draw the common basketball fan to their gyms. Well, we have the matchups to do so. Just look at the upcoming Public League schedule and you see a golden opportunity. We must have night games. Look at these matchups and explain to me why we cannot take the chance and play them at night. (I believe that ALL teams and games deserve the option of playing at night, but some games just are too big not too mention.) Also, kids, do not look past anyone, upsets happen that way, and I do not need your coaches blaming Duck.
Tell me these games should not be played at NIGHT!!!
Gratz at Overbrook, January 18

You have Gratz as the pride of North Philadelphia, with all the tradition you can handle, with so many talented players that it is hard to decide who to list. You have a resurgent Overbrook led by one of the top sophomores in the nation in Nurideen Lindsey and underrated performers like Kevin Leland and Derrick Evans. Gratz counters with Charles "He So Nice" White, Josh "Scrap" Martin, Tommie "T.J." Sykes and Ish McFadden. THIS GAME SHOULD BE PLAYED AT NIGHT SO THAT THE HOUSE THAT WILT BUILT CAN BE ROCKIN'. Wouldn't it be fun if so old Overbrook people come out to watch this game. Maybe they can teach the 'Brook kids the old fight songs.
Bartram at Southern, January 18

This could be a fun game. You have Bartram with all of that talent from Southwest Philly -- Novar Gadson, Tyrone Garland, Clyde James and much more. You have Southern with all of their talent, led by Ramone Moore. This could be a serious throwdown. This is what we need -- night venues to showcase these kids to a greater audience.
Washington at Northeast, January 25

This game should be at night just because it is Washington and Northeast. These school hate each other so why not let's check it out at night. If memory serves right the football game between these two schools is always at night. And it just happens to be one of the top rivalries we have going in the Pub right now. Yet it is played at 3:15 in the afternoon.
Prep Charter at Imhotep Charter February 13

Talk about a primetime matchup. You know, there could be 8 to 11 future Division I players playing a prominent role in this game. Honestly, look at the rosters for these teams. The coaches alone make this interesting as you have two high-profile guys with citywide followings and two schools that hate each other. Should this be at 3:15 in the afternoon? Of course not.
FLC at Gratz, February 13th 2007

Anybody who knows me, knows that I think the world revolves around FLC-Gratz. I do not have to say too much. No love lost here.
--
And you know there are numerous other matchups that deserve the night time air. And, honestly, any kid committing to varsity athletics deserves to have his parents have the opportunity to see him play. We can take a whole lot of precautions. We can call the police and ask them to have a squad car outside the gyms, while we have school police in the gyms. But we have to move to the prime-time. And I think that the time is now, not next year, not two years from now. A lot of the prominent seniors in the Public League want to play a night game. Let them have their chance because, sadly, top match-ups like Frankford-C.Tech and Overbrook-West Philly already passed without giving the kids a chance to play at night. We must continue to demand that the District give forth a better effort and give our kids a chance to play at night. That is why I'm asking you guys to continue to call the District office (215-951-7769). Call OFTEN and ask questions to see if they can give a good answer of why OUR kids cannot play in the prime-time. Also, they have to practice night games (security, set-up) for the PIAA playoffs. Why not practice and give our kids a chance to play in front of some fans. BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Also, you have too keep calling politicians and people in power. We need to have some city-wide support on this issue because if incidents occur we still must try to give our kids the opportunity to play at night. LET'S MOVE INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. For the past few years, it is obvious that when decisions are being made downtown (PIAA, CL into District 12) the attitude around these decisions is we must step up to the challenge. Okay, I do not back down to anybody, so even if I feel a certain way about a decision there is no fear of competition in my heart. The same type of resiliency needs to be applied to this issue and we need to step and play night games just like schools in the suburbs, Inter-Ac and Catholic League do. Look at it this way, if you are a skeptic - do you think it is easy for Chester High to have night games. (Or Academy Park or any district in suburbs.) Of course not. They have tons of security and have to be careful, but they do it. Why can't the 'Pub' do it? It's time somebody makes a command decision and forces night games to happen. Ask many people who were rejoicing when the Pub came into the PIAA, if they thought that decision was going to lead to night games? You know what is strange almost all of them will say, "Yes, I thought that was part of the deal." So if that is what we always wanted then we cannot take no for an answer. Think about it: We will always have slighted players and frustrated coaches because we cannot earn the full respect of the Philadelphia Basketball fan. No way can a basketball fan watch 53 teams play if they all play at 3:15 pm every playdate. What if the basketball fan works? He might be able to catch the league semifinals and championships. Four teams, what about the other forty-plus schools? We need to stop this insanity. I'll end this rant with a quote from Vince Lombardi and keep in my mind the true goals of sports as applied to young people.
" Don't succumb to excuses. Go back to the job of making the corrections and forming the habits that will make your goal possible."

JAN. 8
PUBLIC A

South Phila. 64 Germantown 39

Ramone Moore, you deserve to play under the lights!!!!!! Yes, I am still crusading for night games in the Public League this season and I will not stop. You know why? Because when you see ball players like South Philly's Ramone Moore, you know that hundreds of basketball fans would flock to watch him play at nighttime. Moore will have a 12 noon press conference on Tuesday the 9th of January to announce his college destination. Moore is a legitimate 6'4, maybe 6'5, and he is silky smooth and talented. Today, Moore was on cruise control for 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. His primary playmates were twin brothers Anthony "Crip" Reese (17 points and 5 assists) and Antoine Reese 8 points. Both Reese brothers are juniors. The Rams, I could tell, were not at their best, but they definitely have a bunch of run-and-jump athletes that can make for an exciting team and season. I liked what I saw from 6'5 center David Bell, who did not score but did a good job of providing a presence in the middle of the lane. The Bears were clearly off their mark in this one. Point guard and sparkplug Khalief Mason was not his normal self, as he had 7 turnovers. Junior forward Darryl McBride, an undersized interior player, was solid for 23 points and 7 rebounds. McBride is very fundamentally inclined and is a tough dirty-work guy for the Bears. Junior forward Jon Mason has loads of potential but needs to be a consistent inside player or that potential becomes useless for G-Town. This game, sadly, was played before a sparse crowd of 25. The stands at Southern are not ready yet and I find that borderline unbelievable. GET THEM SOME STANDS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Table Talk- Here we go again, please continue to call the School District Office of Sports and get on their case for night games in the Public League. Here is why the players deserve it: I hate that many of my Catholic League colleagues are somewhat stunned when they see so many Public League players playing extremely well in Division I basketball. Players like Mike Green (Butler), Dionte Christmas (Temple), Chaz Crawford (Drexel) and the list continues on and on. In football, the Public League title was played in the middle of the day and the night was reserved for the Catholic League Blue championship. Nothing against the CL, but the Public League should take a backseat no longer in anything. Put OUR kids out there in the primetime if we are going to compete with the CL. Let's stop being scared (although caution is not something we can disregard). We all know that there is violence in Philadelphia that is why we have metal detectors in PL schools. I say let's use the metal detectors and the school police and let's play some damn night games. In fact in addition to calling the School District Office of Sports please note that this is an election year, so call your city councilmen and state representatives (this is not an election year for state reps, but oh well . . .) and get them on the Pub kids' side. (You know they want all the publicity so they can stay in office.) Let's roll the dice and play at night. So here is the School District Sports number (215-951-7769) and you can e-mail your state reps. You can find them at www.house.state.pa.us. You can access the city council people at www.phila.gov.

JAN. 4
PUBLIC B

Engineering & Science 51, William Penn 39

Congratulations to coach C. M. Brown, as this makes for victory number 300!!!! This game was not the cleanest or prettiest but it was no doubt fun to see the strides that Penn is making under coach Harold Alexander. The Lions jumped on E&S early and led, 13-7, late in the first quarter. The Engineers responded behind their excellent backcourt of Sandy Tanner (16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Jaret Richardson (12 points, 4-7 on treys) and stormed ahead to a 25-17 lead at the half. The well-coached Engineers were very adept at passing the ball around and getting good shots for their guards. Also, their match-up zone has many Temple elements. Sophomore sixth man Marcus Brown, a 6'3 forward, battled for 11 points and 7 rebounds. Brown had a vicious dunk in third quarter. Senior big man Thiel Benn was shaky in the early going but came through huge in the 4th stanza; he finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds. All of the prominent seniors for E&S (Tanner, Benn and Richardson) deserve widespread Division II and III interest. The Lions lack firepower and it always is difficult to score on E&S but I think that their seniors, Curshawn Banks (7 points) and Orie Johnson (9 points), deserve some attention as well.

Table Talk: After this game, I was peacefully walking towards the exit and guess what I ran into? Gratz supporters. They let me have it man, "Ain't nobody beating Gratz . . . We're going undefeated in the Division . . . The rest of the Public League ain't _____." I wanted to grab E&S assistant Kenny Hamilton and just use him as a barrier. (Kinda like garlic to Vampires. ) 'Ham' was one of the few Pub coaches whose players never backed down to Gratz and he would coach circles around Bill Ellerbee (1999 championship game for example) and that is sorely missed in the modern Public League. I loved the way Ham never backed down to Ellerbee and Gratz and how that helped to strengthen the league. I dream for the good old days!!! . . . All of my friends who read this column, I want you to do me a big personal favor: Call the School District Office of Sports and make a demand. For Thursday playdates, beginning on the 18th of January until the end of the season, have you and your parents/friends demand night games at schools that have twilight programs and other places that are open in the evening. I really enjoyed the School District Tournament over Christmas because it was fun to see parents at games and working people like me watching kids play ball. I know all of you Pub players who always complain about no night games will call. So here is the phone number: 215-951-7769.

DEC. 27

School District Tournament Bracket C- First Round
Northeast 75 Roxborough 63
Did you know that we have a "European" style team in the Public League? Yes, a team that loves the trey ball and has a talented big man with perimeter skills? Well, Northeast High School is the Public League's European ballclub. This game started out with Roxborough dressing only seven players and they were playing zone. Well, we all know from the Olympics and World Championships you cannot give a "European" team good looks from deep. Northeast junior guards Tyron Lytes (19 points, 5-8 on treys) and Jordan Green (9 points, 3-5 on treys) went deep often on the Indians. Lytes is 6'2 with really long arms and he reminds me a little of Mustafa Shakur, (a poor man's 'Staf). Of course, he is not as athletic and his ball control needs work but he has a nice shot and a couple of times pulled off some crisp dribble moves that brought back memories of the former William Penn and Friends' Central star. Lytes' development bears watching as he is easily one of the more underrated juniors around and with consistent performances his stock should rise. Green, the "Baby-Faced Assassin" from Rumph (formerly Mallery) Playground, is a competent passer and he tallied four first quarter assists as Lytes was swishing trey after trey. Actually, Lytes was 4-5 in the first quarter as the Vikings exploded to a 24-10 lead. The top Viking is 6'7 senior forward Sean Evans and he is multi-skilled. Evans can handle, shoot the mid-range, jump and he goes inside when needed to battle for tough rebounds. Evans was on cruise control for 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 crowd pleasing dunks. Evans, if he chooses basketball, will be a mid-major monster. The Vikings have two really good defensive guards- Keurlin Charles and Corey Wilkins. Charles when needed did a good job on Rox's stud junior guard Clayton Brothers. Wilkins, the sixth man, hit a key trey as the third quarter buzzer sounded. Wilkins' prayer from about 30 feet extended a two-point lead to five before the 4th quarter. The Vikings were dominating early and then with a majority of deep subs playing the third quarter, the Indians roared back and even tied the score before Evans and crew regained control. Senior swingman Derrick Segers was a warrior all game long, Segers tallied 28 points and 6 rebounds. Often, Segers went inside and scored but he also hit a couple jumpers including a nice right wing trey. Brothers, after a rough start was able to muster 13 points and 6 assists. Brothers, a junior, has really nice court vision and a rather mature approach, I must say this: he is a player. They are not too many guards in the Class of 2008 better than Lytes and/or Brothers. Roxborough also got a good performance out of 6'6 junior center Eric Bryan, who totaled 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists.

Table Talk - I love the concept of this tournament. A true Pub junkie like me can watch a whole lot of teams that I could not have seen otherwise. But, please, I need some heat in the gym. I hate the cold . . . Some funny comments were made by some Roxborough fans. One was directed to Green, who was called Mini-Me . . . Northeast is very dangerous.

DEC. 19
PUBLIC A
Overbrook 66 Germantown 55

Both of these clubs were coming off losses to arch-rivals -- Brook to West Philly, Germantown to Martin Luther King -- so it was interesting to see how each team bounced back. The Panthers are definitely a talented team and they do have a bona fide star in 6'3 sophomore guard Nurideen Lindsey, and he was really impressive in this one. Lindsey was able to slice and dice the G-town defense for 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Lindsey has some Kareem "Rab" Townes (Southern 1991) type skills, with nice size for a combination guard and an improving jump shot. If Lindsey focuses in the classroom and continues to improve, watch out. In time he could draw big crowds to his games because he is a crowd-pleaser. Lindsey's primary playmates are 6'3 junior forward Kevin Leland (25 points, 10 rebounds), 6'5 sophomore forward Vernon Harris (6 points, 4 blocks) and sophomore guard Najee Underwood (5 assists). The Panthers have a plethora of athletes so in time with some refinement they could be extremely dangerous this season and a probable team to beat next season. Germantown is not bad. They have a dandy point guard in 5'6 junior Khalief Mason. Mason was able to tally 8 assists, but he did not shoot well and that is not really his game. 6'3 junior forward Darryl "DJ" McBride was able to muster 23 points and 12 rebounds. McBride sniped three treys while using some awkward form. 6'6 junior forward Jonathan Mason (8 points) is much improved but he got into early foul trouble. When he was out there he was a force and cannot afford to pick up silly fouls because Germantown does not have much height or depth. Junior guard Ralph Jarvis buried 3 treys and finished with 11 points. This game was close until, with Brook holding a two-point lead with 4:23 remaining, Leland converted an old-fashioned three-point play on a Harris touch pass. Following that play, Lindsey dribbled through a collection of Bears and finished with his left hand, in heavy traffic. The game was pretty much decided on that play. The Bears are clearly inexperienced so as the season progresses they should improve considerably.

Table Talk- Leland is built like a linebacker.... Erik Hood was in attendance he is on break from playing pro over in Germany, he is mentor to Lindsey.... Overbrook had two key players who did not have many stats one is a heady junior point guard, Derrick Evans and the other is 6'5 senior forward Kevin Williams... Both teams have new coaches G-Town is coached by Wayne Jackson and 'Brook is coached by West all-timer Freddie Stokes (though FB boss Ken Sturm is officially listed as the head man).

DEC. 16
FUNCTION at the JUNCTION

Frederick Douglass (Md.) 57, Imhotep 52

Walbrook (Md.) 43, FLC 39

Hey, what a fun day in Baltimore. Both teams played the previous night (Friday) and Imhotep was able to get a win against Carver High. Meanwhile, the Bobcats lost a close one to Douglass. I got down here just in time for the Douglass-Imhotep tilt. Douglass jumped on Imhotep from the door and ran out to a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. Douglass had two really good guards -- James Walker and Omar Strong; they both can really shoot. Walker was on fire early and Douglass led 26-7 at one point. Imhotep battled back and cut the deficit to 26-14 by halftime. The Panthers are an extremely fun team to watch. They have plenty of talent and they play extremely hard. That being said, the officiating in this one was so bad, I wanted to gouge my eyes out. (One ref looked like the actor Charles Dutton, a k a "Roc" on speed and the other looked like a "stone cold drunk," and they were horribly biased.) The Panthers fought through all of the "mugging" and "thugging" and tied the ball-game at 47-47 all with only 2:20 remaining. Then Strong answered with a big trey from the top of the key and Douglass was able to hold. Imhotep center Tamir Johnson (Central Conn. State) was a man down low and battled for 12 points. Imhotep forward Hanif Nixon also had 12 points, and added 12 rebounds. Reserve guard Lamaar "SaSa" Trice helped spark the Panthers' comeback with 5 points and 5 assists. The FLC game followed and this one was a testament to defense. The first quarter score was 8-4 and the halftime score was 13-11. Walbrook is ranked #3 in Baltimore (honestly, Douglass seems a little better) and are the two-time defending city champions. The Bobcats also were victimized by poor stripes but not quite to the extent of the Douglass-Imhotep game, but senior center Dante Wooten was a true force with 6 blocks. The 6'8 Wooten outplayed Walbrook's 6'8 center Kevin Thompson. Point guard Malcolm Eleby was able to muster 16 points, but even he would have to admit that he committed some really poor turnovers as the Bobcats began this game extremely flat. Junior guard Khalief Trawick added 9 points. The Bobcats were able to get within one late and then Walbrook was able to make some crucial free throws and they held on to win.

Table Talk - When I first appeared in the gym, Imhotep Coach Andre Noble said, "Can you put on a referee uniform?" I've often criticized Philly area refs, but you guys are mostly golden when compared to these Maryland guys. I have to say something that's really eating at me. Why are the Pub alumni not around? They need to come and be around if a non-player like me can sacrifice after a hard work week, then why can't you? The fate of the Pub is in the hands of its alums. Also, this is so much fun and Pub teams should get over their differences (many justified grievances) and support each other when we are competing against other leagues and cities. I got a thrill out of seeing the FLC people support Imhotep and vice versa. It was really cool.

DEC. 14
PUBLIC A

Edison 58, University City 51

Well, I had to check out Edison because they are undefeated and it is obvious why. It was refreshing to see a team just playing basketball and having fun. Edison star George Baker probably has the lowest profile of any of the top juniors in the area, but he is definitely one of those players. What I like most about Baker is that he plays basketball with a smile and seems to have great leadership skills. In this game he started off on fire; he nailed four treys on his first five shots and was able to muster 14 of his team high 26 points in the first period. Another thing I like about Baker is that while he takes his share of shots it never seemed that he forced a bad shot at any point of the game. Senior combination guard Daniel Johnson had a well-rounded performance with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. A lot of Division III schools should take a look at Johnson, as he will be a lot better when he adds weight. Sophomore shooter Luis Martinez struggled with his shot today and was only 2-8 from but he did little things well. The Owls had two freshmen guards play a big role in the fourth quarter. Their names -- Omar English (8 points) and Akeem Chisholm (3 points, 2 steals.) Chisholm seems to have a good feel for the game so he could become one to watch in the next couple of years. The Jaguars are down on talent this year, but, yes they're scrappy and they do have a wonderful talent in 6'6 guard Kenny Moore (29 points, 9 rebounds). He does not have many, if any, supporting guys who are "true" players. (Also, they have some seriously young looking sophomores on this team.) The Jaguars have a 6'8 junior center named Garry Mitchell who can "fly" down the court but he is just learning how to play and a couple of times he failed to catch the ball, when he had layups in front of him. (How can you have a 6-8 kid in your building and not have had him playing?) Knowing U-City though they probably will be playing extremely well at the end of the year and knock off some higher-rated team.

Table Talk- Edison has a sizeable contingent of traveling fans. Baltazar Feliciano is definitely one of them. This game was really good early but the third quarter was like watching paint dry.

DEC. 12
PUBLIC B

Franklin 79, Olney 36

What a blowout!!!!! The Electrons just got off early and just blew the mess out of the Trojans. 6'6 junior forward Brandon Penn is much improved as he is active and seems to improved his ball skills. Penn was able to register 16 points in the 1st quarter on his way to a 26 point performance. Penn is underrated and I have been telling people that for awhile, he had good summer of AAU and is clearly this team's go-to guy. Penn's primary assistance came from point man William "BJ" Kearse and sixth man Shah Warren. Kearse had 8 points and 4 assists. Warren provided 14 points. The Electrons shot 24-30 from the foul line which should be a good trait for when they play closer games. The Trojans were not a cohesive unit and they do not have much talent. Guard Joey Scott was held in check to the tune of only 7 points. He does have some scoring skills, but on a team like this he has to be more of a leader and inspire his teammates to hustle and play defense. Oh, well, I can't see a great game every day.

Table Talk- I always have enjoyed coming to Franklin for games, hopefully, I can see a better game here in time.

DEC. 6
NON-LEAGUE

Murrell Dobbins 63, Martin Luther King 52

Who has ever seen a game when a team starts off down by 14 and then all of a sudden takes control and eventually wins by nine? I have, of course. King started out doing everything right and Dobbins started off doing everything wrong. The Cougars are painfully small. The tallest player is 6'2, maybe 6'3 on a good day, and two obvious guards have to play out of position inside. The Mustangs are not overflowing with talented players as in years past but they are the definition of scrappy and relentless. The top Mustang performer is 6'5 center Dominic Slaughter, a late bloomer. Slaughter is a bit slow, but he plays hard and is an effective low-post scorer. Early in this game, he really did not have much success working against a 1-3-1 zone that had the Mustang guard befuddled. Eventually the Dobbins guards - seniors Akeem Todd and Marcellus Willoughby -- started to take control and they both did a good job of getting the ball to Slaughter in the fourth quarter, when he took the game over by scoring six straight points to take this game from a two point Mustang deficit to victory. Slaughter finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Todd, who has a wicked handle, added 14 points. Willoughby was all over the court with 10 points, 6 assists and 5 steals. Todd was the one to break the 14-point deficit in the first quarter with a right wing trey. 6'2 sophomore Lamar Speller added 8 points. Oddly Speller nailed three corner jumpers at the "Hank", which has hardly any room in the corners. The Cougars are small, (reportedly two 6'4 players are currently getting their grades in order) but they are not too shabby. 6'3 junior Dwain Winkfield was able to muster 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists. Winkfield appears to have lost a considerable amount of weight since last season and he is very active. Fellow junior Antonio Wormley is one to watch. Although he is playing out of position in the post, he has some nice skills. During one sequence he hit a nice turn around jumper in traffic, and then he showed some wing skills taking his man off the dribble for a score. 5'10 senior guard George Paris hustled his way to 13 points, he provided game long energy. Sophomore point man Alex Gaddy is another prospect. He is about 5'11 with really long arms and has pretty good ball control. The Cougars did crumble when faced with pressure mainly they made poor passes and have to work on moving without the ball.

Table Talk- I always come to the "Hank", I just love the place. One instance was classic Dobbins crowd stuff. Gaddy crossed over a Mustang and the crowd to the left of center court yelled at the player, "How you let him cross you like that??!!" Also, when reserve guard James Lewis buried a deep trey, they yelled, "That's what he can do."

DEC. 5
NON-LEAGUE

Prep Charter 66, FLC 64

Oh, my stars, what a game this one was. Prep Charter- FLC is a white-hot rivalry and the OVERFLOW crowd at Cunningham Community Center was very loud and involved for the entire game. The day started with a presentation for FLC guard Malcolm Eleby, as the St. Bonaventure signee was presented a game ball for recently passing the 1,000-point career scoring mark. The Bobcats started out in control and had an early 10-3 lead. Then the Morris twins got rollin -- Markieff aka "Big Twin" and Marcus aka "Wing Twin". Wing Twin was terrific in the first half. The 6'8 swing-an totaled 21 points in the first half. Marcus could be nicknamed "guard twin" because he is really a big guard, who can play inside. The Huskies went into the second half ahead ,39-27. Here is a question: What 6'8 player is better than Marcus Morris in the city/area/state? Memphis is getting a damn good pair of players. The second half began and the Bobcats roared back and made this one competitive until the final horn. Eleby was un-guardable as he mixed drives to hole, mid-range jumpers and even the occasional "trey" in exploding for a very impressive 33-point performance. Here is a question: is there a better guard in the city than Malcolm? Of course many people have opinions on that so let me rephrase that is there a guard in the city that is more valuable to his team than Malcolm? For the Huskies, the second half belonged to the "Big" Twin. Time after time, when FLC players drove the lane it was "Big Twin" who rejected their shots and when they did get shots over him, Big Twin often claimed the rebound. The line on the day for Markieff was 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 blocks. Marcus finished with 26 points. In all honesty, there might not be a better duo around than these two. The Bobcats trailed by as much as eight late, but made a vintage Public League comeback behind Eleby. An Eleby trey got the Bobcats within four late and a Denzel Yard (8 points, 3 assists, 3 steals) rebound basket got the home team within three with a little less than a minute remaining. Prep Charter sophomore guard Jesse Morgan (9 points, 3 assists) hit one of two from the line. Eleby attempted a contested shot in the corner and appeared to be fouled, but no whistle. Markieff hit one of two from the line and then FLC junior guard Khalief Trawick (10 points) hit a trey before the buzzer sounded to end the scoring.

Table Talk- They were a lot of good underclassmen guards on the floor in this one Trawick, Yard, Kyle Sawyer (3 steals) for FLC. And for Prep Charter, Morgan and Parrish Grant (7 points). If this was a preview of the Public League this season, then the Pub is back!

DEC. 2
CARDINAL DOUGHERTY SHOOTOUT

Neumann-Goretti 75, Dougherty 64

I checked this one out because I think it is a really great idea Dougherty having a showcase tournament like this. The Saints prevailed in extremely large part to their awesome inside-outside combination of Rick Jackson and Antonio "Scoop" Jardine. Jackson, a 6'9 center bound for Syracuse, was seriously dominant inside -- 22 points and 16 rebounds. Jardine, showing improved foot speed, was able to lead the Saints with 23 points. Honestly is there a better duo than these two guys? Junior swingman Jamal Wilson, who is remarkably gifted athletically, was able to muster 12 points but I feel that Jamal probably felt bad afterwards because he played very poorly on the defensive end. Despite that Wilson could be in for a big year, because it is going to be hard for anybody to guard him man- to-man. The Cardinals were able to contend and make this one interesting all the way to the end of the game. Senior forward Roberto Townsend (despite a wicked hit to the head, early in the game) was able to sky for 10 points and 8 rebounds. Townsend is easily one of the area's most unappreciated players. The same can be said of his teammate and buddy Khalil Mumford, who had 13 points despite a somewhat off shooting performance. The third unappreciated Cardinal, Justin Minter-Smith, was terrific as he totaled 16 points. Minter-Smith never takes bad shots and is easily one of the area's smartest players. The Cardinals faced the daunting task of the #11 team in the country by USA Today admirably.

Table Talk- Lots of notable AAU coaches in attendance... Saints' forward Mark Hatty missed a dunk at the end of regulation..... Saints senior guard Wali Hepburn looked good in a short stint in the floor.... Dougherty has two very intriguing juniors whose progress bears watching- 6'2 guard Isiah Mason and 6'5 forward Brandon Savage.