Amauro's Corner

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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

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
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 6-8 F Friends Central
Michael Cuffee 6-5 F/G Simon Gratz
Mike Cook 6-4 G Friends Central Jr.
Shawn Roberts 6-1 G John Bartram
Robert Bouknight 6-1 G John Bartram
Nate Lewis 6-1 G West Catholic
All Liberty Place Team (These guys are high risers)
Robert Bouknight 6-1 G Bartram
Michael Cuffee 6-5 F/G Gratz
Matt Walsh 6-6 G Germantown Academy
Hakim Warrick 6-8 F Friends Central
Vernon Robinson 6-3 G/F Olney
Tamal Forchion 6-6 F Roman Catholic
All Brody/Lockdown Team (these guys are staunch defenders and thieves)
Bobby Leach 6-0 G Bartram
Robert Taylor 6-2 G Neumann
John Huggins 6-2 G Roman
Cantrell Fletcher 5-8 G Neumann
Shejdie Childs 5-10 G Friends Central
Ted Piotrowicz 6-0 G Archbishop Carroll
Block Party Committee
Jordan Ingram 6-7 F Carroll So.(block captain)
Hakim Warrick 6-8 F Friends Central
Brian Green 6-7 F Cardinal Dougherty
Ted Skuchas 6-11 C Germantown Academy Jr.
DeSean White 6-6 C/F Strawberry Mansion Fr.
Leon Fulton 6-6 C/F Strawberry Mansion Jr.
All Dead-Eye Team (Long Range Shooters)
Chris Del Brocco 5-10 G Neumann Jr.
Matt Walsh 6-6 G Germantown Academy Jr.
Dave Hoopes 6-2 G Archbishop Carroll
Brian Mooney 6-3 G Father Judge
Rodney Warren 6-1 G Ben Franklin
Nate Lewis 6-1 G West Catholic
Robert Bouknight 6-1 G Bartram

JAN. 21
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
    Do you, the faithful TedSilary.com followers, think that now that some of the players know what I look like that they'll get same gleam in their eyes as when they see Ted walk into the gym? I hope so . . .
    This week I'd like to focus on the current players and a little on my alma mater, West Catholic. First, for at-home matters, West. West Catholic is the best example of a combination of an attractive school and top-notch cademic institution with a player friendly program in the city. From the outside looking in, you would think that it would be one of the most attractive schools in the city for the top-notch student athlete who meets the credentials, and it is. Well, why doesn't West get the best players? Wouldn't they love to go there? Of course they would. I know of countless kids over the years who would have jumped at the chance to go there. Coach Bill Ludlow, a standup, honest, loyal man and a great tactical coach, does not have that go-out-and-get-it approach when it comes to players. He believes in cultivating homegrown talent and there's nothing wrong with that. (Case in point, he made it as far as a team can go in 99' with a group of homegrown guys). But for once I'd love to see the great staff at West go ut and bring it home just as the others have been doing for years. With Roman, Carroll, Neumann and O'Hara bringing in players for years, it has been like West has been going into a shootout with a butter knife, being complacent to go into the talented Regions 7 and 8 CYO Leagues to pick its players and occasionally going into North Philly to get guys. Though I believe Coach Ludlow has gotten more out of his players over the last couple of years than any other coach in the Catholic League, he must address this. If West were to "fight fire with fire" it could be one of the top teams in the city annually, but this is just something to think about.
    I want to get off the Senior class for a little while in the city leagues to concentrate on the hidden gems and the up-and-comers. One is Mike Spadafora. This kid goes to school at the distant Archbishop Wood, but he has turned into a top-notch lefty PG and
at least a midmajor D1 prospect. I loved when I saw him in 99-00, but he has taken his game to the next level in '01 as a Junior. Definitely one to watch at 6'3" from the point. Speaking of lefties, half of the junior class seems to be left-handed and a few more are point guards. Two that come to mind are Raheem Scott (King) and Mustafa Shakur (Penn). Scott is a master of body control and just and impressive performer. Shakur is a sharpshooter who grows every time I see him, now 6'3", and has a whole lot of game. How about Friends' Central's Mike Cook? Though not a southpaw, this guy's talent is endless. All Cook needs is to get focused. He's 6'4" about 220-lbs, (not really out of shape either) can play all three perimeter positions and blends big time athleticism with court savvy beyond his years. The jury is out on Cook because of the regular level of competition that he plays against, but I think he is a high major player. I said no Seniors today, but I must talk about 6-4+ swingman Michael Cuffee, of Simon Gratz. Is he a player or what? He has major league hops, a sweet-looking stroke, lives to run the floor and has a hunger for rebounding and playing defense. His better days are definitely ahead and recruiters need to wake up ASAP. Another kid who I loved when I saw him was Leon Fulton of Mansion. He is talented, long, and just tough. He has much room to grow and he'll be even better next season. Last but not least, there are three freshman that I would like to speak on. First Charron Fisher at Roman. For some reason the Cahillites are the only JV Team that I can stand to watch year in and year out. Fisher, who resembles Sr. Tamal Forchion when he was a Freshman, is the man on Roman's JV. The only >difference is that Fisher is more skilled and less raw. Second, there's the hulking DeSean White (Mansion), another kid who seems to grow a half an inch a week. He was 6-5 when I first saw him last month and now he looks to be near 6-7. I believe that he'll top off at 6'10" and this kid has major ball skills for a freshman big guy or any big guy for that matter (handles the ball, shoots jump hooks! And passes pretty well) and has an aggressive, competitor's edge to him. Some may call it attitude, I call it a confident kid with talent, who will be a success. Third is Neumann's prized PG Richard "Tabby" Cunningham, who is tabbed (no pun intended) as the top freshman in the whole area. Big Time Ballhandler with a major court sense who sees the floor better than most Seniors. He'd be starting and starring for 90% of the schools in the city. Every basketball guy who I have spoke to says that he's the best, I'm a believer. The word is that he gives Fletcher all he can handle at practice. Charles "Shooby Mack" Monroe, the man behind the scenes on the Neumann staff, did a great job of keeping him in South Philly at Neumann. I got my first good look at Cunningham at a Saturday morning workout as "Shoob" called me to come down and talk to players for his all-city event in the spring, Cunningham proved to be very mpressive. Also impressing me that morning was "G" Monroe, Charles' 10 year old fifth-grader of a son. He's going to be a player. He already uses both hands fluidly (makes left-handed lay-ups easily), shoots floaters, has a mean spin move and a great pull-up jumper. Look for the Youngster in the next couple of years.

JAN. 21
CATHOLIC NORTH
Judge 55, Dougherty 52
This was my first Northern Division Game of the season and the first time I've been to Dougherty since that dreaded Sunday in '98 when West Catholic got involved in a melee. I must say that I was impressed as this was the most well-played game that I've seen all season. This was a close game throughout as no more than four points ever separated the two teams. Judge led, 47-45, with 10 seconds remaining in regulation and then Dougherty's 6-5 Fr. F John King made an uncontested layup to send it to overtime. In OT, the seesaw was still on as the lead changed three times. Finally, with 0:00.4 seconds remaining and the score tied at 52, Judge PG/WG Kevin Wolf swished an off-balance, 24-foot bomb to crush the Cardinals. Wolf, who has been struggling of late, scored 10 points to go along with 6 assists and 5 steals. He got help from his two steady senior classmates, 6-3 WG Brian Mooney and 6-3 F Rich Schmidt. Mooney, who I love because of his aggressive nature, came up with 15 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. While Schmidt had 14 points and 6 boards of his own. Sr. strongman Mark Dickson contributed 7 points and 7 boards. For Dougherty, pencil-thin 6-7 Bryan Green only had 7 points and 2 boards, but he came up with 10 blocks! and many more alterations of the efficient Judge shots. The problem was no one boxed Judge's offensive rebounders out when Green went for the block as they beat Dougherty on the glass, 31-24. For Dougherty, jr. PG Mike McDonald had 9 assists and star 6-1 soph. WG Isaac Greer had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. I am going out on a limb to say that Greer will be the best player at Dougherty since Cuttino "Cat" Mobley left 2nd & Godfrey. He is so smooth, just needs to work on his ballhandling. 18 Dougherty turnovers are what led to their demise. Dougherty also had 20 assists on 21 baskets. (Amazing!) Green has a lot of potential. He is rangy, hits threes and has the wingspan of a 7-footer. I also must profess that Bill Fox is the most prepared (not necessarily the best) coach in the CL. Judge will be dangerous around playoff time. I'm looking forward to returning to Dougherty to see Wood, in a few weeks.

JAN. 19
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Bartram 65, Northeast 53
Oh, how I love John Bartram's gym. It brings back so many memories of when I played in a CYO League in 5th-8th grade and the atmosphere for high school basketball is just great. Boy it gets rockin' in there. I wanted to see Bartram against a big team to see how they fared and they passed this test with a hard-fought 65-53 victory. Northeast is the biggest team in the Public League and they are skilled as well. Northeast has a cadre of skilled big guys; none is a true post player. The one who had the biggest impression on me due to his long-range potential was 6-5 225-lb soph., SF Troy Roundtree. He had only had 5 points, 4 boards, and 2 assists, but Troy handles the ball like a guard and he has Charles Barkley's body and athleticism. Roundtree damn near broke the rim on a one handed breakaway dunk. His hands are huge. He's definitely going on Amauro's list. I also saw that 6-7 PF Steve Smith can definitely play at the lower level of division 1 as he is a run/jump athlete with three-man skills, and he's a bull on the glass. Smith had 14 points and 14 boards. Bartram overcame terrible shooting from the top backcourt in the city (9-39!) to get this victory. The light that shined the brightest was the ever-improving 6-5 sr. PF Daniel Joyner. This guy is filled with ifs, couldas, and shouldas. Joyner had 11points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks while battling the NE bulk. The big three however did have their moments. Bobby Leach, who shot 3-18!, did go 13-14 from the line to get 19 points to go with 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals. He also played hawking defense on whirlwind PG Brent Grimes by pestering him into 7 turnovers. Robert Bouknight was only 5-13, but had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. One of the picks led to the highlight of the day as Bouknight got on the break and really resembled Allen Iverson with a ceiling-scraper of a dunk, this kid gets up. Last but not least, Shawn Roberts got 7 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, and 5 steals and was his oh-so-steady self. After the game, I got a chance to talk with the Bartram coaches and players. Coach Lou Beister and "Bartram Bob" assured me that Bartram basketball is back and here to stay. Kids are calling wanting to transfer; this is great for West and Southwest Philly. The players, namely Bouknight and Roberts, "say that they want Gratz." I say, that I hope it surfaces for the neighborhood and for the city.

JAN. 19
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Neumann 84, Bonner 49
This was a very close contest in the first half as the visitors played over their heads early due mostly to the play of 6-4 Jr. swingman, Matt Kearney. This kid definitely will make a huge jump on Amauro's player rankings. I said that he was a clone of Tim Anderlonis (Bonner 96'), but I did not know that he was that he was probably better. This kid will atleast be a low 1 player. He is very fun to watch as I profess that he is the most underrated player in the whole Catholic League. Kearney scored 19 points in the first half. Those were all of his points though because he did not play in the fourth quarter and Neumann overplayed him in the third and put Bonner out of their misery to the tune of an 84-49 verdict. He also had 6 rebounds. Cantrell "Man Man" Fletcher had a big-time performance of 27 points (5-6 threes and 10-12 shooting overall) and 7 assists in three quarters. 6-7 220-lb Jr., PF Michael Haddix was solid with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Brandon Brigman was once again his underachieving self. He did come up with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but he only shot 3-12 from the floor, missing some chippies. This guy should be dominating this league with his 6-8 260-lb frame. He's the biggest, strongest thing around. This was the best I have seen Neumann all season as everybody played a team-oriented game and shots were falling.

JAN. 17
NON-LEAGUE
Friends' Central 71, Olney 67
This was an interesting game filled with many things: scouts(Syracuse, Villanova, Duquesne), Coming out Parties (Vernon Robinson), terrible officiating down the stretch, star players putting up star numbers; or a lack thereof in one case. First Friends' Central's star Jr. Point Guard Shejdie Childs missed the game with the flu on the day that his Philly Elite AAU coach, Littel Vaughn, informed me that Drexel has offered a scholarship. The assistant from "The 'Cuse" raved about how he got the steal of the year in Warrick, who had a dominant performance with 22 points, 19 rebounds, 7 blocks and three spectacular dunks. "Skinny's" sidekick Mike Cook came up big as well in a point guard role, the 6-4 220 Jr. CG had 20 points, 9 boards, 5 assists, and 3 steals. His passing skills are the best part of his game. He prompted the Syracuse scout to say he could definitely play in the Big East and that they'd be watching. However, Olney's David "Bone" Bell was not so impressive with Duquesne watching. He did notch 12 boards, 5 assists, and 4 steals, but only had 10 points on 4-18 shooting (yikes!) However, his teammate 6-3 swingman Vernon Robinson raised many eyebrows. He had an all-city performance of 27 points (5 dunks, this guy has a major vertical), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 big-time block. He left everyone in the gym impressed. In fact, if Bell played with this kid's heart he'd be a stud. A year of Prep or 2 years of Juco could turn him into a D1 level player. He's definitely D2 now and in the right situation, like the MEAC Conference D1. The game came down to the final seconds with Friends' holding 3 points, and dribbler Marvin Kilgore, fired up a three point shot and was fouled as the shot went down; no, wait a minute a questionable charge was called and that was the ball game. This was a very exciting game filled with dunks, threes, and big plays by the stars. Mike Cook has all the talent in the world. Though he did not shoot that well, his ballhandling and passing skills are major D1, his body control and body itself are major D1, and his all around game is just major league. He's definitely one to watch. I could look at him all day. Vernon Robinson will be eyed carefully for the rest of the season and hopefully "Bone's" better days are ahead.

JAN. 12
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Carroll 46, Neumann 44
This was the upset of the season as the fiesty visitors from Archbishop Carroll with their star assistant coach, Thomas "Hockey Puck" McKenna (RIGHT!!!!) handled Neumann. The real star of the day was 5-8 soph. PG Kashif Payne. This kid is lightning quick as he outplayed the best guard in the city, Cantrell Fletcher, by scoring 18 points on 4-for-6 threes and 6-for-11 overall with 3 assists compared to Fletcher's 11 points and 3 assists before fouling out. There was just a weird aura in Neumann's gym that said "upset in the making" all night. Neumann's regular P.A announcer did not show, nor did the crowd (they might has well been in the morgue), and furthermore nor did the Neumann players' shots and some of their games. Case in point, sr. WG Robert "Beattie" Taylor went 5-for-18 en route to 12 points. Also, he made three terrible decisions down the stretch that led to the Pirates' demise, on the day that Charles "Shooby Mack" Monroe (Neumann assistant) informed me that La Salle has offered. Also Brandon Brigman, though he played a hard game with 17 boards, three steals, and five blocks, only scored 11 points on 4-19 shooting (mostly missed layups). The other Big Time performer for Carroll was 6-7 soph. Jordan Ingram, who put up a warriorlike performance of nine points (hounded by Brigman's good D all night), 19 rebounds!, and five blocks of his own; he seemed to get every defensive board for Carroll. The biggest play of the game was made by all-time CL defensive stopper sr. Ted Piotrowicz (he lives to play defense). The bald-headed one, who could not buy a jump shot all game, hit a huge 3-pointer down the stretch that gave Carroll a four-point lead, this guy just kills you with his peskiness and his intangibles. Well, hopefully for Neumann fans, this will wake up a Neumann team that is known for not always coming to play. They have four or five more big games left this season -- Roman, at Carroll, Hatboro Horsham on Sunday, Gratz in Feb., and if they reschedule the Olney game. Only time will tell with these guys.

JAN. 10
NON-LEAGUE
Friends' Central 79, International Christian 62
This game had some intriguing sidebars to it: First, Friends' Central's 6-8 Hakim "Skinny" Warrick got to meet his former U-City teammates 6-6 210 SF Jermaine "Jake" Bennerman; 6-4, 215 (chiseled) G/F Raheem Johnson; and 6-2 Jr. CG Cobey Williams, all of International Christian. As I wrote earlier, if these four had been at Uni last year they would have been Pub Champs and not Mansion. Second, Coach Steve Kane was in attendance (and I let him know that he would have won it all last season). As was coach Howard Rattinoff (formerly of Edison), and I asked him what Angel "Fuey" Gonzalez (Edison 99') was doing; he's
my favorite Public League player of all time. The game, however, proved to be a helter-skelter, sloppy game. IC has endless talent, yet their organization was lacking. Cobey Williams is better than I thought. He tried to force things from the point against Shejdie Childs, to the tune of 4 turnovers, but he has talent. He also has junior eligibility. He jumps out of the building. Coach Kane told me that Providence will offer Raheem Johnson, a fifth-year sr., if he can get the SAT scores. Which makes me pose the question, Is Prep School all that it is cracked up yo be? Nevertheless, the fiery Johnson is a great talent, with the body of a Brickhouse and great leaping ability. Watching him and Mike Cook go at it was something to see. Johnson shot 10-21 from the field and 3-4 from the line en route to 24 points and also 9 boards. His partner in crime, Jake Bennerman, had 21 points and 9 boards. He as well jumps out of the building. This is Jake's 4th year of high school, he is on pace to graduate, but may take a fifth year at IC to get better recruitment. At 6-6, this kid can be a great small forward at the next level, he also jumps out of the building and loves the spectacular dunk, nice handle as well. For FC, Hakim Warrick was his usual self with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 6 assists. Role player Willie Frank came up with 21 points, mostly on layups because of a lack of defense, Cook came up with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and four assists, and Shejdie Childs was impressive with 11 points, 9 assists, 5 steals, and 4 boards, along with lock-down defense on Cobey Williams. During the game I sat next to coaches Kane and Rattinoff and they had much to say. I told coach Kane repeatedly that he could have helped these kids had he stayed. Hhe felt bad. He raved about Ted's book and said that Ted does more for HS sports in Philly than anyone else does in any other big city in the country. He also joked by calling me "Hockey Puck's" illegitimate son. Ha, ha, real funny. Nevertheless he's still a great man and an all-time great coach. He also said that two of his former players, Marcus Rosser & Rhasheed Peterson (both 99') are sophs at a juco in Kansas. Rosser is now 6-8 230-lbs and being recruited by A10 schools, GW, St. Bona. and Rhode Island. He said that Peterson is now 6-5, 200-lbs and has become a terrific three-point shooter that half of the Big 12 is recruiting. Kudos to coach Kane. I joked with Coach Ratinoff about his '96 run. He said that he still has not figured out how he beat Gratz. He has watched the tape over and over and still until this day does not know. He still says that he was lucky. I say that it was the best late-season run in the Pub of all time in one of the all-time great Championships (Marvin O'Connor's 35 points, Albert Crockett's game-tying miracle shot, and the foul-shooting of Mark Peterson). Also raved about the book.

JAN. 10
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Is it me or do all of Mansion's players have nicknames? "Flip", "Buzzy", "The Big Easy", "Skyree", "Bonton", "Fatty", "D.J", "O.T", and now Maureece "Kid Dynamite" Rice. Is it me or did Gratz see Mansion on the schedule for Thursday and dime Leon Fulton out so that he would not be able to play? I believe that John Bartram is back on the Philly high school basketball map,
with two sophomore transfers (one from Neumann, the other from West Catholic) to go along with Jr. Swing Rich Francis and Soph. Forward Khalil Abdus-Salaam for next season. Is Mr. Ell losing his edge with getting the great players? Don't get me wrong, Coach Ellerbee of Gratz is the best coach in the Philadelphia area, bar none. He just took a group of scrappers with no true scoring threat to a National Tourney and did better than he has done when he's had All-Americans. He only lost by two points to the number 5 or 6 team in the country. In recent years Coach Ell has not gotten the caliber of player that we have been accustomed to him getting. We'll see in the next couple of seasons if this holds true. But five years ago Gratz would have had Maureece Rice and Richard Cunningham in the fold to develop one of the top backcourts in the country. He also would have had DeSean White in the fold to produce a top notch big man. And furthermore, players like David Bell and Mustafa Shakur would have both
been at Gratz. Mr. Ell has made a player like Michael Cuffee into an All-City caliber performer, though. Why did coach Steve Kane leave U. City when he did, with the athletic trio of Hakim Warrick, Jake Bennerman and Raheem Johnson all waiting in the wings, U-City would have been the 2000 PL Champs. That would have been great for the Pub. Don't look now, but FLC and
West Philly have nice groups of young players, maybe the Pub is primed to make a return to prominence. Does anyone know where Etienne Johnson is? He looked like a high major player as a soph. at Bonner. If anyone knows where he is now, e-mail me at Thurlbough@hotmail.com.
Here are a few memorable moments of my own: The mighty St John Neumann Pirates of '97 walk into West Catholic's gym oozing confidence and boy it showed. Early in the game, Rashime Middleton threw an ally-oop pass from half court to Victor Thomas, Middleton then got on the break and looked like he was going to scrape the ceiling with a two-handed smash, Devon Fowler beat the cheater for an uncontested dunk, and finally his brother James had a one-on-one break against West's jr. standout John Ashmore, as he looked like he would lay it up, no sir James went chest to chest with Ashmore, turned the ball over from finger roll position an uncorked a one handed power dunk over Ashmore, the bipartisan crowd went nuts. Just the most exciting game I've ever seen by one of the most exciting city teams that I've seen. The second was in '95 as West went to Roman Catholic on Senior Day and Lari Ketner unfurled six dunks on the head of the West big men in the 1st quarter. What a performance.

JAN. 9
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Bartram 80, West Phila. 49
In this backyard rivalry, Bartram proved too strong for the host Speedboys. Led by the balanced attack of sr. G's Bobby Leach (13 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts, & 7 stls) and Robert Bouknight (15pts, 3asts, 2 stls), jr. F Richard Francis (12 pts, 3 asts, 4 blks), sr. F Anthony Boyer (13pts), and soph F Khalil Abdus-Salaam (11rebs), Bartram kept West from ever having a chance. Though Leach did not score a field goal in the second half, he was a master thief and battled for every rebound. He is my early season Pub Player of the Year. I also was impressed with the play of Francis. He played a lot of point in this one. The headliners for West Philly were jr. G Donta Williams, who bombed away for 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting (4-for-7 on threes); he added 3 assists and 2 steals from the point. 6-5 soph SF Eugene Myatt added 9 points and 10 boards. This kid is interesting, very athletic. He kind of reminds me of a young Lynard Stewart (Gratz '94, Temple) in his looks, build and mannerisms. West looks to have a shot to competitive next year as it has a group of about seven sophomores who make up the nucleus of the team along with Williams, a junior.

JAN. 7
CATHOLIC SOUTH
Roman 85, West 43
After playing the mighty Cahillites tough through the first half, the smallish Burrs (without five key contributors) succumbed to the pressure and took one on the chin, 85-53. The Cahillites were led by 6-6, 235-lb PF Tamal Forchion, who put on a MONSTER! performance with 18 points (7-for-11), 18 boards, 5 assists and 3 blocks. This guy really cleans the glass. Second, there was the play of sr. CG Steve Brodzinski, who made some nice passes for dunks en route to 8 assists. Next was the great floor game played by Brent Welton; the 6-5 sr. swingman had 18 points (8-for-14), 4 rebounds and four blocks while showing great court vision, ballhandling, and passing. Last was the play of John Huggins, the vocal leader of this team and most inspired player. Huggins also had 18 points (7-for-9) to go along with 3 steals and great defense on West star sr. WG Nate Lewis.(no points in the second half)!! For West, Lewis did come up with 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting. The one thing that I did like about Lewis was the fact that he showed that he could play a little at the point, with a nice handle and some good passing, I look for more of that from Lewis. Some sidebars to the game: Roman shot a scorching 17-for-18 at the foul line; and 6-5 sr. PF Scott Paxson, a Penn State football signee, damn near killed a West Catholic soph as the brave kid tried to stop Paxson from dunking on the break and caught one of those massive shoulders in his chops while riding his back. That kid was brave, but you could hear the sound of his mouth all over the gym. Also I liked two of Roman's freshmen, 6-2 WG Andre Sloan-El, who is said to be in line to be next year's starter at quarterback and the heralded Charron Fisher, a 6-4, 210-lb PF, who Roman's people will tell you is more skilled than Tamal was as a freshman. West Catholic played without sr. guard Amos Joway (hamstring) and some academic casualties. One of them was a 6-8 soph, whom I spoke to after the game. He told me that he has transferred to Bartram and is playing JV. He'll be a good one. However, this kid said he never heard of Ted Silary, let alone his website. Can you believe that?

JAN. 6
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 68, Haverford School 48
In this game, there were not too many bright spots. There were mass substitutions and I was disappointed in the fact that Haverford's heralded guard, jr. Cameron Youngblood, did not show the assertiveness or the aggressiveness he had against Roman, when I last saw him. Nevertheless, he scored 15 points while showing questionable shot selection. There were three bright spots, all for Malvern. One was freshman CG Brian Grandieri (he'll definitely make Amauro's 10 Frosh to Watch). He mixed unofficially 6
points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, plus showed some aggressive defense and court savvy for a frosh. Very mature. Second, was sr. PG Matt Gosselin, with 15 points and good floor leadership. Last and most impressive, was the city leagues' version of the "Big Fundamentals," 6-5 sr. F Dave Glaser. This kid is the most poised player I've seen all season. He'd be great at a Patriot/Ivy school. He had 22 points and eight rebounds, very smooth. He could definitely play for me. Soon I'll add some Seniors and Juniors to my rankings plus I'll do some juggling, Glaser will definitely be an addition and Youngblood will drop among Juniors after a lackluster performance.
Well, a busy week lies ahead for Amauro (also known as "Amar" and "Mar") as I'll visit West Philly Tuesday as they take on PL favorite Bartram. I'll check a rare Wednesday game at Friends' Central, Mansion/Gratz on Thursday and I'll attempt to do double duty on Friday with Carroll/Neumann and Prep/WestCatholic, Whewww!

JAN. 5
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Even though we saw a classic game on 1/4 at Franklin, since 1998 the once nationally renowned Philadelphia Public League has slipped further and further down in terms of level of competition. In this column, I'd like to remember back to '97, the last great year in the Public League. Gratz had Jarett Kearse and Marvin O'Connor and four or five other D-1's, Mansion had Ronald Murray, Kevin Forney, Tyree Jones, Lanier Bradshaw, and Anton James (WOW)!, Franklin had Dhaamin Hill, Alex Wesby, and Calvin Johnson, FLC had Zakee Smith, Jeff Stamps, "Tuna" Pringle, and Reggie Bullock, Dobbins had Larry Nicholson, "Nip" Cook, Rodney Willis, and Miles Davis, E&S had Lynn Greer, Will Chavis, and John Cox, and Penn had Adam Brown. This was just North Philly! Not to mention Overbrook, who had Na'im Crenshaw, Kyle Myrick, Rahim Washington, and briefly Erik Hood, U-City had Melvin "Beef" Young and a whole lot of other talent, West had Don Feaster, Khalil Gary, and Derrick Johnson. Bok and Audenried had very good individual players, and Southern was very talented and do not forget that G-Town had Ant Green and Gerald Johnson, and the fact that King, Central, Mastbaum (Chaz Williamson), Edison, Olney, Washington, Lincoln, and last but not least Frankford with Earl Foreman and Phil Alston were all very competitive. What has happened? This was only four years ago. Well, the kids have changed in my estimation. Today they don't listen, don't work on the fundamentals and some don't get good grades. Even then, one could see this coming. This was the year that Dobbins' Larry Nicholson sucker-punched Referee Ron Palmer. It's funny because I believe that last year's Mansion Championship team or even this year's favorite, John Bartram, would only have been middle of the pack teams in '97. In those days anybody could beat anybody on any given night? Remember when West took the loaded Franklin team in playoffs or when U. City blew 'Brook away in the playoffs? These days there are five good teams in The Pub and five middle of the packers; the rest are either awful or borderline awful. This disturbs me. I grew up at 56th and Catherine sts. in West Philadelphia and today at 21 years old, still a kid myself, I see younger kids with potential, but without work ethic or patience or self control. I believe that my purpose in life is to reach out to people who need help or insight. One of my goals is to strengthen the city's youth programs and eventually start my own. In the late '80s/early '90s, PAL Centers were king around the city. I remember when Dayton star Tony Stanley was the man at the PAL at 57th and Christian before moving to Virginia. We need something like this again. Maybe one day I'll be the one making it happen.

DEC. 21
JERSEY BALL
Camden 95, Camden Catholic 82
I traveled over the bridge to Camden High and saw Dajuan Wagner put on a show. He scored 58 points! The amazing thing was that he did not take a bad shot until the game was already out of reach. There cannot be anyone in this country better at the high school level. If there is, show him to me. People call him selfish, but I think that his snappy passes are the second best part of his
complex game. He has to be around 200 pounds now. He's chiseled. A sidebar to the game was the vast improvement of Eric Davis, a 6-9 205 jr. (with senior eligibility) now at Camden via Abington Friends and Roman Catholic before that. He is now a solid high D-1 player. He has confidence now and will have a breakout year. Wagner twice threw him no-look passes for dunks (one behind the back and next a wrap-around)! He was in foul trouble yet he still was very impressive. (Yesterday, I saw Terrence Mack, a 6-6 junior, for the first time at West Catholic and I left very impressed. He is the wing forward version of Roman's Tamal Forchion, very naturally built. He should be on all the local colleges' wish list.)
(Ted's note: We figured you wouldn't mind an update on Dajuan Wagner. But in the future, we might have to revoke Amauro's bridge privileges.)